Life, the Austinverse and Everything

I figured it was time to post a bit more than just what I'm working on for school, but I'll do that too. Lately I've been working/obsessing with my portfolio. I have to submit a portfolio showing 10-15 examples of my best work to get into the BFA program. I have them all chosen, touched up and ready to be cut and mounted, something I'll likely spend most of tomorrow evening doing. I've shown my portfolio to two separate teachers who gave some good and some great advice on presenting and improving the images which I've taken to heart. A large chunk of me is afraid I won't get accepted in the program and have to settle for a Bachelor of Science degree, another equally large chunk of me is afraid I will get accepted in the program and have to be in school another semester. It's due on Thursday, I'll keep you all posted, those of you who still read this blog. :)

I'm still working at the same company I've worked at for about 2 1/2 years, about the longest job I've had by about 1 1/2 years. They treat me really well and I like or really like just about everyone I work with, though there's some frustration I've experienced lately having not heard back from someone who I heard was hiring a part time graphic designer, which is frustrating. (Hence the frustration.)

For my new year's resolutions, I doubt I'll be getting all A's this semester, I'll be surprised if I get more than 1, but I'm on track for my reading goal, I finished reading the graphic novelization of the Heir to the Empire trilogy, which was pretty bad. If anything all it did was make me want to read the real trilogy again, as it's a sad graphic novel that makes it harder to visualize something than the actual novel. The only way I was able to follow along at all was I was pretty familiar with the original story.

Speaking of Star Wars, I am currently addicted to and LOVING the new Star Wars video game/MMO: The Old Republic. Set about 3000 years before the movies, it's a whole lot of fun despite the fact that it's consuming much of my free time.

My next book is one I've owned for probably 3+ years, Conversations with the Dream King, a book consisting of Neil Gaiman interviews and interviews with writers and artists he's worked with. So far so good, I'll write a review of it in its completeness once I complete it.

While I'm so sick of school, from going to homework to thinking about it, it's still (sadly) a large part of me, so here's what I'm working on now:

Graphic Design I'm turning in a pictorial logo for tomorrow, it's for a pub I found online called the Horse's Replacement, it's a picture of a cow with a saddle.
Digital Painting we're supposed to design a poster using mixed media we scan in along with artwork done in photoshop, as well as showing a human rights issue, I was thinking something like Gandhi, but may do something more extreme like the Stonewall Riots.
History of Design we're finally starting to learn stuff I find interesting (it's all interesting, but this is more so) since we skipped the chapter on Futurism and Dada, we're talking about Swiss Design or International Style, which is cool and stuff you'd recognize if you saw it.
My internship at the family print shop is going well, sometimes they have stuff for me to do, other times I work on homework, but I'm still learning a ton which is the whole point of an internship, and I get to see family semi-regularly.
The lectures class is boring as usual, but at least I can visit with friends before they start, and more importantly, this is my last semester doing it.
And last but not least (not entirely anyway) weight lifting is what you'd expect, though I think I am losing some weight, that has more to do I think with what I'm going to talk about next than weight lifting.

For the last few months Tracie and I have been taking advantage of Bountiful Baskets, a co-op local group that buys produce locally and sells it to consumers. It's about $15 a week for $30-$40 worth of produce. We get to plan our meals based on what we get and are eating a ton more fruits and veggies.

Also, most of last week we were all sick, I think that had something to do with our losing weight too. We're all better now, thanks for caring, though my throat still hurts a little, at least it's good enough to go to work.

I really miss my family and wish they or we lived closer. Extended family and in-laws are great, but not the same and it saddens me that my parents don't get to see my son very often. Makes me sad they don't get to see their son (me) very often either.

