Ghouled Afternoon

It is Halloween and while you might have been expecting some narrative regarding a BOOk, I wAs unins(VAM)PIREd regarding a specific topic. Perhaps I could have expounded about the abundance of PIRATEd media currently available in the market or the GHOSTly, rather ghastly, treatment of the copyright but that is a MONSTER of a topic for a simple Blog. I WAS also going to mention I hope you CARVED out a moment to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, if you have not done so already (GBC Tim). So, as you have your conversation BY the sidewAlk with CANDY and ponder in WITCH spot to place your pumpkin, look for that next inspiring idea.

Hope you enjoy THE END of your day!

Writer's Only...

In August, I suggested that you might be interested in Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss if you wanted a grammar review. In truth, I have had this book for a couple of years, but had never actually read it. This week was my turning point for the book. I could write that I finally selected this work because I have been proofreading a bit more than I normally do (which is true), however I think logistics played a more important role. I have not visited our local library in a few weeks so was perusing my bookcase for something not yet finished. (It is like using those random items in your pantry for a meal when you do not want to go shopping. I am guilty of this as well.)

The first fifty pages dedicated to "The Tractable Apostrophe" have been entertaining and include those dry English examples of subtle wit that I have come to adore. Her illustration of "Cyclist's Only (his only what?!)" reminded me of several GBC discussions regarding observed signage in the local area.

Check your apostrophes and don't end up in a comma.

Fall Colors

We are just a few weeks away from the November 17th release of The Original of Laura by Vladamir Nabokov. This "book" was intended to be burned after Nabokov's death and was in fact, 138 unordered index cards upon which various scenes were sketched. In 2008 after over thirty years of reflection, Mr. Nabokov's son, Dmitri Nabokov, agreed to publish the manuscript. The book will also contain reproductions of Nabokov's index cards which can be removed and rearranged to change the story. This addition to the novel was the idea of Chris Kidd, Alfred A. Knopf's associate art director. [Upon reading the ability to shuffle the cards, I wondered if Mr. Kidd was a fan of B.S. Johnson's The Unfortunates which was published in twenty-seven sections with the intention of the middle twenty-five sections to be read in random order; the first and last sections are set.]

For those of you who are Playboy subscribers (for the articles of course), you have the opportunity for the first read of The Original of Laura in the December publication (available November 10th) with a 5,000 word passage.

I was first introduced to Nabokov's writing in my first year of college; his use of color in several works was the subject of a term paper for my Honor English class. I wonder if I still have a copy...

Squash

The content of my mailbox advises me of a change in the air: Holiday catalogs. Crate and Barrel wants me to think of Christmas, Pottery Barn reminds me of Thanksgiving, and Heifer International wants me to consider being an "Ark Angel" (I am not kidding). My alma maters are also reminding me to donate prior to year end.

Perhaps some of you have already made your holiday plans and are on the verge of gift preparations. These catalogs were my first prompts to even consider the holidays, but I feel it is too early. I want to enjoy an autumn day, think about pumpkins and squash, go for walks on crunchy leaves before I make a transition into a festive world of red, gold and green. The last quarter of the year seems to go all too quickly, and right now I am content pondering the number of layers I will need for the day.