One Flew Over the Cuckooo's Nest by Ken Kesey took place in Salem, Oregon. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was based in Chicago. The Shining by Stephen King took place in Estes, Colorado. These novels, and 39 others, are on this Great American Novel Map ($30) published by Hog Island Press.
Mountain Goats' singer/songwriter John Darnielle has long been praised for his lyrical storytelling ability, so it wasn't a huge surprise when he finally started publishing fiction, beginning with 2008's Master of Reality, a Black Sabbath-inspired entry into the 33 1/3 book series. He followed this up in 2014 with Wolf in White Van, a psychological… READ THE REST
Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck is best known for The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, but in 1930 he wrote a horror novel under a pen name. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to find a publisher for Murder at Full Moon and shelved it. Today the 233-page typescript site in the… READ THE REST
In the New Yorker, Eli Grober rewrote the opening sentences of iconic novels to make them reflect the (sur)reality of today. Here are a few of my favorites: "A Tale of Two Cities," by Charles Dickens "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But, mostly, it was the worst of… READ THE REST
You can watch every movie streaming on Netflix and even travel the world, but until you see the world from new heights, you don't know how much you're missing. That's just one of the reasons drone photography has become so popular — with over 900,000 currently registered in the U.S. — as it allows you… READ THE REST
Just as Lord Vader disarmed Mace Windu at Sidious's behest, you too can stand up to your enemies, whether it be your annoying boss or nosy mother-in-law, lightsaber in hand. Okay, so you're not actually allowed to go into battle with your so-called mortal enemies, but just like you were told as a kid, it… READ THE REST
If you were like everyone at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, then you probably tried your hand at bread-making. Maybe you were successful, but evidenced by the fact that so many people have left the hobby behind, it seems like bread-making was too much to handle for some. But what if you could automate… READ THE REST