Our house seems to be in a constant state of disarray, thanks in no small part to our adorable tornado Morgan Danger. He's very curious and wishes to be completely independent, but that means he makes lots of messes and with our work and school and other schedules, we get exhausted very easily and it gets hard to keep up with him. He still is very behind in talking but is always improving it seems, he's getting really good at mimicking words, but sometimes will just nod affirmatively instead of repeating you as if you say "you got the word right, good job, dad!" But I love him more than I thought possible, same goes double for Tracie. (the love part, she seems to respond negatively to when I try prompting her to speak.) Morgan watches too much tv like his daddy, his favorite shows are still Backyardigans, though he also likes Invader Zim which Tracie isn't crazy about, and Avatar: the Last Airbender which we all love. Seriously, I think it's one of the best shows ever. If you haven't seen it, watch it. He also loves watching "A Goofy Movie" and "The Incredibles," which is my favorite Pixar movie, and possibly one of my top ten favorite movies. Definitely one of Morgan's.
 He also loves drawing and fortunately mostly on paper, but he has drawn on the mirror and floor and table, but our good friend Mr. Magic Eraser has so far been up to the task.

That's all I can think of or all I want to talk about for now, thanks for still coming here those of you who do, most of whom I think have moved away or I'VE moved away, and all of whom I wish I could see more of. 

East of Eden- Work in Progress

We have roughs for my first Typography assignment tomorrow. We're to design a book cover for a specific artist, I'm in a group doing John Steinbeck. My book cover is East of Eden, and it was my job to create a logo for all the books.

Here's my first computer draft of the book cover. The logo I've decided deserves it's own post, so I don't have to write as much but get more blog entries.

Book 7, 8, 9, and 9 1/2

How do I let time from blogging slip away like this? Is it because the blog craze is dwindling in favor of tweeting, google+, facebook statusing, mass emails, life in general? I digress. I've read/listened to 3 books and one play and wanted to review them all in one post, as I have little to say about each and thought if I combine the reviews it should add up to once decent sized post, and become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

Book 7- Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell

Several individuals have been getting after me to read the Pop-Economics instant classing Tipping Point. (At least that's what I thought. Turns out they were recommending Outliers. Oh well. **spoiler alert** I read that too.) It was read by the author and fairly interesting for a boring subject. Basically he just gave examples of how little things can make a big difference, from medical epidemics to social epidemics. I wasn't too sold on Gladwell's point of view, it didn't change my mind on anything but it was still interesting and I wasn't worse off for reading it. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Book 8- Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim
by David Sedaris

I loved When you Are Engulfed in Flames so much I wanted to read something else by David Sedaris, and by read I of course mean listen to. For those of you unfamiliar with Sedaris, he writes mostly autobiographical/memoir-ish writing, with a nearly unhealthy dose of hilarity. Unfortunately, apart from 2 or 3 stories (the standout being "6 to 8 Black Men" about other culture's holidays, and specifically the Dutch Santa Claus and his 'helpers') I was not impressed. It was crasser than the first but more unforgivably, it was less funny. I should probably listen to it again, as I realize I may have given it more to live up to as I loved the first book of his I read, this one was good, but comparatively not as good. Still, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Book 9- Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell

Sure it makes sense to group the books by the same author together, but this is the order I read them. Outliers is about 2-3 times longer than Tipping Point, and about 2-3 times better. Well, no, not exactly, but I can't resist a comparison like that. The first half or so of the book was enjoyable, riveting and interesting. The second half got boring, tedious and made me regret enjoying the first half as much. If you're interested in Malcolm Gladwell's opinions on what makes people succeed, read this book. To me his opinion's boiled down to talent, practice and luck/timing. 5 stars for the first half, 2 stars for the second, averaging out to 3.5 stars total. If you're interested in learning more about less recognized things that make people succeed, read this book.

