Books, Words, And Writing

Books, Words, and Writing Has Moved!

2006-08-27T19:53:00.000-06:00

Books, Words, and Writing has moved to its new home: http://www.amynelsonmile.net/booksblog/. You can click here to be taken there automatically. My other blog (Amy On The Web) has also moved; its new URL is http://www.amynelsonmile.net/amyblog/. You can click here to be taken to this blog automatically. Please update your bookmarks and feeds, and I look forward to hearing from you in my new spot!

List of Blogging SF/F Writers

2006-08-27T06:44:00.000-06:00

Here’s a handy list: SF/F Writers Who Blog. The list includes writers such as Gwenda Bond, Neil Gaiman, William Gibson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Edward Willett. Via SF Signal.

What Kind Of American English Do You Speak?

2006-08-26T06:05:00.000-06:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

10% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Now, if only there were a test for Canadian English! Via Logomacy.

How To Pronounce Those Difficult Literary Names

2006-08-25T03:31:00.000-06:00

There’s a great post over at The Millions in which we learn how to pronounce the names of certain authors. Hard To Pronounce Literary Names tells us the correct pronunciation for J. N. Coetzee, Pulitzer, and others. There are some good links here to other pronunciation guides. This is no doubt apocryphal, but I once heard that a university student had misheard “Pulitzer Prize” and wrote that a certain author had been awarded a “pullet surprise.”

The Reader's Bill of Rights

2006-08-24T08:26:00.000-06:00

Daniel Pennac has a new book forthcoming called The Rights Of The Reader. It sounds like it's going to be good. Here's the Reader's Bill of Rights which he has put together. It features such items as "the right to read out loud" and "the right to escapism."

Via Rebecca's" Pocket.

So You Think You Know Jane Austen?

2006-08-23T11:01:00.000-06:00

Here’s a fun quiz for fans of Jane Austen: So You Think You Know Jane Austen?

The quiz is based on the book by the same name by John Sutherland.

Jane Austen is my all-time favourite author, so I wasn’t real surprised by my result:

You scored 17 out of a possible 18. Are you, perhaps, a time-traveller from the 18th century? Congratulations: have ten thousand a year. You are more than ready to tackle the quiz book itself.

New Coleridge Archival Material Soon To Be Available To The Public

2006-08-22T07:55:00.000-06:00

The family of Samuel Taylor Coleridge has donated important archival material to the British Library. The collection holds letters and a manuscript of a previously unknown work. It’s a significant acquisition—there are “350 bound manuscripts and 29 cardboard boxes of loose correspondence.” Via CBC.ca.

Searching For New Authors To Read

2006-08-21T06:48:00.000-06:00

I’ve recently re-discovered a handy tool for finding new authors to read. The Literature Map: The Tourist Map of Literature tells you what authors are similar to authors you already enjoy. If you type in the name of a favourite author, the map will generate a cloud of names of other authors who write in a similar style. The authors who are closest to the centre are those who are most similar. For example, if I type in Jane Austen, the following authors appear close to the centre: Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Harper Lee. A little further away I see Anthony Trollope, Anne Tyler, and Agatha Christie. If I type in James Lee Burke, I get Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane, and Lee Child as close matches.

Combining Book Titles and Band Names

2006-08-19T18:16:00.000-06:00

The people at Coudal Partners came up with an amusing challenge: they asked visitors to combine the name of a band with the name of a book. Some samples were “Of Mice and Men At Work” and “Courtney Love In The Time of Cholera.” The winners were The Invisible Manfred Mann, Fleetwood MacBeth, and Captain Beefheart of Darkness. There are many other entertaining submissions listed; it’s a great read.

Oppel Auctions a Character Name For Charity

2006-08-18T06:46:00.000-06:00

Kenneth Oppel, the Governor General award-winning author of the Silverwing series, is doing his bit for charity. He will be auctioning off the opportunity to name a character in his next book. The fundraiser will benefit the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Via CBC.ca.

What Kind of Science Fiction Writer Are You?

2006-08-17T06:55:00.000-06:00

Michael Cassutt has put together a light-hearted little quiz that asks What Kind of Science Fiction Writer Are You? Even those of us who will never write a word of SF can answer the questions. I turned out to be most like Ray Bradbury, R.A. Lafferty, Roger Zelazny, or Harlan Ellison. I can live with that. Via Hassenpfeffer.

Naguib Mahfouz Gravely Ill

2006-08-16T06:21:00.000-06:00

Egyptian Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz is gravely ill. According to the CBC, Mahfouz is in a Cairo hospital suffering complications from a liver dysfunction. Via CBC.ca.

The Authors Who Dominate My Shelves

2006-08-15T07:49:00.000-06:00

Frank Wilson at Books, Inq. reported a while back on an interesting list we could compile: Those Authors Who Dominate Your Shelves. The rules for the list are simple; if we have five books or more by or about an author, we include that person. Here’s my list (in alphabetical order): Douglas Adams Margaret Atwood Jane Austen Maeve Binchy Geoffrey Chaucer Charles Dickens George Eliot James Lee Burke Agatha Christie Raymond Chandler Robertson Davies Dick Francis Sue Grafton Henry James P.D. James Margaret Laurence Naguib Mahfouz Ngaio Marsh L.M. Montgomery Alice Munro Robert B. Parker Sara Paretsky Ellery Queen Ruth Rendell J.K. Rowling Dorothy L. Sayers William Shakespeare Rex Stout J.R.R. Tolkien Anthony Trollope Anne Tyler Evelyn Waugh Minette Walters Laura Ingalls Wilder These are also the authors I re-read frequently. Now, if only I had all the money to buy all the books I’d like to have, the list would be significantly longer.

Stump The Booksellers

2006-08-14T05:26:00.000-06:00

Here’s a useful resource for those who have fond memories of their childhood reading but who can’t remember the name of a particular book: Stump the Booksellers. For $2.00, readers can submit descriptions of books they read and now want to locate, and the site’s owners or its readers will supply the names of the books (if they know). Not all mysteries are solved immediately; here’s one that they’ve pulled from the archives:

Children's books, probably read during the 1940s, about a young honey bee who searchs for a good shape to use for building a honeycomb. After experimenting, he comes up with a hexagon as an ideal shape and goest back to the hive to suggest that they use this shape - not knowing that is what they already use! Sort of a "re-inventing the wheel," or "doomed to repeat the past" thing. Thank you.

If you think you know the answer to this, you can send in an answer via this page. This site is run by Loganberry Books, a used bookseller in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Via Weblog V2.

100 Years of the British Newspaper

2006-08-13T03:38:00.000-06:00

The British Library has a nifty exhibition right now: Front Page: Celebrating 100 Years of the British Newspaper 1906—2006. The online component of the exhibition allows us to read 29 of the most memorable front pages from the last 100 years (ranging from “Titanic: No Lives Lost” to “9/11: The News That Everyone Already Knew”). There’s also a digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper (which was published from 1861—1913).

Montgomery Home Now an Historic Site

2006-08-12T05:28:00.000-06:00

The homestead where Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables has now been designated as part of a national historic site. According to the CBC, “The new designation also includes land surrounding the home where Montgomery lived: Lover's Lane and the Haunted Woods.” Via CBC.ca.

