bibliophile
noun bib·lio·phile \ˈbi-blē-ə-ˌfī(-ə)l\
: a lover of books especially for qualities of format; also : a book collector
Bauman’s Rare Books, Las Vegas
Pry as a “novel”
nov·el /ˈnävəl/ noun
1. a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.adjective2. new or unusual in an interesting way.
Poet Ezra Pound once wrote, “The artist is always beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, or a discovery is of little worth.” The very word “novel” implies innovation; in fact, the first printed novels were thus named for their specific cutting-edge contemporary style of writing. The novel itself (which was different from the other books available at the time of their invention, which included but were limited to *mostly* Bibles, ancient plays or works of poetry, or books of science or history) has gone through many iterations over the years, evolving from Gothic romance stories of the 19th century to modern series’ and now experimental novels.
This work Pry, though it is digital literature, can be considered [a] “novel” by some, in the way that it is taking the tradition of storytelling via literature and “making it new” (“novel” here meaning new, as well as a book) .
Authenticity of Voice in People of Paper: A Close Reading
Salvador Plascencia’s debut novel The People of Paper raises questions regarding authorship and voice in a work. Blurring the lines between author and speaker, the work leaves readers questioning who is really getting to tell the story.
In a world where the victors of war (colonizers, or Saturn) dictate written history, The People of Paper offers a novel wherein the colonized (members of E.M.F.) have the opportunity to dictate their own point of view. This novel forces readers to question the authenticity of what they are reading; how much of the story has been fabricated, misrepresented, or mistold? This novel requires readers to glean their own understanding of truth by sifting through various sides of the same story. Continue reading “Authenticity of Voice in People of Paper: A Close Reading”
Happiness For Beginners by Katherine Center
The main protagonist of the novel Happiness for Beginners is thirty-two year old Helen Carpenter. Helen is a recent divorcee, who one year after her divorce, decides to go on a hike to become a stronger better person. This hike is no normal walk in the park. It is an intense, away from any civilization, three week, fourteen people group hike. Continue reading “Happiness For Beginners by Katherine Center”
An Alternative to Shelf Life: Book Crossing
I recently discovered a website and community called Book Crossing. It’s an organization that celebrates and promotes the distribution of book as opposed to keeping your books on a shelf at home. The website encourages users to print out a label for the book, register the book online, and release it into the wild! Continue reading “An Alternative to Shelf Life: Book Crossing”
MANDY'S READING LIST 