Maya Fleischmann's Blog, page 2

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

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 Inspiring and heartwarming, reflections on life’s precious days.

“Most of the writers and artists I know were made for sheltering in place. The world asks us to engage, and for the most part we can, but given the choice we’d rather stay home. “

~ These Precious Days, Ann Patchett

 

In These Precious Days,, Patchett  – author of The Dutch House, State of Wonder and Bel Canto, – writes about major life themes with a refreshing, heartfelt perspective t...

Kinshu Autumn Brocade by Teru Miyamoto

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Lessons in love and forgiveness through letters.

“As I walk every day, I strangely relish how my decision to turn right or left becomes the essence of life.”

~ Teru miyamoto, Kinshu, Autumn Brocade

 

This epistolary novel (one that is in the format of letters), set in Japan, chronicles the relationship between a woman and her ex -husband.

Thirty-five-year-old Aki is in a gondola in Mt. Zao when she sees Yasuaki, her ex-husband. She remembers how, ten years e...

A Reader’s Resolution: Scheduling Books to Read

One of my reading resolutions is to add structure to my reading life by scheduling books. This way, I will finally read books from my personal library, instead of always being distracted by new,'shiny' titles from the library. I do like shiny things, but I'm a reader who hoards books so I already have many brilliant titles on my shelves (and keep adding to them). It about time I stopped taking those books for granted, and started appreciated them.the titles for the yearschedule of mont...

A Reader’s Resolution – Scheduling Books to Read

One of my resolutions as a reader is to add structure to my reading by scheduling books to read. This way, I will finally read books from my personal library, instead of always being distracted by new, 'shiny' titles from the library. I do like shiny things, but I'm a reader who hoards books so I already have many brilliant titles on my shelves (and keep adding to them). It about time I stopped taking those books for granted, and started reading them.the titles for the yearschedule of ...

Podcasts for Readers Who Don’t Always Have Time to Read

 

 

Here are some suggestions for book podcasts for readers who don’t always have time to read, but want to be immersed in the world of books, listen to story plots, book recommendations, critiques on titles, or backstory on authors and their books. Here are six of the podcasts (in no particular order) that I listen to when I’m cooking, cleaning or doing another activity that doesn’t require full mental attention.

 

 

01

Books and Boba

This podcast focuses on titles by Asian authors an...

Seven Short, Quick, Writing Podcasts.

Listening to writing podcasts make it easy to stay inspired and immersed in the writing life, even when you aren’t writing. Here are seven short, quick writing podcasts that I listen to when I’m sweeping, gardening, creating junk journals, and doing other activities that don’t involve major mental work. I like these because they are short, quick writing podcasts, mostly averaging ten minutes, and are packed with story ideas, tips, advice, and encouraging anecdotes about the writing life.

Th...

The Individuality of the Creative Process

Don’t lose your head over your writing routine.

I recently read These Precious Days by Ann Patchett and found her attitude towards the writing life refreshing and so true for me.

Patchett’s moving collection of personal essays shed light on her life, as well as providing glimpses into how she writes, creates and nurtures her ideas, characters and stories. In one essay, she recounts an interview with an author who stated that two things were vital to be a successful writer – a visual dicti...

Finding Ching Ha finds family

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Finding Ching Ha, my novel about a young Chinese girl adopted by a Russian Jewish couple living in 1970s Hong Kong, has given me a new tribe. Not just a sense of belonging within a huge community of global intercountry adoptees, but with a new family – my Chinese family, that I lost over 50 years ago, when my mother took me from my home, my father, my uncle, and half brother, and put me up for adoption.

I found out the story of the first four years of my life through an amazing series of...

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

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What We Think We Can Live Without

“Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t disappear”

~ The Disappearing Act

British actress Mia Elliot meets fellow struggling actress, Emily, at a casting call in Los Angeles, and agrees to hold on to her wallet and car keys for a few minutes. The few minutes turn into days, with Mia having no word from the woman she met.

Mia finally hears from Emily and makes plans to meet her. However, the person who shows up...

If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura

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What We Think We Can Live Without

“For all we know, there might be all sorts of things that have already disappeared without our having noticed it, things we’d assumed would always be around.”

~ If Cats Disappeared From the World 

A thirty-year-old postman, who is estranged from his family and lives alone with his cat, Cabbage, receives the news that he has a brain tumor and probably only has one week to live. As he soaks up the information and ponders his o...