NEW YORK — Brandon Sanderson, whose epic “Wind and Truth” is a highlight of the upcoming publishing season, sees nothing wrong with the idea of “escapism.” “It’s just the ability to go to another world and relate to other people’s problems, problems that aren’t our problems. It’s a really valuable tool in our lives,” the … Read more
Percival Everett’s “James,” a reworking of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the enslaved Jim’s perspective, is among the fiction finalists for the 11th annual Kirkus Prize NEW YORK — Percival Everett’s “James,” a reworking of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the enslaved Jim’s perspective, is among the fiction finalists … Read more
Dolly Parton’s father grew up poor and never got the chance to learn to read. Inspired by her upbringing, the 78-year-old country music legend has made it her mission over the past three decades to improve literacy through her Imagination Library book giveaway program. Recently, it has expanded statewide in places like Missouri and Kentucky, … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea — The second season of “Pachinko,” opening Friday, delicately captures the plight of ethnic Koreans brought to Japan during colonial rule and their descendants, exploring themes of home and identity through several generations. The award-winning series, based on the New York Times bestselling novel, returns to Apple TV+ with eight episodes that … Read more
One of the first things you see in the reimagined “The Crow” is the sight of a fallen white horse in a muddy field, bleeding badly after becoming entangled in barbed wire. It’s a metaphor, of course, and a clunky one at that — a powerful image that doesn’t really fit well and is never … Read more
Can what looks like running away from grief and sadness actually be a way to heal? In “The Slow Road North,” writer Rosie Schaap chronicles her circuitous route from spending most of her life as a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker to finding herself settling down far away in a small town in Northern Ireland. Schaap, an … Read more
Cork O’Connor, whose wife is a full-blooded Ojibwe and who is half Native American himself, retired from his job as Aurora, Minnesota, police chief a while back. He now runs a fast-food place, but when trouble comes to Minnesota’s Great North, Cork still is apt to end up in the middle of it. In “Spirit … Read more
NEW YORK — Hettie Jones, an award-winning author, publisher and educator who was the first wife and early muse of the author-poet-activist Amiri Baraka and one of the few women in the Beat literary community, has died at age 90. Jones died Tuesday, according to a statement released by her family. Additional details were not … Read more
Kate McKinnon, Malcolm Gladwell and Eva Mendes will be among the featured speakers this fall at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, a leading venue for arts events NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Kate McKinnon, Malcolm Gladwell and Eva Mendes will be among the featured speakers this fall at the 92nd Street Y … Read more
NEW YORK — Betty Prashker, a pioneering editor of the 20th century who as one of the first women with the power to acquire books published such classics as Kate Millett’s “Sexual Politics” and Susan Faludi’s “Backlash” and helped oversee the careers of Jean Auel, Dominick Dunne and Erik Larson among others, died July 30 … Read more
