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Tag: novels

  • To Understand the Present, Read These 10 Political Novels from the Past

    Fiction has a way of probing the reality of a particular moment in history that you can’t always get from pure fact. Whether it’s a tale of historical fiction or something altogether imagined but imbued with political truth, the best political novels tend to resonate on a deep emotional level, affecting the reader and imparting a sense of the stakes beyond what can be gleaned from mere dates, figures and even the events themselves.

    To that end, here’s a brief list of must-read political novels from the past hundred years that have something vital to impart about the world we live in today. They span a range of countries and contexts, but all address the world’s most looming issues in unique and engaging ways. This list is by no means intended to be comprehensive, so feel free to let us know what essential titles we’ve missed.

    Nick Hilden

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  • The Best Books About Time Travel, From Classics to Modern Favorites

    From utopian dreams to dystopian warnings, time travel fiction reflects our hopes and fears for humanity’s future. Courtesy the publishers

    For decades, authors and readers have been asking questions about what we would do, or change, if time travel existed—and what we could change. Would the smallest change, one killed butterfly, alter the entire future? Or could we edit here and there, as long as we were careful? And if we did, and then returned to our time, would it really be our time?

    Time travel and its potential paradoxes have sent us into delightful questioning, adventures and spirals, from Back to the Future to The Time Traveler’s Wife to Outlander. The genre explores some of our most intriguing questions as humans: what our future might look like, and how our history influences our present and future. With romance, grand sci-fi epics and more, our picks for the best time travel books explore the kinds of opportunities, disasters and battles that time travel could create for us all.

    The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

    The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz. Courtesy Tor Books

    Two groups fight across timelines for the future of women’s and queer rights. A team of cis male time travelers wants a timeline where women are never allowed to vote, ushering in an eventual male-supremacist future. Meanwhile, Tess and her squad want a future of reproductive justice and equality, and she heads back to World Fair-era Chicago to try to take down the Comstock Laws in this battle across history. A tantalizing mix of historical fiction and punk sci-fi.

    This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

    This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Courtesy Saga Press

    This epistolary novella is a series of love letters between two spies working for opposite sides of a war across time—nature versus science. It has garnered a cult following, thanks in part to a viral fan tweet. Short but dense with poetic prose, it’s a sapphic love story and an enemies-to-lovers tale as Red and Blue evolve from trying to one-up each other, to impressing one another, to risking the entire war if it means saving the other.

    Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

    Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. Courtesy Ballantine Books

    This underrated feminist sci-fi classic from the 1970s follows Connie, a Chicana woman on welfare who is wrongfully institutionalized in a mental hospital determined to break her spirit. She begins to dream of a possible utopian future, only to realize she is the hinge between two timelines—dystopia and utopia. Her ability to endure and remain alive may be the key to everyone’s future.

    One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

    One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. Courtesy Griffin

    The author of the smash hit Red, White & Royal Blue brings time travel into romance with the story of August, who falls for a mysterious stranger on the Q train. Except Jane’s look isn’t just vintage—she’s literally from the 1970s and is stuck in a subway time pocket. Part mystery, part romance and part found-family narrative, this novel weaves in themes of queer identity with McQuiston’s signature warmth.

    All This & More by Peng Shepherd

    All This & More by Peng Shepherd. Courtesy William Morrow

    Time travel was made for the choose-your-own-adventure format, and in this new release, the reader gets to make the decisions. Marsh, 45 and full of regrets, is chosen to compete on a reality show that lets contestants change their pasts. She is determined to fix her life one choice at a time, but as the reader directs her fate, Marsh begins to wonder whether the show is really what it claims to be.

    Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

    Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Courtesy Del Rey

    Few books have won both Hugo and Nebula awards—this one has. Oxford student Kivrin sets out on a simple research project: travel back to the Middle Ages for an observational study. But a timing error sends her not to 1320 but to 1348—the year the Black Death arrived. Stranded in one of history’s darkest chapters, she must fight to survive and find her way back in this sci-fi classic.

    Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot

    Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot. Courtesy Hanover Square Press

    In a small cafe in Tokyo, if you sit at a particular table, you can travel back in time to meet anyone you wish. The catch? You must return before your coffee gets cold. Rather than leaning on twisty sci-fi mechanics, this international bestseller focuses on emotional resonance. Simple yet cathartic, it follows four visitors as they step briefly into their pasts.

    Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

    Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch. Courtesy Riverhead Books

    Fleeing a raid in 2079 New York City, Laisve discovers she can use small, meaningful objects to travel through time. Over the course of the novel, she connects with the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty, the iron workers who built it, a whale named Bal and others. Together, their stories form a meditation on climate change, exploitation and the futures we may yet face.

    Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

    Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen. Courtesy MIRA

    Kin, a secret agent from the future, becomes stranded in the 1990s. Eighteen years later, he has built a new life and raised his daughter Miranda, only for a rescue team to arrive and attempt to return him to 2142—erasing her in the process. Torn between timelines, Kin refuses to let his daughter disappear, even if it means breaking every rule of time travel.

    The Best Books About Time Travel, From Classics to Modern Favorites

    Leah von Essen

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  • Reading While On A Marijuana High

    Reading While On A Marijuana High

    Marijuana can enhance a variety of things or bring things down and chill you out. While used for fun or medical reasons, sometimes you just want to cozy yourself up and have a great experience. From Boston to Mountlake Terrace, people consume and immerse themselves in a movie.  Others hike, workout, code, and more.  And for a some, the lose themselves in a good book.  Here are tips on reading while on a marijuana high.

    Similar to doing any other activity while high, what you really need to do in order to succeed is practice. Marijuana can add a lot of layers to reading, making the experience more enjoyable or even helping reconnect with it if you’ve been having a hard time focused on full books.

    Just like listening to music and reading, getting high and reading can help craft a better  mood. Once you hit the right stride you’ll disover you’re more relaxed and engaged with the story.

    Choose the right book

    Photo by Wikimedia user BrokenSphere

    RELATED: Here’s What You Can Do With Extra Weed

    If you’re just starting out pairing weed and books, you don’t want to kick it off with dense literary novels. Try something that feels easy to for you, going back to something you used to read when you were young or a genre that’s simple and compulsive, like romance or horror. Good ideas are the Harry Potter books or something by Stephen King. A graphic novel can also make for a really good starting place.

    Let go of the “right way to read”

    5 Online Bookclubs To Join Now That You're Spending More Time At Home
    Photo by Thought Catalog from Pexels

    Reading lends itself to very ritualistic behaviors. Some people prefer to read paper books and can only read when they’re surrounded by total silence. While there’s no judgment, you’ll have more success if you’re able to read while in a variety of situations. Train yourself to read in different places, even if it’s only for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. When high, try your best to read and enjoy yourself, avoiding stress if your mind can’t hold on to all of the words that are on the page.

    Pay attention to the strain

    RELATED: Forgo The Wake And Bake — And 4 Other Cannabis Productivity Hacks

    The strain you’re smoking will have an impact on your reading experience as a whole. Try to avoid sleepy strains, since they’ll make a relaxing activity even more relaxing and you’ll fall asleep, which is great but doesn’t really serve the purpose of this article. Choose a strain that’s cerebral yet contained, something that will help you feel creative but also grounded. Ask your budtender for a light indica or a sativa that doesn’t produce too much anxiety.

    Watch your dosage

    book, read, old

    When starting on your weed reading journey, watch your dosage, taking a couple of puffs to see how your body takes to this new experience. You can always smoke later if you need more, but it helps to start off slow. Happy reading!

    Sarah Johns

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  • Book Author Fakes Suicide And Returns Two Years Later

    Book Author Fakes Suicide And Returns Two Years Later

    How’s this for a plot twist? In 2020, romance book author Susan Meachen’s daughter announced on Facebook that her mom had committed suicide. Meachen was much admired in the indie romance book community, and the thoughts and prayers poured in.

    Meachen published ten romance novels. Her “final” book, Love To Last A Lifetime, was supposedly published posthumously in October 2020 with final rewrites made by her daughter.

    Fans were encouraged to order the book on Facebook. “Susan wanted to have it published by her daughter’s wedding,” an emotional post said.

