Kyle Melchnik, “A Book Club Started Reading ‘Finnegans Wake’ in 1995. It Just Finished.” (The Washington Post)

“By reading slowly, the Venice group was able to discuss dozens of the book’s themes—what happens after death, how language is created, how to live in the present and how to avoid becoming dependent on technology.”

Joel Miller, “Open Thread: Too Long, Too Short?” (Miller’s Book Review)

“What books would you say were too long for your taste, and which too short? What’s a book that just seemed to drag on and on, and what’s one that ended too soon?”

In general, my rule is stay away from the comments section, but in this post by Joel Miller there is a meaningful discussion going in the comments about books that are good, but whose length isn’t quite right.

Dixie Lane, “Learning to Read in 2023.” (The Front Porch Republic)

“Are we asking what curriculum we should use to teach reading, or what children need in order to learn to read (including curriculum, but also so much more than that)? Overall, I think we have lately been ignoring the reality that many different factors go into turning the process of learning to read from an exchange—or even a battle or war—in which a very small child, often as young as four or five, is expected to be able to master academic skills prematurely on pain of being labelled “behind,” into a personal, relational experience which takes into account who and how young children generally are and what might actually help them learn.”

Ignacio M. Sanchez Prado, “The Humanities Are Worth Fighting For.” (LA Review of Books)

“An immediate goal for the humanities should be to provide first-year students with a schedule structured so as to allow them to consider all disciplines of thought, rather than front-loading STEM requirements that impede their consideration of our fields. We also need to ensure that students understand that the English department and the English language are not the only options they have for studying the humanities. And given that reliable information shows that humanities majors have rates of employment comparable to business majors in the professional marketplace, we need to give our students the tools to make decisions according to reality and not prejudice.”