Tag Archives: Writers

Daily Diversion #77: The Cutest Reindog in All the World

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I will forgive you for thinking that, when not writing, I like to put things on dogs’ heads and photograph them looking put-upon and silly. If you are one of the few readers of this blog who think otherwise, go here.

This time, it is slightly different. This dog, you see, is not my dog. His name is Zero, and he belongs to my best friend. I did not plop the offending reindeer antlers headband on his sweet, sweet head. I am, however, an opportunist: I snapped this pic with my phone camera approximately three seconds later. Fear not. He still loves his favourite Auntie. I think.

Zero the lead reindog.

Zero the lead reindog.

“The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.”-Samuel Butler

[Book Nerd Links] Hideously Charming Paintings of Famous Authors

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I love these paintings by Feliks Topolski. Turn it into a game to see if you can guess who the subjects are before peeking, then come back here to tell me which one is your favourite!

20 Literary Greats Gripe About Feliks Topolski’s Portraits  [courtesy of The Daily Beast]

Love at First Site: Small Demons Storyverse

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I have a head for data and a mind that is always ravenously hungry for more: more facts, figures, dates, trivia, all kinds of minutia. Anything that is adjacent or related to what I am thinking, reading, writing, or doing. I collect it all: people, quotes, historical tidbits, pop culture ephemera. As soon as I discovered Small Demons, I knew that it would feed my intellectual gluttony, perfectly and obsessively.

I actually feel a bit shorted right now, as I am taking time away from the Small Demons Storyverse to tell you all about the Small Demons Storyverse. Time that I could be spending immersed in the Small Demons Storyverse. Got it, dear readers? It is a sacrifice I am making only because I love you, and think that you should know about this amazing site. I am going to keep it brief. You can use your new knowledge and run off to discover things for yourselves. To wit, their tagline is: the people, places and things from books, and everywhere they can take you. GO THERE NOW. You are welcome!

PS-You can make your own storyboards.

The Dead Writers Round-Up: 17th-20th December

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  • John Greenleaf Whittier was born on 12/17/1807. “For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, It might have been.” (Snow-bound)
  • Ford Madox Ford was born on 12/17/1873. “Only two classes of books are of universal appeal. The very best and the very worst.” (The Good Soldier; The Parade’s End tetralogy; The Fifth Queen trilogy)
  • Dorothy L. Sayers died on 12/17/1957. “The only sin passion can commit is to be joyless.” (Lord Peter Wimsey novels and short stories)
  • Marguerite Yourcenar died on 12/17/1987. “When two texts, or two assertions, perhaps two ideas, are in contradiction, be ready to reconcile them rather than cancel one by the other; regard them as two different facets, or two successive stages, of the same reality, a reality convincingly human just because it is complex.” (Alexis; Memoirs of Hadrian)
  • Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) was born on 12/18/1870. “He’s simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.” (The Westminster Alice; When William Came)
  • Louis Untermeyer died on 12/18/1977. “She has something to say about what life is like-which is all we ask of poetry.” (Long Feud: Selected Poems; Bygones; The Pursuit of Poetry; Moses)
  • Emily Brontë died on 12/19/1848. “Honest people don’t hide their deeds.” (Wuthering Heights)
  • Jean Genet was born on 12/19/1910. “To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance.” (The Thief’s Journal; Our Lady of the Flowers; The Balcony)
  • James Hilton died on 12/20/1954. “Surely there comes a time when counting the cost and paying the price aren’t things to think about anymore. All that matters is value-the ultimate value of what one does.” (Knight Without Armour; Lost Horizon; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Random Harvest)
  • John Steinbeck died on 12/20/1968. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” (The Red Pony; Tortilla Flat; Of Mice and Men; The Grapes of Wrath; Cannery Row; The Pearl; East of Eden)
  • Denise Levertov died on 12/20/1997. “Images/split the truth/in fractions.” (The Double Image; Breathing the Water; A Door in the Hive)
John Greenleaf Whittier
Ford Madox Ford
Saki (Hector Hugh Munro)
Emily Brontë by Branwell Brontë
Jean Genet Signature
John Steinbeck Signature

[All images are in the Public Domain and are courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.]

Hey You Over There! Yes, You. Why Not Follow These Awesome Bookish Links While I Catch Up with the Blog?

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Freshly Pressed: This Awesome Thing Happened Yesterday Whilst I Was Celebrating My Anniversary

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Thanks to the lovely Madame Weebles, my post about Frank was Freshly Pressed yesterday. What a wonderful anniversary gift! I’m chuffed that so many readers, new and old, have taken so wholeheartedly to my dear buddy. It is truly touching that a bit of his unique spirit has touched you, too. Since I was off gallivanting about town with The Chef on Tuesday, I am only now starting to read and respond to all of your lovely, thoughtful comments. The WordPress community is stellar, and I cannot imagine hosting my blog anywhere else.