I'll Be There For You: A Harry Potter Promise

*AHEM*

I have been MIA, and I'm extremely sorry, dear readers. Life has been beating me up over the past year, making it quite difficult to stay on top of things. *hangs head in shame*

Please allow me to give you this fun and straightforward peace offering and promise:

"Tumblr user Jeremiah Rivera got 'bored' and made this absolutely perfect remix of the Friends intro, but with the characters from Harry Potter." (Buzzfeed.com)

A Mash-Up for Your Morning

I spent last night trying to mediate an argument between my eight- and ten-year-old sisters about which Harry Potter movie to watch for "sister's night. It figures that this morning I look on GalleyCat and find an awesome mash-up of scenes from all eight films, which probably would've stopped that argument in a flash:

What happens when you cross Harry Potter with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? 

The comedian behind “The Unusual Suspect” YouTube channel tried to answer this question with his “Harry Potter vs. The World” mash-up trailer. The video embedded above features scenes from all eight Harry Potter films. 

Thus far, the video has drawn more than 607,000 views. Two days ago, The Unusual Suspect announced on his Facebook page that filmmaker Edgar Wright (the Scott Pilgrim movie director) complimented this project. What do you think? (via io9) 

See the original post HERE

For reference, io9 also conveniently shared the original Scott Pilgrim vs. the World trailer that inspired this fun mash-up:

The perfect way to start my day.

Hump Day Humor: How Finishing a Book Can Break Your Heart

Last week, Epic Reads posted a hilarious and so so true video about the experience of finishing a book, or the "book hangover" as they are calling it.

I don't know how I missed it when it came up, but thank goodness I took a look at HuffPo Books this morning and found it! It was exactly what I needed first thing on a Wednesday morning:

Happy Wednesday, all. I hope you read a book today that you never want to end!

Wear Your Favorite Books

The other day on Tumblr I re-blogged these awesome literary brooches. I have personally worn a brooch, nor can I even imagine how to do so properly, but my attention has been pulled back to them when GalleyCat wrote up a quick piece today on the very same accessories:

London-based artist Sarah Pounder has been transforming the pages of classic novels into wooden brooches. 

She sells them through the Etsy store House of Ismay. The collection includes a heart-shaped Pride and Prejudice pin, a pipe-shaped Sherlock Holmes pin and a whale-shaped Moby Dick pin. The buttons retail for $8.53-17.06.

See the original post HERE

Here are some of the other brooch options:

Not only are these cool in their own right, but they also reminded me of an Etsy shop that I found while doing my Christmas purchases this past fall that makes some really cool book-based jewelry, ESPARTOstudio. I had gotten one of the necklaces for a friend of mine, and it can be a really fun gift (especially when you choose one of the pendants that focuses on a specific word, IMHO):

An Inky Obsession Those Literary Tattoos

Dinner is in the oven, the wine has been poured, and all I can do is WATCH THIS VIDEO posted on YouTube by Buzzfeed:

A-MAZ-ING. My personal faves are the ones for Peter Pan and The Tempest.

But while Buzzfeed just posted this video yesterday, this isn't the first time they broached the subject of literary tattoos. In March 201, they shared a list of “20 Awesome Literary Tattoos.”

Among those on display are the following:

Samuel Beckett's The Unnamable

Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

If only all tattoos were this meaningful...

(Mine are, but I've seen some doozies! :-p)


Thanks go out to GalleyCat for giving me the heads up on this one!

Gone Google Gave a Giggle

It's Tuesday, and it feels like it should be Friday. Anyone with me?

Personally, I spent the morning running around my apartment in my bathrobe, knee-high boots on for protection and a broom in hand, while Cupcake played "catch and release" with an icky mouse. We spent an hour trying to get it to a point where I could dispose of the little sucker but by the time all the furniture was moved away from the walls of my bedroom, my "cat" had let him get away. I am a little afraid of what I'm going to come home to later.

Now, finally in the office with coffee in my belly, I can breathe. Or I could until my friend sent along this link: http://www.google.com/campaigns/gonegoogle/demos.html

And I cannot stop laughing.

It's probably a little extra funny since my day has been off to such a rough start, but it is pretty darn awesome.

What is it you ask?

Well, Google has created a place where companies can get a sense of all the great Apps Google has to offer once a company has "gone Google." The demo at the link above provides an example of how the collaboration process works in Google Docs in particular. Google has built the demo so that the user can write and collaborate with six famous dead authors--Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Fredrich Nietzsche, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

While there is a bit of repetitiveness that can occur as you use it, some of the changes these authors make to your document are quite hilarious.

My personal favorite: When Edgar Allen Poe popped in and wrote "I wish I could write as mysteriously as a cat."

'Nuff said.

"Closing the Gap" of Storytelling

Radio celebrity Ira Glass shares a bit about storytelling and breaking through the creative wall in this cool, text-only video by David Shiyang Liu.


Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Bathing Suits That Match Book Covers? Yes, Please!

This summer I have only gone to the beach once. It's sad, really, as going to the beach is glorious, especially when it's as hot out as it's been here in New York. The cold Atlantic can be shockingly refreshing.

