Category Archives: writing

On Finishing a Novel, Softly

Posted on April 2, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I haven’t been posting anything of late as I’ve been plunged into my own writing—specifically, finishing a novel. I’m usually amused at depictions of writers in movies, how cornball they often are: Usually the writer begins a novel by … Continue reading →

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On Neil Genzlinger's "The Problem With Memoirs," a Witty Look at Bogus Memoirs in NY Times, or a Book Review With Balls, plus a ShoutOut to Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!"

Posted on January 29, 2011 by williamjcobb

I haven’t been blogging much lately because I’m caught in a vortex of Academic Hell, coping with various problems brought on by our sickly economy, and here’s to hoping it will end soon: the bad economy, that is. Academic Hell … Continue reading →

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The Classic Library v. Kindle Disposability of eBooks

Posted on January 15, 2011 by williamjcobb

Over the holidays something struck me (as all wrong) about the rise of ebooks and “Kindle editions”: In Colorado I have a kind of classic library, not a zillion crappy paperbacks, but a good number (around a thousand, I would … Continue reading →

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On Chuck Closterman's Zombie Analogy and Stephen Graham Jones's "The Ones That Got Away"

Posted on December 5, 2010 by williamjcobb

It seems everyone is trying to deconstruct and decode the recent zombie craze, including Gail Collins in the NY Times, who wrote a funny piece about the zombie Congress, and this morning Chuck Closterman has a good(ish) piece in the … Continue reading →

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On Dave Eggers's "Zeitoun" & the Odd Feel of Finishing a Book via Kindle: the Latex Comes Between Us

Posted on November 7, 2010 by williamjcobb

So I’ve just finished reading Dave Eggers’s Zeitoun, and here’s an easy reaction: It’s certainly a good addition to the many books written about the Katrina disaster. It makes you feel ashamed of our government’s disaster preparedness and, in particular, … Continue reading →

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My Kindle Arrives! (Big Deal.) Now What?

Posted on September 10, 2010 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been swamped lately with too much reading, including reviewing Joseph Skibell’s 593-page novel titled A Curable Romantic (“It’s okay, but I really wish it were longer . . . .”), & really don’t even have time to think … Continue reading →

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