The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey series has now sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, Vintage Books announced on Wednesday. The erotica series, which began as Twilightfanfiction, features shy Anastasia Steele, her handcuff-happy lover, businessman Christian Grey, and Anastasia's "inner goddess," who is prone to impromptu Latin dancing. About 45 million of the copies have been sold in the U.S.
Marina Warner writes about "ancient stories of the Flood" for the London Review of Books: "Myths, like inquisitive children, keep asking: why? They answer with stories of origin and destiny, luck and catastrophe."
Author Diane Cook has a great short story in Tin House called "Moving On": "They let me tend to my husband's burial and settle his affairs. Which means I can stay in my house, pretend he is away on business while I stand in the closet and smell his clothes."
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