We were pleased to be barraged with news of bold action on the part of the House of Representatives. We are so pleased to learn of this decision that we will ignore any and all choice comments that naturally arise from reading this quote: “Congress has begun to hear that civil liberties and privacy issues are important to Americans,” said Representative Bernard Sanders, the independent from Vermont . . . House Blocks a Provision for Patriot Act Inquiries
Today is a busy day in literature (and we thank Today in Literature for doing all the legwork that allows us to make such a pronouncement). Of course, it’s Bloomsday. You have our permission to take a long, leisurely lunch, complete with brimming glasses of ale and other fun beverages. It’s like Cinco de Mayo without margaritas. And probably police checkpoints, though we cannot guarantee this. Also, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes were married on this date. We’re not sure how to celebrate that particular union in an appropriate manner. Joyce’s Bloomsday Book
We were talking with a friend last week about the great lengths writers achieve to avoid actually writing. Despite the fact that most of us truly derive pleasure from the act, many of us do strange things to avoid something we enjoy once we stop making excuses. Sometimes, changing your approach to your work is as simple as, well, treating it like work. Hence, The Grotto (and others of its type) in San Francisco. The concept is simple: writers share rent on office space. They occupy rooms with doors. We cannot imagine that cubicles would work as well. Someone will
In his continuing coverage of all aspects of the business, Dan Wickett talks to independent booksellers about the advantages (and disadvantages) of a smaller, more intimate store. Hmm, that almost sounded like we have a prejudice in one direction. Surely that’s not so. As always, we found every word to be fascinating, but were particularly struck by this comment as it’s such a cool idea: Customer Service, without a doubt. I can safely say that the customers who shop at our store walk away having had an experience. There’s lots of conversation here, whether it be about news that local,
She woke up in a mood this morning. Went to sleep with, well, it doesn’t matter what was on her mind. Suffice to say pizza was involved. Miss Crankypants Talks About Image
Probably, if J.K. Rowling called us at the crack of dawn, we wouldn’t answer the phone. But most people feel like the ringing is a summons and to let a call go to voicemail is a sin. Thus, this is how we learn that the press tour for the new Harry Potter title might be a little different than previous outings. Not, by the way, that the new Harry Potter book requires a press tour. We remain confident that it will sell just fine whether or not the author does the obligatory fawnfest on The Today Show. Rowling has refused
For those of you who are eagerly anticipating the outcome of the recent Romance Writers of America graphical standards flap, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The RWA board has voted to temporarily suspend the standards. A committee will be established to study the issue and make recommendations. For regular readers, this means our brief foray into the world of profanity has come to an end. It was fun while it lasted, but we were running out of creative ways to work the seven banned words into our posts. Our only regret as we come to the end of
Our first reaction upon hearing about Blogrebity was “you’ve got to be joking.” As it turns out, they were. The world remains safe from two-page spreads on Nick Denton, but we will admit to a moment of fantasy where we flipped through glossy pages filled with fascinating tidbits about our favorite bloggers. Of course, then we wondered what they could possibly say to a print interviewer that hadn’t been said already. We anticipated articles on favorite pajama styles and the best way to blog while driving. It was a short-but-fun moment. Almost famous
It’s going to be one of those post-and-run sort of days. We have yet to comprehend why people hold meetings first thing in the morning, but, as we contemplate the alternatives, there seems to be little choice. You certainly can’t do it at the end of the day, what with people thinking they have personal lives. You can’t do it in the middle of the day, what with lunch being one of the three most important meals. You can’t do it at eleven in the morning, what with everyone figuring that to be the optimal meeting time. That leaves poor,
Dan Wickett is manning the controls over at Conversational Reading this week. He says he’s going to be a responsible blog-sitter, but we’ve seen men in action before. Scott’s going to come home to find an exploded Coke or two in his freezer… Warning for regular readers here
