Cover Spy

I've recently begun following a blog/Twitter account that's too much fun not to share:

http://coverspy.tumblr.com
http://twitter.com/coverspy

It's comprised of a team of "undercover" New Yorkers (though it has since expanded to other cities around the world) who report anonymously on what the fellow denizens of their home cities are reading in public. It's a little like Humans of New York, but even more anonymous; public readers are never approached by spies and usually don't know that they've been featured unless they happen to read the Tumblr or Twitter feeds and find that the short personal description accompanying the book cover matches them.

I've always been a bit of a Cover Spy. I tend to notice what my subway-riding compatriots are reading (and sometimes peer surreptitiously at the running headers on e-reader screens). Obviously, as someone in the publishing community, there is a natural inclination to pay attention to these things, but work aside, I find that it helps me keep a finger on the pulse of the city. There's usually a certain correlation between the books I see on the subway and bestseller lists or trending news topics. For example, there was a "summer of John Green" on the F train at around the time The Fault in Our Stars first hit theatres, and a spate of nonfiction about modern European history as the Euro crisis has been playing out.

But New York's cultural milieu is more than what's current or showing at the cinema. I often see people reading books you'd never expect at first glance; sometimes those are the most thought-provoking (teaches you not to judge a book by its cover, ha), like the guy in the power-suit reading Betty Friedan, or the little Jewish grandmother nose-deep in a science fiction paperback. I sometimes make up life stories for them in my head. I do.

Sometimes anonymity can be entertaining. Sometimes a title and author allow a moment of genuine insight. Until they catch you staring, and you have to awkwardly look away, or feign interest in something behind their heads.

Confused Cats Against Feminism, a Tumblr

I found this gem of a Tumblr some weeks ago, and am compelled to share it here:

http://confusedcatsagainstfeminism.tumblr.com/

I love adorable kitten pictures as much as the next person, but it's always more satisfying when the cuteness packs a more substantial message. And substantial messages can come in small, witty, and terrifyingly adorable packages!

Satire can be one of the most potent forms of protest and political speech. It calls attention to the absurdities of the opposing side in a manner that, unlike serious and straightforward activism, doesn't trigger immediate backlash. Rather, by provoking laughter, satire disarms.

So enjoy these cats, and while you're laughing at their grammatical and logical inadequacies, consider that an alarming number of people really do hold similarly illogical beliefs about women and feminism. Perhaps, with time, persistence, and a large enough army of kittens, we can persuade them that women deserve the same rights and protections as men currently enjoy.

Philosophical Questions Every Day, a blog

Philosophy is often considered one of the academic subjects less suited for amateur study. There is a truly unfortunate cultural perception of its opacity and limited applicability -- that "real philosophers" are eggheads in ivory towers whom nobody else can access.

This is just blatantly untrue.

Anyone who enjoys thinking in the abstract and hypothetical, who considers their place in the world, who has opinions about right and wrong that they can justify, is interested in philosophy.

Enter this blog:
http://www.pqed.org

It poses excellent, thought-provoking philosophical questions about current events and mundane issues, and includes non-academic discussion of these topics. It's well worth reading.

In particular, it provides a good list of book recommendations for the layperson interested in philosophy:
http://www.pqed.org/2014/01/reader-question-what-can-i-read-to.html#more

A gem of a find. I hope it will increase awareness of philosophy, and mindfulness in general.

Knights vs. Snail in Medieval England

A whimsical curiosity from the British Library's medieval manuscripts blog (the librarians post some fascinating stuff -- the rest of the blog is definitely worth a peek too):

http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/09/knight-v-snail.html

The motif of knights fighting giant snails is apparently quite common in medieval illuminated manuscripts, though nobody knows why, or what it was supposed to have signified. (There's even snail jousting! And monkeys!) Was it all just marginalia? Bored monks -- who were only human, after all -- having a bit of fun with their transcription? Did snails moonlight as agents of Satan when not making nuisances of themselves in the monastery vegetable patches? Even among the eminent scholars at the British Library, nobody knows.

While the world of medieval archivists puzzles over this mystery, the rest of us get some Easter eggs in our manuscripts. Happy Monday, everyone!

U.S. History, Minus the Dead White Men

Happy Independence Day -- which, in the United States, means that we celebrate the Founding Fathers and the revolutionaries of the 1770s -- all of them dead white men. In studying Western history, it's easy to assume that anyone of interest or significance was male and white (and Christian), because those were the voices which were heard. (History is written by the winners, the saying goes.)

I happened upon this blog, which showcases the overlooked, ordinary American women and people of color who made history in ways large and small:
http://ushistoryminuswhiteguys.tumblr.com

It's inspiring, to be sure. It's also fascinating, in that members of such minorities often achieved what they did in unorthodox ways, because the establishment wasn't built to -- or in many cases, refused to -- support their aspirations. And of course, these lives often make the best stories (click through, above).

