For even the most seasoned of book nerds, a trip to the beach can raise some difficult questions. After all, you don’t want to waste your precious vacation minutes reading something you’ll forget by the time your suntan fades, but a beach towel is also (probably) not the ideal location to tackle Ulysses. With this weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, Flavorwire has you covered with a list of twenty decidedly highbrow but still totally beach-appropriate… Read More
Sam Lipsyte
Photos of Famous Authors Performing With Their Bands
This week, while reading an exceptional mini-profile of Sam Lipsyte over at Vulture, we came across a delightful photo of the author performing with his punk band of 20-odd years ago. Inspired, we set to searching out the long-forgotten (or relatively recent) photos of more of our favorite authors and their bands. After the jump, check out our roundup of famous authors rocking out onstage. … Read More
10 New Must-Reads for March
If it’s anything, March is a month of transition — that liminal space between February’s harsh cold shoulder and April’s underhanded promise of spring. So why not weather the awkward weeks reading? Luckily, this March boasts a spectacular spate of new books, from essential reissues of forgotten classics to sparkling debut novels to new forms from modern masters. Click through for ten of our must-reads for the month… Read More
Flavorpill's 30 Most Anticipated Books of 2013
If killer short story collections, triumphant returns, and more delicious-sounding novels than you can shake a stick at sounds like a good thing to you, then 2013 is shaping up to be a banner year for new… Read More
The 10 Best Slacker Novels According to Adam Wilson
Though we’re sure he’s no slouch himself, Adam Wilson sure knows a thing or two about the intricacies of slackerdom. His debut novel Flatscreen, which hit shelves this week, is the hilarious story of professional slacker Eli Schwartz — perpetually stoned, uncomfortably doughy, cheerfully lewd — who is forced to face up to certain facts of life (and required to put on pants) when his (parents’) home is purchased by an aging, sex-addicted ex-TV star in a wheelchair. As you might imagine, hijinks ensue, most of which are relatively unflattering to our friend Eli, but he manages to slouch and whine his way towards a satisfying conclusion. Since he’s the expert, we asked Wilson to tell us about his all-time favorite literary slacker novels — click through to check out his (also very funny) list, and then be sure to tell us about your own preferred misanthropic reads in the comments! … Read More
An Essential Post-Breakup Reading List
So, maybe Valentine’s Day didn’t go too well for you, or you’ve been in the doghouse for a while, and it’s finally the end. What to do? Well, if you’re anything like us, you’ll look for solace in a book, of course. For those of you who had a less than successful Valentine’s Day (or any day, for that matter), we’ve put together an essential post-breakup reading list, to help you get through the hard times. After all, a book can do almost everything a significant other can — give you companionship, make you laugh, and make you look cool at parties — but er, don’t try to cuddle with it. We have options for every kind of relationship mourner — those who like to wallow, those who need a little fictional guidance, those who need an attitude adjustment, and those who want to forget the whole thing entirely and focus on something else. Click through to read our reading list for the lonely hearted, and let us know which books have gotten you through the break up blues in the comments! … Read More
HBO Developing Comedy from Novelist Sam Lipsyte
More exciting news for what we consider an under-served demographic — lit geeks who also really love TV: Author Sam Lipsyte, who took us on a walking tour of Astoria when his hilarious book The Ask came out last year, is developing a new show called People City for HBO with… Read More
The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. Feminist punk legend Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex (aka Marianne Elliot Said) has died after a battle with breast cancer. She was only 53. [via NME]
2. Flavorpill favorite Sam Lipsyte has a new short story in this week’s New Yorker. Read it in full here.
3. In other New… Read More
Life Advice from Jennifer Egan and All Your Other Favorite Authors
One of our go-to Monday morning reads (seriously, bookmark it) is The Days of Yore, a stellar blog that interviews artists of all stripes about the time before they were successful. It is consistently inspiring, thoughtful and flat-out wonderful to read – and whether you’re an aspiring artist, writer, musician or some combination thereof, there will be someone to give you some pithy life advice. When one of our very favorite authors, Jennifer Egan, won the Pulitzer this week for her mind-blowing novel A Visit From The Goon Squad, we were thrilled to see her Days of Yore interview go up soon after, and it got us thinking about all the great life advice from amazing authors just dangling out there in the universe, waiting to be collected. Click through for some curated advice and musings from Jennifer Egan, George Saunders, Gary Shteyngart, Wells Tower, and well, you know, anyone who’s anyone, and if you get inspired, be sure to click over to the whole interview. … Read More
Judging Countries By Their Covers: US vs UK Book Jackets
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a country by the kind of covers it puts on its books? We’ve always found the cover changes between US and UK editions of the same books pretty interesting – they must be reflective of our different cultures in some way incomprehensible to us. After all, book jacket designers are trying to capture the attention and imagination of their target populace, so it’s fascinating to see what the experts think will attract a Brit versus what they think might attract an American. Inspired by the annual US vs UK book cover comparison of Rooster contenders over at The Millions, we decided to make a list of our own, comparing the covers of our favorite books from last year — and, just for fun, a few of our favorite books from years past. Click through to see the comparisons and our picks for the winners, and let us know what you think in the comments! … Read More
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