An ivory and gold toothpick once owned by Charles Dickens has sold at auction for $9,150 (that’s £5,600) – no, really, his toothpick! It is engraved with the writer’s initials and has a retracting mechanism. One lucky collector will really be able to wow his or her visitors. “Hey, you will never guess what I’ve got over here,” they’ll say.
Wouldn’t you be tempted to use the toothpick just once? After all it’s been in a very famous mouth.
Over at The New Yorker, bestselling author David Sedaris posted some of the books he’s read over the past year. Confessing that he is both lazy and not lazy, he revealed a love for audiobooks which allow him A) to not have to read a book for himself and to B) be able to do household chores while listening.
So what did David Sedaris read and listen to in 2009?
* His favourite audiobooks based on the perfect book/actor-reader blend:
* His favourite short-story collections:
* Novels
Beloved English novelist Jane Austen was born on this day in 1775, which, if she were alive today, would make her…. 234. I wonder what she’d be writing about if she were still alive and writing? I often wonder what people from a long time ago would think if they were transported to the present instantly. I imagine they would be simultaneously amazed at the technology and convenience of cars, iPods, airplanes, and terrified at the extent to which other things have sunk. I imagine Laura Ingalls Wilder holding a bottle of lemonade and looking at the words “MADE WITH 25% REAL LEMON JUICE” in bewilderment, and wondering what the hell else was in it.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Jane Austen! If you need a last minute gift idea for a serious book lover in your life, a beautiful, collectible Jane Austen edition would be a wonderful gift, and we have a good selection. And really, everyone should read Pride and Prejudice before Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Just sayin’.
It’s cold. I’m shivering. My fingers are white and sore. I have an almost unbearable desire to be on a beach. All I can think about is sun, warmth, sand. Maybe a frozen beverage or two. This week’s contest features novels where people escape (or do they?) to more temperate climates. Have at it.
The author of the first fully correct response wins a copy of the new anthology “On the Money: The Economy in Cartoons, 1925-2009.” Submit your answers via e-mail, and in the event of confusion, consult our official rules.
Set your work aside for a bit this afternoon, grab a cup of coffee, and join me and Jon as we chat with the amazing Lydia Davis about the art of the short story, jacket design, her cat, the art of the very short story—all sorts of things. Click on this link when the time comes, and you’ll be taken to the chat (you can also click it now to sign up for an e-mail reminder). You’ll be able to submit questions for Lydia, or you can just watch the conversation from the sidelines. Once the chat is over, it will be posted on the Book Bench. Just think! When, at Christmas, you give your loved ones copies of “The Collected Stories,” you’ll also be able to give them a transcript of you chatting with the author.
