I’m off to New York on Tuesday morning for a book-related jaunt. When I was living in London I was part of a writers’ group. We all got together once a month to read and critique each other’s work. I found the process really helpful – after you have been laboring over a book for ages you begin to suffer …
Accentuate the Positive?
I have just finished a hugely enjoyable book by the brilliant and very funny Barbara Ehrenreich. It’s called Bright-Sided, and is a much-needed puncturing of the “positive thinking” epidemic that has been slowly creeping over all elements of American society. With a wonderfully deft touch, Ehrenreich neatly skewers several juicy targets who have come to rely on vacuous optimistic mantras and …
A Luddite Writes. And Reads.
On Saturday I said goodbye to my 30s. I had a great day. Chelsea lost, and Arsenal won. I had a nap in the afternoon. In the evening my parents cooked the most delicious dinner I can remember. Really, it doesn’t get much better than that. I received some great presents, too. Some very fancy cufflinks, my favorite candy from …
Oh, to be eight again.
My children are congenitally unable to sit straight in a chair. They drape themselves in complex and anatomically improbable configurations over and across the furniture’s arms and back. They make creative use of cushions and pillows. You know how it is. Anything to avoid just sitting there. Well, here’s something new. Hallam loves to read, but of course reading tends …
Last Minute Reminder…
… about the reading at Orr Street Studios, Columbia, Missouri tonight. Afterwards we shall be going to Cafe Berlin for wine and other good stuff. Should be a fun night. Do come if you can!
Orr Street Reading – November 10
A quick reminder that I will be reading from the new book, AMERICAN LOVE SONG, at Orr Street Studios on November 10, at 7.00. I’ve chosen two never-before-heard extracts to read. Should be a lot of fun – for me, anyway. I’d love to see you there.
Easy Like Saturday Morning
I wrote a while ago about Catherine’s first ballet lesson. I’m pleased to report she is still enjoying her Saturday mornings immensely, learning to skip, curtsey, play possum, and maybe do some dancing as well. But she’s not the only one who enjoys these weekly outings. Hallam and I have begun our own little routine, too. The three of us …
Save the Date – Reading at Orr Street Studios
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be giving a reading from the new book at Orr Street Studios on Tuesday, November 10, as part of the new “Hearing Voices” season. I did this a couple of years ago and it was a great experience – engaged audience, warm atmosphere, and cool space. Mark your calendars – it would be great …
How to Sell a Million Books. In a Day.
So Dan Brown’s latest sold over a million copies on its first day of release. Good luck to him. I read The da Vinci Code some years ago and enjoyed it immensely, apart from the fatuous caricature of an English academic, which suggests that Brown has never actually met an Englishman. He seems to think that we speak as if …
Reading Pynchon. Or not.
I idly remarked in this post that I didn’t seem to be reading much fiction these days. Part of the reason for this is that reading other people’s fiction can mess with my head a little while I’m writing… but I’m not writing much (except for this blog) at the moment. But my struggles with Thomas Pynchon’s latest, Inherent Vice, …