Fans, or would-be fans, of Iain M. Banks - he's reading (an abridged version of) his novel "Transition" in 15-minute bursts as a free podcast on iTunes. Story on io9.com
You never know if a girl's gonna say 'yes', or if she's gonna laugh in your face and pull out your still-beating heart and crush it into the ground with her heel.
Xander ,'Help'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
StuntHusband - Sep 22, 2009 12:41:34 pm PDT #10115 of 28380
Electromagnetic candy! - Stark
Jessica - Sep 22, 2009 2:59:48 pm PDT #10116 of 28380
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
he's reading (an abridged version of) his novel "Transition" in 15-minute bursts as a free podcast on iTunes.
ooooooooooooooooOOOOOOO.
Aims - Sep 22, 2009 3:02:17 pm PDT #10117 of 28380
Shit's all sorts of different now.
My lit crit class is going to be the death of me
Hil R. - Sep 24, 2009 11:55:00 am PDT #10118 of 28380
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
No more Reading Rainbow: [link]
Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that's not what Reading Rainbow was trying to do.
"Reading Rainbow taught kids why to read," Grant says. "You know, the love of reading — [the show] encouraged kids to pick up a book and to read."
Tom Scola - Sep 24, 2009 11:56:01 am PDT #10119 of 28380
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
Via The Onion, My Living Nightmare Of Encouraging Kids To Read Is Over
Strega - Sep 28, 2009 5:32:05 pm PDT #10120 of 28380
Last weekend I got an advance copy of the Stoker-endorsed Dracula sequel. I'm not done with it yet (although I'll probably finish tomorrow) and:
1) I'm fairly confident that the only significant stuff coming from Stoker's notes are the occasional bits of backstory (like, Harker will reminisce about how he originally met Mina).
2) It is badly written. Granted, this is an uncorrected MS, but: whew. If I'd known to do it when I started, I'd have kept a running count of the cliches.
3) If you listed a bunch of different ideas for a Dracula sequel, they're in this. ALL of them. So it's bananas, which I have to admit does make it kind of entertaining. But probably not in the way that was intended.
4) Major plot point: So... Elizabeth Bathory is another vampire. And she was Jack the Ripper. And that's why Dracula was trying to get to London originally. See?
DavidS - Sep 28, 2009 5:38:52 pm PDT #10121 of 28380
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
As to 4) I have to say: Whoa! That's the crackfic.
Strega - Sep 28, 2009 6:25:37 pm PDT #10122 of 28380
And there's SO much more! Like because of her dalliance with Dracula, Mina hasn't aged. And she's now discovering that she's a little bit superpowered. And since she got pregnant post-Dracula... so is her son.
It reminds me a little of Nicholas Meyer's Holmes pastiches. Except for being terrible. So it's educational, because Meyer kinda made it look easy.
Atropa - Sep 28, 2009 6:29:37 pm PDT #10123 of 28380
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Oh ... dear. And I've read almost all of those crackfic notions in other Dracula -themed books, done with varying levels of success. Maaaan, now I'm conflicted. Do I want to buy a copy so I can laugh and laugh at the cliches, or do I want to avoid it because it will make my head explode and I shouldn't give those people any of my money?
Kat - Sep 28, 2009 6:36:42 pm PDT #10124 of 28380
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
Jilli, get it from the library so you can do #1 without doing #2.