March 13, 2013 On the Shelf The Sixty-Nine-Years-Overdue Library Book, and Other News By Sadie Stein “An Estonian man has returned a library book sixty-nine years late, partly blaming a World War II aerial bombing that damaged the library for the late return.” They bought this excuse; no fine was levied. “Maurice, aged seven, drew the illustrations for ‘They Were Inseparable,’ and his brother Jack, who was twelve, composed the text. The book was dedicated to their sixteen-year-old sister with whom they were both infatuated.” Avi Steinberg on the Sendak family. Is this the best palindrome of the year? (Were there others?) The Bloomsbury guide to surviving London disasters. The nominees for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (née Orange Prize) have been announced.
March 12, 2013 On the Shelf Book Blasphemy, and Other News By Sadie Stein Books carved with surgical tools. Related: “I’m sure what I did was completely blasphemous, but y’all … it turned out really cool.” Wallpapering with Faulkner. (His pages, not him.) How many copies need to move to qualify a book as an Amazon bestseller? PW does the math and finds: not that many. Speaking of inflation! In the UK, the sinister-sounding “inflation basket” indicates that people are buying more e-books, less champagne. “These are fundamentally probing, even discomfiting, books.” Meghan O’Rourke pays tribute to Renata Adler.
March 11, 2013 On the Shelf Google Guide to the Galaxy, and Other News By Sadie Stein When writers tweet from beyond the grave, they are strangely prolific. Chekhov, the (free) e-book. Douglas Adams gets a Google Doodle on what would have been his sixty-first birthday, in other posthumous lit-tech news. Neil Gaiman remembers the comic sci-fi legend. Presented without comment: a Lego Hogwarts.
March 8, 2013 On the Shelf Built of Books, and Other News By Sadie Stein Dutch artist Frank Halmans makes book houses, in a series called Built of Books. Pablo Neruda is going to be exhumed. Why? “Manuel Araya, who was Neruda’s chauffer during the sick writer’s last few months, says agents of the dictatorship took advantage of his ailment to inject poison into his stomach while he was bedridden at the Santa Maria clinic in Santiago.” Stand by. Simon Akam: “I hate Bridezillas for one simple reason: bride does not rhyme with god. Ergo, Bridezillas is not a functioning pun.” The Vatican Library, or Bibliotheca Apostolica, is planning to digitize its eighty-nine thousand holdings. In more accessible reading, a tribute to NYC bookstores.
March 7, 2013 On the Shelf Happy World Book Day, and Other News By Sadie Stein Happy World Book Day, the biggest book show on earth. May we suggest a sinister book cake? In its honor: dream ballets and operas, based on books. (Fear and Loathing: the opera, anyone? Why not?) Sam Lipsyte talks to The Henry Review about “overcoming despair,” hardcore, and assfuzz. Barbara “Cutie” Cooper, a ninety-six-year-old LA blogger, has hit the best-seller list with a guide to staying married for seventy-three years. This Sunday, you can hear Disturbing Fan Mail. Not in New York? Check out the letters sent to Mark Twain, and his trenchant responses.
March 6, 2013 On the Shelf Fitness for Writers, and Other News By Sadie Stein “Writing a long novel is like survival training. Physical strength is as necessary as artistic sensitivity.” Mohsin Hamid’s fitness tips for writers. The Vida results are in, and they are, as per usual, damning. “I was bored at work and looking for a distraction.” Maris Kreizman on the birth of Slaughterhouse 90210. It is World Read Aloud Day, should you have a child handy! (An adult will do too.) Why it’s needed? #FictionalCharactersIWantToMarry is a thing. (Reuven Malter, not that you asked.)