    In the years that followed, Meacham’s daughter would post from time to time, encouraging people to buy her mom’s books using discount codes or donate to suicide prevention organizations.

    Only one problem — it was all a lie.

    Susan Meachen is very much alive. This week she reappeared in a private writer’s Facebook group called The Ward, writing:

    “I debated on how to do this a million times and still not sure if it’s right or not. There’s going to be tons of questions and a lot of people leaving the group I’d guess. But my family did what they thought was best for me and I can’t fault them for it. I almost died again at my own hand and they had to go through all that hell again. Returning to The Ward doesn’t mean much, but I am in a good place now, and I am hoping to write again. Let the fun begin.”

    Not only is Meachen alive and kicking, but she has been publishing books under a pseudonym, TN Steele, for the past two years.

    “I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

    The outrage was swift and forceful, with fans and former mourners going online to express their anger.

    “What an absolute piece of s$%,” tweeted @Draggerofliars.

    “Using ‘Let the fun begin.’ As your sign-off when you announce you didn’t really commit suicide is something. No notes,” tweeted @megantastic

    Fellow author Samantha A. Cole, who was online friends with Meachen, said in a Facebook video: “That is beyond psychotic, whether it was Susan herself or her daughter making these comments, to knowingly mislead somebody who’s grieving.”

    Later, in a private Facebook chat with Meachen’s account, Cole wrote, “I am happy she is alive because I don’t want to wish death on anybody. But I cannot condone what she did, and I cannot forgive what she did.”

    Cole continued, “‘I hope the book world can heal from this, it’s gonna take time,’ the author added. ‘I don’t know who I can trust anymore, except the people that I have met, that I am closest to.”

    So far, neither Meachen nor her family has responded publicly.

    Jonathan Small

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  • The Art Of The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power

    The Art Of The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power

    The Lord of the Rings: Rings Of Power

    Image: Amazon

    While Amazon’s big Lord of the Rings show probably wasn’t the success anyone involved in bankrolling or promoting it might have been hoping for, there was still some good stuff there, and one of the big things that I wanted to focus on for this post was the work that went into designing its world.

    While we’ve seen Middle Earth a bunch of times on the screen, from 70s cartoons to Peter Jackson’s six films, there were a bunch of places in this prequel series that we’d only ever heard of. From the island kingdom of Numenor to the Southlands to the Harfoot’s travelling village, the team of artists—headed by Rick Heinrichs and Ramsey Avery—working on Rings of Power were tasked with taking a world we thought we knew and showing us, well, you haven’t seen all of it, or at least not when it was this old.

    In this slideshow you’ll find a selection of works from some of the artists responsible for this, primarily the ones working in 2D on stuff like concepts and environment design. There are links to each artist’s portfolios in their names, displayed at the top of each slide.

    Luke Plunkett

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  • One of these 6 novels will be crowned 2022 Booker Prize winner

    One of these 6 novels will be crowned 2022 Booker Prize winner

    The winner of the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction will be chosen Monday from among six novels that explore the impact of personal and historical traumas on individual lives.

    Two books by American authors are on the shortlist for the 50,000 pound ($57,000) award: Elizabeth Strout’s symphony of everyday lives “Oh William!” and Percival Everett’s novel about racism and police violence, “The Trees.”

    The other contenders include Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo for the animal fable “Glory;” Irish writer Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These;” and “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” by Sri Lanka’s Shehan Karunatilaka.

    British fantasy author Alan Garner — the oldest-ever Booker nominee — is on the list for “Treacle Walker.” Monday is his 88th birthday.

    Former British Museum director Neil MacGregor, who is chairing the judging panel, says the books on the list “address long national histories of cruelty and injustice, in Sri Lanka and Ireland, Zimbabwe and the United States.”

    The winner will receive their award from Camilla, the queen consort, during a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse. It is the first fully in-person Booker ceremony since the pre-pandemic event in 2019 and the first for literacy champion Camilla since her husband became King Charles III last month after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

    The event is also due to include a speech from singer-songwriter Dua Lipa about her love of reading, and a reflection from Turkish writer Elif Shafak on what the attack on novelist Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed onstage in August, means for writers around the world.

    Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. It was originally open to British, Irish and Commonwealth writers but eligibility was expanded in 2014 to all novels in English published in the U.K.

     

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  • Punctuated Publishing Explains How Two New Mystery Novels Underscore Dangers in Real Estate Profession

    Punctuated Publishing Explains How Two New Mystery Novels Underscore Dangers in Real Estate Profession

    Press Release
    –

    Oct 31, 2016


    New York, USA, October 31, 2016 (Newswire.com)
    –
    According to Punctuated Publishing, if your real estate agent won’t meet you at a property before conducting an initial in-office consultation, or won’t lead the way down to a house’s basement, don’t take it personally.  Recent violence against real estate agents is changing the ways REALTORS® do business, and two new murder mystery novels, actually written by REALTOR®/authors, are underscoring the industry’s inherent dangers in a more subtle and entertaining fashion than recent horrific newspaper headlines.

    Much of the focus on dangers facing real estate agents was instigated by the murder of Arkansas-based REALTOR® Beverly Carter back in 2014.  That’s what inspired Bernice Gottlieb, an associate broker with William Raveis Legends Realty Group in Irvington, NY, to pen her somber murder mystery, Havoc-on-Hudson. In her author’s note, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Gottlieb says an average of 70 to 80 reported incidents of rape, robbery and homicide take place each year with real estate professionals. Moreover, since 2008, the number of real estate homicides nationwide exceeded those of police officers killed in the line of duty in that same period, she said.

    “An average of 70 to 80 reported incidents of rape, robbery and homicide take place each year with real estate professionals,”

    Bernice Gottlieb, Associate Broker, William Raveis Legends Realty Group

    Expired Listings, a second, more satiric and kinky real estate murder mystery, was published this past September. Its author, Dawn M. Barclay, an associate broker for Keller Williams Hudson Valley Realty writing as D.M. Barr, says she completed the book’s outline long before Carter was murdered, specifically “as a warning to my fellow agents because I realized the risks inherent in this industry when I first become a REALTOR® back in 1999.”  She voices those concerns in the following quote between a fictional agency owner and the detective investigating the ‘Realtor Retaliator’ serial killer in her novel: “Most agents are women, usually very attractive women. We post glamour shots on our signs and business cards and then list every possible way to reach us. Then, how’s this for brilliant, we advertise that we’re going to be alone in an empty house for hours on a Sunday afternoon. We have strangers join us in our cars, or we ride in theirs. We eat food at open houses supplied by God knows who. If we’re not asking for trouble, then I don’t know who is.”

    With both actual and fictional dangers highlighting the vulnerabilities of real estate agents, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has published a number of safety guidelines for its 1,500,000+ members. In addition, in an award-winning, consumer-based video titled, “Real Estate Safety and You,”  NAR explains to property buyers how agents might interact differently with them than they have in the past. Such precautions include:

    ·         Agents initially meeting new clients at their office, not at properties for sale

    ·         Agents requesting to see identification (Driver’s License) and mortgage prequalification letters at first meet

    ·         Agents driving separately from buyers to see properties (which is also more convenient if one or both parties have appointments directly afterwards.)

    ·         Agent walking behind buyers at showings, and allowing buyers to inspect attics, basements and garages on their own

    ·         Agents only showing vacant houses during daylight hours

    ·         Buyers required to sign in and show identification at Open Houses, which may be staffed by more than one agent. (In fact, Barclay indicates that instead of traditional Open Houses, she hosts ‘Traveling Home Shows,’ where buyers meet several vendors, such as interior decorators, lawyers, contractors, etc., ensuring her safety along with a one-stop shopping experience for buyers.)

    As both Gottlieb and Barclay are well aware, real estate violence is far more palatable in thriller novels than in their day-to-day business routines. By educating the public as to why new safety precautions have been put in place, both real estate agents and their clients can enjoy a more pleasurable and safe buying and selling experience.

    Havoc-on-Hudson is available at Amazon or other fine book retailers.

    Expired Listings is available through Amazon  or other retailers as detailed at http://www.punctuatedpublishing.com.

    For more information, contact Dawn M. Barclay at 845-893-0173.

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    Source: Punctuated Publishing

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