Writing is, by nature, a solitary endeavor. Inspiration, conception, research and development, and execution are, for the most part, done in a state of introspection. Collaboration, if any, occurs when we finally allow someone to look at what we produced during that time, a period of length which varies for everyone. What may take one … Continue reading Writing With Others
Translated by Philip Gabriel, Published by Berkeley 2017 A lot of Japanese authors and their novels have crossed my path lately, and The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is one of them. It's inviting cover and petite size suggest a light easy read, but this tiny book is packed with humor, emotion and a … Continue reading Book Review: The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Published by Penguin Random House 2017 There are far too few novels out there that address mental illness; especially books where the protagonist is the one with mental health issues. Honeyman shows that this can clearly be done well, with gentleness, tact, and even humor. Written in first person POV, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine … Continue reading Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I loved this book. Not only is the cover of Once Upon a River beautiful, but I love a good story about mysterious waters. I also loved the tone, the writing style, and the wonderfully developed characters. Set in a small village on the river Thames, the story follows events surrounding the sudden and dramatic … Continue reading Book Review: Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield
This book is a real mind bender. I took so many notes and at the end of my note book is this acronym: WTF!!!! So, yeah, that kind of sums it up. I can't wait to tell you about it! How did I Hear About Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World? This novel … Continue reading Book Review: Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami
My husband is not a creative type. He is an engineer; everything he does is precise, rational, pragmatic. I rarely engage him in conversations about books and writing, because we think too differently. I believe in possibility and the power of the imagination, and he believes in only what he can see. Now and then, … Continue reading If No One Reads Your Writing, Are You Still a Writer? (And Other Questions to Keep You Awake at Night)
I read Tell Me Lies in about four days. I eagerly turned the pages even when I felt like screaming in frustration at the main characters––or, maybe because of that? Tell Me Lies is a New Adult novel that highlights a variety of disorders that can afflict us when young and often shapes our lives … Continue reading Book Review: Tell Me Lies, by Carola Lovering
Winner of the 2000 Man Booker Prize This book came to my attention while taking Atwood's online writing course through Masterclass, where she explained the use of different literary devices. The Blind Assassin is an example of a "story within a story", something you might be familiar with if you've read Frankenstein or The Princess … Continue reading Book Review: The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
I picked up A Dog's Way Home on a whim. I had recently put down a deposit on a puppy and this was on a shelf by the register. I do not normally read books that star animals and it sat in my "To Be Read" (TBR) pile for a while. By the time … Continue reading Book Review: A Dog’s Way Home, by W. Bruce Cameron
"She cut her hair." "What? Short?" "Yes! Chopped it all off! What was she thinking?" "She was such a pretty, elegant young lady." The woman's companion shook her head. Her own hair, I noticed, was plaited in a long braid draped across her bosom. "All the young girls are cutting their hair off now." In … Continue reading Her Hair, Her Choice.
Hope Unedited 