I hate what’s happened to the word “awesome”. For the last 10 years, reality shows and commentators abused this adjective until they reduced it to an on-air cliche. It’s not fair and it’s not right. “Did you see so-and-so’s new Jeep?” “Yeah, it’s awesome.” “Sidney’s so awesome doing her little tap dance. You should see her kick up her legs!&#...
Every since 1929, female writers all over the world have been chanting a sentence of Virginia Woolf’s like it was a mantra. Agree or disagree, ever she-scribbler knows the quote: In order for a woman to write fiction she must have two things, certainly: a room of her own (with key and lock) and enough money to support herself. (Truth be told, I’ll bet a lot of male writers echo the sentiment but apply it to...
My sister, the educator, was grousing this week about an interesting blog post (sorry to say, not one of mine) on the question of whether Middle Grade and Young Adult books have gotten too “dark” for their target audience. The post’s author made an eloquent argument to justify the current “serious” themes but Sis’s response was “There has to be a happy [book], every now and then. Well, th...
America is known as a nation of extroverts. Surrounded by older countries with cultures based on reserve and tradition, we celebrate our exuberant, gregarious, national character and do our best to perpetuate the image. But, amidst the ballyhoo and high-fiving, we have to ask ourselves: are we really all extroverts? If we’re not, why are we pretending to be? The answers, according to Susan Cain, the author of Qui...
One of my dear friends and fellow book-nuts holds a round-robin post each week. Every Wednesday on her group page, the question appears: What are You Reading Right Now? Everyone responds and it’s a good spot to exchange book news and compare thoughts but I don’t know how to tell them the truth: for each new book I’ve read, I’ve re-read at least 4 or 5 more. My question is: does that make me a n...