I do have one more day trip planned this summer, thank goodness, but I wish I had more. And if I owned an amazing bathing suit that matches a book cover like these folks (courtesy of Matchbook.nu) , I would MAKE IT HAPPEN:

The book: I Was Told There’d be Cake by Sloane Crosley

The first sentence: “As most New Yorkers have done, I have given serious and generous thought to the state of my apartment should I be killed during the day.”

The cover designer: Ben Gibson. 

The bathing suit: Havana Floral Adjustable Bandeau Cut Out Maillot by Marc by Marc Jacobs. $104.99.

 

The book: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The first sentence: “All this happened, more or less.”

The cover designer: Carin Goldberg

The bikini: Kudeta Bikini. $45.

The book: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel 

The first sentence: “My suffering left me sad and gloomy.” 

The bathing suit: Men’s Swimming Trunks by EUROPANN. $49.

The book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The first sentence: “In the corner of the first class smoking carriage, Mr. Justice Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and ran an interested eye through the political news in The Times.” 

The bikini: Colorblock Zipper Bandeau by Tavik at Free People. Top for $39.95.

The book: The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness 

The first sentence: “In 1980s Romania, boredom was a state of extremity.” 

The bathing suit: Tea Rose One Piece Bandeau by Juicy Couture. $173.

The book: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. 

The first sentence: “Andy Bellefleur was drunk as a skunk.” 

The bathing suit: Space Print Swimshorts by River Island from ASOS. $41.43.

The book: The Pesthouse by Jim Crace 

The first sentence: “Everybody died at night.” 

The cover designer: Helen Yentus 

The bathing suit: Swimsuit with Bird Print by Salinas available at ASOS. $130.07

See more bathing suits matching book covers HERE

A Friday Daydream

Fridays in publishing are short, usually quiet days. So, sometimes, my mind wanders to daydreaming. Today's topic? My upcoming trip to Alaska in two weeks and all the glorious outdoors that I will get to explore with my friend. There will be fishing, hiking, rafting, and more.

The only thing that would make it better?

 If we had THIS TENT:

GalleyCat did a little feature on it the other day, and if it weren't so darn expensive, I might be purchasing one:

How much would you pay for a tent that looks like a book? Shelf Awareness spotted this amazing literary camping accessory created by designer Jack Maxwell.

The Fully Booked tent costs $765.96, but it will send a clear message everywhere you camp: I love to read. The dimensions are 11’8″ x  5’7″ x  4’7″, enough room for two bookworms to sleep.

Here’s more from the site: “Are you a big fan of books? We mean, are you a really big fan of books. Because this is, well, it’s an enormous book. It looks like a giant has dropped his favourite best seller. Plus, it also lets you meet up with other book fans on the campsite. You can even hold book groups in your tent and discuss whether Twilight is better than Harry Potter.”

See the original post HERE

You Are Now Part of a Classic Novel

Just something amusing to share on this not-so-awesome Thursday (at least for me!). But putting yourself into a classic novel? THAT sounds pretty awesome:

Galleycat has the scoop:

For $24.95, the customized book company U Star Novels will reprint a paperback edition of a classic novel starring you and your friends as the main characters.

The titles include everything from Pride and Prejudice to Dracula to A Christmas Carol to Anne Of Green Gables. The company will also create customized customized romance novels for lovers. What do you think–brilliant idea or literary cannibalism?

Check it out: “Upon selecting your desired novel, you must then chose the cover you would like and spend 5 minutes filling in the questions for the book you have chosen to provide us with the details we require to personalize the story for you. The books are produced with the answers that you provide, exactly as you entered them. As such, we strongly encourage you to carefully check the spelling in the questionnaire form before you submit an order – this includes proper capitalization of names and locations. We will not be able to refund your purchase as a result of spelling errors.” (Via Reddit)

See the original post HERE

A "Wacky Wednesday" Indeed

Man, I loved that book, Wacky Wednesday. It was so random and weird and, well, wacky. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised though, given most of Dr. Seuss's books are a little off the deep end. AWESOME. But certainly odd.

I was reminded of this book today when my friend Allison sent me a link to this recent GalleyCat post:

Someone mailed more than eleven pounds of marijuana to Macmillan’s St. Martin’s Press offices. The Smoking Gun broke the story today.

Bound for a fictitious employee named Karen Wright, the shipments had a potential street value of $70,000. We performed a few Google Books searches, but couldn’t find any clever literary allusions hidden in the fake employee’s name. Now everybody wants to know–who is Karen Wright?

Check it out: “The pot parcels, mailed from San Diego, never made it out of California, however. A post office employee contacted postal inspectors after alerting to the distinctive scent of the two packages. According to mailing labels, the boxes were purportedly sent by ‘ABT Books,’ a San Diego firm that listed a return address that investigators determined to be fictitious.”

See the original post HERE

Ahhh, just another Wednesday in publishing.

Jay-Z and Kanye Parody About Bookstores? Ok.

I was planning to write a real post today--there were a couple of timely topics of interest to me, like celebrity ghostwriting and eBooks for children v. adults. I actually have some opinions on these topics to share. But my day today is full of stress and overwhelming drama, so those more in-depth posts will have to wait, sadly.

