When He Was Good

Over at the New Yorker, Akhil Sharma argues that "Anton Chekhov’s "Sakhalin Island", his long investigation of prison conditions in Siberia, is the best work of journalism written in the nineteenth century." Pair Sharma's argument, and admiration, with our own Sonya Chung's "I Heart Checkov" essay.

Ukraine is investing approximately $61 million in order to “bolster [the nation’s] reading, publishing and bookselling beginning in 2014 and lasting through 2018.” One concern held by Ukranian literati is the rapidly expanding influx of Russian writing, which some claim have been “push[ing] books from Ukrainian publishers and authors off the shelves.” Meanwhile, Russia recently announced a $100 million stimulus package for its own book industry.

Deadline reports that Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray has plans to adapt F. Scott Fitzgerald's final, unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon, into a series for HBO.

Sometimes things get a little kinky at Rock Bottom Remainders shows, the little known rock band with some big members including Amy Tan, Stephen King, and Dave Barry. Tan's signature song is "These Boots are Made for Walking."  "For 'Boots' I’m especially gifted. I wield a whip and at the end of the song, I tell the boys to bend over," she told The Daily Beast for a "How I Write" interview.