Chip's Asleep at the Wheel

Chip’s Asleep at the Wheel

More journalistic endeavors later. For now, the NYT book coverage has me very concerned. Eurotrash is the NYT takedown queen, but I knows bad grammar…

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The Time Has Come

The Time Has Come

At long last, I have figured this gambit out. The Life, only occasionally referred to here in Reluctant-Land, has become one of those things where…

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Kerry Urges Supporters to Look Into the Orb

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Leave of Absence

Leave of Absence

Herr Pollack is back. My services are no longer required.

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How to Spice Up Your Relationship

How to Spice Up Your Relationship

All it takes is a broom.

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Updike Wins PEN/Faulkner

Updike Wins PEN/Faulkner

The Hollywood Reporter (of all places) is reporting that John Updike has won the PEN/Faulkner. [UPDATE: Here’s the Reuters article. Damn, I was rooting for…

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Times X2

Times X2

The Times chronicles the success story of Andrew Sean Greer, now covered in every newspaper from here to Madrid. Read Max Tivoli before you get…

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Dale Peck: PR Poster Boy?

Rake points to this press release for “Peck’s Last Negative Review Ever.” There’s a phone number there for some guy named Peter McFarlane, if anyone’s…

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Those Nanny Diaries Gals Ain't Got Nothin' On Plum Sykes

Those Nanny Diaries Gals Ain’t Got Nothin’ On Plum Sykes

Sykes, a 34-year-old contributing editor at Vogue and the more dramatic sister of a nineties ?It?-girl twin set??Lucy and I were Paris and Nicky without…

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Hey, We May Be More Paranoid Than We Think

Hey, We May Be More Paranoid Than We Think

You’ve sold more than 40 million books. Number 12′s about to come out. What do you do to keep your readers hooked? You throw in…

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Dublin Shortlist

Dublin Shortlist

The Impac Dublin prize has been whittled down to a shortlist of ten. The final nominations are: The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster Any…

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About the Redundant Writer Who Couldn't Stop Repeating Himself

About the Redundant Writer Who Couldn’t Stop Repeating Himself

When he met her he met her and he liked her as much as she liked him yes, he heard things better, meaning better than…

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Ustinov Gone

Ustinov Gone

Peter Ustinov has passed on. He was one of the few actors who could write. He made a grand Poirot, and he was so incredible…

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Fourth Amendment Decimated in Three States

Fourth Amendment Decimated in Three States

The Associated Press: “Acting on a Baton Rouge case, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police do not need an arrest or…

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Scaleback

Scaleback

A hard April 1 deadline stares back at me on the play, which is doubly interesting given that a character’s gender switched over the weekend…

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Laura Miller Pushed for the "One Imagines," I'm Sure

Laura Miller Pushed for the “One Imagines,” I’m Sure

The Hag hits the NYTBR again. That’s two tangos with Chip before the handover. It’s a good review. However, I suspect that the copy desk…

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A DAY IN THE GODDAM LIFE OF ...Horace Krum

A DAY IN THE GODDAM LIFE OF …Horace Krum

A Day in the Goddam Life (with apologies to Lenin and all other despicable leftists who object to modifiers like “goddam”), a new feature that…

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Brass Balls

Brass Balls

The Glengarry Mix: the Ultimate Abuse Mix makes life worth living.

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I'm All for Donating One's Body to Science, But...

I’m All for Donating One’s Body to Science, But…

When in doubt, go fuck yourself. (via MeFi)

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The Latest Celebrity Blogger

The Latest Celebrity Blogger

Noam Chomsky has a blog.

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Book Babes Watch

Book Babes Watch

It has now been eight days since we’ve heard anything from the Book Babes, with the last column featuring Margo alone (with an almost Stalinist…

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Storming the Gates

Storming the Gates

The event is free and open to the public. It happens every year at the San Francisco Main Library. The Northern California Book Awards. Timed…

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Northern California Book Award Winners

Northern California Book Award Winners

Novel: Old School Short Story Collection: How to Breathe Underwater Poetry: Notes from the Divided Country Non-Fiction: River of Shadows Children’s Literature: The Day the…

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Let's See Teachout Pull a Pirouette

Let’s See Teachout Pull a Pirouette

I’d be damn remiss if I didn’t point out that Terry has a Balanchine excerpt up. (Thanks, Laila, for reminding me.)

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Bill Gates Tries Frightened Defense Against EU Antitrust Charges

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Always Look on the Bright Side of Mel

Always Look on the Bright Side of Mel

The Passion of the Christ? Screw that. The real theatrical gem is The Life of Brian, coming again to a theater near you.

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Raines Speaks His Mind

Raines Speaks His Mind

Shocking allegations from Howell Raines will soon appear in the Atlantic — part of a planned memoir called I Was Master of the House, But…

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Who’s the Real Bitch?

Rake points to this Birkets column and the potential conflict of interest. Birkets, as we all know, was the last man pummeled by Dale Peck….

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Hasty Snippets

Hasty Snippets

Cathleen Schine’s new novel is (no surprise) about a woman leaving her husband for a woman. But that’s not all. Schine will also be appearing…

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Only One of the Holy Trinity Can Be Counted On

Only One of the Holy Trinity Can Be Counted On

When in doubt, rely upon Dan Rather to defy common sense. Whether it’s the 1968 Democratic Convention or Gunga Dan, the very likely possibility that…

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