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How a road trip to Canada in the ’80s inspired Richard Ford’s latest novel“I loved that landscape,” Richard Ford says. “What struck me was how different it was from just where I was living at the time, across the border in [Missoula] Montana. It didn’t shock me, it pleased me, in a way. There was something about the landscape up in Saskatchewan … that I had such an affinity for. I think it just settled on me in a profound way.“When an American — this American, anyway — is in Canada, you’re very aware that you’re in a completely different place,” he adds. (Illustration by Steve Murray)

How a road trip to Canada in the ’80s inspired Richard Ford’s latest novel
“I loved that landscape,” Richard Ford says. “What struck me was how different it was from just where I was living at the time, across the border in [Missoula] Montana. It didn’t shock me, it pleased me, in a way. There was something about the landscape up in Saskatchewan … that I had such an affinity for. I think it just settled on me in a profound way.

“When an American — this American, anyway — is in Canada, you’re very aware that you’re in a completely different place,” he adds. (Illustration by Steve Murray)

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Maurice Sendak, author of Where The Wild Things Are, dies at 83
Maurice Sendak, the wildly talented, often cantankerous children’s book author and illustrator of Where The Wild Things Are, has died. He was 83 years old.

“I refuse to lie to children,” Sendak told The Guardian in an interview last year. “I refuse to cater to the bullshit of innocence.” (Photos: AP)

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Sarah Lazarovic charts the highs and lows of the month of March!

Sarah Lazarovic charts the highs and lows of the month of March!

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Jan Berenstain, co-creator of the Berenstain Bears, dies
Jan Berenstain, who along with her husband Stan created the popular children’s books about the family of lovable “Berenstain Bears,” has died in Philadelphia, her publisher said on Monday, after suffering a stroke late last week. She was 88.

“We are all deeply saddened to share with you the news that Jan Berenstain, surviving member of one of the greatest teams in all children’s literature — Stan and Jan Berenstain — passed away last Friday,” publisher Random House said in a statement.

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J.K. Rowling is finally leaving Hogwarts behind — and for decidedly  more adult fare, too. Little, Brown Book Group and Little, Brown and  Company announced Thursday that Rowling, author of the mega-successful Harry Potter series, is set to publish her first novel for adults.
“Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my  other publishers around the world,” Rowling said in a statement. “The  freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has  brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression  to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home  in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in  this new phase of my writing life.”

J.K. Rowling is finally leaving Hogwarts behind — and for decidedly more adult fare, too. Little, Brown Book Group and Little, Brown and Company announced Thursday that Rowling, author of the mega-successful Harry Potter series, is set to publish her first novel for adults.

“Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world,” Rowling said in a statement. “The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life.”

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Are retold tales a new fad or the latest incarnation of a rich tradition?

Margot Livesey’s latest novel, The Flight of Gemma Hardy, tells the story of a young girl who goes to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins after the death of her parents. The uncle treats his niece like a daughter, but after his accidental death she is shunned by her remaining relatives. Eventually, she enrolls in a strict boarding school, and later, lands a job at a remote estate tutoring a young girl. She falls for the young girl’s brooding guardian, only to have a deep, dark secret threaten their relationship.
Sound familiar?

The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre. This is not a secret, but a selling point. Two of the blurbs that grace the back of an advance copy of the book mention Brontë’s classic, and Livesey isn’t shy about acknowledging her debt. ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVE MURRAY