Anythink blog
The retroactive Academy Awards
Feb 25 2019
Confession: For someone who “doesn’t care about the Oscars,” I actually do care about the Oscars. They serve as a useful snapshot of a given year in film history. What we as moviegoers value often differs from what Academy voters value. Not only that, but what Academy voters value tends to change...
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Book Review: 'The Foundling' by Paul Joseph Fronczak
Feb 15 2019
The difficult part about writing a review of Paul Joseph Fronczak's The Foundling is deciding what can be said that won't give away what happens in this unbelievable story. More than...
Book review: 'A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy' by Sue Klebold
Jan 30 2019
I remember where I was the day Columbine happened. Anyone in Colorado on that fateful day will know where they were when the massacre happened. I was struck by the thought of finding out what the perspective would be on the other side of the coin. I discovered I had never really given any thought...
Music roundup: Favorite albums from 2018
Jan 30 2019
If 2019 were a road trip to Los Angeles, we’d only be to about Keystone at this point. But as we drive further into the new year, I want to take a look through the rearview at the year that was, and blast some good tunes while we’re at it.
The following is not necessarily a ranking of the best...
How Caspar Babypants saved my life
Jan 30 2019
In 1993, scientists from the University of California at Irvine released a study that sparked The Mozart Effect. Even though the study had nothing to do with children (it involved college students listening to Mozart...
In the beginning
Jan 8 2019
Right now at Anythink Wright Farms we have a display called “To Great Endings and New Beginnings.” At one table are books and films with memorable last lines, while the other table features, you guessed it, items with memorable opening lines.
I’ve been fascinated with great last lines for years; I...
Review: 'Alligator Candy' by David Kushner
Jan 7 2019
In Alligator Candy, David Kushner revisits his brother Jon's disappearance in October of 1973. His memory of the events are those of a 4-year-old struggling to make sense of what was...
Notes on reading 'The Clockmaker’s Daughter' by Kate Morton
Jan 3 2019
Take note:
Kate Morton’s new novel, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, is worthy of your time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it,...
Parenting books that won’t make you feel like a failure
Jan 2 2019
When someone becomes a new parent, they are often overwhelmed with advice from family, friends and strangers in grocery store check-out lanes. Since giving birth three years ago, my own parenting style has faced many questions and earnest concerns. My grandmother still does not understand why my...
Have cookbooks, will travel
Jan 2 2019
I saw an apron once that said "Will travel for food." I love to travel, but can't go very far very often. For me, cooking food from around the world is a simpler way to explore and, with a correlating soundtrack, I am easily transported for a few hours.
I recently discovered a cookbook on the...
Hipster Holidays: Unconventional holiday songs
Dec 21 2018
You know Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen, "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," but what about the more unconventional holiday songs?
Just in time for your seasonal revelry, here’s a list of six songs for those of us who want an alternative take on...
Review: 'The Devil's Rooming House' by M. William Phelps
Dec 20 2018
I have quite a soft spot for the elderly. Possibly it's because I had the pleasure of growing up with regular contact with both sets of my grandparents (who were amazing people). I also think it's because I was taught to see the value in those in the older generation. They have lived through...
Must-See Movies of 2018
Dec 17 2018
It’s nearly the beginning of a new year, and that means it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months. Namely, what were your favorite films of 2018?
As Spirit,...
Smith: the best Dickens novel Dickens never wrote
Nov 30 2018
Director Stanley Donen's Charade, the Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn globetrotting thriller, is often called “...
Death, the Universe, and Everything
Nov 30 2018
A year ago, I lost my father. I don’t mean he was misplaced or that he’s wandering about in a hedge maze or anything – he died. It wasn’t a surprise, he’d been sick for a while. But it was terribly sad. Obviously. In the year since, my family and I have grieved his loss and celebrated his life in a...
Hope and Other Luxuries
Nov 30 2018
"Over the years, my worst fears for my daughter have crystallized into a terrifying daydream, a daydream so frightful that I have never told it to a single human being until now. My daydream is this: I am receiving The Call. A voice is saying, 'I'm so sorry. It's about your daughter,' and I...
Writers on writing
Oct 30 2018
Writers, according to Stephen King, “must do two things above all others. Read a lot and write a lot.” With National Novel Writing Month just around the corner, plenty of people are going to be writing a lot in the coming weeks. But what should they read?
King recommends getting your hands on...
Team W writes again
Oct 4 2018
I would like to put in a good word for The Glass Ocean, the new novel written by Team W – Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. Sure, these three authors don’t need any words...
The mysterious Monsieur Maigret
Aug 29 2018
Before I started reading the Maigret books by Georges Simenon, I never really understood the appeal of mystery series.
To be fair, I’m ambivalent on series in general, and have written on this blog before about my enjoyment of self-...
Lenses: Upgrade your mobile phone gear
Aug 21 2018
When it comes to teaching photography in The Studio, we focus heavily on the mobile side of the photography spectrum, mostly because phones these days are so portable, accessible, and their camera specs have improved in leaps and bounds....