Reading

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Science fiction may help foster a sense of global solidarity by evoking awe, study finds New research suggests that regularly engaging with science fiction—whether through films, books, or other media—can help people feel a stronger connection to humanity as a whole. The researchers found that science fiction’s ability to evoke awe, a powerful emotion triggered […]

Literary Links Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

The Novel I’m Searching For “Five years after the pandemic, I’m holding out for a story that doesn’t just describe our experience, but transforms it.” Novelist Lily Meyer, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, writes that early literature about the COVID-19 pandemic aimed at giving people a sense of control by mentioning details of how

Literary Links Read More »

Collage of book covers: Knife by Salman Rushdie; Lucky by Alice Sebold; The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold; Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman; The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager; Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay; My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

6 Degrees of Separation: Crimes and Punishment

I haven’t yet read this month’s starter book, Salman Rushdie’s memoir Knife, although I certainly do intend to. The book describes an attack by a knife-wielding man as Rushdie was about to begin speaking at a literary event.  first degree Lucky by Alice Sebold is another memoir about a personal attack: Sebold’s rape at the

6 Degrees of Separation: Crimes and Punishment Read More »

Background: 3 stacked, closed books; open notebook with pen on top. Text: Reading Notes: March

Reading Notes: March

My reading intentions for March were interrupted by the sudden death of my cousin in New Hampshire, an event that hit me more heavily than I thought it would. Waiting to hear about funeral arrangements and then the actual traveling knocked me out of commission for about two weeks. I therefore have only two books

Reading Notes: March Read More »

A stack of 3 closed books, next to an open notebook on which rests a ballpoint pen. Text: Literary Links: Life Stories in Literature

Literary Links: Life Stories in Literature

The Real Cognitive Neuroscience Behind Severance I haven’t caught up with the second season of Severance yet, but I will because I’m interested in both the dichotomy of inside vs. outside stories and the use of science fiction elements to portray aspects of human existence. In this article two neuroscientists explore the question “Can a

Literary Links: Life Stories in Literature Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

A Twist of the Kaleidoscope: Three cases for literary criticism If, like me, you review books on your blog, you’re a literary critic. In this article Kasia Bartoszyńska discusses three books about literary criticism to answer the following questions: Has academia ruined literary criticism? Is this the end of literary studies? Has contemporary culture reduced

Literary Links Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Culture wars: Trump’s takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook “US president’s attempt to control or dismantle cultural institutions plays into a long history of authoritarians using arts to push their agenda” Sorry not sorry: Prepare to be harangued for the next 4 years. We’ve moved way past politics now here in the

Literary Links Read More »

Collage of book covers. On left, large cover; text: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. On right, top row of smaller book covers: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather; Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke; The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Lower row: Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson; Raven Black by Ann Cleeves; The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier.

6 Degrees of Separation: This One’s for the Birds

This month’s starting book is the 2023 Booker Prize winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. Here’s the description from Goodreads: On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police are here to interrogate

6 Degrees of Separation: This One’s for the Birds Read More »

Background: 3 stacked, closed books; open notebook with pen on top. Text: Reading Notes: February

Reading Notes: February

I didn’t get much reading done in February. I only read two novels, The Three Lives of Cate Kay, which I’ve already reviewed, and The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight, which I review below.  Last month I promised a later review of The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch, which I read

Reading Notes: February Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Hanif Kureishi’s Relentlessly Revealing Memoir “How a tragic accident helped the author find his rebellious voice again” In December 2022, at age 68, writer Hanif Kureishi fell onto a hard floor in Rome and woke up a tetraplegic. Hillary Kelly visited Kureishi in London in December 2024 and here describes that visit and comments on

Literary Links Read More »

Scroll to Top