For August, we start with Maggie O’Farrell’s new release (and already a best-seller), Land. Set in 1865, Land features a man, Tomás, and his son, Liam, working on the Ordnance Survey project of mapping all of Ireland. first degree The book I read before picking up Land was The Last Murder at the End of […]
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A deepfake is the worst kind of character assassination if you are innocent. A video that uses the timbre and nuance and tone of your voice, that uses your lips and cheeks and laugh lines to convey a message that is the opposite of anything you would choose for yourself is a deep violence, not
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The Rise of Literary Tourism “Explore the rise of literary tourism worldwide and how book lovers are traveling to iconic literary destinations.” Adam Ryan looks at the various ways that readers are incorporating literary destinations into their traveling plans. While I’ve never planned a trip explicitly around a literary destination, I try to include literary-related
How To Kill a Mockingbird Got Banned and Became a Pulitzer-Winning Classic “Happy anniversary, To Kill a Mockingbird! Harper Lee’s classic turns 66—explore the story behind its lasting power and timeless relevance.” In this article from July 2025, Millie Ramm celebrates the anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird by asking, “why has this
Think for Yourself “One of the most dehumanizing effects of AI is the short cuts it offers through the gaps and impasses intrinsic to the act of writing.” For those of us who write to discover what we think about a topic, Dan Chiasson, chair of the English department at Wellesley College, addresses a fundamental
For July we start with a book that everyone’s talking about – Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. According to Goodreads, in this currently popular novel “A traditional American woman, a ‘tradwife’ influencer, suddenly awakens in the brutal reality of 1855.” first degree Like Natalie Heller Mills of Yesteryear, Billy Pilgrim of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five
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How America Gave Up on Its Own History “Unable to agree on how to interpret the American story, the country’s schools, universities, and political institutions have stopped trying to tell it at all.” Just as individuals construct stories that assert their identity, so do other social and political groups, including nations. Yoni Appelbaum, deputy executive
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The Rise of Ragebait Lit “This spring, arguing about books in the group chat is back” In Harper’s Bazaar, Maris Kreizman discusses the predominance of “ragebait lit,” books that “are dominating the cultural conversation.” “The premises of these books may have inspired more than their share of hot takes . . . but the conversations
15 Graduation Gifts for English Majors “WHAT TO GET THE SOON-TO-BE BARISTA IN YOUR LIFE” “If you happen to have a favorite English major about to burst forth into the hard-scrabble, AI-invested, job-scarce media apocalypse” and are searching for an appropriate gift, Literary Hub has some suggestions. Prices range from $18 to $1,550. (Of course,
June’s challenge starts with a book by Austrian author Stefan Zweig – The Post-Office Girl. first degree We English-speaking readers must access The Post-Office Girl in translation. I’ve recently added another translated work to my TBR list, Taiwan Travelogue: A Novel by Shuang-zi Yang, translated by Lin King, 2026 winner of the International Booker Prize.
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