Snippets from “Sabbaths” by Wendell Berry
At my bridal shower, fifteen years ago, I received an unusual gift: a slim volume of poetry entitled “Sabbaths” by Wendell Berry. I had never heard of him. The friend […]
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
It’s laughable for me to blog about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins since I’m clearly the last person on the planet to read it, so nothing I can add […]
Anything but Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin
I’m working hard to catch up on my reading after long months in Deadline Land. Tonight I had the good fortune to read Anything but Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin, […]
Book Gargoyle’s Advice for Young Writers (including To Outline or Not To Outline)
An eighth-grader wrote to ask me for some writing advice this past week, and I thought I’d share my response to her request here. *** There are many books, classes, […]
“In The Heights,” “The Magician’s Elephant,” “Curse of the Bane”
We were lucky enough last night to go see “In the Heights,” the Broadway musical, at the Boston Opera House with my niece. What a great show! Kyle Beltran as […]
Catching up
2010 is nine days old and I still haven’t jotted in my journal the list of goals and plans for the year that I’d intended to record. Off to a […]
Thief of Time, or, Why I Idolize Terry Pratchett and Why I Am Unlikely to Write a Time Paradox Novel
It never fails. I crack open a new Terry Pratchett novel, and before I’ve turned page one I’m writhing on the floor (figuratively, at my age), groaning, “I’m not worthy! […]
The Princess Bride’s Perfections
Our family watched The Princess Bride tonight. It was the first time any of our boys had seen it, the first time I’d seen it in probably twelve years. We’d […]
Thoughts on THE ILIAD
Tonight I finished listening to THE ILIAD of Homer on audiobook. First I listened to a great audio course from The Teaching Company, taught by Elizabeth Vandiver, on The Iliad, […]
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
I realize I may be the last person on the planet to read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, but even so, here I am posting my thoughts. Superior […]