| Beach Read The term “beach read” first appeared in literary periodicals around 1990, according to an article by the Los Angeles Public Library-though it's unclear who coined it. The concept of the summer read goes back much further, says Donna Harrington-Lueker, a professor of English and communications at Salve Regina University. Though now ingrained in our culture, the notion of summer reading was actually a 19th century invention of the publishing industry that sprung up in response to the creation of the summer vacation. Summer reading was initially a ritual enjoyed by rich men, who could afford to engage in leisure travel and unwind with poetry and literature, according to Harrington-Lueker. That changed in the mid-to-late 19th century as the US rapidly industrialized after the Civil War. The construction of railroads and grand hotels made summer vacations more accessible for the middle classes, giving rise to what Harrington-Lueker calls the “summer novel.” Check out these summer reads |
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| Books on the Air An overview of talked-about books and authors. This weekly update, published every Friday, provides descriptions of recent TV and radio appearances by authors and their recently released books. See the hot titles from the media this week. |
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| Helen Simonson Helen Simonson was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A dual UK/USA citizen, she is a graduate of the London School of Economics with an MFA from Stony Brook Southampton. Helen is married with two sons and lives in Brooklyn NY. Her debut novel, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, was a NY Times bestseller, sold over a million copies and was published in twenty one countries. Her second novel The Summer before The War was also a NY Times and international bestseller. Check out her books here |
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| Pulitzer Prizes Presented annually since 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded to the most distinguished American achievements in journalism, the arts, and letters. The 2024 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on May 6, 2024. These are the winners in the "Letters" category. |
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| A home without books is like a room without windows.-Henry Ward Beecher
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