Additional Husky Buzz: It is on a number of summer reading lists including those complied by Real Simple, Literary Hub, Cosmopolitan, New York magazine, HuffPost, Nylon, and Refinery29. BuzzFeed features it on this year’s “Most Exciting Books Coming In 2017” and their “Exciting New Books You Need To Read This Summer” lists. The Rumpus reviews, calling it “hilarious, madcap.”
Many happy returns Vera ...
SOCIALISE: Kim Hair from Old Erowal Bay and her mother Vera Hatton from Huskisson prepare to watch Kim's daughter Jasmine perform with the Indigenous dance group at Companion Club on Wednesday. Life is Beautiful ...
AUSTRALIA Day honours are a family affair for the region’s latest Order of Australia member, Vera Hatton of Huskisson. Mrs Hatton has been honoured for her service to the museums sector through the Lady Denman Heritage Complex, and as a supporter of youth, social welfare and historical organisations in the Shoalhaven 13 years after her husband John was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia Vera Hatton honoured for museum work
Towards a More Diverse Reads
Just added, the Penguin Random House diversity catalog.
A recent story on Book Riot pointed out a lack of diversity among the LibraryReads picks. To help librarians discover titles by a wider range of authors, we asked library marketers at the various publishing houses to put together what we call, for the lack of a better term, “diversity catalogs” of titles eligible for LibraryReads nominations. We have posted the ones we’ve received so far in the links at the right and will add more as we receive them.
What better time than the Fourth of July holiday to celebrate diversity? Highlighted below are titles available to download now and one to request:
The City of Brass, S A. Chakrabortty, (HarperCollins/ Harper Voyager)
A debut fantasy that interweaves aspects of Muslim culture. HarperCollins Voyager imprint is one to look to, as they declare themselves “committed to introducing a new wave of diverse voices and intriguing stories that push the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy for the 21st century.” Listen to the Book Buzz description here. See the full HarperCollins diversity catalog here.
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao, Martha Batalha, translated by Eric M. B. Becker (Oneworld Publications, dist. by IPG)
Originally published in Brazil, it is described by the publisher as “A darkly comic portrait of two rebellious sisters in 1940s Rio de Janeiro that illuminates contemporary issues of feminism and domestic equality. ” It is published by independent publisher Oneworld Publications, which focuses on “diverse cultures and historical events.” Recently profiled in the Guardian, the 30-year-old company is based in Oxford, U.K., and opened offices in New York in 2009. Its titles are distributed in the US via Publishers Group West [Note: this is a correction. Previously, we incorrectly identified the distributor as IPG]. See the full IPG/PGW diversity catalog here.
Real American: A Memoir, Julie Lythcott-Haims, (Macmillan/Holt)
Called a “bold, impassioned memoir that explores the emotional and cultural divide imposed by American racism on people of mixed race” by Publishers Weekly, this is by the author of the best-selling anti-helicopter parenting book, How to Raise an Adult. Full Macmillan diversity catalog here.
Dogs at the Perimeter, Madeleine Thien, (Norton, Original Trade Pbk; Recorded Books)
Chinese-Canadian Thien’s novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing(Norton; Recorded Books; OverDrive Sample) was a finalist for the Man Booker and swept Canada’s literary awards. This, her third novel, available for the first time in the U.S., is about Cambodian refugees dealing with past traumas. It received strong reviews when it was published in the UK in 2012, including The Economist, which noted, “The strife in Indo-China has inspired some astonishing writing in recent decades, both fiction and non-fiction. Dogs at the Perimeter belongs with the best of such works.” Like the other titles in the Norton diversity catalog, it is available by request.
We’re Going To Need More Wine, Gabrielle Union, (HarperCollins/Dey Street).
We mentioned this collection of essays by the actress and activist in our earlier post, noting her heartfelt tribute to libraries during a panel at Book Expo.
Diksha Basu’s debut novel, The Windfall(PRH/Crown; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample) is attracting notable attention.
THE WINDFALL: Getting Attention
Diksha Basu’s debut novel, The Windfall(PRH/Crown; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample) is attracting notable attention.
TV rights were optioned in March, reports Deadline Hollywood and now that it is has been published, the NYT covers the author twice. Taking a break from her nonfiction duties, NYT reviewer Jennifer Senior writes the novel tells “a story that’s the stuff of Amartya Sen’s worst nightmares and Tom Wolfe’s sweetest dreams.” The paper also has a feature on the Basu’s “Sunday Routine.”
As part of its “Culture Index” RollingStone says it is one of the “Seven things you should check out this week.” HuffPost lists it as one of “12 Great New Books To Bring To The Beach This Summer” while Bustle names it one of “15 Uplifting Books That Will Soothe Your Soul In Dark Times.” Elle reviews, writing “The Windfallexplores the effects of generational, gender, and class differences. Through her detailed descriptions of family meals, dusty floors, and ostentatious outfits, Basu gives us a full snapshot of a community’s life in contemporary India.”
PW stars, calling it a “charming, funny debut.” It is a July Indie Nextpick.
NPR interviews the author on Weekend Edition Sunday, calling her novel “a delightful comedy of errors where [the characters] navigate the unexpected pressures and pleasures of newfound wealth in modern India.”
