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How the Essay and the Novel Inform and Influence Each Other Here’s an excerpt from Jane Smiley’s recently published collection of essays, The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom (Heyday Books, 2023): Most of the essays in this book have been assignments—I am handed a topic and asked to reveal […]

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Book covers: Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day; On Friendship by Alexander Nehamas; The Friend Who Got Away, edited by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappel; The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow; Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett; Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg; The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

6 Degrees: Many Forms of Friendship

This month we start with Elizabeth Day’s exploration of friendship, Friendaholic. Here’s part of the Goodreads description of the book: “ As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren’t they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right

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What I Learned About Writing From Reviewing Bethanne Patrick writes, “I believe in both author and reader as partners in a delicate dance. The author wants to speak; the reader wants to listen. I’ve occupied both roles.”  Having been both a critic and a writer, Patrick here offers some advice for writers. Categories: Literary Criticism,

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Book covers: Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen; Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet; A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris; The Banana King by Rich Cohen; The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings; To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara; Hawaii by James Michener

6 Degrees of Separation

This month’s starting point is Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, Born to Run. first degree Another autobiographical work with a title that begins with the word born is Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet. second degree Another book with the word blue in the title is Michael

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Reviewer Jeana Jorgensen Interviews Thomas Cirotteau, Coauthor of Lady Sapiens: Breaking Stereotypes about Prehistoric Women The book Lady Sapiens “corrects mistaken stereotypes about prehistory, asserting the primacy of women in past societies and honoring the foremothers who advanced civilization with their art, knowledge, and power,” writes reviewer Jeana Jorgensen. “In reality,” she notes, “early women

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Historic photo: black and white image of a crowd of women suffragettes dressed in white marching on a city street lined by men in dark suits.

5 Memoirs to Read for International Women’s Day

(Feature Image: From the [U.S.] National Archives catalog; National Archives Identifier: 593556) Related Post: Here are memoirs by five strong women with whom to celebrate. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd Sue Monk Kidd was an established Christian inspirational writer when an incident involving her teenage daughter called her to question

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Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong commemoration by Jimmy Carter in 1980 “Years before it became a full month, there was Women’s History Week.” More on the history of Women’s History Month. Category: Et Cetera Don’t worry, Roald Dahl’s original texts will still be published after critics call new editions ‘absurd censorship’ Yet

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Book covers: Passages by Gail Sheehy; The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir; The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan; Writing a Woman's Life by Carolyn G. Heilbrun; Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson; The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock; The Seasons of a Woman's Life by Daniel J. Levinson

6 Degrees of Separation: Women’s History Month Edition

This month’s starting book was a best-selling self-help title in the seventies – Passages by Gail Sheehy, published in 1976. I read Passages before I started keeping a reading journal, so I can only estimate when I read it. It would have been in the mid 1980s, as my 40th birthday approached. I remember it

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The Defiance of Salman Rushdie “After a near-fatal stabbing—and decades of threats—the novelist speaks about writing as a death-defying act.” David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, offers background on Salman Rushdie as well as news about the author’s life since he was attacked at a literary event last August 11. Category: Author News 8

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fireworks: Happy New Year

Literary Links

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first blog post of the year! NaJoWriMo Journal Writing Challenge Starts January 1st I know a lot of book bloggers are also writers. Many participate in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, every November. Since I don’t write fiction, I’ve always been a little jealous. But, if you write in

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