Notable Articles
October 27, 2010
The Sorry State of the Rejection Letter 40
by Bill Morris
Sad but true, the rejection letter, like so many things in book publishing, is a shadow of what it used to be.
October 11, 2010
Gratuitous: How Sexism Threatens to Undermine the Internet 12
by Patrick Brown
I like following Lisa’s blog because, for whatever reason, her narrative is compelling. Following it is somewhat akin to watching a reality TV show (Not one of the ones where they try to out-dance each other or diet for money, but one that just follows someone’s daily life). She’s my Jersey Shore.
September 10, 2010
Stieg Larsson: Swedish Narcissus 100
by Janet Potter
In any other book, I would see these tactics as pandering to the baser instincts of the reading public. But in this book, in which Mikael is so obviously a stand-in for Stieg, it’s just tacky. Especially since this Stieg/Mikael amalgamation has also appointed himself head of the Respecting Women Committee.
September 8, 2010
Is Big Back? 22
by Garth Risk Hallberg
A mini-boom in big books would seem to complicate our assumptions about the Incredible Shrinking Attention Span.
August 27, 2010
Again, I Ask: Are Picture Books Leading Our Children Astray? 12
by Jacob Lambert
The next time you’re in the supermarket, inspect a box of Alpha-Bits. What you’ll find in that milk-splashed bowl will shake you to your core.
August 24, 2010
Tough Love: A Review of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom 18
by Garth Risk Hallberg
With 2001′s The Corrections, Franzen would seem to have perfected his maximalist method. What might it mean to say that his new novel, Freedom, finds him maturing?