Monthly Archives: June 2006

Thursday Links

I’ve been reading up a storm the past week or so and I’m trying to write up some reviews of them. In the meanwhile, you can read these:

  • The Spring Oxford American has arrived. This is their big Best of the South issue with articles such as “An Ode to the Moon Winx Lodge Sign” by Michael Martone and a story by Kevin Brockmeier.
  • I can’t remember who directed me to this interview with Bun B in the Believer but thanks!
  • Salon has started a Literary Guide to the World with articles by Alexandra Fuller, Tom Bissell, and Jon Banville. Yes, you have to go through an annoying ad to get to the good stuff, but still.
  • This has been mentioned everywhere, but Google has the complete works of Shakespeare available and it’s searchable too.
  • In the Boston Globe, Richard Thompson reports that independent bookstores in New England are on the rise. I can attest to that—my store has never been busier and we’re down the street from a Barnes & Noble!
  • Lastly I’ll mention the furor that John Freeman of the National Book Critic Circle sparked in the past week with his remarks on affiliates programs and litblogs. Scott Esposito, Ed, Scott at Slushpile, Bud, the Literary Saloon, Sarah, and Ron have all chimed in with their responses. Freeman seems to think that there are some litbloggers who make money off blogging, that by linking to sites like Amazon and so forth through their affiliates programs, they lose their credibility. I don’t use an “affiliate” program here—I link to the store where I work. But I am completely upfront about where I work and clearly if you buy the book at my store, it helps me in the end since they’re paying me. I don’t see Freeman’s point at all. Can anyone see his side?

Roundtable Part Deux

If you enjoyed the Black Swan Green discussion between myself and Ed, you’re in luck. We’re getting ready to start another discussion, this time with more players. I won’t reveal the book yet, but I’ll reveal the other participants: Scott Esposito, Gwenda Bond, and Dan Wickett.

So keep your eyes open over the next few weeks, when the discussion will get underway.

Good News!

Ann Coulter has a stalker! Just kidding! Well, she really does have a stalker according to this article in the Guardian, but I suppose it’s not good news. Of course, this is America, the land she’s trying so desperately to protect, so she can spout whatever nonsense/crap she wants. And since I too am an American, I can say that I think she’s a total-one-hundred-percent cold hearted bitch. Ah, America, how I love thee.

P.S. In case you care, she’s not a bestseller here in Cambridge, MA.

The Year in Reading: Books 23 & 24

Martin Booth certainly was a lucky boy. He and his parents moved to Hong Kong during the Korean War and Martin’s mother, rather than holding him back like the other boys, let him roam freely around the area. We’re lucky because of his ability to recall that time in his lovely book Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood. Living at the Fourseas Hotel in Kowloon, Marin explores his vast neighborhood. His distant and cruel father, away for work most of the time, usually spends his time at home sleeping or drinking. His fun and adventurous mother however turns a blind eye towards Martin’s wanderings and even takes part in some of it. His biggest asset might be his hunger to know and see everything. He has no fear about talking to people he doesn’t understand or who can’t understand him. In fact, he realizes quickly that he must learn Chinese if he wants to explore. What I loved best were the descriptions of what he saw—you could smell the streets, taste the food, and hear the sounds of the people going about their daily lives.

Sticking to the Biography genre, I turned to Da Chen’s Colors of the Mountain, his story of growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. His memoir helped me see the Revolution in a new light. I’ve certainly read about its broad political and sociological ramifications but Chen’s memoir brought it all down to a much more personal level. Growing up as a member of the landlord class (though now certainly very poor), his family is subject to all sorts of torments and allowed to do nothing to defend themselves. His descriptions of school will make your blood boil. Made to suffer for being smart, he endures humiliation from the teachers on a regular basis. It’s not until he befriends a gang of tough kids that he feels like he fits in anywhere. I found the book engaging and its strength lies in its simplicity. Its weakness lies in Chen’s occasional self back patting. The memoir ends as Chen leaves his village to attend college in Beijing and I was not surprised to learn that there is a second memoir that picks up right where he left off. Also the Chen has a novel called Brothers appearing in the Fall—I’ll let you know how it is.

Tuesday’s Links

Sorry for the continuing silence here. I mentioned a few months back that I was starting a new job here at the store. While it’s going quite well, I’m finding that it’s taking up most of my time right now. Starting anything new takes a bit of adjustment and I’m finally starting to feel a bit settled into a new routine. So here are a few things that I’ve been reading this week:

  • Boldtype’s June Issue: Summer Reads just became available (seriously, it popped into my inbox two minutes ago).
  • My friend Ed has been a busy man. He’s churned out several episodes of the Bat Segundo show in the past few weeks. He’s got extensive BEA coverage: part 1 (includes an interview with me), part 2, and part 3. Also he’s got a great interview with Derik Badman and Jordan Stump, who translated Television, the Spring 2006 LBC Read This! pick.
  • Which brings me to another favorite, Robert Birnbaum, who has two interviews: George Saunders and Lawrence Weschsler.
  • Another Bookdwarf favorite Scott of Conversational Reading has put together another issue of The Quarterly Conversation. He and others cover a great deal of books that aren’t reviewed elsewhere, so be sure to check it out.