-John Milton

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The Christian Science Review revisits Discovery gunman’s inspiration, MY ISHMAEL by Daniel Quinn.

The Washington Times opines on the value of Richard Dawkins THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: THE EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION.

And here’s a look at what reviews Publishers Weekly set aside exclusively for their online readers.

Daniel Quinn gets dragged into the ugly mess of the Discovery Channel gunman. (FOXNews)

Maryann Yin recaps the finalists for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. (GalleyCat)

Neal Stephenson releases a serialized digital novel. (seattlepi.com)

Stuart Evers goes off on authors who get too long-winded in their acknowledgments. (Guardian Books Blog)

Laura Fraser officiates over a battle between chick lit and dude lit. (The Daily Beast)

Stephen Elliot sets up an audio interview with author Steve Almond. (The Rumpus)

M.A. Orthofer links to new issues of two literary magazines. (The Literary Saloon)

R.I.P. George Hitchcock, poet and publisher of kayak. (KansasCity.com)

“On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London began, enkindled by the King’s baker when he failed to damp his oven properly. The Diary of Samuel Pepys provides a fascinating eye-witness account, from his first horrified sighting of “an infinite great fire,” to digging a pit for his best wine and cheese, to a final walkabout “with our feet ready to burn.”" (Today in Literature)

-Anthony Trollope

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Meghan McCain uncorks her opinion on DIRTY SEXY POLITICS.

The California Literary Review has great appreciation for Philip Ball’s THE MUSIC INSTINCT: HOW MUSIC WORKS AND WHY WE CAN’T DO WITHOUT IT.

The Christian Science Monitor isn’t quite ready to deify Jonathan Franzen for FREEDOM (nor for THE CORRECTIONS, for that matter.)  Here’s what they liked about it and what they didn’t.

Cindy Woodsmall - New York Times best-selling author of Amish Fiction - talks about what led her to write and her first interaction with an Amish girl in prep school:

Cindy Woodsmall Talks About What Led Her to Become a Writer from waterbrook multnomah on Vimeo.

The Seven Year Bitch author Jennifer Belle says writers should write what they want to write. (GalleyCat)

Steve Almond leads the charge in a “meditation on editors, ambition and angry dependence”. (The Rumpus)

Borders is shutting down its San Francisco operations. (San Francisco Examiner)

The Virginia Quarterly Review has temporarily closed its offices and canceled its winter issue after the suicide of Kevin Morrissey. (NYTimes)

Attention grammar police: June Casagrande gives fair warning about some changes in the new edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. (Glendale News Press)

Justin Peacock finds the that today’s great social novels are being written by crime authors. (The Daily Beast)

Matthew Pearl reports from the front lines of the “novel wars”. (Huffington Post)

M.A. Orthofer offers some commentary on the relative editing skills of traditional publishers. (The Literary Saloon)

Carolyn Kellogg explores whether a hit book means a hit movie. (Jacket Copy)

Scott Butki chats it up with Body Work author Sara Paretsky. (seattlepi.com)

What’s the best position for reading in bed? (Reading Copy Book Blog)

Alison Flood adds her perspective. (Guardian Books Blog)

Georgie Williamson writes in defense of “old-world critics”. (The Australian)

“On this day in 1939 Germany invaded Poland, starting WWII. This gave moment to W. H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939,” one of his most famous poems, and one of many attempts to figure how “the windiest militant trash” could have us all “Lost in a haunted wood.” On this day two years later, the yellow star was made obligatory for Jews in Germany; and this day three years after would be Anne Frank’s last before learning her fate: the last train bound out of Holland for Auschwitz.” (Today in Literature)

-H.G. Wells

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Juliet Fortier reaches to take a new angle on the angst-template for heroines, JULIET.

YOU LOST ME THERE, by Rosecrans Baldwin, is reviewed by The Canadian Press.

And Library Journal keeps us all up to date on what new in non-fiction.

When Hemingway’s lost works, stolen in 1922 from his first wife Hadley Richardson, are recovered, they’re worth millions. The womanizing academic who found them is murdered, and Chicago Insurance Investigator DD McGil, aided by her antiquarian book dealer friend Tom Joyce, must recover them, if genuine, or prove they are fakes: