Jan 03 2024
Born on this day January 3, 1892, J.R.R. Tolkien, a name synonymous with intricate world-building and the epic fantasy genre, has awed the world of literature with his creation of Middle-earth. The world he created is not merely a backdrop for his stories but is a character in itself, filled with its own histories, languages, …
Jan 01 2024
Jerome David Salinger, popularly known as J. D. Salinger, is widely recognized for his seminal work, The Catcher in the Rye. The novel, which is now considered a classic in American literature, has sold over 65 million copies worldwide and continues to sell approximately 250,000 copies annually. However, the man behind this iconic work remains …
Jul 10 2023
Alice Munro, the Nobel Prize-winning writer, is a celebrated figure in the world of literature. Born on this day July 10, 1931 in Wingham, Ontario, her literary journey began at a young age and eventually led her to be one of the most revered short story writers of the 20th century. Munro’s profound understanding of …
Jul 07 2023
I fell in love with Cuba, or at least the idea of Hemingway’s Cuba, in my mid teens. I read an article about the writer and delighted in the romance of a bygone age, salsa and adventure preserved in time. Maybe the idea of vintage cars made the historic more tangible. I determined that one …
May 22 2023
Are you ready to plan ahead for your summer reading in 2023? Look no further because we’ve compiled a list of must-read books that are perfect for the sunny season. Whether you’re lounging on the beach or taking a road trip, these novels will keep you entertained and engrossed. From gripping thrillers to heartwarming romances, …
Aug 17 2022
Illustrator and author Ian Beck was born on this day August 17, 1947 in Brighton, England. “Few sounds were to be heard at that early hour, only the drone of the airship’s engines and the mournful mournful moans of the foghorns, which seemed almost to be searching for one another, somewhere along the silvered and …
Jun 22 2022
This World Rainforest Day I am celebrating novelist, poet, environmentalist, diplomat, and mother of five, Astrid Cabral, who sings the songs of her Amazon home in her exemplary poetry. Some of Cabral’s most well-known books include Through Water (2003), Anteroom (2007), and Cage (2008). In Cage, Cabral explores the real and symbolic animals of the Amazon. She …
Jan 23 2022
Here is “Bleecker Street, Summer” by Derek Walcott, born on this day January 23, 1930 in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia located in the Caribbean. Walcott won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Bleecker Street, Summer Summer for prose and lemons, for nakedness and languor,for the eternal idleness of the imagined return,for rare flutes …
Jan 03 2022
Happy birthday to American writer Charles Yu, born on this day January 3, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. Yu’s works span from fiction to science fiction to experimental fiction to non-fiction, and his most well-known books include How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010) and Interior Chinatown (2020). “Everyone has a time machine. Everyone *is* …
May 18 2021
Today we are celebrating the illustrations of Japanese artist Chiaki Okada. She has illustrated books by different authors around the world, including a book by her husband, Ko Okada, called Rabbit and Freckle (Кролик и Веснушка). Chiaki Okada has a unique talent for capturing the innocent beauty of childhood home life as well as imaginative childhood themes. …
