Meet Your Bloggers: Rachel

About me:
· I learned to read when I was four years old, and have been an avid reader ever since. I have enough books to start my own library, and I’ve seriously thought about taping call numbers on their spines.

· Reading is a very tactile experience for me. I prefer hardcover books to paperbacks, and I rarely read mass market paperbacks because they don’t feel right in my hands.

· I read, on average, five books a month, but quality is far more important to me than quantity. I always have a book (or two) with me, and I read every day, whenever and wherever.

· I love used book stores for the variety of books therein. You never know quite what you might find inside…. One of my favorite used book stores is Molly’s Books in Philadelphia, owned by poet Molly Russakoff.


My top five favorite books are:
· The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

· Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

· If on a winter’s night a traveler…, by Italo Calvino

· Atonement, by Ian McEwan

· The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer

All of a sudden I realize that my favorite books are all by white males. The multi-cultural feminist in me rages at this. But, what are ya gonna do? Those are the books I love best!


Besides reading, I also like:
· Cooking. I would love to be a gourmet chef, but I have too much of a propensity for inadvertently burning dinner. Instead, I spend my time drooling over the latest issue of Food & Wine, imagining recipes I know I don’t have the skill to handle.

· Dancing. I used to be an avid swing dancer, but have since branched out to other forms as well. Who knew contra dancing could be so much fun?

· Photography. This hobby is still in development, as I learn to make better use of the awesome camera technology that’s available these days. And looking for new and exciting things to photograph gives me an excuse to travel more. Hooray!


Other somewhat random tidbits:
· The year I was born, Rachel was the sixteenth most popular name in the US.

· I share a birthday (the date, not the year!) with Lyndon B. Johnson and Pee-Wee Herman.

· My favorite non-book-related website is Cake Wrecks. Seriously. Check it out.

· I started keeping a reading log two years ago.

· I really like lists. A lot.

Why I love Uptown Literati:
It’s a collection of great voices all discussing one of my favorite subjects. What’s not to love?

Literary Links: Barnes & Noble Gets Wi-Fi + Editing Palin

Girl gone mild in Carlene Bauer’s Not That Kind of Girl: “If life maneuvers received scores for technical difficulty, Bauer would be competing for gold.” [via Daily Beast]

Flash fiction at your fingertips: give it a whirl at NameYourTale.com. [via GalleyCat]

For one month, from July 4 to August 4, access 2 million e-book titles at the World eBook Fair, courtesy of the World Public Library. [via Genre Reviews]

Editing Sarah Palin: Wayne Lawson, executive literary editor at Vanity Fair, took the red pen to Palin’s resignation speech. [via Inkwell Bookstore]

What’s in a prize? Should readers read what’s on the Booker Prize list, or choose for themselves? Do other prize lists offer better suggestions? [via Stuck in a Book]

Barnes & Noble to catch up with the times: the chain will soon be offering free in-store wi-fi access through AT&T. [via Publishers Weekly]

Book trailers are becoming more and more mainstream. Watch the trailer for So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother). [via Flux Now]

--Rachel Frier

Literary Links: Sucky Mags + Booker Prizes

Surely women’s magazines can come up with better reading material than the same article over and over and over again, right? Right? [via Jezebel]

Katharine Donelson works her way through Proust’s In Search of Lost Time (aka Remembrance of Things Past), 50 pages at a time. [via Blog Critic]

The Long List for the 2009 Man Booker Prize has been announced! [via Daily Beast]

Feeling artsy? Create your own debut YA book cover. [via 100 Scope Notes]

What gets your reading? Jane considers compelling incipit lines. [via Dear Author]

Help raise awareness of spec fic: if you’re a genre reviewer, join the Book Reviewer's Linkup Meme. [via Grasping for the Wind]

As if there wasn’t enough Harry Potter fiddle faddle, now you can play the Hogwarts House Cup Challenge game in your own home. [via Books and Other Thoughts]

Calling all would-be orators: now you, too, can devise the perfect Best Man wedding speech! Just use this handy flowchart. [via Holy Taco]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Jezebel

Used Bookstores Are Our Secret Haven

The economy being what it is, now is perhaps the best time to check out the secret treasures held by used bookstores. The Guardian’s book blog has a recent article about some of these treasures, and their troublesome tendency to slip away if not immediately snatched up. [via Guardian UK]

My hometown of Washington, D.C., boasts some brilliant used bookstores. Among my favorites are Second Story Books and Idle Time Books. But although Second Story’s collection can’t be beat, I must confess that my favorite local used book store is Capitol Hill Books—a book store with a sense of humor.

