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| A constellation of the U.S. publishing industry's bright lights gathered at the National Book Awards this week | ||
| The Thread's Must-Read | ||
| "How to Think" by Alan Jacobs Buy this book This is not the first time I've talked up "How to Think," but the book is now more relevant than ever. It is no exaggeration to say I’ve kept it close and consulted it often as this divisive year unfolded. It is full of practical and principled wisdom, and it will get you through any Thanksgiving-table conversation that turns inevitably to politics. In fact, I’d keep it on your lap — right under those fancy linen napkins your Aunt Betty uses. Here's the first enlightened idea: Surround yourself with high quality arguments for opposing views. And I don't mean the silly hyperbole of cable news. Jacobs writes about immersing himself in well-thought-out and compelling arguments that force him to confront the narrowness of his own views. In fact, he engages on social media with a high quality group of people who disagree with his politics, and he says he's the better for it. And remember that independent thinking is hard work. Succumbing to the groupthink is like an extra scoop of whipped cream on your pumpkin pie. It’s easy and delicious and satisfying. But it's nothing more than a sugar high. Finally, the hardest idea of all to put in practice: Listen. Listen with open and genuine interest. Listen for straw men and slippery slopes and don’t take the bait. Stick to your high-level, high-quality approach. And then remember that you love all of the people digging into the turkey at the table — and that’s not nothing! -Kerri Miller | ||
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| This Week on The Thread | ||
| Sigrid Nunez, Elizabeth Acevedo among 2018 National Book Award winners Nunez and Acevedo won for fiction and young people's literature, respectively. The prestigious literary prize also honored Jeffrey C. Stewart, Justin Phillip Reed, Yoko Tawada and Margaret Mitsutani. More | ||
| A Marvel of a man: Stan Lee dead at 95 Lee gave us over six decades' worth of superheroes we could identify with, characters like Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, who reacted to super-powered crises in believably flawed, human ways. More | ||
| "Big Little Lies" author places "Perfect Strangers" in a high-end health resort "Nine Perfect Strangers" by Liane Moriarty Buy this book In Liane Moriarty's new novel, nine strangers gather at a 10-day wellness retreat looking for transformation — and end up getting a lot more than they bargained for. More | ||
| The rise of the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club "Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves" by Glory Edim Buy this book Glory Edim loves to read and talk about what she is reading. So she started a fellowship that became a literary festival, a collection of essays and a national phenomenon. More | ||
| A history of Minnesota's home-grown department stores "Thank You for Shopping" by Kristal Leebrick Buy this book In her new book, Kristal Leebrick explores the golden era of Minnesota's department stores and the retail titans who helped shape some of the state's biggest cultural institutions. More | ||
| Jonathan Franzen finds hopes in nature "The End of the End of the Earth" by Jonathan Franzen Buy this book A new collection the author's essays spans art, nature and autobiography — taking aim at people he meets in daily life but also exposing his own vulnerabilities. More | ||
| Chef Anita Lo celebrates the art of cooking for one "Solo" by Anita Lo Buy this book Meals for one should not be a sad or boring affair, says Michelin-starred chef Anita Lo. In her new cookbook, Lo goes beyond bitter greens, blue cheese and monkfish to serve up fun meals for one. More | ||
| New book asks whether justice was done in a famous, century-old trial "A Tale of Two Murders: Guilt, Innocence and the Execution of Edith Thompson" by Laura Thompson Buy this book In the 1920s, Edith Thompson was executed alongside her lover, who was found guilty of murdering her husband. Laura Thompson looks at how social conventions may have lead to an unjust outcome. More | ||
| An American filmmaker and a Filipina translator exhume a massacre "Insurrecto" by Gina Apostol Buy this book Gina Apostol's new novel is a story about the Philippine-American War set in the present day, told from two dueling perspectives. Turns out the idea of multiple identities is close to her own heart. More | ||
| Counting the bugs and bacteria, you're "Never Home Alone" (and that's OK) "Never Home Alone" by Rob Dunn Buy this book Ecologist Rob Dunn's new book describes the tiny life forms, helpful and risky, that live in different parts of the home, including on floors and in water faucets, basements and heating systems. More | ||
| "Toxic" is Oxford Dictionaries' word of 2018 The publisher's research found "the sheer scope of its application" made "toxic" stand out this year. More | ||
| When a literary con man climbs to success "A Ladder to the Sky" by John Boyne Buy this book A charismatic young writer poaches plot points from the lives of established authors in John Boyne's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it "erudite and ingeniously constructed." More | ||
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