Robert Bruce

LATEST ARTICLES ( 529 )

• Here’s What’s Next For 101 Books

  This is it, friends.I’ve been trying to figure out what I want do with this blog when the 101 Books project is over. That’s still probably two-ish years away,... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A Prequel To Gone With The Wind Is Coming

  I’ve never quite understood why readers would be interested in a sequel (or prequel) written by someone other than the original novel’s author.Essentially,... Read more

  Posted on 31 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Bookish Pet Peeve #6: Speed Reading

  Why?Why in the name of all things holy would I want to speed read?Okay, I understand if I’m researching for a paper and I want to skim through a large amount... Read more

  Posted on 28 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Harry Potter Readers Are Stupid

  So says A.S. Byatt, author of Possession. I’m paraphrasing.The more I read about A.S. Byatt, the less likeable she seems.Last week, we talked about her... Read more

  Posted on 27 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Here’s Your Chance To Be In A Film About Hemingway

  Here’s your chance to be in the pictures.Casting for a movie about Ernest Hemingway is about to get underway in Miami and Los Angeles. According to Project... Read more

  Posted on 26 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A Story Within A Story Within A Story

  I’m over halfway through Possession at this point, and I’m dizzy.As a general rule, I believe a novel should have at least made a small amount of plot... Read more

  Posted on 25 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Kids! Cats! Reading!

  I hate cats, but even I have to admit that this is pretty adorable.Berks Animal Rescue League in Berks County, Pennsylvania has an afterschool program for kids... Read more

  Posted on 24 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• 101 Books Mailbag #2

  Thanks to everyone who asked questions on Tuesday for this second version of the 101 Books Mailbag. I also pulled a few questions I didn’t get to last time to... Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A.S. Byatt: “I’m Terrified of Accidentally Tweeting.”

  I stumbled across this interview that The Guardian did with A.S. Byatt a few years ago.In much of the interview, she discusses the difficulties of... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Next 5 Novels Will Be…

  Well I’ve done it. I’ve gone and picked up my copies of the next five novels I’ll be reading from the Time list.Dare I say we’re getting close to the homestretc... Read more

  Posted on 19 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• It’s Mailbag Time!

  It’s mailbag time.The first 101 Books mailbag back in December went fairly well, so let’s do it again!Got a question for me—about the Time list, my blog, my... Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• I Can’t Read Your Book

  .At some point during the last year, I started getting a lot of book review requests.I’m honored that people want me to read their novel and use my small... Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• 20 Fictional Characters I’d Have A Beer With

  Ranking books is a fruitless exercise. It’s inherently subjective and people get pissed.For example, I loathe Mrs. Dalloway. But when a Woolfite sees that I hav... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Did This Screenwriter Cross The Line?

  We’ve all had the experience of reading a novel, loving it, then being terribly disappointed by its film version.In my 6 Things That Suck About Reading post las... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Search For Zora Neale Hurston’s Grave

  

  We’ve moved on past most of the discussion on Their Eyes Were Watching God, since I reviewed the novel last week.But I didn’t want to miss the chance to point... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Revisiting “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”

  

  Today’s kind of a lazy post, but it’s relevant.Many critics, and even A.S. Byatt herself, have acknowledged Possession is a response to John Fowles’ 1969... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Famous First Sentences Diagrammed

  

  I must admit that I’m a bit of a grammar nerd…with one exception.I loathe diagramming sentences. I think I missed that part of middle school English. Just the... Read more

  Posted on 10 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• 6 Things That Suck About Reading

  

  I love books. You love books.But let’s be honest, some aspects of books and reading suck. They just do.I’ve told you about my some of my issues in my bookish pe... Read more

  Posted on 07 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Next Up: Possession

  The title of today’s post sounds a little like you guys should be expect an exorcism on the blog soon. But let’s hope things don’t get that dramatic.Possession... Read more

  Posted on 06 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book #68: Their Eyes Were Watching God

  Here is my one word, highly academic, response to Their Eyes Were Watching God:Wow.Five years from now, if you ask me about some of the books I’ve read from... Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE