The Chestnut Man, by Søren Sveistrup
The Chestnut Man, by Søren Sveistrup The other day the phrase “the summer of our discontent” popped into my head, probably when I was lying …
Summertime…and the Livin’ is Easy
Summertime…and the Livin’ is Easy Summertime and the livin’ is easy, but I sure feel like the creatin’ isn’t. True, life is definitely easier than …
A Guardian and a Thief
A Guardian and a Thief, by Megha Majumdar Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian and a Thief is a taut, devastating tale of two families in a …
Frontiers Rock Festival 2026
Focus on Festivals 2026 – Salone del Libro and Frontiers Rock Festival If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that May in Turin …
Sometimes She Cries
Sometimes She Cries You know how songs pop into your head depending on your mood? That’s exactly what happened to me last week while I …
An Officer and a Gentleman
Up Where We Belong – An Officer and a Gentleman If you read last month’s post, you know I recently finished Mark Z Danielewski’s latest, …
Tom’s Crossing – A Review
Tom’s Crossing – A Review If you can get out of the paddock, you’re in for a ride. A couple of months ago we decided …
Writing Fiction is A Long Game
Writing Fiction is A Long Game The start of a new year is always a good time to check out a new craft book, don’t …
My Twelve Books of Christmas 2025
My Twelve Books of Christmas 2025 It’s that time of year again, where I talk about my favorite books of the year, what I call …
Torino Film Festival 2025
Torino Film Festival 2025 The 43rd annual Torino Film Festival is winding down, and it’s been a lot of fun, as always. Last year I …
How to Set Up a Revision Journal
How to Set Up a Revision Journal This month’s post is something of a continuation of last month’s post. There I discussed using Sandra Scofield’s …
D is for Dispirited
D is for Dispirited As I was trying to think of a title for this post (my original idea was “When You Want to Look …
East of Eden – Top Shelf
East of Eden – Top Shelf Over at Doorstoppers we tend to read a long classic (or anyway an “older” book) during the summer. I’m …
Creating Alchemy and Suleika Jaouad
Creating Alchemy and Suleika Jaouad One of my all-time favorite memoirs is Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, by Suleika Jaouad. In …
A Tale of Two Drafters
A Tale of Two Drafters With two books published since October 2021 and a third in final revisions and due out imminently, I decided to …
A Focus on Focus…and Festivals
A Focus on Focus…and Festivals I’m sure I’m not the only one who goes through periods of being utterly unable to focus on anything other …
Trusting the Process
Trusting the Process – Shaun McNiff’s Trust the Process When we get stuck in our own heads, trusting the process is useful advice. Here I …
Roots and Other Problems
Roots and Other Problems We just finished up the latest selection at Doorstoppers, Roots, by Alex Haley. It had been on my TBR for literally …
Death of The Author, by Nnedi Okorafor
Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor A novel-within-a-novel featuring robots who crave stories springboards Zelu, the protagonist of Nnedi Okorafor’s latest book, Death of …
The Other Side of IT
The Other Side of IT I’ve been watching coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires, which has no doubt transfixed so many people in the last …