From their website:

To get a real taste of everything we have to offer, we recommend that you come in for a visit. We have fiction books in the fiction room (hard cover & paperbacks), mystery books in the Mystery Room, foreign language books in the bathroom, cookbooks in the kitchen on the kitchen sink, business books with the lawyers in the Business Closet, cultural biographies in the Cultural Closet, and a Weird Section for those who like witches, dreams, and things that go bump in the night.

Stop by for a visit, but be sure to watch you head! Books are piled all the way to the ceiling, and an avalanche may occur at any time.

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Capitol Hill Books

Hedes & Dekes: Early 20th Century Spy Records Up For Viewing

British spy and art historian Anthony Blunt wrote a 30,000-word memoir during his time as a spy for the Soviet Union between sometime in the 1930s to the early 1950s. Last week, after keeping the memoir sealed in a steel container for twenty-five years, the British Library has made the document public, reports The New York Times.

The memoir does not really reveal much new information about Blunt’s work or espionage, but it does offer some perspective on his opinions of what he was doing. Most notably, it is nearly completely unapologetic for any harm his spying may have caused.

Following Blunt’s death in 1983, the executor of Blunt’s will deposited the memoir with the library on the condition that the document, which Blunt had intended as a testament to family and friends, be kept secret for twenty-five years. Those twenty-five years are up, and the document is finally available to the public.

It’ll be interesting to see who is first to snatch up publishing rights.
--Rachel Frier

Photo: The New York Times

Literary Links: 'Virgin Suicides' Sweet 16 + Tricky Cover Art

A discussion on race and cover art, and publisher’s decisions based on apparent market preference. [via Justine Larbalestier]

Michael Chabon: skeptical. [via Bookslut]

Meet Joshua Henkin, the author who joined 175 book clubs. [via Three Guys One Book]

Toronto’s Fringe Festival is a celebration of drama. [via The Millions]

Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides celebrates its Sweet 16, and is still just as controversial as ever. [via The Daily Beast]

Legal decisions that have nothing to do with books apparently have a lot to do with books. [via Pimp My Novel]

Who knew? Teens read, too. Check out these awesome reviews of today’s most exciting teen lit! [via Teens Read Too]

Retirement plans for writers. [via Editor Unleashed]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Ain't That a Shame

Literary Links: Dan Brown + 'Twilight'

Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no denying the popularity of film adaptations of beloved books. Here’s a list of several. [via Booktender]

A list of must-reads to prepare yourself for Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol, coming out later this year. [via Libraryland Roundup]

Apparently publishers are afraid of Dan Brown’s popularity: They are rushing books into print early to avoid competition. [via Telegraph]

Publishers, affected by the economic downturn, may be denying the advances they are supposed to offer their authors. [via Dear Author]

The summer fiction issue of The Atlantic is now available, with some exciting reads by renowned authors. [via Nonsuch Book]

Some library patrons really know what they want. [via Love the Liberry]

International Thriller Writers announces their 2009 Thriller Award winners! [via Bookbitch]

Looking for free books? Try one of the many book giveaways at the blogs listed here. [via Ms. Bookish]

The much-beloved Twilight series is now being made into graphic novels. Check out the Asian flair artwork! [via Maw Books]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Impawards.com

Meet Me At the Bowery

If you ever have the good fortune to travel to New York City (and who doesn’t, at least once in this lifetime?), you must stop by Bowery Poetry Club.

What is Bowery Poetry Club? From their website:

…it’s time to acknowledge the Horrific Triumph of Capitalism and see if poetry, placed in an amenable circumstance, full of pleasure, music, danger, intellectual irascibility, hiphop, highbrow culture, multiculti activism, communal chutzpah, Po Mo Beatology, and the Best Coffee on the Block, can make a go of it on The Bowery.

In other words, it’s a mishmash of all things literary and poetic. The club sponsors workshops and readings in the afternoons and poetry events every night. Featuring several events each day, and a number of other attractions besides (including food and libations), it’s a gathering spot for folks of all ages who have an interest in wordplay.

The club opens at 10 am on weekdays and 11 am on weekends, and visitors can spend a whole day “chowing down on homemade chapbooks & spoken word CDs at the Bookstore- Poetry Served Here.” Or, stop by the café, a coffee-house, late night hangout, and wi-fi hot spot that claims to “specialize in food that makes drinking fun!” Their daily specials include lasagna, soups, and sonnet salads. Just beware the Edna St. Vincent Millay if you’re wearing much hairspray.

And if you’re around this Wednesday (7/23), you’ll have the rare treat of attending Jason Norman’s ASL Poetry Slam. Don’t miss it!






--Rachel Frier

Photo Bowery Poetry Club: Bowery Poetry Club; Jason Norman: The New York Times

Literary Links: Literature Ink + Nerdy Beers

John Christie offers the most comprehensive list of book-related beer names ever compiled. [via Brews & Books]

Mark Sarvas completes his interview series with Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland. [via Mark Sarvas]

When forming the indie band Harry and the Potters, Joe and Paul DeGeorge were probably not aware that they were creating what a Time magazine article calls a new genre of music. [via John Green]

“Your body is not MySpace!” Molly Lambert argues against literary tattoos. [via This Recording]

Get your PoMo on with this annotated list of 61 essential postmodern reads. [via Jacket Copy]

“Middle-aged women want to read books about sex more than anything else, new research has found.” They also read cookbooks. [via Marie Claire]

In an average year, an average American spends an average of $118 on reading materials… and $457 on alcoholic drinks. [via Visual Economics]

No more Madam Librarian: in front of a sell-out audience, these librarians go wild in competition for the Golden Bookcart. [via NPR]

Glen Binger interviews Brand Scott Gorrell regarding his collection of poetry, During My Nervous Breakdown I Want To Have A Biographer Present. [via Broad Set Writing Collective]

Following a copyright infringement case, Amazon has had to pull copies of Orwell’s 1984 from readers’ Kindle devices. Big Brother is watching. [via Fashion Piranha]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: This Recording

Hedes & Deks: Journalism 101: Know Your Facts

One might think that—following the James Frey vs. Oprah blowout and the Opal Mehta train wreck of 2006, along with countless other examples since—writers would have gotten the message that how you write your book is just as important as, if not more important than, what you write.

Evidently, Ben Mezrich missed the memo.

Rumors suggest he’s cranky that people are questioning his reporting tactics in his recently published non-fiction account of the founding of Facebook.

A recent Reuters article reports:

BusinessWeek called the book, published by Doubleday, a “tawdry mishmash” and said Mezrich wrote “a fictionalized account of the founding of Facebook.” Mezrich dismisses that as elitist claptrap. “It’s a nonfiction book. It’s a true story,” he told Reuters in an interview. “I am a narrative nonfiction writer in a way that other people don’t write. I’m trying to create my own genre of nonfiction.”

So, readers are supposed to just read and enjoy his book, and not concern themselves with pesky little details like facts? I guess that makes sense. After all, as Homer Simpson so blithely put it, “Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely true!”

--Rachel Frier

Photo by Guido Vitti/Boston Magazine

Harry Potter Mania

Let the games begin! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has opened in theaters around the world, and Potter-mania has swelled once more.

I’ll admit it: I’m no fan of Harry Potter. I read through the fifth book before I completely lost my patience with the series. But there’s no denying that Rowling’s imaginative story world has captured the hearts and minds of readers young and old in unprecedented ways.

Here’s a look at the HP happiness sweeping the nation this week:

· Kids and adults alike enjoy the imaginative escapism of the stories. [Via Inside Access]
· Release parties have been sweeping Los Angeles. [Via The Leaky Cauldron]
· Variety reports that the most recent HP film has scored the highest midnight-showing gross of any film, bringing in $22.2 million. [Via Variety]
· Some people have been putting their imagination to work creating cakes to celebrate the occasion. [Via Cake Wrecks]
· Even the Vatican has given HP its seal of approval for Harry’s fight against evil! [Via Scotsman News]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Cake Wrecks

Literary Links: Fired from the Canon + Twitter Novels

Since one lifetime’s all you’ve got, and you probably don’t want to spend all of it reading the books on today’s Must-Read lists, here’s a new list for you: books that should be fired from the canon. [via The Second Pass]

Playwright, author, and doctor Anton Chekhov lived a fascinating, if brief, life. Check out this photo-journey of his home and its breathtaking surroundings. [via ros360]

The Boston Globe provides a list of audio-books that are perfectly suited for a little light summer listening. [via Largehearted Boy]

Rubbing elbows with literary stars: MsSpentyouth tells the story of the time Al Franken turned her in for child neglect. [via Daily Kos]

What is it that makes some authors perfect fodder for Internet cults? [via Bookslut]

