Saturday, November 18, 2006

Reading...watching...

It's been my pleasure to read a manuscript by Bryon Quertermous, an interview by Tribe and a story by Steve Allen this week. All three were very fine. So many great writers out there. I notice this in my writing groups too. There must be more people writing now than ever before. Although perhaps less reading. Standing in line at Borders last night, the average person was not buying books.
The last small journal, that no one's ever heard of, I sent a story to wrote back they get several hundred submissions a week. A week! And publish only 6-8 a a year. Amazing.
Saw Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell and we were disappointed. The part cried out for an actor with more style, more going on beyond the mask--perhaps Bill Murray in his younger days. I did think Maggie G. and Hoffman were great. Dustin would have been perfect in the part 25 years ago. It did have a bit of the graduate feel to it.
Read Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne. What an odd but engaging book.
What are you reading? I have the Richard Powers book that won the National Book Award sitting on the TBR pile and the The Keep by Jennifer Egan and the bio about James Tiptree. Has anyone read these?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

The Tiptree bio has been begging me to read it for weeks, but it's buried in the pile somewhere. I started Sean Doolittle's The Cleanup last night.

Anonymous said...

I just finished The Cleanup, it rocks. And I've got The Keep on top of my pile as well as Winters Bone. Right now I'm rereading The Sports Writer, one of my favorite books ever.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Love Winter's Bone. I keep making everyone I know read it. Also Richard Ford's Independence Day is a great followup to The Sportswriter. I will get the Doolittle book right away. Thanks.

Maria said...

I loved The Keep, but I'm kind of afraid the plot is going to drive you nuts. I haven't read the other two. There was an interesting spot on NPR about the Tiptree book. They have it on their website.

I'm reading Jamie O'Neill's At Swim, Two Boys, and plodding through a book of short stories.

Any desire to go see Running with Scissors?