Thank goodness the holiday is over. I emerged from this one unscathed (last year's holiday season was rife with drama), so I'm adding it to the good day column.

Our Wuthering Heights discussion is ongoing and comments will remain open as long as the posts remain here on the homepage. Later today, I will have some thoughts to add to the latest comments (thanks, Maxine!) and also encourage anyone stopping by to chime in. I'd do it now, but I've already spent enough time this today surfing through my regular Internet stops. A sadly neglected woodpile and gorgeously warm day are both begging me to be outside.

During the last few days, I received several e-mails asking if we are accepting members. I must point out that everyone is welcome to participate in a book discussion. No membership is required to leave a comment.

After four days spent with family, having company, and going visiting, I was surprised to return to the computer and encounter a lot of litblog hooha over this article from The Observer: "Deliver us from these latter-day Pooters." Given the recent unpleasantness, I find this article to be quite interesting for a few reasons:

• It dismisses litbloggers and amateur reviewers as hacks but includes a link to The Guardian's book blog. I read this as: litblogs suck...except ours.
• Ethics is mentioned in reference to a John Sutherland piece on Amazon reviews. In it, he basically says that amateur reviewers prostitute themselves for freebies and are not held accountable to standards for criticism. Meanwhile, Kimbofo of Reading Matters tried to impart an ethics lesson to both sides (publishers and litbloggers) and got crapped on all over the place for it. Between criticism from the mainstream media and criticism from within the ranks, many litbloggers have been beside themselves trying to defend their integrity. It's more evidence of dishing it out but not being able to take it.
• The article's author mentions being personally attacked by bloggers for criticizing them in the past. "I found my name on a bloggers' website called, charmingly, 'shit sandwich'. I was the focus of a lot of anger and frustration; bloggers didn't like my argument at all, seeing it as a way of getting at them and their amateur criticism." Amazingly, I have already come across posts personally attacking her on three different blogs. Sigh. Resorting to name-calling because the mainstream media is not taking you seriously is not the way to get the mainstream media to take you seriously.

And what the heck is a Pooter? My only knowledge of this word comes from a cartoon called Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and billboards promoting the series. Cheese, a character on the show, is known for using "I pooted" as a euphemism for "I farted." Is The Observer calling litbloggers Latter-Day Farters?