If you’ve read my short story, “Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself (and Spiders),” you might be curious about the meal that Macy prepares for Stan: “carrot bisque with sour cream drizzled into a spider web pattern on the top – More spiders! Who wants …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: The Middlesteins
More a collection of linked short stories than a novel, Jami Attenberg’s “The Middlesteins” paints a family portrait from a number of different perspectives. Each chapter is told from the POV of a different character, among them matriarch Edie, a “queen among women” whose weight …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: Artful
I’ve had a soft spot for “Oliver Twist” ever since I played a small role – that of Charlotte, the undertaker’s slatternly daughter – in my high school’s production of the musical “Oliver!” So when I saw “Artful: A Novel” being offered free as a …
Read More10 books that had an impact on me
These are not necessarily my “favorite” books, but 10 that have a special place in my life for various reasons. Presented roughly in the order in which I encountered them: The Outsiders. The book that made me believe I could write a novel, since S.E. …
Read MoreBack-to-school resolutions
My niece and a lot of other kids are headed back to school this week, and while I don’t have children of my own, I still get caught up in the excitement of the season. Growing up, I always loved going shopping for school supplies, …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: The Book Thief
I suffered a personal loss while reading Marcus Zusak’s “The Book Thief” – my husband and I buried our beloved dog, who passed away last month after a long illness – so I’m sadly familiar with how our minds struggle to find comfort and make …
Read MoreWhat to Read: The Yearling
Hubby and I were flipping through channels Sunday night, and we landed on “The Yearling,” the 1946 film adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ 1938 novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I never had to read “The Yearling” for class, being the world’s worst-read …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: Why We Broke Up
Daniel Handler’s “Why We Broke Up,” a birthday gift from my brother, took me two months to finish — not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it’s so dense, with pages-long stream-of-consciousness passages consisting of carefully chosen phrases that would be a shame to …
Read MoreExperiencing Pamela Des Barres’ writing workshop
I’ve been a huge fan of Pamela Des Barres since high school, when I read her autobiography “I’m With the Band” and dreamed of living a life so interesting that one day I, too, could write a book about my adventures. For many years, I …
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