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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Book Review: ‘Seven Empty Houses,’ by Samanta Schweblin

The stories in Samanta Schweblin’s “Seven Empty Houses,” a finalist for the National Book Award in translated literature, tear down the delicate scaffolding of home. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-10-14 09:00:09 UTC ]
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Here’s the shortlist for the 2022 T. S. Eliot Prize.

The T. S. Eliot Prize, the prestigious literary prize that honors new poetry collections in the UK, has announced its shortlist of 10 books. Judges Jean Sprackland, Hannah Lowe and Roger Robinson determined the shortlist from a record submission pool of 201 books; each of the poets on the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-13 16:59:04 UTC ]
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Padma Lakshmi will host this year’s National Book Awards.

Big news for the (in my experience, huge) Venn diagram center of book lovers and Top Chef fans: Padma Lakshmi will host this year’s National Book Awards. Lakshmi is the bestselling author of multiple cookbooks as well as a children’s book and a memoir, and host of Top Chef (AKA the show that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-11 15:50:31 UTC ]
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Monoprice 24-inch CrystalPro review: A budget monitor with accurate color

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[ PC World | 2022-10-06 10:45:00 UTC ]
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Thirty Years Later, Kids Still Love 'Stinky Cheese'

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Alex George Named 2022 Midwest Bookseller of the Year

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Robb Pearlman's Year of 'Star Trek'

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Review: The follow-up to Namwali Serpell's debut novel is less grand — and better for it

Critics raved over 'The Old Drift,' Namwali Serpell's epic debut novel. Our critic prefers her more difficult, intimate follow-up, 'The Furrows.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-09-27 13:00:37 UTC ]
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The UK’s £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize Names Its 2022 Shortlist

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-27 08:47:37 UTC ]
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NI comic book artist's Marvel-lous dream job

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[ BBC News | 2022-09-24 05:42:24 UTC ]
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Recommended reading: Hilary Mantel’s review of Kate Atkinson’s debut novel.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-23 14:57:31 UTC ]
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Canada’s $75,000 Cundill History Prize: 2022 Shortlist

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-23 12:24:47 UTC ]
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Canada’s $83,000 Cundill History Prize: 2022 Shortlist

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-23 12:24:47 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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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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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-16 16:06:45 UTC ]
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[ 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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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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