Reading Books Very Quickly

2006-08-11T07:29:00.000-06:00

Matthew Cornell has a post explaining how to read a book quickly. He actually has several methods listed; the one he proposes comes from Jason Womack. It involves reading the following sections in this order:

· table of contents, glossary, index. · anything in bold, titles, and subtitles. · first line of every paragraph. · entire book

I don’t think this would work for me; I prefer the old-fashioned approach. I’m not averse to looking at the table of contents and flipping through the book to look at items in bold, but trying to skim through the book otherwise just confuses me. Via randomWalks.

Dumbledore Will Not Pull a Gandalf, Says Rowling

2006-08-10T02:06:00.000-06:00

J. K. Rowling spells out what we can and can’t expect from her last book (at least in terms of Dumbledore). Rowling has said that more characters will die in her seventh and final book of the Harry Potter series (likely forthcoming next year). My predictions for the next book (at least in terms of deaths)? Hagrid and Snape will die, and the plot will develop in such a way that we will mourn Snape. Via What’s New For Book-Lovers.

Comma Error Results In Millions of Dollars Lost

2006-08-09T08:43:00.000-06:00

This is not a joke: a comma placement in a contract may cost Rogers Communications Inc. $2.13 million dollars. Via Hassenpfeffer.

Fiction Featuring Math

2006-08-08T08:36:00.000-06:00

Here’s a nifty list: fiction that features math. Site owner Alex Kasman says, “The Mathematical Fiction Homepage is my attempt to collect information about all significant references to mathematics in fiction.” Well, he’s certainly making a thorough job of it. You can look at the complete list here. You can also search by title or by author. Starting in 414 B.C.E. with Aristophanes’ The Birds and ending with books forthcoming in 2008, the list encompasses such books as Stephen Baxter’s Godel’s Sunflowers, Robert J. Sawyer’s Factoring Humanity, Mark Cohen’s The Fractal Murders, and Matt Selman’s The Simpsons: Girls Just Want to Have Sums. Via Rebecca’s Pocket.

A Ruckus Over Hemingway’s Cats

2006-08-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

Check out the Guardian article titled ”Claws Out Over Hemingway’s Six-Toed Cats”. The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to start fining the owners of the musem that was once home to Ernest Hemingway. Apparently nearly 50 descendants of Hemingway’s cat Snow White roam through the author’s former home. They’re a hit with visitors, but not, obviously, with the USDA. Via Quill and Quire.

The Domesday Book Online

2006-08-06T04:44:00.000-06:00

The Domesday Book is now online thanks to the National Archives in England.

I especially liked browsing through the list of names of Essex landowners. I saw the names of Countess Judith; Walter the Cook; Goscelin the lorimer; Frodo, brother of the abbot; and Roger God-save-the-ladies (I swear I'm not making this up). The National Archives has a good website about Domesday. You can read about the background to it (what it is, why it was created) and you can find out what the information in it can tell us about Anglo-Saxon England. There is also an online Latin tutorial that’s suitable for complete beginners. There is a section for children, too—they can play a game that asks them to count the animals on the farm (and then there’s an explanation about why that was important for Domesday). For some analysis of Domesday, you can check out J. J. Cohen’s comments about Domesday and colonialism. Via In The Middle.

Franz Kafka’s Trivia Challenge

2006-08-05T07:35:00.000-06:00

Do you have a little time on your hands? Check out Franz Kafka’s Trivia Challenge. Here’s Round 1:

For the last thirty years, M-----'s gait has been gradually slowing under an accruing burden of recollection and regret. Fifteen years ago he walked at half normal speed. Today, while shambling tediously across an intersection, he is about to stop forever, right in front of oncoming traffic. For ten points: make a sort of nervous, almost spasmodic gesture commenting on his fate.

Via Unmanageable Imaginations.

Belated Birthday Greetings To P.D. James

2006-08-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

Fans of P.D. James might be interested to know that it was her birthday yesterday. The woman who is the master writer of mysteries has an interesting web page that includes an ”About The Author” page that tells us, among other things, what her favourite meal is, the items on her desk, and her favourite place to visit. For those who are interested in writing mysteries, she has a page with good advice to follow. There’s also an article on why she chose to write mysteries and a FAQ. This site is definitely worth a visit.

Watch As Ancient Writing Revealed Today

2006-08-04T11:11:00.000-06:00

Today scientists will be revealing the original words on a manuscript written by Archimedes. A medieval monk had scraped away the text and diagrams by Archimedes and created a prayer book instead. Thanks to technology, we’ll now be able to see some of the original writings by Archimedes. The process will be as follows:

an intense X-ray, produced in a particle accelerator, will be scanned across a page of the document, causing the iron in the original ink to glow, or fluoresce. A detector will record the fluorescent glow, producing a digital image of the original letters and diagrams in the 1000-year-old manuscript onto a computer screen.

Watch it unfold today on the live webcast (starting at 4:00 p.m. PDT) . Via Yahoo! Picks.

Collection of 19th Century American School Books

2006-08-04T06:38:00.000-06:00

If you feel like going back in time, you might like to browse through this digital collection of 19th century American school books. There are books here with titles such as the following: · Slate and Black Board Exercises · Dainty Songs For Little Lads And Lasses : For Use In The Kindergarten, School And Home · The New Vertical Script Primer · The Girl's Reading-Book : In Prose And Poetry, For Schools You can also read the survey of schoolbooks by Dr. John Nietz which has the following sections: · spellers · readers · grammars · arithmetics · geographies · American histories · civil government · physiologies · penmanship, art, and music One of the books of physiology hopes it will be "useful to youth, and especially to females... by avoiding fashions which deform and ruin." I immediately began browsing in the section on spellers (which were always my favourite books when I was in school). Do schools even have spellers any more? Via Weblog V2.

Tolkien’s Use of Old English

2006-08-03T06:36:00.000-06:00

Here’s a great read: Some Old English in Tolkien. It's a list of the Old English words that Tolkien used as well as their original meanings. Here are a few examples: · Beorn: ‘man; noble, hero, chief, prince, warrior’; however, this is also how OE would render ON bjorn, ‘bear’. · Mirkwood: mircwudu, ‘dark forest’. In Norse poetry the term referred to the vast expanse of primeval forest in Germanic areas of the Continent. · Quickbeam: cwicbeam, ‘aspen, juniper’. This is definitely a fun read. Via The Bitter Scroll.

Back on Thursday

2006-07-31T11:20:00.000-06:00

I'm experiencing technical difficulties (computer down!) but I should be up and running again on Thursday. Thanks for your patience!

Ye Olde Brit Lit Test

2006-07-30T08:12:00.000-06:00

For a little bit of time wasting, you can take The Ye Olde Brit Lit Test. My results: 205 out of 290. The comment: "Wow! OK, some of those were really tricky--but you made it through! Not only would you pass most lit courses, you probably thought about being an English major. Actually, with those numbers, you might be a grad student! Have you given any thought to a PhD? You know they confer omniscience with those, right?" And yes, I was a grad student in English literature. Via Ancarett's Abode.

