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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Louisiana School Librarian of the Year Seeking Legal Action After Slander Campaign

The president of the Louisiana Association of School Libraries speaks at a local library board meeting and met with harassment. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-08-02 15:08:14 UTC ]
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Attention book lovers: your dream job is hiring again.

Yep, you guessed it: “Barefoot Bookseller,” the greatest job in the literary world, is once again accepting applications. Would you like to run a bookstore on a desert island in the Maldives for a year? What if I told you that you weren’t allowed to wear shoes . . . or read the news? I […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-01 13:04:38 UTC ]
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Book Review: “Yoga,” by Emmanuel Carrère

In his latest book, the French author celebrated for his deeply personal accounts of tragic events embraces meditation as a means of learning to write “without fabrication.” But telling the truth is complicated. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-31 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Review: Emmanuel Carrère's new meditation memoir has an NDA-sized hole at its center

'Yoga' charts true-crime master Emmanuel Carrère's journey from intensive meditation to mental breakdown — but leaves out the divorce that derailed him. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-26 13:00:18 UTC ]
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A Classroom Without Books: Florida Teachers Told To Remove Classroom Libraries for Review

Following the "Don't Say Gay" bill, Florida teachers have been told to pull their classroom libraries until each title has been approved. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-25 17:58:04 UTC ]
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Review: This tender, original queer YA novel will likely be banned. That's not why you should read it

Lio Min's 'Beating Heart Baby' follows two boys who meet online and ultimately grapples with the joys and perils of making public art. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-25 13:00:45 UTC ]
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PEN America Marks 100 Years

The literary advocacy and human rights organization marks the occasion with a museum exhibit, its first Congress of Writers in nearly a century, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Fire 7 (2022) review: You don't get much for $60

If you want a tablet just for browsing the internet, watching videos and playing games, you won’t need anything fancy. Amazon’s Fire tablets are exactly that. Most of them are under $200, and the Fire 7, which has been updated for 2022, starts at just $60 ($75 if you don’t want ads on the lock... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-07-21 15:00:54 UTC ]
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Fable Book Club App Review

The Fable app is a new platform that aims to make reading more social. Here's what one writer thought of it. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-20 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Review: ‘Dirtbag, Massachusetts,’ by Isaac Fitzgerald

Isaac Fitzgerald’s “Dirtbag, Massachusetts” is a memoir about male misbehavior and the struggle to make sense of oneself. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-16 09:00:11 UTC ]
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China’s Market Growth Rate This Year: Down 13.8 Percent

With COVID-19 outbreaks and tough lockdowns, China's January-to-June book market growth rate fell back, all sales channels impacted. The post China’s Market Growth Rate This Year: Down 13.8 Percent appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-07-14 20:38:28 UTC ]
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The Best Places to Find Audiobook Narrator Jobs for Beginners

Finding audiobook narrator jobs for beginners can really be hard especially if you don’t know where to start. Here’s where to find them. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-13 10:37:00 UTC ]
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Billboards with Quotes From LGBTQ Books Placed in Book-Banning States

For Pride month, Penguin Random House installed billboard with quotes from LGBTQ books in areas where LGBTQ books are being banned. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-11 20:07:06 UTC ]
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StatShot: US Industry Down 12.6 Percent in April; 2.3 Percent Year-to-Date

The StatShot report from AAP shows United States trade book industry revenues falling 8.9 percent in April and 1 percent year-to-date. The post StatShot: US Industry Down 12.6 Percent in April; 2.3 Percent Year-to-Date appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-07-11 17:32:26 UTC ]
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The best Kindle: Reviews and buying advice

The Kindle is the reigning leader among e-readers. But Amazon makes several models—knowing which Kindle to buy depends on your budget and your reading preferences. That’s where this guide comes in. With our help, you’ll find just the right Kindle for you or your lucky loved one. Amazon’s E... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-07-07 16:00:00 UTC ]
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Review: “Mordechai Anielewicz: No to Despair” by Rachel Hausfater

A new historical fiction series for young readers highlights “the importance of standing up for what you know is right.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-01 04:20:49 UTC ]
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IPA’s Africa Publishing Innovation Fund Pivots to Accessibility in Fourth Year

In its fourth and final year, IPA’s Africa Publishing Innovation Fund will support publishers in accessibility. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson ‘Opening the Literary World to Everyone’ ur readers will recall that at mid-June, we had the announcement of the Africa... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-06-29 10:33:25 UTC ]
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A year on from Apple Daily’s closure, what’s left of Hong Kong’s free press?

With the newspaper’s founder and senior editors jailed, other pro-democracy media outlets shut and 1,000 journalists out of work, can press freedom survive in the territory?Read more: ‘My career is finished, my friends are in prison and I’m an alien in my city’: life after Hong Kong’s Apple... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-06-24 05:01:07 UTC ]
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The 25 Most Significant New York City Novels From the Last 100 Years

Four writers and one bookseller gathered over Zoom to make a list devoted to fiction in which the city is more than mere setting. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-06-22 09:08:54 UTC ]
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New books delve into Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year evolution

Fans of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II have new options for learning about her seven-decade reign. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-18 12:00:58 UTC ]
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