Saturday, January 31, 2015
The Secret World of Lewis Carroll, review: 'was Carroll a paedophile?'
The discovery of a nude photograph raised questions for this documentary, says Peter Yeung
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'How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits' By Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas
272 pages
Published by Doubleday
How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a little guidebook - not to the sites of Paris--but rather, with a wink and a nod and la bise, to the interiors of a modern chic Parisian woman's sophisticated pysche. Life lessons from the Three Simones: Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Veils, and Simone Signoret, and under whose Simone category all Parisians are divided punctuates the authoresses' psychology. They share wisdom of the salon, bistro and boudoir according to Love, Style, and Bad Habits. Unlike other comprehensive "How to be French" guides, this primer doesn't present an idealized portrayal of a superior French woman, but embraces the panoply of La Parisienne most recognizable by her attitude. The book itself is a skillful collection of anecdotes and advice as colorful as the spring Chanel Collection.
The impressionistic blur of pithy anecdotes, rolling lists, advice, recipes, profiles, history, and poetry is punctuated by colorful photographs and sketches, deliberately placed to give the impression that they were an afterthought, thrown together at the last minute- much like the seemingly effortless, casual style of the archetypal Parisian woman.
Four longtime friends, "stunning and accomplished Frenchwomen," have collaborated to produce a uniquely entertaining volume, each bringing her own experiences to the table. Anne Berest is a novelist, dramatist, and writer for television and film; Audrey Diwan, a scriptwriter and magazine editor; Caroline de Maigret a model and music label founder; and Sophie Mas a film producer. The four women harness their collective creative power to capture the heart of the quintessential Parisienne.
Whereas the tone may vary by section, the voice nonetheless remains steady, reinforcing the notion that the commonalities in attitude shared among Parisians are, in fact, authentic. From love, sex and feminism to interior decorating and cooking, these women cover a wide range of themes, boldly contradicting themselves at every turn, and humbly acknowledging this, even embracing it. And while some of their declarations are outrageously nontraditional (such as the idea that cheating is good for a relationship), they serve as great conversation starters. And in any given discussion, Parisians love to snobbishly hold exactly the opposite opinion of yours.
Though largely tongue-in-cheek fun, the book is also peppered with truly timeless advice: Never ask a guest at a party what he or she does for a living. Invest in yourself by fostering in private your favorite attractive qualities. Avoid logos on your clothing. "Always be fuckable." A list of essential words-to-know and an address book by locals who know the city best lay out a roadmap for visitors to experience Paris like the natives. Sometimes poignant, other times outrageous, but always entertaining, How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a staple for the bookshelf. Enjoy it in one sitting or pick it up when you seek a moment of inspiration.
A closing thought for those trying to adopt an authentic Parisian attitude: while the book makes it clear that Parisians love their technology (one reason that visiting the rural countryside is, for them, more of a romantic notion than an enjoyable one) it will also be evident by its closing pages that this book, or any, is best enjoyed as a hardback edition. After all, "there are many books on a Parisienne's bookshelf," because "taken together, [they] form intangible proof that you are well read."
Published by Doubleday
How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a little guidebook - not to the sites of Paris--but rather, with a wink and a nod and la bise, to the interiors of a modern chic Parisian woman's sophisticated pysche. Life lessons from the Three Simones: Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Veils, and Simone Signoret, and under whose Simone category all Parisians are divided punctuates the authoresses' psychology. They share wisdom of the salon, bistro and boudoir according to Love, Style, and Bad Habits. Unlike other comprehensive "How to be French" guides, this primer doesn't present an idealized portrayal of a superior French woman, but embraces the panoply of La Parisienne most recognizable by her attitude. The book itself is a skillful collection of anecdotes and advice as colorful as the spring Chanel Collection.
The impressionistic blur of pithy anecdotes, rolling lists, advice, recipes, profiles, history, and poetry is punctuated by colorful photographs and sketches, deliberately placed to give the impression that they were an afterthought, thrown together at the last minute- much like the seemingly effortless, casual style of the archetypal Parisian woman.
Four longtime friends, "stunning and accomplished Frenchwomen," have collaborated to produce a uniquely entertaining volume, each bringing her own experiences to the table. Anne Berest is a novelist, dramatist, and writer for television and film; Audrey Diwan, a scriptwriter and magazine editor; Caroline de Maigret a model and music label founder; and Sophie Mas a film producer. The four women harness their collective creative power to capture the heart of the quintessential Parisienne.