Good Site For Author Interviews

2006-07-29T08:09:00.000-06:00

The Center For Book Culture has a terrific archive of interviews with authors. The authors featured are diverse: Milan Kundera, Stanley Elkin, Samuel Delany, Angela Carter, and many more. I like the way the list of author interviews is set up: the author is listed, the interviewer is named, and then there is a quotation from the author under each listing. I thought this was a great quotation from the interview with Paul West: "I think the reader has to be willing to work hard, has to be willing to do some work. No worthwhile book is going to go through them like a laxative." I also liked this one by Rikki Ducornet: "Every artist worth her salt knows what I mean--either one chooses the well trodden path, platitude, sentimentality, the current orthodoxy, whatever, or one blazes a trail which is, no matter the nature of the work, part of the process of becoming." Via Neat New Stuff On The Web.

Writers Featured In The Literary Grafitti Project

2006-07-28T06:24:00.000-06:00

Ten Montreal writers are about to have their words put up around the city in a literary graffiti project. The city will put up murals with material from works that highlight certain areas of the city. For example, a quotation from Mordecai Richler's work will be featured near St-Urbain and Laurier. Some of the other writers featured include Leonard Cohen, Michel Tremblay, and Nicole Brossard. The selections will be from works written in English, French, and Yiddish. Via CBC.ca.

James Lee Burke: New Book, Great Article

2006-07-27T06:53:00.000-06:00

Fans of James Lee Burke will be happy to know that his 15th Dave Robicheaux novel, Pegasus Descending, was released on 18 July. The publication of a new book by Burke is always a Good Thing. Margaret Cannon, who reviews mysteries for the Globe and Mail, calls him the "gold standard" for mystery writers. Over at Rake's Progress I found an excerpt from a fascinating article on Burke by Skylar Browning. It covers Burke's work ethic, his world view, his horses, and much, much more. I've been wondering what his novels would be like, post-Katrina, because New Orleans has always been almost another character in them. I'll have to wait to get the book to see that, but now I've found an article he wrote on the aftermath of Katrina. The article, like all of his work, is poetic, evocative, compelling—and like his Dave Robicheaux novels, it speaks eloquently of his love for New Orleans. He says, "New Orleans isn't a city. It's a Petrarchan sonnet. There's no other place on the planet like it." For more information on James Lee Burke, check out his web page.

Early Book of Psalms Discovered In Ireland

2006-07-26T01:42:00.000-06:00

An early book of psalms was dug out of a bog in Ireland recently. Experts have dated it between 800 and 1000 A.C.E. An engineer working with a backhoe to dig up peat for potting soil unearthed the book. It's thought to be the first early manuscript to be recovered in Ireland in nearly 200 years. Via CBC.ca.

New Freak Brothers Strip

2006-07-25T05:53:00.000-06:00

If you like the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comic strip, there's good news for you. Gilbert Shelton has created the first Freak Brothers strip in 10 years. The strip is online, and you can read it here. I'm a fan of Fat Freddy's Cat, but unfortunately he doesn't make an appearance. Shelton is also working on a web page. It's currently under construction, but it promises to be interesting. Via splinters.

Re-Packaging the Classics

2006-07-24T00:28:00.000-06:00

Rachel Cooke of The Observer has written an entertaining article called Warning! These Pretty Packages May Contain A Lot of Long Words! Cooke looks askance at the modern publishing trend of dressing up the classics in covers designed for a certain audience (she cites a recent pastel chick-lit cover of Pride and Prejudice). She also notes the snazzy blurbs now used to promote them, citing several to illustrate her point, such as the one for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: 'Wild child Huck has to get away.' I agree with her point that however the classics are packaged, the content remains the same. Pride and Prejudice is not Bridget Jones' Diary.

New Versus Second-Hand Books

2006-07-23T03:17:00.000-06:00

I don't much like owning second-hand books. I'll make exceptions for some books—books that are out of print, say, and that can only be acquired second hand. Then there are those that have been given to me after being owned by someone I care about, such as my father's series of action books or the mini-library of medieval texts given to me by a professor I once worked with. But by and large I much prefer new books. I like to know that the books haven't been handled by a lot of other people, although not because I'm worried about germs. A large part of it is my enjoyment of the physical experience of new books. I love opening a new book, smelling the "fresh book" smell, and feeling the texture of the pages. Even after I've read a book often enough that the newness has faded from it, I still have memories of my enjoyment of it when it was new. I don't usually like the smell and texture of the pages of a used book, so that can detract from my enjoyment of the overall experience of reading it. It's not as if I refuse to handle second-hand books; after all, I use the library all the time. I just like the books I own to be new. I think I'm in the minority here, though. Many other book-lovers I know love second-hand books and love the feeling of getting a great bargain in second-hand bookstores. Now I've found an article by Thomas H. Benton in which he has written eloquently about his love of second-hand books and bookstores. However much I don't care for them, I'm certainly glad that there are people who are devoted to finding new homes for books that would otherwise be tossed (shudder).

Protecting The Apostrophe

2006-07-22T03:36:00.000-06:00

Defenders of the apostrophe have at least two resources in their fight to save this endangered resource. The first, of course, is the Apostrophe Protection Society and the other is the Punctuation and Spelling Police Department—Apostrophe Squad. If you would like to ally yourself with the latter, you can buy the nifty T-shirt and put everyone on notice that you're on patrol. Alternately, if you just want to make sure that you're using the apostrophe correctly yourself, you can check out Problems With Apostrophes.

Robert J. Sawyer on Heinlein's Rules of Writing

2006-07-21T04:05:00.000-06:00

Frequently beginning writers wish they had guidelines to follow to become rich and famous. Robert A. Heinlein didn't guarantee wealth and fame, but he did formulate a set of five rules for writers to follow. Robert J. Sawyer has listed the rules, added a sixth, and provided his own witty commentary throughout.

The rules may seem self-evident, but an astonishing number of people don't follow them. Although the rules were originally written for writers of speculative fiction, they apply equally well to writers of any genre. All beginning (and not so beginning) writers should check this page out.

Petrarch Born On This Day

2006-07-20T04:44:00.000-06:00

On this day in 1304 Francesco Petrarch was born. Petrarch was celebrated for his contribution to Italian literature, including his work with the sonnet You can find his complete sonnets here (both in English and Italian) as well as some of his letters and other writings. Petrarch was recognised for his work in his own lifetime; he was made Poet Laureate in 1341. Petrarch is also well known for his love for a woman named Laura. It has been suggested that the woman did not in fact exist, although Petrarch himself insisted she did.

Books Created By Visual Artists

2006-07-19T04:27:00.000-06:00

Here's an exhibition that examines the intersection of books and visual art: The Artist Turns To The Book. There are some innovative pieces here. For example, with Ode To a Grand Staircase (With Four Hands), you can watch a handmade book unfold as you listen to music by Erik Satie (the music was the inspiration for the book). Anansi Company features removable puppets that accompany a text written in Jamaican English. There are several other examples featured here. It's definitely worth a look. Via Plep.

A Good Site For Learning About New Words

2006-07-18T00:04:00.000-06:00

If you like to keep up with the latest words making their way into conversation, check out Word Spy. Some recent words added to their list are the following: · "face blindness": the inability to recognise faces of friends and family · "retro running": running backwards to exercise · the "Manilow Method": the practice of playing music that young people will not enjoy, such as the music of Barry Manilow, to discourage teens from loitering Word Spy has been around since 1996; it's interesting to look in their archives to see which words have lasted. A few of these include "big-box store," "nanny-cam," "go postal," and "Ebonics." Via Weblog V2.

