I’ve always sought out stories about families – by birth or by choice – over the years. I’m talking about Shirley Jackson’s “Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings” (paid link). I commiserated with her stories about her family and the goofy stuff they’d suffered together. Even a situation as silly as who left the hose out. I wondered why I gravitate towards stories about fictional families and not-so-fictional ones. Is there…
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau
I’ve been following Guillebeau off and on for a few years now. I bought the digital version of $100 Startup (paid link) when it was on sale. I decided to support him further and get in on the ground floor by getting the ARC (advanced reader copy) of his latest book. I enjoyed the overall conversational tone of the book. It felt like we were having coffee, and you could feel the energy and enthusiasm…
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Excellent book. I like to think of it as a post-modern film noir set in Tokyo, around two sisters named Eri and Mari. The story follows how their lives connect to each other, an old friend, an abused Chinese prostitute, the keepers of a “love hotel” that found her that way, and the abuser of the Chinese prostitute, all in the course of one night. The ending was a bit of a letdown, but aren’t…
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
American bookstore ninja/Darcy fangirl runs into Mr. Darcy in modern times on his turf. Hi-jinks ensue. It’s incredible how Jane Austen has impacted literature and how often writers have retold and redone her storylines over the years. I’m not a hopelessly obsessive fangirl, but I recognize her significance to literature and women’s studies. You’d be a fool not to acknowledge at least that. In “Me and Mr. Darcy,” the protagonist Emily is so obsessed with…
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
I first heard about the story from a Baby-Sitter’s Club book. True story. I think it was from one of Stacey’s books. So when I saw it at my used bookstore, Twice Sold Tales, I snapped it up for cheap. Patricia Ann Bergen is a 12-year-old Jewish girl living in wartime Arkansas. I guess sending POWs to America during World War II was customary. I have never heard of such a policy before. But the…
Citizen Girl by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This book chronicles the working escapades of Girl – unnamed because I assume the authors want us to know that she could be anybody, i.e., you and me. We follow her after graduation from college, subsisting in the Big Apple, and falling into the unemployed life predestined for us liberal arts geeks. We briefly meet her loopy, left-wing family and then follow her attempts to attain a job that would not impugn her ideals. While…
Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland by David Koenig
If you enjoy stories about the dark side of paradise — i.e., Disneyland, which is paradise as far as I’m concerned — this is a great read. I say that, but I would say that the multiple under-reported accidents at Disneyland were grating after a while. Like, really, how many accidents do we need to read about here? Even after reading this book, I still have an incredible love for Disneyland. You would think that…
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
There is a lot of advice to help writers improve their craft and become better writers. Some advice is good, some tips are lovely, and some are awful. The Artist’s Way (affiliate link) is a tool, not a system; it’s a book to help you find what works best. This course provides a solid foundation to get you started. When you get the book, one of the first things you read is a promise you…