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 Slate Book Review Top 10 of 2013

Monday: Slate staffers pick their favorite books of 2013. Tuesday: The overlooked books of 2013. Wednesday: The best lines of 2013, and the best poetry of 2013. Thursday: Dan Kois’ 15 favorite books. Friday: The Slate Book Review Top 10. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shortlist revealed for 2013 T S Eliot Prize

The shortlist for the £15,000 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry has been revealed, with publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kirkus Reviews Celebrates 80 Years with NYC Trip Contest

It may be astonishing that a print publication devoted to book reviews still exists, but it does — and Kirkus Reviews wants to give you a free literary trip to NYC. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2013 Man Booker Prize Shortlist Led by Crace, Catton

Favorites among year's six Booker Prize finalists — which "shows the English language novel to be a form of world literature" — are Jim Crace and Eleanor Catton. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN American Center Announces 2013 Shortlists

The shortlist nominees for the 2013 PEN Literary Awards have been announced. Categories include debut works, nonfiction, picture books and translation. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books Ireland Reveals 2013 Shortlist

The shortlist of ten children's book titles selected by Children's Books Ireland honors Irish authors and illustrators, and six final winners will be announced on May 8. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiercest Book Critic of 2012? Camilla Long Had The Year’s Sharpest Hatchet

The Guardian called it: "Camilla Long’s comprehensive shredding of Rachel Cusk’s memoir of her divorce, Aftermath has won her the Hatchet Job of the Year award.” Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RoNA Romantic Novel of the Year shortlists

Katie Fforde (pictured), Jenny Colgan and Kate Morton are among the authors featuring on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over 1,000 library jobs will go next year, says CILIP

More than 1,000 library staff will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, according to a new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Binet debut on Waterstones Book of the Year shortlist

A debut novel translated from French is among the six titles shortlisted for the inaugural... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper Jobs Shrink 40% In 10 Years

While plenty of industries have shrunk over the last couple years, few have been hit as badly as newspaper publishing, which was already contracting before the economic downturn began. Since then, economic woes have simply reinforced the long-term tr ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish Sports Book of the Year shortlist revealed

Titles on rugby, cycling, horse racing and Gaelic games have been shortlisted for this year... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The best design book of the year is a 700-year-old poem about Hell

Artist Sophy Hollington created a gorgeous reimagining of Dante’s ‘Inferno.’ It’s not every day that an illustrated edition of a 700-year-old classic poem explodes on Kickstarter, surpassing its $100,000 goal in less than a week. But then again, it’s not every day that an author is so... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-06-25 09:15:00 UTC ]
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Four More Years: A Look at Books Released During Leap Years

Happy Leap Year! Let's look back at the books that dominated bestseller lists on previous leap years. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Years Later, ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ Wields Different Magic

As his own life unfolds, an artist reconsiders his reaction to Joan Didion’s memoir about loss. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-17 10:04:10 UTC ]
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If your New Year’s resolution is to read more books this year, this is why you shouldn’t | Max Liu

From ‘all the books I read this month’ pictures on Instagram to Goodreads targets, we are forgetting to read for pleasureHow long will it take you to read this article? It would almost certainly take me longer. On average, adults read about 240 words a minute, but I always exceed those pesky... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-31 09:00:13 UTC ]
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Variety Notches Best Year of Revenue in Its 117-Year History

Entertainment trade publisher Variety, part of Penske Media Corporation, has notched a year of record revenue and reach, partly thanks to capitalizing on heightened consumer interest in the rapidly transforming film and television industry. The publisher posted the highest-ever revenue of its... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-12-05 12:11:04 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: Raven Named Bookstore of the Year, Lowe Named Sales Rep of the Year

The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kans., was named 'PW' Bookstore of the Year in a virtual awards ceremony held during the U.S. Book Show. Commission rep Kurtis Lowe of Book Travelers West is 'PW' Sales Rep of the Year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A winner of this year’s Windham-Campbell Prizes dropped out of the literary scene for 40 years.

New hero alert: Wong May, the winner of this year’s $165,000 Windham-Campbell Prize in poetry, who expressed surprise at the award given than she has consciously eschewed the literary world in favor of the work itself. On the Windham-Campbell website, Wong May has one of the all-time great... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-29 19:56:25 UTC ]
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