On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are many books about writing, some describing "how to" (with step-by-step rules), others more along the line of "how I did it," and some that fall somewhere in-between. If one were to choose which of these books to buy, whether for inspiration, as a guide, or simply to enjoy, which would be the best to buy?

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is one of the two best books about writing that I have found. (The other is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is part memoir (obviously), part guide to writing, and fully enjoyable, with useful information.

The first section deals with Stephen King's journey into writing. It is interesting reading, especially for anyone who wants to delve into this master story-teller's background. At one point, he mentions being totally frustrated with writing, throwing out what he had written for his first book. Thank goodness, his wife found the pages, read them, and encouraged King to continue writing. (Thanks, Tabitha!) He goes on to tell selling Carrie, including the advance for the paperback sale, which allowed him to leave his job (teaching), and writing full-time.

The second part of the book is a guide to writing. Whether one is planning to write full-time or not, it is definitely worth reading. There is no frilliness, nothing to distract, just simply great advice, skillfully written.

For anyone looking for a book about writing, or simply looking for the next good read, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is well worth the time.

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Overboard, by Sara Paretsky

Overboard by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seems that Sara Paretsky gets better with each V.I. Warshawski book, and her book Overboard is no exception.

Written during the first year of the COVID pandemic, Overboard starts off with Vic chasing after Mitch (one of the two dogs she shares with her neighbor, Mr. Contreras), who has discovered a badly hurt teen. Vic alerts the police, who get the girl to the hospital.

Of course, things go haywire from there. The girl disappears, a crooked cop tries to kill Vic, Vic has to hide several people...In the end, everything works out. Well worth the read.

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Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel, by Rita Ciresi

Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel by Rita Ciresi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are some books that I reread on a regular basis, whether yearly, biyearly, or...

It had been several years since I last read Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel by Rita Ciresi, and figured it was time for a reread. I had forgotten how pleasantly quirky the book is.

Angel Lupo tells the story of growing up in an Italian household, a household that she and her sister Lina would discuss, even as they tried to outrun some of their memories. What was the most hideous thing in their Catholic household? The seashell-studded crucifix? The strange things that their parents brought on a trip to see the Statue of Liberty? Questionable relatives?

Once they've moved out, things really get interesting, with Lina on the verge of divorce, while Angel debates marrying the wrong man. It ends with a hospital stay, and questions of how the sisters cope.

Is Rita Ciresi's book Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel worth reading? Most definitely.

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Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It seems difficult to go more than a month without hearing about books being banned from school shelves and reading lists. It's gotten to the point where there's even a Banned Books week. The idea of banning books made me realize that it was time for me to reread Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451.

This dystopian novel, written in 1953, describes a future in which all books are banned, and burned. The book follows fireman Guy Montag and his disillusionment with his job and society.

Early in the book, Guy is returning from work - a job where he and his fellow firemen - burn books, as well as the houses that they are hidden in. He meets one of his neighbors, Clarisse, a young woman who loves books and questions everything she sees. This sets him wondering about books to the point where he takes a book from one of the houses he, and his crew, must burn.

After meeting Faber, an old man who remembers books well and loves them, Guy becomes a fugitive, fleeing after his crew is sent to burn his own house. After watching his house burn, he then points the flame at the others in his crew, then goes on the run, eventually falling in with a group of book loving fugitives.

What happens next? Read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and find out.

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One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Ellen Gulden visits her parents' home for a few days, she does not expect her life to drastically change. But that is exactly what happens in One True Thing by Anna Quindlen.

Ellen has a successful career as a magazine writer in New York City that suits her perfectly. During her visit home, she and her brothers learn that their mother, Kate, is dying of cancer. Their father, George, lets Ellen know that he expect her to leave her job to come home and care for Kate, as no one else will do; her brothers are still in college, George, a professor at a local college, cannot take time off, and demands that Ellen is the one who will care for Kate. Ellen resists, but, in the end, is back soon to care for Kate.

