From TLS, books we have never read: A review of How to discuss books that one hasn’t read by Pierre Bayard; Brain droppings and brats of humour: A review of New Foundling Hospital for Wit, 1768-1773; a review of Being Prez: The life and music of Lester Young by Dave Gelly; and a statement from the Commission for Racial Equality, calling the book “racist claptrap” which should be removed from bookshops, has made Tintin in the Congo into a bestseller.
The masses aren't asses: Harry Potter is a true literary success — no matter what some critics say. Harry's next conquest: Academia: A massive conference planned for Toronto next month will explore all things Potter. Pottering Around: The end is near! Scott McLemee checks on the scholarly response to Harry Potter as devotees await the final chapter. Hogwarts U.: With courses, clubs, and quidditch at colleges across the nation, the magic of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world is far from ending. A look at how the Christian Fantasy Genre builds niche without Hogwarts, muggles or spells.
From Busted Halo, Jane Austen meets Jesus: The book that will make John D. Spaliding rich and famous. A brief history of American Audio Bibles: Casting Samuel L. Jackson in the role of God says as much about the power of Pulp Fiction as it does about hermeneutics, but imagine a God that sounded like Eartha Kitt. From Ars Disputandi, God, Master of Arts: An essay on the relation between art and religion: What does theology have to do with art in this (post)modern period? A review of Fra Filippo Lippi: The Carmelite Painter by Megan Holmes. A review of Mosaics as History: The Near East from Late Antiquity to Islam by G.W. Bowersock.
From Common-place, National Character: An article on Daniel Day-Lewis, American historian. Treks and tales from the far North: Inuit artists share the stories that inform their art; the Porcupine caribou herd on awesome parade – and a photographer who isn't afraid to risk lens and limb. Grow op, garburetor, and timbits are a few of the words expected to be added to the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles in its first revamp in 40 years. Time to say au revoir and arrivederci to misplaced romantic notions: Claire Prentice on shattering national stereotypes.
A review of American Food Writing: An Anthology With Classic Recipes. The deep delicious South: John T. Edge, America's bard of Southern food, talks about Kool-Aid pickles, eating with the KKK, and how okra might be the ultimate tool of integration. A review of Bad Food Britain: How a Nation Ruined its Appetite by Joanna Blythman. Rise of the terroiristes: Appellations began in 1935 to protect French winegrowers from fraud. Now they are found on everything from cheese to fruit to hay. They are not just a brand for the brandless, writes Andrew Jefford, but a way of sensually mapping the world. The beer-ifation of class: Catherine Tsai deconstructs the process by which a new style of beer is born.