Sonnet Central

2006-07-17T02:01:00.000-06:00

If you're a fan of the sonnet, here's a site for you: Sonnet Central. This site is described as "an archive of English sonnets, commentary, and relevant web links and a forum for poets to share and discuss their own work." You can find information here about how to write a sonnet, or you can read the sonnets of others (ranging from contemporary writers who are experimenting with the sonnet form to famous writers such as Shakespeare). There is information and collections of sonnets from Great Britain (from the first works of Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century through to 20th century sonneteers). There is also information and collections of sonnets from around the world (including Australia, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Poland, and more). Finally, there is a section for sonnets that have little or no literary merit, but that are of interest for other reasons. Included here are such entries as an anonymous sonnet about a nose and the sonnets of a chorus girl.

Looking At The Gutenberg Bible

2006-07-16T05:14:00.000-06:00

The British Library has a function which allows you to compare their two versions of the Gutenberg Bible. You can choose a book of the Bible and look at the differences between the paper version and the vellum edition. I looked at Jerome's Epistle to Paulinus and saw how much plainer the paper version was; I hadn't realised there would be such a difference. You can also read the introductory information about the Gutenberg Bible and more information about Gutenberg, printing texts, and other relevant topics.

Comparing Dickens and Bulwer-Lytton

2006-07-15T02:03:00.000-06:00

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about the Bulwer-Lytton prize, here's a test you can take to see if you can tell the difference between Charles Dickens and Edward Bulwer-Lytton. I love Dickens, so I was shocked to find that I only scored 50% on this test. Via The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Page.

And the Bulwer-Lytton Prize Goes To . . .

2006-07-14T04:52:00.000-06:00

. . . Jim Guigli, for his parody of Raymond Chandler:

Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.

Great stuff. You can read the rest of the winners in various categories here and you can read all the past grand prize entries here. The Bulwer-Lytton Prize, named after Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was established in 1982. It offers writers a prize if they can intentionally create a very bad opening line of a novel.

News From The Christian Book Publishing World

2006-07-13T05:29:00.000-06:00

Several awards were handed out recently to Christian writers and publishers. Publisher's Weekly reports on this year's Christian Book Awards (previously the Gold Medallion Awards). Publisher's Weekly also has a story on the results of the Christy Awards. There were some surprises at both awards.

Mary Watson Wins the 2006 Caine Prize For African Writing

2006-07-12T03:07:00.000-06:00

Mary Watson has won this year's Caine Prize for African Writing for her story "Jungfrau" from her book Moss. The Caine Prize was established in 2000 and is Africa's most prestigious award for writing. It comes with £10,000 award money. Here's a list of all the short-listed authors with their bios and here's a Guardian article on the awards (written before the announcement of the winner). Via CBC.ca.

Some Tips On Writing From Poul Anderson

2006-07-11T01:58:00.000-06:00

If you're looking to improve your writing, Poul Anderson wrote a terrific essay years ago that's still applicable today. On Thud and Blunder is written primarily with fantasy writers in mind, but writers from any genre often unfortunately show the "frequent lack of elementary knowledge or plain common sense" that Anderson deplores in this essay. Check out the very short story of Gnorts the Barbarian and find out from Anderson why the writing needs work. Writers can take heart from learning that they need not be an expert in a field to improve their material--they simply need to do some basic research and to implement some logic. Readers can simply sit back and enjoy.

Winners Of The ReLit Awards Announced

2006-07-10T05:14:00.000-06:00

The winners of the 2006 ReLit Awards were announced on Friday 07 July at a bonfire ceremony in Newfoundland. The winners are as follows: · short fiction: Barry Webster for The Sound of All Flesh (Porcupine's Quill) · poetry: Leon Rooke for Hot Poppies (Porcupine's Quill) · novel: Lisa Moore for Alligator (Anansi) The awards are open to books published by independent Canadian literary publishers.

A New Method For Dating Hand-Printed Books

2006-07-09T07:49:00.000-06:00

Now this is interesting: an article on the use of biology to date hand-printed books. An evolutionary biologist has developed a method to date maps and hand-printed books that scholars have not been able to date in the past. The work is done based on an analysis of the images made by tools (either copper plate or wood blocks). Because the deterioration of the tools is something that can be tracked, the undated images can be dated by comparing them to those images that are identical but dated. The biologist estimates that there are several hundred thousand undated books that are hand-printed, so there could be a surge of scholarship in the next few years once more work is done in this area. Via Alone On A Boreal Stage.

Robert J. Sawyer Wins SF's Most Prestigious Award

2006-07-08T05:43:00.000-06:00

Last night author Robert J. Sawyer was presented with the world's most prestigious juried award for speculative fiction: the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. This is Sawyer's 38th award for his fiction writing, and with it he has joined a select few who have won all three of the top awards for speculative fiction (the other two awards are the Hugo and the Nebula). Only six other writers have won all three: David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Connie Willis. Sawyer won this award for his book Mindscan.

Online Exhibition About the Written Word

2006-07-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting exhibition about "the visual and tactile aspects of the written word": Paper, Leather, Clay, and Stone. The creators of the exhibition were interested in how written texts have been displayed over the years:

far from being a uniform box of rows and columns, the written word has been recorded historically in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. Books were embellished, handsomely illustrated, jealously guarded, and moralistically expurgated. When the contents were too charged, impious, or explicit, the book might even be destroyed—ample indication of how content depends upon the physical vehicle for survival.

There are images and discussions of cuneiform tablets, vellum, palm-leaf manuscripts, a jade book, the Life of the Buddha recorded on mulberry bark, a sample of a book censored by having the images of the devil blotted out, and much more.

The Art Of The Book Trailer?

2006-07-06T04:51:00.001-06:00

Apparently book trailers—the same concept as film trailers—are the next big thing for publishing. Journalist Andre Mayer has written an article about the phenomenon called "View To A Thrill". Sub-titled "Book Trailers: Building Hype, Movie-Style," the article describes the relatively recent phenomenon of using videos to promote new books. The article includes a link for HarperCollins' trailer for Londonstani, the debut novel by Gautam Malkani. It takes a while to load, but after watching it Mayer says, "Never before have I felt such a visceral urge to read a book." I sympathise with the critics of the concept, those who feel that their imaginations are pre-empted by having actors in a trailer play the characters in the book. I won't even watch movies made from books that I love. But I'm guessing that book trailers are probably here to stay. Via CBC.ca.

Russell Smith Is Passionate About Language

2006-07-05T05:20:00.000-06:00

As a follow-up to my post the other day about new radio show "And Sometimes Y", here's a great interview with the show's host, Russell Smith. Smith is a novelist and popular columnist with The Globe and Mail. He's passionate about the use of language:

Painters love to mess around with paint; they know about the different luminosity of each brand name. They love paint itself. Writers should have a similar excitement and curiosity about words. If they think that kind of obsession is "snobbish", then they're in the wrong profession. Writing is basically, deeply geeky.

