Howl by Howard Jacobson Review – a Tragicomic Portrait of a Jewish Man’s Despair
Howard Jacobson’s new novel *Howl* offers a tragicomic portrait of a London headteacher grappling with the fallout of the Oct 7 2023 Hamas attacks. The protagonist, Ferdinand Draxler, spirals into guilt‑driven madness as antisemitic tensions erupt across the city. Jacobson mixes sharp humor with unsettling depictions of fear and displacement, creating a narrative that is both uncomfortable and comic. The book is released by Jonathan Cape at £20.
Beyond “Women’s Fiction…” On the Quiet Brilliance of Barbara Pym
Barbara Pym’s modest post‑war novels about spinsters, church life and quiet village politics fell out of print in the 1960s until a 1977 Times Literary Supplement endorsement sparked a revival and a Booker‑Prize nomination. The resurgence highlighted the literary value...
Janine Kovac on Getting Into Writing Residencies and Book Festivals
The Memoir Nation podcast featured author and residency adjudicator Janine Kovac discussing how writers can secure writing residencies and book festival slots. Kovac, a former ballet dancer and co‑director of Litquake’s Lit Crawl, shares practical advice drawn from her experience reviewing...
Philip Schultz on Unavoidable Mortality
Pulitzer‑winning poet Philip Schultz discusses his new collection "Enormous Morning" on the "First Draft" podcast. The book confronts mortality, weaving childhood memories, philosophical reflections, and present‑day family scenes. Schultz reveals he only recently returned to manuscript work after a five‑year...
2025 Nebula Awards Ballot
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association unveiled the 2025 Nebula Awards finalists across eight categories, including Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Poetry, Andre Norton, Comics, Ray Bradbury, and Game Writing. The Novel shortlist features titles such as Daryl Gregory’s *When...
Paul R. Ehrlich, Who Alarmed the World With ‘The Population Bomb,’ Dies at 93
Paul R. Ehrlich, the Stanford ecologist whose 1968 bestseller “The Population Bomb” warned of imminent famines, died at 93 from cancer complications. The book sold three million copies and made Ehrlich a household name, especially after frequent TV appearances. His...
Memory Is Not to Be Trusted: A South African Memoir Traces the Search for a Family Secret
Dennis Walder, a South African literary scholar, has published Amid the Alien Corn, a memoir that follows his lifelong quest to uncover his mother Ruth’s concealed past spanning Namibia, Germany and apartheid South Africa. The narrative weaves childhood recollections, encounters...
10 Iconic Dystopian Science Fiction Novels
The article lists ten seminal dystopian science‑fiction novels, from Zamyatin’s *We* to Ishiguro’s *Never Let Me Go*, highlighting how each work dramatizes a distinct system of control. It traces the genre’s evolution from early 20th‑century state surveillance to modern corporate...
The NASA Reading List: Highly Rated Books on America’s Space Program Available on Amazon
The article curates a NASA reading list of twelve highly rated books available on Amazon, spanning six decades of American spaceflight. It highlights standout titles such as Michael Collins’s memoir "Carrying the Fire," Margot Lee Shetterly’s "Hidden Figures," and Adam...
India at a Crossroads, Next Step to Define Country’s Future: Kamal Haasan
Actor‑turned‑MP Kamal Haasan launched former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s essay collection "India and Her Futures," warning that India stands at a crossroads where the chosen path will shape the nation for generations. He highlighted the rise of far‑right ideologies and introduced...
Vairamuthu Selected for Jnanpith Award; Third Tamil Writer to Receive Honour
Poet‑lyricist Vairamuthu has been selected for the Jnanpith Award, making him the third Tamil writer to receive India’s highest literary honour. The 72‑year‑old is celebrated for fusing traditional forms with contemporary themes in Tamil poetry. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin...
Protected: Diego De Almagro’s Shipwreck
The article profiles poet‑editor David Cruz and Spanish literature professor Anthony Geist, who are key contributors to a new interdisciplinary initiative surrounding the protected shipwreck of Diego de Almagro. Cruz, a Costa Rican MFA graduate, has published several bilingual poetry...
