In the LA Times, Jim Ruland reviews Middle C, the new book by Year in Reading alumnus William H. Gass. For another take on the novel, go read “best-read man in America” Michael Dirda in the Washington Post, or else check out Greg Gerke on the author’s Life Sentences.
“The C closest to the center”
The Good Fight
Sometimes -- like now, say -- an artist has to ask what it means to continue working. At The Rumpus, Lara Downes explores her resolve to keep playing and teaching music, and writes about what she's done while teaching in Louisville this week.
Wealth Retention for the Good of the Wizarding World
A while back, I pointed readers to Ayn Rand’s version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, helpfully published by The Toast’s Mallory Ortberg. It satisfied those of you who never understood why Harry didn’t slough off his legions of parasitic friends. Now, The Toast brings us the conclusion to the series, in which Harry’s labors bring him the rewards he deserves. Sample quote: “I have earned the Elder Wand through my own achievements.”
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Dude You’re Ready
“I started zoning out a little. My eyes drifted over toward my cat. Mr. Patterson pulled me right back in by saying, ‘Once you have the outline, start writing dude, you’re ready.’ It was that dude that woke me.” At The Awl, Patrick Hoffman reviews James Patterson’s MasterClass on writing. Pair with Bill Morris's account of losing his Pattersonian virginity at 32,000 feet.
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‘Lost’ Novel Found
Does it come as any surprise that Lost creator J.J. Abrams would write a book that his editor describes as "the most high concept novel I have ever come across"?
Reading the VIDA Count
Yesterday, VIDA released its annual count of women in prominent magazines, and while they found that most of the magazines they looked at still publish significantly more men than women, they reported that The Paris Review and The New York Times Book Review published many more women in 2013 than they did in 2012. Amanda Hess takes a look at VIDA’s findings at Slate.
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The Art of Fielding
Vanity Fair shares an excerpt from n+1 co-editor Chad Harbach's debut novel The Art of Fielding. The book appeared on our Great Second-Half of 2011 Book Preview, and it is presently available with each new subscription of n+1.
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I posted a neat interview with Greg Gerke about his experience with William Gass on my podcast, The Virtual Memories Show, if you’d like to check it out: http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/podcast-sound-before-story