To get a sense of what "And Sometimes Y" is like, definitely check out Helen Spitzer's great interview with him. One more plug for the show. The current episode of "And Sometimes Y" repeats on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on CBC Radio One (click here to find links for local broadcasts). Here's the description of this episode:

Why do words die? Like cells in the body, the words of a living language follow a kind of life cycle, in which death, mutation and creation form a normal part of healthy existence. But can this change also be unhealthy? Can it lead to the death of an entire language? We hear from a writer who specializes in digging up dead words, another who has travelled among dead languages, and also some rather ill characters called Wherefore, Fishmonger, and Hinterland, who tell us directly about their predicament.

Via cleverLazy.

The Brothers Hildebrandt

2006-07-04T00:46:00.000-06:00

I had never known the names of the illustrators known as the Brothers Hildebrandt before, but, like many people, I've certainly seen their artwork. Perhaps most famously, they designed the original poster for Star Wars as well as three Tolkien calendars. They're also prolific book illustrators. According to The Brothers Hildebrandt home page, the brothers (Greg and Tim) have illustrated "text books, children's books, calendars, book covers, posters, comic books, advertisements, movie posters, production design for films, collectables and trading card games." There's a lengthy bio on their site as well as some of their many illustrations. Via Librarians' Internet Index.

Summer Radio Show About Words

2006-07-03T08:22:00.000-06:00

CBC Radio One has a new, 10 episode show called that focusses entirely on words. It's called "And Sometimes Y". The little blurb about the show carries the following explanation: "This is not your high-school librarian's dream show. From losing ourselves in translation to language taboos, "And Sometimes Y" digs beyond words and explores what's behind the way we talk and why." If you'd like to listen to the show online, check out CBC's list of links to local stations. I don't know if U.S. or international listeners can tune in to the show live, but there are snippets of it archived. The Word Nerd has items to share, and host Russell Smith has a section for rants about language. Via Quill and Quire.

An Unusual Way To Arrange Bookshelves

2006-07-02T07:54:00.000-06:00

I'm fairly compulsive about organising my bookshelves. First, I sort my books according to category (poetry in this section, fiction here, non-fiction on the other wall). Then I break it down by genre. In the fiction category, for example, my literary fiction is separate from the mysteries which in turn are separate from speculative fiction. Then it's broken down alphabetically (Atwood comes before Dickens) and if I have multiple titles by the same author, I shelve them chronologically (Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey comes before Pride and Prejudice, for example). Imagine my shock, then, when I came across this method of organising books: by their colour. According to this blog's writer and those who have left comments, it's a method that works well. I'll take their word for it—just the thought of it makes my toes curl under. Via Flutterby.

Some Lists of Bestsellers

2006-07-01T05:19:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to know what books were popular in their day, you can check out this list of bestsellers from 1900 to 1998. As you would expect, in the 90s authors like Danielle Steel, Stephen King, John Grisham, and Jean Auel figure prominently. It's heartening to also see that writers such as Edith Wharton, Upton Sinclair, Sir Arthur Conan Doyale, and Toni Morrison also make the list. Via Weblog V2.

Early American Sunday School Books

2006-06-30T05:35:00.000-06:00

Here's an online collection of early American Sunday School books: Shaping The Values of Youth: Sunday School Books In 19th Century America. It's a collection of writings that tackles the issue of slavery. Most of the items are from the Northern States, and therefore are abolitionist. Even though the books are written from an abolitionist perspective, they are not something that I would want to see used today. The creators of the collection acknowledge this: "Racism, of course, was widespread and one will find that through the lens of biblical tolerance, one will perceive racial prejudice and condescension." Still, the writings are an example of people thinking their way to more evolved opinions, and, as the site's creators say, "in the directive to love everyone, one at least can imagine the possibility of a radical form of fellowship."

Garcia Marquez Home Town Keeps Original Name

2006-06-29T05:12:00.000-06:00

The home town of Gabriel Garcia Marquez will not undergo a name change to honour the author. The mayor of Aracataca had suggested that the town's name be changed to Aracataca-Macondo. Macondo is the name of the town in One Hundred Years of Solitude, Garcia Marquez's seminal novel. Those who turned out to vote in the referendum were strongly in favour of the change (93%), but less than half the minimum number of votes were cast. Via CBC.ca.

Online Exhibition Of Historical French Literature

2006-06-28T03:14:00.000-06:00

Here's a great online exhibition that explores the historical relationship between French art and power: Creating French Culture: Treasures From The Bibliotheque Nationale de France. This info from the introduction places the exhibition in context:

Throughout French history the powerful have sought to harness culture to their own ends. They understood that the representation of power--what today we call "image"--is a form of power itself. They patronized artists, artisans, and intellectuals who produced works that proclaimed the legitimacy of their rule, reinforced their authority, and enhanced their prestige. At times, they stifled creative impulses incompatible with their ambition. The relationship between power--or politics--and culture in French history is thus an ambivalent one, defined as much by conflict and censorship as by cooperation and patronage.

The material features here goes back as far as the 8th Century. Some of the featured items include displays from illuminated manuscripts, lectionaries, psalter-hymnals, the works of Guillaume de Machaut, translations, royal chronicles, a lunar atlas, the works of Moliere, Zola's J'accuse!, and much more. The exhibition is divided into four categories: · monarchs and monasteries · path to royal absolutism · rise and fall of the absolute monarchy · from empire to democracy This exhibition is not limited to books, but they do make up a large part of it.

Godey's Lady's Book Online

2006-06-27T05:09:00.000-06:00

Parts of Godey's Lady's Book, the popular 19th century American women's magazine, can now be found online. The first (Godey's Lady's Book Online Home Page) has online copies of the publication for January, February, March, April, and November 1850. The second (Godey's Lady's Book: Hope Greenberg) has two collections. One is a highlights page: there are samples from the magazines from 1855—1858. The other has the complete issues from July, August, and September 1855 and a partial issue of May 1852. The magazine published stories (e.g. "The Earl's Death-Bed; or, The Force of Conscience") and poems (e.g. "To The Faithless One"). There are articles, illustrations, patterns for the latest fashionable item, and more. In the January 1850 issue we read advice about the following point of etiquette:

"We may as well mention here, for the sake of the other sex, that loud thumping with canes and umbrellas, in demonstration of applause, is voted decidedly rude. Clapping the hands is quite as efficient, and neither raises a dust to soil the dresses of the ladies, not a hubbub enough to deafen them."

A great browse.

Kinky Friedman Makes the Ballot

2006-06-26T04:39:00.000-06:00

I'm a few days late reporting this, but author Kinky Friedman has managed to get on the ballot for Texas governor. Kinky Friedman started out as a country musician (Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys), and performing such songs as "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore." He then segued into life as a writer of offbeat mysteries, which is how I became aware of him. One of his books (Meanwhile, Back At the Ranch) made me laugh so hard that my cat got worried and came to investigate. Now he's aiming to be governor of Texas. He's running as an independent, and he's collected enough signatures to have his name listed on the ballot. Here's the web page that follows the campaign Kinky Friedman For Governor 2006 (complete with blog) and here's a New Yorker article by Dan Halpern. The Kinkster is also active in animal welfare work; he founded Utopia Animal Rescue. Here's a link to some quotations from his books. Finally, here's a link to an interview at Bookslut.