Book 9 1/2

The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde

I call it 9 1/2 because one, it is a play, not a book and 2, it is less than 2 hours long. Still, if you haven't read, seen or listened to this play, you owe it to yourself, your teachers and the English language to do so. Most people, myself included, call it the wittiest play ever written. It is Wilde's masterpiece, and being one of the few authors I have read everything he's ever written, I agree. In the words of Algernon, it is perfectly phrased and quite as true as any observation in civilized life should be." For those of you unfamiliar with it, I will provide a brief synopsis and then comment on the presentation I listened to, not the play itself. It involves Jack who lives in the country but goes by the name of Ernest in the city so he can live a life of pleasure but still maintain respectability to those who know him as Jack, and his friend Algernon (I didn't name him) who pretends to have a sick friend named Bunbury to visit in the country for a similar reason. Jack proposed to Gwendolyn, who accepts him largely because she thinks his name is Ernest. When discussing the engagement with Gwendolyn's mother Lady Bracknell, Jack is found out to have questionable parentage and so is forbidden to marry her. Algernon learns both of Jack's double life and his 'excessively pretty ward' Cecily, and goes to Jack's home in the country masquerading as Jack's wicked brother Ernest. Algernon instantly falls in love with Cecily who is already in love with him, again because she's always wanted to marry someone named Ernest. There is confusion and comedy aplenty in this "Trivial play for Serious people." It is my favorite play of all time, and I can't say enough good things about it, so I won't try. This version had a full cast and I would rate it a B. I enjoyed most of the actors with the exception of Algernon who has the best lines in the play after Lady Bracknell and must have thought "breathy" was an emotion, and the only emotion Algernon could express. A minor quibble was everyone calling Cecily "Sicily" which grew annoying quickly, but Jack and Gwendolyn were satisfactory if not enjoyable and Lady Bracknell was superb (doing her best to channel Edith Evans who played Lady Bracknell in the 1952 film).
One other note, though I am an admirer of Rupert Everett and have a 'man-crush' on Colin Firth, I would recommend refraining from seeing the 2002 film of the play and rent the 1952 version as it is better in every respect. Particularly Lady Bracknell. Apparently no one told poor Dame Judi Dench it was a comedy, as she performed Lady Bracknell the same way she portrays 'M' in the James Bond movies. Now that I think about it, that's the only way I've ever seen her portray anyone...
Here I go, get Austin to talk about Oscar Wilde and you can't shut him up! Ok, the play gets of course 6 out of 5 stars and the performance listened to gets 4 out of 5 because I really only had 2 problems with it, bad Algernon brings it down a star, the pronunciation of Cecily, while annoying doesn't affect the grade.

For the remainder of the year I am endeavoring to read the Lord of the Rings in its entirety which I have not done in over a decade. Thanks as always for reading.

Book 6 of 12: On Writing

I've wanted to read On Writing for several years now, at least since right before I bought it. Being easily distracted and what's that! I haven't made time to read it. No more. While looking for books on CD at the Provo library with the stipulation that the book must look both short and interesting, I saw On Writing and snatched it up. Then I listened to it. It was read by the author which I'm quickly deciding is the best way to listen to a book. I've read two books by Stephen King thus far and this was by far my favorite. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a fan, not because he's not a gifted writer but just because I've only read a couple Stephen King books and I don't think it right to group myself with those who have read Carrie and Misery when I've only read the Eyes of the Dragon and The Gunslinger. I'd say I'm an admirer.

Enough about the man, onto the book. While it's true a large percentage, at least 50% of the book is more memoir on how he became a writer and perhaps more interestingly, how he became Stephen King. That portion was interesting, listening to the man read his work was a delight, but the book truly shown when he finally started giving advice and tips on writing and on writing well.

So many reviewers say the same thing about so many writing books it's almost cliche, but this book I would really say is one of the only ones of its kind you need on your shelf. I've read more books on writing than I care to say (10-15 probably) and this by far was the most helpful and most enjoyable one I've read by far. It's a treat to read and filled with useful insightful information.

If only reading books on writing actually made you better. Guess I have to get back in the habit and start writing again for real!

5 for 5 stars.

Book 5 of 12: Homegrown Democrat

For book 5 (which I finished quite awhile ago but haven't taken the time to write about it) I listened to Garrison Keillor's Homegrown Democrat, hence the title of this entry.

I've loved Keillor ever since I heard his voice and that love has only grown since I went on a mission to Minnesota hoping to convert the residents of Lake Wobegon and their non-imaginary sister cities.

Homegrown Democrat I expected him to tell humorous stories he's famous for and perhaps a few anecdotes on why he's a Democrat. What I got was the opposite. Maybe 3 chapters of classic Keillor stories and 20 on why Democrats are awesome and Republicans... not so much.

It wasn't necessarily a bad experience as you might think. For one thing Keillor's voice and prose is indulgent in a good way and I still enjoyed it, though to paraphrase Agrippa, He didn't almost persuade me to be a Democrat.

