Roundup – Reluctant Habits

Who’s the next H.L. Mencken?
Salman Rushdie has sold his personal archive for an undisclosed sum. (via TEV)
Kingsley Amis’s wife is urging Martin Amis not to make the same mistakes as his father. Damn, I guess this means we won’t have a Martin Amis-penned 007 book.
Kelly Link has been declared a “new wave fabulist.” I think I’ll settle for calling Link a fabulous writer and calling Jessica Winter a taxonomic new wanker. Why analyze a piece of fiction for its taxonomy when there’s plenty to unravel within the narrative?
Yan Lianke: a case study concerning the compromise of principles. (via Jenny D)
At The Millions, Garth Risk Hallberg raves about Lynne Tillman.
Pinky has spiffy new digs.
Stephen Hawking’s next book will explain why we have a universe. The upshot: a number of quantum particles got involved in a poker game, one particle couldn’t pay out, and the result was an expansive universe to settle the debt.
Indie bookstores are fighting to stay alive. The main culprit appears to be Amazon. Not particularly new news, but a reminder nonetheless.
Susan Salter Reynolds reports on the Nobel odds.
M.J. Hyland is convinced she won’t win the Booker, but bookies beg to differ.
An interview with Doris Lessing.
Robots on Fire (via Quiddity)
Due to scheduling conflicts, Bat Segundo couldn’t fit Jennifer Egan in when she came through San Francisco, but thankfully Rick Kleffel talked with her.
Jeff uncovers a nutty interview with Tom Wolfe and Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller.
Scott McKenzie is taking odds on when Michiko’s inevitable Cormac McCarthy hit piece will appear. I give it a week and a half.
The New York Times regrets the error.