I recently picked up a copy of Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters (Stanley F. Buchthal, Bernard Comment) - a really splendid book that compiles different notes, telegrams, letters, and to-do lists that Marilyn Monroe wrote during her life. The book looks at the writings about Monroe that are far beyond the headlines and gossip columns. Reading the book reminded me of all the wonderful images that I've seen of Marilyn either reading or writing. She was often captured reading wonderful books - collections of poetry by Walt Whitman, epic novels by James Joyce and Hemingway, and biographies about profound figures as diverse as Goya and Abe Lincoln. Despite her dumb blonde image, Marilyn was highly literate and sought her entire life to educate herself. Title: from "Expo '86" (Death Cab for Cutie)