Gather 'round…
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin My rating: 5 of 5 stars A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time. That is what Garth Stein said about The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, according to the blurb plastered across... Continue Reading →
It was one of those few and far-between epiphanies. The forehead-to-palm moments. In Quiet, Susan Cain was pontificating on the need for solitude in concentration and creation. The basic need for peace and quiet when embarking upon any creative - or deep thinking - process. She wasn't writing about writing, per se, but she did quote a... Continue Reading →
And the starvation was effective. Somehow, by some miracle of January, I was able to break hard, frozen ground at my retreat, and push forward into a new project. There was a seed before, but the thing just would not develop. Compost is faithful, however, in heating things up. The manure of starvation and the fertile... Continue Reading →
I don't generally take the time to finish books that I don't like. Sometimes, if I feel that I must, I'll push through, but for the most part, I have no need to torture myself. So, it follows that I would be statistically prone to writing favorable book reviews. I fear this is inevitable, and... Continue Reading →
We are sacked in, once again, with frigid temperatures in Wisconsin. I wish to be that hearty soul that walks to their evening meeting, even when the mercury is dropping well below zero. I wish to be the one who gets myself out there despite the cold, just for the sheer joy of being out... Continue Reading →
... books I am currently reading. There was a day, not so very long ago, that I was not able to keep more than one set of pages on my plate, and even then things might linger for months unread. At some point, I remember venturing into multiple reads, hesitantly, like a Florida native checking... Continue Reading →
How to Be Good by Nick Hornby My rating: 4 of 5 stars Huh. I'm not sure what to say about this one. I heard about it somewhere, maybe in a writing book, so I picked it up. Turns out it is from the same author as About a Boy and High Fidelity so I... Continue Reading →
Book Review: The Canon I wrote a quick review of my latest read, but I wanted to expand a little more about the actual writing of the book for this week's Postbox. Here is the original review, from Goodreads: The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier My rating:... Continue Reading →
Committee might be a strong word. Soapbox, maybe. I am nearly through with my 5th book on Social Security, retirement, and investment; I've been on somewhat of a run. It's been enlightening, actually, and inspiring on many levels. So much so that I am teaching a class this month, to share all the eye-poppers and... Continue Reading →
A friend shared this poem with me a few months ago. I am certain she was not complimenting me. Probably more of a call to action. Nevertheless, it is beautiful and I would love to share... To Be of Use The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the... Continue Reading →
A little follow up on yesterday's post... It took me a while to find it, as the much-coveted book has already been surrendered to the library, but I thought it worth reposting Mike Perry's closing essay from Roughneck Grace. Kind of sums up those times around the fire, no matter how they're spent. A bit... Continue Reading →
A Book Review I have never enjoyed reading grammar rules before, so this week, Writers' Postbox gets a little Goodreads book review: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty My rating: 5 of 5 stars For years I have frequented Grammar Girl's website when confronted with grammatical confusions of all... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 