The function of literary fiction
Scottish crime writer Val McDermid contends that, in Britain, literary fiction of the last fifteen years fails to “engage with the present day.”
She says that crime writers are the ones writing about the realities of contemporary British society–”about the ways in which social institutions, the way we live, the structures we set up in [...]
Father racks up debt in daughter’s name
A friend who works for Wired just pointed me to this story:
It was her first credit card application, or so she thought, prompted by an offer on her Ohio college campus for a free T-shirt.
But a rejection letter uncovered troubling news: someone had already opened four credit cards in her name and racked [...]
The “Non-Taxpaying Class”
In an article for The Washington Post, E.J. Dionne predicts that we “are about to hear a great deal about how working Americans at the bottom of the economy are not paying enough in taxes.” (Both TBogg and Talking Points Memo have linked to the Post article.)
According to Dionne, The Wall Street Journal’s [...]
Delightful little dim sum dumplings
This weekend Max & I gave a friend’s birthday short shrift, and I forgot that I’d made brunch plans with another friend, who was remarkably understanding (especially considering that she sat waiting at the appointed spot for an hour or so).
Beginning with a rehearsal dinner on Friday night, we were caught up in [...]
Sedaris interview
In a chicklit interview, David Sedaris talks about his acting opportunities (“I have no desire to act”), Dave Eggers (“He’s a horrible person . . . but he’s a really good writer”), and what he misses from the U.S. after settling in France (“Canned clams”). (Link stolen from Bookslut.)
I haven’t gotten around to reading [...]
Philip Dick’s world?
Hadley Freeman reviews AL Kennedy’s latest, Indelible Acts, a short story collection, for The Observer. Kennedy, Freeman says, has “an admirable style, but a very claustrophobic one, leaving you longing for Kennedy to uncramp her more than capable pen . . .”
I’ll have to pick up the collection; I’ve never felt that way [...]
New digs
Welcome!
Many thanks to Max for the great design & coding!
For now, the archives are accessible at my old blog home.