I’ve seen cool features on other book blogs where you take pictures (or describe) what books are on your nightstand. This is not at all a picture or description of everything on your To Be Read List, but just a picture of what things you keep by your bed for daily or frequent reading. Mine usually has my copy of Good Poems, and my copy of The Intellectual Devotional. I try to read at least one poem and one entry in the I.D. each evening. I also have the book I’m currently reading (Right now, still The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay) as well as some lighter books to read right before bed. (Currently Winnie The Pooh.) Mine also has Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban because I’m going to start re-reading that next. Post yours too, if interested! I’ll update this when it significantly changes.
Archive for March, 2007
On my nightstand 3.31.07
Links for 3.31.07
Book a minute is a funny site that condenses books down to a bare bones (and truly 1 minute!) plot. Very amusing to browse, this Frog and Toad one is especially cute. (There’s also Movie a Minute)
For promotion of the upcoming Simpson’s movie, eleven 7-11 stores are going to be remade into Kwik-E-Marts.
I love Owls, and this newly discovered tiny peruvian owl is just too adorable.
The U of Nebraska is one of the first colleges to actually stick up for its students against the RIAA. It’s about time! I hope more schools do the same.
Fun blog called “Does Today Suck?” – examines historical events and decides whether or not today will suck. Very interesting and fun!
My dad always sends me fun links too. Here’s a site with incredible, old pictures of New York City. And here’s a link to pictures of Strange Statues from around the world – very fun to browse!
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
Elephant March 2007
Every year the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey circus tours first in Long Island, and then in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden. The train they are on is too big to go through the tunnels into Manhattan, so it’s become a tradition that they unload the animals on the Queens side of the Mid-town tunnel, and walk them through into Manhattan and across the city into MSG. The result is a mini-parade at 12:30am with excited spectators lined up to cheer them despite the late hour on a tuesday night.
Ryan and I met friends there last night, and had an incredible time. What a sight to behold! I find it so cute and charming that they walk holding each other’s tails with their trunks. There were about 8 elephants, and about 10+ horses, and about 4 miniature horses. It was dark and I couldn’t get very good pictures, so the top two are from flickr. The first is the elephants entering the tunnel at last year’s March (via Flickr). The second is also from 2006, a close up of one of the elephants (via Flickr). The bottom two I took: one of the truck going by before the march, taking the circus equipment to the stadium, and one of an elephant as it came by.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
I’m currently reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I’m going to his book signing in May and want to have read his most celebrated book read before then, so I figured I shouldn’t put it off.
It’s very fun so far. I’m not sure what to expect, but it’s got a Pulitzer prize and many many recommendations from friends, so there’s a good chance I’ll love it.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
Vox Hunt: Shhh!
Book: Show us a book that made you laugh out loud.
Submitted by Red Pen.
Links for 3.20.07
Interesting links for today:
The design for the 2008 Olympic swim center in China. Not only does it look absolutely incredible, it’s environmentally friendly.
A life-size photo of a whale. Super cool, but can be a tad bit slow loading.
Speaking of whales, here is a super cute whale tote-bag I may need to purchase soon.
A very cute craft idea for using cool pages from magazines, or other interesting paper.
A great review on Boing Boing of one of my favorite Bill Bryson books, The Life and Times of the Thunderbold Kid.
The final Harry Potter book will be 784 pages long and printed more environmentally friendly.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
Top Five: Notable People
In the spirit of High Fidelity, I’m going to start a “Top Five” feature where I will post my picks for my five favorite things/people in any category that strikes my interest. Today’s Top Five was inspired by reading Bill Bryson’s African Diary. I started thinking about notable (famous, living) people who inspire me because of the talents they have, the kind of person they are, and the lives they lead. I admire many different people for many different things, so making the top five was no cake-walk. I listed the top five, and wrote a few sentences about why I chose them.
1. Bill Bryson. Bill is the world’s best travel writer. He is interested in absolutely everything and describes the details of his journeys masterfully. He’s also hilarious. He has travel books about Europe, America, England, and Australia. He wrote a book that details the origins of the universe in a way that conveys the immense wonder and amazement of it all, while still making you laugh. He wrote a beautiful memoir, a tribute to the wonderful lost days of post-war America. He visited Africa with CARE and wrote a diary of his experiences – donating all royalties to CARE. He was given an honorary Order of the British Empire for his contribution to literature. Oh yeah, he’s also a loving husband and devoted father.
2. Garrison Keillor. To me, Garrison Keillor is the world’s best story teller. I grew up listening to him on Prairie Home Companion, and to this day his voice still sooths me. I respect all that he has accomplished – on the radio, as a writer, in cinema. He is one of a very small handful of people keeping the glory of radio still alive. I love his taste for and appreciation of poetry. His books of selected poems are beautiful. He’s a literary hero that no one from our generation can match.
3. Ben Folds. Not only is Ben Folds an original, talented, and fun musician, he is also a stand-up chap. Who else would not only make friends a cab driver who shuttled his band around East Lansing, but invite the cab driver on stage that evening to play harmonica and jam with the band? I work with someone who met Ben at an airport and gave him his cd, and Ben called later and asked him to tour with his band, and was nothing but wonderful the entire tour. Ben’s talent and humor are also inspiring. I don’t know any other artist who can write songs about love and his children and have them be incredible and sincere without being cheesy. Only Ben.
4. Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt is hard to do justice to in words. He is such an outstanding author. His writing is meaningful, funny, accessible, and relevant. He is a pacifist. I love that he is also interested in art and graphic design. He’s just an unbelievably cool, larger than life guy. There’s so much to say about Kurt Vonnegut, but I can’t do him justice.
5. Johnny Depp. I love how devoted Johnny is to his family. I respect his hatred for paparazzi and his decision to live in France to have a normal life with his girlfriend and children. I love his choice in movies. I love that he likes to play the oddball. He’s made amazing film choices, and is an incredible actor.
I’ll continue this feature semi-regularly. It’s just for fun. I encourage anyone else to comment with picks for their own top five, or to start their own top five on their vox.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
QotD: This Time Last Year
What were you doing one year ago today?
Submitted by CassandraMorgan.
I happen to hang on to old planners for moments exactly like this one.
According to my Spark Notes 2006 planner, on March 19, 2006 I went to see STOMP at Wharton Center at 1pm with Ryan. I also went into work at 4pm to attend the ad manager elections.
I remember this day very clearly. I wore new sandals that gave me a blister. There was free pizza after the ad manager elections.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair
I’m currently reading The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair – Essays by George Plimpton.
The essays are greatly enjoyable. I’ve been fascinated with learning more about George Plimpton. He was such an incredible person. He lived such an incredible life, full of so many adventures, people, and accomplishments. He knew everybody! Truman Capote, Hunter S. Thompson, Jackie Kennedy, Hugh Hefner, among many, many others.
It’s fun to read more about the man who founded my favorite literary journal: The Paris Review.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
The Namesake
The Namesake is incredible. It is beautiful. Jhumpa is a master of telling a story with subtle description and emotion. How she manages to fit such complete portraits of two generations, two marriages, and so much compassion for each character into under 300 pages is nothing short of amazing.
I read the last 15 pages of the book with tears running down my face, overwhelmed because of the way she has conveyed themes every reader can relate to: Love, Family, Change, Life, Adapting.
I love the intimacy of each scene. The story’s power is effortless. There are no passages filled with necessary “plot-gobs” of background info to interrupt the power of the narrative, of each scene.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)
