Asylum http://www.asylum.com Asylum http://www.asylum.com/media/feedlogo.gif Asylum http://www.asylum.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Get the Whole Story With 'Better Book Titles'http://www.asylum.com/2011/01/18/better-book-titles-dan-wilbur/http://www.asylum.com/2011/01/18/better-book-titles-dan-wilbur/http://www.asylum.com/2011/01/18/better-book-titles-dan-wilbur/#commentsFiled under: ,


Any avid reader (both of us) will tell you that books are long. Sometimes you get all the way to the end of one only to realize you didn't even like it! Wouldn't it be great if you could tell from the title if a book is worth the effort? Comedian, ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>better book titlesBetterBookTitlesbooksreadingDanny Gallagher2011-01-18T13:30:00+00:00Who Was the Real Al Capone?http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/03/al-capone-biography/http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/03/al-capone-biography/http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/03/al-capone-biography/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Are we the only ones watching "Boardwalk Empire" and thinking that Al Capone comes off as sort of a wimp? When is this guy gonna get, you know, badass? We decided to check in with our friends at Mental Floss. Their new book, "The Mental Floss ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>al caponeAlCaponeboardwalk empireBoardwalkEmpirehistoryMafiamental flossMentalFlossProhibitionThe Mental Floss History of the United StatesTheMentalFlossHistoryOfTheUnitedStatesAsylum Staff2010-11-03T11:30:00+00:00'Star Wars Art -- Visions' Blows Our Freakin' Minds With Geek Arthttp://www.asylum.com/2010/11/01/star-wars-art-visions/http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/01/star-wars-art-visions/http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/01/star-wars-art-visions/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If you're doing your Christmas shopping early this year, you'll want to go ahead and pick up copies of "Star Wars Art: Visions" for every geek in your life. That's because the massive art book, for which George Lucas invited 100 contemporary ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>artchewbaccageorge lucasGeorgeLucaslucasfilmMaya GohillMayaGohillstar warsstar wars art visionsStarWarsStarWarsArtVisionsWookie Family PortraitWookieFamilyPortraitEmily McCombs2010-11-01T15:00:00+00:00A Prison Librarian on Pimps, Books and Making Friends On the Insidehttp://www.asylum.com/2010/10/29/prison-librarian-avi-steinberg-running-the-books/http://www.asylum.com/2010/10/29/prison-librarian-avi-steinberg-running-the-books/http://www.asylum.com/2010/10/29/prison-librarian-avi-steinberg-running-the-books/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


For most men contemplating a career that will bring them into a fascinating world full of interesting conflicts and populated by colorful characters, being a librarian ranks somewhere between "dental assistant" and "wedding videographer." Unless ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>avi steinbergAviSteinbergbooksbostonlibrarianprisonprison libraryPrisonLibraryrunning the booksRunningTheBooksDan Solomon2010-10-29T13:30:00+00:00'Good Ideas' Author Discusses 9/11 Snafu, How to Trigger Eureka Momentshttp://www.asylum.com/2010/10/05/steven-johnson-where-good-ideas-come-from/http://www.asylum.com/2010/10/05/steven-johnson-where-good-ideas-come-from/http://www.asylum.com/2010/10/05/steven-johnson-where-good-ideas-come-from/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Cartoons illustrate a good idea as a lightbulb turning on in one's brain -- a moment of light and clarity that appears out of the ether. In his new book "Where Good Ideas Come From," Steven Johnson looks to dispel that simplistic concept by ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>9-11drinks with writersDrinksWithWritersEurekaeureka momentsEurekaMomentsSteven JohnsonStevenJohnsonwhere good ideas come fromWhereGoodIdeasComeFromAnthony Layser2010-10-05T13:00:00+00:00Pulp History Tells True Stories Minus Boring Parts, Plus Pictureshttp://www.asylum.com/2010/09/30/pulp-history-devil-dog-shadow-knights/http://www.asylum.com/2010/09/30/pulp-history-devil-dog-shadow-knights/http://www.asylum.com/2010/09/30/pulp-history-devil-dog-shadow-knights/#commentsFiled under: , ,


