English, Communication & Literature Titles: October 2007

Howdy, English, Communication & Literature Professors! Here are some recent releases that received favorable reviews:

Baxter, Charles. The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot "The beauty of Baxter's inaugural entry in Graywolf's new "Art of" series, which draws on examples in literature to instruct on the writing craft, is that it doesn't assume to try and capture the whole of subtext. What book could? Instead, it focuses on very specific qualities composing it: the art of staging in a story, the importance of inflection in dialog, the ambiguity of motivation." Library Journal 9/1/07

Bayard, Pierre. How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read "...In a grand Swiftian style, the author offers a staunch, psuedodefense of the art of what he calls "non-reading," in which one must claim as all but divine the right to hold forth about books that one has skimmed, forgotten, or failed to read at all." Booklist 9/15/07

Capote, Truman. Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote "...It is easy to believe, with this book in hand, that Capote's true metier was the essay." Booklist 9/15/07

Martin, Philip. The New Writer's Handbook 2007: A Practical Anthology Of Best Advice For Your Craft & Career "Editor Martin begins a new annual anthology and from the preface by Erica Jong to the closing piece by Mary Pipher, it surprises and satisfies." Library Journal 9/15/07

Miller, Tom. How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life "...The essays cover issues that affect any immigrant population: the navigating of two worlds, language learning as lifelong learning, and the importance of bilingualism and maintaining connection to a native culture. A timely book, as immigration and bilingual education are current topics of debate in this country." Library Journal 9/15/07

Pamuk, Orhan. Other Colors: Essays and a Story "More than 75 short essays and interviews make up this collection, in which Nobel prize winner Pamuk passionately shares his thoughts and insights about growing up, his understanding and appreciation of the Mediterranean and Turkish cultures and their role in world politics, and his love of writing and literature." Library Journal 9/15/07

Pinker, Steven. The Stuff of Thought "...Drawing on philosophy, evolutionary psychology, physics, neurology, anthropology, and jokes, Pinker presents a convincing theory of conceptual semantics, itemizing the "fundamental ideas" that form the "language of thought." From politics to poetry, children's wonderful malapropisms to slang, Pinker's fluency in the nuances of words and syntax serves as proof of his faith in language as a window into human nature." Booklist 9/15/07

Revell, Donald. The Art of Attention: A Poet's Eye " Revell defines what it means to be fully attentive, describes the consequences of such a state, and explains how poets can renew their own lapsed attentions through the art of translation. " Library Journal 9/1/07

Be sure to let us know if you'd like for us to purchase any of these or any other titles!

Kristin Weber or David Willis