Stuff I've Been Consuming 12

BOOKS READ: Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon In the Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Balancing Act, Dominique Moceanu & Alicia Thompson Tokyo Heist, Diana Renn Ender in Exile, Orson Scott Card Unemployment, Aaron Lake Smith Miss Fortune Cookie, Lauren Bjorkman Prophecy, Ellen Oh MOVIES WATCHED: The Central Park Five, Ken Burns & Sarah Burns & David McMahon Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik Rust...

Stuff I've Been Consuming 11

BOOKS READ: Just Kids, Patti Smith Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb, Kirsten Miller Gear School Volume 1&2, Adam Gallardo A Story of Debt, Ashley Riordan MOVIES WATCHED: The Trip, Michael Winterbottom Skyfall, Sam Mendes Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2, Bill Condon Life of Pi, Ang Lee Lincoln, Steven Spielberg [fiftyfifty.me | Pinterest | Google Doc] November was all about the books, as I'd cleared the fifty movies months ago. Plus, there...

Outrageous, So Contagious

Having been in New York for awhile now, I've slowly accumulated some items and detritus of staying here life. Like a bed, got one of those. (Well, a mattress.) There are towels on hand for guests too, a big step forward. And I have three types of hangers. It's all impressive stuff. My roommate has started making noise about getting a toaster oven, although I prefer a plain old toaster. So many decisions when you stay put in one place for longer...

Five Times Five

A sorta weekly feature of things I co-sign: (1) What Claudia Wore. Babysitter's Club fans, this one's for you. Everyone else, this is also for you.  (2) Signing Tour: The Reality TV Show. I would like to expand on this and take it to the next level. The level where it actually happens. (3) Life in Publishing Tumblr. I usually can't do animated GIF blogs but this one is just too good. Plus a companion Why Authors Are Crazy version. Whoever you anonymous geniuses are, thank you. (4) Let's Discuss...

Stuff I've Been Consuming 10

BOOKS READ: Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami Truth & Beauty, Ann Patchett Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, Kirsten Miller Don't Get Too Comfortable, David Rakoff MOVIES WATCHED: Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry, Alison Klayman The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson Argo, Ben Affleck The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky Cloud Atlas, Andy & Lana Wachowski & Tom Tykwer [fiftyfifty.me | Pinterest | Google Doc] After two highly...

Stay Stay Stay

Currently pushing: Letterpress. If you're into word games, Letterpress is for you. I hate Words With Friends for many reasons but this is a delight. And the intuitive and simple design is outstanding. Go try it out, you won't regret it. After a bit of calculation, I realized I hadn't left the confines of my Brooklyn block for almost three weeks. Between Hurricane Sandy, work, deadlines, the election, the start of the basketball season, and...

Stuff I've Been Consuming 9

BOOKS READ: Golden Girls #16 (Camp Confidential), Melissa J. Morgan MOVIES WATCHED: Premium Rush, David Koepp Sleepwalk With Me, Mike Birbiglia & Seth Barrish Bad News Bears, Michael Ritchie Looper, Rian Johnson [fiftyfifty.me | Pinterest | Google Doc] So this is what it feels like to be in a slump. Last month I read one book. This month I read one book. I'm so behind I'm even behind on my blogging about being behind. It's mid-October...

Five O'Clock

A sorta weekly feature of things I co-sign: (1) McSweeney's Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. There's a reference to Balki Bartokomous. That is all. (2) The Klein Pyramid of Literary Quality. I like when people try to structure things. Also, I'm totally into Cheryl's podcast, Narrative Breakdown. (3) Bad Little Children's Books. These are just wonderful aren't they? "A Good Place to Hide the Body Parts." (4) CBC List of Recognized Publishers. I found it of interest to see how many books...

It's a Small World After All

Managed to get out to KidLitCon this past weekend. KidLitCon is for bloggers, by bloggers, and it's on its sixth year. Seeing as the conference was in New York, and so am I at the moment, I just had to go. It wasn't easy, mind you, as getting up before the crack of 3PM is not easy for me. Not to mention staying awake and paying attention for a full twelve hours. How do you people do it? On Friday, I had the chance to attend a publisher preview...

Top of the Charts

Traditionally, Tuesday is when albums release, when incriminating Facebook photos from the weekend are posted, and when new books drop. This Tuesday is more special than all the rest though. Dare we call it historic? Let all future generations of humankind know that on September 18th, 2012, three Asian American YA authors released new books. Three!Two major releases by Asian Americans would be a nice coincidence but three clearly indicates a...

Tiny Furniture

New York, I have arrived (again). How long this time you ask? Well, it'll be anywhere from a month to more than a month. Any more specific and I'd just be guessing and making things up.I came just in time, as one last week of summer humidity got blown out by a tornado. Of course, I packed only summer and winter clothes. Luckily, I also have a collection of semi-pants to use as in-betweens. They are advertised as bicycle knickers but let's just...

Stuff I've Been Consuming 8

BOOKS READ: Popular Crime, Bill James MOVIES WATCHED: Brave, Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman Total Recall, Len Wiseman Safety Not Guaranteed, Colin Trevorrow Ruby Sparks, Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris Bright Star, Jane Campion Bourne Legacy, Tony Gilroy Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin Expendables 2, Simon West Make Believe, J. Clay Tweel [fiftyfifty.me | Pinterest | Google Doc] Well,...

When Tomorrow Comes

This is a love letter. Yesterday we went to watch Les Mis. Due to poor timing and massive demand for the 25th Anniversary Tour, we were forced to sit in the cheap seats with the commoners. Ugh, hate when that happens, don't you? Pushed to the back and way on the right, we had a tough time making out exactly what was happening onstage.I mean, of course you can see what's happening, but can you really see? Having watched some musicals from the...

Trapper Keeper

Listening to: "Hot Cheetos and Takis." This song, my goodness. I'm pushing it on everyone -- with an admittedly so-so success rate, but you need to be into it so we can be friends. "Gangnam Style" was so last month, this week it's all about H-O-T Cheetos. This is an informative article from AAWW's Open City blog about "Gangnam Style" though: "Beyond the Horse Dance: Viral Vid 'Gangnam Style' Critiques Korea's Extreme Inequality. Okay, fine, I'm not...

Fortress Around Your Heart

I have a friend who refuses to put any apps on his iPhone and I think it's crazy. "I like to keep it uncluttered." Listen, I'm a Virgo, I understand all about having to keep stuff clean and organized. But why have an iPhone that is stripped bare of anything but Phone, Mail, Messages, Camera, etc. That's like having a premium computer and not downloading any programs. "No no, I'm good with TextEdit." There are wonderful apps out there that make...

Stuff I've Been Consuming 7

BOOKS READ:I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora EphronEdda, Conor KostickCode Name Verity, Lizzie WeinI Remember Nothing, Nora EphronHow to Be a Woman, Caitlin MoranMOVIES WATCHED:The Amazing Spider-Man, Marc WebbJarhead, Sam MendesDark Knight Rises, Christopher NolanThe Intouchables, Olivier Nakache & Eric ToledanoStep Up Revolution, Scott Speer[fiftyfifty.me | Pinterest | Google Doc]I feel like my months are falling into mini-themes. May was dystopian,...