Tis the season of lists. Rare is the literary critic who waits until January to fully understand 2012. Instead, Thanksgiving is that marker, because t’s the kiss of death for a book to come out in December, rather than a critical achievement like it is with film. But alas, I have a problem with my list-making this year. I didn’t read enough. I can’t make a good list that has enough of the generally accepted “critically acclaimed” books peppered […]
Which Authors Thrill You in Your Bathing Suit Area?
Posted by Nick Curley Scrolling lists with eye-popping headlines are the mango-on-the-stick of the fruit vending cart that is literary journalism. “T.S. Eliot’s Ten Girthiest Erections”. “Grad Programs in Order of Proximity to Good Burritos”. “Super Starred: The Coolest Footnotes of All Time”. And those are just the freebies that I’m firing off at will! Pop culture countdowns are notorious among bloggers for their ability to rack up that handful of extra Web 2.0 followers that will pull us all […]
Bites: Book Review Highlights, Kakutani Two-Step, Required Reading, the Millennials, and Why Our Media is Getting Scolded
Celebrated artist of the female form, Peter Paul Rubens, was “a man of controlled appetites, with a modest disposition and a reputation for tact and discretion.” He was also a diplomat, spy, and peace-maker, according to Mark Lamster’s new book “Master of Shadows.” Other Book Review Highlights: A history, slightly obsessive, of Strunk & White’s little style book.(NYT) Michael Chabon’s new essays: “First Person Masculine”?(NYT) Has anyone else noticed that James Joyce has been tryin’ to change a lot of […]
Bites: L Mag Dislikes Tao Lin, Depressing Books, Rewrite of The Prince, the Polanski Problem, Chicago, Ahmadinejad, Conde Nast, and more
L Magazine wouldn’t like Tao Lin. Apparently only two people came to one of Lin’s readings at a bookstore in California, and the tiny magazine rejoiced. To contrast, here is what Vol. 1 has said about Lin’s latest novel and publishing imprint. Lit. The Top 10 Most Depressing Books. Another list, The National Book Foundation’s “Top 5 Under 35.” The Millions has a charming essay about one writer’s experience at an artist’s retreat in Wyoming. The Millions, also, interviewed Tao […]
Can a Book Change Your Life for the Worse?
by Willa A. Cmiel The New Statesman has a new list: 50 Books That Will Change Your Life. It’s an attention-grabbing title, that’s for sure. I’m pretty tired of literary lists, but I it’s a catchy name, and I wanted to see if I had read enough for my life to be satisfyingly changed, for the moment, so I glanced at the first title. It was not what I expected. I read The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James when I […]