It’s been one of those weeks in which I’ve relearned the lesson that sometimes, you just have to go with the flow.
I now live on the West Coast of the U.S. This past week, one of my cousins, who lived on the East Coast, died quickly and unexpectedly. It’s a good way to go, but nevertheless a shock to those left behind. She and I have had only minimal contact over the last 40 years, but we were quite close growing up. So it’s been a chaotic week of waiting to hear about funeral arrangements, then making quick plans for flying cross-country and finding a hotel in a small city I’ve never been to before. And also for dealing with the kind of family-shared memories that one never outgrows.
As a result, I haven’t had the focus necessary to prepare a curated list of weekly literary links. In its place I offer here a few articles that look interesting to me but that I won’t be reading until I get back home after St. Patrick’s Day. And I probably won’t be posting at all again until sometime around March 21st.
If you only read one book this year … make it this one!
“From dystopian Australian cli-fi to essential essays about Black Britain and Jack Reacher’s thrilling debut – authors, critics and booksellers all have a single recommendation”
The Place of Politics in Fiction
“Should novelists write the world as it is or as it should be?”
The 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Longlist
The New Literalism Plaguing Today’s Biggest Movies
“Buzzy films from “Anora” to “The Substance” are undone by a relentless signposting of meaning and intent.”
You Don’t Need Words to Think
“Brain studies show that language is not essential for the cognitive processes that underlie thought”
© 2025 by Mary Daniels Brown
I’m sorry to hear about the death of your cousin, Mary. Please accept my condolences.