Mark Zuckerberberg is starting what could become the biggest book club in history. The Facebook founder has written that his “challenge for 2015 is to read a new book every other week—with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies.” This will not be a solitary endeavor: Zuckerberg has created a Facebook page called A Year of Books, where he will name the books he’s reading, and invite others to discuss the titles. There are some basic rules for those who join the club: “We ask that everyone who participates read the books and we will moderate the discussions and group membership to keep us on topic.” The first book to be discussed will be Moises Naim’s The End of Power.
Michel Houellebecq defends his controversial new novel, Submission. In the book, set in France in 2022, a member of a Muslim political party wins the presidency.
In 2014, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos lost $7.4 billion due to his company’s poorly performing stock. It was the online superstore’s worst year since 2008. But Bezos remains one of the wealthiest Americans. As the WSJ points out, “Bezos’ 84 million shares, equal to 18.3% of the company, will ring in the New Year with a value of roughly $26.1 billion.”
“I think a lot of the time the book is talked about, like, ‘Oh here’s another Brooklyn novel by a guy with glasses.’” Ben Lerner talks with Emily Witt about octopi, friendships between men and women, political engagement in a consumerist culture, and his recent novel 10:04.
Flavorwire has posted a roundup of the best literary criticism of 2014, which includes a shoutout to LRB editor and regular Bookforum contributor Christian Lorentzen.
