Nathan Englander Gets Good Covers

The letters in the second version of Relief are interlaced into the hair! Cool! Relief is a collection of short stories.

"In one tale, a wigmaker from an ultra-orthodox Brooklyn enclave journeys into Manhattan for supplies and, more importantly, inspiration--frequenting a newsstand where she pays for the right to flip through forbidden fashion magazines."
- Amazon.com"

Stock Photo of the Day

Casual Fridays

Click and play - it's that song from Donnie Darko.

Gossip Girl Recap

Poor Blair. No matter how devious her plans are, she always ends up a virgin. Maybe she should try being a blonde.

How to Be Popular

from the book How to Be Popular:Everything you need to know, and more! by Jennnifer McKnight-Trontz.

I Feel Bad for This Cat

Stock Photo of the Day

Everything Olde is New Again

It's interesting that indie rock bands are doing the "ye olde book cover" look on their CDs. And Morrissey's just awesome.

Best Book/Cover Ever

Where in the World is Chip Kidd?

Chip Kidd is a commentator on the terrific tribute to Charles Schultz on American Masters. It aired Oct 29, but there are 3 more dates to set your TiVo's to. I never thought Peanuts was so darn SAD! Good Grief! The program does a great job of showing how the comic strip reflected Schultz's life. He moved to California with his wife and four kids, and while Charles was busy writing the strip in his studio, his wife busied herself with creating a virtual Disneyland on their huge property. The kids were left to run around and do as they pleased. Charles was so consumed by writing Peanuts that his marriage took a heavy toll. This is reflected in the strip itself in the countless scenes where Lucy lies against Schroeder's piano and tries to get his attention. Schultz was also obsessed with the film Citizen Kane, and watched it at least forty times.

It's Business Time

"You know when I'm down to my socks it's time for business... That's why they call them business socks ooooooow!"

Thanks Stevie for this sawng!

Consolation

The novel interweaves two stories that take place in Toroto - the story of a modern family trying to locate legendary photographs taken 150 years ago, and the story of the photographer who took them. This explains the modern photo stuck in the vintage frame. I love the mysterious quality of the photo itself - the cars look modern, but the photo looks like it was taken in the 70s, or even hand tinted. I think what makes the cover so compelling is how dimensional it is.