Tag Archives: writer inspiration

Words and Reason

Here’s to the Nerds

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Dear Steve,

Thank you for leading the revolution that brought us into this golden digital age.

Thank you for creating products that have made my world smaller and more accessible.

Thank you for showing me that it’s not the level of education you achieve, it’s how you use it that matters.

Thank you for creating devices that have enabled me to maintain friendships and relationships around the world without concern for distance or cost or time.

Thank you for giving me new technology that has amazed me and inspired me and allowed me to be creative in new and innovative ways.

Thank you for empowering me with your awe-inspiring devices. They have allowed me to progress farther in my career that I ever could have thought possible.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play The Oregon Trail on an Apple IIE. And my mother sends her thanks for all of the Printshop cards she received, mostly on Tuesdays, because that’s when computer class was scheduled.

Thank you for being a genius, and a smart ass, and a rebel and for obsessing over the details that would shape the world as we see it. For having never met you, I am profoundly sad at your loss.

Here’s to the Crazy Ones

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

With deep gratitude,

Amanda Smyth Connor

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Follow Your Child’s Lead with a Summer Reading List

By Amanda Smyth Connor1179698_old_books_1

I love reading. Growing up as an only child, I could often be found nose deep in a book. I owe my love of writing and words to this solid foundation in reading, and what better way to celebrate summer than by getting back to my roots.

I started by joining Goodreads.com to see what my friends were reading. I compiled a list of great recommendations, as well as tried and true heroes, and I’ll be spending my precious free time this season catching up on my sorely overlooked reading list.

Here’s what I’ll be reading (or re-reading) this summer:

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) – This beautifully written, dark tale is a classic story of narcissism, innocence lost, and man’s fall from grace. It’s also, on the most basic level, a haunting tale of temptation. It’s a GREAT read and you owe yourself at least one good period piece this summer.

2. Nine Stories (J.D. Salinger) – If you have never read Salinger, this is a wonderful starter book. To be honest, I really didn’t like Catcher in the Rye. I find Nine Stories to be a far superior read with vastly more interesting stories. Did you know that Salinger loved to play with stories about fate, destiny and psychic abilities? Now you know. Enjoy.

3. World of Pooh: The Complete Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (A.A. Milne) – This one you can enjoy with your kids. While this may be classified as a children’s book, the stories of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood is timeless and Milne has such a refreshingly simplistic writing style. It’s like a breath of fresh air from the wordy blog posts I torture you with.

4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S. Thompson) – Wild ride, man. Buckle up, sit back and enjoy the ride through the mind of Hunter S. as he embarks on a drug-addled, mind-bending, Gonzo-journalistic adventure through Las Vegas and back. This book is equal parts exhilarating and hilarious. You won’t regret this.

5. In Cold Blood (Truman Capote) – Classic journalistic style sets the framework for this true story about a family murdered and the detective efforts surrounding uncovering the killer and how this family died. Capote humanizes the characters in a seemingly effortless way. This is not only a piece of great literature, but a flawless example of journalistic story crafting.

I find inspiration in the great writing of others, and it’s nice to sit back and soak in the efforts of other great writer’s once in awhile. Rest, relax and rejuvenate this summer with some great books of your own. Got a great reading recommendation for me? Pass it along! I need more recommendations!