Holiday Weekend Reading

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! Here are some links to ponder while traveling in airports or digesting pumpkin pie.

 

Literary

• One of my favorite links ever. In 1963, 16-year-old Bruce McAllister wrote to 150 novelists asking if they intentionally planted symbolism in their work. He received responses from some of the greatest novelists of all time. A must read!
• There was a lot of hoopla over the Bad Sex in Fiction Award, presented by the Literary Review. If you are unfamiliar with this uh, accolade, I’ve copied the description here:

The purpose of the prize is to draw attention to the crude, badly written, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it. The prize is not intended to cover pornographic or expressly erotic literature.

• I’m guessing that the nominees usually hang their head in shame or laugh it off and try to have a sense of humor about it. Either way, it is hard to have your work criticized. One of this year’s nominees, William Nicholson, argues that it’s time for a good sex award. He states that even though most societies are saturated with sexual images, people are particularly private about their own sex lives. Often, the only glimpse that we get into what sex is like for others is through fiction. He makes a compelling point.
• Are you a Harry Potter fan AND a Starbucks fan? Well, here is the thing for you.
• In defense of the English major.

NYC Things

• 27 things you’re only afraid of if you live in New York. “It’s only a matter of time…” I tell Eric EVERY TIME I walk past one of those open cellar doors.

Feminism

• An interesting study reported in the New York Times about competition and aggression among women. I know I’m guilty of similar things, but come on ladies, we need to be better to one another.

Entertainment

• What if Spotify recommended hot guys instead of music? Can someone make this happen?
• For cat lovers, this is spot-on.
• And this is too cute not to share.