Widely linked to already, but worth reading: James Wood on A.S. Byatt‘s The Children’s Book in the LRB. A mixed review that nonetheless makes me want to read the book is, for me, one mark of a good critic.
Loyal Opposition
Top 20 Short Stories of 2010
Chris Flynn of Australian Book Review runs down the top 20 short stories of 2010 (many of them American) at his blog, Fly the Falcon.
●
●
Lucky Writers
Catherine Banner writes on the “privilege and luck it takes to live the writer's life.” Pair with this Millions essay on not quitting the writing life.
●
●
Pawnee Central
A theory of place in literature derived from Parks and Recreation? Why, Ploughshares blog, you’re too kind.
Paris Est Une Fête
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast has rocketed to number one best-seller status in France as an emblem of cultural defiance. With a title in its French iteration that roughly translates to “Paris is a celebration,” the sudden popularity of the book run even Amazon out of stock.
Old Favorites
Looking for more thoughts on My Life in Middlemarch to supplement today's interview? At Salon, Laura Miller reviews Rebecca Mead’s book, which she calls a "moving demonstration" of Middlemarch's power. (You could also read Adelle Waldman's Year in Reading piece about the novel.)
●
●
Tuesday New Release Day: Pamuk; Murray; Houellebecq; Smiley; Cantor; Shonkwiler; Vowell
Out this week: A Strangeness in My Mind by Orhan Pamuk; The Mark and the Void by Paul Murray (whom our own Mark O'Connell interviewed today); Submission by Michel Houellebecq; Golden Age by Jane Smiley; The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor; Moon Up, Past Full by Eric Shonkwiler; and Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. For more on these and other new titles, go read our Great Second-Half 2015 Book Preview.
●
●
Graveless Dolls
Still working on your costume for Halloween this year? Check out these recommendations from Electric Literature for some hilarious costumes based on some really great short stories.
●
●