Jesse Eisenberg, the fast-talking, nerdtastic actor from The Social Network who is Mark Zuckerberg as far as I’m concerned, will be publishing a collection of his short stories in 2015. Eisenberg has already written two plays, Asuncion and The Revisionist, the latter of which was performed on Broadway by Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave. This isn’t a James Franco situation where he’s trying to pass off his snapchats as performance art. Eisenberg is truly a talented writer. The story collection will included previously published pieces from The New Yorker and McSweeney’s, as well as new stuff. For a taste of his work, check out his column in McSweeney’s called “Bream Gives Me Hiccups: Restaurant Reviews from a Privileged Nine-Year-Old,” which is written from a little boy’s perspective as he’s dragged around Los Angeles by his mother who bills all their meals to her ex-husband. Hilarious and poignant.
Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot in 2011, is writing a book on gun control. Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence will be released in June. If ever there was someone poised to share her thoughts on this contentious issue, it is Ms. Giffords. [NPR]
In anticipation of Valentine’s Day (the culmination of all your romantic insecurities), USA Today has generously printed a Q&A with the founder of AshleyMadison.com, the OkCupid for adulterers. Noel Biderman, who’s a husband and a father, has recently self-published a book called, Adultropology, which discusses “the cheating mind” based on the pseudo-scientific info that he’s collected from his website. For example: Pisces men and Gemini women are the least faithful companions and “the day after Valentine’s Day is a real, real slippery slope for when people have affairs.” [USA Today]
Calling all binge-readers, you have been vindicated. Publishers have responded to your cries for the next book now! There is a new trend to accelerate publishing timetables to mere months between books, as opposed to the traditional year. Now if only we could get the movie business to adopt this…I’m dying waiting for Underworld V. Where is Michael Corvin?? He doesn’t even know about his daughter! [New York Times]
