Literature Recent Picks

May 2009

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In Flanders fields : and other poems of the First World War, edited by Brian Busby. (New ed.)
"Includes works from the poets killed in action, Rupert Brooke to Wilfred Owen, killed only seven days before the end. A mixture of atmospheres and evocations, from the brutal power of war, to wistful verses of homes and loved ones left behind. Contains colour plates of paintings and sketches by combatants and war artists. A moving and inspirational collection of words and images. First world war poetry has lost none of its poignancy, and this collection is particularly significant, containing, as it does, colour plates of paintings and sketches by first world war combatants and war artists. Brian Busby has selected works from the poets killed in action, starting with Rupert Brooke in 1915 and ending with the tragic loss of Wilfred Owen only seven days before the end of the conflict. The poems are a mixture of atmospheres and evocations, from the brutal power of war, to wistful verses about homes and loved ones left behind. They have the power to move their reader that is unlike any other written work in the English language." (Amazon.co.uk)

The adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle : a biography, Russell Miller.
"As the creator of Sherlock Holmes, 'the world's most famous man who never was', Arthur Conan Doyle remains one of our favourite writers; his work is read with affection - and sometimes obsession - the world over. Writer, doctor, cricketer, public figure and family man, his life was no less fascinating than his fiction. Conan Doyle grew up in relative poverty in Edinburgh, with the mental illness of his artistically gifted but alcoholic father casting a shadow over his early life. He struggled both as a young doctor and in his early attempts to sell short stories, having only limited success until his Sherlock Holmes stories became a publishing phenomenon and propelled him to worldwide fame. Whilst he enjoyed the celebrity Holmes brought him, he also felt that the stories kept him from more serious work.Beyond his writing, Conan Doyle led a full life, participating in the Boer War, falling in love with another woman while his wife was dying of tuberculosis, campaigning against injustice, and converting to Spiritualism, a move that would ultimately damage his reputation. During his lifetime Conan Doyle wrote more than 1,500 letters to members of his family, most notably his mother, revealing his innermost thoughts, fears and hopes: Russell Miller is the first biographer to have been granted unlimited access to Conan Doyle's private correspondence. "The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle" also makes use of the writer's personal papers, unseen for many years, and is the first book to draw fully on the "Richard Lancelyn Green" archive, the world's most comprehensive collection of Conan Doyle material. Told with panache, "The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle" is an unprecedentedly full portrait of an enduringly popular figure." (Amazon.co.uk)

Rapture, by Carol Ann Duffy.
"The effortless virtuosity, drama and humanity of Carol Ann Duffy's verse have made her our most admired contemporary poet. "Rapture", her seventh collection, is a book-length love-poem, and a moving act of personal testimony - but what sets these poems apart from other treatments of the subject is Duffy's refusal to simplify the contradictions of love, and read its transformations - infatuation, longing, passion, commitment, rancour, separation and grief - as either redemptive or destructive. "Rapture" is a map of real love, in all its churning complexity; simultaneously direct and subtle, with poems that will find deep resonance in the experience of most readers, it is a collection that can and does speak for us all." (Amazon.co.uk)

I was told there'd be cake : essays, Sloane Crosley.
"From getting locked out of her flat twice on the same day and being fired for baking a giant cookie in the shape of her boss's head, to playing bridesmaid for a long-forgotten friend, Sloane Crosley is the kind of girl whose good intentions have a tendency to go hilariously awry. With sharp, original and irresistible storytelling that confounds expectations at every turn, Crosley recounts her victories and catastrophes, finding seductive comedy and genuine insights in the most unpredictable places. Prepare to be amused, delighted, and to be revelling in her company. I Was Told There'd Be Cake became a surprise bestseller in America, it sold over 75.000 up to date and appeared on the New York Times bestseller's list for four consecutive weeks." (Summary, Amazon.co.uk)

Reading science fiction, edited by James Gunn, Marleen S. Barr and Matthew Candelaria.
"In this work, world renowned contributors introduce the history and concepts necessary to understanding how to read Science Fiction as a genre. This is the first Science Fiction classroom text that breaks down the barriers between teachers and students, making teaching and learning a collaborative process.James Gunn is a very big name and one of the leading and most established figures in the world of Science Fiction; his name brings instant credibility.World class contributors introduce the history, concepts and contexts necessary to understanding how to read Science Fiction as a genre. Their groundbreaking approach makes teaching Science Fiction and learning from it a collaborative process, providing an exciting and varied way into this popular field." (Amazon.co.uk)

When you are engulfed in flames, by David Sedaris.
"David Sedaris's remarkable ability to uncover the hilarious absurdity teeming just below the surface of everyday life is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this new book of stories. Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life - the etiquette of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger or how to soundproof your windows with LP covers against neurotic songbirds - to the most deeply resonant human truths. Taking in the parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo and the purchase of a human skeleton, and culminating in a brilliant account of his attempt to quit smoking in Tokyo, David Sedaris's sixth story collection is a fresh masterpiece of comic writing." (Amazon.co.uk)

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