2012 is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens and there have been several efforts at commemorating this: BBC shows, Google Doodle, and Claire Tomalin’s biography which as published late 2011. I wasn’t an avid Dickens fan, and I’ve not always ‘got on’ with biographies but this book has reversed both of those perspectives.
Dickens’s life was rich, active and intriguing. He pursued much with high energy and skill. In his 58 years Dickens fathered ten (possibly eleven) children, wrote twenty novels plus short stories and plays, …

Andrew Stanton speaks with emotion and brilliant humour in this Talk, which is what you’d expect from one of Pixar’s writers right. Early on Andrew makes some comments about the power of non-dialogue storytelling and how it’s important to provide two-plus-two, not four, to the reader, watcher or listener because they want to be involved in the storytelling process. This week I’ve seen both The Artist and Slava’s Snow Show, both non-dialogue pieces, and I can attest that he’s definitely right on that. His other points are …

I was reminded of this piece of writing recently when speaking with some friends. It’s a brilliant piece. We studied it at A-level and, despite that being aaaages ago, I remember it very clearly.
Our excellent teacher used it to introduce the concept of satire. Actually if I’m not wrong – and Marie will correct me – he also played the Beautiful South in class to demonstrate contemporary satire, ha ha.
I’m not gonna say much about it, the writer is Jonathan Swift, so he’s fairly proven and there …

Bleak, heart wrenching, desolate, glorious Jane Eyre.
She’s the original queen of bouncebackability and god bless her because she gets what she wants in the end. She is an inspirational role model.
I first tried to read this when I was nine years old, I didn’t finish and I forever remember it as a really challenging book. But in fact it’s a flowing, good read, with lots of interesting relationships, intelligent reflections and passion, as well as cold, bare board floors and drizzly moors.
Books like Wide Sargasso Sea have given …

I found this little book hanging around the flat and devoured it one evening with a bottle of red (I think Fitzy would have appreciated that).
It’s a compilation put together for The Daily Telegraph that includes: Babylon Revisited, The Cut-Glass Bowl, The Lost Decade.
Fitzgerald is a master at firing your senses for a decadent, glittering lifestyle, fanning your interest with mysterious, sexy relationships and then drowning the whole illusion with disappointment, decay and wantonness. His conclusions don’t sizzle they just fade out. Reading Fitzgerald can only educate you …

Big, proper arch of a full rainbow outside our back door this afternoon.

LOVING THIS!

This is the first TED video that I’ve really enjoyed in a while. Well done Pamela, she’s properly interesting, informative and entertaining. Or perhaps I just find the subject matter particularly compelling..?!

Big shadow of fair weather cumulus cloud on the Eastern hills of beautiful Lake Annecy.

This is an old talk (2005) but the content is very relevant to me, it’s something friends and I have been pondering recently. Our worlds are full of choice, opportunities and decisions, from which salad or salad dressing to buy, to what career path or life partner to select. Lots of choice that has lots of consequences on our direction and well-being. Schwartz doesn’t necessarily have a solution but he’ll make you realise you’re not alone or bonkers.
The talk is quite long but Schwartz is quick, funny, concise and uses funny cartoons throughout :)