Zadie Smith on the Politics of Fiction – Interesting interview with Zadie Smith on how much of today’s fiction provides readers with the opportunity to both escape and be “immersed” in current social and political realities. When asked if fiction writers can make readers see things from a different perspective, she ... more >
We May Know Who Ferrante Is, But Have We Learned Anything? – You may be aware of an article in the New York Review of Books that purports to identify Elena Ferrante, despite her clearly and strongly stated desire to remain anonymous. I refuse to send traffic to that particular article, ... more >
Looking Back at 2015 in Book Publishing – A review of some of 2015’s publishing notable moments, from the rise of audiobooks to the phenomenon of Go Set A Watchman, to all the books that were published but did not blow the roof off their publishing house: At the outset, 2015 ... more >
28% of Americans Have Not Read a Book in the Past Year – They announce this headline like it’s a scandal, but I don’t think it’s all that bad. Especially if we admit that cultural literacy (and basic literacy) don’t necessarily require the consumption of books. Of course, if you’re a ... more >
Marvel’s Contest of Champions leaps from video game to comic book – In yet another sign that entertainment genres are simultaneously and paradoxically diversifying and merging, Marvel has announced that they will be creating a comic based on the video game Contest of Champions, which features kidnapped superheroes forced by ... more >
Agency returned – Now that Hachette v. Amazon seems to be resolves, let the Monday morning quarterbacking begin! Actually, this seems to be a pretty good — and relatively brief — analysis from The Bookseller on how Hachette’s desire to return to Agency pricing is now in tension with a ... more >