Andrew Einspruch's Blog, page 3
April 27, 2019
Videos: High Hopes – Gabriela Bee & Walk Off The Earth, Plus Reaction Video
You need to watch the the first two videos below to get the full effect. First is Gabriela Bee singing with Walk Off the Earth as they cover Panic! At the Disco’s song “High Hopes.” It’s a lovely, smile-inducing, catchy performance.
Then, watch the second video, where the teen singer watches a “react” video, where Brendan Urie of Panic! watches the cover of his song. Bee’s absolute delight is a joy to watch, and is also smile-inducing.
And for contrast, the third video is the original by Panic! At the Disco, so you can see how far the interpretation ranged from the source material.
April 9, 2019
Bedside Table: April 10, 2019
Currently reading (listening to): I’m halfway through Mario Puzo’s The Last Don. What can I say? It’s Puzo doing mafia. If you liked The Godfatherand The Sicilian, then you’ll probably like this one as well.
Last book finished: A Study in Scarletby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the Stephen Fry reading of the first Sherlock Holmes book, and his delivery sparkles (as always — if you haven’t heard his readings of the Harry Potterbooks, do yourself a favour and have a listen. They’re stellar.). With all the adaptations of this particular story I’ve seen on TV, it was interesting to hear that that the source material still holds up pretty well, even if there are some things that might offend the modern sensibility (spoilers: like testing a poison on an old dog — that fell pretty flat with me — or making Mormons the bad guys).
On the pile: Pilgrims by Elizabeth Gilbert. I don’t know much about it, but I (mostly) like Gilbert, so I’m going to give it a shot.
How about you? Currently reading? Last one read? On the pile? Leave a comment and let me know.
Released: The Thorning Ceremony
There’s one kind of email that’s the most fun to send: the ones where I get to say, “I have a new book for you to read.”
Ladies and gentlemen, The Thorning Ceremonyis now available!
The Thorning Ceremony is a standalone prequel to The Western Lands and All That Really Matters series, and takes place when Eloise and Johanna are not quite 14, about three years before the start of The Purple Haze, .
Framed around the coming of age ritual of The Thorning Ceremony, the book helps us understand why things are the way they are when The Purple Haze opens, which is, as we know, a bit messed up.
I’m so pleased it is available for you to enjoy. You can get it on Amazon as en ebook or in paper, and if you’re in Kindle Unlimited, it’s there for you for free.
Here’s an excerpt from the start of the book:
Excerpt: The Thorning Ceremony
Chapter One: After the Shaving of Mollusks
“Wait, wait, wait. Here it is!” whispered Princess Eloise Hydra Gumball III, tapping her reading pointer on her copy of the Livre de Protocol. “Scroll forward. The passage on the Thorning Ceremony is after the Consecration of the Sumps and before the Hoisting of the Silent Petards.”
Her fraternal twin, Princess Johanna Umgotteswillen Gumball, glanced at their sleeping tutor, Master Thompkins Lyredog Overbolt, decided it was safe, and quickly rolled her scroll forward. “Got it,” she whispered.
Eloise switched to the secret sign language that the twins had developed years before, anxious not to wake Overbolt. Really, what is Mother’s problem? Why won’t she talk to us about this?
I don’t know,signed Johanna. It’s like she’s pretending it’s one of those antiquated rituals that no one does any more, like the Praising of the Royal Purple Cabbages.
This thing is coming. We’re turning 14 in a month.
The twins took a moment to read the passage. “Ye shall pierceth the flesh—scalp, face, neck, and hands—of the most honored maidens, and name from among them the Heir,” quoted Eloise in a whisper. Do you think this thing with the thorns is real?She shuddered. It sounds awful.
Video: Why cartoon characters curse like this
You know how in cartoons the way cursing is represented with symbols like @*#%!$? Ever wonder why? This surprisingly interesting video from vox goes into the history of that convention. They even have a name: grawlixes. I’d say this was four minutes worth your time.
March 8, 2019
Cover Reveal: The Thorning Ceremony
I’m pleased to share with you the cover for my just-about-to-be-released book The Thorning Ceremony.
Drum roll…. Ta da!
The Thorning Ceremony is a standalone prequel to The Western Lands and All That Really Matters series, and takes place about three years before the start of The Purple Haze, when Eloise and Johanna are not quite 14.
Framed around the coming of age ritual of The Thorning Ceremony, this book helps us understand why things are the way they are when The Purple Haze opens, which is, as we know, a bit messed up between them.
I can’t wait for you to read it. I’ll send you a full set of links in my next email (although, if you’re keen, have a look at Amazon, as it’s available for pre-order, and I think the print versionis already live for some reason.)
And as always, my thanks to Stuart Bache of Books Covered for his excellent artwork.
Video: Lady Gaga Fugue
This one’s been out there a few years, but really is fabulous. Someone took Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and turned it into a neo-baroque fugue.
February 17, 2019
Praying Geese, Scissors, and Respectful Punning
Five things I’ve learned (or reconfirmed) since we last spoke:
You can shear a whole sheep with scissors if you have to. The haircut isn’t as bold as with electric shears, but when the sheep isn’t well, shears are stressful and scissors are not. Especially when the sheep has his head on Billie’s legs, dozing. It’s also more fun when you aren’t the only one with the scissors. (Thanks Billie!)
The vegan Magnums are yummy. You might try one.
Plucking a ripe peach from a peach tree and eating it is a fabulous pleasure.
A goose will pray to the same peach tree to let one of its ripe peaches fall to the ground so he can eat it. It is a delight to see his prayers answered.
Punpedia.org, an online encyclopaedia of puns, doesn’t include anything that has to do with killing or hurting animals. (Check out their chicken puns entry, for example.)
What have you learned recently? Leave a comment.
Videos: “This is what happens when you reply to spam email” and “More adventures in replying to spam”
Two related videos for you this time. Both are TED talks by a guy names James Veitch. There aren’t “worthy” like a lot of what you see on TED. These are funny.
Hope you think so, too.
January 20, 2019
Should I Read Fewer Books This Year?
I’ve been thinking about reading recently, as I haven’t been doing a lot of it the past few weeks, and Goodreads always sets a challenge for books to read at the start of the year. What I’ve been pondering is, should I read less? To someone who reads a lot, and who thinks that reading is crucial to writing, this is a bit of a sacrilege.
Last year, I set my Goodreads challenge to 50 for the year, then upped it to 60. Ultimately I read 72 (and by read, I mean “listened to,” either audio books, or ebooks that Siri read to me). You should be able to see the list here (you probably need a Goodreads login).
But this year, I want to write more words for you, and as I wrote in The Glory of a Media Fast, I tend to write more and faster if I don’t have other things cluttering my brain. The more I let myself mull the story and don’t fill it my skull with yammering, whether that’s podcasts or audio books or whatever, the more story gets created.
So it makes me think that maybe, I should be reading less.
For now, I’ve set my 2019 reading challenge to just 24 books, a pretty paltry number for me. I may up it later, but for now, I’m lowballing it and hoping to write more.
How about you? How many books did you read last year? What was your favourite? And how many are you hoping to read this year? Hit reply and let me know.
Video: Hillcrest College – Marimba Challenge Cup Winner
Joyous. Simply joyous. Six guys. Six marimbas. A tonne of energy and spark. This makes me smile every time I watch it.
