Kate Spade is putting a stylish twist on book of the month clubs by reimagining her favorite titles as clutches.  Yes, NerdLike ladies, you can carry some of your literary favorites in the form of a cheeky bag ($325). Gatsby ships on Aug. 20. Stay tuned for what else Spade has up her swanky little sleeves.

When it comes to the fangirls/fanboys at Comic-Con, everyone has their niche that they fall into.  You’ve got your HP heads, X-Men freaks, the SteamPunk movement, Star Wars and Trekkie junkies….and then, the vamp lovers.  While Annie Rice started the obsession with the fanged avengers, it wasn’t until the Twilight Saga and Sookie Stackhouse stories were released that the madness went global.

Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse stories made a two day appearance at this years Comic-Con, giving the die hard fans exactly what we all wanted; an inside look at the television series, book series and the cross over that happens in-between.

Harris walked into her initial Q&A session just as humble as Ms. Stackhouse herself.  In fact, a number of fans who approached her with questions commented on how similar she was to Sookie, in both her attitude and accent.  Almost as if the character was modeled after a young Harris.  On that note, let’s just right into it…where did Sookie Stackhouse come from?

“I named Sookie after the notion that the name itself reminded me of a good ol’ fashioned girl with a modern twist.”

The more we got into the psyche of Sookie, Harris revealed quite a few interesting facts.  1] The Sookie she created, often referred to as the ‘true Sookie,’ was actually a far curvier girl.  Interestingly enough, Harris didn’t find this out until Season 1 of True Blood wrapped, which is when she finally got a chance to meet Anna Pacquin.  We also got to talking about how some of the other characters she created compared to those cast in the series.  Just as I had predicted, both Andy Bellfleur and Pam were dead ringers.

Harris goes on to talk about the influence that Anne Rice had on her writing, citing herself as a mini-fangirl of Rice’s work.  When True Blood began airing, Harris was forced to join up on all of the popularized social network sites, becoming tech saavy almost overnight.  One of the first Facebook messages she received was from Anne Rice, who praised her work, telling Harris that she loved the series.  Her message response?  “Honey, you should read the books.”

One of the most interesting things learned during my time with Charlaine was the fact that she had absolutely no creative control when it came to the creation and direction of the show [True Blood].  When asked if she ever had doubts or regrets, she said:

“When HBP came to me and wanted the books, I said, “Sure, write me a check honey.” When selling the rights to your work, it isn’t about having control over where it goes…it’s having the control to decide who it goes to.  I feel like I made the right decision in choosing Alan, don’t you?”

If you aren’t an avid reader of the books, I will fill you in on a small secret, there are vast differences between the two series, with one of the most prominent being the creation of Jessica.  Invented by Alan Ball, Jessica plays an integral role in the series, going as far as to appear on the major promotional bill board, noting her as a staple part of the cast.  In fact, her presence in Bon Temps was enough to make Harris jealous, as she admitted to wishing that she would’ve invented her.  It seems that a baby vamp never crossed her mind, as Harris’ creation process is as follows;

“I invent people as I need them, and then I’ll flush them out.”

Both witty and vulnerably honest, Harris closed her session with the following:

“I will not be implementing any of HBO’s changes with the series into the Sookie series.  They are two completely different entities now, which is good for you.  It’s almost like you’re getting two for the price of one.”

Check out the remainder of the Q&A, where you can find out the pressing info you want to know…such as, if Sookie ever gets turned

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Nancy Drew fans celebrate 80-years of mystery solving and girl power. Get it, Nancy!  Whether you read the books or watched young Emma Roberts bring her to life in the 2007 movie, you have to recognize her as one of children’s fiction’s finest characters.

You can catch up on her history in an old but beautifully written story on Nancy Drew in the New Yorker or stock up on fan gear at Fred Flare

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own.
And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

- Seuss

Nothing else needs to be said. Shop the Dr. Seuss Collection at Converse ($40-$65). Pair them with the matching book and you truly have the gift that keeps on giving. Staying fly is fresh but reading is fundamental.

Clever indeed. They would also make good stash boxes. Via Union

If you have not been over to visit The Oatmeal, you are definitely missing out of one the the funniest, entertaining, and educational site on the web. The Oatmeal was created by Matthew Inman aka “The Oatmeal,” a former web designer turned comic artist. He creates funny poster and prints that often deal with internet life and all that entails. His most recent is the image above. Make sure you visit his site and order a print as he is a one man operation.

via The Oatmeal

Its something that everyman will have to do sometime in life. Some men more than others, but its a right of passage into nonetheless. Allan Peterkins & Nick Burns have spent a great deal of time compiling all of this info to make sure that your beard is correct as possible. Applaud these men. Continue Reading

Lollipops by Massimo Gammacurta have been admired for some time. Now he brings the world his work in a book, Lolli-POP,  a  conceptual still life project and a solo exhibit in Paris at the Visionairs Gallery. Each piece is a real lollipop sculpture is handcrafted out of real hard ball candy. Chanel, Nike, Apple, MTV – all edible icons and beautiful art. If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris, catch the show:

Massimo Gammacurta: Lollo-POP
Visionairs Gallery
Rue des Carmes 14, 75005 Paris – France
+[0|1 42 61 15 15
Through June 7
contact@visionairsgallery.com

Source

Candace Bushnell has already given us Carrie Bradshaw, one of the most iconic and fashion forward characters of our generation. From her books to HBO to the big screen, most women between 25-50 have been carried away.

A week from today, the follow up to the Sex and the City movie hits theatres and women are already picking out their outfits and brainstorming how to celebrate. We at Nerdlike would like to add to the fun by giving one lucky reader a copy of The Carrie Diaries.

Find out who Carrie was before Sex and the City, when she was a small-town girl trying to find her way!

Here’s How to Enter: (this entry is mandatory)

• Tell us who your favorite character is and why. UPDATE: SHAROSE WINS!
  

Additional Entries [leave a separate comment for each one]

• Comment on another non-giveaway post [comment below w/post name]
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• Friend us on Google Connect [see sidebar]
• Tweet about this giveaway (daily entry, can use the following: Win a copy of The Carrie Diaries [SATC] from www.NerdLike.com!
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The giveaway runs until May 27, 2010. Good Luck!

Charlaine Harris is sort of like the Tyler Perry of the book world. So-called real authors can deny her all they want, but how many of them have had nine of their books on the The New York Times best-sellers list at the same time? She’s got that fairytale success (catch her on tour) and her guilty pleasure series revolving around Sookie Stackhouse and the supernatural is on its 10th installment. That’s right, count ‘em! Dead in the Family finally hit bookshelves today. It should be as lovely as eating ice cream right out the container.

And don’t forget the HBO spin-off. The show doesn’t follow the books exactly, but “True Blood” is taking a bite out of its fan all the same. Season 3 debuts Sunday, June 13 at 9:00 p.m

107 Students at a Chicago High School will not only get a free prom, but they have all been accepted into 4 year colleges/universities.
Four years ago, every freshman at Urban Prep Academy Charter High School-Englewood was given a watch and told they now had no excuse to be late for class at a school dedicated to putting black males into college.

And no excuses were needed Friday, when Urban Prep’s first graduating class celebrated the news that every senior had been accepted to at least one four-year college.

The video above shows what our school system can do here. We just need to push our kids instead of making excuses for them.

We have heard a lot about how revilutionary the iPad will be when it is launched this month. Well I, for one, am holding out on giving it my full blessings. However, if this video is accurate, this looks pretty nice.