Happy Friday the 13th to all the friggatriskaidekaphiles out there! Those who flout the superstition around this day would fit in well among the members (13, of course) of the Thirteen Club, who celebrated occasions such as these by walking under ladders, spilling salt, eating morbid food, and actively trying to beget terrible luck whenever possible. (The Paris Review)
On the other hand, if you have friggatriskaidekaphobia, maybe the stress of today’s date is making you grind your teeth. Quite biting your nails and check out the bizarre history of the mouth guard. (Design Observer)
Franzen-hating Friday, anyone? Tim Parks doesn’t need you to like what he’s reading, but he implores the adoring fans of Rushdie, Murakami, Ferrante, and other purveyors of the contemporary literary novel (and its kin) to cease the madness. (The New York Review of Books) •