Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 205

Booknotes: Stolen

Last fall a publisher sent me a review copy of  Stolen, a middle-grade novel by Vivian Vande Velde. I would probably have picked up the book sooner if not for the cover: the spooky-scary black-and-white image of wickedly clawed witch’s hands looked like something out of The Blair Witch Project and gave me the impression this was a creepy horror novel. It isn’t. It’s actually a kind of cross between fairy tale and mystery, and I enjoyed it a great deal once I finally stopped judging it by its cov

I’d Like a Nice Thinky Sofa Myself

Author Kelly Fineman has a fun post up this morning featuring quotes by writers on writing. I particularly enjoyed this passage from an essay by Marie Phillips, author of Gods Behaving Badly, about how important thinking time is to her writing process.

I’m not a comfortable thinker, however. What am I supposed to look at while I’m thinking? What should I do with my hands? Research is my favorite way to think, as it gives me something tangible to do. I like spending the entire day reading, and the

Twitterlog 2009-03-08

Favorite twittered moment this week: “I have just been informed that Rilla is ‘Daddy’s dust mote and Beanie’s polka dot.’ “

Such a disconnect to read about all the snow out east: yesterday I scolded my kids “what do you mean, too hot?! 73F is the temp of HEAVEN.” #@beckfrogandtoad Don’t you know me, IIIIII’m your native son. in reply to beckfrogandtoad #@beckfrogandtoad It looks exactly like that here. Only: sunshine and flowers everywhere. And no snow. Or barns. Or cows. in reply to beckfrogandt

Time to Read

I enjoyed this post (three years old now) by Andrew Wheeler of the Hornswaggler blog: How to Read a Book a Day. I don’t read anywhere near as many books as Andrew does—but then again I don’t have a subway ride to and from work. I consider it a major accomplishment if I manage to read a book a week. (Not counting all the picture books and read-alouds that go along with the homeschooling lifestyle.)

Sure, I’ve been on a bit of a reading jag lately, but I’ve had dry spells in the past few years duri

Calling Marge

You know who you are.

I misplaced your new-address card and your old email is bouncing, so that’s why you haven’t heard from me since you moved! The baby clothes were absolutely swoony. Thank you so much. I’m dying to hear all about the new digs. How are the boys liking Ohio? I miss knowing you’re right up the road in the O.C. even if I never actually managed to make it up there.

:::mwah::::

(We now return this blog to its regularly scheduled blathering.)

Spring in San Diego

The signs are subtler here than on the East Coast; we’re still, after two and a half years here, learning to see. I never loved the snow except as a pretty picture outside my window, and the slush and bone-chill of a long Virginia February used to make me crazy. But oh how I loved that first glimpse of spring: the soft tips of crocuses pushing through soggy mulch, the yellow haze over a bare forsythia bush the day before it bursts into golden bloom. The return of robins. A feeling in the air, it

CPSIA and the Illegal Books Meme

Like many people, I’m still reeling from the bizarre, ill-considered piece of legislation that recently went into effect which (among other things) makes it illegal for Americans to buy, sell, or barter children’s books published before 1985.

I graduated from high school in 1986. That means all the books I read growing up, all the precious copies my sisters and I absconded with when we left home and all the ones waiting for our kids in our old bedroom closets, could now be considered, according t

Seven Weeks

Books Read in February

Washington Square by Henry James. Library book. Another read prompted by Reading Lolita in Tehran (blogged about last month). This was my first time for Washington Square and I loved it. Loved Catherine, the unconventionally plain and stubborn heroine.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The short story that inspired the movie, though I hear the movie diverges from the book quite a lot. I was poking around at DailyLit and saw this talked up as their Big Read selection, a

Twitter vs. Email: A Revelation

I was updating my contact page just now and found myself writing “for the fastest response, try Twitter.” I wondered why that would be the case—why am I more likely to reply immediately to a tweet or DM, but it can take me weeks, months even, to respond to my email?

(I know: weeks, months, that’s ridiculous. But if you’ve written me, you know it’s true. Oftentimes, the more important the email—the more attention I’d like to give to the reply—the longer the delay.)

Then I realized: it’s Twitter’s 1