I come from Republican stock and for a long while thought myself Republican, but as I've gotten older I've mellowed and gotten to be not as smart as I think I am and so remain apolitical.

If you're a Democrat listen to this book, if you're a fan of Keillor just listen to a Lake Woebegone collection instead.

2 out of 5 stars.

Book 4 of 12: When You Are Engulfed in Flames

For book 4 I somewhat cheated. Those of you with a disgustingly good memory may recall that I wanted to read 12 books this year that I already own but have never read. Well, my spare time being what it is, (fictional) I found time to listen to a book on CD. Since I don't own any books on CD, I listened to this from the library.

I first heard of David Sedaris (the author) in my Creative Writing class. He wrote what became my favorite reading assignment of the semester, the short story "What I Learned," a surreal retelling of his college experience, and quite possibly one of the best and funniest short stories I've read.

While at the library I hunted for some books on CD that I wouldn't hate listening to, such as the last book in the Belgariad that I could finally finish and stop lying about having read them all. Another was a set of short stories/tales written and told by the incomparable Garrison Keillor, someone I grew fond of after serving a 2 year (mostly) honorable mission in Minnesota. In the vicinity of Garrison Keillor I noticed quite a few comedy CDs being passed off as books, as well as other books on CD being passed off as comedy. Among this collection was a familiar name, David Sedaris. Hey, I thought. He's that guy that wrote that story I read that one time, that was funny. I should check it out. So I did and on my way to and from work and school for the last 2 or so weeks I've been among David's captive audience. His writing (and reading, Sedaris reads his own stories) is at once dry and witty and bawdy toilet humor. Self-deprecating to a fault, he manages to be dislikable and lovable, distant and relatable all at once. Now that I sound sufficiently like the back of a book jacket, let me try to sound like myself. David Sedaris is one of the best storytellers I've had the pleasure of listening to. When You Are Engulfed in Flames is a collection of 22 short stories mostly regarding one aspect or another of the author's life. He tells stories about (I won't list all 22, just the 13 or so I found particularly entertaining): a family member who once had a parasitic worm, trying to catch up with his taller walking companion, memories of a hilariously bad babysitter, talking about Princeton (my favorite), a rude neighbor who became a friend, buying a skeleton for his significant other, accidentally being stuck in a waiting room without clothes because he doesn't speak French (it makes (more) sense in context,) accidentally coughing a cough drop into the lap of a sleeping airplane seatmate, his parent's art collection, using album LPs as shields from kamikaze French birds, having a boil lanced from his backside (the title is "Old Faithful,") and moving to Japan on Jon Stewart's recommendation in order to quit smoking.

I would recommend them all except maybe 2, (neither of those are listed above), one story I wouldn't recommend because of it's graphic nature (though I wouldn't necessarily blame the author as it's about his encounter with disgusting people and why I would never hitchhike) and the other I wouldn't recommend just because I tried listening to it about 4 times and couldn't stay focused on it enough to know whether or not it was any good.

But, for what it is, namely recollections and short stories told from a selfish but self-deprecatingly lovable narrator, I can't think of a better read. It doesn't have many hilarious quotes, just because that's not his writing style. His jokes are subtler and more drawn out than a string of quotable one liners, but it makes for a richer reading (or in my case, listening) experience. 4 out of 4 stars. 5 out of 5, whatever my rating system is.

Book 3 of 12: Odd and the Frost Giants

I really read this in March, honestly, but with school and work being school and work, I didn't have time/didn't make time to review it then.

