Afternoon Bites: Literary Dublin, New Alexander Chee Fiction, Robert Christgau’s Best of 2012, and More

“With the book, you give something of yourself—something that may hold some of your thoughts and deliberations in the form of notes, or indicate part of your personal history in that the book may be heavily used or not used at all; it may be a special edition or translation; it may show traces of having been dropped in the bath, speaking to your reading habits.” Antonia Hirsch talks The Surplus Library at Triple Canopy. Colm Tóibín on literary Dublin. There’s new […]

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October 11th: Raise a Glass to Kingsley Amis with Vol. 1 Brooklyn, NYRB Classics and Brooklyn Gin

  To celebrate the re-release of two books by iconic British author Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim and The Old Devils, New York Review of Books Classics and Vol. 1 Brooklyn present an evening dedicated to his life and work. Rosie Schaap (New York Times Magazine “Drink” writer and author of the forthcoming book Drinking With Men), Parul Sehgal (Editor at the New York Times Book Review) and Maud Newton (writer and critic) will all share their thoughts on Mr. Amis. […]

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A David Foster Wallace Roundup

There’s a pretty good chance you’ve noticed that today would have been David Foster Wallace’s birthday.  Here’s a roundup of some DFW news and pieces that we think you should probably read in case you haven’t already.

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Chimeras and the Writers Who Love Them

Posted by Tobias Carroll Recently added to our “to follow” list: The Chimerist, a new site from Maud Newton and Laura Miller focusing on “the intersection of art, stories, and technology.” Specifically, it’s a look at features and apps for the iPad that take advantage of the form — all of which seems like a smart way of doing things. For all that the debate over reading devices has been heated in recent years, there’s been a lot less discussion […]

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You look like you want to read something

It looks like you’re dragging today.  Back to work from a holiday vacation?  A New Year drinking binge that lasted 72 hours?  Whatever the case, you are obviously behind a computer at this very moment, so maybe read the following things (think of this as Bites on steroids): 1.  Our buddy Sean Doyle has a story called “Chongo the Pimp” up at Freerange.  Read that, then read his Sunday Story from a few months back, “The Huffer.” 2.  The Rumpus never […]

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My Top Ten Short Reads* for 2011

Posted by Mikki Halpin *Because, to quote Sean Nelson, “I don’t have that much *time* for *reading* as I’m out there really trying to make a difference in the community.” 1. Christina Kelly, Five Reasons Why Black Swan starring Natalie Portman is a Sickening Male Fantasy (145 words) Sure, 145 words is a lot, but Kelly lays out her case in easily-understood bullet points, each one an imaginary quote from the male writers of the film: “It’s really hot when […]

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Morning Bites: Why Steinbeck matters, NYT Notables, Norton Records, possible Dirk Nowitzki haikus, and more

Why John Steinbeck matters now more than ever (not counting the last time around he matter more than ever).  Maud Newton backs this up. The New York Times 100 notable books of the last 365 days. Mark Cuban is publishing an eBook. We’re hoping that it’s all haikus about Dirk Nowitzki. Jon Cotner and Claire Hamilton take a trip to Fire Island, and they put together a beautiful slideshow for The Believer. Ronan Farrow, the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, is […]

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Maud Newton and Emma Straub on film

Posted by Jason Diamond It’s nice to wake up to separate e-mails containing videos featuring two of our absolute favorite people on a rainy day.  In this case,  inReads talks to Emma Straub, and Maud Newton sums up Crime and Punishment in a minute at Lit Drift.

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