Hilary Mantel,
the British author,is set to complete her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. After chronicling the rise of Cromwell in her last two novels,now it is time to put him to death.At her house on England8217;s south coast,Mantel has the bones of a plan 8212; notes and sketches that she will stitch together to describe the downfall of one of English history8217;s most equivocal and reviled characters: the blacksmith8217;s son who carved his way to the top of Henry VIII8217;s court and helped the king divorce his first wife,Catherine of Aragon,and execute his second,Anne Boleyn. It8217;s a challenging prospect for Mantel,whose first two Cromwell books 8212; the Man Booker Prize winner Wolf Hall 2009 and Bring up the Bodies,which arrived in US bookstores last weekhave won over critics and readers for their rich retelling,through Cromwell8217;s eyes,of this well-trodden period of history.
Neil Young,
the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter,and his longtime band Crazy Horse released a new album titled Americana with their particular take on classic folk songs last week. It is the first album from Young and the group in nearly nine years. At an age,66,when many of his peers have either slowed down or retired from the spotlight,Young is busier than ever. Later this month,movie studio Sony Pictures Classics will release Neil Young Journeys,a documentary about the singer directed by Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme which showcases the last two nights of Youngs recent solo world tour. And then theres his new book,Waging Heavy Peace. Its not really a memoir,at least not in the traditional sense. Its not chronological and covers a lot of areasfrom the past to the present day,so its like a diary, he says about the book.
Calling Invisible Women
is the bestselling novelist Jeanne Rays new book in which invisible women of a certain age fight back. Clover is over 50 and under appreciated,a housewife and mother of grown children whose life takes an unexpected turn one day when she wakes up invisible. Worse,her husband and son dont even notice that shes gone. But the heroine of Calling Invisible Women bands together with other invisible women in her town to fight back,gaining a new view of her town,her loved ones and herself. 75-year-old Ray,who didnt start writing novels until she was 60inspired partly by the urge to show that people of a certain age had as much fun and delight in their lives as younger folksaid a liking on her part for people with superpowers,like invisibility,gave the book its driving impetus.