Tuesday's Literary Briefing

The Only Part That Works

Weekend warriors beware. You may not want to go out in the boat with us. It was another three hour tour that ended with us being towed in from the farthest reaches of the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. In a strange (but not too unlikely considering the geography) twist, our savior was our elementary school headmaster. His wife was with him, and she used the opportunity to tell us to have our mother to call her to catch up sometime. Alas, we returned to the city for another week of crunching numbers. Our trip went unfinished, but David Foster Wallace’s final novel is being released on April 15. We wonder if the margin notes in his old books are as relevant as ours. Is The Atlantic full of commies? B.R. Meyers thinks Freedom is mediocre at best. Mark Taylor has a prescription for colleges and universities. Christopher Hitchens knows it’s the thought that counts, but, in the face of death, he still ain’t changing his mind. We wish him the best. Now, back to work so we can replace our motor. – Andrew Geer