James Kelman on living in L.A., reading in NYC, and “mak[ing] yer point”
“I heard one of the harrumphing elderly men say to his female partner, Kelman is not even a Scottish name, it is Jewish.” (See also Make yer point.)
“I heard one of the harrumphing elderly men say to his female partner, Kelman is not even a Scottish name, it is Jewish.” (See also Make yer point.)
Rupert Thomson fans agree on his talent, but that’s about it. We’ll argue for hours about which of his books are best. For me it’s a toss-up between The Book of Revelation and Divided Kingdom. Emma Garman likes The Insult, Soft!, and The Book of Revelation. James Hynes is partial to Soft! and Divided Kingdom (though his piece in the . . .
I found this Caliente Chili Co. clipping in my granny’s 1954 New Settlement Cook Book — the same one that includes the 30 days diet, which promises to make you, at the end of that time, the “Skinniest, Shittiest, Sexiest, Drunkest Bastard in Town.” Unfortunately this recipe for 2-alarm chili involves Wick Fowler’s prepackaged mix. Evidently Fowler started out distributing . . .
Mark Athitakis of the Washington City Paper’s City Desk responds to Chris Lehmann’s and Sean Carman’s D.C. bookstore recommendations. He likes Books for America’s selection and prices, but is looking for a messier, more dimly-lit place. Bonus points for stacks smelling of mulch. Leave suggestions in the City Desk comments. Image taken from 100 Word Minimum.
While I focus on things other than blogging this month, I’m running a series on independent bookstores. Yesterday Chris Lehmann praised D.C.’s foremost used bookstore, the nonprofit Books for America. Today Sean Carman puts in a good word for a store on the other end of the indie spectrum, the flashy Kramerbooks & Afterwords. (Before clicking that link, prepare yourself . . .