Plethora of delights

Did you know Paramount has been digitally enhancing Classic Star Trek episodes? Don't worry it is far more tasteful than the "enhancements" to Star Wars including Greedo firing first and the new singer in Jabba's Palace. Instead they make the ships look a little more realistic as in this example.

Haters like Steve won't care, but Philip Pullman's Golden Compass is available in a 10th anniversary edition. In the new DVD extras style, the book comes with some new content and art.

Here is a piece that complains a bit too much about the commodification of books, but makes a palpable hit on the topic of criticism. There is a strange sense that a negative review is something only be written in the most dire of circumstances. Let's face it, if you picked a book at random, you won't like it. Critics need to be free to be honest.

Here is a long piece by Jonathan Lethem on literary influence, intellectual property and like subjects. I confess I haven't read it, but the Lethem name will be enough for many of you. The minireviews of his new book are not that good. "The result is lithe and perceptive but a b-side nonetheless. Comparing this effort to, say, Motherless Brooklyn (1999) is like comparing apples to skyscrapers. Lethem's capable of entire skylines, and when was the last time you were really wowed by a piece of fruit?" Speaking of which, if you have not read Motherless Brooklyn, you must rectify the situation.