Author: Jen Doll

What's the Perfect Food of Summer?

Shutterstock/Brent Hofacker

With the help of my Atlantic Wire colleagues, I have compiled 12 contenders for the best summer food, along with the reasons we would consume these items all year round if we had our druthers. Who is the top of the summer food pile? Help us choose.

By Jen Doll

Jan 11, 2013

Why This Outdated Dating Manual Did Not Need a Social-Media Update

The Rules, a dating instruction manual of yore by two ladies named Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider should, by now, have gone the way of the cave drawing or the horse and buggy, as a relic of times past. Instead it's been updated.

Comments | 2,995 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 11, 2013

Does Anyone Like Kate Middleton's New Portrait?

Well, what can we say about the new official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge, just unveiled to the consternation of many?

Comments | 9,479 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 10, 2013

Y.A. for Grownups

A Literary Tour of Historical Y.A.

This week in Y.A. for Grownups we chart a course through history by way of books new, old, and upcoming. For your reading convenience, we've categorized the books by historical period or event. 

Comments | 4,862 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 10, 2013

A Meditation on the Clothes We Wear to Meditate

How are your clothes for meditation? Do you look hot in them? If not, uh oh. You're in trouble. One must dress for success, not just in the office, but in the gym, and in the yoga studio, and wherever you choose to meditate, for that matter.

Comments | 1,945 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 9, 2013

You Can't Eat Love

It's the year 2013. Do we really need our store-bought food to be "made with love"? And can we believe it when it says it is?

Comments | 5,863 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 8, 2013

Richard Ben Cramer Was Sued by His Publisher While He Battled Lung Cancer

In the wake of the sad news of the death of incredibly talented author and journalist Richard Ben Cramer comes an update on a story about the publishing industry at large.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 8, 2013

Ask a Librarian About the Odd Things Happening at Libraries

There's a piece in the Wall Street Journal today about the changing nature of libraries, as not just places where people find and check out books, but as community rec centers in themselves. But is this really new at all?

Comments | 11,035 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 7, 2013

The Winter 2013 Books Preview

It's shaping up to be a pretty big year for short stories, and for books from some notable, big-name authors who are returning with new fiction. Herewith, the list of the books we can't wait for.

Comments | 3,449 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 7, 2013

In Search of New Words for That Thing Called Love

In Sunday's New York Times there's an article that combines things relationship with things semantic. What in the world are you supposed to call the man or woman with whom you've been living with for the past 20 years — your de facto spouse — when you're not actually, officially married, and never want to be?

Comments | 162 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 4, 2013

The 2012 Word of the Year: Hashtag

In a final vote of 118 to 99 in a runoff against marriage equality (winner of "Most Likely to Succeed"), at the annual Word of the Year event held by the American Dialect Society, hashtag took it home.

Comments | 1,138 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 4, 2013

The Final Countdown to the Word of the Year Is Here

Tonight in the grand ballrooms of a Boston Marriott, linguists and language experts and word aficionados will gather to vote on the American Dialect Society's official Word of the Year. Will it be YOLO? Mansplaining? Fiscal cliff? Only time will tell, but for now ... a preview. 

Comments | 690 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 4, 2013

Formal Fridays: Welcome to the Hip New Dress Code

For Fridays, traditional flip-flops and hoodies and jeans are out, apparently. People are eschewing casual wardrobes and dressing like, well ... people from the 1920s, top hats and all.

Comments | 7,759 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 3, 2013

Y.A. for Grownups

Y.A. to Watch for: The Winter 2013 Preview

2012 was an excellent year in Y.A. and middle grade across all boards — sales, growing acceptance for adults who love "cross-under" reads, and most importantly, content. 2013 is shaping up to be equally great. What can you expect, and what do you need to get your hands on now?

Comments | 6,035 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 3, 2013

East Village Gentrification Goes to the Dogs

Can a neighborhood retain any semblance of a reputation for edge when a "contemporary pet care hub" called Ruff Club not only opens right on Avenue A in New York City's East Village, but also gets a writeup in the New York Times' Thursday Styles

Comments | 900 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 2, 2013

2013: The Year in Preview

What can we expect, knowing what we know from previous years we've managed to survive? What will be in? What will be out? What do we hope is finally, please, done with? What should remain for the next 12 months, and into perpetuity? We've compiled a list for you, because no matter what you hear, lists are still hot in 2013. 

