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The Literary Shitlist

SB Sarah over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has written an excellent post about what she terms the Never-Buy Line. The Never-Buy Line is that invisible line we all draw when we say, “<INSERT AUTHOR’S NAME HERE> has really fucked up, and I’m not reading any of his/her books EVAHHHHHHHH AGAIN!!!” (it is imperative you say EVAHHHHHHHH AGAIN in your best Alexis Carrington voice). The fuck-up in question could be of any variety: the author has expressed an opinion you don’t like, the author has confessed to plagiarism, the author has confessed to backing over a toothless hillbilly’s shack with her Hummer, the author has admitted his cat, Sprinkles, is the mastermind behind his USA Today-bestselling novels. Whatever the reason, the Never-Buy is reserved for authors you won’t read, either ever again or ever at all.

Sarah mentions an excellent example of an author she would Never-Buy because of the author’s stance on homosexuality. I’m not going to link to the author in question here, or even mention her name, because homegirl is batshit crazy and ass-backwards in her thinking (visit SBTB to read the filthy details), but I proudly admit that I am with Sarah on this one (as I usually am): I will never, ever read that author. It isn’t about not giving the author money; it’s not even about the fact that the author has stated on her website her views on homosexuality: it’s about the proclamations of so-called “morality” and “good Christian ethics” that she clearly feels are intrinsic to her character, which means it affects everything she does. Even the books she writes. Especially the books she writes. And I’m not supporting them, financially or intellectually. And I ain’t readin’ ‘em.

In the same vein, I won’t read or buy Stephenie Meyer, and I am ashamed to admit that I saw the film version of Twilight. Not because I hated it (surprisingly, I didn’t), but because Meyer is Mormon (which I didn’t know till after I saw the movie). She is a devoted Mormon, in fact, and a part of being a good devoted Mormon is tithing a certain amount of one’s salary to the Mormon Church. Which means Ms. Meyer directly supports the church’s initiatives through her tithes — one of which, of course, was Prop 8. Let’s make it clear: Meyer has never made a public statement on this issue one way or another. But does she really have to? She’s a gazillionaire, and if she’s giving 10% of that to the Mormon Church every year, a lot of her money is going right into the hands of some really repulsive church initiatives. All I know is that I am not adding to Ms. Meyer’s gazillions.

There are, of course, other authors I would Never-Buy. Some for political reasons, others because they just aren’t my style, and still others because I find them shady. The list isn’t terribly long, but there is indeed a list. My literary shitlist.

How’s about you? Who’s on your literary shitlist?

Story Source Smart Bitches, Trashy Books | Image Source Risto Pakarinen

February 9, 2009 | Filed Under Authors | 6 Comments

The Trailer Park Has Old Timey Visitors

I’ve collected trailers for three different books, all featuring stories set in the long, long ago, when ladies wore corsets, men wore dickeys, and everyone bathed once a month. Damn those were good times.

First up, Gilded by Catherine Karp. This is the story of old timey Emma and her desperate desire to bust out of the restrictions society has placed on her.

Next we have Alanna Coca’s Wyoming Solace, an historical romance with a strong emphasis on the erotic. Melikes those odds, especially when it involves cowboys.

Lastly, we have something a little different. La Bestia Feroce by Andrea Ventura is in Italian. I don’t speak Italian, but I’ve always wanted to learn, and watching this trailer was all sorts of titillating. I have no idea what’s happening, but I can’t take my eyes off it!

January 30, 2009 | Filed Under Trailer Park | 6 Comments

Adieu, Book World…

In yet another sign of the craptacular financial clusterfuck our country is in, The Washington Post has announced it will do away with Book World, its regular book section. Book World is one of the last remaining stand-alone book review sections in a daily newspaper.

Books will now be a part of the Style and Outlook sections. Great…look for an in-depth criticism of Proust right below an article featuring the latest in pastel-colored legwarmers. Wait. Does anyone wear legwarmers anymore? Or am I the only one?

Deputy Editor Rachel Hartigan Shea, who probably does not wear legwarmers, says the Post prints around 900 book reviews every year. She is hoping the publication will not suffer more than a 25 percent drop in the number of reviews published. Details of the new approach, however, are not definite.

Book World’s final edition will be published next month.

Story Source Yahoo | Image Source The Washington Post

January 29, 2009 | Filed Under Newsies | 1,203 Comments

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WHAT IS A SNARK?

The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.