what i’m reading: the ghost map by steven johnson
Since quitting my horrible job, I’ve discovered that I actually can read for myself during the school term. I can’t read as much as I’d like to, but then, I…
what i’m reading
what i’m reading: shoulds vs. wants
An ongoing theme in my life has been ridding myself of as many shoulds as I possibly can – or, to put it more positively, to spend my time doing…
we like lists: list # 19: more eponyms, subcategory edition
Eponyms everywhere! Who knew? Our most recent list of eponyms was a smash success. It gave rise to at least three subcategories, as I wrote here: – Inventor/creator/discoverer, not genericized.…
what im reading: john henry days, by colson whitehead
Here I am again, gushing about another novel by Colson Whitehead. For my last grab at pleasure reading before trudging back to my grad-school cell, I went back to the…
we should all miss gore vidal
I’ve been looking for some fitting tribute to Gore Vidal, who died last week at age 86, to post here. The internet is full of Vidal’s aphorisms and his cutting…
we like lists: list # 16: conformity and its discontents
Allan is in the midst of a giant Stephen King reading and writing project, and in honour of that, I’m reading my first ever book by Stephen King. From this…
what i’m reading: further thoughts on ralph ellison’s invisible man
Before reading Invisible Man, I thought the book’s title referred to the invisibility of black men in white society, but it turns out I was mistaken. Ellison didn’t call his…
what i’m reading: invisible man meets the zombies of zone one
I’m in the middle of reading Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, now removed from the Famous Books I Haven’t Read Yet list. The novel is an exploration of African-American identity in…
what i’m reading: "zone one" by colson whitehead
I’m currently reading Zone One, by Colson Whitehead, a book I might never have picked up if it hadn’t been written by one of my favourite authors. Fortunately for me,…
what i’m reading / marxism 2012 program notes: "too many people?" population, immigration, and the environment
I’ve just finished reading Too Many People? Population, Immigration, and the Environmental Crisis by Ian Angus and Simon Butler. Co-author Angus spoke at the 2012 Marxism conference; I wasn’t able…
and so to bed: thank you, phil gyford and thank you samuel pepys
One of the oldest and most well-respected bloggers has brought his online journal to a close. Since January of 2003 – 18 months before I began wmtc – I have…
b*tches in bookshops: don’t let me forget this page
Books, bookstores, and New York City! Plus hip hop girls. This video has it all. Thanks to Stephanie.
jean craighead george, 1919 – 2012
Jean Craighead George, author of some classics of children’s literature, died a few days ago. In one of those eerie coincidences that seem to happen so often, I was just…
maurice sendak, 1928-2012
Maurice Sendak. He will be missed, and he will always be with us.
what i’m reading: what is the what by dave eggers
I’m in the middle of reading a pair of books that approach a similar subject in different ways. What Is the What is Dave Eggers’ fictional memoir of the Sudanese…
linkathon part 2: charlotte’s web at 60
Two great books – both children’s classics, and both simply great books for any reader – had milestone birthdays this year. A Wrinkle In Time, which I’ve blogged about before,…
happy birthday to charles dickens from eric blair
For reasons unnknown, Blogger will not allow me to follow my friend’s NN’s blog for more than a few hours. It insists on dropping Stacked-NYC from my reading list. Because…
baseball history meets the information
The best part of James Gleick’s The Information was, for me, his history of communication and information technologies. Here’s a terrific article that applies that lens to baseball: “The History…
final thoughts on james gleick’s "the information"
Two weeks ago, I wrote some impressions of The Information, by James Gleick. (If you read that earlier post, do also read the comments.) I was hoping that the book…