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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The German Book Prize Announces Its 2022 Shortlist

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-21 01:42:16 UTC ]
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It’s official: Book-banning attempts aimed at libraries are way up this year.

The American Library Association has released its preliminary data on attempts to censor books or limit library resources, and the numbers are bad. From Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, there were 681 “attempts to ban or restrict library resources,” targeting 1,651 titles in total. This number already exceeds... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-16 16:06:45 UTC ]
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Anne Heche was working on another memoir before she died. It hits shelves next year

Anne Heche died in August of injuries she sustained from a fiery car crash. She published her first memoir, "Call Me Crazy," in 2001. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-09-15 21:01:10 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2022-09-15 10:00:43 UTC ]
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Queen Elizabeth II: A Life in Book Reviews

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Greenleaf: Stewards of Storytelling for 25 Years

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British Academy Book Prize Announces Its 2022 Shortlist

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Area man named Bob Jablonski returns library book called Hitler 77 years overdue.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-02 14:55:57 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-22 08:52:55 UTC ]
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Here are the meanest lines from the Times review of Jared Kushner’s book.

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