The Mojo Spot
Abundance and Awe
Recommended reading: Year in Reading alum Leslie Jamison writes about the pleasures and “democratic awe” of Whitman‘s Specimen Days. Pair with our own Michael Bourne‘s “Embracing the Other I Am: or, How Walt Whitman Saved My Life.”
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Billy Joel Gets Cold Feet
Could this be the start of a trend? HarperCollins paid the singer Billy Joel $3 million for a memoir back in 2008. Joel wrote The Book of Joel, the publisher edited it, and a June publication date was set. Last week, however, Joel abruptly backed out of the deal and apparently will return the portion of the advance he’s been paid. His reason? He told the Associated Press he “was not all that interested in talking about the past.”
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Carl Crawford to Open Antiquarian Bookshop
Now that he’s signed a $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, outfielder Carl Crawford has turned his attention to pursuing his decades-long dream of running an antiquarian bookstore. (context)