So this was my third book of the year, the first 'kids' book, also marking a quarter of the books I've set out to read this year. Yay me.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a story of an unusual boy (is there any other kind in children's literature?) who has a bad leg and annoying smile and leaves home. (His father died years earlier and his mother wed a widower who favored his own children over protagonist Odd.) It takes place somewhere in Scandinavia sometime in the middle ages (Viking times). Odd lives in his father's old woodcutting shack until he meets an unusual fox who leads him to a singular bear overlooked by an individual eagle. The bear's paw is trapped in a tree, Odd frees him and they follow him home. While asleep Odd thinks he dreams the animals are all talking, but this being a Neil Gaiman book, Odd wakes up and not only realizes the animals are all talking, but is told that these animals are none other than All-Father Odin (the Eagle), the Mighty Thor (the Bear of course) and mischevious Loki (Fox) whose fault it naturally was that they are in this predicament. (A Frost Giant tricked Loki into giving it Thor's hammer)

With Odd's help they make it up the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard. There Odd drinks from Mímir's well, outsmarts the giant largely through smiling at him in an annoying way, and Asgard again belongs to Odin, Thor and Loki, who of course returned to their natural forms. Freya the goddess fixes Odd's leg which he had broken when a child and he returns home all growed up.

Despite the fact that the book really should have been called "Odd and the Frost GianT," (there was only one) I really liked it, though it was very, very short. It read like a child's story merged with a tale from Norse mythology (my favorite mythology) which is pretty much what it was.

My biggest gripe and only gripe was just the brevity of the story. While it made it easy for me to reach my goal, having read it in a few hours on March 31, it read more like an outline of a story rather than a full, fleshed out tale that Gaiman is known for.

Still, if you have a few hours to spend and you love Gaiman as much as me, I would recommend it. 3 out of 5 stars.

Book 2 of 12: The Strangest Secret

This was a motivational tape we had as hold music at one of my worst jobs ever. I enjoyed listening to the hold music and for some reason decided to buy the book, or have it bought for me, I can't remember which.

In addition to being the shortest book I've read since Mercer Mayer, it was one of the best. Filled with great tips on being successful both in life and sales, I give it my highest recommendation I can. But don't buy it. I'm sure you can find it online very easily.

For those curious, The Strangest Secret is the first spoken word record to go Gold, and is full of great tips that seem cliche, but that's because nearly every self-help and motivational book since takes from its wisdom.

A few gems from the book and it's author:

Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.

Excellence always sells.

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.

We tend to live up to our expectations.

It's one of those books that's short enough and good enough that I plan to read it again and again whenever I need a pick me up or have 15 minutes and want to read a whole book of something that doesn't have more pictures than words.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book 1 of 12: Anthem

So, of my new year's resolutions, one of the most easily trackable is my goal to read one book a month of my choosing. School books don't count.

A few minutes before midnight January 31st I finished reading "Anthem," Ayn Rand's 106 page novella. Like many of my favorite books, it was recommended to me by Ammon. Unlike many of my favorite books, it isn't one of my favorites.

It was a good read and I might recommend it, but I have a few hang ups that I just can't get over.

Anthem is the story of Equality 7-2521, someone who dares to think differently in a post-apocalyptic society that has eradicated the concept of self. The words "I" and "me" have been replaced with collective pronouns "we" and "us." The future she tells of is frightening, it reads as extreme Communism if there is such a thing. The individual only exists to benefit the whole.

As expected, Equality 7-2521 leaves the oppressive society to found his own with his female companion/love interest Unity 5-3000. What left a bitter taste in my mouth (besides chewing on the pages) was, Equality was supposed to be extolling the virtues of individuality and escaping the values of society, right? So then why did he start his own? Shouldn't he have just lived alone in his own enlightened state, rather than preach to others his capitalist dogma?

I think it comes down to my belief that the opposite of Communism isn't Democracy, it's Anarchy. And I guess Ms. Rand wasn't saying to shun all things Communistic, but to embrace change and the contribution of the individual. But still, it came off to me as hypocritical, escaping the opressive society where no one is special to create your own where everyone is equal.

But, it was short, I read it and it helped me meet my goal of reading one book a month. Now I plan on reading books that I own but have never read.

