Essays are a brief, profound chat with someone who has seen some truth in the world and done us the courtesy of writing it down. The human experience is captured when writers do the work to depict their corner of reality. Here are three essays that have stayed with me long after I finished them.Continue reading “Tell Me”
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Thrice Is Not Always Nice
As it happens, I’ve read nine authors three times. I love the symmetry of it. My two previous posts were about authors who compelled me to be a return customer. For my final post on the topic, I will look at a slightly different issue. Sometimes reading an author a few times sours me onContinue reading “Thrice Is Not Always Nice”
The Thrice List, Part Two
Last week I talked about my reading quirks. With so many books in the world, I like to cover as much ground as possible by not reading the same author twice. I’m told this is unusual. For the same reason people go to Starbucks and Club Med, readers like to know what they’re going toContinue reading “The Thrice List, Part Two”
The Thrice List
When it comes to reading, I favor the one-and-done approach. There are so many voices vying for my attention that I only occasionally read the same author twice. There are exceptions. I’ve read oodles of Harlan Coben, nearly a dozen Armistead Maupin’s titles, and plenty of the Anne’s: Tyler and Lamott. That is not typical,Continue reading “The Thrice List”
DNF
When it comes to reading, I am hyper fixated. Not finishing a book feels like an unfinished project, dishes in the sink. As a result, my “did not finish” pile is relatively small. Occasionally, though, I advance a certain amount only to stall. It happens. To be clear, I define “did not finish” as booksContinue reading “DNF”
Recent TBR
Last week I wrote about three titles that have been in my TBR for a long time. It isn’t always the case that a book escapes my undivided attention for decades. With new books coming out every day (Tuesday used to be the traditional release day; not sure if that is still the case forContinue reading “Recent TBR”
TBR
When people talk about books, I listen. Sometimes it’s a book I’ve never heard of. Sometimes it’s a book I’ve never read. Often there is a curiosity: am I missing out on something? How might my days be enriched by the experience of a new book? I don’t know if it’s true that enthusiasm sellsContinue reading “TBR”
Pick Me Oprah
Growing up in the Midwest in the ’80s, I watched a lot of Oprah. In her early shows she was a Phil Donahue wannabe, taking phone calls over a loudspeaker and moving around her studio audience, holding a mic out to let them vent their opinions. Later she did more one-on-one interviews from a leatherContinue reading “Pick Me Oprah”
My Imaginary Bookshop
I’ve only ever briefly worked in a bookstore. I would imagine it’s probably quite boring at times: the lulls, the inventory, the dusting. But that won’t stop me from engaging in a fantasy from time to time of being a shopkeeper. Allow me to introduce you to my imaginary bookshop. The best place for aContinue reading “My Imaginary Bookshop”
Hidden Connections
There is plenty of lore when it comes to books. Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone With The Wind first. Kathryn Stockett’s The Help got sixty agent rejections before someone signed her. Mr. American Psycho himself Bret Easton Ellis was a mentor to Donna Tartt. Some trivia is a little less known. HereContinue reading “Hidden Connections”
Books Smitten 