As fans of both the pulp tradition and history, we're excited that Simon & Schuster has launched its Pulp History imprint, which features real-life World War II-era adventure sagas told in the style of the old-school pulps. The series ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>david talbotDavidTalbotdevil dogDevilDoggary kamiyaGaryKamiyahistorypulp fictionpulp historyPulpFictionPulpHistoryShadow KnightsShadowKnightsworld war IIWorldWarIiDan Solomon2010-09-30T15:00:00+00:00Amazing Life of Bozo the Clown Includes Astronaut Training, Cannibalshttp://www.asylum.com/2010/08/24/-bozo-the-clown-the-man-behind-the-nose-cannibals-astronaut-president/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/24/-bozo-the-clown-the-man-behind-the-nose-cannibals-astronaut-president/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/24/-bozo-the-clown-the-man-behind-the-nose-cannibals-astronaut-president/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


digg_url = 'http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/24/-bozo-the-clown-the-man-behind-the-nose-cannibals-astronaut-president/'; Pretty much everyone old enough to read Asylum is likely to have grown up with Bozo the Clown. His show (the inspiration for ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>astronautbozoBozo the ClownBozoTheClowncannibalslarry harmonLarryHarmonNeil StraussNeilStraussthe man behind the noseTheManBehindTheNoseDan Solomon2010-08-24T13:30:00+00:00Awful Library Books for Men and Boyshttp://www.asylum.com/2010/08/19/awful-library-books-for-men-and-boys/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/19/awful-library-books-for-men-and-boys/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/19/awful-library-books-for-men-and-boys/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


History can be hilarious! Consider words with meanings that have changed over time (remember when "gay" meant happy, like "Grandmother is so gay"?), sexist advertisements that could elicit modern-day lawsuits and library books that now seem grossly ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>awfulAwfulLibraryBooksbooksfunny booksFunnyBooksold booksOldBookssexistweedingWendy Rose Gould2010-08-19T11:30:00+00:00Wonder Woman's Dirty Past -- How Polyamory Birthed the First Female Superherohttp://www.asylum.com/2010/08/12/wonder-woman-sexy-past-polygamy/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/12/wonder-woman-sexy-past-polygamy/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/12/wonder-woman-sexy-past-polygamy/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Besides being associated with outsize sexiness worldwide, Wonder Woman has also become synonymous with the idea of female power. In this excerpt from "Eureka! The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas That Shaped the World," we learn the secret story ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>comic booksComicBookscomicsdc comicsDcComicseurekaheroineMarlene Wagman-GellerMarleneWagman-gellerolive byrneOliveByrnewilliam moulton marstonWilliamMoultonMarstonwonder womanWonderWomanAsylum Staff2010-08-12T13:30:00+00:00SNL Writer Simon Rich Talks New Novel, How He Does It Live on Saturday Nighthttp://www.asylum.com/2010/08/11/snl-writer-simon-rich-talks-new-novel-elliott-allagash-saturday-night-live/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/11/snl-writer-simon-rich-talks-new-novel-elliott-allagash-saturday-night-live/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/11/snl-writer-simon-rich-talks-new-novel-elliott-allagash-saturday-night-live/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


