If you haven’t been following The Morning News Tournament of Books, now is the time to catch up. There’s been ample drama and the always insightful commentary from the booth. The finalists are set – Wolf Hall and The Lacuna – and the champion will be revealed on Monday.
The Rooster Culminates
The Thoreau Diet
"Thoreau did kill, cook and eat a woodchuck that was eating his beans. But he decided that was a lousy way to treat a woodchuck and he never did it again." In celebration of his bicentennial, NPR sets straight five myths about Henry David Thoreau's diet, including the pernicious canard that he stole pies from neighbor's windowsills. See also "My Summer with Henry," on reading Thoreau's Cape Cod on Cape Cod.
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Cellpoems Poetry and Reviews
Poems and reviews in 140 characters or less. NY Book Bench has a great article about Cellpoems, and how they fit into the swiftly changing literary landscape of today.
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Kid-Friendly
Masha Gessen (who recently agreed to write a book on the Boston bombers) told a journalist in New Zealand she’s “probably” moving out of Russia. Why? “It’s one thing to bring up your kids in a place that’s risky and difficult; I think in many ways it’s enriching them, and I’m glad my kids have that experience,” she said. “It’s another thing to bring up your kids in a place that’s hopeless. “
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Critical Texts
Louis Menand writes about why the women’s movement needed The Feminine Mystique (despite its shortcomings). You could also read a review of Rebecca Jo Plant’s Mom, which looks to The Feminine Mystique to understand why our culture blames mothers.
“Aaliyah would have been on Twitter”
HTMLGIANT interviews Patricia Lockwood, Twitter's "Poet Laureate".
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Delphi for booklovers
John Warner, your personal Biblioracle, is taking his column to the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row. Tell him the last five books you've read and he'll recommend something delicious, nourishing, or just plain good for your next great read. Visit the Biblioracle by sending him an email at: [email protected].
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The New York Times Online Subscription Plan Details Are Here
The Times has announced its long-awaited (and -feared) digital subscription plan: "Under the plan, which begins on March 28, visitors to NYTimes.com will be able to read 20 articles a month free. The most frequent users will pay $15 a month; print subscribers will have unlimited access." A letter to readers about the plan from Publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.
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Thanks for the reminder–I lost track of it this week. Andrew W.K. is now on my shit list for that lazy judgment. I’d be fine with either book advancing (though I’m a big Marlon James fan), but his reasons for going with Wolf Hall were silly, and I agree with the commentators: did he actually read the novels?