Guesses At Nothing

I have completed 27 of my ambitious but grossly underwhelming 30 authors in 30 days project.  Simply put, I have given up.  So here you go with out further ado, the remainder of the authors on my list.

1. Joseph Conrad -- For his book, Heart of Darkness, not only for it's themes of the good and evil of which man is capable, but also for inspiring the equally great movie, Apocalypse Now.  If you haven't checked out either, check them both.
2. Flannery O'Connor.  Goddess of the Southern Gothic.    Her story,  A Good Man is Hard to Find is an American classic.
3. Elmore Leonard -- For the fact that his books are wildly entertaining.  They have inspired some great movies too which include Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and the recently released remake, 3:10 to Yuma.  Personal favorite book:  Cuba Libre.
4. Bonus Author:  Arthur C. Clarke -- 2001: A Space Oddity.  Enough said.

Well, there you have it.  The fizzling conclusion of Thirty Authors in Thirty Days.  Perhaps now, I can get back to blogging in a more consistent fashion.

My Thirty Authors in Thirty MONTHS project is almost to a close.  I thought I'd take a quick minute to share something I found of interest.

http://paunce.com/2007/11/04/10-compelling-cartograms-of-the-world/

It is map visualizations showing different worldwide statistics. 

"So it goes." -- Vonnegut

Okay, Kurt Vonnegut.   I can't stress enough how much I admire his work.  I read Slaughterhouse-Five  as a young teen and I was hooked.  I think after that I quickly read Cat's Cradle and Breakfast of Champions.  No other author that I can think of has mastered a style of writing that is almost a purposeful throwback to the established literary world (which can be pretty pompous at times).  Vonnegut has been known to include doodles in his books, has introduced himself as a character (maybe not the first, certainly not the last to have done this, but done with panache) and has purposefully changed the rules on how numbers are conveyed in written text.

Unfortunately Vonnegut passed away earlier this year at the age of 84 after suffering a fall.  In the days following his death, it became apparent how many lives he has touched. 

So it goes.