Latest news with #FredrikBackman
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Popular fiction across space and time, and queer bush doof thriller in Thomas Vowles' Our New Gods
The latest best-selling novels from Taylor Jenkins-Reid (Atmosphere) and Fredrik Backman (My Friends) explore 1980s astronauts, ambition and romance; And teenage anguish, friendship and art. Emotive and cinematic, how often is popular fiction written for the screen? Speaking of the screen, screenwriter Thomas Vowles' debut novel Our New Gods takes us on a twisted psychological thriller through gay saunas, bush doofs, and the grit of Melbourne's queer scene. BOOKS Thomas Vowles, Our New Gods, UQP Thomas Vowles, Our New Gods, UQP Fredrik Backman, My Friends (Translated from Swedish by Neil Smith), Simon and Schuster Fredrik Backman, My Friends (Translated from Swedish by Neil Smith), Simon and Schuster Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Atmosphere, Hutchinson Heinemann (Keep scrolling to see all other books mentioned on the program) GUESTS Tegan Bennett-Daylight, author and teacher of creative writing, whose books include the novels Bombora and What Falls Away; the essay collection, The Details; the short story collection, Six Bedrooms; and the Young Adult novels Royals and (her latest) How to Survive 1985. She's a Bookshelf regular. Richard Aedy, longtime Radio National colleague (whose programs included The Money and Life Matters); now producing a podcast for the Productivity Commission: The ProdCast; Also a Bookshelf regular. OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six Holden Sheppard, King of Dirt Holden Sheppard, King of Dirt Bret Easton Ellis, The Shards Bret Easton Ellis, The Shards Tegan Bennett-Daylight, Royals Tegan Bennett-Daylight, Royals Tegan Bennett-Daylight, How to Survive 1985 Tegan Bennett-Daylight, How to Survive 1985 Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman, Beartown Fredrik Backman, Beartown Fredrik Backman, Anxious People Fredrik Backman, Anxious People Percival Everett, James Percival Everett, James Samantha Harvey, Orbital Samantha Harvey, Orbital Ceridwen Dovey, Only The Astronauts Ceridwen Dovey, Only The Astronauts Taylor Jenkins-Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins-Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Carrie Soto is Back: A Novel Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Carrie Soto is Back: A Novel Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time Kevin Barry, The Heart in Winter Kevin Barry, The Heart in Winter Kevin Barry, Night Boat to Tangier Kevin Barry, Night Boat to Tangier Sarah Holland-Batt, The Jaguar Sarah Holland-Batt, The Jaguar Michelle de Krester, Theory & Practice Michelle de Krester, Theory & Practice Sharleigh Crittenden, The Un-doing (Published in Island magazine #173) Sharleigh Crittenden, The Un-doing (Published in Island magazine #173) Ben Lerner, The Hatred of Poetry Ben Lerner, The Hatred of Poetry Ben Lerner, The Topeka School Ben Lerner, The Topeka School Ben Lerner, Leaving the Atocha Station Ben Lerner, Leaving the Atocha Station Ben Lerner, 10:04 CREDITS
Arab News
07-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: ‘And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer'
Author: Fredrik Backman Fredrik Backman captures the unraveling of a mind with devastating tenderness in his novella 'And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.' This spare yet monumental novella, published in 2016, traces dementia's heartbreak through intimate dialogues between a grandfather and grandson. Its power lies not in tragedy, but in love's fierce endurance against oblivion. Grandpa is trapped in a shrinking mental town square. He navigates fragmented conversations with grandson Noah (whom he refers to as Noahnoah), clutches vanishing memories, and wrestles with unspoken tensions with his son, Ted. All while preparing for the final goodbye — to others and himself. The shrinking square is dementia's cruel architecture made visceral. Yet within his exchanges with his grandson, luminous defiance shines. Gentle jokes. Shared secrets. Proof that love outruns oblivion. Backman's triumph is avoiding sentimentality. No manipulative tears here, just raw honesty: Grandpa's panic when words fail, Ted's helpless anger, Noahnoah's childhood wisdom becoming the family's compass. Generational bonds offer lifelines. Grandpa lives in the stories, not his head. The resonance is universal. Readers who are familiar with dementia's path will recognize the misplaced keys, the names that vanish, the sudden foreignness of familiar rooms. Backman transforms personal pain into collective catharsis. A minor flaw surfaces though: Ted's perspective aches for deeper exploration. His pain lingers tantalizingly unresolved. My final verdict is that one must devour this in one sitting. Tissues mandatory. For anyone who loves, or has loved, someone slipping away, this story can become an anchor.
