curated by the Atticus Books staff
Hell Yeah! Worthy is a weekly Friday feature where our staff distills the plethora of scat on the Internet into a succinct list of the best you haven’t seen, the best you ignored, and the best you should visit again.
Ray Bradbury Talks Inspiration and Advice
This video from the Atlantic, made in 1963, shows Ray Bradbury who passed away this week at the age of 91 giving inspirational advice for eager writers and sharing some of his writing process, as well as clips from one of his short stories. It’s twenty-five minutes long, but I can’t stop watching and listening to it. Need something to get you ready to paint, read to children, get to your desk and start writing, or stare warily at your phone? Then watch this. (Abby)
F*** Me, Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s passing earlier this week at age 91 shocked literary lovers. Whether you’re a Bradbury fan, a sci-fi nerd, or have only ever read Fahrenheit 451, this hilarious music video tribute to Bradbury can’t be missed. Note: depending on your boss, this video might not be safe for work. (Lacey)
Largehearted Boy
This week, I’d like to lead readers to the Largehearted Boy website. Largehearted Boy is a go-to source for hounds of cultural goodness and arbiters of all that’s right with that delectable intersection of literature and music. (Dan)
If Ron Swanson Wrote Book Blurbs
When I’m trying to decide if a book is up my alley, I don’t really care how many copies it’s sold or how much of a classic it is: I just want to know what it’s about. And sometimes I want one of my favorite television characters to be the one telling me. This list helpfully repurposes quotes from Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson as blurbs for various works of literature, and the results are surprisingly accurate (and unsurprisingly hilarious). If only every newspaper article and blog post made about Fifty Shades of Grey over recent weeks could have been as concise as Ron Swanson’s summary: “You had me at meat tornado.” As for his reaction to Pride and Prejudice, having spent years trying to convince my brother to read it, I can say from experience that he is not alone in viewing the classic marriage plot as a “blood-soaked, nightmare-ish hellscape.” (Magdalen)
Happy Graduation
Am I the only one who feels like all the advice at most graduation ceremonies is needed more by the jaded adults in the audience than the giddy highschoolers who just want to get their party on? I’ve gotten signs that people are, in fact, fairly intelligent, so I suspect not. If you somehow are not headed to a graduation this season, do yourself a favor and read this comedian’s letter to his younger brother upon graduation. He’s no David Foster Wallace, but he does have some damn good advice. (Libby)