Always wanting more books
Vol. 2 Issue 24
"The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more." --Patricia A. McKillip, "The Bell at Sealey Head"
BOOK NEWS & NOTES
Great sci-fi tomes: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association has announced the winners of the 2024 Nebula Awards. "Someone You Can Build a Nest In" by John Wiswell won for best novel. "The Dragonfly Gambit" by A.D. Sui took best novella honors. And the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award was presented to Nicola Griffith. See the rest of the winners here. (Locus)
Rest in peace: Here are some of the writers, journalists, authors, editors and publishers we've recently lost:
* TV writer Terry Louise Fisher, who wrote for the show "Cagney & Lacey," died at 79. Fisher and Steven Bochco also co-created the shows "Hooperman" and "L.A. Law." (Deadline)
* British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth died at 86. Although he sold more than 75 million books worldwide, Forsyth was best known for "The Day of the Jackal," which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel and was adapted into a film starring Edward Fox in 1973, and more recently a TV series starring Eddie Redmayne. (The Washington Post)
* Bookseller and author Joel Fram died at 81. Fram wrote numerous books, including "Weird Cures: Medical Treatments Ever (The Most Hilarious, Disgusting and Downright Dangerous)” and “Slip of the Tongue: Offhand Remarks That Ended High-Flying Careers.” He was also the founder of the beloved bookshop, Eeyore's Books for Children, in Manhattan. (Publishers Weekly)
* British novelist Jane Gardam, who published her first book at 43 and went on to pen more than two dozen novels, short story collections and children's books, died. She was 96. (The Washington Post)
* Sam Keen, who wrote more than a dozen books, including the 1991 book "Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man," which spent more than six months on the bestseller lists, died at 93. (The Washington Post)
* Writer William Langewiesche, 70, who wrote for The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine and Vanity Fair, died. Known as the "Steve McQueen of Journalism," Langewiesche won the National Magazine Award twice: in 2002 for “The Crash of EgyptAir 990,” about a flight that went down in the Atlantic Ocean, and in 2007 for “Rules of Engagement,” about the killing of 24 unarmed civilians by U.S. Marines in 2005 in Haditha, Iraq. (The New York Times)
* Alice Notley, who was widely regarded as one of the finest living American poets, died. She was 79. Her more than 40 books included the collection “Mysteries of Small Houses,” a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. (The Washington Post)
* John Robbins, 77, author of the 1987 bestseller "Diet for a New America" and co-founder of the Food Revolution Network, died. His work helped to transform mainstream understanding of plant-based diets, animal welfare and environmental sustainability. (VegNews)
* Journalist Tom Robbins, who spent more than four decades as a muckraker in New York City, died at 76. One of his investigations about an epidemic of violence by corrections officers against inmates in New York state prisons received the Hillman Prize in 2016 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. (The New York Times)
Beach reads: Need a tropical escape but can't afford to go on vacation? Thank goodness there are books to transport you elsewhere and provide a little adventure. (Silent Book Club)
Meet me at the ER: Have you watched "The Pitt," actor Noah Wyle's latest intense medical drama? Or perhaps you're a fan of "ER," "House" or "Grey's Anatomy"? Then you'll also enjoy reading some of these nonfiction books and memoirs of daring doctors and medical miracles. I can personally recommend "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi. (BookBub)
My June bookmark for fiction:
It’s summer and I’m just trying to survive these long, hot, migraine-filled months. This bookmark seemed to jive with that vibe (especially the melting cats).
Bookmark love: What's between your pages? Take a photo of your bookmark or placeholder and let me know why you love it. I may share your image/thoughts in a future issue.
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READER POLL
LAST WEEK’S POLL
LOVELY DEDICATIONS
"This book is dedicated to all the people of the world, on the theory that they will respond by thinking, ‘Wow! A book dedicated to me. I should buy a copy.’”
25-WORD REVIEWS
Rating System:
* * * * * One of the best books I've read in a while
* * * * A wonderful book, recommended
* * * Good book, worth the read
* * This book was fine, but not my favorite
* This book wasn't for me
Ever felt tired after sleeping? What if you woke to discover you'd walked 40,000 steps? Where did you go? Find out in this creepy yarn. --Jade Walker
Rating: * * * 1/2 stars
Very “Eddie and the Cruisers.” Ever been listening to Fleetwood Mac and thought, wish there was a fanfic with these dynamics? Here you go then. --Nikki Clark
Rating: * * * * * stars
LITERARY HOLIDAYS
June is: Audiobook Appreciation Month
June 23 is National Typewriter Day
WRITER BIRTHDAYS
June 20 - Anthony Buckeridge, Charles W. Chesnutt, Robert Crais, Byron Farwell, E. Lynn Harris, Lillian Hellman, Josephine Johnson, Paul Muldoon, Mark Ovenden, Claire Tomalin, Anne Weale and Robert B. Weide
June 21 - John Agard, John W. Dower, Jacques Goddet, Ian McEwan, Stanley Moss, Jean-Paul Sartre, Henry S. Taylor and Adam Zagajewski
June 22 - Ed Bradley, Dan Brown, Octavia Butler, H. Rider Haggard, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Erich Maria Remarque
June 23 - Richard Bach, Winifred Holtby, Hugh Howey, David Leavitt, Elroy Schwartz, Michael Shaara and Markus Zusak
June 24 - Ambrose Bierce, Lawrence Block, Betty Cavanna, Frank Crowninshield, Willard Maas, Forrest Reid, George Shiels, Mildred Ladner Thompson and Mary Wesley
June 25 - Anthony Bourdain, Eric Carle, Dorothy Gilman, Larry Kramer, Yann Martel, George Orwell and Kay Sage
June 26 - Pearl S. Buck, Walter Farley, Lev Grossman, Robert Kroetsch, Laurie Lee, Edith Pearlman, Nancy Willard, Colin Wilson, Charlotte Zolotow
June 27 - Lucille Clifton, Anita Diamant, Paul Laurence Dunbar, M. Carl Holman, Helen Keller, Peter Maas, Alice McDermott, Kirkpatrick Sale, Anna Cabot Quincy Waterston
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MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Ivo Rainha, Unsplash, the Science Fictions & Fantasy Writers Association, Locus, Deadline, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, VegNews, Great Big Story, YouTube, Silent Book Club, BookBub, Etsy, The Haunted Halo, Little Free Library, Betty Winslow, The Written Word, Holidays Calendar, National Today, National Day Calendar, A Wandering Scribbler, Good Good Good, Writers Write, Keeping Up With the Penguins, Brainy Quote, The Literary Lifestyle, Wikipedia, The National Book Foundation, The Joy of Old Books, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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"The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more." --Patricia A. McKillip, "The Bell at Sealey Head"
Not odd at all, perfectly normal behaviour I would think.