Tom Bissell

As a newly minted editorial assistant at Norton, writer Tom Bissell was able to resuscitate an out-of-print novel called Desperate Characters by Paula Fox. In Bissell's new book, Magic Hours, he wrote about how, paradoxically, that experience shook his faith in publishing. Brooke talks Bissell about whether we as readers will miss the publishing industry, imperfect as it is, if it disappears.

Julian Smith - I'm Reading A Book

As a newly minted editorial assistant at Norton, writer Tom Bissell was able to resuscitate an out-of-print novel called Desperate Characters by Paula Fox. In Bissell's new book, Magic Hours, he wrote about how, paradoxically, that experience shook his faith in publishing. Brooke talks to writer Tom Bissell about whether we as readers will miss the publishing industry, imperfect as it is, if it disappears.

Julian Smith - I'm Reading A Book

The video game series Mass Effect has earned millions in sales and near-universal critical acclaim, but the series' conclusion, released this month, was met with howls of rage by gamers. Their gripe? They hated the ending. In response, the game's developers have promised to add additional content that would give fans "more closure." Brooke talks to Grantland's Tom Bissell about whether or not dissatisfied gamers are entitled to a new ending.

This week, thousands of gaming professionals from around the world are gathering in Los Angeles for the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Buzz is building around new gaming toys, including Microsoft's "Kinect": a camera-based controller that watches your every move, and lets your body serve as the joystick. But while these new technologies will change how we play video games, Tom Bissell says videogames have already begun changing in a more fundamental way.