Shouldn't shock anyone to hear this was another busy week. In addition to all my previous duties, as assigned, I'm now also freelancing for a local independent bookshop. I designed their first newsletter last week, and this week am working on their upcoming author signings. I'm not sure it gets much sweeter than that, but it does cut into one's reading time.
However, ipso facto and habeus corpus, I did manage to get some reading done. And here 'tis:
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich (with Ina Yalof): Definitely an accessible, practical work of writing advice/instruction. I haven't read a word of Evanovich's fiction, but after reading this I'm betting her appeal lies at least partially in her gritty, street-wise sense of humor. Two overworked thumbs up!
The Sorrow of Sisters by Wendy K. Harris: Transita, in the U.K., is one of my very favorite small publishers. They specialize in writing by women about women of "a certain age," that is, 45 and beyond. Even though I'm younger than the perceived target market I can still most definitely appreciate the writing coming out of this small press. Sorrow of Sisters is one of those family sagas you want to curl up with in front of the fire. Brilliant stuff, especially if you've read and enjoyed Sarah Waters.
Jagged With Love by Susanna Childress - I'm pretty sure I mentioned last time I'd be reviewing this one for Jacket Magazine (though I'm too lazy to go through the steps of finding what I DID say last time), and I'm glad to say I found it utterly brilliant and inspirational. It even led me to try cranking out a couple of poems of my own, though how good they are I won't comment on at this juncture. Let's just say Ms. Childress doesn't need to look over her shoulder.
That's it for this week! Tune in next week for more. I hope.
- Lisa Guidarini