Happy Spring Break, and Happy Reading!

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Spring is in the air, bringing the scent of orange blossoms, the warmth of sunny afternoons, and a season full of bookish promise. There’s a new Simone St. James’ murder mystery in March, a Stephen King short story collection in May, and another entry in my favorite cozy mystery series in June. I’m looking forward to all of them, but first here’s a look behind at some of the best books I’ve read so far in 2024. 

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

My daughter, Abigail, introduced me to the magic of Studio Ghibli several years ago. When she was in high school, her early-out Wednesdays were a chance for us to have some girl time—grabbing coffee and muffins and watching a movie before it was time to pick up her brother from middle school. The first Studio Ghibli movie she wanted me to see was Howl’s Moving Castle, and I was duly impressed with the gorgeous animation and the unique, charming tale. I finally read the book, which is whimsical and wonderful, with a sassier Sophie and a more dramatic (if you can believe that!) Howl. 

Atonement by Ian McEwan

This was a reread, although I cannot recall when I originally read Atonement. Like Howl’s Moving Castle, I saw the movie first. The faithfulness of the adaptation here is stunning; the movie is like a mirror image of the novel, which is as beautiful and intricate as I remember. Ian McEwan’s stories take place so much in his characters’ richly imagined inner worlds; I love the meandering quality of their interior monologues, the precise descriptions of the world around them, and the slow unfolding of the plot. Something different for me this time around was how much more I appreciated Part 2 and Robbie’s fateful journey to Dunkirk.

Dead City by James Ponti

In my second-period reading class there sits a little red-headed girl who is attentive, respectful, and follows all the rules. Imagine my surprise then, when I had to ask her several days in a row to put her book down at the end of silent reading time. Responses included “I’m almost done with this paragraph…” and “Can I just read to the end of the chapter?” When I asked her about the book she couldn’t seem to put down, she launched into an enthusiastic description of a tale involving a middle school girl who fights zombies in New York City. “You should read it,” she added, and so I did. Sure enough, Dead City is utterly delightful. 

Night Shift by Stephen King

It’s always the right time for a Stephen King reread. Like most of King’s classic works, this book is a staple of my adolescence; I remember long days and late nights spent buried in the pages of these stories. Throughout the years I’ve revisited “Children of the Corn” often, but it had been a while since I’d experienced the supernatural horror of “The Mangler,” the understated beauty of “The Last Rung on the Ladder,” or the bloody good fun of “Battleground,” a story in which a professional hitman who kills a toymaker gets ambushed in his apartment by a set of plastic army soldiers. In the words of my bookish sixth-grade student, “You should read it.”

What If I’d Stayed Home?

It's a rainy Saturday in February and I'm sitting in my car, in an empty parking lot, with a notebook in my lap. Usually I go to the coffee shop on weekend mornings to write, but today I'm feeling a little under the weather. I probably should have … [Continue reading]

Sweet Dreams for 2024

Setting goals for the new year is always a challenge because there’s so much I want to do. As the years pass, the projects accumulate, to the point where I now have too many to choose from (admittedly a good problem to have).  I thought long and … [Continue reading]

What Was Never There Now Available in Print and Ebook!

Long before I penned rough drafts by hand or typed them into online word processors, I used a simple offline version of Microsoft Word. Like most of us who once wrote without the benefit of programs that save your work as you go, I experienced the … [Continue reading]

Candles, Cozies, and Lemon Chess Pie: Things I’m Grateful for This Autumn

Gratitude is something I strive to practice daily, but in the spirit of November I thought I'd make a list of things I am especially grateful for this autumn. Family Of course, family comes first. In a year that's seen my daughter move out and … [Continue reading]

A Few of My Favorite October Stories

(A version of this post appeared in The Faerie Review in 2022) ‘Tis the season for ghosts and goblins, misty graveyards, and haunted houses. When long summer days are overtaken by autumn darkness there’s nothing like curling up with a good October … [Continue reading]

New Book Out in December!

Every year when the nights grow longer and September arrives, it feels like a new beginning. There are stories calling to me and I long to write them, but first it's time to close the chapter on one of my oldest and dearest projects. When I began … [Continue reading]

Ten Years of Blogging

This will be the last anniversary post for a while—I promise—but I couldn't not shout out about the fact that this month marks my 10th year of blogging! Having my very own corner of the internet to share my work, writing tips, and personal journey … [Continue reading]

A Few Special Occasions

This month I’m celebrating a few special occasions. One is my 48th birthday (today!), and the other is the one-year anniversary of The House on Linden Way.  If you’ve read Linden Way, the above image will make sense. The story, after all, relies … [Continue reading]

Best Microfiction 2023 is Almost Here!

Best Microfiction 2023 is almost here! My contributor's copy arrived this week, and I've been poring over the gems in these pages, humbled to have a story among them. Thank you once again to editors Meg Pokrass, Gary Fincke, and Deb Olin Unferth … [Continue reading]