Parenthetical.net

Dude! When I was in elementary school, we watched an educational series called Tomes and Talismans. It never occurred to me to look it up on YouTube until today, but here it is! I had forgotten what it was about, exactly, but according to the blurb by the person who posted it [...]

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I Am the Wallpaper, by Mark Peter Hughes
According the to back cover, “Thirteen-year-old Floey Packer feels like she’s always blended into the background” as the younger sister of beautiful social butterfly Lillian. “But when Lillian suddenly gets married and heads off on a monthlong honeymoon, Floey…embarks on a self-improvement mission — with excellent results. [...]

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While cataloging Alas, Babylon, a classic 1959 apocalyptic sci-fi novel by Pat Frank, it occured to me how quaint nuclear holocausts seem to me now. Oh, the Russians bombed us into the Stone Age? How terrifying! We tore our short-sleeved dress shirts, and the girls in the typing pool were vaporized! [...]

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Miriam and Eric’s fabulous science blog The Oyster’s Garter continues my discussion of food politics. Make sure to see my comment, which hopefully clarifies the difference between IDOF and TOD: to wit, IDOF is about personal nutrition/health choices; TOD is about environmental impact.

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I think I’m breaking up with Michael Pollan.
Ever since reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma last year, I’ve been a devoted disciple. Now let me be fair and introduce my biases up front: I’ve been an environmentalist since I could read, and I’ve been into sustainable food for years. That’s why I read TOD (it [...]

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Happy Valentine’s Day (and happy birthday, Parenthetical)! In honor of the occasion, I give you five YA love stories guaranteed to make you feel all warm and snuggly inside:
1. Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare — When you think “romance,” you probably don’t think “Puritan New England.” But Blackbird Pond was [...]

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Given recent events in my personal life, it seemed like books about breaking up (and getting back together) might be entertaining and even (dare I say) enlightening. I was not wrong. (I “spoil” High Fidelity, below, but to me it seems like the sort of book where what happens isn’t the important thing.)
An [...]

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You may have noticed that a lot of posts disappeared. They’ve gone underground, “Private.” From now on I’ll be posting that sort of thing on my personal blog (whose address you probably have if you’re my friend, but if you don’t and you’re not a co-worker, potential co-worker, or student, email me and [...]

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