Do I even have to say it?

I'm reading this NYRB essay by Lorrie Moore and I get to this passage: Barbara dies at fifty-five—the halfway point of the book. Meghan ...

The reason to read fiction: to engage with the mind of someone who isn't trying to sell you anything.

Argues Lorrie Moore (who's not saluting but having trouble keeping the light out of her eyes): I love the idea that what we want from re...

"[W]hen a woman tells you where she bought some wonderful pair of shoes, say that you believe shopping for clothes is like masturbation..."

"... everyone does it, but it isn't very interesting and therefore should be done alone, in an embarrassed fashion, and never be th...