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Ken Follett: ‘You don’t have to wear a hairshirt to be in the Labour party’
I was launched into the literary world by a garage bill. I was working on the Evening News and needed £200 to fix my old Vauxhall Ventura, which I couldn’t afford. Another reporter had written a thriller and said the publisher paid him £200. That little coincidence made me think I could try it, too.…
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The 25 Best Holiday Books for a Festive Read
Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. A Christmas Carol (Penguin Christmas Classics) A Christmas Carol (Penguin Christmas Classics) Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December 1843, and it was an instant classic. It tells…
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Drawn to life: see cartoons and excerpts from Joe Ollmann’s graphic novels in ‘From the Archives’
“I have pencils and pens everywhere on my person,” Joe Ollmann tells me. One of Ollmann’s cartoons features a guy with a pencil behind one ear. So there is a link of sorts between real life and cartoon life. But the line between the two is a wonderfully complex one. × Already a Subscriber? Sign…
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Beware! ‘The Baddies’ are here to scare your kids — and make them laugh
Frog and Toad, George and Martha, Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat: iconic duos abound in children’s literature. Another classic pair? Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. They are the brains behind dozens of picture books including Room on the Broom, Tabby McTat and, of course, The Gruffalo. One of their latest books…
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Two Novels by Renegade Women
Leah Greenblatt recommends “Meg,” by Theodora Keogh, and “The Glass Cell,” by Patricia Highsmith. If the weather outside is frightful, why not read?Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Leah Greenblatt is a writer and critic living in Brooklyn. Her most recent review for the Book Review was of “The Woman in Me,” by Britney…
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Ottessa Moshfegh: ‘Everyone asked me why I had written such a disgusting female character’
When my 2015 debut novel Eileen made it on to the shortlist for the Man Booker prize, I knew I was in trouble. Up until that point, I had skirted by the mainstream as a writer of experimental literary short fiction. Writing a full-length novel that resembled something I thought a “normal” person might read…
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A Literary Christmas
By MaryBeth Eberhard Perhaps this is the year to sit with family and friends and enjoy read-alouds or seek quiet solitude with a good read throughout this holy season. This year’s book guide includes many new selections and some old favorites. With a desire to grow and appreciate the depth of our Catholic faith, enjoy…
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A teacher who spent more than $5,000 of her own money last year to make a cozy classroom explains why it helps kids learn
Michelle Medintz in her classroom. Courtesy of Michelle Medintz p” class=”inline-offer pre-churn-offer”> Redeem now Elementary school teacher Michelle Medintz spent thousands of dollars in 2022 on books and other items. Medintz said it’s her choice to spend her own money on her class and that this doesn’t make her a better teacher than others. She…
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South Korea’s City of Books
A satellite city 22 miles northwest of Seoul, South Korea, Paju is small, with a population of around half a million. The streets are quieter than those of the bustling capital, the air cleaner and the pace of life half a beat slower. While many people know the city for its military base, Paju is…
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Sparrow Books opens in downtown Clarion
CLARION – Clarion’s downtown business district recently got something it’s been missing for almost 11 years, when in late October Sarah Cummings officially opened Sparrow Books, filling a void left when the Book Nook closed its doors more than a decade ago. “We sell new books. We’re probably going to have a used book collection…
