Robert Bruce

LATEST ARTICLES ( 529 )

• Here’s How NOT To Buy A House

  I’ve only read the prologue and first chapter of A House for Mr. Biswas, but I love the premise of the novel. It’s simplistic—almost Seinfeldesque in a... Read more

  Posted on 11 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• T.S. Eliot Explains The Problem With Modern Day Writing

  

  Keep in mind, he said this in 1921.                      That comes from Eliot’s The Perfect Critic. Photo and credit to K Street Hipster on Twitter. I’ve read... Read more

  Posted on 10 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Next Up: A House for Mr. Biswas

  You guys voted for the next novel last week, and A House for Mr. Biswas it is.This novel is V.S. Naipaul’s only appearance on the Time list. Time describes the... Read more

  Posted on 09 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• What’s Your Favorite Word?

  Following my recent post about annoying words, I thought I’d change it up for this Monday Question.Instead of a question about books, let’s talk about words. Read more

  Posted on 08 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Your Search Questions Answered, Volume 22

  

  It’s time to take another look at the wacky, wild world of unedited search terms that somehow find their way to 101 Books.This is the 22nd edition of Your Searc... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Help Me Pick The Next Novel I’ll Read

  So this is the post where I usually select and preview my next read, but I thought it would be fun to let you guys weigh in this time. Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book #76: Lucky Jim

  

  Confession: I never got into Lucky Jim like I expected to.This was a novel I looked forward to since I first learned its premise. Lucky Jim is a short... Read more

  Posted on 03 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Ferguson Library Is A Light On A Hill

  If you haven’t been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you probably know that Ferguson, Missouri isn’t exactly the best place to be right now. Read more

  Posted on 02 December 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Giving Literary Thanks, Year 3

  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. So, for each of the last three years, I’ve paused and given thanks to many things book related.Let’s revisit that... Read more

  Posted on 26 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Kingsley Amis On Writing Humor

  I keep going back to this Paris Review interview with Kingsley Amis, just because it has so many good nuggets of wisdom and insight. And, yes, I just used the... Read more

  Posted on 25 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• What’s Your Bookshelf Strategy?

  Do you have a bookshelf strategy?Like, what goes in your bookcase? And do you organize it any certain way?Do you opt for the showcase books? Maybe hard covers... Read more

  Posted on 24 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Literary Fun With Google Translate, Part 2

  Let’s have a little fun with Google Translate again.We tried this a few months ago with mild success, so I thought I’d give it another go. Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Best Description Of A Hangover In Literature

  Take it away, Lucky Jim. Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• I’ll Have The Rejected Manuscript, Bartender

  

  I’m shopping a book idea around at the moment, so I’ll take a strong rejected manuscript, please, on the rocks. I’ve featured Tom Gauld on the blog before. His... Read more

  Posted on 19 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Kingsley Amis: My Sex Scenes Are Kinda Lame

  Here’s another clip from a great interview The Paris Review conducted with Kingsley Amis.Amis was asked about a professor who had called his work... Read more

  Posted on 18 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• What’s Your Favorite Sci-Fi Novel?

  It’s Monday Question time!Last week, the European Space Agency managed to land a space probe on a moving comet that’s 377 millions of miles away. Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Bookish Pet Peeve #8: Preachy Authors

  Here’s how I phrased this in my literary trick or treat post:“Proselytizing has no place in literature.”Some context: I’m a Christian. Not necessarily the... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Kingsley Amis On Character Development and Language

  This question The Paris Review asked Kingsley Amis reminds me of a discussion we had about Tolkien’s writing style back when I read The Lord of the Rings. Read more

  Posted on 13 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Do You Lie About Reading Books?

  

  Ever lied about reading a book? Of course you have.Buzzfeed published a pretty entertaining quiz that gives you a good luck on how often we lie about reading... Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Most Awkward Office Party Ever

  Lucky Jim is a novel full of beautiful awkwardness.Amis’s style and tone remind me of Anthony Powell’s writing in A Dance To The Music Of Time.You might recall ... Read more

  Posted on 11 November 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE