Pandemic Dispatches Photo by Burgess Milner / Unsplash Winnowing down to essentials during a pandemic, a writer with too much time to think cleans out her closet and immediately regrets letting go of a sweater. We’ve all been there, right? When a sweater isn’t just a sweater and our most rigorous tasks can’t bring the relief we seek. Within weeks the plague had winnowed our world. We kept in touch with only our closest friends. We wore only our comfiest clothes. Life had been pared down to the essentials. But I had nervous energy to spare. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. And how much CNN could you watch? So one day I decided to clean out my house. What I no longer needed, I’d either trash or give away. First I tackled the kitchen. I dusted off my cookbook shelves. Then I kept the books splotched and spattered from years of use. Tucked in the back, totally neglected, was a row of virgin reads. Not a spine was cracked or a page sullied. The Portuguese Vegetarian. The Sugar Buster. The Yeast Dilemma. Out they went! Then I opened the cabinets and assessed my supplies. Three huge serving platters, five chafing dishes, assorted warming trays and crystal candlesticks. Assorted wedding gifts had been hiding in a hutch for over forty years. A set of aperitif glasses. Shrimp forks. Tablecloths of random sizes. I got married when I was nineteen. And, of course, when you’re nineteen your ambition has no limit. The goal was to look... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-09-27 19:31:27 UTC ]
Books are a go-to gift for Father's Day, but if you rely on chain bookstore displays, you'll probably find a lot of the same things: cookbooks with recipes for grilling obscenely large hunks of meat, ghostwritten memoirs by pro athletes, and techno-thrillers featuring very long descriptions... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-11 17:30:00 UTC ]
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In her rant against Penguin Random House, Lionel Shriver claimed ‘diversity’ is no longer a general-purpose nounThe novelist Lionel Shriver was vexed this week about Penguin Random House’s new aim for its authors and staff “to reflect the UK population taking into account ethnicity, gender,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google has one, Apple has one, Amazon has one, so Microsoft seems to feel that it should have one too. We're talking ebook stores, and a leaked version of Windows Mobile reveals that this is something that is due to be added to the Windows Store. While Microsoft has been slowly but surely... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mike Stoner couldn’t find a publisher for his story of an expat’s dark days in Indonesia – until he looked eastAs soon as I read Mike Stoner’s self-published novel, Jalan Jalan, I had a feeling that it ought to be able to find a commercial publisher. The book was the last winner of the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Our Clip of the Week comes to you courtesy of "The Colbert Report," which is, of course, hosted by Stephen Colbert, America's greatest living media critic, branding expert and patriot. In this brief (3:00) segment, Colbert aims right for our sweet spot with his take on the latest American... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mozilla was thrust back into the spotlight last week when the tech company again made clear it intends to block third-party cookies on Firefox. This week the Interactve Advertising Bureau fired back with another angry missive. But how are digital publishers taking the news? Doug Weaver, CEO of... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frédérique Rusch transforms Mondrian’s two-dimensional primary-colored grid into a three-dimensional space, with a subtle Charles Burns reference thrown in for good measure. It’s all wonderfully meta: The first page of this comic by Frédérique Rusch is a simple grid that you may or may not... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the market for a new e-reader? One could certainly do worse than Sony's Reader line. The company's been packing features onto its devices, and the already leaked latest entry is no different, with upgrades over its predecessor, packed into a newly redesigned body with bigger, better looking... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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