October feels a bit like a cackling murder of crows, sort of delightful but then it won't frickin' shut up already. So here are some bits and bobs from the season. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is a deliciously spooky novel straddling that line between mystery and haunted house tale. My favorite … Continue reading Notions, Autumn 2019 edition
Month: October 2019
Bookish NYC
This week's post was delayed because...I went to NYC with my younger sister! And because I'm me, the trip included some literary highlights. For one, I fulfilled a life goal of visiting the main branch of the New York Public Library. The building is beautiful (even if the famous lions flanking the front were under … Continue reading Bookish NYC
With a Monkey on Your Back: Patti Smith’s ‘Year of the Monkey’
I finished Patti Smith's newest memoir, Year of the Monkey, within earshot of the Crooked River in, fortuitously enough, Smith Rock State Park. Several birds and an airplane added to the river's babbling. In the morning, M and I climbed, then he went for a run and I hunted up this sheltered spot to finish … Continue reading With a Monkey on Your Back: Patti Smith’s ‘Year of the Monkey’
When Parts of Speech Offend! A modest defense
Last week, Pope Francis threw adjectives under the bus, saying, that he is "allergic" to qualifiers and that "we have forgotten the strength of nouns." The Pope believes adjectives divide and create hierarchies among Christians and seems dubious about them altogether. Image by Greg Waskovich from Pixabay He's not wrong. Adjectives are judgey, imposing their … Continue reading When Parts of Speech Offend! A modest defense
Dogs, Coffee, & Books 