Book Club Defense Mechanisms
I can't speak from experience on this. I've never joined a book club. Actually, I'm so reluctant to join any club that if someone were to found The Club Of…
You Probably Missed the Inklings Reading on Saturday. Here’s the Bit I Read.
The reading I did at Inklings Bookstore in Yakima last weekend was six kinds of fun--special thanks to Emily, events goddess--but most of you reading this post were in no…
To Pan Books or Not to Pan Books
It's been a few months since the bookish among us pondered the question of the value of negative book reviews, so Francine Prose and Zoe Heller are reheating the issue…
Scott Whitmore Reviews Summer of Long Knives
I think he kinda liked it. Set in Munich three years after the Nazis assumed power in Germany, The Summer of Long Knives by Jim Snowden (@snowdenlit) is a wonderfully tense murder…
I Adored This: Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz
Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz My rating: 5 of 5 stars Think about the last time you were wrong. Can you remember it? I…
The Believing Brain
Yesterday I did a marathon post that was largely about how smart people convince themselves to believe weird things. For those who hadn't gotten enough from that, I suggest either…
Manifesto By Strange, Sullen, Hectoring Twit Is An International Bestseller
Yes, we're talking about Mein Kampf, apparently one of the bestselling political books of the year. B-School grads in India are expected to have devoured its lessons in business management. (Curious,…
Summer of Long Knives Holiday Buying Guide
Here you'll find a list of gifts perfect for someone who's already bought, read, stolen, or otherwise wrangled a copy of Summer of Long Knives. (Of course, if you haven't read Summer, I…
Summer of Long Knives Can Be Had For Less Than A Dollar This Week
My publisher, Booktrope, has put the ebook versions of Summer of Long Knives on sale this week for 99 cents. My reviewers have taken to calling me a "magician with words"…
The Story That Got Me Into Grad School
I didn't get into grad school in 2000 as I'd hoped. When I asked one of my former professors, who was on the admissions committee, why his program had rejected…