books

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The Mystery Behind Hemingway's Suicide

I've read some Hemingway. It's the kind of literature that people describe as "muscular," which I think means "manly," which I think means it's hard to tell who's talking at any given point because he refused to attribute dialogue most of the time. I enjoyed the Hemingway I read, and I even read a collection of letters between Hemingway and his editor, though I can't say I got much out of it, aside from that this man seemed very muscular -- and by that, I mean of course he was very manly. In this... READ ON

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How a Friendly Writing Contest Resulted in Three Literary Classics

These days, damp, rainy spells usually inspire us to curl up on the couch and watch an American Pickers marathon (tell me that's not just me). But back in 1816 - also known as "The Year Without a Summer" - the results were much different. The summer was rainy and abnormal because India's Indonesia's Mount Tambora ("Pompeii of the east") had recently erupted, creating a volcanic winter. Lord Byron and writer John William Polidori were staying at a villa near Lake Geneva when Claire Clairmont (Mary... READ ON

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Winnie Ille Pu: The Latin Versions of 10 Modern Stories

Despite its status as a "dead" language, pretty much anything can be translated into Latin. Here are 10 modern classics that might make Latin class more fun. 1. Winnie the... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Book Trailers, This Year's Winners and Losers

The same week I enjoyed Ransom's beautiful book trailer, I heard about the Moby Awards -- which, in addition to recognizing great book trailers, points out awful book trailers. Below, I've collected some winners...and losers. I'll be curious to see whether Ransom gets a nod next year! Worst Performance By An Author Jonathan Franzen: "This might be a good place for me to register my profound discomfort at having to make videos like this, since, to me, the point of a novel is to take you to a... READ ON

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BlöödHag: Seattle's Edu-Core Death Metal Library Rockers

BlöödHag is a death metal band from Seattle who perform, among other places, in libraries. Their songs are "Edu-Core," and focus on science fiction authors and literacy -- check out some lyrics here. In fact, what the heck, I'll just quote their classic "Robert A. Heinlein" in its entirety: Robert A. Heinlein Grok this! Robert A. Heinlein, here's a dis You're a misogynist. Known as the fascist of the Best Seller list As you died in pain. You still had to persist And make sure everybody knew... READ ON

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Kurt Vonnegut's Story Diagrams

In this four-minute video clip, the late author Kurt Vonnegut shows us his "story shapes" -- simple graphs of plots along two axes. I'll tell you the labels for the Y axis: it runs from G (Good Fortune) to I (Ill Fortune). That's about all I can say without ruining this whole. Sample quote regarding one of the most popular plot diagrams: "The whole thing, we call this story 'Man in Hole,' but it needn't be about a man, and it needn't be about somebody getting into a hole. ... People love this story!"... READ ON

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10 Parody Novels That Get the Last Laugh

Ask someone what his or her favorite parody movie is and you'll hear Blazing Saddles, Airplane!, or some other classic of the genre. But ask what their favorite parody novel is and you'll likely get a blank stare. To help you answer this difficult, life-defining question the next time you're asked, here are the stories of a few novels that get the last laugh. 1. Bored of the... READ ON

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Do You Anger Bookstore Employees?

Do you buy or sell books at your local used bookstore? If so, you might not know it, but the clerks might secretly hate you. That's not to say employees at these establishments are grouchy or miserable, it's just that there are a lot of things people don't understand about used bookstore procedures and etiquette. It's apparently such a common annoyance that both the Phoenix New Times and the SF Weekly have published articles about why your used bookstore clerk might just hate you. A few of my... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Amy Sedaris's Crafts for Poor People

Amy Sedaris, star of Strangers With Candy and surprisingly successful craft maven, has her own YouTube channel! In her videos, Sedaris teaches us how to make some spectacular crafts -- like the classic "hot dogs on a rake," "pom pons" (sic?), and who could forget the "donut bird feeder?" This is spectacular and ridiculous and wonderful. I've included most of the videos currently posted on her channel (they're all promo for her new crafting book), but I suggest you subscribe for more gems. Dusty... READ ON

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Stunning Pop-Up Book Covers

I've always found the art of pulp fiction novels to be simply fascinating. Of course, they had to be—these cheap books often sold because of the cover image, not the content inside. But artist Thomas Allen has raised the bar even higher for these stunning images by cutting out the people and creatures on the covers and photographing them. He's created a whole new level of detail through the 3D interactions of the characters pictured. For more examples of his work and more information on how he creates... READ ON