Latest news with #Doubleday
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 30
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books' stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Air by John Boyne (Doubleday, $35) The conclusion to Boyne's four-part Elements Series and so far, so good over on Good Reads where 2402 ratings give it an average of 4.47 stars. 2 Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, $26) Last year's Booker Prize winner. This year's Booker longlist is due on 29 July. 3 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) The 2025 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner! My heart is still pumping after that hair-raising ceremony in which Wilkins was delayed until the very last moment when he literally ran onto the stage to make his acceptance speech. Read a day-after-the-night-before interview with Wilkins right here on The Spinoff. 4 Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (Penguin Random House, $65) The people love Macfarlane and his nature writing. 5 M urriyang: Song of Time by Stan Grant (Simon and Schuster, $47) Remember when Stan Grant took the stage at Auckland Writers Festival's gala night and was simply outstanding? Grant is an indigenous Australian writer and journalist and an astonishing, moving storyteller. 6 1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin, $38) 'Reading it was just like being back in Auckland, growing up on the streets of Grey Lynn and hoping you might be able to scab some money off your mates and hit up the 562 Takeaway (made famous by appearing on the cover of Hoey's poetry collection 'I Thought We'd Be Famous'). OK, yeah, Hoey and I grew up in Auckland a few decades apart, but reading this felt like looking back on a childhood diary that myself or any one of my friends could have written.' Read more of The Spinoff's Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Claire Mabey's thoughts on this propulsive new novel, here. 7 James by Percival Everett (Picador, $38) One of the bestselling books of 2024 looks to do the same this 2025. 8 Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Woman Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert (John Murray, $40) Here's the publisher's explanation: 'What happened to feminism in the twenty-first century? This question feels increasingly urgent in a moment of cultural and legislative backlash, when widespread uncertainty about the movement's power, focus, and currency threatens decades of progress. Sophie Gilbert identifies an inflection point in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the energy of third-wave and 'riot grrrl' feminism collapsed into a regressive period of hyper-objectification, sexualization, and infantilization. Mining the darker side of nostalgia, Gilbert trains her keen analytic eye on the most revealing cultural objects of the era, across music, film, television, fashion, tabloid journalism, and more. What she recounts is harrowing, from the leering gaze of the paparazzi to the gleeful cruelty of early reality TV and a burgeoning internet culture vicious toward women in the spotlight and damaging for those who weren't. Gilbert tracks many of the period's dominant themes back to the rise of internet porn, which gained widespread influence as it began to pervade our collective consciousness. The result is a devastating portrait of a time when a distinctly American blend of excess, materialism, and power worship collided with the culture's reactionary, puritanical, and chauvinistic currents. Amid a collective reconsideration of the way women are treated in public, Girl on Girl is a blistering indictment of the matrix of misogyny that undergirded the cultural production of the early twenty-first century, and continues to shape our world today.' 9 Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art by Deidre Brown & Ngarino Ellis with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (Auckland University Press, $100) Winner of the Bookhub Award for Illustrated Nonfiction at this year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards! Read about how the writers approached this ground-breaking book, here. 10 Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth (HarperCollins, $35) 'On the first morning of their holiday together in a remote part of Scotland, 42-year-old Sarah convinces her younger sister, Juliette, to clamber on to the roof of their mobile home for a better phone signal,' writes Shahidha Bari on The Guardian. 