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.

Thoughts on “Thirteen Reasons Why”

Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why Penguin Random House, 2007 978–1–59514–188–0 Originally published in 2007, this book recently received renewed interest when streaming service Netflix made it into a series. In fact, that’s why I bought and read it. The story comprises 13 cassette recordings left by teenager Hannah Baker for the people who contributed to […]

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5 Memoirs About Fathers

In celebration of Father’s Day, here are five memoirs about fathers. The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr Mary Karr describes a dysfunctional childhood—by turns hilarious and appalling—in an east Texas oil town. The book’s title comes from her father’s group of male friends who would assemble in the evenings to drink and see who could

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5 Novels About Fathers

Father’s Day is upon us. The greatest novel about fathers that I’ve ever read is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Here are five more. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver In 1959 evangelical Baptist preacher Nathan Price takes his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo to deliver God’s message. They take

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Review: “Chance”

Nunn, Kem. Chance Scribner, 2014 ISBN 978–1–5011–6467–5 San Francisco hosts this novel, but not the charming city by the bay. This is the San Francisco of fog, mist, and nighttime crime, where thoughts and desires scuttle off down the darkest paths and then emerge from the depths to bite us. This is where we meet

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5 Memorable Novels

What are the novels that you remember most fondly, even long after you’ve read them? Here are five that have stuck with me over the years. 1. Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos Margaret Hughes, age 75, has just learned that she has a brain tumor. Margaret lives alone in a huge mansion in the

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An Incomplete Guide to Literary References in Twin Peaks | Literary Hub

Hey, did you know that there’s a new season of Twin Peaks? Oh—you did? Why, have people been talking about it? And scene, with my sincere apologies. Like many of you, I’ve been thinking… Source: An Incomplete Guide to Literary References in Twin Peaks | Literary Hub

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Review: “Slaughterhouse-Five”

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade Delacorte Press, 1969 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 69–11929 Rereading this book leaves me speechless every time—not because I have nothing to say about it, but because there’s so much to say that I don’t know where to start. Just as the bumblebee flies anyway, this

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Suggestions Needed!

My husband and I are getting ready to leave on a one-month vacation. I’ve already decided what clothes and accessories to pack, but I’m stressing out about what reading to bring along. I’m talking about those big, frothy stories that you can dive into on a long plane trip or while sunning on a ship’s

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Whitehead, Thompson Among 2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Colson Whitehead and Heather Ann Thompson took home the prizes for ‘The Underground Railroad’ and ‘Blood In the Water’ respectively during the 101st installment of the awards. Source: Whitehead, Thompson Among 2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners

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5 Irresistible Introductions in Fiction

Tips for Writers and Readers Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again. —Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Read that sentence, one of the most famous first sentences in literature, aloud. Notice its cadence. The rhythm lulls you toward sleepiness—appropriate for a dream. And the rest of the book hinges on that final word,

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