The novel "Elliot Allagash" offers a titular antagonist who might be one of the most deviant, soulless monsters ever imagined in a teen body. Fortunately, the creator of this character, Simon Rich, bears no moral resemblance to his creation. (Though ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>drinks with writersDrinksWithWritersElliot AllagashElliotAllagashSaturday Night LiveSaturdayNightLivesimon richSimonRichsnlAnthony Layser2010-08-11T15:30:00+00:00The Great Typo Hunt -- Two Friends Correct Grammar Across the USAhttp://www.asylum.com/2010/08/10/great-typo-hunt-jeff-deck-benjamin-herson-correct-grammar/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/10/great-typo-hunt-jeff-deck-benjamin-herson-correct-grammar/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/10/great-typo-hunt-jeff-deck-benjamin-herson-correct-grammar/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Everyone has their grammatical pet peeves. At Asylum, for example, we've made our feelings about some forms of punctuation quite clear. But even our hatred of the exclamation point pales in comparison to the aversion Jeff Deck and Benjamin ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>bad grammarbad spellingBadGrammarBadSpeechBadSpellingBenjamin HersonBenjaminHersongrammargreat typo huntGreatTypoHuntJeff DeckJeffDeckPoorGrammarWendy Rose Gould2010-08-10T13:30:00+00:00'Furgles,' 'Fumbs' and 'Nonversations' -- The Weird World of 'Nonwords'http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/06/nonwords-oxford-english-dictionary-freegan-blogish/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/06/nonwords-oxford-english-dictionary-freegan-blogish/http://www.asylum.com/2010/08/06/nonwords-oxford-english-dictionary-freegan-blogish/#commentsFiled under: ,


Know your "fumb" from your "freegan"? Chances are you don't. Why? Well, they're "nonwords" -- words that don't actually exist, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (although they were suggested for inclusion in the authoritative English word ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dictionarykingston universityKingstonUniversityLuke NgakaneLukeNgakanenonwordsoxford english dictionaryOxfordEnglishDictionaryAlastair Plumb2010-08-06T15:00:00+00:00Being Big -- 'Body Shop' Author Reminisces on the Power of Musclehttp://www.asylum.com/2010/07/29/the-body-shop-book-paul-solotaroff-steroids-muscles/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/29/the-body-shop-book-paul-solotaroff-steroids-muscles/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/29/the-body-shop-book-paul-solotaroff-steroids-muscles/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Paul Solotaroff was just another scrawny college freshman in the mid-1970s when he discovered lifting weights and steroids, a period he chronicles in his new memoir, "The Body Shop: Parties, Pills and Pumping Iron -- Or My Life in the Age of Muscle." ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>1970smale strippersMaleStrippersmemoirnew york cityNewYorkCitypaul solotaroffPaulSolotaroffsteroidsthe body shopTheBodyShopweightliftingPaul Solotaroff2010-07-29T13:30:00+00:00'Mr Ed -- Dead' Book Collects the Funniest Fictional Obitshttp://www.asylum.com/2010/07/26/barry-nelson-tom-schecker-mr-ed-dead-book-funniest-fake-obits/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/26/barry-nelson-tom-schecker-mr-ed-dead-book-funniest-fake-obits/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/26/barry-nelson-tom-schecker-mr-ed-dead-book-funniest-fake-obits/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Death can sometimes be funny -- like in Quentin Tarantino films when someone's head gets chopped off by a samurai sword and a fountain of blood starts spewing out. That's kinda funny. Writers Barry Nelson and Tom Schecker also make death funny in ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>funny obitsfunny obituariesFunnyObitsFunnyObituariesmr. edMr. Ed: DeadMr.EdMr.Ed:Deadobituariesobituaries of famous peopleObituariesOfFamousPeopleNick Romano2010-07-26T15:00:00+00:00'Absurdistan' Author Pens Hilarious New Book That Predicts Economic Collapsehttp://www.asylum.com/2010/07/21/absurdistan-gary-shteyngart-super-sad-true-love-story-economy-collapse/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/21/absurdistan-gary-shteyngart-super-sad-true-love-story-economy-collapse/http://www.asylum.com/2010/07/21/absurdistan-gary-shteyngart-super-sad-true-love-story-economy-collapse/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Like all good satirists, Gary Shteyngart takes the absolute worst things about the world and makes them funny. In "Super Sad True Love Story," his follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Absurdistan," Shteyngart creates a dystopian future America -- ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Absurdistanbrooklyn public houseBrooklynPublicHousedrinks with writersDrinksWithWritersGary ShteyngartGaryShteyngartSuper Sad True Love StorySuperSadTrueLoveStorywoody allenWoodyAllenAnthony Layser2010-07-21T15:30:00+00:00Worst Writer-Award Winner Disgusts With Sexy Rodent Metaphorhttp://www.asylum.com/2010/06/30/bulwer-lytton-prize-worst-opening-sentence-sexy-rodent-metaphor/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/30/bulwer-lytton-prize-worst-opening-sentence-sexy-rodent-metaphor/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/30/bulwer-lytton-prize-worst-opening-sentence-sexy-rodent-metaphor/#commentsFiled under: ,


