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.
Birthday Book Recs 15/50 : Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Birthday Book Recs: 15/50
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Birthday Book Recs 12-14/50 : The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Birthday Book Recs: 12-14/50
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Birthday Book Recs 11/50 : Room by Emma Donoghue
Birthday Book Recs: 11/50
Room by Emma Donoghue
Birthday Book Recs 10/50 : Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain
Birthday Book Recs: 10/50
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain
Birthday Book Recs 9/50 : Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Birthday Book Recs: 9/50
Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Birthday Book Recs 8/50 : The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
Birthday Book Recs: 8/50
The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
Birthday Book Recs 7/50 : Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Birthday Book Recs: 7/50
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Birthday Book Recs 6/50 : Brookland by Emily Barton
Birthday Book Recs: 6/50
Brookland by Emily Barton
Birthday Book Recs 5/50 : Stoner by John Williams
Birthday Book Recs: 4/50
Stoner by John Williams
Birthday Book Recs 4/50 : The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
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Birthday Book Recs 3/50 : All Souls: A Family Story From Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald
Birthday Book Recs: 3/50
All Souls: A Family Story From Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald
Birthday Book Recs 2/50 : Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
Birthday Book Recs: 2/50
Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
Birthday Book Recs 1/50 : Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Birthday Book Recs: 1/50
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Bad, Bad Girl
I adored Bad, Bad Girl. And it’s not just because I adore Gish Jen. (I was gobsmacked when she agreed to participate in MetroWest Readers Fest. My fan tendencies were in overdrive and she was sooo lovely.)
50 Book Recommendations on the Occasion of the Big 5-0
Hi!!! Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? This is me with what I guess is a maraca, but it sort of reads like a drumstick too. So, if you like turkey (I do not), maybe you can grab a drumstick and party hearty/hardy while drooling later this weekend. ‘Tis the season! (Guess I was teething, and yes, I also had some big-time allergies when I was little. But the ruddy cheeks just add to the whole enthusiastically disheveled look.)
Surrounded by Books: The Victory Book Campaign
The other day I posted some stories wherein I made brief mention of moving into our house — which *also* means eventually getting all our books out of storage and onto this beaut of a book wall — and included this pic with some text like “Me being distracted by unpacking my books.” Which is very true because packing or unpacking usually results in me reading my 4th grade journal, playing around with (re)discovered drum sticks, and laughing/getting mushy over some of our kids’ old school work. (One favorite = daughter’s 2nd grade story “Pick Me Out of Sixty” which boasts the first line “Stacey is getting lonely and bored in prison.”)
The Correspondent
Last year, I posted about the novel Summerwater and how I felt like Sarah Moss employed the theme of “surprise.” (And also that I on occasion have kept a “surprise” journal.) Here’s what has turned into one of the most ~surprising~ novels of 2025. I was first introduced to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans from my friend because she had been given a copy soon after it was published by someone who is mentioned in the acknowledgements. (Hi, Margaret Ann, if you see this.)
Let’s Tax About It: Denmark Wants Kids to Read More
What we choose to spend our money on is what we value. In Charlotte, election day revealed that more people than not value a multi-pronged transportation plan that aims to alleviate car traffic and expand public transportation via a one-cent sales tax increase.
Reading Got Matt a Job
Here’s a little story about how a book played a part in my husband’s career trajectory. Yes, my husband MATT who doesn’t read books. (Except for RAWTS and btw, we have a new selection but it’s gonna have to wait until 2026: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris.)
The Road to Tender Hearts
Ok, The Road to Tender Hearts is a BOP. A book that’s a bop?