What I Just Read: The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists’ Club

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “That was fast!” But 210 pages of short stories written for young adults and set in fairly large type didn’t take me nearly as long to read as 900 pages of Neal Stephenson set in smaller type. I started yesterday, I finished today. By the fact that this …

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What I Just Read: Anathem

From the very beginning of this blog I’ve wanted to use it to keep track of books I’ve read and give my reactions to them–brief reactions, because I have neither the time nor inclination to be a full-fledged book reviewer, I decided long ago–and yet somehow, I’ve almost never done it. But let me attempt …

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Photo of the Day that was Actually Taken on Vacation: Santa Fe Street Scene, Night

A Santa Fe street at night through the window of the Coyote Cafe, where we enjoyed a fabulous meal: More photos here.

The half-million-dollar guitar

The first guitar Jimi Hendrix set alight on stage has sold at auction for $527,044. Which is a great excuse for an excerpt from the biography of Hendrix I wrote for Enslow Publishers, Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky: The Experience finished the album that spring, and called it Are You Experienced. Before it was released, …

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"Things I Found in my Mother-in-Law’s House…"

…which I’ve long talked about turning into a book (and maybe a CD, and a stage show, and…) finally became a reality in one form today: I’ve started a new limited column series for CBC Saskatchewan’s Afternoon Edition, hosted by Colin Grewar, with that as its title. So here’s today’s entry, more or less (these …

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Willett of the Day: Sue Willett, Singer/Songwriter

Another musical Willett! From the Conlans Press website: Sue Willett is a wonderfully talented singer, songwriter, audio engineer, music editor, vocal coach, voiceover agent & director, and PR manager. She is the person you want on your team when canvassing an after-Oscar party with more than a 1000 guests (because nobody works a room like …

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Why flies are so hard to swat

Michael Dickinson is a genius. At least, in 2001 the University of California, Berkeley, professor received one of the $500,000 “genius” grants given annually by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to creative individuals “who provide the imagination and fresh ideas that can improve people’s lives and bring about movement on important issues.” …

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Willett of the Day: Patrick Willett, Artist

Patrick Willett is an artist in New York State whose work includes watercolors, pen and ink and photography. He started painting and sketching as a child, and was especially drawn to nature and portraiture. In an article at BuffaloRising.com he says, “Creating art is very therapeutic for me, my work involves the healing and renewing …

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Another nice blog review of Marseguro

A Livejournaler who goes by the handle of queenlyzard lists Marseguro as a recent read and writes: I picked this up because I adored Willett’s last book, “Lost in Translation”…and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s the tale of two worlds–a future Earth run by religious zealots who frown upon messing with nature… and a …

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My new book is out!

No, not Terra Insegura–I haven’t even done the revisions on that yet. I’m talking about my newest nonfiction book, Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw, published by Red Deer Press. I saw a bunch of them on sale in the Smith Books in the Cornwall Centre here in Regina today. I haven’t receieved any …

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A nice five-star Amazon review of Marseguro

Just spotted a nice five-star Amazon review of Marseguro from a reader in New York who goes by the catchy handle of lb136: Marseguro, a colonized planet inhabited by normal humans and Selkies–genetically modified by a scientist named Victor Hansen–would seem defenseless when the theocratic earth government (The Body) sends (with Hansen’s grandson Richard as …

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Photo of the Day that was Actually Taken A Couple of Weeks Ago: My Home State Welcomes Me Home

New Mexico was glad to see me, a native son, returning home a couple of weeks ago. How do I know? Because this is what greeted us shortly after we crossed the Colorado border: