Ben Greenman, a favorite around here, interviewed at Failbetter.
Ben Greenman Interviewed
Election Year Reading
An election year is upon us, and at the Times, John Williams offers up some reading material for the months to come. Among the books mentioned is my favorite, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72.
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Getting Out with a Minimum of Hassle
Calling all stir-crazy New Yorkers! If you want to move to a smaller, less competitive locale, consult this handy-dandy guide to other cities at The Morning News.
New Release Tuesday
One of the most anticipated novels of the year is out today: David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Also newly available, Booker shortlister The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds.
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Summer Knowledge
Recommended Reading: John Ashbery on just about anything. Specifically, though, this piece on Delmore Schwartz and the pain of poetry is as good a place as any to get familiarized with both writers.
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Three Women, Three Lives
“It’s a major work of scholarship and interpretation, but also one that some readers may foolishly reject as unimportant on account of its theme, the ultimate ‘minor’ topic in the eyes of the heterosexual masses.” In the LRB, Terry Castle reviews Lisa Cohen’s new biography.
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The End of Giovanni’s Room
America’s oldest LGBT bookstore, Giovanni’s Room, is closing on May 17. The Philadelphia staple is shutting its doors after four decades due to the owner’s retirement and financial problems. At Salon, Steve Berman remembers the store and discusses how its closure will affect the publishing and LGBT community. “So LGBT books are forced to the edges, to the shadows, despite claims of assimilation. Gay authors have to do more and more marketing to find readers. Gay publishers have to struggle with shrinking venues to showcase their titles.”
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