Monthly Archives: January 2009

dirt music

Posted on January 31, 2009 by

Dirt Music by Tim Winton is a character-rich, character-driven novel, with lots of plot and an equally strong sense of place.  What a read!  It’s written in short little unmarked sections–little moments that patch together the characters of Georgie Jutland … Continue reading →

Posted in first sentences, movies | Tagged | 2 Comments

beach music

Posted on January 28, 2009 by

Pat Conroy, a large white-haired man, stood on a stage in front of a seated crowd last night in Columbus, Georgia.  He’s the author of The Prince of Tides and Beach Music (my favorites), and he was the speaker at a black-tie dinner … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbus GA, the day, truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

the feminine mistake

Posted on January 26, 2009 by

I made it.  Quit my legal career when I was pregnant with child number three and sick, falling more and more behind on everything with each tick of the clock.  For whatever reason, there was no voice, from inside me … Continue reading →

Posted in family, life, reviews, truth | Tagged | 2 Comments

playing with time

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

Starting with the prologue, in which the narrator calls on the spirit of Vladimir Nabokov, time is everywhere present in Dani Shapiro‘s Fugitive Blue.  I read the novel in January of last year so time is playing with me and my memory … Continue reading →

Posted in craft of writing, Dani Shapiro, reviews, time | Tagged | 1 Comment

the dawning of a new day

Posted on January 20, 2009 by

Sunrise Miami Beach.  The dawning of a new day.  On the front page of yesterday’s New York Times was the headline,  “From Books, New President Found Voice.” In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights.  Michiko Kakutani … Continue reading →

Posted in books, essays, reading, reading lists, the day | Tagged | Leave a comment

one book at a time?

Posted on January 18, 2009 by

Well, you can only read one book at a time, right?  Maybe not.  There’s the book I’m reading.  That for me is the one I take to bed at night.  The one I read after dinner.  It’s the book I want … Continue reading →

Posted in books, reading | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

the street ran on

Posted on January 14, 2009 by

One of my favorite things about William Faulkner‘s Light in August is the language.  His use of repetition is soft and alluring and draws the reader in.    “He stepped from the dark porch, into the moonlight, and with his bloody head and … Continue reading →

Posted in awards and prizes, recurring images, reviews, William Faulkner | Tagged | 4 Comments

frost finished

Posted on January 13, 2009 by

 I spent any free minute I had yesterday looking for a poem to go along with this picture.   This morning, when I found the poem, I knew I’d been looking for the wrong thing. It was a poem to go … Continue reading →

Posted in leaves, poetry | Tagged | 1 Comment

frost

Posted on January 12, 2009 by

Low of 29 this morning in Columbus, Georgia. Frost. Sugared leaves. It made me want a poem.  

Posted in Columbus GA, leaves | Tagged | Leave a comment

women, why, and what

Posted on January 10, 2009 by

In 1980 Janet Sternburg wanted answers to the question of why other women write and “how they see their lives and their work.”  Thus was born The Writer on Her Work.  “It was a first,” writes Julia Alverez in the introduction to … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment