For a holiday treat, here's a Halloween Google Doodle, 41 seconds of spooky entertainment. This evening, I'll be editing stories instead of trick-or-treating, unfortunately, so I'll miss Super Mario, Blueberry Muffin and the other costumed kids in the neighborhood.

For me, the most important aspect of the holiday is strategizing over candy: Do you buy cheap candy, so you won't be tempted to pig out on the leftovers? Or get the good stuff -- Mounds and Almond Joy, in my case? And how many candies can you eat before the trick-or-treaters arrive -- is there a proper etiquette?

Have a spooky night!

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Columbia Flier has a fascinating story about the boyhood home of Randy Pausch, the college professor who gained fame for confronting questions of life and (his impending) death in "The Last Lecture."

The ranch house in Columbia, Md., is being sold, but before any remodeling took place, the artwork that Pausch and his sister created in his bedroom was saved. Some of it will be placed in a studio at Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught, according to David Greisman's article. It's quirky -- just what you'd expect from a future computer science teacher: A silver elevator door reaches nearly from floor to ceiling, the numbers above indicating that the bedroom is on the third of six floors. A green and red box informs the reader that "at the bottom of Pandora's box was hope," and on the ceiling are letters, written backward, that read: "Help! I'm trapped in the attic."

In the article, James David Whitewolf of the university's Entertainment Technology Center, explained the push to save Pausch's work: "Randy was an important person to a lot of people, and what he said and the way he lived his life affected a lot of people. We want to take the few remaining artifacts that we have from his actual living existence and preserve them so that other people can be affected as well."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Back in balmy Baltimore after a weekend trip to Denver, it's odd to see that city covered in snow. When  I left Monday, the weather was perfect: sunny and in the 70s. (Though just an hour away, in the mountains, it was in the 30s, and skiers were already hitting the hills at Arapahoe Basin.)

If you haven't had a chance to visit Denver, put it on your list. Its fine indie bookstore, Tattered Cover, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I usually stop in to pick up a book by a local author or one about Colorado.

I didn't make it to the store on this trip, but I did notice a quirky literary promotion while driving in the Capitol Hill area: a vehicle plastered with photos and info about "Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship" by Cathie Beck. Even the license plate -- CHEP CAB -- fit the motif. And on Beck's website, she advertises Balistreri Vineyard’s 2008 Signature Cheap Cabernet Vino (with a $2 discount). Now that's modern book-selling!

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

A New York politician's criticism of sex-ed courses has sparked interest in "Go Ask Alice," a popular book that takes a cold, hard look at the life of a teen battling addiction and other problems.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis says the state program offers information that's inappropriate for some teens, and points them to such sites as "Go Ask Alice" at Columbia University, according to news reports. Some online reports claim the Columbia health info site borrowed its name from the book.

But Columbia says: The name Go Ask Alice! came to a site producer in a dream, and is not a reference to the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit," "Alice’s Restaurant," the TV show "Alice," Alice in Wonderland, "The Brady Bunch" housekeeper, Alice from "The Honeymooners," Alice Walker, Alice Cooper, Alice in Chains, or any other real or ficticious person, place, or thing named Alice. The Go Ask Alice! Health Question and Answer Internet Resource and The Go Ask Alice Book of Answers: A Guide to Good Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Health by Columbia University's Health Education Program are also not affiliated in any way with the book GO ASK ALICE by Anonymous, edited by Beatrice Sparks, Ph.D.

The book, by an anonymous author, was published in 1971 and got terrific reviews. the new York Times called it "a document of horrifying reality and literary quality."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I've been away from the blog over the weekend, while on a trip to Denver. I've been reading "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson who is best-known for "Devil in the White City." Nothing like a cross-country flight to tackle a good book. Few distractions -- except for bulky seat-mates pushing your arm off the armrest, and wailing babies. But you can take a break for a tiny bag of peanuts or a 100-calorie bag of crackers -- only takes a minute or two.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Naomi Wolf, author of "The Beauty Myth," took her support for the Occupy Wall Street movement to the limit last night, getting arrested with a group of protesters in Manhattan. Wolf, shown here in a 2008 publicity shot for the Baltimore Book Festival, was among the many writers who have noted their support for the movement on the OccupyWriters website. Others include Lemony Snicket, the nom de plume of Daniel Handler, Donna Tartt ("The Secret History"), Salman Rushdie ("The Satanic Verses"), Neil Gaiman ("American Gods"), and Andre Dubus III ("House of Sand and Fog").

But voicing support and getting cuffed by police are two different things. Wolf, a la Cornel West (who was arrested in a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court building Sunday), made a stand and was taken to jail. In a piece in the Guardian, she described the arrest, which came after she had attended a Huffington Post event where protesters had gathered. Her lede (a pretty good one): "Last night I was arrested in my home town, outside an event to which I had been invited, for standing lawfully on the sidewalk in an evening gown."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

A large group of authors including Lemony Snicket (a/k/a Daniel Handler) have issued a show of support for the demonstrators at Occupy Wall Street. At the OccupyWriters website, you can see a list of the supporters, and read some original commentary.

