Huffington Post Article - Kid's Books Gone Crazy

Got to hand it to The Huffington Post with this article: "The Creepiest Children's Books Ever."

Here's some of our favorites:

Where to Read About France

In a moment of research insanity we decided to check out the net for French news outlets/portals/newspapers.

So, if you want to know what's going on here then here's where you should look. If any of you guys out there know of others PLEASE do tell and we'll add them to these:

GENERAL:

Agence France-Presse (AFP)
One of the biggest three news agencies.

France 24
Gobal news channel.

France Diplomatie
Site by Ministry of Foreign Affairs offering diplomatic news and articles from freelancers and the French newspapers.

International Herald Tribune
Great newspaper edited in Paris with news from all over the world.


Le Monde Diplomatique
Monthly mag.


Tocqueville Connection, The
Weekly business and politics in France and Europe.

Voltaire Network
Paris based international network of non-aligned press groups... zany.

Radio France Internationale (RFI)
English language service: international news and reviews of French newspapers.

EXPAT:

The Connexion
Newspaper for English-speaking expats living in France.

Expatica.com - France
A portal: daily French news and info on living/working/moving to France.

French Property News
Property mag.


Lost in France
Guide to living in France, French property and holidays.

PARIS:

Metropole Paris
Weekly Parisien news.

Paris Notes
Paris guide.


Paris Voice
Mag for English-speaking Parisians.

Paris Woman Journal
Online bimonthly magazine.

RIVIERA:

Riviera Magazine
French Riviera.

Riviera Times
Italian Riviera and the Principality of Monaco.

Ebay ad

OK, so we don't refer to someone's writing capabilities very often on the blog but this guy who wrote up an ad for his Renault Clio on eBay is a classic.

It's a cross/admixture of Holden Caulfield/Mark Renton character speak, but FAR funnier. Check it out here and give yourself a laugh!

“Cultivating Creative Expression”

This summer come and experience...

"Cultivating Creative Expression", a 10-day insight oriented workshop using the arts as a vehicle for growth, change, and transformation.

This experience is for the creatively curious, for therapists interested in the healing potential of the arts, and for artists seeking a deeper connection to their medium.

Explore Expressive Arts Therapy in 4 hours of daily structured activities, using writing, music, art and dance as a self-help healing process.  Awaken the language of images, symbols, and metaphors expressed by the deepest aspects of the self.

In a safe, nurturing environment, designed for all levels of participation explore:

* Artistic risk-taking
* Developing creative habits
* Vision planning and actualization
* Learning how your body supports or impedes your efforts
* Discovering the inter-relationship between all artistic mediums
* Delighting in the process, as well as the end results

The arts as medicine focuses on healing, stress reduction, activating the spirit, and steering one's personal healing process, while developing outlets for creative expression.

Unstructured time may include trips to the open market and historical Cathar fortresses, personal artistic pursuits, dance jams, hiking, swimming in the lake, cooking, and enjoying the La Muse library.

Workshop Fee:  $1100.00
Registration and Information:
Nandi Szabo, M.A., ADTR
Creative Arts Therapist
P.O.  Box 191355
Sacramento, CA 95819
zoefotoni@comcast.net

For room rates and additional details: La Muse 

Landfill Prizewinners Announced

In January, we urged everyone to nominate their favorite useless junk for the 2010 Landfill Prize. Well, the results are in and the junk is staggering! Friend of La Muse, Philip Evans, nominated the Operatic Pasta Timer, which came in #8:

"So, you want to cook pasta, you have no sense of time – or even a kitchen timer – and you've never learnt how to tell if your pasta's al dente (ie throw it at a wall and see if it sticks). You may be the one person on earth who needs the Al Dente Operatic Pasta Timer. It's a pasta timer in the shape of a little man, which has an inbuilt water-activated timer. When the water has been boiling long enough, the timer sings with an electronic computer voice. It sings opera. After 7 minutes, it sings The Triumphal March from Aida; after 9 minutes, The Chorus of Hebrew Slaves, from Nabucco, and after 11 minutes La Donna e Movile from Rigoletto. Here at Landfill Towers, we like fresh pasta that cooks in three minutes. Guess it would be soggy."

