Ursula K Le Guin, by Margaret Atwood: ‘One of the literary greats of the 20th century’ – I’m sure you know by now that Ursula Le Guin died earlier this week, and there are a ton of obituaries and articles on her life and her work. I have chosen to ... more >
Louise Erdrich, Matthew Desmond Among Winners of National Book Critics Circle Awards – I have always loved Louise Erdrich’s books, because despite their often grim elements, there is a sense of gentleness and illuminated love in her writing (similar IMO to the film “Moonlight”). So I’m thrilled to see that she ... more >
Husband of best-selling Benton City author dies – Those of you who read Patricia Briggs or who follow her social media accounts (including her website), may be familiar with her husband, Mike, who was very involved in his wife’s career, not only serving as her research assistant, but also blogging on her ... more >
Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards – The NBCC Awards will be presented on March 16th, and include the categories of fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, criticism, biography, and poetry. Finalists are chosen by the NBCC Board (24 members), and in addition to the standard categories, special awards include the Ivan Sandrof ... more >
Reader’s Guide to This Fall’s Big Book Awards – The next couple of months are filled with award announcements, including the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Man Booker Prize (October 25th), and the National Book Award (November 16th – the full list of finalists can be found here; this article was ... more >
The Man Booker Prize 2016 Shortlist – If you want to catch up on the Man Booker nominees, check out Rosario and Liz’s blogs, as both are working their way through the longlist. The list is disappointingly narrow in its geographical scope, but overall, what do you think? Paul Beatty (US) The ... more >