Book Fatigue

It’s always exciting to learn of new authors and books.  But sometimes–not very often, but sometimes–I suffer from book fatigue.  “That author? Again?  That genre? Ugh.”

Looking around my bookshelf, I can see why.  Below is a photo of all the books I own* that are not in the western canon.

 

And even Rohinton Mistry’s is an Oprah pick.

Even with globalization, buying books by foreign authors can be difficult.  When you browse at a bookstore (because who browses online?), you’re limited to what is available in that bookstore.  And most of us are guilty of only browsing the genres we already like. 

This is one reason I like making new friends.  New friends can turn you on to new books, and to international authors.  Authors that you haven’t dissected in your high school English class.  Authors that you might have been afraid to impulse buy before.  Authors that make you feel super hip introducing to others (“Oh, you haven’t heard of him?  Here, you can borrow my collection…you know, he won the Booker prize.  Oh, you don’t keep track every year?  Huh.”)  Authors that relieve your book fatigue and re-discover the joy of reading.

So what are some authors you like that aren’t in the western canon?  

 

*To be fair, this is just in Boston, which is a portion of what I own.  But I would maybe find five titles between the two places that aren’t in the Western canon.

Computers at the Airport

I have an intense relationship with the Internet.

Who doesn’t?

I’m fine going without Internet, as long as it’s there, and I know I can access it.  But when you have no choice, and are stranded cruelly without Internet, you can take desperate measures.  Lion Kinging until you find an unsecured network.  Contemplating paying eight dollars for wifi on an airplane.  Watching some commercial for super-slow thirty-minute limited access.

And, of course, with computer device usage, there’s also battery issues.  Are you in a fancy airport, with armchairs that have built-in outlets including USB outlets (making up for the fact that you have the worst airport floor plan ever–Kansas City, I’m looking at you)?  Or are you one of those airports that likes to entertain travelers with fun games of hide-and-go-seek-electricity?

Or are you a horrible airport that offers NEITHER Internet or easily accessible outlets?

Now, I’m not going to name names, but famous airport in a major metropolitan area on the West Coast that caters to the movie industry that has its initials lined up in front of the entrance and may rhyme with ‘LAcks’, get it together.  I see on your webpage there’s free wifi.  I call shenanigans.   

To be fair, maybe it was just having an off two days when I went.  Though I also remember two years ago arriving in said airport without a cell phone (I had been traveling internationally), assuming said airport had free wifi and trying to connect to my ride (hi mom) via email.  Luckily I found my ride before I had to resort to remembering how a pay phone worked.

Anyways, wifi.  Is it that hard?  Now, I know that wifi isn’t going to lure someone to a specific airport (location and cost tend to factor more predominantly in choosing departure and arrival places), but still.  Geeze.

 

PS. I may or may not be suffering from iPad withdrawal and an overdose of Tyler Brule transportation opinions, so take my grumbling with a grain of salt.

PPS.  My Internet randomly disconnected while I was composing this blog.  I’m feeling a really weird feeling–mostly of fear of our robot overlords.  Chromebook, can you understand what I’m typing?

YES.

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Writing Conference Packing List

Tomorrow I’m off to a writing conference, The Muse and the Marketplace, put on by my favorite Boston writing hangout, Grub Street.  Emotions always run a bit high leading up to a conference (full disclosure: I do conference planning for my actual job), so I decided to make a list of everything I should bring, so I’m not running around last minute trying to stuff random useless things into my purse (full disclosure: I am late to EVERYTHING).

So, with my background as a conference planner, one-time writing conference attendee, and overall over-packer, what is on my list?

• Purse big enough to hold everything
• Business cards (I just got fancy ones!)
• Phone & charger
• Notepad
• Pens
• Granola bars (I never believe anyone when they say they will have vegetarian options.)
• Water bottle (Trick I learned after doing three three-day conferences in a month, 5 am to 10 pm–DRINK WATER.  Do not drink caffeinated beverages after your normal amount.  Caffeine is dehydrating.  Hotels are dehydrating.  With their powers combined…you feel awful.  Drink water.)
• Chromebook (maybe.  Depends on how much I love back pain.)
• Registration confirmation email
• Folders to hold things in
• Wallet
• Gum and mints
• A-Game and confidence (if I can find it…I know I put it somewhere around here…)

I’m almost all packed.  Now the really hard question–what to wear?

PS. I can’t guarantee that my purse contains only what is on my list