Hatchet Job of the Year shortlist - 2013's most negative reviews in quotes

Tasters of the reviews competing for the annual prize that recognises 'the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past 12 months'News: Hatchet Job of the Year award draws and quarters shortlistCraig Brown on Distant Intimacy: A Friendship in the Age of the Internet by Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein in the Daily Mail"A few years ago Raphael emailed Epstein with the suggestion that 'there might be some fun, not to mention $$$' in emailing each other for a year, then publishing the results. And so they get going, each of them dutifully delivering between 1,500 to 1,800 words a week, every week for a year. The first thing to be said about their exchanges is how extraordinarily unpleasant they are [...] Anyone unfamiliar with the literary world will, I think, be astonished at the ease with which these grand old men of letters turn into queeny old hairdressers, furiously bitching about their younger, prettier or more highly regarded rivals.Rachel Cooke on Strictly Ann: The Autobiography by Ann Widdecombe in the Observer"When Ann Widdecombe appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, the judges were not complimentary, describing her variously as "a dancing hippo", "a Dalek in drag" and "the Ark Royal". [...] Is Widdecombe's writing any better than her dancing? No. About the best you can say for her prose is that it is accurate. Her grammar is fine – Ann is a stickler for grammar – and her anecdotes make sense in that they have a beginning, a middle and an end.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #paul theroux

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Naomi Duguid 'The Miracle of Salt' Cookbook Review: A Vital Reference for Pickling, Preserving, and Flavoring

Naomi Duguid’s The Miracle of Salt is a magnificent single-ingredient trip around the world. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2023-08-22 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Can You Guess the Fantasy Book Based on Its 1-Star Reviews?

Are you a fantasy mega-fan? Well, let's put it to the test: Can you guess these fantasy books based only on their 1-star reviews? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-21 10:35:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook Review: ‘The Ghost Club,’ by Kate Winkler Dawson

Kate Winkler Dawson’s audiobook original reveals the origins of a society of occult-obsessed supernaturalists that included Dickens, Doyle, Yeats and more. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-08-18 09:00:23 UTC ]
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Read the very first reviews of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club.

Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk’s era-defining debut novel about a load of disaffected men beating the bejesus out of each other in order to feel alive, was first published twenty-seven years ago today. The book rapidly gained a cult following, was adapted into one of the most iconic movies of the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-17 15:30:58 UTC ]
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London’s FT Business Book of the Year: A 15-Title Longlist

The FT Business Book of the Year issues a 15-title longlist, with a six-title shortlist ahead and a winner to be named in December. The post London’s FT Business Book of the Year: A 15-Title Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-16 16:57:51 UTC ]
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Amazon hardware VP Dave Limp set to retire after almost 14 years

Dave Limp, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, has announced his pending retirement from the company. Limp has been with the company for nearly 14 years and, as his title suggests, oversaw Amazon’s transition into dedicated hardware devices like Kindle e-readers,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-15 18:23:15 UTC ]
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In London, Schroders Backs the Business Book of the Year Award

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-07 20:19:16 UTC ]
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Video and Audio Downloader Pro 2 review: Save YouTube videos and more

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[ PC World | 2023-08-04 16:46:51 UTC ]
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New Stephen Hawking children’s book to be published next year

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[ The Guardian | 2023-08-04 12:26:34 UTC ]
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The Gutenberg Parenthesis by Jeff Jarvis review – why print culture is key to the future

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[ The Guardian | 2023-08-02 11:00:02 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘A Pocketful of Happiness,’ by Richard E. Grant

The Oscar-nominated actor’s new memoir is at once a Hollywood air kiss and a moving tribute to a happy marriage that ended too soon. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-08-01 09:01:10 UTC ]
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Video and Audio Downloader Pro 2 review: Save YouTube videos and more

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[ PC World | 2023-07-31 17:44:06 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child marks seven years in West End

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[ BBC News | 2023-07-30 06:50:32 UTC ]
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Read W. H. Auden’s 1954 review of The Fellowship of the Ring.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 16:55:39 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 09:07:50 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 09:00:49 UTC ]
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Actions of bystanders — including kids — saved 3-year-old from drowning in B.C. lake, police say

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[ CBC | 2023-07-26 23:27:15 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-24 18:10:37 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2023-07-24 12:36:36 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2023-07-20 09:00:24 UTC ]
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