Recommended Reading: A series of short pieces by Rumpus readers on the subject of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
Stark
Jefferson on Construction
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Niche Audience
Like YA novels? Harbor a certain affection for the book publishing arm of McSweeney’s? Then you’re the prime audience for this excerpt of The Mermaid in Chelsea Creek, Michelle Tea’s contribution to the publisher’s new Mullens imprint. (Naturally, it’s the first in a trilogy.)
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Bow Down
The U.S. Library of Congress has named its newest poet laureate, reports The New York Times. Tracy K. Smith says, “I’m very excited about the opportunity to take what I consider to be the good news of poetry to parts of the country where literary festivals don’t always go. Poetry is something that’s relevant to everyone’s life, whether they’re habitual readers of poetry or not.” Pair with our review of Smith's memoir Ordinary Light.
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Tuesday New Release Day: Kepler, Block
New this week is the latest Scandinavian sensation, The Hypnotist by "Lars Kepler," who after a literary manhunt, was revealed to be a husband-and-wife team. Also out this week is a new novel by wunderkind Stefan Merrill Block, The Storm at the Door.
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Gives a Whole New Meaning to “Posting Up with a Book”
For those awkward outdoor situations in which you can't overtly clutch a book to passively inform onlookers "hey, I read," Fieldcandy has designed a tent that looks like a book.
Library Books About Library Books
"A colouring book, Colouring in the Lions, will head the list for children and feature vintage art from the NYPL archive. Also planned is a yet-to-be-titled picture book featuring Patience and Fortitude – the two lion statues that stand at the entrance to the library’s main building – and a YA novel based on the true story of a family who lived in the library." The Guardian reports on a partnership between the New York Public Library and Macmillan publishers to produce five to eight books per year inspired by the library's collections.
Science and literature
Why do we love fiction? The New York Times examines the links between science and literature: "It’s not that evolution gives us insight into fiction ... but that fiction gives us insight into evolution.”
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