The Clare McLean Shortlist

AL Kennedy, the recent winner of the Costa Book Award, has been nominated for the brand-new Scottish literary award, the Clare McLean Award. She is joined on the shortlist by Ali Smith and Alasdair Gray for "Girl Meets Boy" and "Old Men In Love" respectively.

(Oh, did I mention that I have a first edition of "Old Men in Love" signed personally by Gray "To Karie says Alasdair"..? I just thought I'd slip that one in.)

I'm a touch excited by this. I should also get around to reading Gray's latest novel - but I'm slightly anxious that I might defile my lovely copy somehow. Oh.

Dodge Vs Lodge

Ah, the first of many possible author showdowns: David Dodge versus David Lodge. Popular culture author versus acclaimed literary critic and author. Is there really any competition here? Won't Lodge just throw Dodge to the floor?

Ah, but to quote Øystein at the I <3 Books messageboard: "Well, Dodge has a packmule and a one-eyed goth-trannie; Lodge has a tilde-spewing factory and a cricket bat-shaped woman. Really, Lodge had no chance here, poor fellow."

Also, I'd like to remind you, dear reader, that David Dodge wrote To Catch a Thief (the book). When did you last see Cary Grant or Grace Kelly in a David Lodge-based film?

Re-Arranging Letters

Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous application as it infringes upon Scrabble's copyright. Scrabulous is one of the two reasons why I have not grown entirely tired of Facebook yet (the other being Staries where I'm trying to get above 19000 points because I'm a sad individual). I might reconsider my Facebook profile if Scrabulous is pulled - although there is something to be said about reconnecting with people you haven't seen in fifteen years (what that 'something' is I will leave for you, dear reader, to decide).

On a much brighter note, this book just arrived in the post and seeing as I finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell last night, that is damn good timing. Thoughts on Strange & Norrell will be posted once I have finished processing it in my head.

Finally, the book widget question. Now Reading appears to be quite useful as a tracking tool rather than as a library tool. By that I mean that it enables me to track what I am reading (thus making the Books 2008 page rather obsolete) but it cannot keep track of my book collection. I'll keep it for now but any book widget suggestions are still warmly welcomed.

Edit: more on Facebook, Scrabulous and infringing copyrights

Destroy in Order to Create

To make a Dadaist poem:

* Take a newspaper.
* Take a pair of scissors.
* Choose an article as long as you are planning to make your poem.
* Cut out the article.
* Then cut out each of the words that make up this article and put them in a bag.
* Shake it gently.
* Then take out the scraps one after the other in the order in which they left the bag.
* Copy conscientiously.
* The poem will be like you.
* And here you are a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.

- Tristan Tzara

Turning the Page

Ah, 2008. How wonderful to start off a new year with being unwell (hence the 'no update' bit). I spent most of New Year's Eve in hospital and have spent all of 2008 (so far) being unwell. This ranks as possibly the least promising start to a year.

But I am at home in my pyjamas, alas. I drink (decaf!) coffee, sleep a lot and read when I am awake. I'm currently making my way through the latter stages of Sarah Waters's The Night Watch which has proven substantial enough to keep me interested and lightweight enough to allow me to sleep when I need it.

Here's to 2008 improving.

Eliot the Fanboy

TS Eliot was a Doctor Who fan fiction writer?!

While ‘Four Quartets’ has received due attention for its literary merits, until now no critic has touched on its merits as a piece of fan fiction.

Well, I laughed.