Stephen L. Carter’s newest book

Stephen L. Carter’s thrilling new novel takes as its starting point an alternate history: President Abraham Lincoln survives the assassination attempt at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Two years later he is charged with overstepping his constitutional authority, both during and after the Civil War, and faces an impeachment trial …

Twenty-one-year-old Abigail Canner is a young black woman with a degree from Oberlin, a letter of employment from the law firm that has undertaken Lincoln’s defense, and the iron-strong conviction, learned from her late mother, that “whatever limitations society might place on ordinary negroes, they would never apply to her.” And so Abigail embarks on a life that defies the norms of every stratum of Washington society: working side by side with a white clerk, meeting the great and powerful of the nation, including the president himself.  But when Lincoln’s lead counsel is found brutally murdered on the eve of the trial, Abigail is plunged into a treacherous web of intrigue and conspiracy reaching the highest levels of the divided government.

Here is a vividly imagined work of historical fiction that captures the emotional tenor of post–Civil War America, a brilliantly realized courtroom drama that explores the always contentious question of the nature of presidential authority, and a galvanizing story of political suspense.

I LOVE libraries.

Seattle Public Library - OMA - Rem Koolhaas by Scott Norsworthy on Flickr.

(Source: helveticool)

Young Pres Barry’s love life? a stunning new multigenerational biography of Barack Obama” by #DavidMaraniss

From the diary of one of his lovers “I open the door, that Barack keeps closed, to his room, and enter into a warm, private space pervaded by a mixture of smells that so strongly speak of his presence, his liveliness, his habits—running sweat, Brut spray deodorant, smoking, eating raisins, sleeping, breathing.”

Maraniss’ excerpt also contains portions from Barack Obama’s college love letters, which reference T.S. Eliot, “bourgeois liberalism,” and Jacques Derrida. Turns out young Barack Obama could have been a character in Girls. [Vanity Fair]

“I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.”

thesmithian:

[it] gradually opens out into a…moving story about a woman trying to negotiate two cultures, balancing her parents’ expectations with her own aspirations, her ambition and cynical practicality with deeper, more romantic yearnings. The premise: Amina, a determined young Bangladeshi, meets an older American man named George on an online dating site…she eventually moves to America and marries him. It is more like the arranged marriage of Amina’s grandparents than like her parents’ love match.

more.

Teju Cole’s enigmatic new book ‘Open City’ is truly unusual. Imagine a book that, when doused with the rich waters of the writer’s curiosity and intellect, grows exponentially until it overwhelms the reader’s senses. In this experiment, Cole takes a different approach to writing a novel. There is virtually no plot to the novel, to use the term novel loosely, and the author dispenses with the use of quotes in dialogue. Thankfully, ‘Open City’ is a monologue a lot of times; Julius is in love with the sound of his own voice. Furthermore, it seems that every plot is hatched and allowed to promptly disappear into the catacombs of New York City and Europe, the settings for the book. The novel is rich and messy. Just like life

I love this idea. (click the image to go to the website)

Adorbs. (http://www.nobodyandco.it/)

Albert Einstein knew some things. 

Via

@etsy.com

(Source: betype)

teachingliteracy:

10 Novels That Will Sharpen Your Mind [Interactive]

Novels may be made up, but the emotions they evoke are real. These feelings grow out of our connection to the novel’s characters and the relationships between a protagonist and others in the context of the broader society. As we follow the ups and downs of a carefully crafted story, we build connections within the social and emotional regions of the brain. The result, according to recent research, is a better understanding of other human beings and a deeper empathy for others, leading to improved social skills. Historians have also claimed that great works of fiction have lent support to the concept of human rights. (For more on the psychology of fiction, see “In the Minds of Others,” by Keith Oatley, Scientific American Mind, November/December 2011.)

Click the link and check out the interactive features.

(Source: approachingsignificance, via npr)

Hello Library.

(Source: rogue-7)

(via literarybinge)