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.

Banner on purple background: Nonfiction November, Notes in the Margin. Photo of stack of books with the following titles: Hidden Valley Road, Words Are My Matter, The Self Delusion, The Power of Regret, Women in White Coats, The Doctors Blackwell, A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise

Nonfiction November: (Semi) Wrap-Up

I did manage to finish the books I wanted to read during November, but I’m still working on reviewing them. Nevertheless, here’s what I did last month. I’ll update this post with links as I finish my reviews. Books I Read Before November But Reviewed During November What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the […]

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A group of black silhouettes of people standing in front of a large open book. The word "lists" is on the left-hand page. The phrase "Best Books of 2022" is on the right-hand page.

Lists: Best Books of 2022

Happy December! If you’re in the market for some gifty books (and who isn’t?), here’s a gigantic list of Best Books of 2022 lists. Happy gifting! Barnes & Noble’s Best Books of 2022 This is the first such list I saw. It was posted on October 10. Top 10 Best Thrillers of 2022 From Canadian

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stack of 3 books plus open book with pen. Title: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday 7 Books to Introduce Myself

This week’s suggested topic for Top Ten Tuesday is: Cozy Reads (Share books that give off a cozy vibe, whether through atmosphere, setting, or some other factor.) I can’t remember the last cozy book I read. Therefore, I’m doubling up here on a topic that’s going on over on Mastodon for readers and book bloggers to

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Atoms as They Fall Upon the Mind This article from The Point magazine extols James Joyce’s Ulysses as an example of the experimental literary technique of stream of consciousness: “When in prose carefully structured to imitate the patterns of the mind these aspects of consciousness reveal themselves to us as they do in life, through

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today (Thursday, November 24) is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Since the traditional Thanksgiving feast features turkey, it’s also sometimes referred to as Turkey Day. No matter what you call it, happy day to all who celebrate.

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A man and woman on a sandy beach as ocean waves roll in. Text reads "Thanksgiving at Long Beach."

Top Ten Tuesday  Things I’m Thankful For

Since this week’s Thursday is Thanksgiving in the U.S., our topic this week is Thankful Freebie. Ever since my husband and I retired to the coast of Washington, where our daughter was already living, the three of us have spent Thanksgiving week at a beautiful spot in our state. For the last several years, that

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

On the End of the Canon Wars This think piece by John Michael Colón examines the question of whether and, if so, how a “liberal education” (which really means study across the humanities) benefits students. Categories: Literary Criticism, Literary History, Literature & Culture, Reading A dinosaur is a story “in science as in fiction, the

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book review

“The Hidden Machinery” by Margot Livesey

“I am using the phrase ‘the hidden machinery’ to refer to two different aspects of novel making: on the one hand how certain elements of the text—characters, plot, imagery—work together to make an overarching argument; on the other how the secret psychic life of the author, and the larger events of his or her time

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Writers Wrestle with Twitter: Do I Stay or Go (and Where?) ‹ Literary Hub

After Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter became official on October 27, Margaret Atwood tweeted, “Any truly viable alternatives to Twitter yet?” Atwood wasn’t the only writer looking for the next lite… Source: Writers Wrestle with Twitter: Do I Stay or Go (and Where?) ‹ Literary Hub   Related Post: I’m Joining the #TwitterMigration to #Mastodon

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

The Dreariness of Book Club Discussions Novelist and critic Naomi Kanakia, who belongs to two book clubs, uses the context of her book group discussions to examine why we read fiction. The point of novels, she writes, “is that something happened. Something was at stake in this story. Characters made decisions. Those decisions had consequences.

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