Larry McMurtry in Hollywood. His Novels Became Source Material for Movies that Reinscribed the Very Myths of the West that...
Larry McMurtry spent a career dismantling the romanticized myths of the American West, writing novels that portrayed cowboys and Texas life with stark realism. His work attracted Hollywood, which turned titles like *Horseman, Pass By* into films such as *Hud* that softened his gritty narratives and re‑inscribed the very legends he critiqued. Over thirty screenplays, including the acclaimed *Brokeback Mountain*, show his complex relationship with the film industry. A new biography, *Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtry*, explores his self‑invention and the paradox of a myth‑breaker becoming a myth‑maker.
Shortlist Announced for the $150,000 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, the largest English‑language literary award for women and non‑binary writers in the United States and Canada, has released its fourth‑annual shortlist of five titles spanning novels, a graphic novel, and a short‑story collection. The...
Dane Bahr on Craft and Why Crime Fiction Is the Punk Complement to Literary Fiction
Dane Bahr uses a punk‑rock metaphor to argue that crime, horror and western novels are the rebellious counterpart to literary fiction. He stresses that plot, not lofty prose, is the engine that keeps a manuscript alive, and shares how techniques...
Philosophy Hiding in Plain Sight: A Profile of Scholar and Author Frank Griffel
Frank Griffel’s monograph “The Formation of Post‑Classical Philosophy in Islam” won the 2024 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Arab Culture in Other Languages. The book argues that Islamic philosophy did not end with al‑Ghazali’s critique but continued under the term...
Book Bans And Attempts In U.S. Are At Record High, Says American Library Association
The American Library Association reported a record‑high number of book challenges in 2025, with 4,235 titles contested, a figure only five fewer than the 2023 peak. Patricia McCormick’s novel “Sold” led the list, followed by titles such as “The Perks of...
7 Literary Characters Who Break the “Teen Girl” Trope
The article spotlights seven literary teen girls who defy the stereotypical "hormonal, emotional" trope by wielding sharp intellects and agency. From Stephen King’s telekinetic Carrie to Shakespeare’s strategic Juliet, each character uses cognitive power to challenge societal norms. Modern works...
A Feminist Tale of Vengeance and Redemption
Xiran Jay Zhao’s YA novel Iron Widow follows Zetian, a rebellious concubine who pilots a giant mecha to avenge her sister’s death in a patriarchal, god‑ruled future. The story mixes Chinese historical motifs, alien threats, and high‑octane action while spotlighting...
Lit Hub Daily: April 21, 2026
Lit Hub Daily released its April 21, 2026 roundup, featuring more than 15 pieces that span literary criticism, author interviews, book recommendations, and cultural essays. Highlights range from a tribute to naturalist John Muir’s birth to analyses of the best literary...
Books to Read With Your Book Club to Stay in the Know
A new roundup highlights the most buzzed‑about titles for book clubs, featuring Tayari Jones' novel "Kin," Xochitl Gonzalez's "Last Night in Brooklyn," and a groundbreaking memoir by a debut author who is the first nonverbal autistic graduate of UCLA’s English...
Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Content, and More Library News
Wikipedia has officially banned AI‑generated content, joining a wave of platform crackdowns on synthetic text. The publishing sector is grappling with AI’s encroachment, from the New York Times’ internal AI usage to high‑profile lawsuits against Anthropic, backed by an amicus brief from...
Hotel Exile by Jane Rogoyska Review – the Remarkable Story of a Wartime Institution
Jane Rogoyska’s new book, Hotel Exile, chronicles the Hôtel Lutetia’s transformation from a Parisian cultural hotspot into a wartime sanctuary for German anti‑Nazis and later a Nazi intelligence headquarters. The narrative follows key figures such as Heinrich Mann, Walter Benjamin, Irène Némirovsky and photographer...
If You Ask Me: Save the Rich White Women
Libby Gelman‑Waxner’s column spotlights a growing streaming‑TV formula that centers affluent white women in crisis, citing Nicole Kidman’s repeated roles in titles like *The Perfect Couple* and *The Undoing*. The piece outlines a recurring playbook: opulent homes, glamorous wardrobes, troubled...
