Cover looks like: African Q*Bert
One word to describe the reactions of Judy Blume to the sometimes non-sequitous interview questions in the introduction: Baffled
Three words to describe the reactions of Judy Blume to the sometimes non-sequitous interview questions in the introduction: Kind of dull
Number of high schoolers who helped edit the book: 18
How much do I wish I had been able to help edit a book when I was a kid: A lot
Terrible comic vs. tolerably cute comic ratio: 1-1
How surprised I am when year-end collections somehow manage to pick New Yorker articles that, despite my diligent attempts to read every issue, I apparently missed: Pretty, but getting less so
Band names they got wrong in the section on “Best American New Band Names”: “Crystle Castles” (I guess they mean Crystal Castles), “J.U.S.T.I.C.E.” (Justice have a song called “D.A.N.C.E.”), “Lights Down Low” (I think they must mean the club night)
Best way to look at Dave Eggers-associated publications’ attempts to discuss music: with a gentle, bemused chuckle
Stories about the end of the world within the first 120 pages: 2
How many times better the Nonrequired Reading books are than the rest of the Best American series, especially these days since the short story collections seem to be filled with weepy, self-consciously international mini-movies-of-the-week: at least 7
