I had to set aside The Mirror and the Light for a bit, in part because I have it as an ebook on my phone, and under the unusual circumstances of voluntary isolation, I had less motivation and interest in looking at my phone. But then late one night I couldn't sleep because I hadn't… Continue reading Reading Roundup: April 2020
Category: Monthly Reading Roundup
Reading Roundup: March 2020
Last month I started Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James, and wrote about how its style required me to selfconsciously read unselfconsciously. Reading it was work for the first hundred pages or so, but then I didn't want to put it down. I got accustomed to the rhythm of the story and able to… Continue reading Reading Roundup: March 2020
Reading Roundup: February 2020
After We All Died by Alison Cobb. One of my creative writing classes assigned part of this collection of poetry and poetic prose, and the instructor recommended I read the rest after she read my speculative fiction short story (alluded to last month). This poetry is not about the future per se, but it is… Continue reading Reading Roundup: February 2020
Reading Roundup: January 2020
First, a story. In one of my fall creative writing classes, I volunteered to get my story workshopped early in the term. The only problem: I hadn't written a story yet. I seesawed between topics and ideas for a week until finally--the day before it due--I found my story. Then I wrote like a woman… Continue reading Reading Roundup: January 2020
Reading Roundup: December 2019
The Other's Gold by Elizabeth Ames. I started this book last month and almost posted it as a blind item this month, because at first I thought I would have nothing nice to say about it. For the first 150 pages or so, I didn't. I took to reading a chapter each night before bed… Continue reading Reading Roundup: December 2019
Reading Roundup: November 2019
I read the first two-thirds of Inland in fits and starts, which is how I usually read: sitting on the bus, standing outside of my dance studio before it opens, occasionally over lunch if I take one away from my desk. I read the final third in one thirsty gulp like one of the principal… Continue reading Reading Roundup: November 2019