Whereas the tone may vary by section, the voice nonetheless remains steady, reinforcing the notion that the commonalities in attitude shared among Parisians are, in fact, authentic. From love, sex and feminism to interior decorating and cooking, these women cover a wide range of themes, boldly contradicting themselves at every turn, and humbly acknowledging this, even embracing it. And while some of their declarations are outrageously nontraditional (such as the idea that cheating is good for a relationship), they serve as great conversation starters. And in any given discussion, Parisians love to snobbishly hold exactly the opposite opinion of yours.
Though largely tongue-in-cheek fun, the book is also peppered with truly timeless advice: Never ask a guest at a party what he or she does for a living. Invest in yourself by fostering in private your favorite attractive qualities. Avoid logos on your clothing. "Always be fuckable." A list of essential words-to-know and an address book by locals who know the city best lay out a roadmap for visitors to experience Paris like the natives. Sometimes poignant, other times outrageous, but always entertaining, How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a staple for the bookshelf. Enjoy it in one sitting or pick it up when you seek a moment of inspiration.
A closing thought for those trying to adopt an authentic Parisian attitude: while the book makes it clear that Parisians love their technology (one reason that visiting the rural countryside is, for them, more of a romantic notion than an enjoyable one) it will also be evident by its closing pages that this book, or any, is best enjoyed as a hardback edition. After all, "there are many books on a Parisienne's bookshelf," because "taken together, [they] form intangible proof that you are well read."
How To Stream The Super Bowl For Free Online In 2015
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and you are frantically searching for some way to watch the game with all those friends you invited over at the last minute, right? That, or you are at home alone with a pint of ice cream.
Either way, it's OK, and everything is going to be fine! It's actually super easy to watch the Super Bowl online this year. Just click over to NBC, and they'll have everything set up for you. You don’t even need proof of a cable subscription or anything.
Yes, dear American, your online dreams have been answered
Want to watch 10 straight hours of Super Bowl coverage in what can only be described as the modern-day equivalent of Chinese water torture? You can! NBC will start its livestream at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Feb. 1, and will continue to stream Super Bowl coverage until around 10 p.m., when it’ll throw on a new episode “The Blacklist.” The actual Super Bowl starts around 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
This isn’t the first time NBC has streamed the Super Bowl, but it is the first time it’s been able to include the halftime show in the stream, which is good news for those of you who are forced to watch the Super Bowl but hate, you know, football.
One thing to note: The streaming service won’t work on your smartphone. But honestly, you don’t want to be that guy anyway.
Either way, it's OK, and everything is going to be fine! It's actually super easy to watch the Super Bowl online this year. Just click over to NBC, and they'll have everything set up for you. You don’t even need proof of a cable subscription or anything.
Want to watch 10 straight hours of Super Bowl coverage in what can only be described as the modern-day equivalent of Chinese water torture? You can! NBC will start its livestream at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Feb. 1, and will continue to stream Super Bowl coverage until around 10 p.m., when it’ll throw on a new episode “The Blacklist.” The actual Super Bowl starts around 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
This isn’t the first time NBC has streamed the Super Bowl, but it is the first time it’s been able to include the halftime show in the stream, which is good news for those of you who are forced to watch the Super Bowl but hate, you know, football.
One thing to note: The streaming service won’t work on your smartphone. But honestly, you don’t want to be that guy anyway.
Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell is all wrong, but does it matter?
Does it matter if Wolf Hall is wrong? asks Andrew M Brown
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via Books and Author Interviews http://ift.tt/15Vv0YQ
Here's What 'Game Of Thrones' Star Maisie Williams' 'Most Difficult' Scene Could Be
HBO just debuted the "Game of Thrones" Season 5 trailer, but now there's even more news causing excitement in the realm.
On Friday during a Reddit AMA, "Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, was asked if any scene in the show was "particularly difficult" for her. As a response, Williams teased that her most intense sequence is coming:
As to what the scene could be, some distinct possibilities are evident:
(Serious spoilers ahead)
Possibility 1: Becoming no one
A potentially emotional scene happens in author George R. R. Martin's book A Feast for Crows. After arriving at the House of Black and White, Arya is told to give up her previous life, including discarding all her possessions. The trailer shows Arya looking questioningly at her sword, Needle, giving evidence that this moment could be on the way.
