"Reading is the creative center of a writer's life." — Stephen King
June 25, 2026
The poem “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins continues: “the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the … Read More
June 20, 2026
A retired judge writes his first novel, and he sells a million copies. Sound unlikely? What if we add this: he self-publishes it on Amazon until a big publisher distributes the book. It sounds like … Read More
June 11, 2026
Writers who would like to see how to structure a story that’s about the interplay between the past, present, and future could learn a lot by studying this novel. Its central tension is in the recollection of … Read More
May 29, 2026
A review of “The Things We Never Say” in 100 words by Catherine Stover
Of the four ways a story can convey information—action, dialogue, description, and commentary—Elizabeth Strout excels in the most difficult one: commentary. It’s the hottest spice, and calibrating the right amount is an … Read More
May 21, 2026
This collection of excerpts from memoirs by 35 American writers gave me a chance to discover the work of Frederick Buechner (1926-2022). He was a novelist and a Presbyterian minister who wrote several “spiritual autobiographies.”… Read More
May 14, 2026
As luck would have it, I saw the haunting painting “The Drop Sinister – What Shall We Do with It?” by Harry Wilson Watrous during the same week that I read the historical novel … Read More
April 29, 2026
Some memoirists hope that writing about a tough experience will help them get it out of their system so that they can move on. That was Sergeant Mauldin’s goal. But the odds were against him: … Read More
April 20, 2026
Let’s say you wanted to write a story about an American who watches an authoritarian regime crush democracy. What could you do to challenge as many readers’ expectations as possible? Well, you could decide the title … Read More
April 13, 2026
Hands down, hybrid memoirs are my favorite type of memoir. All hybrids have the same plot: “I’m going to explore this really important subject because I think it might transform my life.” The … Read More
March 29, 2026
When Diana Athill says she has no regrets at age 89, I tend to believe her, though it is, of course, an audacious thing to say. She says that she has more … Read More
March 21, 2026
Imagine that you saved a box of the printouts of all the emails that you wrote to your former fiancé in 1990s. Now, more than twenty years later, would you read them? This is … Read More
March 12, 2026
For a British novel that was published in 1950, the plot is surprising, and perhaps subversive: two unmarried sisters decline marriage proposals and live happily ever after. What! Why did they do that? Were … Read More
February 24, 2026
At first glance, it seems this novel is about a greedy rich guy who is dying, while being comforted by a simple angel who is interrupted by comic-relief angels. If that were the case, you’d expect a … Read More
February 17, 2026
When everyone reaches the same conclusion about a book, I’m apt to skip reading it. Instead, I look for novels that draw a range of responses and descriptions. Look at how these five summaries of … Read More
February 10, 2026
The Clinic for the Soul is not a psychiatric clinic, though people come there for help with heartache, insomnia, and loneliness. Instead of being given medication or counseling, the patients are prescribed cats. … Read More