Whatever shall I cover up with?

As a writer of course I try to follow publishing industry news, and if you do too, you know it can be as mind-boggling as any industry.

Recently, I was boggled by a blog post from January Magazine, which suggests book publishers have their own internal fashion editors.

It left me wondering, how many readers choose books based on their covers? And whatever happened to the little black dress?

If you'd like to try to answer either of these questions, please let me know - seriously. I'm open to guest bloggers, and there's no dress code.

Catching up with Catacombs

I'm not the only one who does this, am I? Sometimes it takes me a lonnnnnnng time to get around to reading my National Geographic mags...but I can't cancel the subscription. This stuff's too good.

I had the house to myself long enough one day this week to enjoy the February (2011, I should point out) issue with the cover feature, Under Paris. The authors - experienced cavers - explore the city's Catacombs and tunnel life, describing Paris as a "city with a subconscious." Some National Geography mag articles never seem dated.

Unfortunately, the February issue was eerily timely, too, with its focus on traumatic brain injuries in sports - especially football. The article was sadly too relevant after 16-year old Ridge Barden died of injuries sustained after a hard hit in high school football game in upstate New York last week.

Sigh.

What kind of reading are you catching up on this week?

Bee Happy

Recently I was subjected to Bee Movie again (my 7-year-old had the remote) and it reminded me of several very interesting articles about bees. The most recent describes the insect's apparent affinity for mathematical word problems. From that article, (in Discover, here: http://tinyurl.com/38vvbgf) you can buzz right over to '20 Things You Didn't Know about Bees,' also from Discover. (Here:  http://tinyurl.com/23sscy)


In both cases, you can bee sure the reading has a point. (Ouch!)

State Your Passion

Garrison Keillor Goes to the Fair is justification enough for continuing my subscription to National Geographic. A short version can be found in NG's blog pages; don't stop there - the article is worth your time, the magazine worth your money and the space it requires on your coffee table.

The article is Keillor's best work; of course. (I wonder what it's like to be consistently at your best?) It's so good I'm embarrassed to admit that I once wrote (eloquently, or so I thought at the time) about my favorite state fair.

(For the record, it's the Ohio State Fair, slated for July 29- August 9 this year.)

Now, does anyone have a recipe for deep fried chocolate corn potatoes on a stick?

Ah, Vacation

I need a t-shirt that says, "Five days in ARUBA and all I got to read were two books and two magazines." I'm not complaining - they were good books and good magazines. As a good deed, I left the National Geographic mags on the plane to save the next passenger from those hideous Skymall catalogs. (Apologies to the wonderful writers employed by said publication.)

I digress more than usual; let's just say the Aruban sun overheated my brain. More later on the books I read, both fiction, both of which I'd recommend, with caveats - Cinda Williams Chima's YA The Warrior Heir and Kevin Henkes' MG Olive's Ocean.

The vaca wrapped up nicely with a brief but warm chat with my seatmate, another Barbara Kingsolver fan. Ah, I love vacations, those temporary interludes away from most of life's little details.
Te Aworo!*


*Te Aworo means "goodbye" in Papiamento, the language of the people of Aruba.

Golf is Bad 4 U, Fixing the Root of the Problem, and Other Interesting Topics

Alas, a new year dawned on my old pile of magazines, finding it nearly as deep as ever. I'm still wading through...and I've learned:

Golfing can make you deaf. (Discover Magazine January 2009)

The hottest treatment for heart attacks is hypothermia. (This link to NYT article dated December 4, 2008; a longer article in Popular Science is quite good.)

The stem cell answer may lie within. (Discover Magazine January 2009) ...

...and I have too many $#%& magazines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading Somebody Else's Mail

Or grocery list, maybe. Found Magazine is a funky website featuring short but surprisingly addictive reading material - most are items found in recycling bins or the trash.

Love letters and the odd poem, phone numbers and scrawled propositions on cocktail napkins, and loads of little ditties on sticky notes, that's what's found on the pages of Found Magazine. Only online, of course. (Man, sometimes I really miss getting engrossed in an actual page.)

I'm Rich!*

My friends Matt and Gina Hutter are featured in the July (print) issue of Money Magazine because they... wait for it... wait for it... use cash.

Greenbacks.

Bills.

US dollars.

Remember?

If the answer is no, please, please read the article. A few times. We'll wait.
= - = - =
Doesn't that make sense?

To Matt's money-saving tips I can add but one: before you buy a book, check it out at the library first. :)


*Sure, you can file this under "misleading titles." But I am rich in friends!

Don't Start Smoking, but....

You might want to check out this article in Discover Magazine, A Nicotine Pill Could Help Dementia Patients. I think it's scary and awesome, the lengths to which we'll go to develop a pill... studies have suggested rats can concentrate better after they've been injected with nicotine. But of course, many of nicotine's other side effects are bad.

Naysayers are suggesting we could all avoid dementia by eating whole foods and generally having a better diet. Which is a great idea. Next time I'm at the library, remind me to visit the cooking section. I don't think hot dogs fall under the "whole foods" category.