I'd Like to Thank the Academy

and everybody else.

Whenever I’m in a bookstore (a frequent occurrence), I go through the same familiar motions.

First I scan the covers, lingering a moment on anything particularly bright, shiny, or typographically compelling, like some bookish magpie. If something catches my eye, I’ll read the flap copy. If I’m still interested, I’ll flip to the back of the book and scan…