The 11 of us who attended last week's discussion of Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman enjoyed a lively discussion of the novel. That prompted Mike Mazza to look up the review he posted on Amazon 25 years ago of Kiss of the Spider Woman and Two Other Plays.
Spoiler alert: Mike was (and is) a fan of Puig's work. Perhaps it might be worth our taking a look at the other two plays in that volume at some point?
Monday, August 10, 2026
TL;DR = DNF?
No, our blog hasn't suddenly become a conduit for mathematicians or cryptographers to pass secret messages! :-)
Many of you are probably already familiar with the term on the left side of the equation, which is shorthand for "too long; didn't read." It's most often applied to online articles and posts, and sometimes carries a whiff of disapproval about an overly indulgent author who expects readers to wade through dense writing that doesn't offer a payoff for the time spent.
Now "TL;DR" has spawned a new term for book lovers: DNF--"did not finish." This New York Times article explores the debate between completists--who insist that if you start a book, you should finish it--and readers who say life is too short to waste time on something you're not enjoying.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll note that I am a completist by nature. But as I grow older, and am increasingly aware of how many books I'll never get to, I'm becoming more and more sympathetic to the DNF perspective.
Many of you are probably already familiar with the term on the left side of the equation, which is shorthand for "too long; didn't read." It's most often applied to online articles and posts, and sometimes carries a whiff of disapproval about an overly indulgent author who expects readers to wade through dense writing that doesn't offer a payoff for the time spent.
Now "TL;DR" has spawned a new term for book lovers: DNF--"did not finish." This New York Times article explores the debate between completists--who insist that if you start a book, you should finish it--and readers who say life is too short to waste time on something you're not enjoying.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll note that I am a completist by nature. But as I grow older, and am increasingly aware of how many books I'll never get to, I'm becoming more and more sympathetic to the DNF perspective.
A Radiant Dawn at Little District Books
Little District Books, the LGBTQ bookstore now on Pennsylvania Ave. SE, is getting into the publishing game! For its first project, LDB is soliciting contributions to Radiant Dawn: A Queer Hopepunk Anthology, a short story collection it plans to publish in the spring.
Coined by author Alexandra Rowland, "Hopepunk" is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, which offers authors a lot of options. Visit this site for more details on the project and submission guidelines.
Coined by author Alexandra Rowland, "Hopepunk" is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, which offers authors a lot of options. Visit this site for more details on the project and submission guidelines.
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