One of my favorite things about reading is the small tidbits and fun facts you learn along the way. It’s always a sign that a book is worth reading when you happen upon a kernel of information that you haven’t heard before. Here are a few things I learned from books this year: 3. 75%Continue reading “Reading Fun Facts: 2023”
Tag Archives: Reading
Reading Around The Map: East Asia
One of the undeniable pleasures of reading is the fact that it allows you to cross borders without leaving your couch. Such was my experience in the last month in which I read three books set in different Asian countries. Each of them showed me a part of a country I know little about inContinue reading “Reading Around The Map: East Asia”
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”
Letters To Me
When you hear the word epistolary, you might think of novels told through letters, such as the classic 84 Charing Cross Road or its successful knockoff The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Books written in journal form can also be called epistolary, though. They might be seen as letters to the self, aContinue reading “Letters To Me”
Voice Lessons
Literary agents endlessly seek original voices, those rare writers who can capture life through an idiosyncratic tone. Some projects stand apart from the crowd with the musicality of the language and the freshness of their perspective. You could argue that most acclaimed authors are distinctive. Even pulp fiction has its quirks. But a few timesContinue reading “Voice Lessons”
Say What?
If you read enough, you will undoubtedly come across some peculiar details. Sometimes they are meant to shock the reader, a confession that is unsettling in its singularity. Other times they reveal cultural differences, saying as much about social location as anything objective. For the most part, though, strange tidbits are part of the idiosyncrasiesContinue reading “Say What?”
Reading Around the Map: Bay Area
Setting is often secondary in novels. Characters might live in anonymous suburbs and towns, indistinguishable by region, lacking particular detail about the history and customs of the area. In other books, the location is as detailed as a character, full of quirks and recognizable traits. San Francisco has been my home for twenty-six years. AsContinue reading “Reading Around the Map: Bay Area”
Mansplaining G-d
Atheism is nothing new, but in the years since 9/11 a plethora of new writers have occupied best-seller lists with polemics about the dangers of theism. Although the real concern may be irrational fears about Islamic terrorism, often these books take aim at Christianity much more fiercely than other Abrahamic faiths. Publishing is nothing ifContinue reading “Mansplaining G-d”
Tools of the Trade
If you are a fiction writer, chances are you have read a few books about writing. The ability to put words together to form a story is both a talent and a learned skill. Fortunately, help is available in honing your craft. There are good sources on everything from inspiration to publication. Here are fiveContinue reading “Tools of the Trade”
The Dying of the Light
When it comes to spiritual matters, I am reasonably open-minded. I lack the scientific and medical training to dismiss supernatural claims with confidence. I am at the same time not a conventional believer. The New Age field is a publishing phenomenon, with trade shows and houses that focus exclusively on related topics. Arguably the mostContinue reading “The Dying of the Light”
Books Smitten 