Not to be Overlooked introduces a variety of wonderful but lesser-known books to assist readers in finding their next great reads. This week’s column covers reviews of Blueberries: Essays Concerning Understanding, The Analog Sea Review, And They Lived…Ever After and 100 Tales for One Night.
Blueberries: Essays Concerning Understanding by Ellena Savage
Review by Jasmine Aldridge
From Melbourne libraries to Portuguese police stations, Blueberries is a book that circles back to moments of nuance, disguise and meaning to view them from a different angle. Ellena Savage’s uniquely expert writing voice guides you through this collection of personal essays with vigour and intention, asking you to immerse yourself in the depths of life and all of its caveats and transformations. This impressive work of creative non-fiction draws eloquent threads through the meaning hidden in our lives and the world happening around us, traversing time and space and the confinements of our bodies by asking us to envisage something beyond what we know now. Throughout these fifteen essays, the focus meanders from love to crime to friendship to the shortcomings of the modern world. Each essay is uniquely candid, raw, experimental and an essential interrogation of the self and the structures of control, oppression and power that surround it. Every page is worth turning and every word holds meaning – no breath is wasted and Savage’s intellect shines clear through every syllable.
The Analog Sea Review
Review by Jasmine Aldridge
Analog Sea is far from a standard, modern publishing house: a self-proclaimed offline publisher, they have no social media presence, no online catalogue and they are only stocked in a select number of independent bookshops. To acquire a list of titles or stockists at all requires posting an actual letter to their offices in Texas or Freiburg, Germany. As a result, their literary journal The Analog Sea Review is not only a beautiful, thought provoking and utterly charming collection of essays, poems, speeches, interviews and more, it is also the most delightful tonic to many of the anxieties and stresses that can be caused by social media and the constant connectivity it demands. Within its pages are the writings of Stefan Zweig (who inspired the Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel), Virginia Woolf, Leonard Bernstein, Susan Sontag, Carl Jung and Anne Fadiman (in Vol. 3 alone), as well as interviews with artists large and small. The Analog Sea Review encourages us to think more widely about the world around us, and of the ability of reading and writing to connect people from different backgrounds like nothing else. These small, beautiful hardcover volumes are a truly unique experience from the moment you hunt them down in your local independent bookshop until the second the last page is turned. They serve as a unique reminder of the joys to be found in leaving, just for a little while, the digital world behind.
And They Lived … Ever After by Rising Flame
Review by Gurnish Kaur
Recently published title, And They Lived… Ever After is a modern take on fairy tale endings featuring princesses with disabilities. Rising Flame is a writing workshop that helps protect the rights of people with disabilities. From this writing workshop, And They Lived… Ever After was created with a beautiful jacket cover and a multitude of princesses reflecting the people of our world.
The anthology curates a vision-impaired Cinderella, a hearing-impaired Snow White, and a wheelchair-using Rapunzel. This collection reworks traditional fairy tales and presents them in a re-imagined form from what we have all grown up on.
Since its release, And They Lived… Ever After has garnered praise for its innovative approach to storytelling. It resonates particularly with readers who appreciate a more realistic portrayal of life after the fairy tale ending. The book has sparked discussions about the expectations set by traditional fairy tales and the importance of representing more inclusive and diverse life experiences in literature.
And They Lived… Ever After by Rising Flame is a thought-provoking and heartwarming read that redefines what it means to live happily ever after. By bringing depth and realism to fairy tale characters, Rising Flame has created a work that is both timeless and timely, offering readers a fresh perspective on the enduring quest for happiness and fulfilment.
100 Tales for One Night by Peter Boge
Review by Gurnish Kaur
Peter Boge's 100 Tales for One Night is a captivating collection that transcends the boundaries of traditional storytelling. With its evocative prose and rich thematic depth, Boge's work offers readers a unique journey through a tapestry of human experience, imagination and reflection.
The book is structured in a way that evokes the spirit of classic collections like One Thousand and One Nights, where stories are intricately woven together. Each of the 100 tales stands on its own, yet collectively, they form a cohesive narrative that explores various facets of life. Boge's writing style is both lyrical and precise, inviting readers to lose themselves in each tale while pondering the larger, interconnected themes.
100 Tales for One Night delves into universal themes such as love, loss, joy and sorrow. Boge's characters are vividly drawn, often finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances that reveal their deepest fears and desires. The tales are infused with a sense of timelessness, blending elements of the fantastical with the mundane, and often leaving readers with thought-provoking endings that linger long after the last page is turned.
100 Tales for One Night has garnered critical acclaim for its originality and emotional resonance. The book has been celebrated for its contribution to contemporary literature, offering a fresh perspective on the art of storytelling.
Peter Boge's 100 Tales for One Night is a masterful work that invites readers into a world of wonder and introspection. Through his eloquent prose and profound insights, Boge has created a collection that not only entertains but also challenges and inspires. Whether you are a seasoned reader or new to literary fiction, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression and reaffirm the power of stories to illuminate the human experience.
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