What to Read This Weekend: Locked in with The Iron Garden Sutra
Engadget recommends A.D. Sui’s debut novel The Iron Garden Sutra, a meditative horror sci‑fi/fantasy murder mystery set aboard a dead spaceship. The story follows Vessel Iris, a death monk paired with an AI, as he performs funeral rites while researchers...
Harry and Meghan Accuse Royal Author of 'Deranged Conspiracy'
Prince Harry and Meghan have publicly denounced author Tom Bower’s forthcoming biography, calling it a "deranged conspiracy" and accusing him of crossing the line from criticism into fixation. The book, titled *Betrayal*, alleges Meghan is a "divisive agent" and claims...
The Quest for the Simple Life
Morgan Housel’s new book, *The Art of Spending Money*, shifts focus from wealth accumulation to the psychology behind how we spend. He illustrates that money often fails to deliver identity, contentment, or security, highlighting the role of expectations and social...
The Last Days of Franco
Montserrat Roig’s 1976 Catalan novel “The Time of Cherries,” a seminal portrait of Barcelona’s middle‑class life on the eve of Spain’s transition, is being published in the United States in English for the first time. The book, originally a cheap...
Protected: The Emperor Jones
The March 14 2026 piece titled “Protected: The Emperor Jones” was posted by Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa. The article is password‑protected, offering no public excerpt. Kinshasa is a British‑born Black Caribbean choreopoet with multiple literary accolades. Her profile underscores the growing visibility of diverse voices...
Salman Rushdie Doesn’t Want to Be Your ‘Free Speech Barbie’
Salman Rushdie told the Atlantic’s George Packer at the New Orleans Book Festival that he is tired of being reduced to a "Free Speech Barbie" symbol. He emphasized his identity as a working author of 23 books, not merely a...
Voided Patterning | The Weekly Read
The Weekly Read spotlights Sita Balani’s article “Voided Patterning: Thinking Racial and Spatial Division in the Zone,” published in a special issue of South Atlantic Quarterly. The piece interrogates Britain’s contemporary racial capitalism by contrasting two zones: hotel housing for...
Novel Vacations: 9 Book Retreats to Make Your Next US Getaway a Page-Turner
Travelers are turning vacations into literary getaways as Google reports record‑high searches for “book retreats” and “reading weekend” in 2025‑26. The surge, fueled by Book‑Tok and younger travelers, has inspired a wave of curated reading retreats across the United States....
Book Review: ‘The Natural Way of Things,’ by Charlotte Wood
Charlotte Wood’s dystopian novel *The Natural Way of Things* returns to shelves after a decade‑long lull, spurred by the author’s recent bestseller and critical accolades. The story traps young women in an isolated Australian outpost where they are punished for...
Review of Sandip Roy’s Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Bengal
Sandip Roy’s biography *Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Bengal* chronicles the life of Chapal Bhaduri, the iconic female‑impersonator of Bengali jatra. The book interweaves archival material, first‑person narration, and testimonies to map Bhaduri’s rise, his complex relationship with gender...
Why a ‘Third Place’ Matters in Promoting Reading
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) surveyed 300 librarians and found reading ranks fourth among Filipinos’ favorite pastimes, trailing social media, family bonding, and movies. To shift reading higher on the list, the NBDB is leveraging the fourth Philippine Book...
Protected: The Lion Cub
Palestinian‑Icelandic poet Mazen Maarouf has published three acclaimed poetry collections, translated into more than seven languages, and his debut short‑story collection Jokes for the Gunmen was long‑listed for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. Lebanese writer and translator Lina Mounzer contributes essays...
Protected: Invisible Landscape
Guernica magazine has posted a password‑protected fiction piece titled “Protected: Invisible Landscape,” authored by Kashmiri research scholar Gowhar Yaqoob. The work is accompanied by visual contributions from photographer Mohammed Omer Bhat and performance artist Khursheed Ahmad, both deeply rooted in...
