A new study says that book readers live two years longer than their non-reading counterparts. As they explain it, “While most sedentary behaviors are well-established risk factors for mortality in older individuals, previous studies of a behavior that is often sedentary, reading… have not compared the health benefits of reading-material type.” Pair with this Millions essay on private libraries and what books reveal about their readers.
Fountain of Youth
The NYRB Classics Spring 2014 Preview
NYRB Classics just released the first installment of their Spring 2014 Preview, and it features the likes of William H. Gass, Jean-Patrick Manchette, and Qiu Miaojin. Stay tuned for the second installment, which they say will come soon.
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Writing through Dementia
Recommended Reading: Gerda Saunders's essay "My Dementia: Telling who I am before I forget" on being a writer with dementia. "Looking back at the chapters I’ve completed, I ask myself, 'How come I can still write? Could I be faking dementia?'"
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Literary Podcasts
Recommended recommendations: "Eight Excellent Literary Podcasts for Your Morning Commute."
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“Ephphatha!”
Recommended Reading: “Saliva” by Álvaro Enrigue, whose English-language debut Hypothermia was published this month by the folks at Dalkey Archive Press.
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They Could Make It After All
After word got out last week that J.K. Rowling regrets bringing Ron and Hermione together, many people responded with interesting takes on the news. The hubbub missed the full context of Rowling’s quotes, however, as they leaked from an interview in Wonderland magazine that hadn’t yet been released. Now the new issue of the the magazine is out, and the context changes things a bit: Rowling actually said the two “will be alright with a bit of counseling.”
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Fini
Recommended Reading: Colm Tóibín reads a new French novel, The End of Eddy.