I am still getting reading done, in between flamenco practices! Here are some of the things that have stuck with me. FICTION There are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak. A beautifully-written novel about stories, how they shape us, and how they connect us to the past. One of those books where I promptly have […]

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I know, I should be able to do two things at a time. And I swear, I’m going to thrash out the next scene of the Glass World thing any day now. What I’m actually working on most of the time is flamenco. We’ve got a show coming up and, even though I’m only in […]

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During the rotten cold I’ve had for the last week and half, I managed to finish the kawandi quilt, and here it is in all it’s glory. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and I’m looking forward to doing another one. Sadly, I’m pretty sure my next planned fabric venture won’t work using this technique, but […]

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Thanks to anyone who bought any of the reissued books in 2024. And, of course, thanks to the fine folks at Open Road Media for reissuing them. I made enough in royalties to cover the ridiculous cost to relicense the Shriekback lyric for THE NIGHT INSIDE, which I really didn’t expect would happen. After so […]

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I hated home economics in high school. I had no patience, no precision, and no particular desire to be there. In the years since, I’ve learned to cook a little (mostly things like soups, where precision isn’t required) and, during the pandemic, I finally revisited sewing. Yes, I am that person. The decision was partly […]

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Almost every book of advice on writing will tell you to read your work aloud. I find lots of advice to be either incompatible with my wonky process (yes, I can draw a plot graph but it never seems to help) or completely impossible (write my entire book again, from scratch, for the second draft? […]

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This year’s total was 143 (give or take a few physical books I may have missed), of which 48 (33%) were non-fiction. The non-fiction percentage is down from 2023, but I maintain that Tony Judt’s Postwar and Caroline Elkins’ Legacy of Violence both count as at least two books. As always, here are some of […]

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I’ll be posting my list of top reads and final tally of books read later this week, but earlier this year I’d already decided on my favourites for the annual “Best Books of 2024” list for the Shepherd.com book recommendation site. The great thing about this list is that it doesn’t focus only on what […]

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That’s a formal title for a rather anti-climatic event. I turned 65 last week and enjoyed some lovely celebrations. Most of my thoughts on aging have centered on how to get my Presto card updated to Senior so I can get my discount. Not very introspective, I admit. I have the usual tangle of feelings […]

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Made my 10,000 word target – though the usual quality caveats apply. I’m definitely feeling my way through this part, stranded in a world of foggy details, mysterious motivations, and uncertain outcomes. Though it was rather fun brainstorming oddities that one might find in an imaginary world made of glass. My mantra was BE WEIRDER! […]

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