I am Michael Dirda, Pulitzer-Prize winning book critic who has been called the best-read man in America. : IAmA

Michael Dirda on Reddit. Very cool conversation.

Critical Linking: May 17, 2012 | BOOK RIOT

“‘I’d take off Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I read it perhaps 25 years ago and have never understood why others hail it as a classic. I find its entire premise repulsive.’ It’s one thing not to like Lolita. It’s another thing to be unable to understand why others might admire it. And, FYI: everyone finds the premise difficult.”

The Hemingway Papers

“The legendary writer’s reporting from the Toronto Star archives, featuring historical annotations by William McGeary, a former editor who researched Hemingway’s columns extensively for the newspaper, along with new insight and analysis from the Star’s team of Hemingway experts.”

Abandoning Books with No Remorse | BOOK RIOT

‘I’m a loud and proud book abandoner. That’s right, I will stop reading a book if I’m not enjoying it. I like to say, “life is too short for bad books” because that’s catchier than saying “life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy and/or are not the right fit for you.” I’m a copywriter, I always go with pithy even if it’s slightly inaccurate. Becoming an abandoner was a long, slow process. For most of my life I believed that if I started a book I had to finish it. It didn’t matter how much I loathed every page *cough* American Psycho *cough*. If I read page one, I was all in. Most people I know are finishers. It’s as though there’s this weird, unspoken commandment. Thou shalt finish all books. Why is this? Where did it come from? Really, I’m curious. If you know, please do share.’

The Millions : The Appeals and Perils of the One-Word Book Title

“Ever since I fell in love with Jernigan I’ve been drawn to books with one-word titles – partly because Sonny Mehta loves one-word titles, but mainly because they can be so enviably concise and memorable, so perfect. At their best, one-word titles distill content to its purest essence, which is what all titles strive to do, and then they stick in the mind. Sometimes, of course, they fall flat, and much of the time they’re just lukewarm and vague or, worse, falsely grand. Over the years I’ve developed categories and a pecking order. Here is my unscientific and by no means exhaustive taxonomy, beginning with the best and ending with the worst kinds of one-word book titles:”

The Least You Need to Known by Lee Martin

Every time I think I’ve found all the great writing blogs out there, I find another one. Nonfiction writers, check this one out.

3 outstanding books for your spring reading list

Three book recommendations from author Daniel Pink: two non-fiction books about India and Pakistan, and a novel he calls “one of the best novels I’ve read in years.”