"Reading is the creative center of a writer's life." — Stephen King
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
January 30, 2026
The great German poet Rainer Maria Rilke offered guidance on a range of subjects to a young poet in this collection of his letters. It’s one of my favorite books. This week … Read More
January 24, 2026
As someone who recently experienced a great loss, I can tell you there is a difference between receiving instruction and experiencing companionship. I prefer the second. Instead of being given a … Read More
December 31, 2025
Of the fifty or so books that I read (or started to read) this year, I wrote reviews of the thirty that I enjoyed most. Now I’m going to highlight the five that are my top favorites of the year.
A Little Less Broken by Marian Schembari: … Read More
December 26, 2025
Jane Austen, born 250 years ago, was the first to write novels based on the everyday objects, language, routines, and concerns of women. Her books are realistic, observant, witty, and avant-garde. I … Read More
December 13, 2025
When W. B. Yeats accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, he began his speech with lines that sounded Shakespearian. But they weren’t. In his autobiography, he describes giving his … Read More
November 25, 2025
In 1919, the Irish poet W.B. Yeats’ pregnant wife nearly died during the flu pandemic. The Great War had resulted in widespread suffering, and the Easter Rising in Ireland had … Read More
November 21, 2025
Two things happened this week: the PBS documentary on the American Revolution featured Ned Blackhawk’s perspective as a Native American historian, and researchers discovered ancient canoes in Lake Mendota, about 25 miles from my … Read More