I have been known to bristle at an author (or other creator) expanding their created world. I first felt this reaction when I learned that William Faulkner filled out the rest of the characters' biographies after the end of events in The Sound and the Fury. (They were, as you might expect, universally miserable.) It … Continue reading To Expand the World or to Not Expand the World, That is the Question: On Nghi Vo’s ‘The Chosen and the Beautiful’ Among Others
Month: August 2021
The Wo-Man-Moth, for Eric
"Love should be put into action!" screamed the old hermit.Across the pond an echo tried and tried to confirm it.—Elizabeth Bishop, "Chemin de Fer" I have a near relation in the hospital with COVID-19, someone dear but also estranged. However, this is not about him. It's about what this person's being in the hospital stirs … Continue reading The Wo-Man-Moth, for Eric
Inside Our Very Bones: The Essence of Cli-Fi
Since my last, non-bookish post on the IPCC report struck a chord, I'm going to talk this week about two novels that engage with a warming world, books that fall under the umbrella category of "climate fiction," a.k.a. "cli-fi." Both of them use the word "marrow" in the title, a suggestion of how they are … Continue reading Inside Our Very Bones: The Essence of Cli-Fi
Going Off Book: What to Do With the New IPCC Report
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report today and, as expected, it's pretty bad. (This is me having read the NYTimes reporting, not the report.) It also includes an interactive atlas so you can see how the changing climate will affect your region. How should one respond to this information? Feel … Continue reading Going Off Book: What to Do With the New IPCC Report
Notions, the “Revisiting the Book is Always Better” edition or ‘Shadow and Bone’ redux
Early in the summer I wrote of my love for the Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, part of the "Grishaverse," and how I was glad to have gotten to the show before reading the book(s) because "the book is always better." Well, I have now read the first book in the series … Continue reading Notions, the “Revisiting the Book is Always Better” edition or ‘Shadow and Bone’ redux
Dogs, Coffee, & Books 