The offering from Snicket/Handler, famous for the "Series of Unfortunate Events" series, managed to be funny and ominous at the same time. A sampling:

-- "People who say money doesn’t matter are like people who say cake doesn’t matter — it’s probably because they’ve already had a few slices."

-- "It is not always the job of people shouting outside impressive buildings to solve problems. It is often the job of the people inside, who have paper, pens, desks, and an impressive view."

"Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Cornel West, the Princeton professor, prolific author, and commentator on issues of race and justice, won't be prosecuted for his Sunday protest at the Supreme Court building in Washington. He and 18 others were arrested, but prosecutors decided today not to press charges, according to CBS news.

West has often visited Baltimore to promote his books, which include "Race Matters," "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud" and "Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom."

I remember his provocative and entertaining appearance at the Baltimore Book Festival in 2008, when he spoke before an overflow crowd.

If you've never had a chance to hear him, drop by the next time he's at the Enoch Pratt or the festival. I'm sure it won't be long, because he always seems to be working on a new book.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you've read the "The Blind Side" or watched the movie adaptation, you'll appreciate the news that Sean Tuohy Jr. appears headed to Baltimore for college. Tuohy was part of the family that took in a young Michael Oher, giving him a chance to succeed in school -- and football. The movie closes with scenes of the NFL draft, when Oher is chosen by the Baltimore Ravens.

So there's a certain tidiness to the young Tuohy's announcement that he has verbally committed to play basketball at Loyola University, just a few miles north of the Ravens' stadium. Let's hope that Tuohy and his adoptive big, big brother can stay in the city together for at least a few years. Pro football can be a ruthless business, but these two -- and the rest of the Tuohy family -- deserve some time together. What better place for family reunions than Baltimore?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The fatal beating of Matthew Shepard in 1998, an anti-gay crime, sparked nationwide protests -- and a number of powerful literary works.

Today, the anniversary of Shepard's death, is a good time to learn more about the University of Wyoming student, shown here in an undated photo. And here are a few places to start:

-- "The Laramie Project," a Moises Kaufman play that uses a series of monologues to examine the issues surrounding Shepard's slaying.

-- "The Meaning of Matthew" by Judy Shepard, an exploration by his mother, who has become a well-known advocate for gay rights and founder of a foundation that bears his name.

-- "Losing Matt Shepard," by University of Wyoming professor Beth Loffreda, looks at the slaying's legacy in Laramie and beyond.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

For a little fun, check out today's Google doodle, which features Gumby, the green, super-flexible hunk of clay that entertained millions of kids over the years. The doodle marks the 90th birthday of cartoonist-creator Art Clokey (pictured here in 1995).

Gumby cartoons often had a literary theme, as he and Pokey often walked right into books to go start their adventures (a clay version of the Wayback Machine, I guess). Asked whether he was trying to promote literacy, Clokey said: “The books were a gimmick, you might say, for getting out of the toy shop and into another world or another setting. That’s the main reason we used them, not to encourage kids to read. That’s the way they are using these parts of our stories now, which is good. But at that time, it was just a gimmick for getting us out of the toy store and back into the toy store from the book. It turned out to be a beautiful device.”

Nevertheless, Gumby became a spokes-character for the Library of Congress in the 1990s, and was used to promote reading.

Happy birthday, Art!

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For your viewing pleasure, here's the "Avengers" trailer, the latest movie to feature the Marvel comics superheroes. The team dates back to a 1963 comic that set Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and others in battle against the fearsome Loki. Membership has changed in the intervening years, but the movie promises a star-studded lineup that includes Captain America and the aforementioned Big Three as they "pull the world back from the brink of disaster." The movie, which stars Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, is scheduled for release next summer.

My interest in comics has been revived lately as I've been listening to CDs of "Manhood for Amateurs" by Michael Chabon. He opens his series of essays with a heart-tugging piece on his boyhood effort to start a comic-book club in Columbia, Md. -- playing it against Stan Lee's chutzpah in promoting Marvel. And throughout the book, Chabon comes back to the comics theme, which was an inspiration for "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay." If you want to bring back some good memories about those primary-color, paneled masterpieces, pick up his book (or give a listen).

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gregg Wilhelm at the CityLit Project reminds me -- and you -- that Baltimore's Creative Alliance is hosting "Pints for Poe," a fund-raiser for the Poe House tonight. As we've noted, the city has threatened to cut off funding for the west Baltimore house where Poe lived as a youth. Fund-raisers have popped up in Baltimore, Washington and other cities, as folks try to keep Poe's former house from befalling the fate of the H.L. Mencken House, which closed to the public several years ago.

Here's how Creative Aliance describes tonight's event: With a small donation, supporters of the Poe House will receive a Raven or Poe pint glass and ticket for a free Raven, and you know, the taste is poetic. There will be a Poe actor or two to add to the festivitiesGregg assures me that with a small donation tonight, supporters of the Poe House will receive a Raven or Poe pint glass. There will be Poe actors to add to the festivities and conversations with Mark Supik, the renown maker of fine tap handles who created the Edgar A. Poe/Raven tap handle.

