Tom Wolfe has a chance to defend (er, ward off?) his 2004 “Bad Sex Award” following Literary Review‘s decision to nominate him for this year’s top honors (er, dishonors?). The UK publication has tapped Back to Blood and seven others for this year’s shortlist — and, despite popular demand, they managed to spare J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. For some revealing passages from Wolfe’s book, check out my review.
Bad Sex Awards 2012
On Forgiveness and Thoughts of Transgression
At BOMB Magazine’s website, an interview with A.M. Homes, conducted by (who else) a friend who accompanies her to synagogue. Among other things, the two discuss Yom Kippur, adoption, and May We Be Forgiven, the author’s latest novel (which we reviewed).
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Hemingway in Love
One of Hemingway’s friends reveals in a new memoir how the writer’s secret lover changed his life and work. Pair with Stephanie Bernhard’s Millions essay about cooking with Hemingway.
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Tuesday New Release Day
On shelves this week are Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey, The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, and a provocative new book by Philip Pullman, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.
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The Hype Cycle
Elif Batuman entertainingly muses on “hype” and resolves to “write five 5-star Amazon reviews this month of books I love by living authors.”
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Revisiting Vanessa Veselka
Revisiting Vanessa Veselka’s Zazen and what constitutes as an acceptable author bio.
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The End of the Rainbow
I’m feeling surprisingly broken up about this: Reading Rainbow comes to the end of its 26-year run on Friday.
Tuesday New Release Day: Schwartz, Towles, Russell
New this week: John Burnham Schwartz follows up Reservation Road with Northwest Corner. Amor Towles debuts with a novel of New York society in the 1930s, Rules of Civility. And Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! is now out in paperback.
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