'Juliette has three layers of tinfoil wrapped around her limbs and a tinfoil cone hat plonked on her head before she clocks that she's fallen for a prank. It's a pleasing bit of sibling slapstick in Slags, the new novel from Emma Jane Unsworth about desire, dissatisfaction and the ferocious loyalty of sisters. And sisterhood, as Unsworth writes it here, is an unbreakable connection for which no prank antenna is needed.' WELLINGTON 1 Slowing the Sun | Essays by Nadine Hura (Bridget Williams Books, $40) Spinoff readers may well be familiar with Nadine Hura's insightful essays. This is an outstanding collection, a long time in the making. Here's what the publisher says: 'In the midst of grief, Hura works through science, pūrākau, poetry and back again. Seeking to understand climate change in relation to whenua and people, she asks: how should we respond to what has been lost? Her many-sided essays explore environmental degradation, social disconnection and Indigenous reclamation, insisting that any meaningful response must be grounded in Te Tiriti and anti-colonialism.' 2 This Compulsion In Us by Tina Makereti (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $40) What a week for Aotearoa books! Tina Makereti's long-awaited collection of nonfiction is exquisite. Read an excerpt from This Compulsion In Us on The Spinoff, here. 3 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) 4 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) The Auckland Writers Festival's bestselling book and the first in New Zealand to reach 1000 sales in 2025 (are you surprised by that number?). It's a stonkingly good tale about an alternate England of the 1970s. Sinister, thought-provoking and gripping. Read books editor Claire Mabey's review right here. 5 Wonderland by Tracy Farr (Cuba Press, $38) Tracy Farr fans rejoice! We've another compelling novel from the author of The Lives and Loves of Lena Gaunt, and The Hope Fault. Here's the blurb for Wonderland: 'Te Motu Kairangi Miramar Peninsula, Wellington 1912. Doctor Matti Loverock spends her days and nights bringing babies into the world, which means her daughters – seven-year-old triplets Ada, Oona and Hanna – have grown up at Wonderland, the once-thriving amusement park owned by their father, Charlie. Then a grieving woman arrives to stay from the other side of the world, in pain and incognito, fleeing scandal. She ignites the triplets' curiosity and brings work for Matti, diverting them all from what is really happening at Wonderland. In a bold reimagining, Marie Curie – famous for her work on radioactivity – comes to Aotearoa and discovers both solace and wonder.' 6 Tackling the Hens by Mary McCallum (Cuba Press, $25) Local hero Mary McCallum's latest poetry book tackles hens … 'Hens can be fun visitors, when they gossip and sunbathe and pop inside for a chat, but they can outstay their welcome and tackling them to send them home isn't easy,' reads the charming blurb. 'They aren't the only creatures in the pages of this book— there's Ursula the golden-eyed cat, a leporine emperor, singing mice and all the swallows! Then there are the people who interact with them: an entomologist in love with the spiders he observes, a builder who releases a trapped mouse, a woman who attracts bees as a flower does—and Mary and the hens, of course.' 7 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Jonathan Cape, $38) Vuong is unstoppable. This latest work is already a TikTok sensation and massive bestseller. Here's the blurb: 'One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai's relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.'
The Star
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
South Korean sci-fi bestseller inks six-figure film deal with Warner Bros
The British edition of the 'A Thousand Blues' novel by South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran. Photos: Doubleday, Hubble South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran's heartwarming science fiction novel A Thousand Blues is headed for the big screen in the United States. Hubble, the literary imprint of Seoul-based East-Asia Publishing, said recently that it had signed a film adaptation deal with Warner Bros Pictures, and that the novel is "now on track to meet a global audience on screen." The Hollywood studio behind blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter and Dune, is said to have been drawn to the novel's "original and compelling" storytelling. Directors including Celine Song (Past Lives), Greta Gerwig (Little Woman, Barbie) and Alfonso Cuaron (Roma, Gravity) are among the candidates being considered for the adaptation, according to the publisher. Set in 2035, A Thousand Blues imagines a near future where humanoid robots have become part of everyday life. At its heart is the story of Collie, a humanoid jockey, and its racehorse, Today. Both are nearing the end of their usefulness as Today faces euthanasia due to failing journey toward an uncertain future becomes entwined with that of a mother and her two daughters, who step in to help. The novel explores themes of grief, healing and what it means to slow down in a world obsessed with speed and performance. First published in 2020, A Thousand Blues won the Grand Prize at the 4th Korea Science Fiction Awards and became a runaway bestseller, with over 200,000 copies sold in Korea to date. The translation rights have been sold to more than 10 countries, with recent publications in Japan, Germany, Taiwan, China and Britain. A Thousand Blues was also adapted for the stage: produced as a play by the National Theater Company of Korea and as a musical by the Seoul Performing Arts Company in 2024. Cheon, 32, who holds a master's degree in creative writing from Dankook University in South Korea, made her debut with Broken Bridge in 2019. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Transformation of Kalispell Center Mall aims to make it a downtown destination
