Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
- The Most Popular Words Used In Classic Books — some word clouds to help you think about some classics in a slightly different way
- Nick Hornby on his first novel in five years — blah
- A Map of Raymond Chandler’s Fictional LA in Real-Life LA
- The Tangled Roots of Urban Fantasy and Horror — Jamie Schultz’s look at the shared elements of UF and Horror is good — but needs to be expanded (although, I’d rather he work on the sequel to Premonitions, all things considered)
- The Percy Jackson Problem — On the one hand, some of what Rebecca Mead says about what kinds of fiction Teens/Kids should read is worthy of thought/discussion. On the other hand, tucking that away in the middle of a hit piece on Rick Riordan and his demigods just really turns me off. Lines like “Riordan’s books make J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series seem as if it were written by Samuel Johnson. Unlike the Harry Potter books, which, notoriously, have been embraced by adult readers as well as juvenile ones, the Percy Jackson books seem positively contrived to repel adult readers, so thoroughgoing is their affectation of teen goofiness” are such snobbish, clueless, condescending nonsense. Not just saying that because I’ll be starting Riordan’s newest in an hour or so.
- Kinsella YA Novel Coming — Huh. Even Sophie Kinsella’s getting into YA?
- Look Homeward, Reader: A Not-So-Young Audience for Young Adult Books — Meg Wolitzer’s piece on YA literature and the people who read it is the thoughtful thing that The New Yorker article wasn’t.
- 21 Literary-Inspired Pumpkins Every Bookworm Will Adore — some of these are pretty fun
- Man raps a chapter of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’ — this made my day.
Read Irresponsibly, but please Comment Responsibly