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Category Archives: Reading

Found in the wild

My copy of Diana Peterfreund’s new book, TAP & GOWN, is taken hostage by dinner partner until I finish my salad. At Franklin’s in Hyattsville, Md.

Posted 21 May 2009 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Swedes live in interesting times, too

Just finished the first ‘Kurt Wallander’ mystery, FACELESS KILLERS by Henning Mankell. The series is highly recommended by mystery-loving friends, but I found it less mysterious and more a comedy of manners, in the dourest sense. He felt uneasy. Under normal circumstances this unease would have spurred him to greater energy and activity. Since these [...]

Posted 14 April 2009 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

First chapter ready for readers

Part of my revision process is to make up sample copy for the back cover of the book; it keeps me on track as I cut and paste as well as showing if I’ve come up with a marketable story. Here is the current version: What’s the harm in a little white lie? Especially when [...]

Posted 12 April 2009 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Brain in poetry

Check out The White Museum, by George Bilgere. I was tipped to it by a friend who reads The Writer’s Almanac on American Public Media’s site. Last week I stayed on the outside of someone’s white museum, and just that was wonderous strange.

Posted 23 March 2009 † nickyp § Brain science ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: , ,

Genre v. Literary

Finished Rabbit, Run this weekend for book club; will have more to say (esp. about his amazing tricks with POV) after I’ve digested it a bit more. But one thing I was reading for was how he depicts anger. I’m trying to build more “emotion” into my stories, as left to our own devices my [...]

Posted 15 March 2009 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,

Adult in UK, Children’s in US

I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. One of my friends in book club raved about it so much we decided it would be our book of the month this month (next month is Rabbit Run, in eerie timing). I was all for it, but others took a bit longer to be convinced, [...]

Posted 28 January 2009 † nickyp § Marketing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,

No depth, no foul?

Two comments on Saturday struck me. One, at a workshop for apprentice and master fiction writers, from a multi-published writer: Jane Austen is fun to read, and to read in many ways, and to re-read.. but we don’t need to hold ourselves up that high. She aims for a level that would be fun to [...]

Posted 26 January 2009 † nickyp § Thinking § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,

Too much learning?

Last month, I had to move everything out of my office room—including two giant bookshelves stuffed with books and 7 office tubs filled with more books—so we could lay down insulation and carpet in an attempt to keep the room above mitten-weather temperatures. We succeeded (I’m typing this without wearing my fingerless gloves!), but the [...]

Posted 20 January 2009 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Styron races the writerly engines

One of the many great things about book club is I can never predict who will hate (or love) the book. One of our sweetest members has raved about and read and re-read the bleakness that is The Road, one story I thought she’d give up on. And this time, two people just absolutey hated [...]

Posted 12 January 2009 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Watching the Watchmen

While following the argle-bargle over rights to the Watchmen movie (I might have made sure I had the rights before spending millions to make a film, but that’s me), I finally caved in and read the alternate-apocalyptic 12-issue graphic series. After all, it’s had a place of honor on the shelves of every man I’ve [...]

Posted 10 January 2009 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,