Day 317: S by Doug Dorst

S is one of the most interesting, fun and compelling books I've read all year. Apparently, J.J. Abrams came up with the idea and worked with writer Doug Dorst to make it a reality.

On the outside, it looks pretty normal though it is in a slip case.

When you slip the book out of the case, however, you are presented with an entirely different book, Ship of Theseus by V.M. Strata. It looks like something pulled directly out of the 40s of 50s, with a library sticker and everything. Opening the book, you find a conversation written in the margins of this old book in different colors of ink.

It may be better to show you what I mean. This video, which I originally saw on BoingBoing, is the whole reason I bought the book:

The effect is unbelievably realistic. I felt like a voyeur uncovering a secret conversation I wasn't meant to see. As a result, it is one of the best book I've read in 2013.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, classic literature, innovative books or House of Leaves.

Comments

Spareribs, Sauerkraut and Dumplings

For Valentine's Day this year I cooked a dish that reminds me of home like no other. It's a family recipe that my Mom knows by heart and my Dad gets on special holidays. Spareribs, sauerkraut and dumplings: Here's my plate before I started inhaling it. Not everyone likes it. I didn't like it until I was an adult and came across a very similar dish in the Czech Republic. I craved home-cooked food at the time and I instantly became obsessed with the dish. The tricky part about the recipe is that it wasn't really written down. My Grandmother, Anita, wrote a copy for my Mom a long time ago but my Mom has since changed parts to simplify the recipe. This is the recipe that my Mom told me and I adjusted on my own. For the Dumplings: These are the dumpling when they were boiling, as they start to get done, they float to the top of the water. 3 c bread crumbs (about a half of a loaf dried on a tray for a day and broken up in a food process...

A Place to Log My Progress

This blog has just been sitting out here for nearly two years without a new post. So, I thought I would put it to some good use and start logging my progress with some of my new hobbies. This is what I look like nowadays, blue hair and all. What have I been doing? I started jogging. It is very slow going and it hurts like hell. But it will be worth it. I'm painting and drawing. I am not very good but I get better with each attempt. I figure that if I keep it up, I can only improve, right? I want to start writing fiction again. This one is arguably the hardest for me. Even though I am a professional writer and write for a living, it is different for me when it is fiction. I've signed up for an online class to try to get over that hump. Also, I am always watching some horror movies. My goal is to start writing fewer reviews and more substantive content over on my other blog: www.horrormoviemaven.com . Do you have any hobbies you have taken up recent...

Halloween Project 2009: Zombie Box

I love zombie movies. My first date with Brian, I made the poor guy watch Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead . A while back I saw a photo of a glass case that held a fake shotgun that said "in case of zombies break glass" (click here for my original inspiration). Of course, I wanted one. However, they were a promotional item for a videogame. Plus, the shotguns were fake, not at all useful if zombies actually were going to attack. I tried to see if I could buy one of those fire cases that hold fire extinguishers and fire blankets and just adapt it. Those boxes, it turns out, cost at least a hundred dollars. I decided to take matters into my own hands and build myself an emergency box to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. I bought a frame for a few bucks from a discount store and hand painted the glass: The objects surrounding the glass were part of my "cat deterrence system." Oddly it worked. Livia prefers to sit on my paper projects anyways. I built a...

Put on the Glasses

Search This Blog