A Journal of the University Years

Here is a slightly fictionalized account of my evolution as an English major, illustrated entirely using armadillos:

The dark days of pre-med... ("Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore!'")

Upon overhearing my former classmates:

"And how much reading do you have?" (See, I remember exactly how much chemistry homework I used to get.) 

Or, in my case...
Everyone else: working on group projects in Gates (Stanford computer science building) until 2am
Me: holed up alone in dorm room, on the floor, open books spread out in concentric circles around me, writing papers

I look back at my blogging history from last year and cringe at the truth this armadillo speaks.

And then...

3am? That's cute. It was more along the lines of: peers blearily at the mess of paper (no longer neatly arranged in concentric circles), peers blearily at the small army of tea-stained mugs invading said papers, wades through the detritus of the all-nighter to find a printer as the first rays of sunlight illuminate the room.

But wait! Right before I hand it in...

Cue a second mad dash for the dorm printer, followed by a mad dash to my professor's office (possibly still in my pyjamas).

P.S. -- Don't deny that you laughed at the post title.

English Major Armadillo, or, Memes I Wish Would Catch On

I started reading this tumblr recently...

http://fyeahenglishmajorarmadillo.tumblr.com

I am so very amused. Now, should the question arise, I can tell non-bibliophiles that I am an armadillo (not this kind of armadillo, mind you). If not a separate species, certainly we're a tribe unto ourselves, at least on the internet(s). Exhibit A: Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog.

Someone please make one for history majors. How about History Major Kangaroo? Or History Major Hippopotamus (which has a nice alliterative ring to it)? (If there already is one, please do send it my way! One can never have too many nerdy web-humor sites bookmarked.)

Edit: There is one! It's called History Major Heraldic Beast, which is much cleverer than either kangaroo or hippopotamus.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

One of my English professors held a Middle English workshop last week, and showed us this:
http://houseoffame.blogspot.com/

It's brilliant and hilarious in a really nerdy, English-major-y way. (Chaucer himself was quite funny, and the blog does him justice.) I've been reading it a bit obsessively the past week. Go have a gander -- I promise you'll laugh. (If you have trouble with the Middle English, there are some translation resources in the sidebar.)

io9: Death by Fan in South Korea

As someone with an Asian mother, I'm no stranger to odd superstitions and health advice, especially quoted from "reputable" Chinese newspapers. This one's pretty good:

http://io9.com/5818197/in-south-korea-falling-asleep-in-front-of-a-fan-is-the-kiss-of-death

Reminds me a bit of my mum's "X causes cancer" line, where X is whatever I happen to be eating at the moment.

Adverbs, and the Killing Thereof

A humorous take on the not-so-funny problems with the way writing is taught in American grade schools:

http://www.therejectionist.com/2011/02/dear-superior-person_25.html

I remember, vaguely (it was a decade ago), the extremes to which grade school instructors went in instilling "show, don't tell" into the repertoires of their unsuspecting charges. It is, as with most rules, best applied in moderation. Fancy verbs and superfluous adverbs are annoying and frilly, and often make the text that much less readable. Beginner mistakes, to be sure, but ones that are utterly preventable -- and indeed, wouldn't crop up in the first place, if it weren't for these notions about grade school writing.

Mark Twain said it best: "If you see an adverb, kill it!"

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops

Just found this very funny blog post series (thanks to Neil Gaiman's blog):

http://jen-campbell.blogspot.com/search/label/weird%20things%20customers%20say

I'm both amused and appalled. I'll be checking back. :)

NYTimes: Meat without Slaughter

A most interesting article on synthetic meat and its moral implications, from one of my favorite New York Times blogs (Dot Earth):

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/meat-without-slaughter/

I can sort of understand why some people might be "squicked" (for lack of a better term) by the idea, but I'd be all for synthetic meat, if it were indeed identical to (or better than) naturally-begotten meat and the production process were better for the environment than the current one (which I imagine wouldn't be all that hard for synthetics to achieve). I'd be curious to know what a moral vegetarian (that is, someone who abstains from meat for ethical reasons) thinks of it.

Procrastination with Cute Animals

I have a particular weakness for cute/funny animal pictures, which I have been indulging of late. Here's one (I call it "How I will feel when this paper is done"):

Yes, I'm procrastinating. For your procrastinating pleasure:
http://www.dailycute.net
http://squee.icanhascheezburger.com

You'll either thank me or hate me for that.

