Ms. Print

"I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense."

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:53:18 -0500

“I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.”

- Harold Kushner

The Huffington Post Challenges the New York Times List of Top 10 Books of 2012

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:40:43 -0500

The Huffington Post Challenges the New York Times List of Top 10 Books of 2012

15 Scathing Early Reviews of Classic Novels

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:52:22 -0400

15 Scathing Early Reviews of Classic Novels:

Check out this article about the harsh reviews many great classics received when they were first published. It only makes sense that people were appalled by some of these stories-if a book is shocking, or upsetting, or disturbing, it probably has something unavoidably important to say.

My favorites were:

“‘Mr. Scott Fitzgerald deserves a good shaking. Here is an unmistakable talent unashamed of making itself a motley to the view. The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life.’ — L.P Hartley, The Saturday Review, 1925”

Or, best of all:

“On Wuthering Heights: ‘How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.’ — Graham’s Lady’s Magazine, 1848”

Ouch, Graham’s Lady’s Magazine. Ouch.

Check out the blog "What Katie Ate"

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:53:25 -0400

Check out the blog "What Katie Ate":

Why did I just now discover this food blog? I love everything about it! The photography, the food, everything! Am I using enough exclamation points to express my excitement?! Now that I’m working in publishing, and since I’ve long had an obsession with cookbooks, I can tell you right now I will be buying this immediately. Katie has just released a cookbook created in her unique style, and from the sample pages I’ve seen online it is absolutely gorgeous. Rustic, homey, and warm. I hope the buyers at Anthropologie are all over this one.

c/o Aptara

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:32:05 -0400

c/o Aptara

perhaps the hardest and most frustrating books ever written

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400

perhaps the hardest and most frustrating books ever written:

Have you tackled any of these titles? The only one I’ve read was Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. I took an undergrad course at the College of Wooster dedicated entirely to Virginia Woolf’s works, and I’d have to agree—it was not an easy read. I love Wilkinson and Hallberg’s description in the article of how to tackle modernist work such as this: “The trick is to surrender yourself (true with other high modernists too), to let the prose wash over you and take you where it will.” Well-said.

Amazing Adventures at the Brookline Booksmith

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This evening was every bibliophile’s greatest dream, and I got to experience it: hearing my favorite author read from his own work, meeting him, and having him sign copies of my favorite books. Tonight I went to the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Brookline Booksmith to see Michael Chabon, author of two of my favorite novels, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (for which he won a Pulitzer Prize) and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (the prose that inspired me to go back to school to get my Master’s and work in publishing). For several years I have been captivated by Chabon’s boyish protagonists, clever similes, and keen understanding of the complexities of adolescense and relationships.

To hear Mr. Chabon read from his newest novel, Telegraph Avenue, speaking in his clear, warm, buttery voice, grinning with familiarity as he revisted the idiosyncracies of his characters as though recalling conversations with old friends, was a true delight. And later, after waiting in line at the Booksmith with three Chabon books in hand, I approached the table where he was seated and he immediately held out his hand to shake mine. What? Not just autographs, but real handshakes? It’s a wonder I didn’t faint. I told him my name and he asked if I liked the Allman Brothers song “Sweet Melissa.” I do now. I somehow managed to blurt out my appreciation for his writing and how it encouraged me to go back to school, follow my dreams, blah blah blah. He was very sweet and dealt pleasantly with my gushing.

I stepped away with my signed books and the giddiest of grins on my face, browsed the Booksmith for a bit (managing to acquire a huge stack of new and used books, as book nerds do), then somehow ended up back in line, eager to get a photo with Mr. Chabon before he left for the evening. If my repeated visits creeped him out at all, he certainly hid it well. And now I have a picture of him. And his arm’s around me. Literary swoon!

"If it scares you it might be a good thing to try."

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:12:09 -0400

“If it scares you it might be a good thing to try.”

- Seth Godin

"The only bookshop I haven’t fallen in love with is one I haven’t visited yet."

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0400

“The only bookshop I haven’t fallen in love with is one I haven’t visited yet.”

- Wendy Grisham

Huffington Post's 9 Books That Make You Undateable

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 16:42:00 -0400

Huffington Post's 9 Books That Make You Undateable:

My personal favorite: “Anna Karenina. Somebody needs to lighten up.”

This is so cool—a book with disappearing ink.

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 10:19:31 -0400

This is so cool—a book with disappearing ink.

“With new books come new feelings”—beautiful...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:58:00 -0400

“With new books come new feelings”—beautiful book sculpture created in a video by Hachette Australia

Blurb about ebook lending

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:00:25 -0400

Blurb about ebook lending:

Does the Boston library have an ebook lending program? Time to investigate!

"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity."

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:10:20 -0400

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”

- Albert Einstein

"Publishers control sales data the way the former Soviet Union controlled data regarding the sale of wheat, with about as little honesty and transparency." -Michael Levin

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:44:11 -0400

"Publishers control sales data the way the former Soviet Union controlled data regarding the sale of wheat, with about as little honesty and transparency." -Michael Levin:

Click to read Michael Levin’s strongly-opinionated but seemingly accurate assessment of publisher pitfalls.

The creation of a book, simplified. Created by Mariah Bear,...

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:52:00 -0400

The creation of a book, simplified. Created by Mariah Bear, image c/o Huffington Post.

I have completed my Toni Morrison final, at last! To celebrate...

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Lilith

Medea

by Martin Johnson Heade

I have completed my Toni Morrison final, at last! To celebrate the end of my first year of grad school (can you believe it?), I popped over to the MFA after work today. The eerie sculpture of Lilith cowering on the wall above me was perhaps my favorite piece. I also found “Orchids and Hummingbird” by Martin Johnson Heade strangely sexy and captivating.

I’m beginning to think writer Nicholas Sparks isn’t one person at all, but a roomful of ladies doing Harlequin-romance Mad Libs.

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:07:00 -0400

I’m beginning to think writer Nicholas Sparks isn’t one person at all, but a roomful of ladies doing Harlequin-romance Mad Libs.:

Read Sara Stewart’s review of the new formulaic Nicholas Sparks chick flick, “The Lucky One” (which, as bad as I know it will be, I still want to see). I could use a good cry after finals.

Here's another article about the problematic nature of some unpaid internships, from the New York Times.

Sat, 05 May 2012 17:07:39 -0400

Here's another article about the problematic nature of some unpaid internships, from the New York Times.

The Beginning of the End of the Unpaid Internship

Sat, 05 May 2012 17:06:35 -0400

The Beginning of the End of the Unpaid Internship:

It seems anymore that unpaid internships are necessary for graduates to break into whatever field of work they aspire for. But am I the only person who wonders how many more people will have to work for free before they can’t pay rent or buy groceries? I understand the importance of hands-on apprenticing work, yet a lot internships don’t seem to really offer job-specific experiences like they should. As a full-time graduate student who also works full-time (outside of my field of interest), I know how frustrating it is to see how much value employers place on internship experience, yet how little compensation (if any) they’ll provide for such work. It’s a career catch-22.