RIASS stuff:
Book Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides'Rating: 
Book Review: Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure by Joanne Harris'Rating: 
Book Review: The Scent of Lemon Leaves by Clara Sanchez'Rating:
Other bookish stuff:
Philip Roth is feeling a wee bit of wrath over Wikipedias refusing to allow him to edit his wiki entry'The issue is that the entry says that Roths'The Human Stain was inspired by the life of Anatole Brayard. Roth himself says that it was inspired by an event in the life of his late friend Melvin Tumin. Though the entry has now been corrected, this only happened after some back and forth with Wikipedia, who noted that Roths statement would require a secondary source to back it up.
A bit belated, since National Bookshop Day has passed, but heres a great reading list of MG and YA SF/F books featuring characters from diverse backgrounds.
On using great first lines to market books'The author has been using catchy first lines from YA as shelf talkers. Some of these include:''If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it.' from'The Teacher's Funeral'by Richard Peck;''There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife.' from'The Graveyard Book'by Neil Gaiman (see my review); and''The monster showed up just after midnight.' from'A Monster Calls'by Patrick Ness (see my review)
Great SF authors share their writing setbacks and how they triumphed'The list of authors includes Connie Willis (I think my biggest stumbling block as a writer was my own self doubt.), Jo Walton (Mine was when my first husband told me that my writing totally sucked and wasnt worth a damn.) and David D Levine (My biggest stumbling block has been simply making the time to write.)
An interview with Zadie Smith about her latest novel NW'Whenever I write a novel I'm reminded of the essential hubris of criticism. When I write criticism I'm in such a protected positionWhenever I write a novel I'm reminded of the essential hubris of criticismFiction has none of these defences. You are just a fool with a keyboard.
John Yeoman on theme'Yeoman urges avoiding themes that are too overt (ie, manifestoes), but rather aiming for something that slowly works its way to the top of the story. If youve already written your story, the theme should already be there, but may need to be brought out a little. Stories should not, he says, be written around a theme. If you do come up with a theme first, readers should be coaxed towards finding that theme, rather than being dumped into its midst.
Books remind us that were not alone'The author says that books are mirrors in which we can find not only ourselves, but our connections to others; they also help us face that which we would rather not face in ourselves. This is so very true, I think: reading has put me in so many situations I would never otherwise have experienced, and has encouraged me to think about themes and issues and problems from perspectives that I might not otherwise have considered.
Michael Chabon on his latest novel'Telegraph Avenue, which he feared would be a flop'Two years into the book, he says, he feared it was terrible, and abandoned it. Abandoning books, however, seems to be part of Chabons creative process: hes done it multiple times in the past.
Shannon Hale on male:female author ratios in YA'Interestingly, although were constantly hearing that there are far more female authors than male in this genre (notable for the very fact its notablewhenever do people raise an eyebrow about men outnumbering women?), the NYT bestsellers are predominantly male authors.
Rushdies'Midnights Children may not be screened in India'Ah, Rushdie, making friends the world around.
Howard Jacobson,'also making friends with his general acerbic grumpiness.'I hate the phrase literary fiction. I write fiction. The others write crap.
11 books every woman needs to read in her 20s'Oh dear. Epic blogger fail from me. Still, Ive got three more years to get through these
Yet more types of readers! Which are you?
Sex euphemisms from the 1800s'Blanket pipe? Bread and butter? Goodness!
Agent Susie Townsend on dead genres (no, not zombie fiction)'Dead genres are those where the market is oversaturated, or where theres little reader demand. Townsend argues that by writing in a genre that you love, your chances are still better than if youre writing purely'for the market. Even if the novel you so love is in a genre thats oversaturated, its possible that it will catch the eye of someone who loves it as much as you do, or that someone will be intrigued enough by it that they want to see what else youre working on.
Food from childrens books'Butterbeer, Turkish Delight, and more!
An interview with author Chris Cleave:
mmmThe teachers funeral? That sounds fantastic! Its on my list!
Sounds like it worked!