Comments | 1,906 Views

By Jen Doll

Jan 2, 2013

Learning to Curse the Glamour Way

The cover of the November 2011 issue of Glamour featured Kristen Stewart, her toenails painted black and the slightest beginning of a smile (maybe?) on her face, surrounded by pitch lines, including this one: "12 Ways to Get Your Sh*t Together." 

Comments | 1,706 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 31, 2012

Your New Year's Eve Etiquette Dilemmas, Solved

Just in time for the first holiday of 2013, here are all, or at least a few, of your most pressing New Year's Eve questions, and some answers, for the night ahead. You're welcome.

Comments | 2,648 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 31, 2012

The Secret Lives of Your 2013 New Year's Resolutions

At an unnamed bar somewhere in the middle of Anytown, America, in the late hours of December 31, 2012, a group of New Year's Resolutions were deep in conversation.

Comments | 2,841 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 31, 2012

The Words That Will Be Banished in 2013

"Fiscal cliff," "spoiler alert," and "trending" beware: Michigan's Lake Superior State University has issued their list for the 38th year in a row.

Comments | 11,802 Views

By David Wagner and Jen Doll

Dec 28, 2012

Year in Review

The Great Book Scandals of 2012

Books — staid and intellectual cultural artifacts that they so often are — were not all just staid or intellectual this year. Not nearly. There were, in fact, publishing scandals, dramas, and plot twists galore. Oh, and Philip Roth.

Comments | 5,145 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 27, 2012

American Parents Are Now Outsourcing Basic Parenting Skills

There's a piece in The New York Times today about the new-new parenting, i.e., teaching your children manners by hiring etiquette counselors instead of going the DIY route. Because why would you do it yourself?

Comments | 10,202 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos and Jen Doll

Dec 27, 2012

Year in Review

2012: The Best and Worst 'Trend' Stories

As part of The Atlantic Wire's Year in Review, we've gathered our favorites from among all the ridiculous, kernel-of-truth in a popcorn-bowl-of-pleasure stories reported by the Times and beyond, and bestowed them with their own special awards.

Comments | 4,434 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 26, 2012

Find Dennis Lehane's Beagle, Become a Character in His Next Book

The author of Shutter Island, Mystic River, and Gone Baby Gone is also the owner of a rescue beagle named Tessa. Well, Tessa has gone missing, and Lehane has offered the sweetest sort of reward an author can give.

Comments | 1,110 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 26, 2012

10 Things to Do Before 2012 Ends

We are firmly, if temporarily, ensconced in that weird, limbo-esque time that exists between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Here are some things to do while we wait for 2013.

Comments | 3,541 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 26, 2012

In What World Is Credit-Score Dating Actually a Thing?

There's a piece on the front page of The New York Times today that's inspiring lots of "dating is hell" commentary from around the Internet, because from this piece comes the "decidedly unromantic question" of our time: "What's your credit score?"

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 26, 2012

The Great Bespoke Comeback of Vermouth

Poor vermouth. It's long been "confined to dusty bottles in the depths of the liquor cabinet," ignored for its own merit, and only considered delicious when paired with others (like vodka, or gin). But times have changed.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 20, 2012

Media Diet

Jami Attenberg: What I Read

The Middlesteins novelist sleeps with her phone on the floor next to her bed, but leaves it at home each morning as she writes for an hour in a notebook without facing a screen. 

Comments | 1,628 Views

Newtown School Shooting: Live Updates

The latest info from the investigation in Connecticut indicates that Nancy Lanza may have left her son alone at home before the shootings, and begins to paint a clearer picture of Adam Lanza himself.

Comments | 415,851 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 19, 2012

What Kind of Holiday-Season Book Reader Are You?

We've compiled a (festive) diagnostic guide to various reading styles for your seasonal enjoyment, with book suggestions for each. Happy reading!

Comments | 689 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 19, 2012

Awkward Family Photos Are Out for the Holidays This Year

If you have or are part of something called a "family," you can bet that someone's going to want, need, and expect a photo of the two or three or five or 17 of you this season. And these days, they expect you looking cheery and doing something fun.

Comments | 2,386 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 18, 2012

Year in Review

An A-to-Z Guide to 2012's Worst Words

There is no better way for a semantic-minded person to remember the year than with those words we'd just as soon never write or see or hear spoken again. From "artisanal" to "curate," "gaffe" to "legitimate rape," and "meggings" to "ugh," here's our list.

Comments | 123,465 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 18, 2012

What Your Christmas Tree Says About You

The first question to ask oneself, right now, is "Am I a Christmas tree type of person?" If you are, read on! If you're not, read on, too, because you may find yourself becoming one.

