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SUMMER 2018
It's summer! I keep coming home from the library with more books than I can read before they are due. It's summer! Just finished: "Sisterland" by Curtis Sittenfeld, an author I've been loving. "The Fact of a Body: a Murder and a Memoir" by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich. I heard Alexandria speak about her book at the Newburyport Literary Festival, and was so moved by her personal story. Having just gone to her reading, I could "hear" her understated voice in my head throughout the book. Quite a contrast to the heart-wrenching subject matter. Captivating and inspiring. Feeling omnivorous. Also read: "The Book That Matters Most", Ann Hood "The Gutsy Girl Handbook", Kate White (what. don't make fun of me.) "The Lathe of Heaven" my first (but not my last!) Ursula LeGuin "The Optimist's Daughter", Eudora Welty "Carry the Sky", Kate Gray SPRING 2018 Ray Carver Junot Diaz Just finished: "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara I was stunned by the epic length of this book, and in a twist of fate, I happened to be about to perform Mahler’s 3rd symphony, the longest symphony ever written. I really had to think hard on the topic of length (especially as I tend to be succinct in my writing,) and why we might take longer to say something. Maybe it is not length that I should have focused on, among all the other intense subjects Yanagihara delves deeply into with this work, but that’s where I was at the time. "The Small Backs of Children" I had been wanting to start reading Lidia Yuknovitch ever since I took one of her writing workshops at Boston’s Muse and the Marketplace 2017 conference. The workshop was great, but I was equally enthralled with her. Her thoughts on the hierarchy of time, and time not being necessarily linear really stuck with me. This book really captured those techniques that she illustrated for us in the workshop. Loved the intensity and exciting plot. More thinking for me. I like to track my reading on www.goodreads.com It’s a way to connect with friends who read, and get great suggestions. It is also a place that helps me when thinking of comps for my own work. |