The first part of One True Thing shows the interactions of the two women, one who is driven to the point of having been described as "the girl who would walk over her mother in golf shoes," the other a homemaker to perfection. Ellen has always lived for her father's approval, while rejecting her mother's traditional life. Yet she comes to realize that there is much more to her mother than she had realized.

As part one progresses, so does Kate's cancer, so that at the end of the first part, she finally passes away...with a little help.

Part two of the novel details the aftermath of Kate's death. Ellen is arrested, as the district attorney (along with others in town) thinks that Ellen has performed a mercy-killing of her mother, for several reasons: she was Kate's primary care-giver, an autopsy showed that Kate had enough morphine in her system to kill her (morphine having been prescribed to keep her pain to a manageable level), and, years earlier, a then 15-year-old Ellen had written that euthanasia should be legal; if we put a terminal pet to sleep, why not people?

Of course, Ellen didn't do it; she suspects her father did. We read where Ellen stays, how she deals with a grand jury, how she mistakenly believes her father helped assist Kate in dying, and, in the end, how it turns out both were wrong: neither one killed Kate.

One True Thing may sound morbid, and while part of the story's premise - dying of cancer - may be difficult, the book is actually beautifully written and shows how the two main characters (Ellen and Kate) grow closer because of the horrible circumstances. Anna Quindlen has taken what could be a difficult premise and used it to skillfully write a beautiful story of love, strength, and the idea that things are not always as they appear. It is a book to be read again and again.

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Taveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While many people grew up knowing, and growing into, their faith, whatever faith their lives lead, others didn't find their route to God/Allah until later in life. In Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott wrote about her path from unbeliever to believing in God, and becoming a liberal Christian.

The early part of the book describes her youth, playing tennis, growing up with liberal parents (her dad, a writer, mom, who became an attorney later in life) who happened to be nonbelievers. In the book, Lamott wrote about her years of heavy drug and alcohol use, of having several abortions, and, finally, deciding to keep one of her pregnancies. During this time, she would go to a large nearby weekend flea market, which happened to be across the street from a Presbyterian church. Eventually, the singing coming from the church drew her in, though she wouldn't stay for the sermon. But the message, music, and love she felt from the parishioners drew her to God.

This isn't a straight-forward "this is how I got saved and never messed up ever again" type book. Far from it. Anne Lamott is still a lefty, still into causes, has an irreverent sense of humor, and is still trying to find her way in this world. A good part of the book deals with having her son, Sam, while still muddling through the early days of her faith, bringing Sam to church with her, where some of the older women insist that Lamott "let me see my baby."

For anyone who wants to read about someone else finding their own path, whether or not the reader is a believer, Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith is a satisfying read.

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Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, by Anne Lamott

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most readers I know - and I'm including myself here - tend to classify writers and books, even if it's on a subconscious level: there are writers we absolutely love, those we can't stand, and those we're neutral about.

Since discovering Anne Lamott's books maybe twenty-plus years ago, I've absolutely loved her writing. There are one or two of her books I couldn't get into, but that's fine, since most of what she's written is wonderfully quirky. She has this really funny, left-wing way of looking at things, not unlike my point of view, not to mention a touch of drama-queen-ness that I love.

That said, I'd been meaning to reread Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, her book about her first year as a single mom, for a while. I first read it back in 2013, and am not sure why I waited so long to reread it. Finally, I broke down and decided to give it another read.

Wow, what a book. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year moves with the speed of a small brook, meandering slowly along, rather than with white-water-rapids speed. It was taken from the journal Lamott wrote during Sam's first year. We learn that Sam spends some time being a little colicky, which works his mother's last frayed exhausted nerve and we feel her frustration. (Fortunately, she discovers how to help Sam through this.) We see him roll from front to back for the first time. We see everything Lamott goes through, her family and friends helping out, her wonderful sense of humor and irony, her love for Sam...everything.

All in all, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year is a good book to read for anyone who's ever had children, thought about having children, knows children, and loves funny, left-wing liberal parents. It's a definite read, as far as I'm concerned.

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