Welcome back, friends. There’s a lot to discuss this week.
In an effort to begin, as usual, with climate issues, here is a fascinating article from LitHub about new genres budding in the wake of the environmental crisis. What’s interesting about these genres is that they are set up to be alternatives to climate nihilism and its consequent apathy. This doesn’t mean they’re cheery and warm, they just don’t all end the same way.
But, for those genres already established, there’s the National Book Awards. The winners were announced on November 20th. Here is the list from the National Book Foundation. And, if you’re looking to see what you’re interested in, maybe buy some books, here’s a great rundown of the winners and the finalists from Vox. If that doesn’t satisfy you, here’s LitHub’s list of the 20 best novels of the past ten years. Or if you’re more into the covers, LitHub made a list for that too.
In political news, Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings are coming to a close. Opinion articles and press releases and video clips have dominated the headlines recently, and the crazy amount of media attention can be pretty disorienting. So, here are two. The first is from NPR, which simply looks at what might come next in the nationally-embarrassing saga. The second is an interesting article from LitHub which historicizes the impeachment in the context of the indictment of King George III. Go check them out!
And happy Thanksgiving.