I’m not going to read reviews for Waiting for the Man. I took this decision to maintain my sanity. To not think about perception, or more to the point, how my work is being perceived. This is not to say I don’t want people to purchase it and consume and it and, yes, love it. Meaning if you read my book and liked it, of course you can tell me. And if you read my book and didn’t like it, you can tell me that as well. Not just can but should. I would love to have a dialogue with anyone about my work. A few days ago, I received this on Twitter and how much more can a writer ask for?
finished @arjunbasu ‘s novel this morning. broke me in half and inspired me at the same time. spoke to me. so very good.
— russ marshalek (@russmarshalek) April 10, 2014
But reviews? Perhaps not. Definitely not. And, yet, here they are. At least the one’s I’ve found (or that my publisher has found), or that I’ve been alerted to by friends and family. I’ll add to this list from time to time.
And this is the “start” of a, um, blog tour…. (with links to all sites)
A Q&A during the blog tour (I can barely write that phrase without giggling)
I wrote a column about @arjunbasu‘s “Waiting for the Man.” It hurts me to praise him, but it’s a wonderful novel. http://t.co/lAGtJrdvYH
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) August 18, 2014
And back to “reviews” I like:
Reading @arjunbasu‘s WAITING FOR THE MAN and loving it. You should read it too.
— Don Linn (@DonLinn) June 1, 2014
And here are the highlights of some of the reviews (in case you don’t like to read):
This kind of stuff makes my day. It really really does.
Love this. I like Millennials too! It’s the Boomers I’m not crazy about…
@arjunbasu Any book suggestions for those of us who finished #WaitingfortheMan, loved it, and now hunger for (another) substantial read?
— These Millennials (@ThisMillennial) September 10, 2014
@arjunbasu Enjoyed Waiting for the Man! Wd love to visit a resort like in the novel, but settling for Desert Hot Springs this spring break.
— Siel Ju (@sielju) April 11, 2015
Montreal’s LaPresse featured me and Attends-Moi. The piece is lovely. And to see it properly, you need the LaPresse+ app for your tablet. LaPresse itself is interesting, the first major paper in North America to abandon print and go to an app-based delivery system (they will still publish a Saturday paper because of different consumption habits). It is also on their website. But it’s not as good. And the photo of me chosen here is absolutely awful.