Rather than making you readers feel cheated by making a whole new blog entry to say something I think I may have already said, here's a list of books I own yet haven't read and now plan to this year:

The Strangest Secret,
Conversations with the Dream King,
An Abundant Life: Memoirs of Hugh B. Brown,
Sex and Humor: Selections from the Kinsey institute,
On Writing,
Philosophy of Jokes,
six nonlectures,
Odd and the Frost Giants,
My Name is Asher Lev,
The Children of Hurin,

For you math whizzes out there, you may have noticed that there's only 10, plus the 1 of this month equals eleven. "But there are twelve months in the year, Austin," you say. "Yes, I know." I respond. The last one will either be A Catcher in the Rye which I've been meaning to read for ages, (the Cretaceous at least) or some Malcolm Gladwell book, whichever one my brother and/or father insist I read. Or that's the shortest. Or something someone else recommends to me. No Twilight or Hunger Games, thank you. I'll read them when I'm good and ready. (never)

For February, I'm thinking of either reading The Strangest Secret or Odd and the Frost Giants, as those are the shortest ones.

I'll keep you posted as I always do. In the meantime, thanks for reading and don't forget to tip your waiter/waitress 10% more than he/she deserves.

If This Were A Virus You Would Be Dead Now

Fortunately it's not. It's me talking about "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson.

I was going to call it a review, but it's probably more of a gush and recommendation for you to read it.

It's a post-cyberpunk story published in 1992 that predicted a whole lot of the way things are now. The main character is named Hiro Protagonist, he's last of the freelance hackers and the greatest swordfighter in the world. It says so on his business card. He also delivers pizza. It's the only book I know of with a hacker who carries and uses a samurai sword. That alone would be awesome enough, but I haven't gotten to Raven.

All you need to know about Raven is he rides around on a motorcycle with a nuclear warhead in the sidecar and a tatoo on his forehead that says "Poor Impulse Control."

Anyway, it's a story of the internet and computer viruses and Sumerian legend and pizza delivery and the Mafia and the church of Scientology and it's just awesome.

I haven't read anything like it, it combines computer detail with humor with action with mythology with language with in case you didn't notice, these are all Austin's favorite subjects.

The book has flaws but its strengths far outweigh any flaws or weaknesses of the book. If you're looking for an exciting ride and want to laugh and feel your mind expand, read it. That is all.
five out of four stars.

I DID IT!

I finished my 200 page 1/2 hour a page sketchbook for "Drawing for Illustration." This meant skipping most of work today and only getting about 2 hours of sleep last night (by last night, I mean 9 am-11 am) but I finished it! Now that I'm done with that infernal sketchbook (technically 2 sketchbooks) I don't know what to do with myself. I'm currently at work so sleep is out of the question, (my manager is lenient but sleeping at work is a bit too lenient.) I'm too tired to read much but apparently blogging takes less brain cells because here I am!

I haven't felt this tired in awhile, I was actually mildly hallucinating at one point, and all my dreams involved drawing. It was a great class, I thought it would be my easiest this semester, but it turned out to be the most work, probably more than any other class combined. However, it was also the most rewarding, funny how that works. The only exception is that I don't think I'm going to want to doodle or draw for awhile/a few more years.

My skill has visibly improved over the semester, at least in my opinion. The sketchbooks have been turned in and I can go get them after December 20. (This is me making a mental/bloggal note of when I can pick them up.)

I am sleepy. A part of me is worried (the very small conscious part) that I think I'm typing coherently but when I come back to reading this blog I'll see yhsy o etpyr s;; yjr eptfd eoyj ,u jsmfd pmr lru yp yjr tohjy/

Now I've got another hour and a half of work to do, and a lot of caffeine to drink so I can do it. But HALLELUJAH that notebook is done.

Reading Quotes

I enjoy quotes, I think you know that. Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit, something I am sometimes lacking. One of my favorite pastimes is reading. And so, putting two loves together like peanut butter M&M's, here are some great quotes on reading.

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
-C.S. Lewis

"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones."
-Joseph Joubert

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."
-Cicero

"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it."
-Oscar Wilde

"A house without books is like a room without windows."
-Horace Mann

"My alma mater was books, a good library.... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity."
-Malcolm X

"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them."
-Lemony Snickett

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."
-Joseph Addison

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."
-Mark Twain

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library."
-Jorge Luis Borges

A book is a gift you can open again and again."
-Garrison Keillor

"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."
-Oscar Wilde

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
-G.K. Chesterton

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
-Toni Morrison

"Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book."
-Stéphane Mallarmé

"It is not true that "we have only one life to live"; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish."
-S.I. Hiyakawa