Book Review: ‘The Palm House,’ by Gwendoline Riley
Gwendoline Riley’s novel *The Palm House* follows veteran editor Edmund Putnam’s resignation after a corporate‑appointed successor, Simon “Shove” Halfpenny, attempts to remodel the niche London magazine *Sequence* into a New‑Yorker‑style publication. Narrated by contributor Laura, the story exposes the clash...
Book Review: ‘How It Feels to Be Alive,’ by Megan O’Grady
Megan O’Grady’s new book “How It Feels to Be Alive” merges art criticism with personal memoir, echoing the narrative style of Olivia Laing and John Berger. The work intersperses original interviews she conducted for *T: The New York Times Style Magazine* with...
Book Review: ‘Permanence,’ by Sophie Mackintosh
Sophie Mackintosh’s new novel *Permanence* explores an alternate reality where an illicit affair becomes a curdled paradise, juxtaposing it against a conventional marriage. The book continues her signature speculative feminist style, using a stark binary to dissect power dynamics and...
Jayne Anne Phillips on Chronicling Her West Virginia Upbringing and Writer’s Journey
Jayne Anne Phillips, celebrated author of the war‑novel trilogy and the acclaimed collection Black Tickets, has published her first memoir‑in‑essays, Small Town Girls. The book recounts her West Virginia childhood, family dynamics, and the cultural shifts of the 1950s‑70s, while...
Ghost Stories by Siri Hustvedt Review – Life After Paul Auster
Siri Hustvedt’s new memoir *Ghost Stories* chronicles her four‑decade partnership with novelist Paul Auster and his death in 2024. The book interweaves personal recollections, academic references, and fragmented prose to capture the disorienting experience of grief. Hustvedt reflects on how...
2026 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards Winners
The 42nd L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future awards took place on April 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, culminating a week of workshops and lectures for the winners. Slovakia’s Bohuslav Argalas “Bafu” earned the Golden Brush for...
Poetry Month Feature: CavanKerry Press
CavanKerry Press is celebrating National Poetry Month by highlighting three "jazz triptychs" from Indigo Moor’s new collection, Reconstructing Eden. The book experiments with a three‑movement structure that combines tercet, the poet‑invented Bastard Villanelle, and Rhyme Royal. Distributed through the University...
Your International Food Choices Will Help Us Guess What Genre Of Books You Love
BuzzFeed launched a new interactive quiz that asks users to select their favorite international dishes and then predicts their preferred book genre, such as romance or fantasy. The quiz leverages cultural food preferences as a proxy for personality traits, using...
‘To Create From a Genuine Place, You Have to Be Open, Vulnerable and Sensitive and when You Put Music Out,...
Delphine Seddon, former COO of September Management—the label behind Adele—has left the music industry to become a novelist. Her debut, "Darkening Song," published by Saturday Books/Macmillan in the US and Blue Neon Books in the UK, draws on her two‑decade...
Are We in the Age of the Indie Bookstore?
Independent bookstores are experiencing a resurgence, with the American Booksellers Association reporting 422 new indie shops opened in 2025—a 31% rise over the previous year. The nonprofit platform Bookshop.org amplified this trend, posting $70 million in revenue for 2025, a 55%...
Veronica Roth Announces New Books Set in the World of DIVERGENT. Sort Of.
Veronica Roth revealed at BookCon that she will launch two new titles set in an alternate version of the Divergent universe, beginning with *The Sixth Faction* slated for fall 2026. The books are not sequels, prequels or interquels; they explore...
Ian Watson (1943–2026)
Ian Watson, the prolific British science‑fiction author, died on April 13, 2026 in Gijón, Spain at age 82. He launched his career with the award‑winning debut novel *The Embedding* (1973) and quickly became a fixture in the genre, earning multiple...
Ande Pliego on the Marvelous Libraries That Inspired Her New Novel
Ande Pliego reveals how iconic libraries across Europe and the United States shaped the setting of her thriller *The Library After Dark*. She draws on the Bodleian’s Art’s End, Vienna’s Hofbibliothek, Cambridge’s Wren Library, the George Peabody Library, and New York’s Morgan...
