More nuggets ( Read more... )

So I'm reading this book on the history of dueling. It's called Gentlemen's Blood and is written in an amusing high-whoopsie style by historian Barbara Holland, who seems scarcely to believe that the things she is writing about actually happened. Which, the further in you get, becomes more and more understandable as a reaction ( Read more... )

Here is a nice passage from Sore Winners, a surprisingly thoughtful book of essays on post-9/11 culture by John Powers, a film critic and editor at the L.A. Weekly:

THese were the guys who had spent the previous decade refurbishing the old America-as-Decadent-Rome analogy -- you know, the country had become so permissive and relativistic and ( Read more... )

- Working. Busy busy at Yellow Rectangular Border Publishing (we're in the middle of a huge project), busy busy with freelancing (I have a ton of small gigs between now and the end of summer, and one very big gig that will be very hard but will pay more than any writing work I've ever gotten ( Read more... )

As you probably know from my relentless whoring of the fact, I am one of the staff bloggers at Nerve.com's indie film site, the Screengrab. Which, it was announced today, is a finalist for a National Magazine Award!

Even though I have only been writing for them for three weeks, I would like to officially take credit for this.

I tell you, the things you find on the internet without even trying.

The fact that these are actual published novels -- indeed, New York Times bestsellers -- makes me feel a lot better about reading comic books, but also a lot worse about finishing my novel.

Dear friends,

As you know, I love you. Some of you more than others. But today is the day for love, and here is my loving gift to you:

The High Hat issue #8 is up.

We all sweated like hell on this to get it out on time, and I hope you'll enjoy the results; this issue's theme is first loves -- the art, music, film, and culture that first ( Read more... )

Like memes! I don't normally do those unless they have to do with iTunes, and only then because a ridiculously outsized mp3 collection is what I have instead of a life. But this one, which came to me via slammerkinbabe and to her via someone I don't know, is all highbrow and literary and stuff, plus it allows you, the Skullbucket reader, to be funny! Which ( Read more... )

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM R.J.B. BOSWORTH'S BIOGRAPHY OF MUSSOLINI

1. Jim Halpert's claims notwithstanding, only a small amount of Dwight Schrute's speech before the annual sales convention was from Mussolini's 1941 "War Statement". Other portions were from Hitler, Lenin's "Declaration of the Soviet Government", The Communist Manifesto, Martin ( Read more... )

Since I apparently forgot to start doing the Ludic Log again (but check back in '07, why not), I thought you might all be interested in what I'm reading right now. Because I know your lives are all so empty that they need filling with the cultural interests of an imaginary person on the internet.

I've just started Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day ( Read more... )