I’ve been a huge fan of Pamela Des Barres since I read “I’m With the Band” at age 15, and in recent years, I’ve had the good fortune to meet her in person and participate in her writing workshops. So I was excited when I …
Read MoreMusings on life, death, and the immortality of words
We interrupt this regularly scheduled “Taran Wanderer” chapter recap to reflect on the news events of this week – specifically, the deaths of Carrie Fisher (and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a day later) and Richard Adams, author of my favorite book of all time. Full-color …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: The Age of Miracles
Karen Thompson Walker’s The Age of Miracles starts with a very simple premise: what if the rotation of the Earth slowed slightly so that the days and nights gradually became longer and longer? Walker tells the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl, Julia, …
Read MoreWhat I’m Reading: Shine On
It’s not every day that I’m reading a book and suddenly up pops a mention of me, right there on the page. But that’s exactly what happened while I was reading Claire Cook’s “Shine On: How to Grow Awesome Instead of Old”! You see, the …
Read MoreRecapping Prydain
I recently started a new full-time work contract, which hasn’t left me much time for writing – or reading, for that matter. Given (or despite?) my limited amounts of free time, I’ve decided to try something a little different on this blog – recapping books …
Read MoreWhy I Love YA
As those of you familiar with my blog already know, for someone with a master’s degree in English, I’ve read appallingly few of what the world considers important books, or Great Books. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is simply: I …
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 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 …
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