Today in Bookish and Literary History, November 18

1865 The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain

It is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention.


2022 Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

It invokes the elements of bone, blood, and flesh as Cowney navigates difficult social, cultural, and ethnic divides.


2025 The Pelican Child by Joy Williams

A razor-sharp new collection of stories of visionary childhood misfits and struggling adult dreamers from this legendary writer of “perfectly indescribable fiction . . . To read Williams is to look into the abyss” (The Atlantic).

  • Longlisted for the National Book Award


2025 On the Calculation of Volume, Book 3 by Solvej Balle

In the marvelous third installment of Balle’s “astonishing” (The Washington Post) septology, Tara’s November 18th transforms when she discovers that she is no longer alone in her endless autumnal day.

  • Shortlisted for The National Book Award for Translated Literature


2025 And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens (UK)

She's found the perfect man . . . There's just one big twist.


2025 I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

A new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.


2025 The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (UK)

A thrilling dark academic tale of murder, obsession and ruthless ambition, set in remote St Andrews, Scotland.


2025 How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis

Sex Education meets Euphoria in this dark contemporary novel that tackles perfectionism, emotional abuse, and the dark side of social media.


2025 At the End of the World, Turn Left by Zhanna Slor

A riveting debut novel from an unforgettable new voice that is literary, suspenseful, and a compelling story about identity and how you define “home.”


2025 The Color of Hope by Danielle Steel

A beautiful American widow finds new life in France in this tender portrait from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Short Story through Years (1830 - 1839)

  1830s 1830 The Blizzard by Alexander Pushkin  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1830 St. John's Eve by Nikolai Gogol  ⭐ ⭐ 1830 The Iron Shroud by William Mudford  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1830 The Evil Eye by Mary S helley  ⭐ ⭐ 1831 The Shot by Alexander Pushkin  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1831 May Night, or the Drowned Maiden by Nikolai Gogol 1831 The Lost Letter by Nikolai Gogol 1831 The Fair at Sorochyntsi by Nikolai Gogol 1831 Transformation by Mary Shelley  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Roger Malvin's Burial by Nathaniel Hawthorne  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Metzengerstein: A Tale in Imitation of the German by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ 1832 The Duc de L'Omelette by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ 1832 The Dream by Mary Shelley  ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Bon-Bon by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832  Loss of Breath by Edgar Allan Poe   ⭐ ⭐ 1833 Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens 1833 MS. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ 1833 The Invisible Girl by Ma...
Read more

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Duc de L'Omelette" (1832): A Review

Image
Let me tell you, without Wikipedia, I would have thought I had accidentally picked up a menu from a French bistro instead of an Edgar Allan Poe short story! Seriously, what was Poe thinking? A story that’s half in French? Am I supposed to be reading literature or planning my next trip to Paris? I tackled those French portions as if I were deciphering ancient hieroglyphs, and all I got was a headache and a feeling of insecurity. Congratulations, Poe! You’ve officially crushed my self-esteem and my hopes of being an elite reader. If this tale had been written in just one language, I might have laughed and enjoyed it. But no! Instead, I finished it feeling like I had just survived a mental obstacle course, only to cross the finish line and ask myself, “What on Earth did I just read?”
Read more

The Feminist by Tony Tulathimutte (2024): A Review

Image
Title : The Feminist (Rejections) Author : Tony Tulathimutte Publication Year : 2024 Pages : — Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre : Satire? Source : Audiobook @everand_us Warning : A little bit confused After reading “The Ice People,” reading “The Feminist” felt like I was in a bizarre déjà vu where the same male character was having a mental monologue—only this time, me with more eye rolls. Tony Tulathimutte seems to wield satire like a lightsaber, and I couldn’t help but feel he’s actually criticizing our protagonist (he is, isn’t he?): a self-proclaimed male feminist who seems to think that advocating for women automatically earns him VIP access to their hearts. Spoiler alert: he’s basically striking out with every woman he encounters and being rejected by every single one of them. So the whole story is a long rant by this guy, which is so cringe-inducing that it makes you really uncomfortable and start cursing and, of course, facepalming yourself repeatedly to the extent that your husban...
Read more