Watching
Airbus has released a concept that shows us what the interior of an airplane might look like in the not-so-distant future. It might be a bit too optimistic, but we certainly wouldn’t mind all that extra legroom.
—Alex Sarrigeorgiou
Reading
A recent thirst for fast paced, plot driven fiction—the absorbing kind that makes for a pleasurable companion on the morning commute—led me to Robin Sloan’s debut novel—Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. Sloan blends the worlds of Silicon Valley programmers with their minds on “data viz,” and aging bibliophiles who would sooner give their right arm than abandon the smell of books, to create a modern mystery that offers no shortage of thought-provoking commentary on the intersection of literary passion, technology, and immortality. What’s not to love?
—Nina Arazoza
Learning
Elisabeth Schmitz, Vice President and Editorial Director at Grove Atlantic, gives a refreshingly positive interview about the past and future of the publishing industry. She talks about the virtues of close-knit indie presses, the importance of taking risks in manuscript selection, and her personal career game-changer—taking on Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain as her first editorial acquisition:
"Being a little smaller, and independent, has its advantages. You’re forced to think creatively about books and you have the freedom to take risks on books that are a little odd or controversial, or not obvious bestsellers. We rarely do formal P&Ls and there’s no board approval to get. It’s usually just a conversation between a couple of us: do we love this? If the answer’s yes, we try and make it work."
—Brinda Ayer