While I work on part 2 of my Sherlockiana post, here is another I promised—my auto-buy authors. You know what series I buy on sight (and don’t miss part 2 here). Now you will know the authors who inspire similar devotion in me. My Auto-Buy Authors Rhys Bowen When I started reading mysteries more often… Read more »
I think spring might be my favorite season for reading. (Though I will say fall is a close second.) I get to read outside where the air is crisp and full of possibilities and promise. It’s white wine and rosé season—at last. And after the long and miserable winter, full of seasonal depression, my spring… Read more »
Summer is just around the corner and if you’re anything like me, it’s a time when you plan to (and sometimes really do!) read a little bit more than usual. For those of you who want to engage with more LGBTQ+ literature or who are writing LGBTQ+ stories and want some insight on who is… Read more »
April 2022 Leisure Learning Spring greetings, leisure learners, and word nerds! I hope this April has found you immersed in the power of individual words, a la National Poetry Month. Now, what happens when you put a whole bunch of words together, complete with punctuation? Hopefully, a short story. Pair it with the month we… Read more »
I didn’t come to appreciate the Great Detective (AKA Sherlock Holmes) until I reached my 30s and saw the BBC series Sherlock. I then read some exceptional YA pastiche and became hooked. Those books led me back to the original series. I’m nowhere near having read them all, but I read some of the more… Read more »
I’ve been watching the war on the Ukrainian people unfold with equal parts horror and amazement. This is history unfolding before our very eyes. You guys, this is David and Goliath; it’s the Spartans and the Persians. The people of Ukraine, and President Zelinskyy in particular, have inspired millions with their refusal to back down… Read more »
Recently, I needed a break from the heaviness of the world, so I began revisiting the work of Nora Ephron. She is known for such hits as Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, and You’ve Got Mail. And I love all of those movies. But I love them because of how she plays. As… Read more »
While writing Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family, the basic question was how to braid the stories of childhood, memory, and what came after for an immigrant family and in turn, what it meant to the reader. Is it a voyeuristic look at a country that’s foreign to the reader? Is it… Read more »
In my first column of this series, I wrote about how I don’t enjoy the art style of most mainstream comics. I find it overly complicated and with a fundamental lack of understanding about human anatomy, and I can’t concentrate on the storyline because male artists don’t understand how bras work. But before I throw… Read more »
Happy Sunday, leisure learners! Can you believe that it’s almost reading outside time?! (It’s like swimsuit season, but for word nerds.) As you probably know, we are heading into National Poetry Month for April. The selections below are in the spirit of throwing grammar temporarily aside, focusing on individual words and even individual letters. In… Read more »