May 11—Future plans for the Kalispell Center Mall include redesigning the Main Street property to include an event space, new retail spots, restaurants, and potentially adding a national grocery chain as part of a vision to make it an "active18-hour spot." "It's an asset that's been under-utilized for a good bit of time," said John Doubleday with SHOP Companies, the Texas company that acquired the mall last year. Showing a mockup featuring the redesign of the 7 acres of the west side of the site at the May 8 Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Growth Summit, Doubleday gave a glimpse into the future of what the property along the Parkline Trail might look like. The concept includes the event space that could play host to music events, the future location for the Flathead County Library on the northwest corner of the property and a hotel. Multi-family and retail spaces, along with park space, would make up the rest of the western portion of the property. The company is in conversation with Glacier Art Museum about creating an outdoor sculpture garden as part of the park. The demolition of the former Herberger's would make way for new developments. A good portion of the mall would remain with the existing JCPenney space and the Red Lion Hotel. Doubleday said that the Red Lion Hotel has been responsive to talks about making improvements. Pointing to the Parkline Trail as an asset to the mall and downtown, Doubleday painted a picture of the mall becoming a place to take a yoga class in the morning and return in the evening to grab a beer at the brewery. Changes to the mall will look to bring in "great coffee, great food and a brewery to take advantage of the connection with the Parkline Trail," he said. While Doubleday shied away from an official announcement of what retailers might join the mall, he did say that Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's have shown interest. While there is no definitive timeline, Doubleday said the plan is to work "as fast as possible." "The largest hurdle normally for something like this is community enthusiasm, right?" Doubleday said. "But that's not an issue here at all. What makes Kalispell great, I mean the list is longer than my arm, but one of the things is the purpose and the passion of the people that are here and how much they care about their community." SHOP Companies also recently closed on the Whitefish Mountain Center, which Doubleday said would provide benefits in attracting retailers that want to have locations in both cities. LOOKING TO the rest of Main Street and downtown, business leaders pointed to challenges like limited restaurants and nightlife to overcome in increasing activity in the city's core. City plans to potentially redesign Main Street by reducing the road to three lanes thus increasing sidewalk width for improved pedestrian access and outdoor space could lead to increased commercial activity, but more needs to be done to ensure vacant buildings are filled, speakers said. Kisa Davison, with the Kalispell Business Improvement District, challenged those in attendance to find ways to make the downtown more vibrant. "If we don't take action, we're going to get more of what we have, which is a dying downtown," she said. "Yes, there are lots of opportunities. Yes, there are businesses that are coming together." Casey Wyckoff with LSW Architects pointed to photos taken on a sunny Saturday showing few pedestrians in downtown Kalispell. He noted challenges facing downtown, but said it's also a blank canvas with opportunity. "Very small improvements can contribute to a neighborhood," Wyckoff said. "We are who we've been waiting for. This is it. It's us." Planned to be located at the corner of First Avenue Northeast and East Montana Street, the Bowman Block commercial building was highlighted as a protentional addition to downtown Kalispell. Dentist Mike Bowman shared his goal of constructing the 20,000-square-foot building. Development in North Kalispell was outlined as continuing at a rapid rate in particular in the Kalispell North Town Center on the east side of U.S. 93 at Rose Crossing. The growth has been "super dynamic," said Stan Converse with Cedar House Properties. The 485-acre property is expected to be the future home of a new Costco building, a new Kalispell Toyota dealership, a new hotel and residential lots. Other plans include a Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers restaurant and various commercial office buildings. Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Who is Percival Everett, the Pulitzer-winning author behind James – a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn?
