More than romance: books about love to read this Valentine’s Day

More than romance: books about love to read this Valentine’s Day

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all forms of love in our lives. According to Rabbi David Wolpe of Time Magazine, love is “a feeling that expresses itself in action.” This feeling manifests itself not just in romantic partners, but also in relationships between friends and family. As argued by Madeleine Dore of ABC Everyday, the love between families and communities are just as important as romantic love, despite the weight that society puts on romantic relationships.

In ‘Call Us What We Carry,’ Amanda Gorman connects our past to our present

In ‘Call Us What We Carry,’ Amanda Gorman connects our past to our present

“Call Us What We Carry” is the debut poetry collection of Amanda Gorman, who, according to NPR, became the youngest ever inaugural poet in 2021 at 22 years old. Her website notes that she graduated from Harvard with a degree in sociology in 2020, a year before she performed at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Gorman was appointed as the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017. Now, she is the youngest board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the United States. Her first two books, a children’s book titled “Change Sings” and the published version of her inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb,” were released in September 2021. Readers can dive deeper into her work with “Call Us What We Carry,” originally “The Hill We Climb and Other Poems,” which was published on Dec. 7, 2021.

​​‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’ stumbles on LGBTQ+ representation

​​‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’ stumbles on LGBTQ+ representation

Published on Sept. 28, 2021, “Cloud Cuckoo Land” follows five characters across five centuries who, in one way or another, revolve around the fictitious story of Aethon, the boy who wanted to be transformed into a bird to fly to a better place.

Grace Perry reflects on her sexuality

Grace Perry reflects on her sexuality

“Pop culture may be an escape from real life, but I haven’t been able to escape pop culture myself. It’s glommed onto my psyche; it’s shaped my view of myself, my reality, my body, my sexuality,” Grace Perry writes in her new book, a collection of essays entitled “The 2000s Made Me Gay.”

Book award shortlists released, showcasing this year’s literary highlights

Fall book award season is upon us, highlighting titles from this past year that, according to critics and award panelists, are worthy of praise and recognition. Some notable book awards are the United States specific National Book Award, the Booker Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Faulkner Award and The Women’s Prize for Fiction. Every year, the panelists for each award pick books for a longlist based on nominations from publishers. They then narrow this down to a shortlist, from which they select a winner. Winners for the Women’s Prize for Fiction were announced on Sept. 8, and winners for the National Book Award and the Booker Prize will be announced in the coming weeks.

Emily Arsenault ’98 draws on Mount Holyoke ghost stories in her new book

Emily Arsenault ’98 draws on Mount Holyoke ghost stories in her new book

Content warning: this article mentions suicide.

“This is what it means to be a ghost. To watch all the other girls live — laugh, talk, sleep, eat, dance, study, scream — while you flicker and fade into the shadows,” an unnamed narrator declares, opening “When All the Girls Are Sleeping,” published July 13, 2021, the latest novel by Mount Holyoke alumna Emily Arsenault ’98.

Female rage and empowerment dominate in Xiran Jay Zhao’s ‘Iron Widow’

Female rage and empowerment dominate in Xiran Jay Zhao’s ‘Iron Widow’

“For eighteen years, my unibrow has saved me from being sold into a painful, terrifying death,” Xiran Jay Zhao writes in their debut novel, “Iron Widow.”

“Iron Widow” is not for the faint of heart.

A story about a thirst for vengeance and hunger for power, brimming with the pain caused by a deeply misogynistic society, the novel is for angry girls — the girls who have been beaten down and poked just enough to snap. For anyone who is aching to break out of the claustrophobic boxes that make up our world — “Iron Widow” is a novel of catharsis, or as the endorsement quote on the cover from E.K. Johnston states, “A primal scream of a book.”

Identity and place: dive into the work of three Latine authors

Identity and place: dive into the work of three Latine authors

For Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, Mount Holyoke News has compiled a list of Hispanic and Latine authors who have written extensively about the intersections of immigrant identity and mobility, femininity, gentrification and family splintering.

Celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month with these new and upcoming releases

Celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month with these new and upcoming releases

Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month takes place each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. As readers take this time to reflect on Hispanic/Latine presence in literature, it should be noted that there is a recorded underrepresentation for this demographic across genres.

As the leaves turn, turn to these books for a non-spooky fall adventure

As the end of summer approaches, the desire to fill bookshelves with autumnal prose grows. The Mount Holyoke News has compiled a list of fall-themed books to get readers into the autumn spirit.

'Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch' is a must-read for historical fiction fans

'Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch' is a must-read for historical fiction fans

Don’t let the title fool you — Rivka Galchen’s second novel “Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch” is as far from contemporary popular fantasy as the Earth is from the sun. Based on an assemblage of historical documents from the seventeenth century, “Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch” is a fictionalized account of the real-life story of astronomer Johannes Kepler’s mother, Katharina Guldenmann Kepler, an accused — and acquitted — witch.

The Tolkien Society focuses on diversity and inclusion during their annual summer seminar

The Tolkien Society focuses on diversity and inclusion during their annual summer seminar

The literary organization The Tolkien Society, founded around a half-century ago, is dedicated to promoting the life and works of the British scholar and author of the high fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings,” J.R.R. Tolkien. Since 1986, the Society has held an annual short summer conference consisting of academic talks and panel discussions on a Tolkien-related theme. The 2021 Summer Seminar, titled “Tolkien and Diversity,” was held live via Zoom on July 3 and July 4. The conference, free to the public, hosted more than 500 attendees from 42 countries. The theme of diversity received backlash from right-wing political commentators who accused the society of going “woke.”

‘The Great Gatsby’ prequel should not have gotten a green light

On Jan. 1, 2021, all copyrighted works published in 1925 entered the public domain in the United States. Among these were Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs Dalloway,” Ernest Hemingway’s “In Our Time” and the Great American Novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” A crop of “Gatsby” adaptations have since sprung up, including more lighthearted versions like the parody novel, “The Great Gatsby: But Nick has Scoliosis,” and an adult coloring book. The rendition garnering the most buzz, however, came from Michael Farris Smith, recipient of the 2014 Mississippi Author Award for Fiction. Smith’s prequel, “Nick,” focuses on the eponymous Nick Carraway’s life before meeting eccentric millionaire Jay Gatsby, expanding on Nick’s childhood and time in the army. Unfortunately, vitiated by a lackluster narrative voice and a trite plot, “Nick” not only fails to live up to its predecessor, but fails to justify its own existence.

Susanna Clarke’s ‘Piranesi' blends fantasy, expansive language and a stereotypical portrayal of minority characters

Susanna Clarke’s ‘Piranesi' blends fantasy, expansive language and a stereotypical portrayal of minority characters

At around 250 pages, British author Susanna Clarke’s second novel “Piranesi” seems miniscule in comparison to her 800-page debut novel “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.” But with its imaginative world and compelling narrator, “Piranesi” packs a powerful epistemological punch. The book, however, is not without flaws — its portrayal of minority characters ultimately falls short, leaning on worn-out stereotypes of gay men and people of color.


French-Senegalese author David Diop wins International Booker Prize for ‘At Night All Blood Is Black’

French-Senegalese author David Diop wins International Booker Prize for ‘At Night All Blood Is Black’

On June 2, the International Booker Prize for translated fiction was awarded to French-Senegalese novelist and academic David Diop for his sophomore novel, “At Night All Blood is Black,” and to the book’s American translator, Anna Moschovakis. The novel was selected from a shortlist of six books by majority vote from a five judge panel. This year’s winners were announced virtually via livestream inside the historic Coventry Cathedral in the West Midlands of England. It was the first time the ceremony took place outside of London.

Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary dies at 104

Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary dies at 104

On March 25, award-winning children’s author Beverly Cleary died in Carmel Valley, California, at the age of 104. She is perhaps best known for her series of books about sisters Ramona and Beatrice “Beezus” Quimby growing up in small-town America. The HarperCollins press release about Cleary’s death praised her for “setting a standard for realistic children’s fiction” through the publication of over 40 books, adding, “Cleary has also inspired authors, including Judy Blume, to deal with the real issues in young readers’ lives.”

Support small businesses during the pandemic by visiting these Pioneer Valley bookstores

Support small businesses during the pandemic by visiting these Pioneer Valley bookstores

As a first-year at Mount Holyoke, being able to handle the isolation of campus life during the pandemic can be difficult. My personal outlet has been finding places in and around campus to explore. One of the many places to find comfort during the pandemic for me has been bookstores. To be surrounded by physical books and people in real life seems like such a fantasy now, but it is slowly becoming reality again. Luckily for me and other Mount Holyoke book lovers, there seems to be a surplus of bookstores around the Pioneer Valley. Whether you’re on campus or just happen to be in Massachusetts, here are some local bookstores to explore.

The Mount Holyoke LITS liaisons are here for students, even remotely

To celebrate National Library Week and National Library Workers’ Day, literary events that take place from April 4 to April 10, let’s take a look at the history of Mount Holyoke’s Williston Memorial Library, also known as Library, Information and Technology Services, and the people who run it.

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