There’s a theory that people come into our lives to teach us what we need to know. They may be people we like or dislike and we may not always care for their lessons but the knowledge we gain from them helps move us through our lives. I like that theory but I think it needs to be expanded to include books. Along with entertainment and education, the right book at the right time can change a person’s future....
I learned to read because of envy. Some little girl in my pre-kindergarten class walked in one day, waving a Little Golden book like it was a fan. During show-and-tell she read aloud to the class. The teachers all went nuts. How smart she was, how sweet she was and wasn’t she wonderful to entertain the other children? Phooey. A show-off in a pinafore is what she was and I wasn’t intere...
I remember a few things about my first trip to Disneyland. I loved riding the flying elephants with my Dad and I screamed all the way through the Sleeping Beauty castle, terrified that Maleficent would appear. I don’t recall much more of that day but memories are like overstuffed closets; if you pull out one or two items, you’ll be surprised what you’ll find underneath. The hero in The Ocean at th...
Picasso’s Don Quixote If there’s a central bit of advice I’ve heard or can give, it’s “Don’t Give Up.” Don’t give up working, don’t give up trying, and don’t give up on anything if it gnaws at your soul. If you want to put something new into the world, you have forget giving up. Successful people know, first hand, how hard it is to succeed. The process involves a lot of failure and mistakes and ...
There are stories that pass through your brain and leave, unnoticed and unmissed. Others are like summer romances that hold you until there’s a change in the weather. And there are stories you find by chance that stay with you forever. I’ve been rereading Bag of Bones for fifteen years now and I believe I’ve fallen in love to stay. That’s good because love is a driving force in this ...