Comments | 2,800 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 17, 2012

Newtown, the Monday After: Progress Out of Sorrow?

In a mysterious, confusing case, there are so far very few surprises, but there are already lessons worth learning.

Comments | 1,662 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 14, 2012

It's Time We Talked About Gun Control

Can we talk about this now that so many people have died at a school in Newtown? And if we can't, why can't we? Why haven't we already?

Comments | 17,153 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 13, 2012

A Guide to Secret Santa Gift-Giving Etiquette

Is there anything more difficult than buying an inexpensive gift for a coworker you don't really know that well? Yes, probably. But not much! Here's what you should and shouldn't give.

Comments | 9,177 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 13, 2012

Year in Review

The Books We Loved in 2012

Adult fiction and nonfiction were pretty phenomenal this year. Here, we celebrate 34 of our favorite reads from the last 12 months — with superlatives!

Comments | 14,138 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 13, 2012

Bedroom Style Has Become Street Style, Apparently

Guy Trebay writes of a horrifying new trend in the New York Times Thursday Styles: Woman are wearing slippers. Slippers out on the streets, in plain sight, in full view of members of the same and opposite sex!

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 12, 2012

A Semi-Earnest Guide to Dining Ironically

In a wave of irony, it is O.K. to do things one otherwise wouldn't. Right? Because you're being ironic. Meet the newest foodie trend of ironic dining, as inspired by Pete Wells' review of Guy Fieri's restaurant, and find out how to dine ironically for yourself!

Comments | 2,384 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 12, 2012

12/12/12: A User's Guide

Don't worry that you'll never see a date like this again: worry about these 12 things you absolutely need to do on the only opportunity you're going to have to do things on 12/12/12.

Comments | 18,232 Views

By Jen Doll and Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 11, 2012

What Your Email Inbox Count Says About You

The pursuit of Zero Dark Inbox is a diligent movement to eliminate all unread messages, but what about the rest of us?

Comments | 39,657 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 11, 2012

The Art (and Science!) of Self-Gifting

Many of us are cutting to the chase and simply buying gifts for ourselves this season, according to the market research. 'Tis the season for getting yourself a little something, apparently.

Comments | 929 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 11, 2012

Inside the Controversy Over the Bible of Mental Disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has just undergone a five-year revision process, and it was not as dull as it sounds. Not nearly.

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 10, 2012

Year in Review

The Best (Worst?) Typos, Mistakes, and Correrctions of 2012

Which were the best—most amusing, most mortifying, funniest, most cringeworthy, and most interesting—mistakes of the year? Herewith, our favorites.

Comments | 78,628 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 10, 2012

A List of the Actual Worst Gift Ideas (Should Not Include Grapefruit)

Slate's Katy Waldman has cast a cold, malevolent eye upon grapefruit this mid-winter morn and declared it "disgusting," a gift you should never give to anyone you care about. But surely there are worse gifts. Like these.

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 10, 2012

There's a New Kind of Baby Shower in Town, Apparently

How many baby showers can a person go to, really? Not to worry, there is a new type of baby shower in town. It is less elaborate, for second or third or fourth children: Fewer guests. Minimal decorations. A twee name of its own.

Comments | 2,048 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 7, 2012

Year in Review

The Y.A./Middle-Grade Book Awards, 2012 Edition

We honor the 33 books that mattered to us in this year's breakout literary genre, with a little help from some writerly and book-loving folks, including authors Eliot Schrefer, Ally Condie, Ruta Supetys, Andrea Cremer, R.L. Stine, and others.

Comments | 20,093 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 7, 2012

Would You Change Your Name for a Book?

In 2012, enough female writers are still changing their names to appear as men to merit a piece in The Wall Street Journal today. Which is to say, there is still a long way to go.

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 6, 2012

'Lunatic' Removed from Federal Law, 'Idiot' Allowed to Stay

Here's your semantic government news that reads a bit like an Onion article of the day. But what's it all about, really?

Comments | 1,259 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 6, 2012

The Hipster Designers Who Sold Out the Hipster Design World

Do you like the "aesthetic of a rugged Americana lifted from a make-believe past [that] has gained dominion over swaths of New York, especially downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn"? You are a fan of Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer.

Comments | 3,657 Views

By Jen Doll

Dec 5, 2012

A Subway Horror That Resides in Us All

This story is not just a story about a man and the person who pushed him to his death on the tracks of the subway. There are reverberations from that tragic incident that will continue to run through our minds for days, weeks, and maybe months.

Comments | 7,432 Views

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