bookofjoe

The writing life — Or, don't quit your day job just yet

Above and below, my book royalties for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Plenty of upside.

Museum of Everyday Life

Wrote Lauren Kelley of the New York Times, "My husband and I stumbled on this place while on vacation a few years ago, and it's extremely delightful. The owner gave us beers for helping her move a big piece of wood. We also got to pet her horses."

The museum was featured in a November 2018 piece in National Geographic.

The museum's founder, Clare Dolan (above, in front of her creation), wrote a wonderful essay about how she conceived and created the institution.

"Deutschland 86"

This is the second season of this excellent German series, building on the success of "Deutschland 83," the first.

A superb cast (below) —

I'm talking about the entire group of about a dozen characters who form the production's backbone —

none of whom I'd ever seen before I happened on this absorbing drama.

On Hulu.

T.S. Eliot Speaks

From the New York Times:

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On December 4, 1950, two years after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, T.S. Eliot stood behind a lectern in the Kaufmann Concert Hall at the 92nd Street Y and read some of his best work in front of hundreds of people.

Now the whole world can relive that moment: The 92nd Street Y has unearthed a never-before-heard recording (top) ahead of a listening event next Monday night, March 18, at 7:30 p.m., celebrating the Unterberg Poetry Center's 80th anniversary.

Eliot had recorded several poems before his death in 1965. But on that winter night, before delving into titles including "Preludes" and "La Figlia che Piange," he delivered a preamble on his craft, often rousing the crowd to laughter.

When explaining why he always reads in chronological order (because an author "tends to like what he's written most recently and therefore reads it best"), he admits that he's "embarrassed" by his enduring, first published poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

At one moment, he cautioned: "I want to impress upon you that I realize that nothing that I say in this way, and nothing that I'm saying at the moment, is of a slightest importance. At least, it is a matter of no importance whether anything I say is of importance or not."

Noting that many of his recordings are available to the public, Eliot wonders why anyone would leave the comfort of their home to hear him speak in person.

Personalized Heat Change Photo Mug

From the website:

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Why drink out of something that doesn't have your face on it when you could be drinking out of something with your face on it?

Or, even better, something with your mate's face on it!

Or your dog's face?

We're not fussy.

No matter who you've got in mind, we'll slap their face on a mug for you — an extra fancy heat change mug that makes their glorious image appear when you add hot water.

Can any of your other mugs make your dad appear out of thin air? Didn't think so.

Simply upload your picture and our magic tool will show you what the finished product will look like — we'll do the rest!

Sit back, have a cuppa in one of your inferior mugs, and wait for your stunning new facey one to arrive.

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17.99.