What a good book! As the author writes, it begins in the middle. This is a novel, written as if it were a memoir. Rosemary, the “memoirist” and narrator, begins the story of herself, her brother, sister, mother, and father in 1996, when “ten years had passed since I’d last seen my brother, seventeen since my sister disappeared.”

I couldn’t find a review of this book to link to that said something I always tell people when I speak of Father Greg Boyle—he is funny! Forgive Everyone Everything is a collection of 52 of Father Greg’s stories from his various books, compiled into a weekly devotional. I like it so much, I am planning to buy a copy for each of my kids. The stories are short, easy to read, touching, often funny, and give you pause.

I cannot remember reading anything else set in the McCarthy era and it was intriguiging to see the effect of the Red Scare. I heard of it in history classes, but it made it more real to get to know people living in it and affected by it. As I think back on the book, I realize, too, that Quinn did a good job of making it feel true to the time.

Incredible story! Javier Zamora, nine years old, goes from El Salvador to the US. I loved this book!

In “The Tune of Things” in Harper Magazine, Christian Wiman says, “I can’t overstate how important a presence [Fanny Howe has] been in my life, though we’ve probably spent a total of fifty hours together.” He calls Indivisible her masterpiece.

For each of these poems, I hope to cast light on its imaginative originality, its escapes from cliche, intellectual mediocrity, and linguistic intertia; and its ambitious adventures in linguistic play as it searches out, for its own era, the passionate and permanent feelings of the human race.

Doesn’t that sound fascinating? Ha-ha. I know it does not to many of you, but it did to me.

A very good book. Deep.

James is a great book. Great writing, incredible creativity to imagine the story of Huck Finn from Jim’s perspective, wonderful writing. As I read it, I felt immersed in James’ world. For me, that was a problem…

The list, my star rating, and some notes. In 2018 I started trying to keep a count and list of all the books I read in a year, in addition to the longer entries about particular books.

Fascinating!

Engaging story of an English woman raising a hare and changing her life.

We talk a lot about hard work, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, and native talent, but there’s more—availability of opportunities at the right place and time. Engaging, enlightening stories and writing.

The workings of the work of art. Fascinating and fun!

The questions she explores are so profound. And she does not claim to answer the questions. She “reaches the end of the writing process.” She continues to live in the questions. As do we all.

Written for writers, but what applies to writing applies to life.

Fun book!

18 poets, 18 interviews ending with one of their poems. I couldn’t stop underlining. Try it, even if you aren’t sure you like poetry. A quick easy read.

A dark and brilliant gem!

Delightful, delicious.