In what he is calling “The Summer of (Free) E-book Love,” Jim Hanas is trying to give away as many copies of his first e-book as possible before Labor Day. The e-book contains two of his excellent short stories, “Miss Tennessee” and “The Cryerer.” He’s even set up a phone help line for those who need help downloading it. . . . This excerpt from Tim Parks’ new memoir has me wanting to read the whole thing badly. . . . Greg Baxter writes about 10 autobiographies that helped him write his own book. (On Nietzsche: “Who but a lunatic allows himself to say: ‘I am not a man. I am dynamite’?”) . . . Speaking of Baxter’s book, John Self offers it a great deal of thoughtful praise, and he’s giving away five copies on his blog (you can sign up for the drawing until Saturday night). . . . An interview with Tom Lutz, editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books, which will launch online in the fall. . . . Having read more than 2,500 pages of Dorothy Dunnett’s work since May, Levi Stahl tries to figure out what exactly it is about her books that keeps him coming back for more. . . . Macy Halford pines for the days when she did her research with books, not on the web. . . . A roundup of some developments in the “increasing amount of crossover between the book and fashion worlds these days.”