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Sales of "1984" and other classic dystopic novels are climbing |
Kerri Miller's Must-Read | "The Second Mrs. Hockaday" by Susan Rivers Buy this book One of my bookish resolutions this year was to read more historical romance. I've been feeling left out, because a lot of you are reading romance — it outsells science fiction and fantasy — and one of my favorite book sites just put out a list of 100 must-read historical romances. This book isn’t on it — yet. But picking up Susan Rivers’ novel for my first foray into romance was a stroke of luck. Rivers is an accomplished playwright, and her debut novel has a kind of spare narrative drama about it. It’s set during and after the Civil War, and it's told in letters between a young bride, who is just 17, and her older Confederate officer husband. They meet at a stepsister’s wedding, and although there were many suitors buzzing around young Placidia Fincher, the major has had “the advantage on his rivals of speed,” as Dia’s aunt confides in a letter. He spirits “his fair girl” off to his farm and then departs for the battlefield just two days later. There are also diary entries in the book that allude to Placidia’s deceased child, apparently conceived while the major is at war, and a criminal hearing ordered by the major himself. That diary, discovered years later by Placidia’s son, Achilles, slowly reveals the secret that stains the marriage. -K.M. P.S. Next week I’ll be writing from a roaming and reading adventure to South America with some MPR travelers. I’m packing at least a dozen novels — list to come! Tell us what you're reading on Twitter @TheThreadMPR. |
| This Week on The Thread |
| Sales of "1984" and other classic dystopic novels soar The publisher of George Orwell's "1984" has just ordered a reprint of another 75,000 copies. The books is currently the No. 1 best-seller on Amazon. More |
| Details on Marlon James' new fantasy trilogy: The "African 'Game of Thrones'" The first book in the new trilogy, "Black Leopard, Red Wolf," will "hopefully" be out in the fall of 2018, James said. More |
| Minneapolis author named Newbery Medal winner "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill Buy this book Kelly Barnhill won the Newbery, one of the highest honors in children's literature, for her middle-grade novel that isn't afraid to delve into the dark and the complicated. More |
| The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has been trolling Trump on Twitter for months Throughout the presidential campaign, the linguistic institution developed its funny style of delicately poking at Donald Trump and his associates on Twitter. More |
| The Black Panther, at odds with himself and his country "Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet" by Ta-Nehisi Coates Buy this book Ta-Nehisi Coates continues his tangled, philosophical (and big-selling) superhero tale with 'Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet.' Coates' storytelling resonates, but his character can often ramble. More |
| John Lewis' graphic memoir wins 4 American Library Association awards "March: Book Three," the third installment in the civil rights leader's memoir, won the Coretta Scott King Award for best African-American author. The Caldecott and Newbery medals also were announced. More |
| How a great-grandmother's diary became a graphic novel "Soviet Daughter" by Julia Alekseyeva Buy this book After her beloved great-grandmother's death, author Julia Alekseyeva discovered her memoirs, bursting with rich details of her life in the U.S.S.R. enduring wars, pogroms and purges. More |
| Roxane Gay pulls book, protesting Breitbart editor's "egregious" book deal When she realized her book was on an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is also publishing controversial conservative Milo Yiannopoulos, "I just couldn't bring myself to turn the book in," Gay said. More |
| A rich winter's tale "The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden Buy this book Arden's new novel deftly weaves Russian fairy tales with tactile details to create a gorgeously wintry tale of magic, marred slightly by a clunky ending that's clearly setting up sequels. More |
| Simon Tolkien draws on his famous grandfather's experiences at war "No Man's Land" by Simon Tolkien Buy this book Simon Tolkien's new novel was inspired by his grandfather J.R.R.'s time at war — but in theme, tone and style, it owes more to Charles Dickens than to "The Lord of the Rings." More |
| An edgy and gritty collection of short stories "Homesick for Another World" by Ottessa Moshfegh Buy this book Bookseller Tom Lagasse recommends Ottessa Moshfegh's new book of stories, saying it's "not for the faint of heart." More |
| Recapping a month-long adventure of microdosing LSD "A Really Good Day" by Ayelet Waldman Buy this book Ayelet Waldman's new memoir describes her experiences with a variant of bipolar disorder, and her attempts to self-medicate with LSD. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it a "gutsy ... really good story." More |
| Trying to reconcile bloody human impulses "Human Acts" by Han Kang Buy this book In Han Kang's sharp, almost painfully sensitive new novel, set during and after South Korea's 1980 Gwangju student uprising, people spill blood — but they also brave death to donate it. More |
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