Advice from F. Scott Fitzgerald and other fun things to read

Good reads chosen by our production staff this week:

Chris Dall:

From the website "Letters of Note," a letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his 11-year-old daughter, who was away at camp.

Fitzgerald has always been one of my favorite writers. Part of the romance of Fitzgerald, of course, is that he was a troubled soul. That comes through in this letter. But, as the father of an almost 10-year-old, what fascinates me is the adult-manner in which he addresses his child. He's not talking down to her, he's treating her as an equal.

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Alex DiPalma:

Everyone I know (understandably, I admit) refuses to re-watch Laguna Beach and/or The Hills with me. I have a very hard time convincing people that it's a worthwhile show. Claire Jarvis, a Stanford professor of Victorian literature, does a much more convincing job than I do. I actually felt compelled to email her and tell her how much I loved this article.

Audrina Patridge speak onstage at MTV's 'The Hills Live: A Hollywood Ending' Finale event held at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 13, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV.com)

Meggan Ellingboe:

Follow the Tara Parker-Poe's Well blog for the New York Times. She's always posting intriguing tidbits from fitness, to nutrition, to medical research.

Emily Kaiser:

I was really fascinated by this piece in Salon about the moment of death. Are we actually "dead" when doctors say so?

Kryssy Pease:

Minnesota-based InstyMeds Corp. dispenses prescription medicines from vending machines. Convenient but controversial. Also, who knew that vending machines were a $42.2 billion industry?


Maddy Mahon:

I have no major feelings on Bill Maher either way but I love the sentiment of this op-ed he wrote. Who wants to live in a world where we can't offend each other once in a while?

--Stephanie Curtis, social media host