Here’s Lauren Baratz-Logsted on a book that’s been causing quite a stir on planet Earth lately: The Planets, Dava Sobel. Whence Dava Sobel’s obsession with the planets? Whence mine? OK, I can’t speak for her, but I know where mine comes from: it comes from the fact that, last holiday season, my daughter and I assembled a model of the Solar System to hang over her bed and ever since then, I’ve been trying to find something that will help me explain more about them to her. This has resulted in me reading many books on the subject this...
Monthly Archives: November 2005
today at Book Passage
Today Kevin Smokler & I will be at Book Passage to talk about Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times. I’ll also be reading a little something. It’s at 1:00, which means you’ll have time to grab a sandwich at the little in-store cafe or sip a latte in the sun at one of the out-door tables. Hope to see you there. Also: Arrested Development has been canceled and Oscar is none to happy about it.
litquiz 1 – geographically speaking
“I’ll tell you the God’s honest truth.” His right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by. “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West–all dead now…” “What part of the Middle West?” I inquired casually. “San Francisco.” “I see.” Kudos to Vince Donovan, who correctly identified Gatsby as the character who refers to our own westernmost bay city as the midwest. The above conversation takes place between Gatsby and Nick Carraway.
oscars night
Yesterday was the litworld equivalent of Osars night–the National Book Awards. No real surprises. I mean, I suppose William T. Vollman wasn’t entirely expected to walk away with the fiction award for Europe Central, but once you’ve been nominated, you’re only a stone’s throw from winning. Hey, no takers on that litquiz? Here’s a clue. The character’s remark was edited in many editions of this classic work of fiction, on the assumption that it was the author’s error rather than a deliberate attempt to reveal something about the character. Only fairly recently, in a text that also restored 1100...
litquiz 1
What fictional character refers to San Francisco as the midwest?
The international bestseller about one woman’s search for a missing child…
"Mesmerizing." ~Library Journal, starred review.
Stop dreaming, start writing!
