Monthly Archives: January 2014

Lagniappe

Posted on January 31, 2014 by

Gizmodo recently featured 13 delightful vintage posters from the American Library Association (ALA) including the one above.  Be sure to follow the links mentioned in the accompanying article. _ _ _ The recent kidney stone attack and subsequent “rescue” and … Continue reading →

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Did You Know . . . ?

Posted on January 29, 2014 by

It is said that the eccentric British poet, Dame Edith Sitwell (1887 – 1964), would lie in an open coffin each morning before beginning her day’s writing.  “I am,” she once said, “an unpopular electric eel in a pool of … Continue reading →

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Words at Play

Posted on January 27, 2014 by

Ben Zimmer, the executive producer of Vocabulary.com and VisualThesaurus.com talks about notable words of 2013 in a Wall Street Journal article.  Many of the new words, he notes, are “portmanteau words.”  If you follow this blog, you know what that … Continue reading →

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Music Notes

Posted on January 23, 2014 by

Steve Tyrell is a singer with a distinctive voice who has produced some wonderful albums of the old standards – music from the ‘30s and ‘40’ being my definition of “old standards.”  Yet I had my doubts when I saw … Continue reading →

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Quotes of Note

Posted on January 20, 2014 by

I can’t remember where I saw it, but the quote went something like this: “There will always be a need for brick-and-mortar bookstores like Barnes and Noble where you can browse the book shelves, hold the books in your hands, … Continue reading →

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Quiz of the Month – January 2014

Posted on January 16, 2014 by

For my first quiz of 2014 I’ve chosen 25 pairs of literary works that have one thing in common: The last word in the first title, and the first word in the second title are the same (disregarding words like … Continue reading →

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A Commedia dell’Arte Taming of the Shrew

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

Commedia dell’arte is an old form of Italian theater that, in its purest form, features actors wearing masks, and making improvised movements that are super animated.  It often features stock characters such as Pulcinella, Colombina, and Arlecchino (Harlequin).  Commedia dell’arte … Continue reading →

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StoryCorps

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

My nine year old granddaughter, Alden, joined me last Sunday morning on WBRH, the public radio station at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, when I did a three hour long big band music show for my friend Fritz McCameron (who … Continue reading →

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Readings I’ve Enjoyed – “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

Posted on January 8, 2014 by

With the cold, snowy winter weather in many parts of the United States, it might be time for a lesson about how to build a fire – compliments of Jack London (1876 – 1916).  London had experience with severe conditions … Continue reading →

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Talking About Books . . .

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

It’s nice to know that the world of literature is still vibrant.  I can tell that it is so by looking at some of the feuds that erupted in the literary world during 2013. _ _ _ USA Today’s 2013 … Continue reading →

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