It's a writing award that most authors would want to avoid. However, novelist Molly Ringle found a silver lining in being the 28th annual recipient of the Bulwer-Lytton prize for the worst opening sentence of a novel. "You kind of have to have a ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Bulwer LyttonBulwerLyttonMolly RingleMollyRingleThe Ghost downstairsTheGhostDownstairsJeremy Taylor2010-06-30T16:00:00+00:00'Simpsons,' 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' Writer Talks New Book, Slams DeVitohttp://www.asylum.com/2010/06/29/simpsons-i-love-you-beth-cooper-writer-larry-doyle-talks-go-mutants/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/29/simpsons-i-love-you-beth-cooper-writer-larry-doyle-talks-go-mutants/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/29/simpsons-i-love-you-beth-cooper-writer-larry-doyle-talks-go-mutants/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Larry Doyle's debut novel "I Love You, Beth Cooper" offered up a hilariously tumultuous night in the life of Denis Cooverman, a high school geek who's valedictorian address ends with the pronouncement of his love for the head cheerleader. Doyle's new ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>drinks with writersDrinksWithWritersGo MutantsGoMutantsi love you beth cooperILoveYouBethCooperlarry doyleLarryDoylesimpsonsThe SimpsonsTheSimpsonsAnthony Layser2010-06-29T15:30:00+00:00Bill Clegg Discusses Drug-Fueled Fall From Grace and Comebackhttp://www.asylum.com/2010/06/23/bill-clegg-portrait-of-an-addict-as-a-young-man/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/23/bill-clegg-portrait-of-an-addict-as-a-young-man/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/23/bill-clegg-portrait-of-an-addict-as-a-young-man/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Bill Clegg was supposed to die five years ago. He reached rock bottom, addicted to crack cocaine, the drug that plagued poor, inner-city communities in the mid-'80s, but which doesn't discriminate against successful professionals. They, too, can fall ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>addictionBill CleggBillCleggmemoirPortrait of an AddictPortraitOfAnAddictBrett Smiley2010-06-23T13:30:00+00:00Hitchens Warns of American-Born Jihad, Painful Brazilian Waxinghttp://www.asylum.com/2010/06/22/christopher-hitchens-hitch-22-drinks-with-writers/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/22/christopher-hitchens-hitch-22-drinks-with-writers/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/22/christopher-hitchens-hitch-22-drinks-with-writers/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


"Author," "journalist," "contrarian," "Antichrist" -- whatever you call Christopher Hitchens, he's one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. His books, from "God Is Not Great" to "The Trial of Henry Kissinger," as well as his ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>atheismchristopher hitchensChristopherHitchenshitch 22Hitch22scotchAnthony Layser2010-06-22T13:00:00+00:00'I Was Told There'd Be Cake' Author a Chick, Doesn't Write Chick Lithttp://www.asylum.com/2010/06/10/sloane-crosley-i-was-told-thered-be-cake-how-did-you-get-this-number/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/10/sloane-crosley-i-was-told-thered-be-cake-how-did-you-get-this-number/http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/10/sloane-crosley-i-was-told-thered-be-cake-how-did-you-get-this-number/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If you're the type of guy who's attracted to women sporting equal parts wit and intelligence, then Sloane Crosley is your dream girl. All of Crosley's charms are on display in "I Was Told There'd Be Cake," her NY Times-bestselling collection of ... Read more

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>drinks with writersDrinksWithWritershow did you get this numberHowDidYouGetThisNumberi was told thered be cakeIWasToldTheredBeCakeJames FreyJamesFreypublicistsloane crosleySloaneCrosleyAnthony Layser2010-06-10T15:30:00+00:00