Alex Kuczynski Further Distancing Herself From the Disgusting Book Critics
Back in April, when Alex Kuczynski last contributed to the New York Times Book Review, she struck out against "jealous book critics" who like tearing down modeling novels because they "aren't tall and gorgeous" and because they want "to wield their puny amount of power to establish some sort of moral order." She sort…
Agonizingly, Jonathan Lethem 'Parses' an Ian McEwan Stone
Well, you have to hand it to the Crystal Leth, at least he's bringing something better than plot summary to the increasingly torpid Times Book Review. Lethem has the cover review, of Ian McEwan's novel(la) On Chesil Beach, in this week's Summer Reading issue, and he dives into close reading—yes, close reading—with…
Book Review Unveils Startling Equation As Explanation For Urban Alienation
Interested in turning your world from "blasé to rosé"? The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine, featured in today's Times Book Review, chronicles the lives of some pretty lonely folk—lonely, that is, until they are rescued from anomie by some heroic canines. No simple matter of dog being (wo)man's best friend, apparently…
'New Yorker' Staff Invades Times Book Review
Okay, so maybe they're not quite invading, but there sure seem to be a lot of them in this week's issue. First there's Dana Goodyear on page 28 with a short piece on Liza Dalby's East Wind Melts the Ice. Then Louisa Thomas, who appears to be an editorial assistant to David Remnick, chimes in six pages later on…
Ben Kunkel Ponders Biography of Self, Nirvana
In tomorrow's Times Book Review, 2005's it-novelist Ben Kunkel reviews Everett True's Nirvana: The Biography. Though there's no doubting Kunkel's competence in the relevant literature — apparently, Heavier than Heaven is "badly marred" by the influence of she-devil Courtney Love and Come as You Are "scants [the band…
Alex Kuczynski: Book Critics Ugly, Power-Hungry
Alex Kuczynski, writing in this week's New York Times Book Review, delivers a taut, 850-word piece on the debut novel by 80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova. Between this and her article on virginity from March 24th, that's two appearances in the NYTBR in three weeks. Might the Kucz be moving over to books full-time now…

