by Damla
Yes, the air might be dominated by allergy-triggering pollens, and the wind might be blowing still on the chillier side, but we can still rejoice for the colder, darker months are already behind us! The nature is bustling, and so are the bookish news this month.
– Awards! The prestigious Pulitzer Prizes were announced earlier this week, which are always interesting to see which pieces of journalism, literature, drama, and music have been influential this year. Although there are MANY categories awarded with this prize, the most noteworthy are Daniel Kraus’s Angel Down (remarkable for its unique structure being told in only one long ongoing sentence), Jill Lepore’s engaging dive into the American constitution We The People, and Brian Goldstone’s journalistic storytelling of the growing homelessness crisis in the USA, There Is No Place For Us.
– Titles to watch for! Hachette has announced a reprint of Octavia E. Butler’s Survivor amid some hesitations. If you haven’t heard of the title before, that is likely because Butler had previously blocked reprints of the book as she found the book “subpar.” The decision to reprint despite her wishes stems mainly from the fact that the manuscript was already used (without permission) to train AI models, and so it should now also be available to Butler fans.
Haruki Murakami has also announced his upcoming novel, The Tale of KAHO, to be published in Japanese this July after a three year break. However, the title has not been translated in English yet and has no foreseen publication date as of yet.
Talking about big titles, Rebecca Yarros has already hit the bestseller lists with her unnamed non-sequel in her Empyrean series set to be released this fall. We don’t have much information on the book (even its existence was meant to be a secret although watchful fans caught on to the placeholder announcement quite fast), but she also has the publication of her romance book Peculiar Stars released in November.
– On screen! You may have heard about the new sci-fi craze Dungeon Crawler Carl, about a man and his sassy cat stuck in an alien-made survival game. Soon, “the most watched game-show in the galaxy” will come to our screens as well, since Seth MacFarlane’s production company has picked up the adaptation rights for a TV-show.
– One of the big mysteries within the mystery genre lately has been uncovered this month: Freida McFadden’s identity was revealed with an exclusive interview on USA Today. In the interview, she talks about her real life identity, why she kept this secret so long, and why she wears a wig (and no, it is not for disguise).
– The latest trend in the book world seems to be reading retreats. Booklovers spend up to $1,000 on specially crafted weekend trips, full of bookish activities and quiet reading with a community feel. If it is a cozy spot for reading with good company that you are looking for, we also offer Quiet Reading Hour events upstairs in our Hague store. We may not have poolside seating and book-bedazzling available, but we do have all the cozy vibes (and unlimited tea) on offer for free!
– The Devil wears… Dracula? We mentioned earlier about the rising popularity of books as luxury items, where high-fashion brands have adopted famous literary titles in their accessory and fashion lines. Here is a great dive into the phenomena by the ladies at Smart Bitches Trashy Books about what this trend means in relation to the current literary and economic crises.
– Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel Yesteryear, about an Instagram influencer creating tradwife content suddenly time-traveling to 1805, has been a smashing hit the moment it has hit the shelves. The title’s movie rights have also been picked up by Anne Hathaway at lightning speed. Here is a very interesting interview with the author from Lithub.
– Lists! “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell’s 1984 is unfortunately relevant as ever. Here are seven quotes from the chilling dystopia that are particularly striking.
Bookriot has gathered a list of their take on the best historical fiction books of the century (so far).
– We just celebrated King’s Day in the Netherlands, and on that note… Have you ever wondered at the end of The Return of the King, as the book came to a close or the movie credits started rolling, what’s next for the Middle Earth governance? If all power corrupts eventually, what kind of a king would Aragorn be? Well, you need not ponder, because the brilliant nerds at Reactor Mag have pondered it for you.
