Lists! The 50 Coolest Books Ever, Daddy-Oh. And while I’m glad Perfume made that list, I think Ayn Rand is a bit over the sell-by date by now, don’t you agree? Also, three books from NPR celebrating the antiheroine, but Flavorwire decides to go with 10 Literary Bad Boys. And Musicians Who Should Write Books (although some have, indeed). For the late bloomers among us, the Huffington Post has 7 Authors Who Prove It’s Never Too Late to Start a Writing Career. And for the mathematicians among us, 10 Popular Maths Books as picked by Ian Stewart. USA Today features 30 upcoming books (btw… a new You Review Round is in the works! I’m hoping to have it up here next week.).
- Should you happen to be in London between now and March 1st, then go visit the “Words, words, words” installation in Selfridges on Oxford Street. Part of that exhibition is a pop-up library as well. If, on the other hand, you are heading to Bulgaria, do try to find Plovdiv and the little trolley bus-turned-library there.
Quiz! A week late, but how well do you know your fiendish creatures in books? I don’t, as my 7/13 score shows… (Am just glad I answered that Tolkien one correctly, considering how often I’ve reread The Lord of the Rings!) Also, how well do you know your Adrian Mole? I’ve only ever read the first two, so I’m rather surprised I scored 7/10!
- Tips on living a better life from the great playwrights, poets and novelists. “Keep it homey with a bingo board to occupy your guests when you’re in the mood to retreat to the next room and shoot yourself.”
R. I. P. Reginald Hill, probably best known for his Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries, has died aged 75. You can read obituaries here and here.
- Awards! John Burnside has won the (controversial) 2011 T. S. Eliot Prize, for his poetry collection Black Cat Bone.
- For those of you not in need of reading glasses yet, try these books written on grains of rice.
- Did you notice that the English version of Wikipedia was unreachable on Wednesday? In case you didn’t know, it was in reaction to the SOPA/PIPA bills currently being considered by the US Congress. BBC News explains SOPA/PIPA and gathered some viewpoints.
Interview! Well, a short Q&A really, with Joanna Trollope, about her most recent book Daughters-in-Law. A rather more proper interview can be found here, with Padget Powell, author of The Interrogative Mood (composed entirely out of questions) to celebrate his latest, You and I.
- And finally: How to turn an old suitcase into a travelling library.