Possibility 2: Arya as a conflicted assassin
In reply to Williams' statement about the scene, a Redditor's comment of, "Oh, Mercy me," may be pretty telling. In an excerpt from Martin's upcoming novel The Winds of Winter , Arya, taking the moniker Mercy, is performing in a play at Braavos in which her character is supposed to get raped. As if that wouldn't be difficult enough, before her big scene she recognizes the man who killed her friend Lommy, seduces him, kills him and then goes back to the play.
Working against this theory is that Lommy was killed by Polliver in the HBO show, and Arya already checked him off her death list. The show obviously varies from the books, so it can't necessarily be ruled out either.
What's for sure is that the Stark girls are in for a crazy season. Sophie Turner, aka Sansa, has also said that she has a "super traumatic" scene on the way. On the bright side, at least they're not men. We all know the "GoT" stance on dudes ...
Image: Imgur
"Game of Thrones" Season 5 premieres Sunday, April 12, on HBO.
On Friday during a Reddit AMA, "Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, was asked if any scene in the show was "particularly difficult" for her. As a response, Williams teased that her most intense sequence is coming:
There's actually a scene in the coming season ... which was my most difficult scene to film. And I think fans are going to be really excited about it. More emotional than we've seen Arya in previous seasons.
As to what the scene could be, some distinct possibilities are evident:
(Serious spoilers ahead)
Possibility 1: Becoming no one
A potentially emotional scene happens in author George R. R. Martin's book A Feast for Crows. After arriving at the House of Black and White, Arya is told to give up her previous life, including discarding all her possessions. The trailer shows Arya looking questioningly at her sword, Needle, giving evidence that this moment could be on the way.
Possibility 2: Arya as a conflicted assassin
In reply to Williams' statement about the scene, a Redditor's comment of, "Oh, Mercy me," may be pretty telling. In an excerpt from Martin's upcoming novel The Winds of Winter , Arya, taking the moniker Mercy, is performing in a play at Braavos in which her character is supposed to get raped. As if that wouldn't be difficult enough, before her big scene she recognizes the man who killed her friend Lommy, seduces him, kills him and then goes back to the play.
Working against this theory is that Lommy was killed by Polliver in the HBO show, and Arya already checked him off her death list. The show obviously varies from the books, so it can't necessarily be ruled out either.
What's for sure is that the Stark girls are in for a crazy season. Sophie Turner, aka Sansa, has also said that she has a "super traumatic" scene on the way. On the bright side, at least they're not men. We all know the "GoT" stance on dudes ...
Image: Imgur
"Game of Thrones" Season 5 premieres Sunday, April 12, on HBO.
The Girl from Human Street: Ghosts of Memory in a Jewish Family by Roger Cohen, review: 'brave and enlightened'
In a South African Jewish family's turbulent history, memories linger of the Zagare genocide in the forests of Lithuania
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The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - review
'This is a book that has to be read and has to be talked about; with our society becoming ever more accepting of different types of 'normal' it is important that we don't leave anyone out' Continue reading...
Has the mystery of Shakespeare’s Sonnets finally been solved?
New evidence points to identity of enigmatic ‘Mr WH’ to whom the poems are dedicated
Continue reading...
Some of the finest, most quoted verses in the English language were dedicated to him, and for centuries literary scholars have tried to establish his identity.
Now fresh research suggests that the mysterious Mr WH, to whom Shakespeare’s sonnets were dedicated, was not, as had been thought, a contemporary English nobleman, but a recently deceased associate of the Sonnets’ publisher, Thomas Thorpe, which would explain the dedication’s strangely funereal form.
Continue reading...
Game of Thrones: no new George RR Martin book for 2015
The Winds of Winter, the next book in Martin's hit series, will not be published this year
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via Books and Author Interviews http://ift.tt/16am0QC
Hilary Mantel's version of Thomas Cromwell is kind to animals - of course we like him
Does it matter if Wolf Hall is wrong? asks Andrew M Brown
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via Books and Author Interviews http://ift.tt/16am0Qn
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson - review
'Its continually rolling plot meant that I was gripped throughout, and the whole book was lifted up by slick prose' Continue reading...
An English village needs its pub – ask a novelist
That 30 pubs close down each week spells disaster for our villagers – and our authors
Continue reading...
Young Eliot: From St Louis to The Waste Land by Robert Crawford, review: 'indefatigable'
With hints of sexual violence and a vampire fantasy, T?S Eliot's early life sheds light on his later breakdown and celibacy
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via Books and Author Interviews http://ift.tt/1vjQScv