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Blessing of the Storm
There is a snow storm coming, and The Best Beloved is leaving this afternoon for a business trip. (I forecast dreadful weather by his business trips.) This makes me restless and nervous. I used to love storms and filthy weather of all kinds. But as I grow older and worry about falls on icy roads,…
Read MoreA Year In Books (2015) Part 2
Okay… here’s the next whack of books from last year’s reading. (You can see the first 25 by clicking here.) 26. THE PARIS REVIEW BOOK OF PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS — Wonderful addition to any library. Denis Johnson’s story is BRILLIANT. Masterclass for writers. 27. AWAY by Amy Bloom. – As big, complicated, beautiful, awful, funny, despairing and…
Read MoreA Year In Books, Part 1
I love reading other people’s book lists, learning what they liked and didn’t. It makes me feel I know them a bit better, and often alerts me to books I may have missed (or helps me avoid books I won’t like). So, in that spirit, here’s the first 25 of the 71 books I read…
Read MoreYear End Literary Pressure
It’s that time of year again — all the “Best Of” lists are coming out, and the annual reading challenges are coming to an end. Oh, the pressure. I have found at least a dozen books I must read, books I long to read… and that means I have to find yet another bookshelf to…
Read MoreBecause We All Doubt
In my office I have a wall on which My Best Beloved has hung various highlights from my career as a writer. Great reviews, awards, newspapers articles, photos from meaningful events and so forth. At first, I didn’t want him to do this. It seemed like boasting. I feared if anyone saw it, they would…
Read MoreWhat Am I Working On? Question #2 on the Writers' Blog Tour
I explained in an earlier post what the Writers’ Blog Tour is about. Basically, writers answer the same four questions: What do I write what I do? What am I working on? How does my work differ from other work in its genre? How does my writing process work? For today, I’ll tackle the second…
Read MoreTen Fictional Characters I'd Want With Me On a Desert Island
I saw this meme going around Booklikes.com and thought it might be fun to give it a go. I think I’m going to let myself edit this one as my preferences change over time. Might be an interesting psychological study. So, 10 Fictional characters I’d want with me on a desert island (in no particular…
Read MoreRunning Hot
Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of the novels QUEENPIN, THE SONG IS YOU, DIE A LITTLE, BURY ME DEEP, THE END OF EVERYTHING and DARE ME. This is her latest book, and it’s sure to cause the same amount of buzz as her previous work. Abbott likes dark (as do I). She is, perhaps,…
Read MoreMy Month Of Social Media Silence.
Back in 1995, when My Best Beloved and I were living in France, we bought our first at-home computer, and hooked up email. I still remember the ambivalence I felt. It’s just another way for someone to get into my house, I said. You have to understand, I’m the woman who once answered the question, What…
Read MoreMy Reluctant Thoughts On The Death Of Philip Seymour Hoffman
I wasn’t going to weigh in on the tragic death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, since there are already so many people out there ranting and raving about it, but recently I’ve seen some rather disturbing things, including people saying how selfish he was to choose this path and how terrifying his relapse is to those…
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