Suspend Your Disbelief

Archive for 2012

Shop Talk |

Mommy, where do blurbs come from?

by Celeste Ng

The always-fascinating TYWKIWDBI points us to the origin of the blurb. According to Wikipedia, The word blurb originated in 1907. American humorist Gelett Burgess’s short 1906 book Are You a Bromide? was presented in a limited edition to an annual trade association dinner. The custom at such events was to have a dust jacket promoting the work and with, as Burgess’ publisher B. W. Huebsch described it, “the picture of a damsel — languishing, heroic, or coquettish — anyhow, a damsel on the jacket of every novel” In this case the jacket proclaimed “YES, this is a ‘BLURB’!” and the […]


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Book-of-the-Week Winners: Fires of our Choosing

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

Last week we featured Eugene Cross’s debut collection Fires of Our Choosing as our Book-of-the-Week title, and we’re pleased to announce the winners: Marisa Birns (@marisabirns) Amanda Persaud (@afavolosa) Colleen (@booksnyc) Congrats! To claim your free copy, please email us at the following address: winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com If you’d like to be eligible for future giveaways, please visit our Twitter Page and “follow” us! Thanks to all of you who are fans. We appreciate your support. Let us know your favorite new books out there!


Shop Talk |

Love it, or hate it?

by Celeste Ng

Is it better to be the only one who loves an unpopular book, or the only one who hates a popular book? Thanks to the Tumblr site I Love Charts, you can now weigh the pros and cons: . Further Reading: Why liking a book—or its popularity—shouldn’t be part of a good review Rick Moody is a popular author writers love to hate. What’s the deal with that?


Reviews |

Arcadia, by Lauren Groff

by Anne Stameshkin

Lauren Groff’s second novel, Arcadia, gorgeously renders a commune’s rise, fall, and life-long resonance for the people who grew up within it. Unfolding as a series of snapshots, the book’s events span the birth of this late-1960s utopia and its central character, Bit Stone, to his middle age in a bleak—and imminent—dystopic future.


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"My novel is going nowhere"

by Celeste Ng

You may have said those words once or twice yourself, perhaps? (If not, please leave this blog. Now.) It may comfort you to know that you are not alone in that sentiment: even established writers think so, now and then—and have for decades, if not centuries. To prove it, Michael Hoffman has combed through the letters of Joseph Roth, finding every mention of his novel The Radetzky March, which would become his masterpiece. Here’s a sampling: November 20, 1930 Joseph Roth to Stefan Zweig: “‘The Radetzky March,’ it’ll be called, set in the Dual Monarchy from 1890 to 1914. I’ll […]


Reviews |

Amsterdam Stories, by Nescio

by Daniel Wallace

The Dutch author Nescio wrote little, quite rarely, and under a pseudonym that means “I don’t know” – yet he’s quite famous in Holland. In the first English translation of his major stories, a group of poor artists struggle to make sense of Amsterdam between the wars. The world is changing out from under them – sound familiar?


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Book of the Week: Fires of Our Choosing

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

This week’s feature is Eugene Cross’s debut story collection, Fires of Our Choosing, which has just been published by Dzanc Books. Cross was the winner of the 2009 Dzanc Prize for Excellence in Literary Fiction and Community Service. His stories have appeared in Narrative Magazine (which named him one of “20 Best New Writers” and his story “Harvesters” a “Top Five Story of 2009-2010”), American Short Fiction, Story Quarterly, TriQuarterly, and Callaloo, among other publications. His work was also listed among the 2010 Best American Short Stories’ 100 Distinguished Stories. He is the recipient of scholarships from the Bread Loaf […]


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Book-of-the-Week Winners: Sweet Talk

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

Last week we featured Stephanie Vaughn’s Sweet Talk as our Book-of-the-Week title, and we’re pleased to announce the winners: Amber Sparks (@ambernoelle) Thomas Hill (@launchpadpress) Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) Congrats! To claim your free copy, please email us at the following address: winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com If you’d like to be eligible for future giveaways, please visit our Twitter Page and “follow” us! Thanks to all of you who are fans. We appreciate your support. Let us know your favorite new books out there!




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