NYTimes: Disunion (A Blog Series)

Every so often, The New York Times runs an extended blog series on a particular subject, usually something very interesting and slightly off the beaten track. I recently found this one, and I think it's brilliant:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/disunion/ 

It's about the American Civil War, it's wonderfully written and analyzed, and of course, I would find it interesting. I'm more of a European history person than an American one, generally, but I'm enough of a history buff not to be choosy. The Civil War is one of my favorite periods in US history; I think I've been interested in it ever since I read The Killer Angels almost a decade ago. (It's a really great book; if you haven't read it, you should.) I think the Civil War (and that book) is probably the conflict that really taught me about shades of grey (Robert E. Lee, tragic antihero, for certain definitions of the term, and possibly my favorite American general of all time), a concept I've applied to literary analysis ever since.

And then, several years back, I read Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, another truly excellent book, and the one which cemented Lincoln in my mind as my favorite US president ever (yes, I have favorite US presidents -- and so?). It's on my Kindle, and I still reread parts of it from time to time. Especially Lincoln's speeches; I have those bookmarked. The man was a genius, I tell you.

Anyhow, read the blog; it's quite good.

A Dance with Dragons Release Date Confirmed!

I just checked George R. R. Martin's blog; it comes out on July 12th -- four months away! The announcement is here:

http://grrm.livejournal.com/198534.html

I've been waiting for this book since my sophomore year of high school (when its prequel, A Feast for Crows, came out). I am now in my junior year of college -- gosh, that's a long time! I anticipate rereading all four of them in June, because I've probably forgotten so many of the details! (I'll probably do a marathon A Song of Ice and Fire reading some weekend in June.)

They're really, really awesome. They're basically the War of the Roses for scifi/fantasy nerds (a double win for medieval history buffs like me!). Although it's only fair to warn potential readers that it's brutal (one of the reasons it's so good). None of that fluffy-bunny-and-rainbows fantasy stuff. People die. In scads. Especially people we care about.

I'm excited -- and you should be too!

NYTimes: Food Art

It's a bit like the heart-shaped pancakes or creatively-cut sandwiches I used to try to make as a kid, but about a hundred times more awesome:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/how-do-you-want-your-eggs-scrambled-or-smiling/?hp

One of the things I've always wanted to get better at is cooking. I figure it's about time, since I'm a year or so away from graduating, and I'd like to have more than just basic competency on that score when I hit the Real World. Chances are, I'll end up living at home for some time (until I'm in a position to live on my own, in New York City, no less), but building a repertoire in cooking takes time.

And of course, artistic sandwiches are always a plus. :)

NYTimes: Blog Gives Superheroes and Supervillains Their Day in Court

This is a really cool concept:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/books/21lawyers.html?ref=books

I'm a fan of both urban fantasy and political theory (not as unlikely a combination as one might believe, as evidenced above), so this is awesome. I'd say, any science fiction writer, even those not operating in pseudo-real world conditions, should keep an eye on this; it should aid in creating realistic political systems, not to mention, yielding a plot bunny or two...

Also, Dr. Horrible. Need I say more?

Chris Baty at Stanford

My NaNoWriMo class has evening workshops every Tuesday, and this week, Chris Baty (founder of NaNoWriMo) came to dinner with us! He told us the story of how NaNoWriMo became what it is, and I got him to sign my copy of No Plot, No Problem!, and we did word sprints, (not necessarily in that order) and it was fun times for all.

And then, lo and behold, we were written up in the Office of Letters and Light blog (OLL is the organization that encompasses NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy.):

http://blog.lettersandlight.org/post/1536511865/nanowrimo-takes-stanford-by-storm

I'm all the way in the back in the picture, so you can barely see it's me.

SlushPile Hell, the Blog

You may have seen me refer to the slush pile once or twice in this blog; I don't believe I ever actually defined the term. It's basically the influx of unsolicited submissions -- manuscripts none of our editors have expressed an interest in seeing, but which are simply sent to our submissions inbox (which is an e-mail account, rather than a mailing address, these days). A submission consists, usually, of a cover letter (itself consisting of a very brief introduction to the novel being queried, noteworthy accomplishments in the field (such as short story publications, creative writing prizes, &c.), and experience (such as academic degrees or professional expertise) relevant to the novel) and the first ten pages of the manuscript. (Submissions criteria at other publishers may differ very slightly.)

Anyhow, one of the editors at my office showed me a blog that gathers excerpts from some of the craziest and most clueless query letters received (all anonymous, of course). It's a hoot (and for writers seeking publication, a good resource on what not to do):

http://slushpilehell.tumblr.com

I get stuff like this all the time. Of course, this is a sample of the very worst -- quite a few are actually very competent, and I am sorry to have to turn down as many as I do. It's a pretty narrow gate, so the submission has to be really wonderful for us to want to publish it.

NYTimes: Schott's Vocab

A wonderful New York Times blog about interesting words!

http://schott.blogs.nytimes.com

This is the same Ben Schott who did the various Schott's Miscellan[ies]. He is awesome. Seriously, I want to be him when I grow up.