Instead, I am going to share with you a funny parody I found on the HuffingtonPost.com:

Kanye West once infamously said, "I would never want a book's autograph." In light of this, we wonder how he would feel about Annabelle Quezada and La Shea Delaney's book nerd parody of his and Jay-Z's song "N*ggas in Paris."

Dubbed "B*tches in Bookshops," the girls make countless book geek references: Goodreads, Friday Reads, Foucault, Proust, Barthes...we could go on and on.

With lines like, "Read so hard librarians tryin’ ta FINE me­ /They can’t identify me/ Checked in with a pseudonym, so I guess you can say I’m Mark Twaining," we're hoping that these ladies make a follow up.

Check out the video below, and click here to visit Annabelle's blog, which also features a transcript of the lyrics:

See the original post HERE

"Interstellar Pig" and Other Randomness

Today, New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire got me thinking about all the semi-obscure books I read in middle school.

How, you ask? With a simple tweet, of course!

@seananmcguire: I still dream about INTERSTELLAR PIG.

That was all it took.

Because *I* still dream about Interstellar Pig too....I also occasionally ponder My Brother Sam is Dead and Homecoming.

I'm not sure why those ones in particular all stuck with me so much. They weren't books I adored. They weren't books I wanted to read a second time. They weren't books that taught me huge life lessons. The only thing they have in common is the year I read them--seventh grade.
Maybe that year was just a pivotal one for me:

It was the first year I collaborated on a writing project (ahhh, Marcus Neiman, most ridic character ever!).

It was the first year someone told me that I should consider being an editor when I grew up.

It was the first year I had a boyfriend.

It was the first year my mom dated my science teacher (*gasp!*).

But mostly, it's the first year I realized how obsessed I was with reading. I had always been voracious, but seventh grade? Seventh grade was insanity.

What random books have stuck with YOU since your childhood?

Oh, Bookplates, How I Miss You

I miss bookplates. *sad face*

It's something I never think about on my own, but as soon as someone else mentions bookplates, I get nostalgic and bummed out that the practice has pretty much died.

When I was a little girl, I had dolphin bookplates. I'd stick them in the front cover and shakily scrawl my name after the "This book belongs to..." I also made little library cards in the back for when friends wanted to borrow books, but that's neither here nor there.

Why then, you might be wondering, did I just now start thinking about bookplates if I never think about bookplates?

Well, because The Observer's Very Short List just sent me an email with a link to a website called Dark Roasted Blend, which posted a blog today on the study/history of bookplates that provides images of some quite gorgeous ones (and some owned by celebs/authors!):

Ex libris, meaning ‘from the library of’, or ‘from the books of’ is a Latin expression concerning the artform of bookplates - stamps or labels inside books that identify the owner. Ex libris bookplates range from the simple to the decorative and elaborate, the obscure or even bizarre and surreal.

Noble families often used a personal coat of arms or crest, frequently featuring a family motto in their native language or Latin. Naturally, the styling of bookplates changed over time, but most reflected the decorative styles of the day.



A vast array of illustrations feature on bookplates - dragons, angels, trophies, animals, birds, children, musical instruments, weapons, floral displays, trees, plants, landscapes and much more.

Read more of the article (and see more pics!) HERE

I think I need to get some bookplates stat--at least for the ones that I plan on keeping in my possession for years and years to come.

I had seen some beautiful ones last year from one of my favorite Etsy artist shops, The Black Apple, but she's all sold out. She does, however, have another set of cute hedgehog ones currently available!

Hmmm...I must ponder...

Want some Author Memorabilia? Try Dickens' Dog's Collar on For Size!

The Huffington Post is always good for some fun and random book news. Like yesterday's featured poll, for example: Surprising Author Auctioned Memoribilia.

Does your dog need a new collar? How about Charles's Dickens' embossed dog collar--for $11,590? Or if you aren't so canine-friendly, perhaps his gold-and-ivory toothpick would better suit you? Only $9,150!

OR you could have a locket of your very own, complete with a lock of Jane Austen's hair! For the low, low price of 4800 pounds!

Check out the slideshow HERE and let us know which YOU would bid on and why!

A Wide-range of Book Titles

Hello, friends. I hope you all had a lovely holiday and aren't all back at work yet (like I am!). But I found this funny little article about silly book titles on EW.com, so I thought I'd share it for a little Monday morning laugh if you are:

There are tens of thousands of books published each year, and not all of them can bear memorable titles like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius or To Kill a Mockingbird. Or even Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt’s How to Be Famous. Take the examples above, which are culled from Do-It-Yourself Brain Surgery and Other Implausibly Titled Books. The book compiles the 50 all-time best entries for the Diagram Prize, an annual contest that Britain’s Bookseller magazine has held since 1978 for the oddest book title of the year. By the way, the winner of the 2009 Diagram Prize was The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-miligram Containers of Fromage Frais, a rich and creamy study of the future of dairy product packaging.

Check out more HERE

Do you have any funny titles to share??