The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
I can’t remember ever watching an animated short before. But when this year’s Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film was about books- well, I really had no choice, did I?
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is incredibly amazing, you guys. Amazing.
It packs so much emotion into 15 minutes. I rarely cry watching videos, yet I found myself tearing up at the end.
Take just 15 minutes to watch it:
If you know a librarian, share this. It will make them feel special.
Sidenote: I now completely want a bed that looks like a book.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
The first business class I took was the aptly titled Intro to Business. Part of one chapter in the textbook was on entrepreneurship. It basically said that small businesses are:
- often failures
- expensive to begin
- difficult to get funding for
- fail often (Did I mention that already?)
Talk about disheartening.
When I heard about Chris Guillebeau’s book which talks about businesses that are cheap to start and succeed, I was beyond curious.
The $100 Startup
Overall, it’s incredibly useful and inspiring. But I do have one big problem with it.
In the beginning chapters of the book, Chris Guillebeau makes the point that one’s passion must be able to be shaped into a viable, profitable business. It makes sense, of course, but Guillebeau offers no tips for people who don’t believe their passion is a viable course. If you can’t figure out how doing what you love could make a decent business, you’re sunk within the first few chapters. Footnotes are prevalent throughout the book and one was desperately needed at this point. Simply recommending another read would have helped fill this gaping hole.
Oversight aside, The $100 Startup is an incredibly helpful book. The studies Guillebeau has done offer great insights and were my favorite parts of the book. In fact, after finishing, I’ve spent a bit of time looking into the online businesses shared, like Designs by Reese. These “real-life” stories, including the author’s own, give the book credibility. This isn’t just one man’s lucky break but many people’s reality.
The $100 Startup
Throne of Glass Cover Reveal + 4 Novellas
Bloomsbury just released the cover of Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas’ upcoming debut, on the Throne of Glass facebook page.
But!
The fact that she’s standing in a fairly powerful pose and is toting a potentially pain-inducing dagger makes me think she could be completely kick-ass.
I also like that the publisher is stated directly on the front, rather than just on the side.
Throne of Glass
Three whole months of waiting for a book which was started from this question: What if Cinderella was an assassin, and went to the ball not to dance with the prince, but to kill him? (from Sarah J. Maas’ website)
To tide us over, Bloomsbury is doing something really cool. They’re publishing 4 enovellas that are prequels to the Throne of Glass story.
There are currently three available:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The fourth, The Assassin and the Empire, will be coming soon.
I don’t have an ereader and I generally don’t do any reading on my laptop. But these novellas? They’re seriously tempting me.