“Because what [narcissists] have inside is empty space, they have had to make a study of the selves of others in order to invent something that looks and sounds like one. Narcissists are imitators par excellence. And they do not copy the small, boring parts of selves. They take what they think are the biggest, most impressive parts of other selves, and devise a hologram of self that seems superpowered. Let’s call it ‘selfiness,’ this simulacrum of a superpowered self.” Go enjoy this excerpt from Kristin Dombek’s new book The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism.
A Caricature of ‘Not a Good Person’
10 More Books to Read Just Because
Since we’re deep into the season of “year end” lists, here’s a list of ten great novels written by women that didn’t get a lot of critical attention this year. That isn’t to say that aren’t a ton of other books deserving of this distinction, just that these are some really good ones. Go list-crazy and pair with our own Year in Reading series.
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Digital and Co.
Pirating versus purchasing used ebooks – who wins? Ayelet Waldman and John Scalzi discuss.
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Face/Off
If you (for some reason) want to know more about Vladimir Putin, you could do worse than reading Masha Gessen’s biography. At The Rumpus, Kevin Thomas reviews the book in a novel medium: a cartoon. (You could also read our interview with Gessen.)
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eBooks Will Surpass Print Sales, But At What Cost?
“PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) estimates that trade … ebooks will drive $8.2 billion in sales by 2017 — surpassing projected print book sales,” writes Laura Hazard Owen. Meanwhile I can’t help but wonder: is this bad news for the environment?
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“It’s a process that doesn’t stop.”
An in depth interview with Chris Andrews on the subject of translating Roberto Bolaño and César Aira.
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