The Creative Alliance is located at 3134 Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown -- near Matthew's, my favorite pizza parlor.

L'chaim, Edgar!

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The heightened interest in Steve Jobs, which is fueling sales for Walter Isaacson's upcoming biography, is carrying over to some other books -- and unlikely ones, at that.

Jobs' biological sister is novelist Mona Simpson, but through some tortured family dynamics -- mom and dad weren't married, and gave him up for adoption -- the siblings didn't meet until adulthood. Her novel "Anywhere But Here," is dedicated: "For Joanne, our mother, and my brother Steve."

If you haven't read the book, you may recall the movie, with Susan Sarandon and a teen-age Natalie Portman.

Another Simpson novel "A Regular Guy," is about a guy who launches a company in his parents' basement and turns it into a Fortune 500 giant. Sound familiar?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Now that Steve Jobs has died, Simon and Schuster has lit a rocket underneath the new biography by Walter Isaacson. The book, titled simply "Steve Jobs" and featuring a stark black-and-white photo on the front cover, will be released Oct. 24, the company says.

It was originally scheduled for a March, 2012, release, but had been moved up to Nov. 21. With Jobs's death featured on the front page of every newspaper, on every newscast and on every website short of ESPN, the company must have seen a golden opportunity. The 656-pager already has rocketed to the top of Amazon's best-seller list.

Why did Jobs open up for a bio, after being so circumspect about his private life for so long? Here's how Isaacson explained it, recounting a touching scene at Jobs' home: "As a writer, I was used to being detached, but I was hit by a wave of sadness as I tried to say goodbye. In order to mask my emotion, I asked the one question that was still puzzling me: Why had he been so eager, during close to 50 interviews and conversations over the course of two years, to open up so much for a book when he was usually so private? 'I wanted my kids to know me,' he said. 'I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.' "

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Just heard the sad news that Steve Jobs, the visionary who made Apple into one of America's greatest companies, has died at 56. His body had been ravaged in recent years by pancreatic cancer, but his spirit stayed strong. He took Apple from a second-tier computer company that lived in the shadow of Microsoft PCs, and made it uber-cool. His legacy can be seen everywhere in iConic products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

I bought my first Apple product, a color desktop called the Macintosh LC, about 20 years ago, and back then, folks grudgingly paid Apple's premium prices. But these days, thanks to Jobs' savvy, millions rush to be the first to embrace Apple's newest products (the latest version of the iPhone notwithstanding). Just as Starbucks gave cafe a new cache, Jobs elevated our basic technological machinery into an art form.

A new biography by Walter Isaacson is being rushed to print -- the release date, originally scheduled for next March, has been moved to November 21. Based on dozens of interviews with Jobs, the book should be revealing reading.

RIP, Steve

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Congratulations to Baltimorean Adam Riess, who was named today as a co-winner of the Nobel Prize for physics. Riess, a Johns Hopkins University professor, was among the scientists who discovered that the universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate.

If you want to read more about the theories expounded by Riess and others, check out "The 4 Percent Universe" by Richard Panek. Here's an excerpt from an Amazon Q&A with the author:

Q: What is the "four percent universe"?

Panek: It’s the universe we’ve always known, the one that consists of everything we see: you, me, Earth, Sun, planets, stars, galaxies.

Q: What’s the other 96 percent?

Panek: The stuff we can’t see in any form whatsoever. At a loss for words, astronomers have given these missing ingredients the names "dark matter" and "dark energy."

Q: What are dark matter and dark energy?

Panek: If you find out, book yourself a flight to Stockholm.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I got a chance to see "Moneyball" over the weekend -- the movie adapted from Michael Lewis' book about the advent of a statistics-driven culture for evaluating pro baseball players. Sounds dull if you're not a sports fan (and maybe even if you are). But it's not.

I really enjoyed Lewis' book and was a bit skeptical that an adaptation would work. But by focusing on Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and the conflicts that his theory triggers within the team, the big-screen story moves along. There are a few slow spots -- like Pitt's dreaminess and his incessant driving. But he and Jonah Hill as the stats-mad assistant are interesting, likeable characters. You don't have to love sports to appreciate the way Beane and others have changed the game.

Added bonus: the New York Yankees play the free-spending villain, and the Boston Red Sox come off as heroes (even though they have one of the largest payrolls in baseball). That alone makes the movie appealing.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

As we begin another Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's time to recall the people who are battling the disease, those who are survivors, and those who have passed on.

I'll remember M.B., a dear friend who was taken several years ago -- and left behind a husband and three children. I can still picture her bright smile and hear her roaring laugh. Many of us have lost friends and relatives like her.

The Baltimore Sun is publishing a slew of information about breast cancer, including stories about scientific advances and a list of fund-raising events. Worth reading and remembering.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)