Odds & ends

"The Gorge," a new short story by Umberto Eco, is up at The New Yorker. (Scott Esposito offers a brief review.)

The Guardian has posted Christopher Hitchens' new introduction to Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits. (Via Stephen Mitchelmore, who points out his inaccuracies.)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is "forest friendly." Hooray for reincarnated trees!

John Sutherland presents quiz questions from So You Think You Know Jane Austen?

Ed defends earnest mockery of literary figures.

On Friday, Randa at MoorishGirl mentioned Dostoevsky's descendant's suit against Russia's sports lottery for using Fyodor's image on lottery tickets:

My favorite quote from Dmitri Dostoevsky on why his great grandfather quit gambling: "He realized that the only way to improve his financial situation was through writing, so he stopped [gambling]." Oh, how times have changed. These days, it's writing and how impoverished it makes one that lures one to gambling.

He says the proper way to pay tribute to his great grandfather would be to build libraries in his name. Hear, hear!

And my favorite band (who recently made the New York Daily News) visited Emily Dickinson's home.

ALSO!

Jasper Fforde's latest, The Big Over Easy, comes out in July (like HBP)!