Anythink blog
6 fairytale retellings
Feb 17 2017
Once upon a time, classic fairytales were told. And retold. And retold. Today, there are several different versions of the traditional stories we have come to know and love. Here are six books and movies that capture the magic and mystery of their originals....
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Bringing stories to life at Short Story Reading Club
Feb 16 2017
Stories take time. Whether bingeing the newest season of your favorite TV show, listening to an audiobook or engrossed in the pages of a novel, stories are experienced in hours, days, months and occasionally years. But short stories are different. Short stories, to paraphrase...
'400 Days': Space movie or something more?
Feb 6 2017
Some of the highest grossing films in history have involved space in some capacity. However, I have never been a fan of space movies. I don't know what it is about space movies, but I've never found them enticing. Recently, I didn't have many movies rented and...
The cosmic country of Sturgill Simpson
Feb 3 2017
The highest compliment I can pay Sturgill Simpson is that I wish his songs were longer. Wistful and raucous, earthy and cosmic, Simpson’s songs create emotional spaces so transporting you...
Sherlock: The game is... over?
Jan 26 2017
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of Sherlock Holmes in pop-culture....
Talking about 'Crosstalk' by Connie Willis
Jan 12 2017
I just finished reading Crosstalk, the 2016 novel by Connie Willis, and I’m humming with pleasure, my thoughts whirring...
Cinema Cuba
Jan 4 2017
Cuba is a country of 11 million people that is roughly the size of Pennsylvania. For being less than 100 miles off of our coast, it’s surprising how little most know about this country and its people. A great way to bridge culture gaps and create greater understanding is through actively watching...
The 2017 reading challenge
Jan 3 2017
2016 has been a page-turner of a year – literally.
This year I have turned the pages of more than 80 books from cover to cover. Many of them books I never would’ve read had it not been for Book Riot’s 2016 Read Harder...
A history of Hedwig
Dec 29 2016
Barely off to the races with its national tour, Hedwig and the Angry Inch recently finished up a week-long run at Denver’s Buell Theatre. Euan Morton stepped beautifully into the tall shoes of the title character (no small feat, as the 2014...
A different kind of 'Christmas Carol'
Dec 15 2016
A Christmas Carol is one of the most popular, adapted, parodied, quoted, analyzed and just plain beloved books of all time. It’s a story everyone knows – or thinks they know – with a main...
'Chicken People': Resources for backyard farmers
Dec 13 2016
Has the thought of backyard chickens crossed your mind? Backyard flocks have become one of the most popular new hobbies for individuals and families looking for a more sustainable lifestyle. I have had the pleasure of learning how to raise my own backyard flock over the past four months. I have...
The art of adaptation: from 'Story of Your Life' to 'Arrival'
Dec 1 2016
Hollywood has always been in the adaptation business. It used to be that producers plundered Broadway and the works of classic literature for material. Nowadays the emphasis has shifted to comic books and video games, but in the end little has changed; just try to think of the last movie you saw...
You can code: Get started with these resources
Nov 28 2016
Coding. Computer science. Javascript. HTML. Sound like a foreign language? Don’t worry – Hour of Code™ is here to help. Hour of Code™ is a world-wide celebration of all things computer science with a strong emphasis on coding, the language of computers. The...
Monsters, mysteries, murders and more: 6 supernatural stories for fall
Nov 21 2016
Everyone loves a good story – especially during fall, when stories of dark magic, supernatural beings, and thrilling fantasies align with this season. Here is a great group of books and movies that include all of the mayhem, mystery, creatures, and escapades of this beloved time of year....
Telling stories: 3 memoirs
Nov 10 2016
Storytelling invites understanding. In particular, a real-life narrative, such as a memoir, asks for attention and comprehension. Recently, I enjoyed reading three disparate memoirs, appreciating their interesting information and separate points of view. Tig Notaro, Juan Thompson and Pat Summitt...
Information should always be free. The library is that haven.
Oct 26 2016
The access to information, the ability to look anything up, has become a necessity since the dawn of the internet. With the explosion of smartphones worldwide, the cost of entry to this vast knowledge base has been significantly lowered. Everyone in the world can link into this seemingly infinite...
De Palma Gets Candid In New Documentary
Oct 26 2016
It’s difficult to think of a filmmaker with quite as polarizing a resume as Brian De Palma. Over the course of nearly half a decade, the writer/director has veered wildly back and forth from...
Close-up magic tricks: the short fiction of Stephen King
Oct 17 2016
Stephen King is one of the most commercially successful authors of all time, and yet he regularly and enthusiastically works in one of the least commercial genres: short fiction.
As he puts it – somewhat self-effacingly – in his introduction to...
Manga mania
Oct 5 2016
Ever heard of manga? Chances are you have, but in case you haven't, here is an overview: Manga is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels that are read from right to left instead of left to right. Whether you’ve read manga before or just looking for something new, here are just a few...
A history of the universe in 81 pages
Sep 26 2016
Carlo Rovelli’s Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is the literary equivalent of a singularity – compact, majestic and mind-...