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the National Book Foundation is celebrating the 77 novels that have won its fiction award. Check out the funny math: 77 awards in 60 years? [via Jacket Copy]

The first full-length novel has been published via Twitter, just in time for Bastille Day. [via The French Rev]

All the phun happens in Phoenix: “David Irving's Book Tour Hits Phoenix Diner, Anarchists Protest Gathering of Neo-Nazis.” [via Feathered Bastard]

Calling all language nerds: Learning Spanish? Check out today’s news, delivered in slowly spoken Spanish podcasts. [via News in Slow Spanish]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: The Second Pass

Hedes & Dekes: Piece of Literary Landscape For Sale

The location rumored to have been the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse is about to go up for sale. As a child, Woolf spent many summers in a guest house at Upton Towans beach in Gwithian, from which the lighthouse on nearby Godrevy Island is clearly visible.

The novel, long considered an exemplum of modernist fiction, is set in Hebrides rather than Cornwall, but features many of the same geographical landmarks as the Upton Towans beach, including the seashore, gardens leading to the sea, and of course the lighthouse.

Bids for the beach are expected to begin at about £50,000, and proceeds from the sale will go to Truro’s Hall for Cornwall theatre. It has been reported that buyers in both the U.S. and China are interested in the Cornish beach. [Via BBC News]

The nearby lighthouse had been slated for closure, but was saved by public outcry in 2005. [Via BBC News]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: BBC News

Lifestyle Gumbo: MJ's Expansive Book Collection + MJ Books Sells Quickly

Say what you will about Michael Jackson—the man was well read. Apparently he was not only an avid reader, but had amassed a collection of 10,000 volumes in his library at Neverland Ranch. [Via Seattle PI]

Perhaps it’s only appropriate, then, that a book commemorating the King of Pop’s more recent life and career is published more quickly than any other. Simon & Schuster Publishers has released today a 500,000-copy run of Ian Halperin’s Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. The unauthorized biography was due to be released in honor of the 50th-anniversary comeback tour, but its publication date was rushed forward. [Via Canada.com]

Montreal publisher Pierre Turgeon says that in his many years in the book business he's never seen anything like the turnaround time of this biography. The publishers attribute the quick turnaround to their strong production team, efficient use of technology, and cooperation from suppliers. [Via Publisher's Weekly]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Fan Pop

Literary Links: Obama Books + Annoying (Bookstore) Customers

Apparently reading our president’s books is a threat to national security. [via Read Street]

Attention all geeks-in-training: Click here to learn how to geek out about P. G. Wodehouse. [via A.V. Club]

“Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity,/ When I give I give my pants.” ~ Walt Whitman [via Vowel Movers]

15 lengthy novels worth reading. “It is possible to find longer novels but we thought it would be unkind to recommend L. Ron Hubbard books or horrendously lengthy self-published beasts.” [via AbeBooks]

July 4th weekend proved rife with annoying customers: “Top 10 Annoying Customer Questions from the 4th of July Weekend.” [via Inkwell Bookstore]

Everyman’s access, via the Internet, to the rare book market has caused severe deflation—a “curse for sellers.” [via Seattle P.I.]

Despite the fact that readers are already paying for texts accessed through the Kindle, Amazon has applied for patents to technology that will embed ads. [via Fast Company]

The PC-police are soooo going to get this kid: American History as explained by an 8-year-old. [via College Humor]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Babble.com

Literary Links: Crazypants Authors + Wince-Worthy Words

And the drama continues: An Open Letter to [reviewer] Roberta Silman re: The Day Alice Hoffman Went Crazypants. [via Hipster Book Club]

Rob Walker’s latest project puts a literary spin on eBay selling. [via Core 77]

A challenge to submit contenders for the title of “The Most Awesomely Bad SFF Cover in the World.” [via Orbit Books]

Are you a re-reader, or do you take books for only a single stroll around the block? [via Newsweek]

Questioning the possible methodology of Borders’ new UK dating site: “Did you enjoy, Mark, 34, of Swindon? Then you should try Gareth, 36, of Slough.” [via Bookslut]

Play around with Wordle: make a web cloud of any piece of text. Here’s one for Catherynne M. Valente’s latest work. [via Wordle]

A group of poets has come up with a list of their most wince-worthy words: “Pulchritude” because it is “stuffed to the brim with a brutally latinate cudgel of barbaric consonants.” [via Guardian]

