Writing snobs

It might not be a good idea nowadays, but in its heyday, looking down one's nose at the little people was the way to go. 'A biography of the poet Edith Sitwell, published this week, shows what a roaring snob she could be...When a member of the public wrote to a newspaper to criticise her work, she said the letter had "taught me the value of birth control for the masses". But then, in Sitwell's lifetime (1887-1964), writers could get away with being loudly snobbish.' More...

E-books lead to better print books?

That's the theory of this short article, anyhow, and it's a theory I subscribe to. New media do not eliminate their predecessors, but they do redefine them. Radio didn't go away when television arrived, but it sure did change. Books are up next. 'E-readers are going to get cheaper, and easier to read, from here on in. Books, by contrast, will continue to look bigger, more expensive and antiquated in contrast. That may sound cold-hearted but it is also a cause for optimism.' More...

The top ten Oscar books

You can't argue with the timeliness of this list. Or the quality. It was put together, the author claims, 'partly because Academy Award madness is almost upon us, partly because like all former PhD students I love a good reading list, and partly out of sheer nerdiness.' More...

Volume 6, 2011

I made a recent promise (or actually, since it hasn't been published yet, I've made a forthcoming promise) to announce new titles in Select Editions when they were chosen. So I'll start making good on that now. The publication date of volume 6 is 10/31, which means that readers will get it in the mail some time in November.

The Orchard by Jeffrey Stepakoff
Worth Dying For by Lee Child
How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal
On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt

Odd titles

I just have to reprint this: "A inspirational guide to Managing a Dental Practice: The Genghis Khan Way" is emerging as the early favourite to win this year's Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year... The author points out that, while "some in the west see him in negative terms, the Mongol leader created one of the world's greatest empires" and is thus a model for the modern dentist. More...

Book reviews with a sense of humor?

Publisher's Weekly pointed us to Ron Charles, and now we'll do the same for you, if you haven't discovered him already. 'For many, the book review is in dire need of a savior, or at least some hope, a tiny green sprout poking out of the tattered, yellowing rubble of the postprint landscape. Enter a middle-aged man with slices of raw bacon draped over his head.' More...

The Top Ten Poets

If you've followed the hoopla over the selection of the top ten composers, you might want to get in on the ground floor of this one. Provided you're a poetry fan, that is. Here's the link. And if Keats and Yeats are not on the final list, I don't want to hear about it.