Zach Bryan Buys Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ Scroll for $12.1 Million
Country singer Zach Bryan won Christie’s auction for Jack Kerouac’s original *On the Road* scroll, paying $12,135,000—well above the $2.5‑$4 million estimate. The 120‑foot manuscript, once bought for $2.43 million in 2001, set a new benchmark for literary auction prices. Bryan, a...
It’s Time for Men to Step Down and for Women to Lead the Way
The article reviews Daniel Constantinou’s book *The Holy Grail and Her Knights*, arguing that humanity thrives when women lead with compassion and men step back from power. It claims that female leadership would end wars because mothers would never send...
‘New Trick’ at 50: Fiction. And Now, Raves.
Harvard epidemiologist Janet Rich‑Edwards debuted her novel "Canticle" after a Radcliffe Institute lecture on medieval nuns’ liturgical books sparked her imagination. The story follows a 13th‑century Bruges woman who joins the beguines and experiences mystical visions, exploring faith, doubt, and...
Two Books About the Pull of Home
Foreign Policy’s March 2026 fiction roundup spotlights two major releases – Helen Garner’s collected short fiction and Cecile Pin’s debut space novel “Celestial Lights.” Garner’s volume, issued by Penguin Random House’s Pantheon imprint, gathers stories written in the 1980s‑1990s that examine second‑wave...
From Manuscript to Asset: Why Every Indie Author Needs an IP Strategy
Indie authors often overlook that a manuscript is a bundle of valuable intellectual‑property rights that can be licensed beyond the book itself. Copyright attaches automatically, but registration strengthens legal standing, while trademarks protect series titles, pen names, and distinctive characters....
Odds & Ends: March 13, 2026
The Art of Manliness’ "Odds & Ends" roundup spotlights four distinct stories: Bill Zehme’s posthumously completed biography of Johnny Carson offers a rare glimpse into the introverted TV legend and mid‑century entertainment culture; the Garmin Forerunner 55 is praised for...
Find India’s Forgotten Jewels in Usha Balakrishnan’s New Book ‘Silver & Gold - Visions of Arcadia’
Usha R. Balakrishnan’s new volume *Silver & Gold: Visions of Arcadia* documents hundreds of Indian folk and tribal silver‑and‑gold ornaments, many drawn from the Amrapali Collection in Jaipur. The book blends art‑historical, anthropological and archival research to present a vivid picture of 19th‑20th‑century rural...
The Best Recent Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror – Review Roundup
A new roundup spotlights five standout titles across science‑fiction, fantasy and horror, ranging from Neil Jordan’s memory‑laden Irish saga to Cameron Sullivan’s historic Beast of Gévaudan re‑imagining. The list also revives Naomi Mitchison’s 1952 fairy‑tale classic, showcases Christopher Buehlman’s Black...
The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty
Reena McCarty’s debut, The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains, fuses American frontier myth with fae lore, following Poppy Hill, a century‑old returnee thrust into the modern legal world of faerie contracts at Carter Lane. The novel details a post‑World‑War legal...
Audible Expands Platform to 11 New Markets, Including Sweden
Audible announced at the London Book Fair that it will launch its subscription service in eleven new markets—Belgium, Egypt, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates—through a partnership with local Amazon...
Two Epic Thru-Hiking Memoirs Just Dropped. Here’s What You Should Read.
Early 2026 saw the release of two standout thru‑hiking memoirs: Heather Anderson’s *Farther*, chronicling her eight‑month, 8,000‑mile Calendar Year Triple Crown, and Derick “Mr. Fabulous” Lugo’s *A Fabulous Thru‑Hike*, recounting 3,100 miles on the Continental Divide Trail. Anderson’s narrative mixes...
Violation Is the Connective Tissue in This Family Portrait
Karan Mahajan’s latest novel, *The Complex*, opens with a sexual assault that binds the Chopra family’s multigenerational saga. The story follows Gita, an immigrant wife, as she navigates trauma, infertility, and the pull between the United States and Delhi, while...
Author AI Scams Bingo
A humorous “Author AI Scams Bingo” highlights the surge of AI‑generated spam targeting writers. The piece showcases a bingo card filled with typical scam language such as “I recently came across your book” and promises of wider audiences. It illustrates...
