Supermarket books- April 28, 2005 Interesting story in the Times about the big surge in supermarkets selling hardcovers (look past the rimshot headline): Attention, Shoppers: Sale on Fresh Books in Aisle 3 At first I was mildly depressed, because you know the focus in going to be on bestsellers. But it's also getting books to people where they live. I've seen very few industries or companies profit by acting snooty and demanding customers come to them, buy in the environment the sellers want. If this is bringing books to people.http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/27.html#a1577 Enjoying Slate more for the fat pills- April 26, 2005 Though Slate is known mainly as a political mag, and almost equally now for culture, I consistently find some of my widest smiles generated by their informational pieces: specifically the Explainer feature, occasionally Medical Examiner, and doubtless a few other incarnations where I've been oblivious to the labels. Not because they are better than the culturepolitics pieces, which are usually quite good and sometimes quite extraordinary. (One little disclaimer below, but first a quick...http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/26.html#a1571 People who know better . . .- April 22, 2005 . . . than me. I mentioned Sarah Vowell's book last week, how excited I was to hear it was out, too giddy to wait to actually read it to share my enthusiasm. And the verdict is . . . Still out. God. Who the hell did you think you were talking to I just started The Sheltering Sky a few weeks ago, in a strange fit of self-torture when I was feeling on the verge of clinical depression, and now that I've dragged myself through 60 pages of it I'm determined to see it through. Not that it's a...http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/21.html#a1569 In the continuing tradition of things I'm still unqualified to talk about, but kinda too giddy not to . . .- April 16, 2005 Heeheehee. You've been warned. OK, Sarah Vowell. Technically, I'm highly qualified to talk about her, just not any of the print work I'm about to plunge into here. ("in to" I'm just never sure when I'm supposed to uncombine those words, though I know it makes me shudder now and then when someone combines them in a clearly preposterous fashion, which is of course, constantly.) You would think I would have learned from the Colors Insulting to Nature incident. The title still makes me snicker....http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/16.html#a1560 Metaphor abuse- April 6, 2005 Watching Charlie Rose over lunch. Just put my finger on what chafes me so badly about Thomas Friedman. (OK, one of many gross things he does, but a biggie.) The metaphors. Tom, enough! One metaphor to explain another. Then hammers the same one over and over: "It's like pouring cement down your oil well." And always delivered with his patented smugness. Particularly irksome from him, because they're such a manifestation of the characteristic I knew bugged the crap out of me, his incredibly..http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/06.html#a1558 Frank Rich nearly gets his due- April 5, 2005 The Pulitzers. Often maddening in their choices, and yet the distinction still carries a lot of clout for some reason. So for all the frustration they cause, I might as well point out when they sort-of recognize someone really worthy. Frank Rich did not get one of the little (medals) this year, but he was named as a finalist for the criticism award: Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Frank Rich of The New York Times for boldly exploring the influence of popular culture on...http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/05.html#a1554 If ever there were a worse job to date someone you worked with- April 1, 2005 I took a little break from the popewatch this afternoon--(whole fresh range of emotions battering me on that front; more on that later)--for something a little lighter. Survivor. Man. Don't know how many times I've said this, but this show sure has seen a resurgence this season. Burnett desperately needed to shake up the game somehow, and he didn't but somehow it managed to shake itself up. Never been anything quite like this. Can two people call themselves a tribe without laughing Haven't they.http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/categories/books/2005/04/01.html#a1547 |