Monday, September 10, 2012

My Latest Knitting Project - A George R.R. Martin Doll!

A Knitting project inspired by one of my favorite authors - George R.R. Martin!


"The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we wake.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.” ― George R.R. Martin

This handmade, knitted doll, measuring approximately 11"x7", is a knitted version of one of my favorite fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin, renowned for writing "A Song of Ice and Fire," the series of books upon which the HBO series "Game of Thrones" is based. GRRM is knitted with acrylic yarn and the vest, glasses and felt books are sewn onto the doll and non-removable.

The full listing can be found on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/listing/109083052/knitted-george-rr-martin-doll.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Treasure Trove of Literary Giveaways

Whilst Reading: A Portrait of Sofia Kramskoya, the Painter’s Wife (Ivan Kramskoi, 1866)


I love books, and as silly as it may sound, when I discover sources of free books, I get excited! ...and having a virtual library at my fingertips makes me feel like a little kid in a toy store.

So here some cool ways to get free books via literary social media sites:

* Goodreads First Reads - "Be the first to read new books! Prerelease books are listed for giveaway by publishers and authors, and members can enter to win. Winners are picked randomly at the end of the giveaway...You are not required to review the book if you win a copy. However, we encourage you do to so, as it's the reason the publishers are giving us free books in the first place. People who review the books are also more likely to win more advance copies in the future."

* Goodreads E-books - Many of these are free, some are available at a low cost

* LibraryThing Early Reviewers: Free Advanced Copy of Books (Both physical books AND e-books) - Early Reviewers distributes advance readers editions of upcoming books from select publishers monthly, in exchange for reviews. If you win, you are not required to review the book, although you have an increased chance of winning more books in upcoming months.

* Library Thing Member Giveaways - Member Giveaways are informal author or member giveaways. Reviews are often requested but not required.

"I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage".~Charles de Secondat, Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu, Pensées Diverses



"Medicine for the soul." ~Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes

Friday, May 6, 2011

Sunshine State Literature
An AWESOME Floridian Book Website

I just learned about the coolest website for Floridian literature lovers (which is why I am including this in both Sunshine State, Culturally Speaking and Kindle Kapers)…The Florida Book Review.

Basically, the Florida Book Review “features reviews of books with Florida settings or subjects, or of special interest to Floridians, as well as interviews and essays about Florida's literary scene. “ I am still exploring this well-written and informative site, but here is a sampling of the topics/links included:


Blog

Miami Book Fair 2010

Stephen Crane

John D. MacDonald

José Martí

Laramore Rader

Wallace Stevens

Dan Wakefield

Tennessee Williams

Classic Florida Reads

Fiction

Poetry

Crime Writing

Nonfiction

Florida Sports

Florida History

Environment

Florida Politics

Art & Architecture

Music

Food

Travel

Tales & Legends

Children

Young Adult

Presses & Journals

Bookstores

Florida Literary Links

You can also connect with The Florida Book Review on Facebook for updates.

LOVING IT!

Monday, April 11, 2011

...and now a word from your sponsor...
While I'm reading???

So Amazon has just introduced a new member of the Kindle family - Kindle with Special Offers for only $114. At first I thought that a new generation Kindle at a $25 discount was an awesome idea...saving money is always good, right? Well...sometimes...

Here's the catch. The customer saves $25 and then is subjected to "special offers" and "sponsored screensavers". "Examples include $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card,$6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68),$1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
$10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop. Special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen—they don't interrupt reading.
"

Maybe they don't interrupt reading, but still...

The thing I have always loved about reading my Kindle is that it really feels like I am reading a book. Reading a book is not like watching TV or even surfing the 'net in that it has always been a respite from the unavoidable constant stream of commercialism & advertising to which we are exposed. Back in February 2011, I wrote about Kindle Singles in Kindles, Journalistic Integrity & Web Noise Reduction. The reason I mention this again now is because the Kindle Singles were praised by NY Times columnist Virginia Hefferman for this same anti-commercial reason when she writes "Anyone who’s honest with herself knows that the Web stopped being a great place for consumers of culture a year or two ago. You think you’re reading the Web these days, but it’s reading you — gathering data on you, trying to sell you stuff, pushing you to other links. On the Web, reading is shopping. And sometimes you don’t want to shop...The Kindle in particular brought me the first moment of peace from Web noise that I’d had in a long time. True, I thought I loved the Web noise when the only alternative was to recede into analog culture — but I have adored the silence I’ve found on the Kindle." Amazon already has complete commercial control over the Kindle and its content...I don't think the $25 savings is worth the extra commercial intrusion on my quiet reading time.