Meanwhile, here's some great tidbits, including a podcast by one of the greatest presidents we've ever had in America, a strong and intelligent and kind man who should, IMO, still be at the helm of this country.
A Great Book with Barack Obama Podcast Debuting in September
Higher Ground, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's media company, has teamed with Audible to launch A Great Book with Barack Obama, a new original podcast hosted by the former U.S. president, who sits down with six luminaries to discuss the books that have profoundly shaped his worldview and our society. The six-episode series debuts on Audible September 24. Guests will be announced at a later date.
The book selections include The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin; Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy; Gilead by Marilynne Robinson; All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren; and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré.
"Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe," said Obama. "The six books featured in this series have stayed with me throughout my life, and each one has something to teach us about the human experience. For this podcast, I invited some friends to explore why they resonate, how they can shape our understanding of ourselves and each other, and why literature matters now more than ever. I hope listeners will be inspired to discover or rediscover books that change the way they see themselves and the world."
Dan Fierman, head of audio at Higher Ground, commented: "President Obama has always been a champion of reading, and this series captures his genuine passion for literature in a way that is personal and accessible.
These authentic conversations explore how books can challenge us, comfort us, and change us. The chemistry between President Obama and each guest creates truly special moments that remind us why storytelling matters. We're proud to collaborate with Audible on a project that honors both the intimacy of audio and the power of great books."
I'm excited that there will be a new version of Jane Eyre coming up on the BBC. The fact that this novel continues to fascinate people nearly two centuries after publication is a testament to a great writer, Charlotte Bronte.
TV: Jane Eyre
BBC has joined Working Title's new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's classic novel Jane Eyre, starring Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus, Sex Education) in the title role. The series is being written by Miriam Battye (Succession). BBC will develop the project and become its broadcaster-financier.
The novel has inspired several film and TV adaptations, most recently a BBC TV series in 2006 starring Ruth Wilson. Prior to that, Mia Wasikowska had the lead role Cary Fukanaga's 2011 adaptation (for BBC Films), and Charlotte Gainsbourg played Jane for Franco Zeffirelli in 1996. Next year will mark the 180th anniversary of the novel's first publication.
Quotation of the Day
"I want every single person to know that they have a space there and that they belong there, and I feel grateful to be able to be in a position where I can do all of this because of the generosity of the community. I truly feel like when you support your community, your community supports you.... I know I have to make a living to be able to support myself and to keep the store going, but I truly am about the community. As long as I have a place to sleep, food to eat, and the store's lights are on, I'm doing great.
"I've lived here my whole life, but I've never met more amazing people than I have through having the bookstore. I've made so many friends and amazing connections in the community, because readers are truly some of the best people--people that just want to learn and expand their knowledge or just escape the world that we currently live in."--Nicole Barnett, owner of Rubber Rose Books & Print
I remember reading Little Big years ago, when I was a preteen, and being fascinated by it. Crowley was an amazing author. RIP. BTW, I miss magazines about SF and fantasy and weird subjects, like Locus and Omni.
Obituary Note: John Crowley
John Crowley, an author of "sweeping fantastical narratives whose ability to blend such disparate material as American history, dreams of lost utopias and Alice in Wonderland-tinged occult allowed him to transcend the fantasy genre in novels like Little, Big," died August 8, the New York Times reported. He was 83.
Crowley's 14 novels and 10 volumes of essays and short fiction "explored a considerable range of subjects and genres," the Times noted. His first novel, The Deep (1975), "was set on a disc-shaped world and involved a war between two factions, the Reds and the Blacks, loosely based on the 15th-century War of the Roses in England.... Even his most straightforward, realistic novel, Four Freedoms (2009), about the workers at an airplane factory in Oklahoma during World War II, is an alternative history of the home front."
His fourth novel, Little, Big, was his best known work. Poet James Merrill, a fan of the novel, arranged for Crowley to receive a grant from the Ingram Merrill Foundation, which Merrill directed. Ursula K. Le Guin said that the book "calls for a redefinition of fantasy," while Harold Bloom observed that it was "literally the most enchanting 20th-century book I know." It was named the best novel at the 1982 World Fantasy Awards.
