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All-TIME 100 Novels

Way back in January 2010 Time magazine drew up a list of “the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923—the beginning of TIME”: All-TIME 100 Novels: The parameters: English language novels published anywhere in the world since 1923, the year that TIME Magazine began, which, before you ask, means that Ulysses (1922) doesn’t make the […]

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On Novels and Novelists

On Novels and Novelists

How the Modern Detective Novel Was Born Here Martin Edwards, author of the new book The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story, gives a concise history of the development of the modern detective novel. Authors he discusses include the following: Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle,

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bookshelves: Literature and Psychology

Literary Characters Disturbing the Universe

Literary Characters Disturbing the Universe In his poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot wrote “Do I dare/disturb the universe?” Erin Haley looks at novels that present characters who dare to ask the same question as Prufrock. The main theme is independence, she says. Such characters “challenge the status quo.” Because challenging

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On Novels and Novelists

On Novels and Novelists

Here’s Why Famous Authors Chose Their Fake Names For as long as there have been books, there have been authors disguising themselves behind pseudonyms. Some do it for political reasons, others for personal concerns, and some simply for the joy of mischief. In any case, pseudonyms are a tpower tool for writers, allowing their pens

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On Novels and Novelists

On Novels and Novelists

10 authors who excel on the internet If you love literature, here’s your chance to connect with some of the most technologically savvy writers: a few [writers] are using the etherland as a canvas for experimentation and play. They have moved their storytelling, wit and insight from page to pixel, winning fans and readers in

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Novels That Feature a Character’s Diary or Journal

In Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl, Amy creates a fake diary to cast suspicion about her disappearance on her husband. Although Amy’s diary is only one piece in this novel’s central puzzle, some other works of fiction feature a diary format as their primary structure. Here are some fictional works that incorporate a character’s diary

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Monday Miscellany

Reading Literature on Screen: A Price for Convenience? I love my Kindle because it allows me to carry a lot of books around without having to carry a lot of books around. And having recently downsized to a retirement home game me another reason: I no longer have room for enough bookcases to hold every

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A Dozen Mysteries and Thrillers That Blew Me Away

Although we tend to think of mysteries and thrillers together, there is a difference: In a mystery, the reader sees the clues and, near the end, discovers the culprit along with the fictional detective. In a thriller, the reader learns early on who the villain is and watches as the hero and the villain try

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Monday Miscellany

Top 10 books about missing persons Top-notch mystery writer Laura Lippman discusses “the 10 best books about mysterious disappearances”: And while most missing person stories centre on those left behind, the “disappeared” have their stories to tell as well. These are often crime stories, and always love stories. In fact, the most satisfying ones are

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Monday Miscellany

The Conclusion of Women’s History Month As Women’s History month ends, here are two commemorative lists: 14 Totally Badass Female Authors Though many truly badass women authors are alive and working today, their stories aren’t yet finished. So as Women’s History Month draws to a close, we wanted to look back on some of the

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