Resource for 17th Century English Literature

2006-06-25T03:18:00.000-06:00

If you're wanting some background information on English literature from the time of Beaumont and Fletcher, Webster, and Donne, here's a good site to check out: Early 17th Century Literature. The site categorises the Metaphysical Poets and the Cavalier Poets (listing them and giving a brief introduction to the terms). There are also pages devoted to many of the writers of the time, complete with quotations from their work, bios, a list of their writings, and lists of critical works about them. Finally, there are links to further resources about this time (such as writings about the politics of the period, music, the plague, and so on). Definitely worth a look.

Oddball Comics

2006-06-24T06:38:00.000-06:00

For fans of comics, here's a site to visit: Scott Shaw!'s Oddball Comics. Shaw is a cartoonist, comic book creator, and avid collector of comics. This collection features samples from his personal collection. You won't find Archie comics here, but you will find "Stop and Go, the Safety Twins" and "Doll Man." Shaw also has links to many sites in the cartoon world. Via memepool.

Gypsy Folk Tales

2006-06-23T02:56:00.000-06:00

Here's another site for lovers of folk stories: Gypsy Folk Tales. This site is the online version of Francis Hindes Groome's 1899 work Gypsy Folk Tales. There is an introduction with an overview of gypsy history and life. This is followed by the stories themselves. The tales are broken down by country (Turkish gypsy folk tales, Transylvanian gypsy stories, Scottish tinker stories, and so forth). Via idiolect.

Books For Cooks

2006-06-22T05:07:00.000-06:00

Books for Cooks is a great place to browse through excerpts from historical cookbooks. The books in the collection range from medieval times to the 1900s. In a cookbook from the 1940s we see recipes and food advice for hard times. For example, there's a recipe for Scotch eggs that includes suggestions for meat substitutes if money is tight. From the early 1700s there are recipes for savoury puddings. If you're wanting to recreate an historical dish, be warned that some cooking experience is required for these. One recipe gives the list of ingredients, advises the cook to mix them together, and then says simply, "Bake it not too much." Via Bibi's box.

More About British Slang

2006-06-21T04:24:00.000-06:00

Here's a website that's a good browse: A Dictionary of Slang. It features slang and colloquialisms from the U.K. (some explicitly sexual, so consider yourself warned). Many of the words I'm familiar with already because we use them in Canada. But there are many more that I've never heard of. I learned about the words "gatted," "nang," and "thrutch" all in one quick browse, and there's a lot of pages I didn't have the chance to get to. I'll be going back, though! Via arianafrench.com.

Resurrecting the Works of Maimonides

2006-06-20T05:27:00.000-06:00

I'm looking forward to the success of this project: Scientists to reassemble Maimonides' works. According to this story, there are 300,000 fragments of the writings of Moses Maimonides. Scientists are going to try to use digital technology to put them together.

Via Hassenpfeffer.

100 Best First Lines

2006-06-19T03:26:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting link: 100 Best First Lines From Novels. The #1 best line is awarded to "Call me Ishmael." Jane Austen's opening to Pride and Prejudice comes in second. This is a great list to read, both as a reader and a writer. Via Reading Matters.

A Tribute to the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

2006-06-18T02:54:00.000-06:00

Here's an enthusiastic review of Wordplay, a documentary that was recently screened at Toronto's Hot Docs festival. Wordplay is Patrick Creadon's documentary on the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. He profiles people who love doing it (including such high-profile ones as Bill Clinton, Mike Mussina, and Jon Stewart) and he looks at the construction of the puzzle. I don't know if this documentary has opened in the U.S. or elsewhere, but it's now beginning to play in Canada. Via CBC.ca.

Wretched English

2006-06-17T08:29:00.000-06:00

If you're looking for an amusing website that focuses on the ways English is misused in everyday life, look no farther than James Harbeck's Wretched English. It's sub-titled "a collection celebrating the unlimited potential of the English language for being unintentionally amusing." He's collected numerous blunders and typos, such as this eye-opening recipe instruction: "Stew for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes, their juice and the sock." Lots of fun stuff here. Via Humanyms.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath Been Profiled

2006-06-15T00:13:00.000-06:00

Well, lucky us! Norman Geras at normblog has profiled Daun Chaucer. We learn his most important piece of advice for life, what his favourite animal is, what his favourite movie is (guess! go on, guess!), what he worries about, and what his most treasured possession is--among many other things. Via In The Middle and, of course, Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog.

Anagrams Gone Wild

2006-06-14T05:33:00.000-06:00

The Internet Anagram Server (or I, Rearrangement Servant) is a wonderful way to waste time. I never have the patience to figure out anagrams on my own, but it's entertaining to see them. The web site tells us that "parliament is an anagram of partial men" and that "Clint Eastwood [is] an anagram of Old West Action." The website will create anagrams for you. Enter your word or phrase and watch as numerous anagrams appear—some that make sense, some that don't. For "reading saves lives" I got "a gravesend Elvis is" (among many others). There's also a Hall of Fame for anagrams, topical anagrams (featuring The Anagram Times), personal anagrams, and more. In The Anagram Times, under the headline "Heather Mills revealed to be a star in adult publications," I read that "Heather Mills McCartney" turns into "Chesty thrill, cameramen." Alternately, for the headline "Scottish orchestra seeks new national anthem," the phrase "Royal Scottish National Orchestra" can be rearranged to read "Och! A solo eh? Artistry in tartan clothes!" Finally, there is the delightful section of Odds & Ends, in which we learn that "Louis XIII, the King of France during early seventeenth century, appointed a Royal Anagrammist for a salary of £1,200 a year." Via Incoming Signals.

Books About Teen Despair

2006-06-13T04:58:00.000-06:00

The Guardian has a Top 10 List which covers teen despair: you can find it in the article "Sam Mills's top 10 books about the darker side of adolescence". The list is dominated by male authors (there's only one woman); I don't know if there's a significance to that or not. Is it mostly men who have a bleak adolescence? Probably not, but I do know that the one book I've read of those listed (Catcher In The Rye) didn't speak to me at all. Some of the other titles on the list include Lord of the Flies, The Outsiders, A Clockwork Orange, and Vernon God Little. Via bookshelves of doom.

Images of the Fantastic

2006-06-12T03:48:00.000-06:00

If you're feeling in the mood for the fantastic, check out The Fantastic in Art and Fiction. You can find images here in the following categories: · angels and demons · danse macabre · weird science · bestiary · the marvelous · the grotesque · possession and insanity · fantastic space · freaks, monsters, and prodigies The books referred to range from Paradise Lost to Histoire de la Magie. Via Boing Boing.

The Word Detective

2006-06-11T10:18:00.000-06:00

Check out The Word Detective (sub-titled "Words and Language in a Humourous Vein On the Web Since 1995"). This site is the online version of a newspaper column written by Evan Morris; it appears in newspapers in the U.S., Mexico, and Japan (which explains why, living up here in Canada, I've never heard of it). You can read the isses online, or you can subscribe. Each issue tackles numerous words/phrases; the most recent issue includes "fan mail from some flounder," "namby-pamby," "vindaloo," and much more. You can ask a question about a word or a phrase, but of course you're asked to consult the extensive archives before doing so. Thanks to the archives, I've finally found out what "five by five" means, which has puzzled me ever since I first heard it on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can also submit a word to the "My Favourite Word" category, along with an explanation of why it's your favourite word. Some of the words already submitted include jillion, penultimate, echelon, and nectarine. Now I think I'll go ponder what my favourite word is. Hmm. Cinammon, maybe? Love the flavour, love the sound and appearance of the word, love the evocative images it conjures up. Or maybe—no, I think I'll stop right now. That way madness lies. Via Bonzer Web Sites of the Week.

