Almost 75% of the 2,532 supposedly banned books identified by advocacy group PEN America in its report of censorship in US public schools during the 2021-22 school year are in fact available in school online catalogues, according to a Wall Street Journal review. The report included many classic works of literature that are openly available. A quarter of the books listed were not found when examined. The group claims that 40% of banned books have protagonists or prominent secondary characters of colour, and 21% address race and racism. Almost a dozen schools are said to have banned The Hate U Give.
Lewis Capaldi's second album, entitled “Monster,” features 12 tracks which are big, weepie ballads about relationship struggles as if trying to craft one perfect ballad from the depths of his soul. The album features long, drawn-out minutes of despair, with Capaldi's downbeat lyrics and sorrowful tone making up the majority of the mood of the album. Despite this, Capaldi’s still in his early twenties and is already becoming a major figure within the music industry. Regardless of its content, the album is worth a listen, and Capaldi's talent is undisputed, with electronic touches furthering his balladry.
Spotify, the leading audio streaming service, reported that revenue in Q2 increased 23% YoY to €2.3bn ($2.67bn), better than the €2.18bn estimated by analysts. Subscriber growth also beat expectations, with a net addition of 7 million premium subscribers, bringing the total user figure to 232 million, an increase of 30% YoY. However, the company's net loss increased from €394m a year ago to €418m. Spotify also announced its acquisition of SoundBetter, a platform which connects music creators and producers with professionals for hire.
Best-selling novelist Bernard Cornwell spoke to The Telegraph in an interview published on Sunday about his latest work Uhtred’s Feast, its focus on recipes from the ninth and tenth centuries, and some personal history. Cornwell claims to have been banned from watching television or film or reading anything frivolous as a child and was beaten by adoptive father for reading Treasure Island. He broke free from his evangelical upbringing and has since gone on to write 50 adventure novels. His latest book includes three new short stories and Pollak’s recipes, eschewing the historically based sex scenes widely found in comparative works.
Removing trade barriers between Canada's provinces would have a significant impact on the country’s economy, according to Ryan Manucha, who recently co-authored a study into the issue. Research estimates that a 1% reduction in costs for professional and science services trading would be worth CAD713m ($538m) to the Canadian economy. The removal of internal trade costs would also permit products and workers to move more freely, aiding the flow of goods and services. The Canadian government's recently established Canadian Free Trade Agreement regulates domestic trade disagreements and helps guard against future disputes.
The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard is a novel that accurately understood the post-war era and globalisation before it was widely discussed. It tells the story of two sisters in Australia in the 1950s, with the story ending in the late 1970s, following the pair through their moves from Sydney to London, then to New York, and finally to Stockholm. The book combines a brilliant sense of setting and character capture with technical expertise and skill. Hazzard's ability to set "a sweeping historical moment as well as the most intimate" makes for beautiful reading.
Amid an ongoing culture war over free speech, gay rights and other progressive issues, record efforts to ban books are fueling fights in Texas, Virginia and across the US. Yet only one previous case of a library book ban has ended up before the Supreme Court, that of Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico, largely forgotten outside law school classrooms. The Pico saga began on Long Island in September 1975, when two members of the Island Trees school board searched the library of Island Trees High School, finding nine books they deemed “objectionable”. Months later, the board removed all nine books for being “anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic and just plain filthy”. Five students, including the student council president, sued the board in January 1977. The US Court of Appeals ruled in favour of the students, in June 1982, but with only two justices fully joining their opinion, the ruling set a weak precedent. Book-banning continues to this day, drawing in victims of the lawfare culture.
Publisher HarperCollins announced plans to release a wider range of romance novels in response to the genre's increased popularity, particularly among younger readers. In Canada, Harlequin, the major romance publisher until its acquisition by HarperCollins's parent News Corp, noted that readers have increasingly demanded diverse representation. Between 2017 and 2022, sales in Canada's romance market rose for fiction that featured LGBT+ characters (up 10,406%), African American and Black love stories (1,733%) and those featuring romance in the workplace (1,793%). “An increasing number of younger, and often more diverse readers have discovered and embraced this genre, much of it fuelled by BookTok," said Simon & Schuster in a statement.
Wine writer Shana Clarke has published "150 Vineyards to Visit Before You Die" including Japan's MGVs vineyard, which Clarke describes as a laboratory-like building with precise winemaking akin to alchemy; Spain's Bodegas Vega Sicilia's Ontañón Vineyard, featuring vines dating back over 100 years; and Australia's d'Arenberg Cube, a five-storey art and education venue that aims to blur the lines between wine and attraction. The book explores lesser-known vineyards as well as famous ones in France and Italy. The vineyards were chosen to reflect Clarke's "broad story about the world of wine, which meant not just focusing on historically important vineyards, but what may come in the future".
Drew Pritchard, the star of Salvage Hunters, has slimmed down his dealer's business model to only having three employees and the warehouse. His famously beautiful shop on Conwy High Street is gone. Pritchard is sharing everything he has learnt from being in business for nearly 30 years, in his book How Not to Be an Antiques Dealer, which covers an overview of what the business is all about. He advises new antiques dealers to focus on the nuts and bolts of how money is made in the trade, saying: “A shop is a very expensive gilded anchor”. The world of antiques is not as romantic as one might imagine. It is a world of early starts, long journeys and no-nonsense deals. Pritchard's remarkable success, and the televisual fame that has accompanied it, have inspired many to try their hand at what he does. “I have a lot of imitators – and some of them are now doing Drew Pritchard better than me.”
