A REVIEW OF GARY SHTEYNGART’S “SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY” from Bill Ryan, creator of one of the most interesting book blogs going, Insulted by Authors.

Bill travels to New York City book readings and solicits degrading inscriptions from some of the world’s greatest and most promising writing talent. Along with the filthy illustrations and potty humour these authors dream up, Bill adds a few of his own insights on the books themselves. The current entry on “Super Sad True Love Story” is exceptional in that Bill himself does a reasonable amount of insulting, of himself.

Shteyngart reading from Super Sad True Love Story was a fitting accompaniment to a moment of transcendent self-realization: I’m not as good a person as I’d like to believe, but knowing it helps hold me to the standard.

Plus, Shteyngart gives good insult.

There’s plenty more where that came from.

Amy Sedaris threatens to call Bill a name I’m not comfortable repeating on a family blog like Trade Paperbacks; Salman Rushdie is the Sultan of Insults;  Jennifer Egan lays down a scathing handwriting critique; and a lovingly rendered picture of bird poop is provided by David Mitchell.

Here’s the story of how it all happened.