David Foster Wallace may no longer be with us, BUT, his words, thankfully, will continue to whip us into a frenzy of bibliophile mania. This site picks one of DFW’s chosen words that hardly continue to be in the current lexicon, and explains the meaning, AND (the best part) reproduces the passage the word was found.
Though no longer updated on a regular basis, the person is looking for someone to take the reins. Could that person be you? You know you love DFW that much. Who doesn’t? I mean, it only took me 2 years to get through Infinite Jest. It was about a video tape, right? Tennis? I remember pot.
Go. Learn some vocab. We’ll have a test next friday.
Filed under: news of the world, rumors | Tags: fired, publisher's weekly, sara nelson
As of TWO days ago, Sara Nelson, 4 year Editor at Publisher Weekly with her mixed results, has been sacked. Ok, old news now.
What really got me is that in her last weekly column in the PW we got today. The title: “Change I Believe In” I actually cringed a little. Couldn’t fire her before she wrote that article? Put in a little bright-pink insert disclaimer?
Her article actually reads like a self-aware missive. Did she know she was on the outs?
“In other words, while everything suggests that the road ahead is going to be rocky, like many others in BookLand, we’re still on our feet – and moving forward – because we’re still passionate about what we do.”
One last plea? It reads like a evaluation to a consultancy firm right before they start liquidating staff per the executive board.
Well, Sara, good luck out there. Books are going to need it.
Filed under: bookstore news, news of the world | Tags: bookstore, Lake View, boosh, unabridged bookstore, pressies, LGBT, Chicago Free Press, sally field
Won best bookstore in the Free Press!?!?1! Unabridged Bookstore! Huzzah!
What did we win? An open bar at the awards ceremony! Boosh!
An excerpt (or the whole thing), if you will:
“Unabridged, 3251 N. Broadway, has weather the hard times facing all independent booksellers, remaining a Lake View institution in the process. Their selection of LGBT titles can’t be beat.”
Well, gosh, there’s just so many people we’d like to thank … Our publicist, and our agent, not to mention the craft services people, they make an awesome egg salad sandwich. That’s probably about it. Oh and of course the Chicago Free Press for being a fantastic LGBT weekly news source. AND the wonderful people of Chicago who voted us is!!!
This weeks Chicago Free Press is avaiable now where ever fine news weeklies are given away for free.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Maybe you’ve heard by now, but John Updike passed away today as told by his publisher, Knopf. The NYTimes obit is all encompasing of a career that spanned the rise (decent?) of the American suburban class.
Of course we’ve all read Witches of Eastwick and the first Rabbit novel, Rabbit, Run, but are there any other favorites out there? His catalogue is quite long, and we really only have his biggest and latest. Feel free to give us suggestions on what should be carried now that his work will pass into deceased canon.
I am really excited for the new Cheever biography to come out. This thing is going to be a monster. But a good monster like Grape Ape or … um … when Godzilla was good for that brief time.
I’ll post a full length review when it comes out (March 10) but it’ll be glowing. Its only downside is how exhaustive it is. Blake Bailey had access to everything, and Cheever’s estate didn’t care what Bailey published be it good or damaging to Cheever’s legacy. Not that anyone reads Cheever anymore. The bio sort of gets at how someone can go from being a heavyweight in their lifetime to pushed to the sidelines and considered a minor footnote.
This book definitely soaked up a couple weeks of my life. Blake Bailey is a fantastic biographer. He has previously published a bio on Richard Yates. Also considered to be fantastic.
Other things to be excited about? Kittens.
Filed under: Uncategorized
It shouldn’t work: a thriller novel narrated by a former mob hitman-turned state’s witness-turned MD doing his residency. But this quick-paced, gripping book is so darn addictive propelled by wit, masterful pacing, and an insider’s sense of detail (Bazell is himself a doctor.)
Robert and Stefan recommend.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I was on a very high horse this morning. It was between me bashing my head on a bookshelf and a guy who was arguing about where Specialty Video was located.
You should see the post on Ayn Rand that I never published. Like Sam in Quantum Leap, “Oh Boy.”
It’s official, ladies and gentlemen: everyone, regardless of skill-set, can get a book published. The best part is, she probably didn’t even write it!
Key color in question: mustard. I’m looking at my Adobe color list for that html code script … can’t seem to find mustard…
Oh, here it is!
But never forget ….