"Books may well be the only true magic."
-Alice Hoffman

"When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before."
-Clifton Fadiman

"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world."
-Philip Pullman

"Reading brings us unknown friends."
-Honoré de Balzac

"My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read."
-Abraham Lincoln

"We read to know that we are not alone."
-C.S. Lewis

Book Snobs Anonymous

Even though B.S.A. is already taken. (Boy Scouts of America or something)

Tracie and I have joined a book club. (!) We had our first meeting Friday night, and it looks to be a good one. There are eight of us, (4 couples) and although we only know 2 other members well, met 2 others a few months ago and met the third couple on Friday, I can safely say I think it's going to be a fun experience. We all seem to mesh well, and though we have different opinions (which is good. I don't want a group of 8 Austins, however sexy that would be, it wouldn't promote very interesting discussion) we all seem polite and respectful, so we should have fun. We each chose a book for a month, so we'll do this for 8 months, then see what happens from there. For our first book, we're going to read Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. I'll let you know how I like it once I read it, and I'll let the book group know too. Try and stop me.

I don't remember all the books on the list, but I remember mine and Tracie's choices:
A Catcher in the Rye (my choice, I've always wanted to read it, but I never have. I rented it once at the library but never opened it.)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Tracie's choice. What the movie "Blade Runner" is based on.)

We'll let you know how it goes once we do more than meet and pull numbers out of a hat. I'm excited and eager to get it going.

Have you ever been in a book club?

Anticipating

I'm so excited for this book to come out this fall. It's an homage to "The Jungle Book," by Neil Gaiman. It's about an orphan raised in a graveyard by its inhabitants...

What books are YOU looking forward to?

Books Quiz

I love books, everything about them.
Today I've decided to make a quiz on books. So, here it goes!
20 Questions: Books

Book that changed my life (not religious): "The Alchemist", by Paolo Coelho.

Book that changed my life (religious, non-scripture): "Faith of a Scientist," by Henry Eyring.

Book that I can read over and over: "The Plays of Oscar Wilde", by Oscar Wilde

The funniest book I've ever read: "The Scorecard" by Greg Gutfeld

The saddest book I've ever read: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

The scariest book: "The da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Yeah, haven't read many scary books.

Best Textbook I've read: "Flash Fiction" a collection of very short short stories. Multiple authors.

Best Biography read: "The Autobiography of Malcolm X."

Worst book I've read: "Playwrighting." I don't know who it's by, I bought it at a bargain used book store (Katy Budget Books) and I think it's one of those books like "Mein Kampf" or "Barney Goes to the Zoo" that make you dumber for reading it. I'm only now beginning to catch up to the mental state I had before I read it.

A book I'm embarrassed to love: Pretty much any of the Star Wars novels I used to read. "I, Jedi", by Matthew Stackpole, "Heir to the Empire", by Timothy Zahn. I must have read about 20 of them.

My favorite book (besides ones already listed): That's a toughy. I'm gonna say "Princess Bride", by S. Morgenstern (but the good parts version, by William Goldman). As it says in the movie, it's got it all. Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. Not only that, but comedy, drama, romance, terror, and adventure.

My favorite children's book: "Horton Hears a Who," by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

My favorite short story: "To Build A Fire" by Jack London.

My favorite author: Oscar Wilde

My favorite poet: E.E. Cummings

My favorite poem: "Morituri Salutamus," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

My favorite genre: Fantasy

What writers would I like to read that I never have: Ovid, Alexander Pope, Umberto Eco, Honore Balzac

Book I'd love to see made into a movie: "The Lost World" by Michael Crichton. If you've read the book, you know that it has not yet been made into a movie.

Book I'd recommend to you (besides everything else listed): "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman. Amazing urban fantasy with such good writing I actually stopped several times just to reread the passages.


Ok. Now, what are some of your favorites?
I challenge all you bibliophiles -wherever you are- to post your faves.

