Publisher’s Weekly has released a Top 10 adult books list for 2009, fiction and non-fiction. Click here for the (perhaps surprising) list, including reviews.
PW’s Top 10 of 2009
Nebulous Plotlines
You’ve probably heard it before: never end a story with the phrase “it was all a dream.” Unfortunately for the person who taught you this rule, many classic stories (including Anna Karenina) take place at least partially in dreams. In the NYRB, Francine Prose investigates the trope in fiction.
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Behind the Screenwriter
Novelists, poets, and playwrights aren’t the only people who can call themselves writers. Don’t forget the oft begrudged screenwriters. The New York Times highlights 14 of this year’s best screenwriters, including Julie Deply and Seth Rogen, and asks them for writing advice and one original line of dialogue for some excellent short films. Our favorite short film is Robert Redford’s.
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The Salman Rushdie Channel
Slate’s got a video interview with Salman Rushdie in three parts, and his speaking agency has released a rare video from one of Rushdie’s previously unrecorded talks, where the man describes writers as much more vulnerable than ideas.
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Questlove in Question
The Roots‘ longtime drummer Questlove found himself in hot water after his late night Michele Bachman prank, but this week he’s the subject of a 2,500 word essay in Newsweek, so things have pretty much balanced out.
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“What’s today?”
Recommended Reading: James Galvin’s “Bet,” which was selected as The Missouri Review’s poem of the week.
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