Anythink blog
Reading (about) water
Aug 13 2020
Kersplash! It’s summer, and I think I’m ready to jump right in and name my favorite nonfiction book for this year. True, it’s only summer, just the second of four seasons of reading in my year. Yet I don’t want to wait to share this particular book with other readers, and in particular, those who...
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Nesting notes
Jun 8 2020
When walking, I like to look for birds' nests, high and low. Sighting one is a sudden delight. Back inside my home, curiosity leads me to look through books to learn more about the nests I’ve seen – and the ones I haven’t seen. For others who are pleased by and curious about nests, here are some...
When summer doesn't, but kids do
Jun 8 2020
Whelp, this wasn’t the summer that most of us had planned for now, was it? In our family’s mind, the summer of 2020 was going to be one of nostalgic fun: campouts, swimming pools, theme parks, movies, friends and parties and barbeques. Instead, our summer looks like this: staying mostly in or just...
My child and her questions
May 4 2020
Over the past month of staying at home, my 4-year-old, Lilah, has asked me a lot of questions. We have explored dozens of animals, from the mucus of a tree frog’s foot pads to the mysterious tusk of the narwhal. Lilah has wondered why a volcano "interrupts," how rocks have sparkles, and why she can...
Nostalgia: Because you find the present tense and the past perfect
May 4 2020
Something that has really kept me in a good mood during quarantine has been nostalgia. I get this feeling from reading and watching all of my favorite shows and movies that I otherwise wouldn’t have as much time to revisit. Personally, I find behind-the-scenes information about iconic film and...
Waterskiing across the surface of a poem
Apr 29 2020
Right now, I think we’re all looking for ways to either escape or make sense of what’s going on in the world. Poetry can accommodate both impulses (and, perhaps, both impulses are alive simultaneously in the best poems). But I wouldn’t blame anyone if their first instinct when seeking either...
Hoopla is here for you
Apr 24 2020
Last time we met like this, I introduced you to a snapshot of Kanopy, one of the streaming services available to you for free, with your...
The best pandemic books to get you through a real-life pandemic
Apr 17 2020
Whether we were prepared for it or not, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) arrived in Colorado at the beginning of March, and with it stay-at-home notices and self-isolation. And while the news might be terrifyingly real, sometimes it’s nice to escape into fiction to help us handle things outside our...
Kanopy has you covered
Apr 16 2020
Maybe you’re feeling bored, isolated and uncertain these days? Or relaxed, liberated, and enjoying your free time? All of the above? Whatever emotions have taken up residence in your noggin, there’s a movie for that. And you have access to streaming movies anywhere, anytime, with your...
What the world needs now is the weird world of Jenny Slate
Mar 23 2020
When I listened to the audio of Jenny Slate's essay collection,...
The ugly cry
Mar 20 2020
What makes slow, salty tears turn into full-fledged sobbing? Sobbing that is so heavy your eyelids droop and you suddenly cannot breathe out of your nose? For some people, this type of cry comes at the end of every...
Busting indoor boredom with masking tape
Mar 20 2020
Social distancing might mean you and your family are already bouncing off the walls, and with winter weather moving in, the cabin fever is only going to spike. If you’re looking for a way to burn off some extra energy, look no further than your nearest roll of masking tape. Here are some ideas for ...
Dreaming of 'A Dream of Spring'
Mar 20 2020
I dream of holding it in my hands this summer, lounging by the pool, ignoring my family. I need it. I want it – A Dream of Spring, the planned title of the seventh volume of George R. R. Martin's ...
What to watch before or after "Parasite"
Mar 9 2020
After its historic night at the Oscars, with wins for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and International Feature, the curiosity and excitement about...
Book review: 'White Bird' by R.J. Palacio
Mar 9 2020
Our Anythink Commerce City children's guide recently asked our staff to read White Bird, written by...
Laugh til you cry: Great books by female comedians
Feb 28 2020
Just this morning, I finished the masterful comedic gem Dear Girls by Ali Wong. It was the perfect traveling book for a...
The Retroactive Academy Awards: Part II
Feb 24 2020
Sometimes, the Academy gets it right.
The triumph of Bong Joon-Ho’s masterpiece, Parasite, at the 92nd Academy Awards was thrilling, gratifying, and – frankly – surprising. The joke about the Oscars is that rarely does the year's best picture win Best Picture. This is why I wrote a blog last year...
How to read If you want to write
Feb 24 2020
There is a great Stephen King quotes that reads, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.” It’s one of my favorite quotes to haul out when I’m talking to new writers because it contains so much truth: if you are wanting to write a book, then you need to be...
Book review: 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides
Feb 21 2020
"But why does she not speak?" Alcestis, Euripides
That quote sums up the mystery that is within The Silent Patient by...
Bookstores in books
Feb 21 2020
I like exploring books in bookstores. I also enjoy reading about bookstores in books. Truth be told, fiction about bookstores is especially pleasing to me. Happily, when I’m in the mood to read another novel that centers on a bookstore, it’s easy to find one. Even setting aside mysteries, for no...