uh.

Somewhat deliberately, I’ve avoided reading news reports about the drama between Amazon and MacMillan until now.  I don’t own a kindle (or any other e-reader) so I’m not personally invested in this in any way, so I figured it might be best to ignore it.

This morning I finally read a few articles on the subject and was surprised by what I found.  If you’d like a good summary of the whole debacle, I’d suggest reading David Parkman’s “Weighing in on Amazon/Macmillan Pricing Debate,” (it’s the most factually relevant article I found on this subject, though you might find it slightly skewed toward the pro-Amazon side).
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lright. I’ve got to admit it. Twitterature bothers me.

You can read my original post about it here.

I’ll admit that the book could be funny, after all there’s clearly a bit of humor that has gone into its production, however I dislike the way this book was put together and marketed.  It seems to me in poor taste that a couple of undergraduates will make money off of what are essentially low-quality CliffsNotes.  It also seems in poor taste to me that Penguin’s website for the book only hints at the comedy, while also strongly pushing the notion that shortened, comedic, and easy-to-read blurbs about literary classics are more accessible and enjoyable for the modern reader.

The only reason I’m making yet another post about this book is this comment I received on my earlier post on the subject: ¶ View In Entirety… →

t turns out that I missed the boat the first time around on The Time Traveler’s Wife, so in light of the movie’s imminent release, I thought it might be a good idea to see what this novel is all about. As a Chicago resident and book lover, not to mention romantic, I found myself incredibly pleased with this book. At this point, almost everyone in the literary world has either read or heard about this book, and countless others are soon to see the movie (though I recently learned in a conversation with the author, Audrey Niffenegger, the movie might now be worth the ten bucks you’ll spend on it), and now I know why. This book is quite frankly one of the most fantastic love stories I have ever read, and it’s not just a love story.

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Q.  What was the inspiration behind The Sad Epistles?  Throughout the collection, you seem to be writing about a relationship between the narrator and another person.  Care to elaborate?

A.  This is probably the one question I shouldn’t answer, but, yes, the collection is about a relationship between the narrator and another person.  I started and ended the series during two very difficult moments in the relationship: one, when I thought it was over, and two, when I knew it was over.  The poems follow my journey through a very difficult and painful realization which is, unfortunately, one of those things you have to realize at some point: that even if you love someone more than life itself, it may not be enough.

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he names of prominent Chicagoans are engraved in stone throughout newly constructed Pritzker Park, on the corner of State and Van Buren Streets.  One of those Chicagoans happens to be Sandra Cisenos.

Wait, …what?

The author’s name is actually Sandra Cisneros. An error seems to have occured somewhere between the Chicago Public Library and Speedy Gonzalez Landscaping, the company who did the engravings. This may shed a little more light on Cisneros’ recent negative comments on her experiences growing up in Chicago as a Latina.  Given that her name has been spelled incorrectly, etched in stone, and displayed in a public space in downtown Chicago, I find it hard to blame her.

orgive me for posting about Printer’s Row again, but the Tribune’s review of the event screams to be shared.  Phil Vettel seems to have enjoyed the event, praising its success despite the weather.  His review is mostly a list of highlights.  There are authors, there are booksellers, and there are “picture perfect moments.”  He writes:

“Picture-perfect moment: A strikingly attractive woman in jeans leaned up against a building, taking occasional photos of the goings-on, while a fellow in a baseball cap, as discreetly as possible, lined up his camera to capture the good-looking girl leaning up against the building. Had I brought my camera …”

What is this stalkery creepiness doing in a Tribune article?  Go to Printer’s Row, you might buy some books, but you might also get to take pictures of cute, unsuspecting girls?  It’s sad to me that women can be turned into objects even in the middle of a Tribune article on a book fair.  I expect a higher level of journalism from them.

In other news, if you’re interested, the Tribune also has an article praising Dalkey Archive Press that is thankfully free of information about how many attractive women work there and the author’s, or anyone else’s desire to take pictures of them.