I know we’re all focused on the music this week with the Grammy’s and the “coming out” of Roman. If you really want to see what I thought of that please watch Jenna Marbles interpretation of Nicki Minaj. But, it’s time to get back to the good stuff: books. Ah, the dusty smells of closets, cedar, and men’s cigar seeped pockets.
That being said: HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Chocolate Never Things I'm Crazy (or you...)
Last week I mentioned The Million’s guide to Literary Tumblrs. And this week I want to share all the cool stuff I’ve found.
- I came across awesome people reading and did a quick picture of some of my favorites. (Come on, hairy Sean Connery, swoon).
Doris Day, Jimi Hendrix, Anais Nin & Sean Connery Reading.
Is it weird that Sean Connery looks really similar to my dad when he was young? Maybe. Nah, my dad was a looker, and a playboy.
- The Books They Gave Me is also a literary tumblr filled with books given by old boyfriends. It’s kind of my new favorite website. Hint: Anything dealing with reminiscing on old love makes me both depressed and warm. This entry about Sylvia Plath is my favorite:
Sylvia Plath’s journal page for September 16, 1959 describing the Yaddo furnishings on Smith memorandum stationary.
- “The day I left for college you slipped it into the backseat of my car. I’d wanted it for months. And now the well-thumbed book sits on the part of my shelf I save for the books I love most, with your inscription—red pen; your beautiful, slim handwriting; your assurances that I am meant to write, that I should use the book not as means of negative comparison but as means of reminding me that this, this, is what I am supposed to do. I am almost out of college; I didn’t want to, could never unwrap me from you.”
- I found a place where you can hear five National Book Award Finalists read excerpts. Thank you, NPR. This has absolutely nothing to do with literary tumblrs, I was just really excited. It’s always marvel to hear writers read their own work.
- The Atlantic has had a police sketch done of a few of our favorite, and a few less desirable characters in our life. My favorite is probably Emma Bovary. See them all here.
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Ever wanted to be that girl that both glitters and inspires reading, well get literary nail art. You have to know my favorite is Alice nails.
- Favorite First Australian Lines on Whispering Gums. You all should know by now that this blog started in Australia and about my living there. Now, I just have a special place in my heart for arid land and marsupials. Plus, I’m doing an Australian Women Reading Challenge and so I need more Australian book recommendations.
- Penguin has created a Twitter book club. I think they stole my idea, but I’m not going to say anything. They’re a big six and I’m a little one. I’ve wanted to do this with my summer camp ladies forever. Can we get on this? Any bloggers interested in reading the same book once a month?
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Book Love for Valentine's
Guardian articles the Best Love Poems, writers pick. Who doesn’t want a love poem on Valentine’s Day? This reminds me, everyone write a special note to poet, Ted Kooser who for over twenty years has written love poems to women all over the country. These women are grocery store cashiers, electricians and bureaucrats and all of them get a little love from Kooser every heart day. Here is the story from 2008. Here is my favorite poem:
If this comes creased and creased again and soiled
as if I’d opened it a thousand times
to see if what I’d written here was right,
it’s all because I looked too long for you
to put in your pocket. Midnight says
the little gifts of loneliness come wrapped
by nervous fingers. What I wanted this
to say was that I want to be so close
that when you find it, it is warm from me.
I sent this out to a few of my Valentine’s in 2009 after discovering Kooser’s love notes. My mom still has the first one hanging from her fridge. I haven’t done anything as creative this year, sorry friends. Just wait till March for the letter challenge. Hope everyone has a lovely little V-Day. If you can’t celebrate St. Valentine, celebrate your vagina, or plan a vacation, buy vampire teeth, or vacuum the downstairs carpet, or become a vagabond, or a valet. Just be valiant. It’s about the V, after all.
February 14th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the link … Love the idea of Newsday Tuesday. Will potter around your blog a little more as it looks like your reading interests are similar to mine … And I just have to explore your Aussie connection!
February 14th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Awesome and thank you. Enjoy yourself!
February 14th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I am so down for a twitter book club.
February 14th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Let’s do it. I’ll alert you to what I’m reading next month…not that I have ever had a plan of that…we’ll just pick one book. Right now I want to read Fever Ships in March. Can you get that?
February 14th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Since Penguin just stole their twitter book club idea from the atlantic’s 1book140 twitter book club, i am pretty sure you’re in the clear to steal their idea. Or to steal back your own.
Also, I am not the sort of person who paints her nails ever…but now I want to get Pride & Prejudice nails done, so I can admire them all day long.
February 14th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Haha I had no idea penguin was a smooth criminal. How odd.
And I’m forever painting my nails some weird color. Wish I had the patience to do those clever things.
February 14th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Roman Who! You know i never get the news!! no TV! c
February 14th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Roman is her fourth and favorite personality. Nicki Minaj’ personalities that is….It’s all very confusing. You’d have to listen to her whole CD all the way through. Craziness.
February 15th, 2012 at 2:06 am
Ok, I have an Aussie literary latest to add to your list, come over and read my latest review if you dare :)
February 15th, 2012 at 8:04 am
Can’t wait to hustle over. :)
February 15th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Loved that post on favourite Australian first lines, but embarassed to discovered I messed up with mine. I read ‘aya’ as the fist word and sentence in the book I read, because the kindle put the letter K on a line all by itself, so the word was really ‘Kaya’!
February 15th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Claire – please please please SEND ME YOUR FAVORITE AUSSIE BOOKS. I desperately need to get my mind back there. I miss it so much.
February 17th, 2012 at 2:36 am
I haven’t read many ‘Jack Maggs’ is a favourite and ‘Road to Coorain’ a classic but just read an amazing review of ‘Dog Boy’ and thought that sounds like essential reading, there are some interesting bloggers covering Aussie lit, so I hope to read more! I love, love , loved ‘Eucalyptus’ by Murray Bail and bought it I remember for lots of friends.
February 17th, 2012 at 9:34 am
I will start with euca them because it sounds very Australian to me. Thanks lovely lady for your recommendations.
February 15th, 2012 at 5:01 am
I love nail art…the alice in wonderland ones look fab… just wish I had the skills to do them haha….as for the book club I would deffo be up for that…I’ve wanted to be part of one for yonks…so yes please… :)
February 15th, 2012 at 8:06 am
Okay yay! I need to start a blogging book club, clearly. And yes, nail art. Fabulous.
February 15th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
All those “v” words. Who would have thought! Good chuckle.
February 15th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Haha thank you, lovely lady :)
February 15th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
If you don’t mind Australian crime fiction, check out Garry Disher’s Hall Challis series beginning with The Dragon Man. So. Does this fellow Kooser ever creep out some of these ladies?
February 15th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
He’s pretty famous and he usually asks before sending :)
February 15th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
And thank you for the recommendation
February 16th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Thanks so much for leaving a comment on my blog and for helping me discover yours. Love your focus on books and will be back often. :)
February 16th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Why thank you, and anytime. I hope you like what you see.
February 16th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Your blog is always like a glass of lemonade. I’m a pink lemonade person myself, it’s just so happy! And that is how your blog makes me feel, well versed and happy!
Also, I got Christian “I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar” for his birthday last year. Some of them are hysterical!
February 16th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Haha I love it. And I also love pink lemonade. Let’s have a lemonade stand in hg this summer to raise money for something wonderful. Deal?
February 17th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Ooo, I love that poem by Ted Kooser at the end. Thanks for introducing me to a new poet!
February 17th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Oh yay! I love it too :)
February 20th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
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