Veronica Roth Announces New Divergent Books That Will Explore an Alternate Universe
At BookCon 2026, bestselling YA author Veronica Roth revealed she is writing two new entries in the Divergent franchise that will re‑imagine the original storyline through a “what‑if” lens. The first novel, titled “The Sixth Faction,” will explore how protagonist...
Book Review: ‘Jan Morris: A Life,’ by Sara Wheeler
Jan Morris: A Life, Sara Wheeler’s biography of the British journalist and travel writer, revisits the cultural impact of Morris’s 1974 memoir Conundrum, which chronicled a decade‑long gender transition and sold millions worldwide. The new book highlights the flood of...
The Making of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Unpacked in New Book From Creator Jacob Tierney, Including Annotated Scripts
Creator Jacob Tierney, alongside Brendan Brady and Accent Aigu, announced a new book titled “I’ll Believe in Anything” that offers an official, fully annotated script collection and exclusive behind‑the‑scenes material from the first season of the hit series “Heated Rivalry.” The volume,...
Reconstructing Faith
Dr. Dick Daniels has released "Reconstructing Faith: 365 Days to Reconsider Jesus," a daily devotional designed for anyone wrestling with doubt. The book offers 365 concise readings that blend Scripture, historical insight, and personal reflection, guiding readers through a three‑stage...
Are Fairy Tales the Missing Puzzle Piece to Hope?
Jack Zipes’s new anthology argues that fairy tales are not escapist fluff but practical tools for imagining change, sustaining hope, and challenging dominant narratives. He traces the stories to oral traditions that helped ordinary people survive wars, climate crises, and...
The Kissinger Tapes
The National Security Archive forced Henry Kissinger to surrender thousands of transcribed phone calls from his tenure under Nixon and Ford, making the documents publicly available. The tapes expose his sharp wit, relentless work ethic, and a pattern of manipulation, deception,...
Krackle’s Last Movie by Chelsea Sutton
Chelsea Sutton’s debut novella *Krackle’s Last Movie* follows Harper, an assistant who pieces together a documentary on people altered by Curious Monster Syndrome after filmmaker Minerva Krackle disappears. The work blends speculative horror with cultural criticism, using monsters as metaphors...
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The latest Daily Nous roundup highlights fresh and updated entries across major open‑access philosophy platforms. New Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy articles cover Early Modern Rationalism, Discrimination, and Gershom Scholem, while revisions improve entries on Aristotle’s Biology, Paraconsistent Logic, and Korean...
‘Deliciously Dark’: How Freida McFadden’s Twisty Thrillers Gripped Millions of Readers
Freida McFadden, the pen name of Boston‑based doctor Sara Cohen, dominated the UK thriller market in 2025, moving 2.6 million print copies and securing six titles in the Top 10 paperback chart. Global sales across print, ebook and audio now exceed 36 million, bolstered...
Refuse
Megan Branning’s poem “Refuse” debuted in the April 20 2026 issue of Strange Horizons, a leading speculative‑fiction magazine. The piece weaves vivid images of rusted bikes, a deer skull, and hot‑pink yarn to critique decades of waste and environmental neglect. Branning, a...
Podcast: Four Steps to Hunt a God
Strange Horizons launched a new fiction podcast episode on April 20, 2026, featuring a reading of Athar Fikry’s short story “Four Steps to Hunt a God.” The piece is narrated by Emmie Christie and streamed via major platforms such as...
Pakistani Literature That Refuses to Pigeonhole Its Setting
Mahreen Sohail and Dur e Aziz Amna are reshaping Pakistani literature by centering women’s interior lives rather than treating Pakistan as a geopolitical backdrop. Sohail’s story collection *Small Scale Sinners* and Amna’s novel *A Splintering* examine ambition, morality and self‑hood through flexible, often transgressive female protagonists....
We’ll Soon Find Out What Is Truly Special About Human Writing
The essay argues that large language models (LLMs) are reshaping writing by severing the traditional link between text and a responsible human author. It draws parallels to past disruptions—Gutenberg’s press, typewriters, and word processors—showing how each changed production but not...
