![]() ![]() In desperation, she tries to escape her role and carve a different path, one that brings her adventure, love with a surface dwelling “two-legged” woman, and a new respect for the power of memory. Yetu didn’t have a choice in taking on this calling, and she is overwhelmed by the weight of so many memories. Historians are responsible for holding the memories of every wanjinru who has lived, allowing individuals to live unburdened by the trauma of their collective past, only regaining temporary knowledge of their history through a yearly magic ritual. We learn about the culture and history of these people, the wajinru, through the eyes of Yetu, their newest Historian. The Deep is a reimagined mermaid story about an underwater society descended from African women tossed overboard during the transatlantic slave trade. ![]() ![]() It’s a lyrical novella based on a Hugo Award-nominated science-fiction song by clipping, a hip-hop group. The Deep is the most beautiful book that I’ve read this year. ![]()
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![]() ![]() White made suggestions and comments, in one letter expressing delight that Williams had drawn shoes that are "just right for a mouse's feet." White himself found a model for Harriet Ames (a character who does not appear in the movie) in a clipping from a Sears catalogue. White and Williams discussed every detail of the illustrations. White's editor complained that "it is terribly difficult to draw ATTRACTIVE mice" and went through no less than eight illustrators before signing up Williams, a prize-winning sculptor. It was also the first book illustrated by renowned artist Garth Williams. ![]() ![]() Some twenty years later he expanded and collected the stories as Stuart Little, published in 1945. White wrote a few episodes about this boy who looked like a mouse and then tucked them away in a drawer, thinking he might one day share them with his nieces and nephews. The character of Stuart Little first appeared in a dream to famed essayist E. White called the "shy, pleasant manner of a mouse." Dreaming It Up Fox, who provides the character's screen voice, than the little hero who had what creator E. Some think the cinematic Stuart was modeled more after Michael J. Infoplease Staff The Story Behind Hollywood's Big Mouse by Holly HartmanĪfter more than half a century as a quietly beloved literary figure, Stuart Little has become a cash cow of a mouse-the grinning, computer-generated star of a $90 million movie and the subject of seven new books, as well as a line of products that includes plush toys, games, and a mouse-shaped backpack. ![]() ![]() ![]() It also had the same sort of amusing humor, true-life situations, and slight absurdity that made me love What Alice Forgot. ![]() It made me laugh, it made me think, and I ignored all sorts of vital tasks to finish it in two days (the sure sign of a good book for me). Now Big Little Lies book is out (it came out in July – it took me a while to work my way to the top of the holds list), and I think it’s her next best after What Alice Forgot. The Husband’s Secret shot her into the spotlight last year when it became a #1 New York Times best-seller and landing on all sorts of Best Books of the Year lists, and I liked that one better, although still not on the level of What Alice Forgot. Then I read her next book, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, and was definitely underwhelmed (I actually can’t remember almost anything about that book now, except that I didn’t really care for it). I’ve read it twice, and enjoyed it both times (and raved about it here). It’s no secret that What Alice Forgot is one of my favorite books. ![]() ![]() ![]() Irish novelist Rónán Hession describes Everett as “either the funniest serious writer I’ve ever read, or the most serious funny writer,” which is about right. To sum up The Trees, imagine Jordan Peele writing a spin-off of Fargo. My top two from this year’s shortlist were The Trees by Percival Everett and Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout. But if you are looking to dive into some of the titles, here are my thoughts on the other shortlisted books, and my favourites from the overall longlist. Reading from any book prize is going to be a mixed bag, given you’re reading the favourite books of several different people. This year, I read all of the Booker Prize shortlisted books, and the majority of the longlist. Written in the second person, it truly embraces an out-of-body experience, right down to the skeleton of its sentence structure. Once a war photographer, he finds it disorientating to meet the dying people he used to capture images of, now completely unsure of the meaning of life. ![]() Set in Sri Lanka in the 1990s, it takes inspiration from A Christmas Carol, as the titular character Maali wanders through the afterlife, trying to work out how he died. ![]() On 17 October, Shehan Karunatilaka was crowned winner of this year’s Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. ![]() ![]() Mapped by John Smith in 1608, settled during the American Revolution, the tiny sliver of mud is home to 470 hardy people who live an isolated and challenging existence, with one foot in the 21st century and another in times long passed. Tangier Island, Virginia, is a community unique on the American landscape. ![]() "THE BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR." - Stephen L."A MASTERFUL NARRATIVE." - Christian Science Monitor."BEAUTIFUL, HAUNTING AND TRUE." - Hampton Sides A brilliant, soulful, and timely portrait of a two-hundred-year-old crabbing community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay as it faces extinction.