Tag Archives: Writing

Quote

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“I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college. People should educate themselves-you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I’d written a thousand stories.”-Ray Bradbury

The Dead Writers Round-Up: 18th-21st July

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  • William Makepeace Thackeray was born on 7/18/1811. “A good laugh is sunshine in the house.”
  • Jane Austen died on 7/18/1817. “A person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill.”
  • Clifford Odets was born on 7/18/1906. “Life shouldn’t be printed on dollar bills.”
  • Hunter S. Thompson was born on 7/18/1937. “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
  • Hart Crane was born on 7/21/1899. “Love: a burnt match skating in the urinal.”
  • Ernest Hemingway was born on 7/21/1899. “As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.”

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All images are courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and are in the public domain.

 

A Year in Books/Day 173: John Stanislaus Joyce

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  • Title: The Voluminous Life and Genius of James Joyce’s Father John Stanislaus Joyce
  • Authors: John Wyse Jackson and Peter Costello
  • Year Published: 1997 (St. Martin’s Press)
  • Year Purchased: 2002/2003
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: Even though they leave us more evidence of their existence than nearly any other (loosely aligned) group of people, opportunities to gain genuine insight into the lives and larger motivations of writers is exceedingly rare, and often unreliable. In according the elder Joyce a thorough and rigorous biographical treatment, the authors have given us a double-wonder: a fresh and informative look at the tender years of the singular writer of Ulysses and an introduction to his amazing father, whose remarkable storytelling ability influenced and shaped his son. Even if, like me, you come to this book because of James, you will leave with a keen appreciation and respect for the complex, colourful John Stanislaus.
  • Motivation: See above. I bought it because of what James Joyce means to me. I’m glad I did, because JSJ is second to only John Butler Yeats as my favourite famous father.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 97: “Mr. and Mrs. John Stanislaus Joyce decided on a honeymoon abroad. It was another beacon to the world of John’s confident social expectations. As if to spite his mother for dragging him back from there when he was a boy, he took his bride to the capital of the Empire, London, where William Gladstone was currently busy, at the age of seventy-one, forming the Liberal government of 1880. An opportunity to meet Irish members was not to be neglected-to remind some of them the debt owed to John Stanislaus.”

    James Joyce in 1888 at age six. Possibly in Br...

    James Joyce in 1888 at age six. Possibly in Bray, a seaside resort south of Dublin. The Joyces lived there from 1887 to 1892. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  • Happiness Scale: 10+++

A Year in Books/Day 172: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara?

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  • Title: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara? The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books
  • Authors: Jenny Bond & Chris Sheedy
  • Year Published: 2008 (Penguin Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2008
  • Source: Unknown (I think it was a gift from my Mom)
  • About: Think of this volume as a book version of one of those biographical dictionaries of famous people and you’ll know what you are in for. Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: NovelPoster Mini-Edition

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You’ve probably seen text-based artwork by now. Although my favourite site, Etsy, has some lovely examples, today I am spotlighting a couple of images from NovelPoster. In addition to the artwork shown below, they also offer posters of Pride & Prejudice, the Odyssey, Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn and The Wizard of Oz. Enjoy!

The Great Gatsby by NovelPoster

The Great Gatsby by NovelPoster. $40.

The grey-ish background is actually comprised of the full text of the books.

20,000 Leagues by NovelPoster

20,000 Leagues by NovelPoster. $40.

Images courtesy of novelposter.com.

Voices from the Grave #27: Cornelia Otis Skinner on What’s My Line?

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This one’s a bit different. It features Cornelia Otis Skinner, co-writer (along with Emily Kimbrough) of Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, as the mystery celebrity on What’s My Line? in 1959.

If you have never read the book Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (or watched the charming film adaptation), you should go rectify that now.

 

 

 

Tornado Maedez

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This. This is the reason for my fewer than normal posts. Once I have sorted through the mess, and am properly organized, things will not only be back to normal around here…they will be better. Guaranteed. Once the clutter has been vanquished, my mental processes will be freed up to focus on what I like (and do) best: write. No need to worry: until then, you can expect at least a post a day. I promise to miss you more than you miss me.

Tornado Maedez?

Tornado Maedez?

Seriously, this is so out of control (at least by my standards) that all of my writing projects are threatening to come to a full-on, nasty stop. Since I do this for a living, that is a pretty scary concept.