etcetera » Asides

The Greatest Sports Book Ever Written…

Karthik — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:54:27 +0000

Joseph O’Neill profiles Beyond A Boundary – the C.L.R James book on cricket and the Carribean – in The Atlantic. Yes, cricket. Yes, in The Atlantic. No, you are not dreaming.

Wish I’d known that earlier :(

Karthik — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:09:25 +0000

According to the Times,

“THERE are many ways to console someone when a multimillion-dollar business deal falls through. Firing off a “tough break” e-mail message punctuated by a frown-face emoticon is not one of them.”

Really?

(via)

Reconstructing Harry

Karthik — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:49:34 +0000

Michael Goldenberg, screenwriter for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, talks to Salon about the “pleasures and pitfalls” of the adaptation process.

Politically Incorrect Psychology

Karthik — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:30:45 +0000

Why y’all will never have daughters and why men who harass women are not sexist. These and other such politically incorrect truths… (via)

More Sex Is Safer Sex

Karthik — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 15:47:35 +0000

There is a new book called More Sex is Safer Sex and it is written by a male economist called Landsburg. Clever plan, Mr. Landsburg. Here is a New York Times review of the book that questions the value of the recent spate of “popular” economics books that purport to unlock the mysteries of the world using cold, hard numbers. And on a unrelated note, here is James Surowiecki (whose book we loved!) on The Pirates’ Code.

Stalin’s Ghost

Karthik — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:43:33 +0000

Martin Cruz Smith (MSNBC helpfully informs us that he is “one of those writers who get such high-mindedly good reviews that you wonder if he’s any fun. Relax: he’s literate and exciting”) has just written his newest Arkady Renko novel – it’s called Stalin’s Ghost – and the Times carries a high-mindedly good review of it. Meanwhile, from Time Magazine, here is a review of Gorky Park, the first Arkady Renko book.

The Five Second Rule Bites the Dust

Karthik — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:45:07 +0000

Steel yourself for some bad news: Pesky scientists at Clemson University have apparently determined that applying the five-second rule to dropped food will not actually prevent the food from gathering bacteria. And apparently, there is no exception for key lime pies. No wonder science sucks.

John Irving on Peeling the Onion

Karthik — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:49:39 +0000

A John Irving review of Günter Grass’s Peeling the Onion. [etcetera: We'll even read phonebooks if Irving writes them. ]

Murakami on Music

Karthik — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:43:51 +0000

Haruki Murakami on music (and language). (Older Murakami posts [1] [2] [3] )

Indie Clarke

Karthik — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:29:13 +0000

A few guys at Industrial Light and Magic are “working on the side” making an Arthur C Clarke short story (Maelstrom II) into a movie. Wired has a few cool pictures. (via)

If there is a funnier place on the internets, we haven’t found it yet.

Karthik — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:18:46 +0000

Overheard in New York. Laugh out loud exchanges from the greatest(!) city on earth. (Most popular exchanges).

Font Rage

Karthik — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:42:47 +0000

A comic strip … about comic sans. (via)

An Illustrated History of the Bikini

Karthik — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:36:04 +0000

An Illustrated History of the Bikini, from Slate. Yes, illustrated. Bye.

Fish Hits For Bongs

Karthik — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:56:56 +0000

A Chitrita Banerji essay in Salon, on the importance of fish in Bengali kitchens.

John Le Carré vs Sir Rushdie : Old wounds never die

Karthik — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:19:03 +0000

Yeah, we know this is old; but it is so much fun. Plus, we get to take the high ground and say that when other blogs cover cheap stuff like Padma leaving Rushdie, we cover important things like this feud.

‘Tis Saturday, time for McEwan

Karthik — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:55:34 +0000

An Ian McEwan profile (masquerading as a review) from the latest issue of the New York Review of Books. (Also in this issue: an excerpt from Coetzee’s upcoming Diary of A Bad Year).

Nancy Drew

Karthik — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:54:39 +0000

Slate “celebrates” Nancy Drew.

Enid Rowling. Not.

Karthik — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:19:25 +0000

How Blyton and Rowling carefully cultivate(d) their personas for public consumption – the former a bit more than the latter. The Telegraph investigates, in an article that reads rather abrupt. And only the millionth article on the power of Potter.

Divisadero Reviews

Karthik — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:33:26 +0000

By now, it is almost official: Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero is good, but not as good as The English Patient, or even Anil’s Ghost. Yvonne Zipp is lukewarm on the book (”more poetry than plot”) while Janet Maslin is a bit more positive. (” initially difficult, but the more you give “Divisadero,” the more it gives in return.” ). Manish says the same thing too, in fewer words.

The Simple Art of Murder

Karthik — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:43:02 +0000

From The Atlantic, here is Raymond Chandler holding court on detective fiction. And while on The Atlantic, some writing tips from the biggies.