Yardley v Salinger

If I were any kind of blogger whatsoever, I would respond here to Jonathan Yardley's lame-ass piece on The Catcher in the Rye from last week's Washington Post. (I belong to the quiet majority who believe the book to be a masterpiece.) But, hey, I'm a crappy blogger, and so I'll just link to someone else's reasoned and measured response to the piece (Michael Schaub, posting on Bookslut).

Btw, I came across Yardley's piece while browsing the excellent Arts & Letters Daily, first brought to my attention by the Detroit Mastermind, aka John Woodward.

Props

Big ups to Sarah Shun-lien Bynum for her National Book Award nomination. Madeleine Is Sleeping is epic.

Hollywood or Would They Not

Query Letters I Love.
[via Defamer]

#7

"ON A WORLD KNOWN AS GUIYA, THE ELFIN KINGDOM OF VALKHARAIS THREATENED BY A DARK AND EVIL FORCE. DESCHARDON, THE DEATHLORD, UNLEASHES HIS ARMY OF GORG UPONTHE LANDS OF GUIYA IN HOPE TO MAKE THE WORLD HIS SOLE EMPIRE. HIS FORCE IS LED BY HIS FIVE INSPIRITED GENERALS, THE SHAYNELORDS AND IS FOLLOWED BY A DARK AND MENACING CLOUD THAT STRETCHES OVER THE CONQUERED NATIONS, SIGNIFYING THE DEATHLORD'S RULE OVER THEM."

Shoot Me Now (L.A. Melrose edition)

[via Defamer]

New Album: William Shatner and Ben Folds

"For me, this album conveys 98% of what I would like to have conveyed." W.S.

my new board / my new job

Simple pleasures.



I've started a child-care service. I teach babies how to sit on sofas and watch TV. Althea Malley-Hill (left) is in my advanced course. We're still working out the kinks with Billy Johnson (my lap).

Bynum, silber

Saw Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum last night, reading from her new (amazing, utterly enchanting) book, MADELEINE IS SLEEPING, at Dutton's Books in Brentwood. Also bumped into fellow werkshopper Ami Silber, who, turns out, dates an elementary school classmate of my wife's. Unfortunately, I kooked it on the picture tip. Check out Sarah's book though. Epic.