beeker ideas

being particular

Quote from Wendell Pierce on the success of The Wire: 'The more specific you are, the more universal it becomes.'

Beautifully put.

the mother flippin

I've been introduced to Flight of the Conchords late, but I love it.  This morning has been considerably brightened by this.

lovely old books

2 new books my house got for Christmas. Both genius. Both heralding an odd embracing of 50's housewifeliness in me that frankly no one could have predicted.

The first is the genius Margaret Briggs'ingeniously titled Bicarbonate of Soda: A Very Versatile Natural Substance. I am not kidding: this book changes your life. My household surfaces are sparkling like Doris Day's teeth from this funny paste you can make mixing soda and water (with a touch of vinegar for the really stubborn stuff). In fact my teeth are sparkling like Doris Day's after brushing with the stuff. My cupboards are stacked with the stuff.  I'm baking soda bread... quick-bake homemade pizza. Enjoying housework. (Not the last bit. That's untrue.)

You can even make old fashioned lemonade (that you have to drink before the fizz goes) and sherbert fountains with this stuff. How did I not know this? Why do I care? Is it some general zeitgeist-y embracing of traditional values? Is being married just screwing my brain? God knows, but god knows I love it. The funny clipped tone, the motherly advice.  Can't get enough.

And the second is the (again superbly titled) Thank you Mr Columbus by the impressive Ruth Chier Rosen.

She was practically a celebrity chef before celebrity chefs.  That biog gives Nigella a run for her money.

It comes in a box.

It has an easy-thumb index system.

The food photography is breathtaking.

There's even a bit on safety in the home at the back.

Which makes me wonder if people used to be more stupid. Come on. Look at that cable. Who does that? And who feels the need to tell women not to do that?

Excellent publications both.

the age of conversation

I'm going to write a bit for this this year.  Which is exciting.  I'd be surprised if any of you hadn't heard about it from last year (Gran, it's a book where each author writes a different chapters on the same topic and the proceeds go to Variety, a children's charity), but if not you can go here to find out the full deal.  And crucially to vote on topics.  Not sure what my vote goes to yet.  I'm mulling. 

sort of update

On Sort of Book Club.

So I just finished this. And it was a whole 400 page load of disappointment.  I mean it was good and everything.  Just not for me. But I persisted because I'd liked Death of an Ordinary Man so much.  Definitely a dip in my fledgling relationship with Glen.  I'm undeterred in my plan to take up Faris' recommendation of I Lucifer at some point. But a break's in order first.

Since it's been such a while since I've caught up with Sort of Book Club, here's a quick roundup of the biggest finds.

Alice Munro's Runaway gave me a glorious few days a while back. The kind of writing that makes me wonder. And then wonder whether maybe I could do it.

Finally I found an Ian McEwan book I liked without reservation. And I think it was because Chesil Beach is set in the 60's that his funny self-referential tone seems to have left him.

But the real knockout highlight has been The Master by Colm Toibin. Not read any of his stuff before, but this was simply magnificent - if a little painful at times to read about my all time hero being less than perfect. This has sparked a whole new phase of my obsession with the Jameses (Henry and William).

realists always sleep well

A while back I read an interview with a bike shop owner who'd been cannily planning his way under the radar of the predicted recession by making various changes to his offering. And he came out with this phrase that's stuck: 'realists always sleep well at night.' Not a particularly original one. But this was the first time I'd thought what the obvious implications of this are. That pessimists don't sleep well seems sad but probably true a lot of the time. But does it also mean optimists don't either. And wouldn't that be a lovely thing - maybe - optimistic insomnia?

indexed gets published

A Perfect blog/book crossover.  I'm buying.

method blogging

Interesting story.  One of those nice crossovers between real life and fiction.  And using fictional blogging for good rather than evil. 

Thinking about how different people get into rounding out/writing fictional characters, making them blog could be a good way to start the whole creative process.  Before you even get to a book, or play or whatever it ends up being.

feeling jacobean

I find myself in a Jacobean Manor, in the depths of deep dark Devon for work.  Eating very good ham sandwiches.  (Check out the decor.)   

I've never slept in a Jacobean Manor before.  I wonder if I'll have Jacobean dreams, or if they have Jacobean ghosts here.

Anyway, it seemed a good time for a quick post - finally - so I wanted to wish anyone still out there a very good 2008. (It's been so long since I posted I got my Typepad password wrong.  That's not right is it?)  One of my resolutions is to write non-blog stuff every day.  Which might mean even less blog stuff.  But then again another one is to merge a couple of other things with this blog, which might mean a bit more.  Who knows. 

Good night.  As Ben would say.