Ben Affleck was in Rhode Island for the weekend where he received an honourary doctorate in Fine Arts from Brown University. He’s Dr Affleck now. Would you change all your business cards and signature block on your email? I totally would. I might not insist that people call me Dr Lui, but it would be nice.
You know who else was awarded an honourary doctorate that day?
Junot Diaz of The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao. I loved that book, even though it took me a while to get used to all the footnotes. Have not yet read This Is How You Lose Her. If you have, please let me know how it is.
Many of you have written to ask for summer reading recommendations. Here are two:
Where Did You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple -- Duana ripped through it a few months ago and wanted me to get on it right away. Two days later I was done, and still laughing.
I just sent her a note to go for The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. While you’re at it, read Wolitzer’s essay in the NYT “On the Rules of Literary Fiction for Men and Women”. Part of that conversation involves the difference in book jackets for authors by gender. Why is it that books written by women can’t be “gender neutral”?
