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“It was salutory to remember, I told myself, that writers and other creative artists do not relish other people’s ideas. They usually have more than enough of their own, and well-meant suggestions only add to the burden of their already over-stocked minds.” Miss Read, Farewell to Fairacre (1993)
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My last 5 posts
- Hashtag Jane Austen August 1, 2020
- Getting over the Don’t-Wants July 5, 2020
- Farewell to Aotearoa May 28, 2020
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Category Archives: reading
2015 so far
In 1991 The New Yorker ran this art calendar on the cover. Look closely and you’ll see parodies of Dali, Picasso, Munch, Warhol, Manet, and others. I especially appreciate the sentiment for the month we’ve just started: “WHAT? January can’t be over ALREADY!” … Continue reading
Posted in Am writing, reading
7 Comments
Caving in to peer pressure …
… and this time with pleasure. A couple of fellow bloggers (find their posts here and here) have brought my attention to a reading challenge for 2015 (from Goodwill Librarian on Facebook), one that requires new reading experiences that should be enjoyable … Continue reading
Posted in reading
13 Comments
The 7 Pillars of NaNoWriMo Wisdom, Part 3
More of the continuing series of advice to myself (and anyone else who cares to listen): Read. Wait. Hear me out. Read something in a genre unrelated to what I’m working on. This past month I’ve been finishing a fantasy manuscript, so my … Continue reading
Posted in Am writing, NaNoWriMo, reading
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Identity themes, reader response, and the critical lens
A conversation with a student last night sparked this post, which covers wide swatches of literary theory as well as some personal issues. Read on if you dare. A few decades ago I took a course on Japanese literature that … Continue reading
Course reading list
My YA lit class starts this week, so I thought I’d share the course reading list here: Week 1: Seraphina (Hartman) Week 2: Ella Enchanted (Levine) and Howl’s Moving Castle (Jones) Week 3: … and now Miguel (Krumgold) and I, Juan de Pareja (Trevino) … Continue reading
New year, new projects
I had originally thought to make no resolutions this year, so that I would have none to break. Yet there’s something about a new year that inspires me to set goals, and I find myself planning out 2014 with big and … Continue reading
Posted in Am writing, dragons, Fantasy, Kenning Magic, reading, YA Lit
6 Comments
My kind of research
NaNoWriMo is just 10 days away, and I’m using this time to do as much research as I can for my next project, which is set in medieval times (Norway and Scotland, with perhaps a foray into England). What better … Continue reading
Posted in Am writing, NaNoWriMo, reading
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New post over at PiA
New content on one of my other blogs: “Why you should be reading YA lit.” Check it out at PiA. And then check out the 108 heroes of The Water Margin (and the paper cuts depicting them) here. Their names alone evoke … Continue reading
Posted in reading, YA Lit
2 Comments
Desert Island Books
A 2010 post from my other blog. I’ve made only one change in the list, which I’ll discuss at the end. I’m sure I’m not the only one to imagine myself being interviewed for shows like Desert Island Disks and Mad About Music. … Continue reading
Posted in Lists, reading
Tagged Arthur Ransome, JRR Tolkien, Marcel Proust, Mark Twain, Susanna Clarke, WG Sebald
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“Run mad as often as you chuse”
I’m fighting the urge to re-read all of Jane Austen. The compulsion began yesterday, with Emma (I forced myself to put it down, at the point where Emma and Harriet are most hopeful about Mr. Elton’s intentions). I could easily … Continue reading
