THE STORY SPOT

Blisfully oblivious to the fact that neighbours south of the border are increasingly estranged from the written word, Canadians continue to devour books–fiction, especially!–as a cultural norm.
Evidence: CANADA READS 2009.
Read on »

My advice is [that] you have to sit in the chair and you have to read other people’s stuff and you have to do it all the time. If you can do those two things, you’re well on your way.
– Donald Ray Pollock

Donald Ray Pollock is a newly published writer who was recently interviewed on Michael Silverblatt’s Bookworm. The quote above is taken from that interview.

Incidentally, authors are not usually invited to the show having published a single book. Pollack started writing in his forties, left his long-term occupation in his small town to pursue his MFA, and talks of how his life has changed as a result of his leap into the creative great beyond.

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock on Amazon.com
Pollock on KCRW’s Bookworm
Pollock’s official site

The Atlantic’s single-issue, annual fiction compendium is a must-read for those still able to do so.

Fiction, poetry, and essays by Wendell Berry, Ann Patchett, Aryn Kyle, Linda Bierds, and more.

The Atlantic’s Fiction Issue 2008

The Guardian has posted a quickie guide to the best books to take along when travelling, whether to a serene cottage or to a forested wilderness. There’s also this:

Top five classic airport novels
1 – The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy (1984)
2 – Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins (1983)
3 – Lace by Shirley Conran (1982)
4 – Riders by Jilly Cooper (1985)
5 – The Firm by John Grisham (1991)

Summer reading: how to pick the right book for any trip at The Guardian.

Lists, lists, and more lists! In case you didn’t find what you needed here, try this:

The Los Angeles Times 2008 Summer Reading List compiled by fellow Antioch devotee, Books Editor David Ulin.