In The Boston Globe, Pat Greenhouse talks about perhaps the ultimate book of lists:
‘Lists of Note: An Eclectic Collection Deserving of a Wider Audience’
The lists in the book were compiled by Shaun Usher and include Isaac Newton’s sins and Marilyn Monroe’s dream lovers, among others.
The lists also reveal tidbits such as Disney’s alternative names for the seven dwarves and Einstein’s stark demands for his wife (“You will stop talking to me if I request it”)…
Read the whole story HERE
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I was born in Yugoslavia, grew up in Africa, went to school in a castle in Wales, lived in New Zealand, met my husband in the continent of Cyberspace, and now live in Bellingham WA. I think perhaps it’s time to write a new travel memoir (my first was ‘Houses in Africa’). But while you’re waiting for mine, take a look at these:
10 Travel Memoirs to Take You Around the World
Experiencing a new place and a new culture leads to both outward and inward discovery, Elaine Wilson writes at Off the Shelf. “Set off on a literary adventure with these ten gorgeous travel memoirs that chronicle the authors’ exploration of their surroundings and themselves and allow you to travel the globe from the comfort of your cozy reading chair.”
For example:
The Turk Who Loved Apples, by Matt Gross
Matt Gross, the former “Frugal Traveler” for The New York Times, can teach you how to get lost and let your surroundings guide you to incredible discoveries.
No matter where you are or where you’re headed, Gross’s globe-trotting memoir is the perfect travel companion.
See all the others HERE
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My husband has always maintained that the ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ was an overrated book because of the cop-out ‘and then I woke up‘ ending.
But, as a story in Mental Floss by Joy Lanzendorfer makes clear, he’s confusing the book with the movie. In the story entitled “13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz'”, she writes:
7) Oz wasn’t a dream, after all: …while Oz turns out to be a dream in the movie, it’s a real place in the book. When Aunt Em asks Dorothy where she came from, she says that she was in the Land of Oz, then adds, “I’m so glad to be at home again!” (“There’s no place like home” is a movie line.)”
Read the whole story HERE
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The NPR staff offers us
Happy Ever After: 100 Swoon-Worthy Romances
Mary McLain/NPR
NPR had asked its listeners to tell them about their favorite romantic reads. They had to cut the polling short after they had received more than 18,000 nominations.
One example
The Bridgertons (series), by Julia Quinn – You can start pretty much anywhere in this beloved series about an alphabetically named family (Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne … all the way to Hyacinth). The Bridgertons are some of the most famous siblings in romance — and the books are also a lovely example of familial love surrounding the individual love stories.
See the whole list HERE
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Thinkstock
I am sure that every author thinks he or she has a book that should be on this BuzzFeed list – me included, of course. No, I won’t tell you which one.
But there are a number of excellent books on here that I can endorse. For example, just the other day I was surprised when my husband told me he and never read ‘Little, Big’ by John Crowley. I immediately dug it out of a bookcase and gave it to him. Its presence here should remind him that I’m always right.
Underrated books list HERE
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Sasquan is being held in Spokane, practically my backyard, so I’ll be there for my fifth Worldcon. I’ll be on a couple of panels, give a reading, attend a Kaffee Klatche with fans, and do some book signings at an official session, or just stop me in the hall. I’ll also be hosting ‘Tea with the Duchess.’ If you’re coming to Sasquan, be sure and look me up. It’s always lovely to meet new people, and to see old friends.
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I’ve been in the U.S. for only 15 years and yet I have been to 37 on a list of U.S. wonders. On the other hand, my native born American husband didn’t do that much better; he only got 74. So there! I think he needs to take me on some sight-seeing trips, particularly to places HE has never been,
The Ultimate USA Wonders List
Shenandoah National Park
This bucket list compiles 200 of America’s greatest treasures. From the skyscrapers of New York to the small villages of New England to the dunes of New Mexico and the coral reefs of Hawaii, America is an intoxicatingly stunning and diverse country and there’s enough to see to satisfy a lifetime’s worth of experiences.
See the other 199 places at List Challenges HERE
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THIS n THAT
Proving once again that the government has a form for everything, Slashdot reports, Buzz Aldrin has unveiled his Apollo 11 documentation, including a travel voucher detailing his expenses on his trip to the moon with a total expenses claim of just $33.31. The report notes : “Government meals and quarters [were] furnished for all of the above dates.”
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Also at Slashdot:
Inkjet printer cartridges have been the bane of many small businesses and home offices for decades. It’s interesting, then, that Epson is trying something new: next month, they’re launching a new line of printers that come with small tanks of ink, instead of cartridges.
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The Thermostat In Your Office May Be Sexist.
If you’re constantly bundling up against your office building’s air conditioning, blame Povl Ole Fanger. In the 1960s, this Danish scientist developed a model, still used in many office buildings around the world, which predicts comfortable indoor temperatures for the average worker. The problem? The average office worker in the 1960s was a 40-year-old man sporting a three-piece suit.
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Bookstore offering ‘Go Set a Watchman’ refunds
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Quote of the Day
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Alma Alexander My books Email me
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