Category: words

The town of Sligo, specifically, and the dire cholera outbreak there in 1832. Dracula author Bram Stoker’s mother lived through that epidemic, and there’s evidence, circumstantial but convincing, that it was her memories of the pestilence on which Stoker built the original vampire novel; Transylvania, which the author never visited, was simply a stand-in location. – Atlas Obscura

British researchers found that subjects could bear a painful stimulus for 33% longer by repeating the f-word than by repeating a regular or a made-up word. Why? They think (for now) that it’s because of either the sympathetic or the parasympathetic nervous system. – Public Radio International

Some wonder whether Bookshop will remain a viable player in the online retail ecosystem as stores begin to reopen, and customers who turned to the site during the shutdown revert to in-store and curbside shopping. Meanwhile, Amazon, which accounts for some 70 percent of online book sales, has strengthened its position as the world’s largest online retailer. The company reported $75.5 billion in sales during its most recent fiscal quarter, a 26 percent increase from the year-ago quarter. – The New York Times

When the public again returns to full contact — with embraces and smooches, and eating together — what will matter most is not the freedom to shop without masks, or to fly without fear. What we’ll be hungry for is the strength of culture to pull us together. As with the study and love of a difficult author, those concerts and movies and cultural gatherings will again become the commonality through which we define our lives. “Ulysses” has a fabulous statement along these lines, silently spoken by Stephen Dedalus. – Los Angeles Times

More than half of the NBCC’s board of directors have resigned since last Thursday, when now-ex-member Hope Wanuke posted on Twitter part of an email discussion among the board about an anti-racism statement Wanuke had drafted. Some of those who quit did so because of objectionable comments by board member Carlin Romano in the exchange Wanuke leaked; others quit because Wanuke had made public what were supposed to be frank, and therefore confidential, deliberations. Reporter John Maher recounts how it all went down(hill). – Publishers Weekly

“Many governors across the United States have been eager to begin the multiphase reopening of businesses, but bookstore owners are acting cautiously. In remarks gathered from more than 25 independent bookstores, PW found that owners are reopening to in-store traffic more slowly than state guidelines allow, guided by their own sense of what it will take to ensure the safety of their employees.” – Publishers Weekly

Laurie Hertzel, who had served as president since 2019, announced over the weekend she was leaving the 24-member board. Her departure came two days after another board member, Ugandan-American writer Hope Wabuke, posted redacted screenshots on Twitter of an email exchange that included correspondence from Hertzel and board member Carlin Romano. The NBCC had been crafting a response to the worldwide protests against police racism and violence. – Baltimore Sun (AP)

The most important point to start from is that while there are a number of things you should consider when planning your book – such as characterisation, plotting or the style and voice of your work – there is no single golden rule for how to write a novel. – Psyche

Listening on transistor radios and Walkmans, many Dubliners who had long been intimidated by the book found that they not only understood it but enjoyed it and recognised themselves in it. – Irish Times