Could ‘A River Runs Through It’ Have Been a Hit Today?
Norman Maclean’s novella “A River Runs Through It” turns 50, having sold over a million copies since its 1976 debut and spawning an Academy Award‑winning film starring Brad Pitt. The book cemented the literary fly‑fishing archetype and revitalized outdoor‑culture publishing. Its enduring...
Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan
Moorea Corrigan’s review of *Thistlemarsh* highlights a slow‑burn, lyrical fantasy where protagonist Mouse inherits a manor to care for her war‑scarred brother. A freed faerie, Thornwood, offers magical repairs, but the narrative lingers on detailed description, causing the reviewer to...
No Age Too Early: Lab Exposure Through Children’s Books
Two new children’s books—*Mia the Marvelous Lab Explorer* and *ABCs of Laboratory Medicine*—introduce laboratory medicine concepts to kids aged four to nine. Authored by Dr. Kamran Mirza and Dr. Lotte Mulder, the titles feature a lab‑superhero and a talking microscope...
The Illuminated Man by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan Review – an Unconventional Portrait of JG Ballard
Christopher Priest’s posthumously completed biography, The Illuminated Man, offers an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard, intertwining the writer’s tumultuous life with his groundbreaking "inner‑space" fiction. Priest, diagnosed with terminal cancer, managed only 65,000 words before his death, and his partner Nina...
Kickstarter Tips for Authors: Rewards, Shipping, Marketing, and Lessons Learned
Kickstarter has become a major revenue channel for authors, with 69,000 publishing projects raising over $380 million and 3.2 million backers to date. The platform’s success rate is high—84% for campaigns that attract at least 25 supporters—while average pledges have jumped from...
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel Review – Life of Pi Author Discovers a Long-Lost Poem From Troy
Yann Martel’s fifth novel, Son of Nobody, follows Canadian classicist Harlow Donne on an Oxford fellowship as he translates a cache of Oxyrhynchus papyri and uncovers a purportedly lost Trojan‑war poem, the Psoad. The book intertwines the ancient epic—presented in...
Sororicidal Review: Edwina Preston Mines the Very Relatable Desire to Kill Your Sister
Edwina Preston’s novel *Sororicidal* charts the volatile bond between sisters Mary and Margot from a 1915 Adelaide vineyard to their twilight years. The story shifts between the sisters’ viewpoints, exposing how memory reshapes truth and how artistic ambition fuels resentment....
Inside the Twisted Life of Roald Dahl
Rolling Stone’s Aaron Tracy hosts the ten‑part podcast "The Secret World of Roald Dahl," diving into the author’s multifaceted life—from beloved children’s classics to his antisemitic remarks, Hollywood missteps, and a life‑saving medical invention. The series brings together voices like...
Stop Paying for Books: These 5 NYT Bestsellers Are Free with Amazon Prime Right Now
Amazon Prime members can borrow five current New York Times best‑sellers at no extra cost through Prime Reading. The list includes Jasmine Mas’s mythic fantasy Blood of Hercules, Noelle W. Ihli’s thriller Ask for Andrea, Chloe Walsh’s sports romance Binding 13, Meghan Quinn’s...
All The Science Fiction And Fantasy Novels Reimagining China’s Past May Be Doing Weird Political Things Today
Chinese science‑fiction and fantasy novels are increasingly set in reimagined historical China, inserting modern technology and contemporary ideology into ancient backdrops. A growing body of scholarship argues these stories do more than entertain—they subtly reinforce the legitimacy of the current...
BookCon 2026: Authors Rachel Reid, Stephanie Archer Talk Hockey Romance and How It Could Change the Sport for the Better
At BookCon 2026, a panel of romance authors—including Rachel Reid and Stephanie Archer—explored the booming subgenre of hockey romance. They highlighted the sport’s cultural mystique, the genre’s reliance on white‑centric tropes, and a growing push for BIPOC and queer representation....
The Book News We Covered This Week
This week’s Book Riot roundup highlighted several notable developments in the literary world. Spotify announced a partnership with Bookshop.org to sell physical books in the US and UK via its app, marking a new entry of a streaming platform into...