Unwanted Magazines and a little Retraction

Lately I've been getting bizarre magazines. No, I haven't been sent Modern Ferret (yet) but I've apparently been given a subscription to Redbook and Working Mother. It says my name on the cover, so I'm curious just HOW I got set up with these. Do I LOOK like a working mother? And, if someone is using my name for things, why the heck are they having women's magazines mailed to ME? Tracie and I both agree we're glad it's not something weirder, or grosser, than some other magazines would be.
Speaking of gross things in the printed form, I talked to Tracie about American Gods, and she was telling me the "explicit" things I read about are more "common" in "books" than I'm "aware" of. She encouraged me to tell this, one-so people would know I don't read "smut", and two-so it wouldn't scare any potential readers away. It is a great book, and, while it's the most explicit book I've ever read, one should know that the runner-up would probably be John Grisham's "The Firm." I would say I'm well read, but I guess my reading has been more sheltered than I thought.

Now I'm worried people will think Tracie reads "smut." Well, she "doesn't." So "there."

And now, some quotes from Comic Book Guy:

(sigh) You may purchase this charming Hamburglar adventure. A child has already solved the jumble using crayons. The answer is 'fries'.

CBG: Yes, finally. I would like to return your quote unquote, Ultimate Belt.
Storekeeper: I see, do you have a receipt, quote unquote, sir?
CBG: I do not have a receipt, I won it as a door prize at the Star Trek convention, although I find their choice of prize highly illogical as the average Trekker has no use for a medium-sized belt.
Storekeeper: Whoa, whoa. A fat, sarcastic Star Trek fan. You must be a devil with the ladies.
CBG: Hey, I... Huh... Tha... Oh...
Storekeeper: Gee, I hate to let you down Casanova, but uh, no receipt, no return.
Bart: I'll give you four bucks for it.
CBG: Very well. I must hurry back to my comic book store, where I dispense the insults rather than absorb them.

Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.

I insist you take special care with my collection of valuable and humorous bumper stickers, particularly this one (he indicates a sticker which reads "My Other Car Is A Millennium Falcon") which was given to me by a Harrison Ford lookalike.

Stop right there. I have here the only working phaser ever built. It was fired only once, to keep William Shatner from making another album.

Come back! Those are prescription pants!

TUBBY!? (looks at stomach) Oh, yes. Tubby.

American Gods

Thanks to Ammon and Neil Gaiman, I have finished American Gods. It is being offered online, free here. I semi-regularly read Gaiman's blog, and I've now read 5 novels by him, and by far, this was my favorite. It's one of the first (okay, it is the first) novel I've read that won the Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and actually deserved it. (I don't know what other books have won all 3, I'm pretty sure Ender's Game won the Hugo & Nebula).

Here's a quote from the beginning of the book that tells a bit what it's about.

"One question that has always intrigued me is what happens to demonic beings when immigrants move from their homelands. Irish-Americans remember the fairies. Norwegian-Americans the nisser, Greek-Americans the vrykólakas, but only in relation to events remembered in the Old Country. When I once asked why such demons are not seen in America, my informants giggled confusedly and said, 'They're scared to pass the ocean, it's too far,' pointing out that Christ and the apostles never came to America."

-Richard Dorson
A Theory for American Folklore

The book was excellent, and, though I've checked it out at the library over 3 times, I couldn't get "into it." But, Gaiman's publisher thought it would be a good idea to offer it free online for a month, and for me, it was. I finally read it this week. I'm already a big Gaiman fan, though this book has made me much more so, as his last 2 books I've read haven't been as great as the first 2. I highly recommend American Gods, it was a wonderful book and a fantastic read. I don't recommend it to everyone, for, though it was my favorite book by this author, it was also probably the most graphic and explicit book I've ever read, some parts clearly "R" rated, others "NC-17." However, I am older than 17 (though sometimes I don't act it, other times I act much older) and was able to enjoy the book nonetheless. I'm sure it will influence my script attempts for next month, as the books I read close to when I write always influence my writing. As of now, the script for April/Script Frenzy will be a Fantasy Western Horror, (no, NOT like the Dark Tower Series. More like the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in that it will have great characters, adventure, terror, and only ONE fantastic element, not a bunch of hooey garbage capitalistic throw up)

In conclusion, read American Gods if you have the stomach for it and you're over 18, and look forward to my script, I'm having fun plotting it out right now. Well, better get back to it!