Apr 21 Mark Twain’s weird but perfect ending By Dr. Howard Markel The night Twain was born, there was a brilliant view of Halley's Comet flying right over his hometown. Continue reading
Sep 17 Fiction longlist for National Book Awards includes Richard Powers, Lauren Groff By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Powers' “Bewilderment” is his first book since the Pulitzer winning “The Overstory.” Groff's “Matrix” is her third consecutive work to receive a National Book Award nomination, following “Fates and Furies” and the story collection “Florida.” Anthony Doerr's “Cloud Cuckoo Land”… Continue reading
Jun 30 Rudolfo Anaya, ‘godfather’ of Chicano literature, dies at 82 By Russell Contreras, Associated Press Anaya came onto the scene with his breakthrough work, "Bless Me, Ultima," in 1972. The novel about a young Mexican American boy's relationship with an older curandera, or healer, influenced a generation of Latino writers. Continue reading
Apr 18 Watch 6:13 Landmark Oregon bookstore strains to survive the pandemic By Tom Casciato The independent book business has been battered in recent decades, as locally owned sellers strained to compete with the online-giant Amazon. But the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to close their doors, depriving both readers and writers the spaces they… Continue watching
Apr 16 ‘The Plague’ perfectly captures the risk in returning to normal By Dr. Howard Markel It's the most vexing phase of an epidemic -- once an illness peters out, healthy people begin to place it in the past. Continue reading
Mar 23 Watch 5:34 What to read while staying home, from author Ann Patchett As Americans stay home to try to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, we wanted to provide suggestions for how to fill that time. Author Ann Patchett joins Jeffrey Brown to offer book recommendations for this strange time, including… Continue watching
Feb 12 Watch 6:08 Isabel Allende’s newest historical novel tells familiar story of refugee life By Jeffrey Brown "A Long Petal of the Sea," a new historical novel by renowned writer Isabel Allende, draws upon events spanning from the Spanish civil war to the 1973 coup in her native Chile -- and with resonance for the experience of… Continue watching
Jan 29 Author tour for controversial ‘American Dirt’ is canceled By Hillel Italie, Associated Press The publisher of Jeanine Cummins' controversial novel “American Dirt" has cancelled the remainder of her promotional tour, citing concerns for her safety. The novel about a Mexican mother and her young son fleeing to the U.S. border had been praised… Continue reading
Jan 01 T.S. Eliot letters to his muse to be unveiled after 60 years By Christina Paciolla, Associated Press About 1,000 letters written by poet T.S. Eliot to confidante Emily Hale will be unveiled this week, and scholars hope they will reveal the extent of a relationship that's been speculated about for decades. Continue reading
Sep 19 National Book Awards longlist includes titles on border wall, Tribe Called Quest By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Hanif Abdurraqib's best-selling chronicle of A Tribe Called Quest and a memoir by chef Iliana Regan are among the works on the nonfiction longlist for the National Book Awards, as well as Greg Grandin's "The End of the Myth" about… Continue reading