2 Chainz Memoir ‘The Voice In My Head Is God’ Debuts on New York Times Best Sellers List
2 Chainz’s debut memoir, *The Voice In My Head Is God*, entered the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list at No. 10 on March 3, 2026. The book, released through Black Privilege Publishing, an Atria Books imprint, chronicles the rapper’s upbringing in College Park, Georgia, his...
Why Motive Matters Even More than Truth in Crime Fiction
The article contends that motive outweighs factual truth in crime fiction because readers need a coherent reason for violence. Without a clear motive, stories feel random and unsettling, breaking the genre’s contract to translate chaos into intention. It draws on...
Writing Into Gaps: Joshilyn Jackson on Creating a Fictional Sister
Joshilyn Jackson’s lifelong imagination of an imaginary sister, Liz, fuels her latest novel, *Missing Sister*. The thriller follows Penny Albright, a rookie cop whose twin’s death from the opioid epidemic drives her into a dangerous partnership with a vengeful stranger,...
Book Review: ‘Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children’s Books,’ by Nancy...
Ursula Nordstrom reshaped children’s publishing during her three‑decade tenure at Harper & Row, turning a marginal “Tot Department” into a cultural powerhouse. She championed unconventional voices such as Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and E.B. White, producing best‑selling classics that...
Light and Thread by Han Kang Review – a Tantalising Book of Reflections
Korean author Han Kang, Nobel laureate, publishes "Light and Thread", a collection of essays, poems, and garden reflections that offers insight into her creative process and recurring themes of violence, hope, and humanity. The book includes her Nobel lecture, discussions...
Book Review: ‘Night Night Fawn,’ by Jordy Rosenberg
Jordy Rosenberg’s second novel, Night Night Fawn, is presented as a pseudo‑autobiographical confession from 70‑year‑old Barbara Rosenberg, who reflects on her life while dying of terminal cancer. The narrative centers on her fraught relationship with her estranged transgender son, Jordana,...
Andrew Martin on How to Manage Exposition
Andrew Martin argues that the widespread aversion to “info dumps” misrepresents the role of exposition in fiction. He explains that the fear originates from poorly executed backstory and the over‑reliance on the “show, don’t tell” mantra, which can lead writers...
Cynical Vampires, Gritty Crime and Bob Carr’s Moving Memoir: 10 New Books
A fresh roundup spotlights ten newly released titles spanning literary fiction, crime thrillers, genre mash‑ups and memoirs. Eva Hornung’s *The Minstrels* fuses climate‑driven apocalyptic fiction with Indigenous land‑rights themes, while Laura McCluskey returns to the Scottish Highlands with a hard‑boiled detective...
Is the Greatest Repository of Moral Beauty in English Literature the Voice of the Narrator in Middlemarch?
The essay argues that the narrator’s voice in George Eliot’s *Middlemarch* constitutes the richest secular source of moral beauty in English literature, rivaling religious eloquence. It outlines Eliot’s background, the novel’s moral architecture, and key characters—Dorothea, Casaubon, Ladislaw, Lydgate, Rosamond,...
“Depending on Who You Ask, There Are Fewer than 10 Full-Time Book Review Critics Working Today”
University of Chicago Press’s promotions director Carrie Olivia Adams says fewer than ten full‑time book‑review critics remain in the U.S., with only nine daily newspapers still maintaining dedicated review sections—The New York Times, Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, USA Today,...
Peter Schneider Dies at 85; His Novels Explored a Divided Germany
German novelist Peter Schneider, renowned for works like “Lenz” and “The Wall Jumper,” died on March 3 at 85 from kidney cancer. His fiction traced Germany’s post‑war turmoil, from the 1960s student protests to the fall of the Berlin Wall and...
Our Favorite Gordon Ramsay Cookbook Is Perfect For Chefs Of All Experience Levels
Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course, first published in 2012 as a TV companion, became his most acclaimed cookbook. A U.S. edition titled Home Cooking arrived in 2013, converting all measurements to imperial units. The book’s chapter layout—covering budget meals, advance prep,...