So my dear ones

I was going to write my first review on Jill Stark’s High Sobriety. No, it’s not a novel, yes it’s like a memoir of a year without alcohol. But it was so important, I lent it to a friend this morning to read.

So, I’m thinking The Great Gatsby will be my first review. Why not practise on something that 1. is topical a la moment and 2. no one will get snippy if I do a bad job. And 3. I have a lot to say. Plus I saw the movie on the weekend, so I have a rawther broad view of the context of the thing.

I’m going to create a new page/section off this blog which will house the reviews. The front page of that section will have my approach, my rationale and my rules (for myself). This will be where I explain whether my focus is for readers, writers, publishers or myself. Where I explain what I will try to do, and what I will try to avoid.

I’m getting a little bit excited.

In other news, this is a fantastic and funny piece from Joyce Carol Oates and it makes me want to say: 1. where do I line up? and 2. um

[EDIT: I only just realised I linked to the supposed Joyce Carol Oates piece here. I fairly quickly found out after I linked it on twitter that it was bogus. So I retract and admit I was a bit of an idiot to really think she might have written it. Sozzles.]

Oh and Michael Douglas. What were you thinking? I can’t think of another occasion where someone has instantly and at the same time cancelled out a potentially ‘good’ message with a negative, misleading one, almost in the same breath. At a time in history when oral sex is increasing (female > male, mind you, not the other way around), power and equality in sex is still problematic especially among young people, it would have been positive for you to say you dig cunnilingus and have given a lot of it. But then, to say that it causes HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is wrong:

Douglas: “Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus.”

Maybe it was the paper, but the Guardian are sticking to their side of the story, that they accurately reported you. Who knows, but damage done. Nice one.

Michael Douglas: Oral Sex Caused my Cancer

Michael Douglas denies oral sex caused his throat cancer

Michael Douglas ‘did not say oral sex caused his cancer’