The Fiery Furnaces

The Fiery Furnaces

This is a public service announcement. Avoid the Fiery Furnaces live. In the studio, the Fiery Furnaces are perhaps one of the more interesting White…

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TBR

Since some of you asked… (Note: Some of these are rereads.) Okay, I’m officially out of here.

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Unapologetic Slacker

Unapologetic Slacker

I’ve become such an effective slacker in the past week that, after some conversations with friends and family, I’ve decided to sequester myself from the…

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But Where’s Jimmy’s Answer to ‘Guero?”

But Where’s Jimmy’s Answer to ‘Guero?”

The incomparable Jimmy Beck now has a blog of his own.

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Morning Pileup

Morning Pileup

Frederick Forsyth has decided to run against Tony Blair. Well, if this is what it takes to get him to stop writing, count me in…

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Nine Inch Nails Live

Nine Inch Nails Live

So the big question Nine Inch Nails acolytes might be asking themselves is whether a cleaned up, happier, and oddly meatier Trent Reznor still puts…

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In Defense of “Interiors”

In Defense of “Interiors”

I’ve put off seeing Woody Allen’s Interiors for years, largely because I had the misfortune of sitting through September and Shadows and Fog almost immediately…

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Afternoon Headlines

Afternoon Headlines

The illustrious Mark Sarvas has served up spectacular coverage of the L.A. Times Book Festival. He even makes a noble attempt to understand Steve Almond….

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Virulent Indeed!

Virulent Indeed!

Graham has the Mike Oldfield review to end all Mike Oldfield reviews. (via Speedy Snail)

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Paul Maliszewski Update

Paul Maliszewski Update

Moby Lives‘ latest column features an interview with Paul Maliszewski. Maliszewski reveals that he didn’t talk to NYT reporter Alex Mindlin because “something wasn’t right”…

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We’re the Dumbest Folks in Our Neighborhood and It’s All Because We Missed Last Week’s “Lost”

We’re the Dumbest Folks in Our Neighborhood and It’s All Because We Missed Last Week’s “Lost”

Steven Johnson says that television makes you smarter: During its 44 minutes — a real-time hour, minus 16 minutes for commercials — the episode connects…

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A Message for Oprah

A Message for Oprah

Dear Oprah: Some writers have kneeled down in front of you and asked you to kiss their rings. They have implored you to revive the…

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Support Sacramento Punk

Support Sacramento Punk

The Secretions, a long-time punk staple of Sacramento (and part of the Q Street Scene that I was acquainted with back in the day), will…

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We’d Hate IKEA Too, But We Have an Uncontrollable Urge to Build Things That Remind Us of Tinker-Toys.  Damn Swedes Exploiting Our Childhood Memories!

We’d Hate IKEA Too, But We Have an Uncontrollable Urge to Build Things That Remind Us of Tinker-Toys. Damn Swedes Exploiting Our Childhood Memories!

Charles endures IKEA: The website, the catalogue, and the floor model were all carefully labelled “King.” They most definitely did NOT say “King if you…

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Tanenhaus Watch: April 24, 2005

WEEKLY QUESTION: Will this week’s NYTBR reflect today’s literary and publishing climate? Or will editor Sam Tanenhaus demonstrate yet again that the NYTBR is irrelevant…

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Josh Rouse Must Be Stopped

Josh Rouse Must Be Stopped

“It’s exactly the same,” he says with perfect confidence. “Why would we change anything?” — Rolling Stone Mellow soulless pop has a new name to…

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Doctor Who — “The Aliens of London”

Doctor Who — “The Aliens of London”

Aliens invade London, there’s a military presence around the United Kingdom, but there’s no UNIT commander (where’s the Brigadier?). Downing Street is easily infiltrated by…

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The Concertgoing Experience After 30

The Concertgoing Experience After 30

When you’re thirty, the wiggle room for live shows narrows — even if you’ve devoted enough to hit the gym and keep a svelte figure….

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Blasphemous A Definite Code Word for “Humorless”

Blasphemous A Definite Code Word for “Humorless”

Moby Lives has additional leads on the “blasphemous emails” that Dave Eggers was complaining about. In a thread on Radosh, excerpts from The Pearl Files…

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SF Sightings — Wlliam T. Vollmann

It was the end of another sunny day in the Haight — the perfect weather to get acclimatized for a journey into the dark and…

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The Three Amigos Play Rashomon

The Three Amigos Play Rashomon

Tonight, at the Booksmith, Scott, Tito and I will be there to check out William T. Vollman. The event is at 7PM. This is the…

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Items

Items

Anne Rice has put up several homes for sale. If this is a sign that Rice is hard up for cash, I sure as hell…

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Dream of the Blog Room

Dream of the Blog Room

Local writer Michelle Richmond has a new blog. Welcome to the blogosphere, Michelle!

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McSweeney’s Newsletter Followup

McSweeney’s Newsletter Followup

We’ve just heard from an anonymous reader concerning “The Pearl Report,” the email newsletter that was apparently written by Paul Maliszewski. Again, if anyone has…

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Please Welcome Der Furhrer Your New Pope

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It Ain’t Exactly Mailer-Vidal, But We’ll Bite.

It Ain’t Exactly Mailer-Vidal, But We’ll Bite.

Jonathan Safran Foer, in a post that is likely fake unless Mr. Foer would like to corroborate it, has responded to Steve Almond’s takedown: Me…

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Interviews A Go-Go

Interviews A Go-Go

As Maud has noted, the 1970s archive of the Paris Review DNA of Literature Archive is up. While Maud’s dancing over Didion, I’m sinking my…

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Virtual Sweatshop

Virtual Sweatshop

While it’s very nice to see coverage of the book world online, the Village Voice does raise an interesting point about Kevin Smokler‘s Virtual Book…

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Add “Humorless” to E—–’ CV

Add “Humorless” to E—–’ CV

As Beatrice has pointed out, there’s more to the Michael Chabon hoax (profiled in the current issue of Bookforum) then meets the eye. It seems…

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RIP Marla Ruzicka

RIP Marla Ruzicka

Activist Marla Ruzicka has died. She was only 28. Had it not been for Ruzicka’s efforts, Iraqi families who lost relatives courtesy of U.S. bombs…

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