In 2009, Crowley told the Believer magazine: "The kind of fiction that always interested me is stuff that somehow manages to be convincingly actual--in the sense that you believe that truths are being told about the world you live in--and are also somehow connected to the imaginary in some way."
He told Locus magazine in 2010: "To actually articulate a way of being in a literary world without boundaries between reality and fantasy--it can't just be a bunch of craziness and surreal carrying on.... Fantasy fiction at bottom, or at its best, is about making true fictions by the rules, in worlds you make up out of whole cloth, or out of your heart."
People of the Book was a great read, as are all of Brooks books. I can hardly wait for this movie to debut, to see how they handle the subject matter.
Movies: People of the Book
Bleiberg Entertainment will be selling worldwide rights at the Toronto International Film Festival market to People of the Book, based on the historical novel by Geraldine Brooks. Deadline reported that the project, directed by Michael Haussman (Edge of the World), recently wrapped filming in the Valencia region of Spain, including at Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante, and in Trieste and Venice in Italy.
People of the Book "tracks the creation and survival of a sacred religious artifact across 500 years, weaving back and forth between a series of interconnected chapters that span across several centuries and countries including pre and post inquisition Spain, 17th century Venice, Nazi-occupied Bosnia and a contemporary narrative focusing on an Iraqi refugee family's harrowing escape journey from ISIS-held Mosul to safety in Europe."
Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amid one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.
The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues that unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?
The beautiful prose collaboration in this novel creates a sublime palate for the swift and riveting plot, which will bring you to the end of the tale before you know it. I found myself wishing for more chapters of the life and times of Jakob and Lizzie, two determined teen siblings who refuse to give up on their mum, who is reported as KIA, and to give up on England during her darkest hour (the Blitz). Though its pigeon holed as children's lit, this is one of those books that should be read and enjoyed by people of any age and reading level. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone interested in code breaking and what it was like to grow up in England during WWII.
Vera Stein is Fine by Julie Murphy is a delightful midlife rom-com that, like Murphy's other novels (I've read and loved them all) has a plus sized protagonist who is gorgeous and fierce and hilarious. Here's the blurb:
Like a delicious midnight snack, this excellent novel goes down a treat, a satisfying page-turner that will have you laughing and crying and cheering for Vera's HEA before you are more than halfway through the book. Though Vera's grandmother is annoying and narcissistic, I believed that Vera handled their relationship with deftness and empathy, when many would have slammed Ruby and left for less difficult climes. I found Eli to be a tough nut to crack, but when he and Vera finally reconnected, steamy and spicy scenes were the results. I appreciate the fact that Murphy never forces her heroines to lose weight or hide themselves in sexual situations, but makes the more realistic choice of having their partners thrill over every dimple and roll of chub. It's inspirational, and I wish Murphy's books had been around 40 years ago or so when I needed to feel like their was hope for plus sized women like me to find someone to love and treasure us just as we are. I'd give this splendid book an A, and recommend it to any woman who believes she is past her "sell by" date for romance.
Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.
Despite their friends’ and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.
When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize “peace” is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.
March 1833. Kiera and her husband, Sebastian Gage, have decided to settle in Edinburgh for the winter with their infant daughter. This also allows Kiera to enjoy long hours painting in her studio, making progress on the portraits she soon hopes to unveil in her own exhibit. She’s thrilled when she receives an invitation to the auction of the late Lord Eldin’s coveted art collection, and she and Gage eagerly accept. When the floor collapses beneath the gathering, killing one of their fellow bidders, Kiera and Gage are lucky to escape with their lives.
Within days it becomes apparent that what at first seemed to be a terrible accident is actually something far more nefarious. Someone deliberately compromised the integrity of the structure, though the police are unsure of the culprit’s aim. Sergeant Maclean requests Kiera and Gage’s assistance in figuring out who would wish to harm the bidders. As they dig deeper, it becomes increasingly apparent that the victim was not the killer’s intended target . . . and that Kiera was lured to the auction deliberately. Kiera and Gage must utilize all their resources to unveil a monster willing to risk the lives of dozens of bystanders to achieve their ends. But they’re on the verge of making a dire miscalculation. For one of the cleverest tricks in a painter’s repertoire is the art of misdirection, and their eyes have been drawn far from the gravest danger.
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