"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads." --Francois Mauriac
BOOK NEWS & NOTES
Leaf through these tomes: In its fall preview, The New York Times curated a list of the 22 most-anticipated nonfiction books. And what a list it is! I'm eager to check out Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's new memoir, Ta-Nehisi Coates's book about the power of language and what is sure to be the heartbreaking posthumous memoir of Alexei Navalny. (The New York Times)
Embracing change: Sometimes we dig in our heels and hold on for dear life. Other times we simply have to let go. These nine books feature stories that aim to help the reader move on from life’s difficulties. (Electric Lit)
Longlisted literature: The National Book Foundation has released its longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction. The finalists will be revealed on Oct. 1. Winners will be announced at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Nov. 20 in New York City. (National Book Foundation)
Booker shortlist revealed: The six finalists for this year’s Booker Prize have also been announced. The prize is meant to honor the best single work of fiction written in the English language and published in the UK or Ireland. For the first time in the prize’s 55-year history, five of the novels on the shortlist were written by women. Three of this year’s shortlisted authors have been nominated for the prize before, and two (Percival Everett and Rachel Kushner) are Americans. The winner will be revealed at a ceremony in London on Nov. 12. (The Washington Post)
Literary calendar of events: Looking for something fun to do in October? I've put together a lengthy list of book fairs and literary festivals. The calendar is also available at the top of our homepage.
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MEET A MOONLIGHT READER
Name: Marcus W.
Short bio: Lifelong bookworm, wanderer by nature, increasingly a dedicated curmudgeon
State or country: New Hampshire
Who are your favorite authors?
Stephen King, Robin Hobb, Fredrik Backman, Connie Willis
Where do you like to read?
Pretty much anywhere.
Do you have a favorite bookmark, do you grab whatever is nearby or do you dog-ear the pages?
My favorite kind of bookmark is a used rail ticket stub or airline boarding pass.
How do you organize your bookshelves?
My preference is by author's last name. I'm not concerned about genre or subject.
Do you participate in the Goodreads challenge? If so, how are you faring this year?
Yes. I have purposely kept my challenge low the last couple of years to relax about the whole thing.
What is your favorite bookstore and why do you love it?
I don't really have a current favorite but for nostalgia, I'd choose The Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colo.
If you read e-books, what's the last line you highlighted? If you read paperback or hardcover books, what's the first line on page 99?
"The vehicle interior flashed brightly, and thick black smoke poured out of its open doors." —“The Mercy of Gods” by James S.A. Corey
What is the best book you've received as a gift?
I've gotten a ton of great books in my life but a recent one that comes to mind is "The Deadwood Bible: A Lie Agreed Upon" by Matt Zoller.
You can invite three authors from any time period for a meal at your place. Who's coming and what do you serve?
Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie. I don't know what I'd serve....pizza?
What’s the best book you've read this year?
It's a dead tie between "You Like It Darker" by Stephen King and "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman.
(Disclosure: Marcus W. is my husband and a wonderful man at that.)
ODDLY TITLED TOMES
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
We watched these sisters suffer for years and spend an equal amount of time obsessing about bras and trees and tampons. Wonder why they're dead? --Nikki Clark
Rating: * * * * stars
This fast-paced thriller about a plane crash will keep you turning the pages (even if you need to sleep). Will make a great popcorn movie. --Jade Walker
Rating: * * * * stars
READER POLL
LAST WEEK’S POLL
LITERARY HOLIDAYS
October is:
International School Libraries Month
National Arts & Humanities Month
National Book Month
National Cookbook Month
National Medical Librarians Month
National Reading Group Month
Black Speculative Fiction Month
Children’s Magazine Month
Oct. 1 - International Coffee Day, National Poetry Day and National Pumpkin Spice Day
Oct. 2 - Random Acts of Poetry Day
Oct. 5 - Bookshop Day
WRITER BIRTHDAYS
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 27 - Louis Auchincloss, Katie Fforde, Meat Loaf and Dick Schaap
Sept. 28 - Christopher Buckley, Al Capp, Marcia Muller, George W.S. Trow and Moon Zappa
Sept. 29 - Stan Berenstain, Miguel de Cervantes, Richard J. Evans, James Fogle, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bryant Gumbel, Gwen Ifill, Stuart M. Kaminsky and Diana Vreeland
Sept. 30 - Cecilia Ahern, Trey Anastasio, Truman Capote, Eileen Chang, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Laura Esquivel, W.S Merwin, Téa Obreht, Rumi and Elie Wiesel
OCTOBER
Oct. 1 - Faith Baldwin, Debbie Ford and Tim O'Brien
Oct. 2 - Jack Finney, Graham Greene, Joe Sacco, Wallace Stevens, Sting, Gene Weingarten, Chuck Williams and Terence Winter
Oct. 3 - India Arie, John Perry Barlow, Chubby Checker, Eddie Cochran, James Herriot, Alan O'Day, John Patrick Stanley, Gore Vidal and Thomas Wolfe
Oct. 4 - Roy Blount Jr., Jackie Collins, Anne Rice, Damon Runyon and Jon Secada
Oct. 5 - Peter Ackroyd, Clive Barker, Marie-Claire Blais, Louise Fitzhugh and Bill James
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACKS
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to The New York Times, Electric Lit, YouTube, the National Book Foundation, The Booker Prizes, The Washington Post, Nikki Clark, 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, Big Bearded Bookseller, A Bit of Good News and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon and earn a commission when you click through these links and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!
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