Lit Hub Daily: January 29, 2020

• BREAKING: 50 fictional booksellers, ranked (from murderous bibliophiles to Pamela Anderson and beyond). | Lit Hub
• When did self-help books become. . . literary? Beth Blum explores a debate over bookish advice that goes as far back as the Renaissance. | Lit Hub
• “We, the undersigned, do not see a faceless brown mass. We, ourselves, are not faceless, nor are we voiceless.” An open letter to Oprah Winfrey about American Dirt. | Lit Hub
• Of stones and willpower: Caroline Moorehead on the Italian women who resisted the Nazis. | Lit Hub History
• “The readings showcase loss in all of its blinding, infinite arrangements.” On Since U Been Gone, a reading series for people to share their grief. | Lit Hub
• Chris McGinley introduces us to Wilma Dykeman’s The Tall Woman, a rediscovered classic of mid-century rural noir. | CrimeReads
• Song of Solomon, Women Talking, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and more rapid-fire book recs from Erin Somers. | Book Marks
• The finalists for the PEN America Literary Awards have been announced. The awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by Seth Meyers in March. | The Hub
• Read this before you name your kid after a fictional character. | The Atlantic
• Here are the top ten most beloved—and the top ten most hated—literary classics, according to Goodreads reviewers. | Daniel Frank
• “If you are a fan of the Neapolitan novels, you will probably be satisfied.” Early responses to Elena Ferrante’s new novel are in (and spoiler-free). | The Washington Post
• 2020 would have marked Isaac Asimov’s 100th birthday. The sci-fi icon believed artistic and scientific pursuits could fuel one another. | Nature
• On writing in Venice, “the ultimate romantic fantasy capital on the verge of extinction.” | The Daily Beast
• Charles Murray—co-author of 1994’s thoroughly debunked racist classic The Bell Curve—continues to thrive in the publishing industry, despite rumors of his “cancellation.” | The New Republic

Also on Lit Hub: On one of the greatest children’s ghost books ever published • It’s 1979 and Ludvík Vaculík has a terrible case of writer’s block: Diary entries from communist Czechoslovakia • Read an excerpt from Scarlett Thomas’ new novel Oligarchy