Ī BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Washington Post, NPR, Outside, Smithsonian, Bloomberg, Science Friday, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Review of Books, and Kirkus ![]() ![]() ![]() I much prefer the first one, and although this one will be staying in my collection, it’s only because it’s not well-known. Towards the end, I just wanted the book to end, and I found myself skimming it. I thought there was going to be a more major twist towards the halfway point, with the reintroduction of Cece’s ex husband, but he was in and out of the story in no time. There were some characters who were mentioned, who you thought were going to be a huge part of the book, but were brushed to one side - Kevin is a prime example of that. I found it disappointing that we missed so much of Nina’s childhood, and she very quickly grows up throughout the book, and then into a teenager, where she quite promptly wreaks havoc in Cece’s life. The author waffles on for pages, ignoring whole passages of time, and using the alternating past/present chapters formula that was used in the first book. It reads very much like a soap opera, but at times, the author came across like a low rent Jackie Collins. It’s totally unnecessary and didn’t need to be written. ![]() I have recommended the first book, but I would advise staying away from this book, unless you really, really loved the first book. So I was looking forward to reading the sequel and following on with Cece’s life. I had really enjoyed Beaches and found that it had changed my opinion about the film. ![]() ![]() Chesterton, hotels and enough action-adventure for a movie! Alex makes me laugh just with some of the things he says. We have swordfighting, cyberthieves, computer hackers, the Samurai Cat, fans with sword blades, G.K. Of all the Fairy Tale Novels, Alex O’Donnell is more of a swashbuckling pirate story than a fairy tale. Will Alex be able to protect his family? Or will the cyberthieves win in the end? The O’Donnells and Alex’s girlfriend Kateri are now targets. Then the FBI gets involved and the thieves find out where the O’Donnells are and what they know about them. Now the O’Donnells have received well over a million dollars. To get off the site, he had to enter a series of numbers. ![]() Alex O’Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves: A Fairy Tale Retold- by Regina DomanĪlex O’Donnell, Mercy College’s resident swordfighter and ninja, is back! Coming home from college, he finds out that his dad has been at his computer antics again. ![]() ![]() ![]() His original artwork for the series is being showcased in the exhibition "DINOTOPIA: Art, Science, and Imagination" on view at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum through Feb. ![]() Gurney is the author and illustrator of the hugely popular "Dinotopia" books, about a land where dinosaurs and humans live in peace. Maybe to Middle Earth.Īs he grew up, he discovered another way to transport himself to a different, wondrous place - by drawing it, in the form of Dinotopia. As a kid, he dreamt of a magic elevator that - if he stood in the right spot and pressed the right button - would take him to another universe. James Gurney has always been intrigued by lost worlds and ancient civilizations. “Flight Past the Falls,” 2006, by James Gurney oil on canvas. ![]() ![]() ![]() "An extraordinary achievement." -Poul Anderson, award-winning author of Tau Zero ![]() ![]() This book features a new introduction by the author. With a damaged ship and hostile aliens in pursuit, the crew must band together if they hope to survive. Suddenly the Five Galaxies teeter on the brink of all-out war as fanatics hunt Streaker for the secret. The Earthship Streaker-crewed by humans and uplifted dolphins and chimpanzees-discovers a derelict armada, perhaps left by the very first patrons, the fabled Progenitors. But is upstart humanity a patron or a client? Patron races demand centuries of indentured servitude from each uplifted client. Foremost among said traditions is uplift, which requires all spacefaring races to welcome newcomers into Galactic culture by breeding and genetically guiding each client species to full sapience-but at a price. Humanity's explorations have revealed galaxies inhabited by millions of intelligent species interacting under ancient traditions. A starship crew of humans and dolphins skirts the brink of interstellar war in this epic adventure by the New York Times-bestselling author of The Postman. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Illustrated Book of Sayings: Curious Expressions from Around the World was published in September 2016 by Ten Speed Press and has also been printed in over eight languages. In 2018, Lost in Translation was announced as the No.1 book for the biggest bookseller in Japan, Kinokuniya, which is only the second time a non-fiction title has ever been chosen for the award in the bookseller’s history. It was featured in places such as The New York Times Book Review, The New York Post, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, Brain Pickings, Design*Sponge, Conde Nast Traveler, and Buzzfeed. It sat on the New York Times bestseller list for 4 consecutive months, was an Amazon Best Book of 2014, and has had multiple printings in multiple countries, including Japan where over 100,000 copies have been sold. Her first book, Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words was published in September 2014 by Ten Speed Press and became an international bestseller. Ella Frances Sanders is a writer and illustrator. ![]() |