Six Authors, Ten Books on Zambia

July 13, 2013

I am currently traveling in Zambia for work. Before I left, I did what I always do: searched for seminal works of literature about the country or by authors representing the country. I was quite surprised that Zambia remains a relatively unexplored country in literature. (Perhaps the world is waiting for my bestselling thriller about journalists in Zambia!) But I did find a few titles that are worth sharing, if you’re itching to read about Zambia—either as an armchair traveler, or in […]

How to Dry Herbs Like Laura Ingalls Wilder

June 28, 2013

If your garden is like mine, this is the time of year when mint takes over. In order to give my new blueberry bushes room to grow, I have to be aggressive about trimming back their minty neighbors. Fresh mint is great for cooking, from Greek rice pilaf to mint brownies, and for mixing drinks like mint juleps and mojitos. But those recipes only require small amounts of mint. What to do with the rest of your crop? Channel your inner Laura […]

“Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” by Jenny Lawson

June 20, 2013

Jenny Lawson, better known as The Bloggess, is kind of a big deal. She has more than 342,000 Twitter followers–including Neil Gaiman–and a popular blog supported by ad revenue; maintaining her site and Twitter feed is a full-time job. After becoming an online superstar, she published Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir.

A Short Guide to “Atlas Shrugged”

June 17, 2013

Assigned to read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged? Curious about the book after Paul Ryan proclaimed his devotion to it last year? Don’t worry, you don’t have to wade through this long and ideologically…. interesting book. Not to get into the business of shilling for others’ films, but I ran across this video recently and thought I’d share. Here’s more about the book/video from Academic Earth: You know how some authors tuck their messages away in subtle narrative layers, inviting you to tease […]

You (Plural): An Interview with Filmmaker David Vaipan

June 7, 2013

David Vaipan has written and directed more than seventy projects. Currently, he’s at work on a feature-length adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Homer’s Odyssey, titled You (Plural). Recently, he answered a few of my questions about screenwriting and the process of adapting classic literature to film.

June Nonfiction Book Club: “Unnatural Selection” by Mara Hvistendahl

May 28, 2013

I’ve enjoyed the first few months of leading the Nonfiction Book Group at Arlington’s One More Page Books & More. So far we’ve read and chatted about Boomerang: Travels in the Third World by Michael Lewis; Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain; and Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Our selection for June is Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full […]

Top Ten Books on Science: My Summer Reading List

May 21, 2013

I’ve developed an interest in science ever since graduating college, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing crucial elements of my education, partly because I was homeschooled. This summer, I hope to do a lot of catching up by (re)educating myself on basic scientific principles. Here’s what I’ll be reading: 1. A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking’s worldwide bestseller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for years readers have asked for […]