Hemingway’s short story “The Snows of Kilimanjara” may make a resurgence in the coming years, as the African snows, once “as wide as all the world…and unbelievably white,” of the sky-high peak could be completely obsolete within as little as 12 years.

Lit.

• Is the Internet making you illiterate?
• Colson Whitehead on choosing What to Write Next: play darts!
• The Millions has compiled a descriptive list of Difficult Books.  I like this.  Let’s read them.
• Somerset Maugham broke all the rules of travel writing. (Thanks Maud Newton)
• Publisher’s Weekly’s list of Top 10 Books of 2009, and their reviews.

Pop Culture

• Out of all the weird diet plans out there, why not just eat bugs?: “High in protein, low in fat, delicious, ubiquitous.”
• You know how celebrities always say they were ugly and awkward in high school?  Well, they weren’t.  The Daily Beast gives you a photo gallery of celebrities who were also prom royalty (in honor of little Dakota Fanning’s recent win).
• 20 of the Most Shameless Cultural Franchises, including but not limited to The Pussycat Dolls, Friday the 13th, and “much contemporary art.”
• A slide show of cult magazines.

Politics

• High schoolers today have all the luck.  Michelle Obama to mentor DC-area teens.
• For the record, Swiss prisons can’t be bribed.