Author Don Tapscott has experimented with OpenAI's Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3) writing tool, in the process highlighting the extraordinary power the technology affords users, as well as its potential dangers. Tapscott first asked the machine learning system to create a book proposal for him. After being unimpressed, he asked it to create an academic version, a TED Talk version and a marketing plan, all of which required human-level writing skills. Tapscott went on to ask GPT-3 to write versions of the proposal in Elizabethan verse, haiku and hip hop, as well as to translate the document into French, Spanish and Estonian. While the possibilities for the technology were "spectacular", Tapscott said there was also a downside. The tool can cite non-existent sources, take potentially dangerous instructions from political leaders and has the potential to generate damaging information such as fake confessions.
Francesca Martin, who is in the process of writing a book, is reflecting on the forthcoming changes in her life when her sons start their first jobs. In anticipation of her emptying nest, Martin is cataloging the things she might do for herself, including eating highly-prized meals alone and with friends, cooking small amounts of a dish rather than catering for large groups, and writing about her changing experience of the kitchen table.
Canadian comedian Gavin Crawford has created a podcast detailing his reactions to his mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, one of his most intimate and honest character portrayals. Let’s Not Be Kidding is an account of his mother's diagnosis and decline, with Crawford detailing the moments of humour and oddity amongst the sadness. Featuring interviews with fellow actors and comedians, Let’s Not Be Kidding offers a safe space to discuss these difficult emotions. The podcast focuses on Crawford’s training at Second City, using improv techniques such as agreeing and following alongside his mother's delusions to better manage her condition. Notably, the podcast features private journal entries between Crawford and his mother, revealing insight into her life and giving Crawford a sense of the close bond they had while he was growing up. With the podcast, Crawford hopes to offer others going through similar situations solace and to let people know that they are not alone in their struggles.
Translators have spoken of ethical dilemmas that can arise as they work on books by authors whose views and attitudes are at odds with their own. American translator Charlotte Mandell is set to translate Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s controversial novel Guerre, a book by the revered novelist which he wrote while living in Germany during the Second World War. Céline is widely regarded as a vicious anti-Semite. Another translator, Frank Wynne, who is currently in contention for this year’s International Booker Prize, voiced the view that any book of interest deserves translation. Translators have to deal with decisions such as the Russian translation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, which doesn’t include the character of Robert Cohn, who is Jewish, as it allows Russian publishers to elide concerns about possible antisemitism.
Martin Amis, the British novelist, has died at his home in Florida aged 73. Known for his satirical style and frequent exploration of themes including nazism, genocide and Stalinism, Amis published his first novel, The Rachel Papers, in 1973. He was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award for the work, his debut, and went on to win numerous other prizes. Amis, who declared that readers of his works knew "absolutely everything" about him, was long known for his wit and his occasionally controversial comments in the press.
While talk therapy can be beneficial to some, it may not work for everyone. Researchers have concluded this after finding mixed results in hundreds of clinical trials, some of which reported therapy's higher probability of helping than hindering and others which suggesting the therapy only worked for some patients. Studies are limited as individual preferences, both for their suitable therapist and method of therapy, can play a part in effectiveness. Andrew Gerber, the president of a psychiatric treatment center in Connecticut, explained analysts are resistant to empirical research, as the practice of psychotherapy has been ground around the therapist and patient experience. According to The New York Times’ Susan Dominus, while some have concluded the issues surrounding talk therapy cannot be solved and interactions could only ever reach a certain standard, other experts use the results to identify better approaches.
Activist investors are submitting record numbers of shareholder proposals for Japanese companies as Tokyo Stock Exchange pushes for better valuations. The number of proposals submitted for this year’s shareholder meetings has risen 60% from last year. Investors including Aya Murakami and Oasis Management’s Seth Fischer say the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s campaign to improve valuations is serving as a tailwind for their own efforts. Bourse operator Japan Exchange Group announced in January that it will urge companies that trade below book value to release plans to boost share pricing. The Topix index, Japan’s benchmark equity index, is at its highest since 1990.
Top prosecutor in trial of officer who killed George Floyd writes book recounting case
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 15:40
Minnesota prosecutors conducted a mock "George Floyd" trial in a rural county to prepare themselves in the event that the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin moved out of the city in which Floyd was killed. The trial remained in Minneapolis, but the rehearsal involving Stearns County jurors helped prosecutors address doubts they had about the ability of a rural jury to deliver a just verdict. The mock verdict reached by the Stearns County jurors was that both Chauvin and three co-defendants were guilty of manslaughter and almost all were minded to convict on the top charge of second-degree murder.
Irish actor Ray Stevenson has died aged 58. The actor was known for his roles in films such as King Arthur, Punisher: War Zone and Marvel’s Thor films and was due to star in upcoming Star Wars spin-off series Ahsoka. Stevenson played Volstagg in the Thor trilogy and appeared in a number of other Hollywood movies such as The Book of Eli, GI Joe: Retaliation and Divergent, as well as television shows including HBO’s historical drama Rome. The actor’s publicist confirmed his death but did not give a cause of death.
The pandemic has seen a boom in celebrity memoirs, with the enforced pause of in-person work providing the famous with the time for reflection and writing needed to produce their story. The Celebrity Memoir Book Club, hosted by comedians Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, has reviewed over 115 memoirs and found that they offer celebrities a permanent way of reclaiming attention and controlling their own narrative. Honesty and empathy are key in creating a successful memoir that can be both entertaining and insightful. For some, such as Paris Hilton, it can offer a rebranding opportunity, while others, such as Madison Beer, use it as a way of helping others understand their trauma. Collaborating with a ghostwriter is common practice and Parker and Hamilton believe that using one can make a book more readable and enjoyable while benefiting the celebrity. Celebrities from all backgrounds are writing memoirs to elevate their status and sales, and Parker and Hamilton's Celebrity Memoir Book Club has arrived on the scene to help them navigate this ever-expanding market.
