Our own Mark O’Connell has an excellent piece over on The New Yorker‘s books blog detailing his propensity to abandon burritos books, even good ones, halfway through.
Finish that book. Finish that burrito.
The Factchecker
A closer look at the unraveling of Jonah Lehrer.
Horrifying Mothers of the Year
You wouldn't think Grendel's mother would win any awards for being a great mom, but Oyster is giving accolades to literature's most horrifying mothers in honor of the holiday. The list also includes Madame Bovary's Emma Bovary as the most selfish mother and Pride and Prejudice's Mrs. Bennet as most nettlesome mother.
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Live Long
When your father shows you The Wrath of Khan at a young age, you develop an appreciation for the late Leonard Nimoy, whose death scene as Spock in that film is among his most famous performances. For Jen Girdish, that appreciation led to this essay, which reflects on Nimoy, her father’s own death and the onetime ubiquity of VHS tapes.
How Long?
This week in book-related infographics: a chart of just how long it takes kids to finish popular books. Where the Wild Things Are? 4 minutes. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? 24 hours.
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Public Speaking
"You mean people who are now in their twenties? They won't care. People who are in their twenties will have already done this stuff, so there's now a record. When those people are old enough to be in charge of things—which by the way I don't ever want them to be in charge of things, and luckily, I will be dead when these people take over—everybody will have that vulnerability. When everybody is vulnerable to something it's not a weapon." Fran Lebowitz talks to The Awl about old New York, writer's block, and why the politicians of the future won't have sex tapes.