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.

Monday Miscellany

Why teens should read ‘adult’ fiction – and vice-versa Sheila Heti doesn’t understand why so many adults are reading YA (young adult) literature such as The Hunger Games: What surprises me most about YA books is not that adults are reading them in mass numbers (as with Hunger Games appearing on bestseller lists everywhere); it’s […]

Monday Miscellany Read More »

April foolery of the literary heavyweights | Books | The Guardian

April foolery of the literary heavyweights | Books | The Guardian From phoney royals to fake balloonists, the best pranks have been the work of the gravest writers And a happy April Fool’s Day to all.

April foolery of the literary heavyweights | Books | The Guardian Read More »

Adrienne Rich, Influential Feminist Poet, Dies at 82

Adrienne Rich, Influential Feminist Poet, Dies at 82 – NYTimes.com Triply marginalized — as a woman, a lesbian and a Jew — Ms. Rich was concerned in her poetry, and in her many essays, with identity politics long before the term was coined. She accomplished in verse what Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique,”

Adrienne Rich, Influential Feminist Poet, Dies at 82 Read More »

Julie Otsuka’s ‘The Buddha in the Attic’ wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Julie Otsuka’s ‘The Buddha in the Attic’ wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction – The Washington Post Julie Otsuka’s “The Buddha in the Attic” has won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It’s a disappointing choice from a list of finalists that gave strong preference to short fiction. The Washington Post’s Ron Charles discusses the award

Julie Otsuka’s ‘The Buddha in the Attic’ wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Read More »

Monday Miscellany: Big- & Small-Screen Edition

The making of a blockbuster Salon exclusive: The behind-the-scenes story of the readers and booksellers who launched the Hunger Games franchise Laura Miller’s commentary: The Hunger Games franchise, with Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence in the starring role, aims for a spot in a select but very sweet pantheon: movie adaptations of bestselling children’s book series

Monday Miscellany: Big- & Small-Screen Edition Read More »

Monday Miscellany

11 Literary Friendships We Can Learn From Although from a somewhat unorthodox source (accreditedonlinecolleges.com), this article presents fascinating information on the following literary friendships: Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus George Sand and Gustave

Monday Miscellany Read More »

Harlan Coben Floods the Zone – WSJ.com

Harlan Coben Floods the Zone – WSJ.com “The most annoying and full- of- crap thing a writer says is, I write only for myself, I don’t care if anyone reads it,” Mr. Coben says. “A writer without a reader doesn’t exist.” A good introduction to one of my favorite writers, Harlan Coben. Related Blog Posts:

Harlan Coben Floods the Zone – WSJ.com Read More »

South Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s ‘Please Look After Mom’ wins Man Asian Literary Prize – The Washington Post

South Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s ‘Please Look After Mom’ wins Man Asian Literary Prize – The Washington Post She is the first South Korean and first woman to win the Man Asian award in its five-year history. The ceremony was Thursday evening in Hong Kong.

South Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s ‘Please Look After Mom’ wins Man Asian Literary Prize – The Washington Post Read More »

Monday Miscellany

The private lives of great writers What would we do without literary criticism wars? Just how relevant is an author’s private life to our appreciation or understanding of his or her work? Many would argue that we should disregard it entirely. Others (myself included) might point out that while you can thoroughly enjoy a novel

Monday Miscellany Read More »

Scroll to Top