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Need a new book? 10 new releases you can read right now from romance to thriller
Need a new book? 10 new releases you can read right now from romance to thriller What do a ghost-conjuring chef, a fast-food employee and a world-renowned dying artist have in common? They're the topics of some of our favorite new books from May, of course. Check out the titles we recommend this month, including new Stephen King, a swoony new romantasy bestseller and the book that Fredrik Backman said could be his last. Or, take a look at the titles we're most excited about this summer. Plus, there's still time to read for USA TODAY's Spring Book Challenge, where you could win a $100 gift card to just by filling out our bingo card. What should I read next? 10 new books from May Summer is just around the corner, and it's time to get your TBR ready for beach reading and vacations. From dystopian tales to steamy romance, here are the titles we think you should pick up at your local bookstore or library. 'The Emperor of Gladness' by Ocean Vuong 'The Emperor of Gladness' has all the poetic meditations and lyricism of Vuong's 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous,' but with a lovable cast of found family characters that practically leap off the page. In it, a young man about to commit suicide is stopped by an elderly woman with dementia. What results is an unlikely friendship, a fast-food job that reunites him with his cousin and a new supportive, quirky community. 'Aftertaste' by Daria Lavelle This dark comedy set in the culinary world follows a Ukrainian American chef who can conjure spirits of the dead by cooking their favorite foods. Haunted by the death of his father and yearning to use his powers for good, Kostya opens a restaurant where loved ones reunite over one last meal. With carefully crafted depictions of grief and mouth-watering culinary adventures, this is the perfect novel for the always hungry and for fans of 'The Bear.' 'My Friends' by Fredrik Backman Told in two timelines, Backman's heartwarming latest is about four childhood friends and one transformative summer. Their bond inspires a painting that eventually becomes, decades later, the most famous painting in the world. In the present, a teenager who cherishes that painting finds herself in unexpected ownership of the original. Her cross-country journey to learn how the artwork came to be connects surprising roads in her own life and the painting's subjects. 'Can't Get Enough' by Kennedy Ryan In 'Can't Get Enough,' ambitious, goal-oriented Hendrix Barry is thriving in most aspects of life, but caring for her aging parent means she doesn't have time for romance. But then she meets tech mogul Maverick Bell, and the one man she can't have seems to be the perfect match. 'Things in Nature Merely Grow' by Yiyun Li Writer and professor Li meditates on the loss of her two sons – both from suicide, seven years apart. Li searches for the words that might fill the loss of Vincent at age 16 in 2017 and James at age 19 in 2024. 'Things In Nature Merely Grow' is less of a book about grief and more a tribute to radical acceptance and the lasting power of memory. 'Immaculate Conception' by Ling Ling Huang Twisty dystopian horror 'Immaculate Conception' follows art students whose work and study are upended by artificial intelligence. Grappling with her artistic purpose and jealous of her friend Mathilde's global success, protagonist Enka comes across a new technology that would let her enter Mathilde's mind, inextricably linking the co-dependent friends. 'Never Flinch' by Stephen King King deviates from his terrifying horror to pen a detective novel in 'Never Flinch.' This mystery thriller puts beloved character Holly Gibney at the forefront, now working for a celebrity women's rights activist whose lecture tour is under threat by a violent mystery assailant. At the same time, Holly helps her police detective friend with a serial killer on a revenge mission. 'Along Came Amor' by Alexis Daria This steamy romance is the third and final installment of Daria's 'Primas of Power' series. When Ava Rodriguez's now ex-husband leaves her to chase dreams that don't include her, she tries to embrace her new singleness in a one-night stand with Roman Vázquez. Type-A Roman is laser-focused on building his empire, so he initially agrees to her no-strings-attached, no-feelings situationship. That comes crashing when the pair run into each other at Ava's family function. 'Shield of Sparrows' by Devney Perry This new romantasy series, billed for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, sees a forgotten princess changing her fate. She's never meant to rule, only to obey her father. But after an encounter with a legendary monster hunter and a prince upends her life, she realizes she can make her own rules, becoming the warrior she was meant to be. 'How to Be Well' by Amy Larocca Everyone knows a 'well woman' – the spiritual, skincare aficionado who is just one cog in the machine of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry. Journalist Larocca touches on her own experience getting sucked into wellness culture before ripping back the curtain at the science behind it, as well as the standards of American womanhood driving the profits. Support AAPI authors all year: 10 new books by Asian authors to read Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aimee Lou Wood joining HUGE A-List star in film role after White Lotus toothgate controversy
