Blogroll

Considering cult books, most of which didn’t start a “church”

The Telegraph‘s book critics are at it again. It’s another one of their books lists, this time the 50 best cult books. Still, I get a kick out of these, particularly some of their comments about the books. So here’s the list with occasional quotations from what the critic selecting the book said about it. […]

Another disconnect from the education president

While I still try to avoid politics here, sometimes it invades the realm I’m more intent on carving out. Via three percent, I learn of this story in Publishers Weekly:

President Bush’s proposed 2009 budget eliminates all the funding for Reading Is Fundamental’s book distribution program that has, since 1966, provided more than 325 million […]

Reading from the perfect library (or not)

I noted yesterday The Telegraph‘s list of the 110 books it considers “the perfect library.” Perhaps further proving I am an illiterati, I evidently have not spent enough time in that library.

I’ve read only 17 of the books on the list — and more than a third were SF novels. I’m not going to […]

Bob Dylan and the Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced today and Bob Dylan nabbed one. Not for a particular book for a piece of music. Instead, he was given a special citation “for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” I’m sure Dylan could really care less but it’s […]

More blog thought on book reviewing

Seems that book reviewing “rules” and ideas are showing up in a variety of blog posts recently. Last weekend, Author Jeff VanderMeer, who also occasionally reviews books, weighed in with his thoughts on book reviewing as a whole (and lists some of the posts that prompted his thoughts). He lists eight things he tries to […]