The entire run of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip is now free to read online or via the Go Comics mobile app (again, for free). Calvin and Hobbes have been some of the best Sunday funnies reading ever. The strip has been put online in a promotional effort for an upcoming documentary called Dear Mr. Watterson.
Go read the strip…
I know I am going to check in on Calvin and his tiger ever day. I wonder if the film will be any good….
Dan Simmons has a new book coming out The Abominable (October 22, 2013). I have to admit to being on the fence as to whether I want to read it (I loved, loved, loved The Terror, but Drood and the next left me meh). But this one sounds a little more in line with The Terror so I’ve been following along as it rolls out. Which is why I ran across this interview with Simmons by the folks at Publishers Weekly. It’s not long and worth a read, but the last answer struck a chord as Dan Simmons explains how he wants his readers to be with the flip of the last page:
“The real test for me is how the reader feels after he or she has finished one of my books. If readers have no questions to ask, no conversations they want to start, no strong feelings they wish to share, then I’ve failed. But overall, as at the end of a life well lived, there should be a sense of completeness—of having known triumph and sorrow—as well as having some questions still unanswered. That and some sense of sadness that the characters are no longer there to spend time with. Finishing a good book, I think, should feel a bit like saying goodbye to old friends.”
THAT’S exactly how I want to feel at the end of a book. I think The Abominable just secured a place on Mount TBR.
There is a great thread, in the Books on the Nightstand group, over on Goodreads, where members are listing their favorite podcasts for bibliophiles and book lovers. Even if you’re not a member of GoodReads or prefer other sites (like LibraryThing!) this thread is worth checking out. There are quite a few podcasts mentioned that I’m going to have to check out at least once. Here is a list of the first five that I’m downloading now to see what they have to say:
Greater Boston Book Loft – sounds like this will be a nice shorter 10-15 minute podcast and includes author interviews.
Literary Disco – three friends who are self-professed booknerds
Authors on Tour – this podcast is produced by the good folks at Denver’s indie rockstar bookstore The Tattered Cover
KCRW’s Bookworm – a podcast about books and authors, based in L.A.
The Afterword – produced by Slate
Other than Books on the Nightstand and NPR’s offerings, what podcasts do you listen to? Let me know if I’m missing out.
I’m reading Pushcart Press‘ perfectly pocket-sized (only 101 pages) Rotten Rejections and it’s great fun. It’s amazing some of the rejections now-famous authors have gotten over the years. Some of my favorites so far:
Rudyard Kipling (1889) – “I’m sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.”
Norman Mailer (1948) – “This will set publishing back 25 years.”
Samuel Beckett (1951) – “There’s no sense in considering them for publication here; the bad taste of the American public does not yet coincide with the bad taste of the French avant garde.”
John Le Carre (1963) – “You’re welcome to le Carre – he hasn’t got any future.”
I have to say it’s been fun reading through all of the blurbs and quotes from the author rejections. It’s interesting to see how often a book manuscript is rejected based on being bad vs. the author’s lack of skill. One thing I’ve noticed is that the publishing industry is a lot nicer these days. The form letters of 2013 are dull and drab to some of the absolutely b-r-u-t-a-l barbs editors and publishers replied with back in the late-1800’s through the early 1900’s.
But the colorful writing found in Rotten Rejections does make for better reading.