Check out the rest of the, er, winners over here.
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Galifianakis Kick

A nice alternative to the standard book trailer (if you can get Zach Galifianakis to your living room). [via galleycat]


It's a good weekend to be a vampire. [via NY Magazine's Vulture]

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the muse & the marketplace

Even if we didn't share (part of) a name with this event, we'd be all over it. The dynamite lineup for Grub Street's 9th annual Muse & the Marketplace conference includes Elizabeth Strout, Lauren Grodstein, Benjamin Percy, Steve Almond, Chuck Palahniuk, Anita Shreve, and so many more--including a stellar array of agents and editors available to consult with as part of the sixth annual Manuscript Mart.

Allow us to put a special plug in for our friend Celeste Ng's "Essentials of Craft" session on Point of View. Goodness knows our own novel could use a little help in this arena, and we'd love to know what this smart, savvy writer has to say about POV.  

Boston-dwellers, hightail it over to Grub Street's registration page and sign up now! 

Additional details from Grub Street:

The Muse and the Marketplace is a two-day symposium designed to give aspiring writers a better understanding about the craft of writing fiction and non-fiction, inside information about the world of publishing, and thoughtful networking opportunities. Both days, prominent nationally-recognized authors lead craft seminars on various topics, and editors, agents and publicists lead sessions on the business aspects of creative writing. We also offer the fifth annual Manuscript Mart, where, for an additional fee, attendees meet one-on-one with an established literary agent or editor who has read their work in advance and will provide direct feedback.

...

Many participating authors, editors and agents have generously donated their time so that all proceeds from The Muse and the Marketplace can be used to help fund Grub Street, Boston's only non-profit independent writing center.

Link List

We're back from a blogging vacation with some links for your enjoyment:

• The Guardian's book coverage won't quit. They're currently featuring an amazing round-up of Ten Rules for Writing Fiction culled from writers like Zadie Smith, Sarah Waters, Will Self, and Jonathan Franzen. The article is split into two parts--be sure to check them both out. Helen Simpson offers just one rule: The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying "Faire et se taire" (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as "Shut up and get on with it."  
• Barter Elizabeth asks: How long do you pine for the last book before jumping in bed with the next? 
• We like the new covers in the "Penguin Inks" series (badass version of Bridget Jones pictured). Do you feel compelled to buy a new copy of a book you already own if you love the updated cover?
• Are you on Twitter? If so, do yourself a favor and follow @ColsonWhitehead. You'll thank us later, through your laughter. 

[Recommended] Love in the Making

Valentine's Day may be over, but love is still in the air!  Roisin Meany, two-time La Muse attendee, has a new novel out, and it's already a bestseller in Ireland. We can't wait to get our hands on Love in the Making, and urge you to pick up a copy as well.  

Beach Reads

Beach + books = bliss! Here's the caption from the Guardian's 24 hours in pictures series (worth checking out daily): Sydney, Australia: A beach goer selects books from 30 red Ikea Billy bookcases lined up to form the world's longest outdoor bookcase to celebrate the 30th birthday of the brand's signature furniture piece, at Bondi Beach.

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Bon Iver in a Monmartre Hallway

Our friend Lucy just showed us this beautiful La Blogotheque podcast on Youtube.

Performed by Bon Iver:  Justin Vernon, Sean Carey and Michael Noyce, it's a spontaneous a cappella version of "For Emma" in a Paris hallway before a house show. From the album "For Emma, Forever Ago".

The Catcher in the Rye is dead.

Just found out that The Catcher in the Rye is dead. Long live "The Catcher in the Rye."

Here's his obit in the New York Times.