Pamela Paul obviously loves Bob. She embraces him, holds him, caresses him, talks about him, and spends her entire life with him. Bob turns out not to be a guy, but a book of books. My Life with Bob is a funny, witty, and brainy memoir of a book lover. Paul read whenever she could when she was a kid as well as when she had her own kids. Books have been part of her life and Bob, which is a list of books with just date, author, and title, reveals the type of person she is through the books she had read. Inspired by Paul’s Bob, I now have my own Bob: Blog of Books.

Chuyện tình cảm giữa một cô gái từ Việt Nam sang New York du học và một chàng trai da đen Jamaican. Đại khái là hai người đến với nhau và yêu nhau cho dù sự khác biệt giữa hai sắc tộc và văn hoá. Cô gái Việt bất chấp những lời khinh bỉ và kỳ thị của đồng hương về người yêu lý tưởng của mình. Còn chàng trai thì luôn thương yêu, trung thành, và lo lắng cho nàng. Chắc ở Mỹ đã lâu nên tôi thấy những cặp tình nhân khác chủng tộc (interracial couples) là chuyện thường. Nên đọc cho vui và học thêm tiếng Việt thôi chứ nội dung chẳng mới lạ hoặc hào hứng gì. Đàm Ngân viết về người thứ ba (cô gái) nên câu chuyện không gần gũi lắm. Tác giả dùng rất nhiều chữ i thay vì chữ y như thẩm mĩ, kì thị, lí tưởng, tối kị, lí lẻ, mĩ mãn, và tâm lí.

David Daley on Gillespie-mander:

And Ed Gillespie, who could well be elected Virginia governor on Tuesday, is directly responsible for today’s gerrymandering-on-steroids. Gillespie chaired the powerful Republican State Leadership Committee in 2010 and helped design, execute and raise tens of millions of dollars for the Redistricting Majority Project. It had the apt acronym of REDMAP. This is a closely divided country, yet all political power in Washington, and in 69 of 99 state legislative chambers, rests with the Republicans.

Gillespie can’t win Virginia.

Lúc trước siêng lắm. Sáng thức dậy sớm cho dù trời lạnh cũng chạy bộ. Bây giờ thức dậy mặc áo lạnh vào bước ra khỏi nhà thấy trời hơi lạnh trở vào lại cởi đồ ra leo lại vô giường nằm đọc sách. Giờ đây tôi ghiền đọc sách hơn chạy bộ.

Lúc trước ăn uống kỹ lưỡng. Trưa nào cũng đem theo hộp rau, trái cây, và miếng thịt gà không mỡ. Từ lúc làm gần khu Eden nên ăn đồ Việt Nam quen rồi không trở lại ăn rau cải được nữa. Bây giờ lười lái xe nên đem cơm theo ăn. Thằng Đán thích ăn thịt kho nhiều mỡ nên mẹ nó kho toàn thịt ba chỉ. Thế thì tôi cũng ăn luôn. Mỗi ngày một hộp cơm, một trứng kho, vài miếng thịt mỡ kho, một trái chuối, và hai trái ớt hiểm.

Lúc trước cố gắng diet, bây giờ ăn thoải máy. Chẵng kiêng cữ gì cả. Nhờ có giấm táo của Bragg nên rượu beer cũng chơi luôn. Gout không còn hành hạ nữa. Thôi kệ còn hưởng thụ được thì cứ hưởng. Chuyện ngày mai để ngày mai lo.

In her poignant memoir of living with bipolar disorder, Lowe gives readers a glimpse inside her head. She writes about her struggle with mental illness and her manic depression. She writes about her experience with lithium and Depakote. She writes to find peace and stability. She writes with force, rhythm, and empathy. Any politician who seeks to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and disregard mental health coverage should read this book. It’s eye-opening.

Đán: Daddy, I want fucking thang.
Dad: What do you want?
Đán: I want you to swing me with your legs.
Dad: You mean “Bắc kim thang?”
Đán: Yes.

Oh boy, I almost got a heart attack there.

Rolling Stone puts together “Jay-Z: 50 Greatest Songs.” Quite a trip down to memory lane. Jay is indeed one of the top rappers of all time.

Bierut is a celebrated graphic designer. Over forty years of his career, Bierut worked for big clients as well as pro bono projects. His book, How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World, showcases a wide range of projects he had designed. His simple execution yet clever concept makes his works stand out. The intention behind his design is what makes him a genius. He is a vigorous reader and an excellent writer. These qualities make him a strong designer. His masterful designs combined with his engaging writings make this book a must-have for graphic design students. How To is a great resource that deserves a space on your bookshelf.

Stranger raped Elva. He was eighteen and she was sixteen. He lives in Australia and she lives in Iceland. They corresponded through emails about the incident. After nine years, they decided to meet face to face to put their past behind. Their book reveals their daily interaction during the nine days they spent in Cape Town, South Africa. Their road to reconciliation required them to face their painful past once again. Their emotion, humiliation, compassion, and transformation are laid bare on the pages. An unspeakably honest read.

Their TED talk is also inspiring, but you might want to hold off until you read the book first.

Peter Greene’s advice on writing:

Yes, read about writing. Talk about writing. Read, read, read, read, read, read — and do it like a writer. But at the end of the day, there is only one way to perfect your craft, and that is to write. Write every day. Write about whatever is passing through your head. When Something scratches and bangs and hollers against the inside of your head and demands to be released, release it. Write. Write during your lunch hour. Stay up an extra hour. Get up an hour early. But write.