READ ALL ABOUT IT
Since 2012, I’ve been writing about books. And the act of reading. And the importance of story and narrative. But, mostly, the underlying theme of all I write is how taking a moment to stop and digest some longform text — instead of scrolling, instead of watching a video, instead of multitasking — can be one of the most grounding things we can do for ourselves. Here’s the one-stop online home for all this writing.
You can read more about me and my work by moseying over here. Want to peruse periodic “essay drops” — excerpts from my work-in-progress essay collection about Homesickness? Here ya go.
I Couldn’t Love You More
I reserved this book at the library and it came in right away…but now it is due basically yesterday because someone else has put in on hold. I love thinking about the zipzapzing of books being shelved and shuttled from one branch to another. Who had this book before me? Did they like it? Is it someone similar to me…or is it, like, an 85-year-old man? And in the case of a *kind of* obscure book — meaning it’s not the latest hot new release that’s being made into a movie — I really, really wish I knew who was checking it out it too.
Brontë Manuscripts
The artifacts are old…but this type of story may be old as well.
The Ninth Hour
I am often described as “so nice.” This is not meant as a weird humblebrag; I think it’s usually said when people don’t know me well. Or are surprised that someone isn’t a jerk? I suppose you could exchange “nice” for “polite” or even “sensitive.” Both are true to an extent…
We Miss the Din: Jennifer De Leon at MetroWest Readers Fest
Got to pretend to be a talk show host last night with Jennifer De Leon. This was the culminating event of MetroWest Readers Fest and it was great.
Jack Murphy Memorial Stephen King Fest
I really love this idea: A woman posted in our town’s Facebook “Book Group” (mostly swaps/recommendations) about something called the Jack Murphy Memorial Stephen King Fest.
Behold, the Book Blob
Nothing new here: The publishing industry likes the “blob.”
Florida
Stories that explore “home” in the most visceral sense. (People living in your crawlspace … a young woman who lives in a station wagon … a tent city… a French farmhouse…) ✅
First Edition of Frankenstein
I had to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley in 7th grade English with Mrs. Zarter. (I think…anyone familiar care to confirm?) Great reminder that I’d like to read it again.
Burnt Sugar
How do you feel about book blurbs?
Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
Earlier in the summer, my parents recommended the documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir (currently on Netflix). It is excellent.
The Middlesteins
I finished up The White Lotus on HBO about a week ago. That’s about the same time I started The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg, so let’s hear it for Americans’ ability to find themselves in despondent situations despite incredible resources and relative wealth. That’s one of our “modern ails,” right?
Book Club Crashers: The Authors
The Sudbury Town Crier
“Having an author drop in to your meeting takes your gathering to a new level: It allows you to get answers and insights to very specific questions, and hey, it might give you the extra nudge to make sure you actually finish the book..”
How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?
Until maybe 5 or 10 years ago, there were two truisms about my entertainment preferences. I — without a doubt — did not like: 1) Country music, and 2) Sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian/speculative literature.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
How often do you find yourself in an outsider’s role? There’s a certain degree of freedom (as well as a bit of awkwardness) in not knowing certain things, in being completely ignorant to “how it goes.” I think many of us could benefit from adopting this posture once in a while. (The flip side, I know, is that there are people who may *always* feel this way and what I personally might call “purposeful naivete” turns into something very exclusionary when pinned on someone else.)
Why Teachers Assign Books 101
It’s not news that being a school employee or on a school board is the most thankless thing ever these days. (No thank you x 1 million.)
The Every by Dave Eggers Will Not Be on Amazon
I guess this is kinda old news — this clip is from the June 16 NYT — but Dave Eggers has a new novel coming out this autumn. It’s called The Every, and the hardcover will only be released in independent bookstores.
Tatty
Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey is a remarkable book, and it’s a real shame that it’s so difficult to acquire it in the US. (I knew about this book — originally published in 2004 — since it’s sort of an Irish mainstay; in fact, it was 2020’s One Dublin One Book pick. When I learned this, I ended up ordering a copy from the wonderful Gutter Bookshop.)
Wayward
As I’ve noted many times before, I’m not really a “beach read” kinda gal. So I suppose it’s appropriate that one of my literal beach reads has been about a middle-aged woman going through a probable “mid-life crisis.”
Early Morning Riser
Well I loved this book — it reminded me of Schitt’s Creek. But not in a ‘Ew David’ meme kind of way. Instead, Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny is a deceptively simple story about a — wait for it — small town full of quirky characters where everyone knows each other’s business. Unlike another book I read in November that made me roll my eyes with its attempts at “quirkiness,” Early Morning Riser completely endeared itself to me. Maybe because it’s set in Michigan and not a try-hard town trying to replicate the tv show Parenthood.
Reading as ONE in MetroWest: An Interview with Amy Wilson Sheldon and Jennifer De Leon
Literary Boston
An interview with MetroWest Readers Fest founder Amy Wilson Sheldon and featured author Jennifer De Leon, about Communal Reading and a celbration of Boston’s Book Origins.
Read Here or at LiteraryBoston.com