The Book Of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered

2006-06-10T07:45:00.000-06:00

"The Book Of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered": the title says it all. Has everyone else but me heard about this wonderful poem by Clive James? I want to print it off, run out into the street, and thrust copies of it into people's hands (but I know that would be disrespectful of copyright, so I won't). This was featured tangentially yesterday on my other blog, but it's so great it deserves to be highlighted. Via the bears at onepotmeal.

The 2006 Alex Awards

2006-06-09T04:56:00.000-06:00

Here are some awards that I hadn't heard of before: the Alex Awards. The awards are given to books that are written for adults but that will appeal to teens as well. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) administers these awards; the sponsors are the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and Booklist. According to the YALSA website, "The Alex Awards were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens." This year's winners include Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and Susan Palwick's The Necessary Beggar. Via Rebecca's Pocket.

Faulkner's Maps

2006-06-08T05:28:00.000-06:00

Faulkner fans can see how he visualised Yoknapatawpha County by viewing his handdrawn maps online. These maps aren't new; they were originally drawn to be included with Absalom, Absalom! and The Portable Faulkner. But it's good to have access to them online, too. Via Incoming Signals.

Some Examples Of Shakespeare's Influence

2006-06-07T04:35:00.000-06:00

Here are two interesting lists showing Shakespeare's influence on our language: Some Words First Used By Shakespeare and Lines From The Plays. The first list contains words that are now part of our everyday life: advertising, manager, numb. Mind you, some of these I have a hard time believing were first used by Shakespeare. Did no one else ever mention Xantippe before he did? The second list contains phrases that have become cliches (such as "budge an inch" or "cold comfort"). This is the companion site to the 2001 book The Shakespeare Book Of Lists. Via kottke.

The Limerick Dictionary

2006-06-06T04:54:00.000-06:00

Here's a dictionary with a difference: The Omnificinet English Dictionary in Limerick Form. Contributors are working to create an online dictionary that includes not only the standard definition, but a limerick to help define the word. The limericks often include puns, so be warned if you're not a fan of them! Here's the limerick (by Carol June Hooker) for "ayurvedic": If Kapha and Pitta and Vatta Unbalance, then something's the matta. Your alternative medic, Through routes ayurvedic, Rebalances dosha errata. If you love writing limericks, the dictionary creators welcome help. It looks as though they're about to start working on words starting with "c." Via Yahoo! Picks.

Europe's Oldest Surviving Text To Be Studied

2006-06-05T05:21:00.000-06:00

Scientists plan to use a highly-refined form of digital analysis on Europe's oldest surviving text: the remains of the Derveni papyrus. Previously there were large portions of the scroll that could not be read; scientists are optimistic that this will no longer be the case. The results will be published some time in late 2007. Via Hassenpfeffer.

ReLit Awards Shortlists Announced

2006-06-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

The shortlists for the ReLit awards have been announced. The winners will be announced in early July. ReLit is short for Regarding Literature, Reinventing Literature, Relighting Literature...

John Donne Portrait Will Stay In the Public Domain

2006-06-03T07:02:00.000-06:00

A while back I blogged about the campaign to keep the best-known portrait of John Donne in the public domain. I'm happy to report that the campaign has been successful and that the portrait will not be put up for auction. Apparently this was the most successful appeal the National Portrait Gallery has ever undertaken. Individual donations to the campaign ranged from £2 to £100,000.

Poet Sylvia Legris Wins the $50,000 Griffin Prize!

2006-06-02T04:55:00.000-06:00

Wonderful news! Saskatchewan poet Sylvia Legris has won the prestigious Griffin Prize, Canada's top award for poetry. Legris won for her third book, Nerve Squall. As the Griffin's web site explains, "The C$100,000 Griffin Poetry Prize, the richest prize in the world for a single volume of poetry, is divided between the two winners. The prize is for first edition books of poetry, including translations, published in English in 2005, and submitted from anywhere in the world." Here's a review of Nerve Squall.

The international award went to Kamau Braithwaite.

American Women's Dime Novels

2006-06-01T05:01:00.000-06:00

Here's a site about a topic I'd never thought about before: American Women's Dime Novels, 1870—1920. The site gives us information about the cheap fiction for women that became popular in this time period. Thanks to the growing number of literate people and the cheaper cost of paper, publishers had a bigger readership, and the dime novels were created. They were written by authors such as Effie Adelaide Rowlands and Bertha Clay--names unknown today, but very celebrated at the time. The popularity of these novels was not universally appreciated. The site quotes Hawthorne as saying the following:

America is now wholly given over to a dammed mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash--and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed. What is the mystery of these innumerable editions of the 'Lamplighter' and other books neither better nor worse?--worse they could not be, and better they need not be, when they sell by the 100,000.

There's a lot of information here, and there are also some good links to even more specific material about the topic. Via Yahoo! Picks.

The Poetry Foundation

2006-05-30T05:48:00.000-06:00

Anyone who's interested in poetry, no matter how little or how much you know about the subject, will find something of interest at The Poetry Foundation. There's a lot to read at this site, including the following: · features on poets, poetry, reading guides, and more · audio clips of poets reading their work, interviews with poets, and more · a list of recommended books · web resources for poetry, including a list of recommended blogs · a searchable database of poems (by category, title, first line, and more) There is much more, including a news roundup about matters poetical that includes items that are truly wide-ranging: from "Britney Spears slams husband in verse" to the death of Gilbert Sorrentino.

The Dialect Translator

2006-05-29T01:18:00.000-06:00

Drop by The Dialectizer if you want to have some fun entering text and seeing it translated into different ways of speaking (e.g. Cockney, jive, Elmer Fudd). You can enter some text at random or you can ask it to translate a web page. I entered this web page; here are some of the translations of the first paragraph of yesterday's entry. My original version:

The annual round-up of nominations for summer reading has begun. I always like to know what other people are reading, so I enjoy these articles.

The Jive Version:

De annual round-up uh nominashuns fo' summa' readin' gots begun. 'S coo', bro. ah' always likes t'know whut oda' sucka's is readin', so's I enjoy dese articles.

The Elmer Fudd Version:

De annuaw wound-up of nominations fow summew weading has begun, uh-hah-hah-hah. I awways wike to know what othew peopwe awe weading, so I enjoy these awticwes. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

The Hacker Version:

teh annua lrpound-iup 0f nominati0ns ofr summr read1ng 4hs begn!!!!!! OLOLOL i always lIk3 to knows what othEr LasMeRz rae read1ng, so i ejoy tehse arrticl3ds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~ THEIR IS 4 RATIO DONT RIPE ME OFGF becauz 1 will haXOr u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Swedish Chef Version:

Zee unnooel ruoond-up ooff numeeneshuns fur soommer reedeeng hes begoon. Bork bork bork! I elveys leeke-a tu knoo vhet oozeer peuple-a ere-a reedeeng, su I injuy zeese-a erteecles. Um gesh dee bork, bork!