The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood has been making headlines of late after a controversial Saturday Night Live sketch, and now she's starring along an A-lister. The 31-year-old actress played Chelsea in Season 3 of HBO 's The White Lotus, the girlfriend of Walton Goggins' character Rick. Now she's capitalizing on that performance by joining Angelina Jolie in the new film Anxious People, according to Deadline. The project will be directed by Marc Forster (World War Z), from the 2019 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove). Forster previously adapted Backman's A Man Called Ove into the 2022 film A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks. The director will also reunite with David Magee, who adapted A Man Called Otto and Forster's 2004 film Finding Neverland. The film is set the day before Christmas Eve, when and investment banker named Zara (Jolie), 'begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house.' Wood plays, 'a reluctant bank robber' named Grace, who inadvertently takes the strangers hostage as chaos ensues. Nothing ultimately goes to Grace's plan as secrets are revealed and oversharing ensues in the film. The story is, 'about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.' It remains unclear if any of the strangers have been cast at this time, and there is no indication yet when production may begin. Hope Studios' Fredrik Wikström Nicastro and2DUX2's Renée Wolfe, who both produced A Man Called Otto, will produce this adaptation as well. Director Forster and writer Magee will also produce the film, with Neda Backman executive-producing the project. The book was previously adapted as a Swedish TV series for Netflix in 2021, starring Alfred Svensson and Dan Ekborg. Wood previously won a BAFTA award for her hit 2019 Netflix comedy series Sex Education. She also starred in films like Uncle Vanya, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Living and Seize Them. The actress most recently starred in Netflix's Toxic Town from Adolescence creator Jack Thorne and Daddy Issues with David Morrissey (The Walking Dead). She also has a project called The Idiots in pre-production, where she's set to star alongside Johnny Flynn (Ripley).
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, May 18
1. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 2. My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: $30) The bond between a group of teens 25 years earlier has a powerful effect on a budding artist. 3. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 4. My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (Ballantine Books: $30) A young writer in the late 1800s travels to South America to uncover the truth about her father. 5. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp. 6. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (Simon & Schuster: $29) A love triangle unearths dangerous secrets. 7. Audition by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books: $28) An accomplished actor grapples with the varied roles she plays in her personal life. 8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron Books: $29) As sea levels rise, a family on a remote island rescues a mysterious woman. 9. Silver Elite by Dani Francis (Del Rey: $33) Psychic gifts can get you killed in the first book of a dystopian romance series. 10. Strangers in Time by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing: $30) Two London teens scarred by World War II find an unexpected ally in a bereaved bookshop owner. … 1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can't control. 2. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 3. Life of Your Dreams by Mark Pentecost (Mission Driven Press: $28) The billionaire entrepreneur reveals the seven steps that took him from surviving to thriving. 4. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (Random House: $30) A guide to the art of journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem and others. 5. We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle (The Dial Press: $34) The guidebook for being alive. 6. Notes to John by Joan Didion (Knopf: $32) Diary entries from the famed writer's journal. 7. Joy Prescriptions by Dr. Tiffany Moon (Legacy Lit: $29) The doctor and 'Real Housewives' alum on how to find happiness. 8. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Pantheon: $27) A meditation on freedom, trust, loss and our relationship with the natural world. 9. Conquering Crisis by Adm. William H. McRaven (Grand Central Publishing: $26) The retired four-star admiral's personal stories illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis. 10. The Prism by Laura Day (Spiegel & Grau: $32) Seven steps to self-discovery and renewal. … 1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 2. Table for Two by Amor Towles (Penguin Books: $19) 3. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (Berkley: $19) 4. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $19) 5. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 6. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Grove Press: $22) 7. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Transit Books: $17) 8. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial: $22) 9. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17) 10. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Anchor: $18) … 1. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 2. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 3. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $36) 4. Sociopath by Patric Gagne (Simon & Schuster: $20) 5. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 6. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 7. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17) 8. The Last of His Kind by Andy McCullough (Grand Central Publishing: $22) 9. The Best of Me by David Sedaris (Back Bay: $22) 10. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19)
