Literature Archives - Slow Culture Magazine

Susan Uehara Rakstang, Cooking for Her Eyes – BOOK REVIEW #13

8 November 20208 November 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Susan Uehara Rakstang’s Cooking for Her Eyes was released in October 2020, seven years after Julian Barnes’ critically-acclaimed Levels of Life, a title of a similar nature.

In Cooking for Her Eyes, Susan Uehara Rakstang contemplates the different emotional levels of her own past. The book succeeds where most authors and thinkers fail: context matters, and context is a central notion in the book.

To avoid spoilers, we’ll base our review on the first half of the book. Don’t get us wrong: the other half is where the magic happens too.

Evan Guilford-Blake, American Blues – BOOK REVIEW #12

28 June 202020 September 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

In 2016, Holland House Books released Evan Guilford-Blake’s American Blues. Four years have passed since, but once we got invited to dive into it, the notion of time definitely disappeared.

Time definitely flew by once we started reading the five stories forming the book. Seduced by the narrative and the author’s active curiosity, we’re delighted to share with you some of our thoughts today.

Sam Reese (author of Come The Tide) – ITW #24

31 May 202031 May 2020Interviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Sam Reese and his book Come The Tide (Platypus Press) made an excellent impression on our sensibility a few weeks ago, and we couldn’t leave things at a stalemate.

In this interview, guests Ornette Coleman and Silvia Plath enrich Sam’s thoughtful reflections and unusual takes on the pleasure of writing and on the writer’s many duties.

All pictures courtesy of Alexandra Kingston Reese.

Kate Leaver, The Friendship Cure – BOOK REVIEW #11

22 May 202022 May 2020Book Reviews, Interviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

The Friendship Cure is the result of astonishing and comprehensive research led by journalist Kate Leaver. An ambitious project now organized and cemented for everyone’s pleasure.

A few days ago, Paper Sparrows taught us about family and its many dynamics. This week, The Friendship Cure enlightens us on the notion of friendship and its many faces, even the most unexpected and obscure.

Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, Paper Sparrows – BOOK REVIEW #10

3 May 20203 May 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Paper Sparrows, written by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi (find her Why I Write here) could be your moving cure in these time of stillness and uncertainty.

In a few words: Layla, a 19 year old music undergraduate, travels from London back to Lebanon for the summer holidays, only to find that her brother has gone missing. Without a second thought, she sets off to find him in Beirut.

This book is a tale of youth, a tale of war, a tale of links, a tale of truth. A noble cocktail of feelings, rebounds and profound reality set in the summer of 2006.

– On another note, our friend Gabriel Birnbaum just released the excellent Ambien Jukebox album. If you like to improve your reading experience with solid soundtracks, this suggestion could be perfect for you.

But for now… back to Paper Sparrows!

Platypus Press (two books) – THIS WEEK IN ARTS VOL.5

20 April 20203 May 2020Literature, This Week in Arts Marc Louis-Boyard

Platypus Press is an independent publisher that has been on the back of our heads for a moment now. This This Week in Arts follows another volume highlighting The Emma Press, and let us assure you that the coup de cœur is made of the same intensity.

We picked two books to justify and report this excitement: a poetry anthology entitled Islands Are But Mountains and a collection of thirteen short stories by Sam Reese entitled Come the Tide.

NB: all the pictures used for this article are courtesy of the publisher. Considering the current health situation, we wouldn’t have risked the life of a postman for the sake of literature, as precious as literature is right now. As for reading and not taking fancy pictures, Kindle saved the say once again.