When it was first published in the United States of America (USA) in 1855, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was considered somewhat controversial and obligingly it found itself – and continues to find itself to this day – on a smattering of banned lists. Initially, it was spurned for its coarse language, and later over the use of a racial slur over 200 times, and yet the novel continues to be revered as one of the 'great American novels.' Over 170 years later, who better than Percival Everett, who himself has been heralded as one of the greatest chroniclers of modern America, to reimagine Twain's plucky story, only this time through the eyes of Huck's enslaved sidekick Jim. Since its debut in 2024, the novel, James, has received accolade upon accolade – the National Book Award for fiction and the Kirkus Prize in the US, the Booker prize shortlist in the UK and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Upon reading Twain's creation, Ernest Hemingway had famously declared: 'There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.' Clearly, the literary community seems to have a somewhat similar exalted reaction to Everett's creation, if the glowing reviews are anything to go by. However, some critics have taken issue with 'pandering' the readers, a 'pedagogical' tone and the distracting literary shadow of Twain's work. Everett's reimagining, published by Doubleday, could well be considered a sequel, as Finn, when first introduced, was a sidekick to Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876) till he got to star in his own adventure, and now Finn's companion Jim gets to be the main character. A different lens Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque novel following two runaways – a white boy who wants to escape his alcoholic father and the other a slave whose owner intends to sell him. However, in Everett's hands the classic novel takes new life, it is not a mere retelling, but a reimagining. The African American slaves only act like their tropes in front of the White people, as soon as the White characters leave, they come to their own – their conversation is witty and their diction elevated. This is a so-called 'slave filter' to protect themselves. The Pulitzer Prize Board described James as 'an accomplished reconsideration of Huckleberry Finn that gives agency to Jim to illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom.' Who is Percival Everett Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is known for his philosophical writing on race, class and inequality. He has authored over 30 books, plunging into diverse genres. His best known works include I Am Not Sidney Poitier (2009), Telephone and Erasure (2001), which was the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film American Fiction (2023). He has been nominated for the Booker Prize twice. A Guggenheim Fellow and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Everett has won the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, the Academy Award in Literature, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, and the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Fiction. In 2021, he received the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jemimah Wei's 'Original Daughter' Is GMA's May Book Club Pick — Here's How It Came to Be (Exclusive)
Jemimah Wei's 'Original Daughter' Is GMA's May Book Club Pick — Here's How It Came to Be (Exclusive) Jemimah Wei exclusively speaks to PEOPLE about the inspiration for her debut novel The Original Daughter, which is a GMA Book Club Pick The book arrives on May 6 and centers on the relationship between sisters Arin and Genevieve; however, there is a personal element to the project Wei will appear on Good Morning America to promote the novel on Saturday, May 10 Jemimah Wei's debut novel The Original Daughter is now a GMA Book Club Pick — and PEOPLE has an exclusive tidbit on how it came to be. The book, out May 6 from Doubleday, follows sisters Arin and Genevieve growing up and growing closer in working-class Singapore where achievement is tantamount, no matter what it takes. "Knowing that failure is not an option, the sisters learn to depend entirely on one another as they spurn outside friendships, leisure and any semblance of a social life in pursuit of academic perfection and passage to a better future," the official description teases. Doubleday 'The Original Daughter' by Jemimah Wei 'The Original Daughter' by Jemimah Wei But in the wake of a devastating betrayal, the sisters become estranged. Genevieve must weigh "the value of ambition versus familial love, home versus the outside world, and allegiance to herself versus allegiance to the people who made her who she is." Related: Lilac People Explores LGBTQ+ and Trans Discrimination During WWII — Read an Excerpt (Exclusive) Wei came to the United States from Singapore in 2019, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she had to return to the country. The book, as she explains in the below video shared exclusively with PEOPLE, therefore charts not only the Yang sisters' evolution, but Wei's own as a writer. The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! 'When I look at this book, I can see two versions of myself collaborating," Wei explains, adding that she felt a "sense of intense claustrophobia and desperation that wasn't just geographical" while writing it. That sense can be attributed in part to the impact the global pandemic had on her as a writer and the story as a whole. Related: She Thought Her Long-Lost Mom Was Dead and Wrote a Novel to Say 'Goodbye.' Then Her Phone Rang (Exclusive) Looking back at the book's genesis as it hits shelves, "I see a map of myself changing as a writer," she says. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Though this is Wei's first book, she's collected more than her share of literary accolades. Wei is currently a 2022-2024 Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and has been recognized with awards and fellowships from Columbia University, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, Singapore's National Arts Council, and more. She was also recently named one of Narrative's '30 below 30' writers. The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei is on sale now, wherever books are sold, and Jemimah Wei will appear live in studio on Good Morning America on Saturday, May 10. Read the original article on People
