I love historical fiction, but it has been difficult for me to find good writers in that genre. I often find that either the historical details are accurate, but the story is dull or hokey, or that the story is interesting, but poorly rooted in the setting. One author I love is Philippa Gregory. She […]
How To Waste Your Reading Time
I’ve been on vacation from work for the past 9 days, and while those days have been packed with holiday and family celebrations, I’m disappointed in myself for only managing to finish one book (and several magazines). What’s worse, the book wasn’t even a very good one- The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch- […]
Special Edition! “Sugar And Spice,” An Original Short Story
Today’s post is a personal first: my first self-published work. The following is a story I wrote for my creative writing class at Vassar. The themes of family and Christmas joy are very appropriate as we all prepare for the holiday weekend. I hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to leave comments. I […]
Skipping to the End
Do you ever find yourself skipping to the end of a book, only to seriously regret it two minutes later? Last week I started re-reading Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. (It was part of the stack of books I had amassed from the library book sale in my post Importer/Exporter.) I’d read the book before, but it […]
Favorite Reading Quotes
I’m dipping into some favorite reading quotes today. What’s your favorite quote about books? “A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” -Samuel Johnson “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” -Groucho Marx “Reading takes us away […]
Sense and Sensibility: Emma Thompson
If it would fit, the title of this post would read: Sense and Sensibility, Part 2: An Homage to Emma Thompson As I re-read Jane Austen’s first novel (for more on the plot and analysis of Austen’s writing, see Sense and Sensibility, Part 1) I found myself thinking about and feeling awed by Emma Thompson’s screenplay […]