Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

On Novels and Novelists

On Novels and Novelists

Writing Tips: James Lee Burke Usually I would put writing tips from a big-time author under the heading “on writing” rather than “on novels and novelists.” But I’m including these tips from one of my favorite mystery writers, James Lee Burke, here because he has written them out as an essay rather than a list […]

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Harper Lee: my Christmas in New York | Books | The Guardian

One midwinter in 1950s New York, Harper Lee went to stay with friends. Little did she know she was about to receive the gift of a lifetime… Source: Harper Lee: my Christmas in New York | Books | The Guardian

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The beautiful Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve : TreeHugger

Icelanders have a beautiful tradition of giving books to each other on Christmas Eve and then spending the night reading. This custom is so deeply ingrained in the culture that it is the reason for the Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood,” when the majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in

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From coloring books to Harper Lee, a good year for the physical book | The Seattle Times

As e-book sales remain stalled at some 25 percent of the market, hardcovers and paperbacks held steady at a time digital has upended the music, film and television industries. Source: From coloring books to Harper Lee, a good year for the physical book | The Seattle Times

From coloring books to Harper Lee, a good year for the physical book | The Seattle Times Read More »

“Jane Austen’s Guide to Alzheimer’s”

Most readers of Jane Austen name Pride and Prejudice as their favorite of her novels. But my favorite has always been Emma. I don’t remember whether Emma was the first Austen novel I read, but I do remember that it was the first novel that, when I had finished, I went back to the beginning

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Links for Literature Lovers

Since my major task for today is writing my holiday newsletter, finally, I’m resorting to a link compendium for today’s blog post. Reading Is About the Lines That Leap Off the Pages Dwight Garner writes in the New York Times: When I think about the outstanding things I read this year, however, what comes to

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3 Blogs I’ve Loved Recently

Thanks to a recent WordPress Daily Prompt for today’s post: Give some love to three blog posts you’ve read and loved in the past week, and tell us why they’re worth reading. (1) SAGA SATURDAY I This post was my introduction to AbbieLu’s site Cafe Book Bean. In this post she defines what a saga

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Amazon reworking rules for product reviews | The Seattle Times

Amazon.com is revising its product review system six weeks after The Seattle Times reported on activists posting reviews to push their political and social agendas. “We are taking a close look at our policies regarding activism reviews and are considering changes,” Amazon spokesman Tom Cook said in a statement. The Times article reported on coordinated

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bookshelves: Literature and Psychology

More Blogs on Literature & Psychology

Related Post: 9 Blogs I’ve Discovered Through Curating Literature & Psychology Tolstoy Therapy Lucy, the blogger behind Tolstoy Therapy, writes on her About page: I do not encourage reading over therapy or medication, and nor am I a clinician. I’ve personally found literature to be a great way to complement my therapy and self-care, but

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More Best Books Lists

Seattle Times critics’ best books of 2015 Critics offer the best books reviewed this year, 16 fiction and 16 nonfiction titles. The best celebrity memoirs of 2015 Writing in The Guardian, Viv Groskop recommends some celebrity memoirs, beginning with: The new trend? The hybrid memoir that is actually a manifesto, a diary, a collection of

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