in the air about James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces and the fact that although it is being marketed as a memoir, which many people assume is a synonym for “autobiography”, Frey seems to have taken some liberties with the “truth”. However, when the book was first published, the following appeared in an interview with Frey:

Speaking of memoirs, are there any autobiographies or memoirs that you’re particularly fond of?
I love Charles Baudelaire. I love Celine and Henry Miller. I love Charles Bukowski and Pat Conroy and Tim O’Brien and Brett Easton Ellis. None of these guys actually wrote memoirs, but they all wrote about themselves. Though I used my real name, I consider my work in the same tradition.

I think if people are upset, they should be upset at the marketing people who convinced Frey to play along with this “nonfiction” business. They’ve likely screwed up his long-term career. On the other hand, he has seemed quite eager to play along – I don’t think anyone has put anything over on the guy.

Number of books I own:
About 2000 or so, all tolled. Packed for moving, between the two of us we have about 20 boxes. That includes cookbooks!
Last books bought:
The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World, John Ralston Saul
Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf
Last Book Read:
London: the Biography, Peter Ackroyd (non-fiction)
The System of the World, Neal Stephenson (fiction)
Five Books that Mean a Lot to Me:
The Famished Road, Ben Okri
Digital Delirium, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker, eds. (I devoted a great deal of time working on it with the editors)
Selections from the Prison Notebooks, Antonio Gramsci
In the Skin of a Lion, Michael Ondaatje
The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders), Robertson Davies
Best UnAsked Meme Question:
What is the breakdown of fiction and non-fiction in your reading habits? How do you account for this?
Tag Five People with this Meme:
AJ (West of the Expressway)
Ed (Blork blog)
Kevin (Mobtown Blues)
Patrick (i.never.nu)
Heather (Lectio.ca)

has posted a great set of links related to Jacques Derrida.