Bennett at Lori’s karaoke birthday party last night: “I feel so symbolic every day.”

I finished ‘Mating’ this morning and I’ve been in a bad mood ever since. What an odd book. When it was published in 1991 it won the National Book award and got a ‘C’ from Entertainment Weekly, whose reviewer disdained its never-named anthropologist narrator for “utter[ing] unspeakable sentences like ”The original conceit was [...]

The narrator of ‘Mating’ by Norman Rush is full of irritating affectations, like her tendency to talk like an SAT prep guide (“He was acute. I was so labile it was ridiculous.”) I had almost given up on her when this passage struck me.

“If I overdwell on this it can’t be helped: love is [...]

Early in Jincy Willett’s new novel ‘The Writing Class’ — and aren’t you already sold? I was! — we realize that Jincy, who like her protagonist teaches writing workshops, isn’t worried about ruining her reputation and scaring off any and all potential future students. Thank god. The novel, in addition to being an [...]

Hey so! I wrote about reading books about the Internet and, somehow, Walter Benjamin.  If you take random quotes from that review out of context you can make it mean whatever you want it to mean!  To clarify, though: I don’t want anyone to stop blogging or using the Internet forever, you silly kids.    All [...]

High on newly-gleaned information about subtle anatomy — did you know your thumb is connected to your coracoid process? Seriously, right now, touch your right coracoid process with your left hand and then wiggle your right thumb and then be like whoaaa, duuude — I decided it would be a smart idea to walk [...]

Prius drivers and bike riders are both helping to lower carbon emissions. But when you’re riding a bike you learn to hate the Prius because of the creepy noiseless way it sneaks up on you.

(*When something isn’t ironic but it is sort of “Ironic,” it’s Alanic.)