Anyone who thinks authors would not stoop to trash-talking a fellow writer has another thing coming. Authors have egos that bruise like overripe peaches and will lash out at the slightest provocation. Provocations include boredom, low sales (you are convinced that it only takes the right person to acknowledge your brilliance), high sales (convinced that…
Read More "You Offend Me, Sir! Top 10 Insults from One Writer to Another"
Today, of course, we all learned of the death of Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALS, the culmination of years and years of military intelligence and super sleuthing. The world of espionage is undeniably fascinating and thousands of works, both fiction and nonfiction, have been written on the topic. If you cannot get enough spy…
If you have ever felt badly for not having read one classic work of literature or another, here's a dirty little secret that we professorial types are generally loathe to confess: no matter how well-read one is, there are always gaps in our reading. It simply isn't possible to have read everything ever printed, even…
Read More "Top 10 True Confessions of Professors and Other Literary Types"
"American history is a quagmire, and the more one knows, the quaggier the mire gets." — Sarah Vowell Sometimes it's fun to get into the muck of politics, so we thought that for President's Day this year, we would offer you some titles that offer insight, personality, behind-the-scences intrigue, and sometimes humor in consideration of…
Read More "Ten Presidential Ponderings: Memoirs, Biographies, and More"
You didn't think we here at eNotes would let Valentine's Day go by unnoticed did you? As soon as we came down off our sugar highs, we began composing our list of favorites. Here, by demand and consensus, are ten of Cupid's best pairings (at least in literature). 10. Petrarch and Laura. Ahh...Laura...the original "woman…
It's almost that time again. Valentine's Day is coming up and you'd like to do something a little more romantic for your beloved than the typical Hallmark greeting card. Fortunately, we here at eNotes are prepared to be your very own Cyrano. Here are some of the best love poems ever penned. 1. "She Walks In Beauty" by…
Authors rarely have any say in what cover art is chosen to adorn their works. The interpretations can often be down-right ridiculous. Here, for your viewing pleasure/horror are the worst-of-the-worst, the baddest-of-the-bad, and the silliest-of-the-silliest. Here we have Jane Eyre, apparently channeling Jane Russell. Jane's supposed to be homely?? That'll never sell. And perhaps her…
Ahhh the holidays! For lots of us, a few days off means lazing in bed and catching up on some reading and movie-watching. You may be tempted to do a bit of both by renting or buying a film based on a book. Some are wonderful, some are...well... stinkers. Here are five films you should avoid…
