On the Shelf

A cultural news roundup.

The history of English in ten minutes.
(Courtesy of Reddit!)
Bei Ling: "I was amazed that no independent voice, no exiled or dissident writer from China is being represented at the London Book Fair."
Dystopian dream books.
Junkie: the It bag for spring!
This is your brain on books.
Remembering Joe Brainard.
"The centrepiece of our brand new displays in Solo Gallery is Roald Dahl's Writing Hut, complete with all its original contents and furnishings. Visitors can see the 'little nest' as Roald Dahl called it, exactly as he had it set up, with all the extraordinary and fascinating objects he kept at hand for contemplation and inspiration."
Cookbook ghostwriters.
And the fallout.
"The man was sitting on the porch with some people he had just met, talking about books and authors. The 34-year-old man was then approached by another party guest, who started speaking to him in a condescending manner. An argument ensued and the man was suddenly struck in the side of the head, suffering a cut to his left ear, Bush said. The man's glasses went flying off of his head and fell to the ground, with one of the lenses popping out of the frames, Bush said."
Book nerds v. Kanye. NSFW.