Bulletin Board of the Brain

Drink More Books

I recently did a guest post for my friend Erin Blakemore, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her book The Heroine’s Bookshelf. Hermeneutically speaking, I love bringing a literary lens to my cocktails. Enjoy The Heroine’s Barshelf.

Posted in Bartending, Books, intertextuality, Lists | 1 Comment »

In Search of an Authoritative Text: Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone

I am embarking on the grand adventure of re-reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. Note: re-reading. I read the books starting in 2004 after the release of ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ in the theatres. Following that, I read each consecutive book as they were released. Though reading the books managed to enchant for [...]

Posted in Anglophilia, Books | 7 Comments »

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter: Additions

Done with the first and second batch, but am happy to take requests and add them here. Here’s the Dursleys. Mr Vernon Dursely Strawberry Buttercream: Yum … an absolutely luscious treat of plump, sweet strawberries buried in rich whipped cream. Mrs Petunia Dursley Bahama Breeze: There’s cool summer refreshment in this tropical blend of pineapple, [...]

Posted in Books, Film, intertextuality, Lists, Pop Culture, Psychology/Being Human, Yankee Candle | 9 Comments »

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter: 2

Harry Potter Characters’ Favorite Yankee Candle Scents (continued) Mrs Molly Weasley Kitchen Spice: This modern blend of sweet orange, clove, ginger and cinnamon is a new take on pantry favorites. Mr Arthur Weasley: Orange Dreamsicle: A favorite childhood summer treat you never outgrow … a cool blend of orange and vanilla ice cream. Bill Weasley: [...]

Posted in Books, Film, intertextuality, Lists, Pop Culture, Psychology/Being Human, Yankee Candle | 4 Comments »

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter

Earlier tonight, a friendly tweet-mention turned into an unexpected project. Ideas churned so quickly that I basically didn’t stop until I had this list done. My method was simply to imagine which Yankee Candle specific characters from the Harry Potter series would be mostly likely to use. There was no purposefull attempt to have the [...]

Posted in Books, Film, intertextuality, Lists, Pop Culture, Psychology/Being Human, Yankee Candle | 2 Comments »

The Memorial Coatroom Literary Society Reads Colette

Last month, the Memorial Coatroom Literary Society met to discuss Colette’s “The Vagabond” (1910). By an odd chance (or inclination?) we chose yet another book translated from French, written by a famous woman author. None of us had read any Colette, though Courtney directed a play about Colette’s stint as a stage performer, so we [...]

Posted in Art, Bartending, Books, Cultural Shifts, History, Seattle | 1 Comment »

The Memorial Coatroom Literary Society Reads George Sand

Those of us who worked at Intiman Theatre over the past few years, couldn’t fail to notice that nearly everyone employed as Front of House staff had or was working on a Masters Degree, or had attended a conservatory, or was basically just incredibly erudite. This may have resulted from the fact that working FOH [...]

Posted in Books, Seattle, theatre | No Comments »

“Worthy of What One Great Woman Should Have Written of Another”: Gaskell’s Life of Brontë

The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell My rating: 4 of 5 stars In my late teens, I read nearly every Charlotte Brontë biography in the cannon, except the most famous one: the one written by her friend, fellow author Elizabeth Gaskell. I skipped it for a few reasons. One, every contemporary biography essentially [...]

Posted in Anglophilia, Books, History, intertextuality, Quotes, theology | No Comments »

Time Wasn’t The Only Thing They Stepped In: Beware Mary Poppins The Musical

Posted in Books, Film, Music, Pop Culture, theatre | 13 Comments »

My Bookshelves Are Organized By Color

Thus, when I receive an email like this from my roommate, “Do you have any of these? Plato’s The Symposium Saint Augustine’s Confessions Thomas Aquinas Summa Contra Gentiles: God Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Immanuel Kant Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics If so, can i borrow them? b” My response turns out like this, [...]

Posted in Books, Lists, Quotes, The Seattle School/MHGS | 1 Comment »