Looking for a new and interesting way to share the reading experience online? An innovative collaborative reading experience. [via Book Glutton]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Newsweek

Literary Links: Lauren Conrad vs. Joseph Conrad + Un-bad Author Photos

Test your wits! Can you distinguish between the writing of Joseph Conrad and Lauren Conrad? [via The Daily Beast]

Koji Suzuki, the Tokyo-based writer and creator of the horror novels The Ring, among others, brings us a new publishing medium: toilet paper. [via The Moment]

Silver Jews frontman David Berman has released a book of freehand cartoons called The Portable February. See excerpts here. [via Pitchfork]

“Sarah Palin memoir: Now with 25 percent more God!” Sarah Palin will release two versions of her memoir, one for Christians and one for everyone else. [via Quil and Quire]

Looking for the latest outdated children’s books? Your list right here. [via Bookslut]

In an attempt at justifying censorship, the School Board of Campbell High School in Litchfield, New Hampshire seems to have listed cannibalism as part of the “Liberal Agenda.” [via Inkwell Bookstore]

Ready to publish your novel? Then you’ll need to follow this important advice on ways to take a bad author photo. [via Salt Publishing]

Nick Mamatas considers the joy of re-discovering lost books and authors, in relation to author John Fante. [via The Smart Set]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: The Daily Beast

Hedes & Dekes: T.S Eliot's Birthday Bash!

To celebrate the 86th birthday of T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land,” one of the 20th century’s most revolutionizing poems, a contingent of England’s foremost literary voices gathered to read segments of the poem aloud.

Making a rare public appearance was Valerie Eliot, T.S. Eliot’s second wife and widow, who was 37 years his junior and who accompanied him on many of his literary ventures. Said Mrs. Eliot, “It was marvelous to hear Tom’s poems and to have them read so well.”

The event was organized by Josephine Hart, known for pioneering public poetry readings at the British Library. Part of the T.S. Eliot International Summer School, readers included Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, actor Jeremy Irons, "The Wire’s" Dominic West, and actress Anna Cartaret.

Check out the photo, which shows the impressive line-up at this historical event! [Via This is London]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: This is London

Lifestyle Gumbo: [This is Not That] Cafe....Revisisted

Last Thursday, I attended POET night at this is not that CAFÉ, housed at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. What a great event! With hands-on poetry “exhibits” stationed around the room, it became an interactive poetry event, fun for all ages.

In addition to the CAFÉ’s regular features of games, books, friends, and wall poetry, POET Night featured edible poetry, a collaborative poem on an old-fashioned typewriter, light-up poetry, and a giant block of ice on which sat fresh plums, so sweet and so cold (an homage to William Carlos Williams). Click here.

Poets at the various stations interacted with the guests to guide them through the creative process. Everyone in attendance was given the opportunity to create poetry in a hands-on fashion, using tools and methods provided by the poets. The event was interactive on every level. Even the s food was poetry based: there was POET salad (Pine nuts, Oranges, Endive, Tossed, and Green Eggs and Ham (made with wasabi—soooo good!).

Event nights are held at this is not that on the first Thursday of every month. The next event will be FOOD Night, on Thursday, August 6. Be there! [Via this is not that CAFÉ]

* Click here to check out our previous post on this is not that CAFÉ.

--Rachel Frier

Photo: Flickr

Literary Links: C-SPAN Parodies + Wizard Sex

Considering sex in recent Harry Potter movies… and whether such behavior is warranted or even desired. [via Entertainment Weekly]

Ever come across a particularly outdated title in your local library, and wonder who’s keeping an eye on the collection? Enter Mary and Holly. [via Awful Library Books]

If Internet jargon is a bit too technical for you, check out the Circolwyrde Wordhord, a glossary of computer language in Old English. [via Carl T. Berkhout]

Larry Hughes offers a delicious parody of recent book-world news on his list of “Things I’d Like to See This Weekend on C-SPAN’s “Book TV’” [via Book Flack]

Looking for some avant-garde poetry? Look no further than the videos posted on the site of the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. [via Bookslut]

Jonathan Bethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude, selects his favorite New York moments in fiction. [via Newsweek]

Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Golden Plunger Awards considers the ever-evolving English language… and some phrases that just don’t make no sense. [via Neatorama]

Shocking news: Following his recent shenanigans with his Argentine lover, Mark Sanford’s publishers have killed his book deal on A Southern Gentleman’s Guide To Being Conservative. [via Wonkette]

--Rachel Frier

Photo: iWatchStuff