Liturary Blog

Book Review: Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

Read This Book if —you’ve never read an account of an illegal abortion.—you talk to gas station attendants and coffee shop owners more than your friends.—you’ve used beach towels as blankets.—you like to drive barefoot.—you’re not sure where or what to call home. Life Question This Book Helped Me Answer: Why one of the best … Continue reading Book Review: Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

In the Field: Writer Shelley Explores Heart-Stopping Cold and Near Drowning

Writer Shelley, my alter ego, is braver than I. When challenged, Writer Shelley steps up in the name of writerly research whereas I might just leave. So when faced with a frigid ocean, a (very) high tide crashing in, and a never-used snorkeling mask and fins, I channeled Writer Shelley. Because there was no way … Continue reading In the Field: Writer Shelley Explores Heart-Stopping Cold and Near Drowning

Book Review: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Read This Book if —you’ve ever felt as though you were from two different worlds.—your best friends are closer than your family.—you’re always able to see both sides of an issue.—you’re of mixed descent.—you’re interested in the Vietnam War.—you’d like to better understand what it feels like to be an immigrant. Life Question This Book … Continue reading Book Review: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Lesson: Brown, The Color Kittens, and the Year of the Ox

Brown It was the first thing people commented on when they saw photos of our new house: the awful paint colors. “That paint!” “Those bold choices!” Every room was a different color, more intense than the one before. Sixteen-foot walls painted rust red, clementine orange, forest green, lapis blue. And the baseboard and molding were … Continue reading Lesson: Brown, The Color Kittens, and the Year of the Ox

In the Field: 19 Pies (Minus 4 Stepped On) Are Better Than 1

I am not new to pie baking. Rhubarb cream pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, lemon meringue pie, mud pie. I’ve made them all. So I was shocked when my son pointed out that I had never made an apple pie.  Shocked. Appalled.   Worse, my son didn’t remember ever eating apple pie, mine or otherwise (though … Continue reading In the Field: 19 Pies (Minus 4 Stepped On) Are Better Than 1