booksThursday, August 13, 2026
Today's books coverage is a grab bag: a film-adjacent profile of Bill Nighy, a meditation on Hemingway's grief, and a scattering of indie promotions. The through-line is how books and writers keep surfacing in unexpected places, from cinema to Substack.
Two pieces today put writers and their inner lives at the center, one in a new film, the other in a historical letter.
Bill Nighy talks about his own failed Paris writing dreams while promoting a film about a reclusive novelist. The interview doubles as a meditation on the gap between youthful ambition and reality.
Hemingway's letter of consolation to grieving friends is a masterclass in addressing loss. The piece uses it to dig into how we find meaning in mortality.
The rest of the day is indie promotions and new releases, from Australian crime to a bestselling romance.
A site dedicated to championing indie authors. It's a reminder of the long tail of book discovery beyond bestseller lists.
An Australian crime novel set in 1974, featuring a cadet journalist investigating a mysterious car and a resort development. Classic setup, promising period detail.
Meghan Quinn's new novel is already an Amazon bestseller. For romance readers, this is the signal that her latest is out and moving copies.
Spectacular Fictionbooks.bookfunnel.com
Festival of Murder by Ross Macfarlane KC, Chapter 2: Not My Circuswww.scotsman.com
Holding the ANC to account for failing South Africawww.businessday.co.za
What if the brain does not create consciousness?www.sffchronicles.comA Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies: "And there it was in a nutshell: the rapture of seeing a thing and the horror of seeing it at the same time."vanessahope.substack.com
a vHopeful Conversation with one of cinema's wisest, most penetrating observers, David Thomson
Hunt for bookstores in Chennai ends herewww.newindianexpress.com
The Five Minute Read: Lowell Farmers’ Marketwww.lowellsun.com
LOWELL — The Community Teamwork Farmers’ Market runs on Fridays through Oct. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m., at 350A Dutton St., in front of the Hamilton Canal Garage, in Downtown Lowell.
SDCC 2026 Interview: “Dungeon Crawler Carl” Matt Dinniman & Jeff Haysthegeekiary.com
Author Matt Dinniman and Audible audiobook narrator Jeff Hays discuss the rapidly expanding world of...
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