Reading

Recently:

Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Netherland by Joseph O’Neill

Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling

 

Currently:

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Flannery by Brad Gooch

Angels and Ages by Adam Gopnik

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

 

To read ASAP:

Bodies by Susie Orbach

American Rust by Philipp Meyer

Cool for You and Chelsea Girls by Eileen Myles

The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry

 

To read upon arrival of Kindle:

The Savage Detectives by Robert Bolano

assorted Raymond Chandler

 

To read upon dragging my ass from South Slope to the UWS to return overdue library books:

Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

 

To read upon ever finding in a book store:

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

 

Future bloggy fun:

Wicked Underrated, a column on this blog that will tell you why you should read more Daphne du Maurier, Jacqueline Susann, and others as the mood strikes me

Interviews with Sara Houghteling and Adam Gopnik on flavorwire.com

Best week ever

…or at least in a while. Also, apparently, all good things happen to me on Thursdays.

• Last Thursday, I had a story accepted here, and set myself up for a gig here (okay, so maybe the latter was made official on Friday…but it looked pretty damn promising on Thursday)
• And that turned out to effing rock
• Yesterday (Thursday again, see?), I received some promising news related to a job that would both pay and allow me time to continue other adventures, and had a story accepted here
• Thanks to various agencies of the federal government, next week, I will be less poor
• Oh yeah, Barack Obama took office

Hello/Goodbye

My last post for Esquire.com’s Books Blog is up today…

…and my first post covering books for Flavorwire went up yesterday.

Inauguration Day

I cried during the (bungled?) oath, I’ll admit it. 

But I’ve seen this being circulated a lot lately, and I have to say, really, Quincy Jones and undersigned? We couldn’t hold this until, say, two years from now, or even the second term? There’s this whole economy thing, see, and people out of work, and a broken infrastructure–oh yeah! a couple of wars to deal with, too. I value the arts, some days I even consider myself an artist, and I absolutely support the appointment of a Secretary of the Arts/Culture. Just not right now, because I also value the abilities to buy food and pay rent, and though I don’t support the war in Iraq or the decisions that lead to our current situation in Afghanistan, I do value the lives of those in uniform. After those things are secure, then we can get back to fighting for the arts, okay?

A brief interruption of Sunday’s hangover and Wire marathon

This is a few weeks old, but it relates to a topic that fascinates me: the death of book publishing as we know it. I’ve been wondering for the past few months where the innovators are, why the industry does not appear to have developed new models and modes even though it’s supposedly been limping toward the reaper since the 1980’s. I don’t own an e-reader (yet. Speed up the wait, Bezos!) and I’m unimpressed with the reader apps for my G1 so far, but I believe the technology is coming. I’m done with people claiming book fetishes and tactile needs. I love a good used book store as much as the next word nerd, but remember when the iPod was first introduced? People whined about cover art, liner notes, the general satisfaction of looking at their 500 CDs on display in their living rooms. And then we got over it, and got iPods.

Four things not to mention in your non-fiction book proposal

1. Eat, Pray, Love

2. The Secret

3. Marley and Me

4. Barack Obama, unless you are actually writing a book about the man or politics.  For example, if you are writing a book about Beyonce’s mother’s business acumen, do not pitch it as very timely and relevant to the presidential inauguration because we know that Barack has music by Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z on his iPod.

What to do with your editorial skills, publishing experience, and graduate degree in “the arts” during our financial crisis

1. Admit that you are totally screwed.
2. Marginal employment, such as working 14 hours/week, will not pay your rent, but it will keep you in bagels and beer, and the slightly satisfactory knowledge that you are being paid for what unpaid interns do elsewhere.
3. Check job listings and websites for your sad, dead industry several times a day. Hourly, at minimum.
4. Every time your phone rings, hope wildly that it is an offer to set up an interview. It is probably just another collection agency, though.
5. Start applying for unpaid internships. You’re not getting a job, so you might as well build that resume and make some connections for the time when there are jobs again.
6. Update/reformat your resume daily. Or hourly.
7. Come, slowly, to the realization that you can’t even get an unpaid internship. There’s too much competition. Plus, you’re not eligible for academic credit.
8. Take a moment to feel proud: some how, you are still living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, with almost no money.
9. Suffer an existential crisis. What is WRONG with you? You are obviously unemployable and have made terrible career choices thus far. Imagine how you will feel in 5 years, when the life you’ve been lead to expect and always thought would just happen will fail to appear. Cry.
10. Start a blog. What else have you got going on?