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Hi there! This week, we’re celebrating the magic of books and The Book of Magic, trading election news for social drama on the campaign trail, and getting suggestions for what to read if you love Colleen Hoover. |
| The Introduction |
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Alice Hoffman’s Literary Magic |
The Book The Book of Magic is the fourth and final volume in the bestselling, century-spanning Practical Magic series. It follows three generations of Owens women as they attempt to end the curse that has haunted the family since the 17th Century.
The Author Alice Hoffman is the author of more than 30 novels, including multiple New York Times bestsellers, an Oprah’s Book Club pick (Here on Earth) and Practical Magic, which was made into a beloved movie. To celebrate the paperback release of The Book of Magic, we hosted Alice in conversation with Alix E. Harrow, author of The Once and Future Witches.
Alix E. Harrow: We learn right away that Jet Owens is about to die. That is such an unusual entry into a story. How did you land on it?
Alice Hoffman: It just happened when I started writing. She just knew. Some of my characters walk through the door fully formed, and she just knew she was going to die. I realized I couldn't drag it out for too long; it would be too sad, so she only has a few days. In those days, she wants to complete her life and do the things she wants to do and see the people that she cares about.
AEH: The first line of the book is “Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in a library.” In your work, you play in the slippage between literal magic and literary magic. Why do you find yourself returning to magic books and the magic of books?
AH: For me, books were the magic of my life. They changed everything. When you go into a library, especially when you're young, it's the first time that you get to make your own choices and your own discoveries. That's really major and magical.
AEH: How do you see yourself in terms of genre? How do you feel about those labels?
AH: I do not believe in genre-izing literature. I think it is a huge mistake and a way to put down certain books. The people that I read when I was younger who were considered fantasy or science fiction like Ray Bradbury are now just considered great writers. I find that very annoying. In the past, fantasy and science fiction writers tended to be thought of as less. That's becoming less true because magic seems to be running through literary fiction—or what's considered literary fiction—and mainstream fiction. But it certainly wasn't true when I started writing. It was considered weird to write about these things.
Check out fiction that Alice recommends: |
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| Half Magic | AH: “What I love about Edward Eager is that everything is so regular, so normal, and then kaboom—right on the street, right on the sidewalk, in the suburban place, there’s magic.” | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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| Beloved | AH: “I believe there are only so many stories, and what matters is the voice of the writer. Toni Morrison is so distinctive and beautiful and poetic.” | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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| The Highlight |
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“It is something I am used to, this way men have of not talking: they like to kick a divot out of the grass with a boot heel, to slap the roof of a car before it takes off, to spit, to sit with their legs wide apart, as though they do not care.” | |
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| Foster | Booker Prize finalist Claire Keegan’s newly published novella follows an Irish girl who lives with a foster family while her parents await the arrival of a baby. | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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| Ask a Librarian |
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I absolutely love Colleen Hoover. Do you have any recommendations for similar books? - Heather
You’re not alone, Heather! It Starts With Us broke all kinds of sales records when it hit shelves and Kindles last week, and it’s currently the most popular book on Likewise.
Fine Print Hoover’s books span genres (her psychological thriller, Verity, is also big on Likewise right now), but she’s best known for emotionally intense love stories. She doesn’t shy away from tackling serious issues like domestic abuse and infertility, deftly combining those harrowing topics with swoony, steamy romances.
Between the Lines Happily, Hoover’s not the first author to write stories that show characters grappling with trauma and finding love. Here are three suggestions that will take readers on a similar emotional rollercoaster. |
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| More Than Words | A decade after Callen Hayes disappeared from Jessie’s life and broke her heart, they’re reunited, but his bad boy reputation and their traumatic pasts stand in the way of happily ever after. | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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| The Ones Who Got Away | Finn and Liv haven’t spoken since they survived a school shooting a decade ago. Now, a documentary about the tragedy brings them together to grapple with the past and their feelings for each other. | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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Meet The Librarian Emily Calkins has worked at public libraries across the US. Tell her what you’re looking for! |
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| 20 Words: Guess The Novel |
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A woman who would rather not talk about her husband meets a man who is desperate to do just that. | |
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Answer in footer |
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| The List |
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Democracy Is Messy |
With one week left until Election Day, political news is inescapable—and so is the personal turmoil that accompanies it. The drama of it all makes for compelling novels, too. In 2022’s Let’s Not Do That Again, a woman running for Senate struggles to reign in her erstwhile adult children before their antics derail her campaign.
Here are three other tantalizing novels about life during political campaign season: |
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| Primary Colors | Written by a reporter who covered Bill Clinton’s 1992 run and originally published anonymously, this insidery tale of a presidential campaign is an election season classic. | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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| Bookmarks |
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Critical Love Reviewers are celebrating Dani Shapiro’s return to fiction after 15 years and several acclaimed memoirs. BookPage praises the novel’s “gorgeous, evocative language,” while The Washington Post celebrates its “alluring authenticity.” |
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The Big Debut Early reviews call Katy Hays’ gothic thriller “an outstanding debut” (Library Journal) and “moody and suspenseful” (Publishers Weekly). |
| The Cloisters | An art history student takes an internship at the Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum’s legendary location in upper Manhattan that specializes in European medieval art. When she uncovers a rare and potentially powerful tarot deck, her summer turns deadly. | Buy now | Add to reading list |
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Awarded Hernan Diaz’s Trust won the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Fiction. The judges called it “a true literary delight.” |
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| Page to Screen |
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