You can also get gift items (e.g. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so forth) that say "Fry Mah Hide!! Fry Mah Hide!!" Check out the selection at their CafePress shop. Thanks to Bernadette Wagner for the link!

Summer Reading Lists

2006-05-28T08:32:00.000-06:00

The annual round-up of nominations for summer reading has begun. I always like to know what other people are reading, so I enjoy these articles. Slate Magazine has asked some authors what they would take to the beach; the answers can be found in "My Favourite Beach Book". Over at Reading Matters, kim bofo has tackled this question too. In addition to her list of beach reads, she also has a post that lists some summer reading challenges, some of which raise money for charity and some of which are done just for fun. I won't be taking part in any challenges, but I do find there are certain books or types of books that I read every summer. Here's a list of books that are my summer reads: · Dancer From The Dance by Andrew Holleran · all the Harry Potter books · whatever mystery series happens to be catching my attention; this year I'm re-reading all of Gail Bowen's Joanne Kilbourne mysteries in preparation for the new book that's coming out in September · any of the Dave Robichaux books by James Lee Burke · like kim, anything by Maeve Binchy · anything by Amy Tan · a few children's books, always including the Olivia ones (here's an interview with Ian Falconer about the newest one that's forthcoming in June: Olivia Forms A Band) · Remembrance of Things Past · any of the books by the endlessly entertaining Miss Manners · Kim by Rudyard Kipling My summer books are generally those I've read all ready. All of those listed above I've read over and over (except for Proust, which I've only read once—and then I re-read a bit every summer). But every now and again I find a book for the summer that I've never seen before. The other day at our library I stumbled across Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Colllingham. This is one I'm glad I picked up.

Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database

2006-05-27T06:48:00.000-06:00

The Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database is an intriguing concept. According to the site, it "is an annotated bibliography of prose, poetry, film, video and art which was developed . . . for use in health/pre-health and liberal arts settings." The authors featured include Louisa May Alcott, Isabel Allende, Emile Zola, and many more. The entry on Louisa May Alcott outlines the work where she's written about medical matters (she worked at a hospital during the Civil War and wrote about the experiences). There is also a link to the online text. After summarising her work, the entry puts it in context, explaining that she was part of a hotly debated experiment that saw women caring for soldiers. Some people felt that women shouldn't be doing this as they would spend too much time fainting or flirting to be good workers. There's a lot to browse through on this site, and it highlights a part of literature that I had not previously thought to consider. Via Apothecary's Drawer.

The English-American Dictionary

2006-05-26T05:46:00.000-06:00

The English-American Dictionary is a website that provides those of us on this side of the ocean with an understanding of slang and idiom from the U.K. Chris Rae, the owner of the site, says, "As a Scot who has spent some time in the USA on holiday lately, I have discovered a bewildering array of words which are in common use on our side of the pond and invariably mean nothing at all or something exceedingly rude on the other side. I once noted down about fifteen of them and that afternoon formulated them into this dictionary." From there, and with the help of others, the dictionary grew and grew. He has the definitions categorised into numerous categories, including clothing, sports, insults, appliances, sex, and more. There are also links explaining the currency, the geography (such as what countries comprise the United Kingdom), and Cockney rhyming slang. I enjoyed this site. Prolonged reading of British novels meant that I'd figured out many of these words on my own, but it's good to finally know what "twee" means. Via Bonzer Web Sites of the Week.

Staying On Top of Slang

2006-05-25T05:24:00.000-06:00

The Urban Dictionary is a dictionary of current slang with definitions submitted by readers. Here are a couple of samples: · "Yupster: a hipster with a professional job who seeks to climb the corporate ladder but remains true to indie musical tastes, lives in a hipster neighborhood, and likely has a hipster hairstyle." · "K'dian: a Canadian." Because the entries are submitted by readers, they're uneven, but it's still worth a look. Note: there are a fair number of scatological and sexual entries, so consider yourself warned if this is an issue for you. Via Internet Scout Project Weblog.

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are You?

2006-05-24T04:38:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to find out which female literary character you most resemble, now's your chance—take the Which Classic Female Literary Character Are You? quiz (via BookLust). Here's my result:

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?

You're Jane Eyre of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte!

Warriors In the Battle Against Jargon

2006-05-23T05:24:00.000-06:00

Here's a fun site if you are feeling like reading about crusades against the abuse of language: BuzzWhack: The Buzzword Compliant Dictionary This site plays host to a number of dubious words (along with their definition). Here's today's sample: "microwaiting: The time spent in front of the employee break room microwave while your lunch heats up. Regularly occurs a few minutes before noon and is generally not reported as a part of the lunch hour." You can search their dictionary, subscribe to the "Buzzword of the Day," nominate a word for inclusion in the dictionary, or read their "Whack of the Week"—the featured media release or website with incomprehensible language. Warning: the Whack of the Week entries can be almost painful to read. Via Internet Scout Project Weblog.

For Fans of Comics

2006-05-22T07:46:00.000-06:00

The Lambiek Comiclopedia is a great site for anyone remotely interested in comics. Lambiek is a European comics shop that has been in existence for 37 years; they have also published two comic encyclopedias and other books on comics. This link is to their web presence. The site has listings for a mind-boggling number of comic creators. There are brief bios of the creators and samples of their work. There are links to the Comics Code, to newspaper comics, magazine comics, Disney artists, erotic comics, underground comics (e.g. the Freak Brothers), webcomics, and more. There's also a link to the Lambiek store online where you can buy not only books, but also posters and artwork. Via Eldorado County Library: What's Hot On the Internet This Week.

Spoofs on Seuss

2006-05-21T06:55:00.000-06:00

Dr. Seuss is almost too easy to parody, but if you're feeling in the mood to read some variations on Green Eggs and Ham or One Fish, Two Fish, check out The Dr. Seuss Parody Page. Here you can find such gems as the following: · Freudian Analysis of Cat In The Hat · Dr. Seuss's Inferno · Dr. Seuss Meets Babylon 5 · If Dr. Seuss Wrote Technical Manuals Via growabrain.

A Mini-Rant

2006-05-20T07:58:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else in the world hate the use of infantile words that is becoming so common? I'm talking about the lamentable popularity of words with "ie" endings: words like "veggies" or "goodies" (ick). I've steeled myself to smile politely when someone uses these words in conversation ("Let's make sure we have a tray of goodies!") but I refuse to use them myself. When I'm in a restaurant I can't bring myself to ask for a "veggie burger." I have learned to keep my cantankerous reaction to these specific words to myself, but in the last three days I've heard three new (to me) examples of this appalling use of language. First, I heard someone refer to "appies"—and it took me a while to figure out that they were referring to "appetizers." Next, I heard a radio announcer refer to "bevvies." This time it didn't take me quite as long to realise that she was refering to "beverages." Then, God help me, I was reading a web site about outdoor cooking and I saw a reference to "the barbie." With the help of the next sentence I was able to figure out that this meant "the barbecue." I wanted to go and rip up a small shrub. Leaving aside the fact that I need to consider my blood pressure, I have noticed that all the examples I'm talking about refer to some aspect of food. What does it mean that we appear to not be able to discuss food without using some sort of affected baby talk? There. I've taken a deep breath, and I feel a little better now. But what on earth will the next three days bring?