The books that were made into Oscar-nominated films of 2013. If you're following this year's awards season, you may have noticed that many of the movies receiving the highest accolades were adapted from novels. Some of the big winners at last night's Golden Globes made me want to compile a small list of the books…
Tag: literature
Every Book A Surprise
Ah, the instant gratification of the vending machine. Always there when you desperately require a dozen eggs or a business card, and no dilly-dallying about it! Well, perhaps that's only in Japan... Regardless, the capabilities of the vending machine have now been pushed to new levels in Toronto, where you can now find the amazing,…
How to Read a Book a Day in 2013
Perhaps one of your resolutions for 2013, like so many people's, is to read more this year. I'm guessing, though, that you did not set yourself the daunting task of reading a grand total of 365 books over the course of as many days. That would be crazy, right? Not according to Jeff Ryan of…
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
It's almost a new year, let the embarrassing work Christmas parties commence and the Auld Lang Synes ring! For my part, I'd like to say farewell to 2012 and herald 2013 with a list of favorite things I discovered or enjoyed this past year, for the most part online. Hopefully you'll agree that this collection…
Top Ten Self-Deprecating Quotes from Authors
The literary world is a pretentious place, right? You wouldn't think so judging by these ten quotes from authors playfully poking fun at their success. Who knew the Paris Review was such a popular venue in which to be self-deprecating? Know of any others? Tell us in a comment below. 1. Vladimir Nabokov "Lolita is famous,…
Catcher in the Rye To Be Dropped from Curriculum? Puh-lease
New Common Core Standards drop classic novels in favor of "informational texts." The US school system will undergo some big changes within the next two years, chiefly due to a decision to remove a good deal of classic novels from the curriculum, or so the recent media reports would have you think. The idea behind…
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The David Foster Wallace Dictionary
When David Foster Wallace died in 2008, he left behind a legacy of three excellent novels, several short story collections, and numerous essays. But what many of his fans may not be familiar with is Wallace's secret preparations for (perhaps?) another project, a dictionary. Thanks to The Telegraph, some of those notes are now available…
Some Take-Aways from Twitter’s Fiction Festival
As promised in last week's post on Twitter's Fiction Festival, here's a round up of a few standouts of the online event, which finished this past Sunday. Four things I took away from the festival, besides learning how to read from the ground up: 1. My personal favorite was Andrew Pyper's sinister adaptation of Thomas…