Tag Archives: Writers

I’m Reading a Dirty Book (and, no, it’s not Fifty Shades of… Anything)

Posted on by
22

I’m reading a dirty book and, no, it’s not Fifty Shades of…Anything. It’s worse. I picked it up last week at the dollar store. During check-out I hid it in the middle of a pile of cleaning supplies, but the cashier wasn’t fooled: she gave me side eye. Owning it makes me blush. I would never, ever be seen in public with it under my arm or nose. We’re friends, though, right? Right? Okay, good. I’m a bit shy about this sensitive subject, so I am going to divulge my secret in a photograph. Deep breath. Here it is: Continue reading →

A Bunch of Books I’m Glad I Didn’t Write

Posted on by
14

A bunch of books I’m glad I didn’t write, courtesy of AbeBooks.com’s Weird Book Room.

  1. The Art of Painting Animals on Rocks by Linn Wellford- I’m pretty sure my Aunt Lauree owned this book. She definitely painted animals on rocks. It was a strange time.
  2. How You Can Bowl Better Using Self-Hypnosis-File this under: things I will never do, two.
  3. Whose Bottom is This? A Lift-the-Flap Book-Very educational, no doubt.
  4. A Lust for Window Sills by Harry Mount-Wasn’t this featured on an episode of Taboo?
  5. All About Scabs by Genichiro Yagyu-Everything you ever wanted to know, in one handy volume.
  6. A Cow is Too Much Trouble in Los Angeles by Joseph Foster-Sometimes you just have to learn things the hard way.

Plus, two I wish I had:

  1. Boy George Fashion and Make-up Book by Wayne Winder-Why the hell not? This is still relevant, right?
  2. Liberace: Your Personal Fashion Consultant by Michael and Karan Feder-If you really want to shine. I would die happy if this book was on my resume.

 

Daily Diversion #38: The Gladdest Thing Under the Sun*

Posted on by
4

Although hundreds of trees spread across the distant horizon like ink blots, the park adjacent to my flat is the only true green spot in this industrial neighborhood.

Pretty flowers near the old workhouse wall that dissects my neighborhood.

Pretty flowers and plants near the old workhouse wall that dissects my neighborhood.

I’m partial to the rust and dust and accumulated dirt, the graffiti and old buildings that litter the CW. The flowers are bright and perky, but they’ll die in service to the coming season. I like the good bones of the stone and brick structures, even if the edges are crumbly. They last, even if they are a bit shabby.

*I will be the gladdest thing/Under the sun!/I will touch a hundred flowers/And not pick one”-Edna St. Vincent Millay, Afternoon on a Hill

 

A Year in Books/Day 203: Raving Fans

Posted on by
6
  • Title: Raving Fans A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service
  • Authors: Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles
  • Year Published: 1993 (William Morrow and Company, Inc.)
  • Year Purchased: 2010
  • Source: An ex-place of employment
  • About: I hate this book. I’m tempted to say that I passionately hate this book, but it’s too ridiculous and poorly written to engender that amount of feeling. If you’re wondering why I’ve kept a book this bad instead of tossing it on a rubbish heap whilst kicking up my heels in glee, I use it as a reminder to work my writing fingers to the bone so I do not have to toil in the corporate world again. Ever, ever again. Ever. Because if I do, I’ll probably have this crap thrown at me a third time. I’m not knocking the premise behind Raving Fans; it is sound-very basic, but sound. The execution, though, is worthless. The single worst passage I’ve read in my entire reading life is in this book. (See below) Honestly, if you can run through 132 pages in 15 minutes while knocking back Scotch in a dark, noisy bar without missing anything, what you are reading is too watered-down. Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: Truman Capote Edition

Posted on by
2

I love Truman Capote. He makes me giddy. His writing-when he was at his best, when he cared enough to really try-is sublime. I could listen to his voice all day long. No, I could listen to his voice all the live long day. Enjoy these Capote-themed goodies from Etsy.

Truman Capote Necklace by Art History Nerd

Truman Capote Necklace by Art History Nerd-$25.00

I adore the photograph embedded in this necklace. It’s probably my favourite of Capote. If I wore this piece, I’d spend too much time fiddling with it like a toy.

Truman Capote Quote by hendersweet

Truman Capote Quote by hendersweet-$3.00

A nice little card with a quote from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Truman Capote Print by Senioritis

Truman Capote Print by Senioritis-$15.00

Colourful, kitschy print (11×17).

Vintage 1970s Cosmo featuring Truman Capote Article from Shop Buy Love

Vintage 1970s Cosmo featuring Truman Capote Article from Shop Buy Love-$24.99

This July, 1972 edition of Cosmopolitan features the article Truman Capote by Truman Capote.

House of Flowers Soundtrack from The Vinyl Frontier

House of Flowers Soundtrack from The Vinyl Frontier-$25.00

This is the soundtrack to the Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical, House of Flowers. Starring Pearl Bailey, it was recorded in 1954.

The Grass Harp by Truman Capote from Bound By Books

The Grass Harp by Truman Capote from Bound By Books-$10.00

A Penguin Books edition of The Grass Harp.

 

Voices from the Grave #34: Mae West on Mr. Ed

Posted on by
2

Yes, I’m serious with this one. Mae West wasn’t just a performer; she was also a playwright and screenwriter. Whether you love or hate her, she still fits the bill for inclusion here.

Mae West on Mr. Ed in March 1964, when she was 70. This is the full episode, so feel free to skip ahead to the tasty/ridiculous bits.

 

A Year in Books/Day 202: Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Posted on by
Reply
  • Title: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
  • Author: Edgar Allan Poe
  • Illustrator: Harry Clarke (from the 1919 edition published by George C. Harrap and Company Ltd.)
  • Year Published: 1987 (The Franklin Library)
  • Year Purchased: 2005
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: It’s Poe, people. We all know Poe, don’t we? His stories are such an immutable fact of our culture that we’re practically born with them embedded into our consciousness. Continue reading →

The Dead Writers Round-Up: 25th-28th August

Posted on by
2
  • Bret Harte was born on 8/25/1836. “A bird in hand is a certainty. But a bird in the bush may sing.”
  • Truman Capote died on 8/25/1984. “A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That’s why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet.”
  • Zona Gale was born on 8/26/1874. “The world consists almost exclusively of people who are one sort and behave like another sort.”
  • Christopher Isherwood was born on 8/26/1904. “One should never write down or up to people, but out of yourself.”
  • Theodore Dreiser was born on 8/27/1871. “In order to have wisdom we must have ignorance.”
  • Ivy Compton-Burnett died on 8/27/1969. “People who have power respond simply. They have no minds but their own.”
  • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born on 8/28/1749. “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”
  • Robertson Davies was born on 8/28/1913. “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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

 

Daily Diversion #37: Card House Kafka

Posted on by
Reply

It lives on a shelf above my desk. I look at it when I need to loosen my thoughts, daydream.

House of card

House of card

The card was made in Nepal and purchased in Montreal, but it reminds me of Kafka, Prague, and my artist friend Jack. I wonder, do the windows creak when they open? I’ve never been dreamy nor drunk enough to find out. Pity.