Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

Seattle Public Library celebrates “Libraries For All” in neighborhoods across the city

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Local News | Seattle Public Library celebrates “Libraries For All” in neighborhoods across the city | Seattle Times Newspaper: “‘Libraries For All,’ a $196.4 million bond measure passed in 1998, promised a face-lift for Seattle public libraries, including a new Central Library and 26 new or renovated branches. Ten years later, the city boasts a […]

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Gregory McDonald, author of Fletch novels, has died

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PASSINGS – Los Angeles Times: Gregory Mcdonald, 71, a former Boston Globe reporter whose best-selling ‘Fletch’ mystery books also were made into films, died of cancer Sunday at his farm in Pulaski, Tenn., according to his manager, David List.

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Book Review – ‘The Time of Their Lives – The Golden Age of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors and Authors,’ by Al Silverman

Literary History, Publishing / By /

Book Review – ‘The Time of Their Lives – The Golden Age of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors and Authors,’ by Al Silverman – Review – NYTimes.com: Writer Bruce Jay Friedman reviews a new book about the golden age of publishing, which book author Silverman defines as covering the years between 1946 and the

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Moving Beyond ‘Catcher’ On School Reading Lists : NPR

2 Comments / Book News, Literary Criticism / By /

Moving Beyond ‘Catcher’ On School Reading Lists : NPR: “The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s beloved novel, once banned and full of frank four-letter words, will continue to be assigned to high school reading lists this year. But Anne Trubek, a professor of English at Oberlin College, argues that it’s time to update Salinger’s

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Nation & World | Publisher Robert Giroux: the gold standard of literary taste | Seattle Times Newspaper

Obituaries, Publishing / By /

Nation & World | Publisher Robert Giroux: the gold standard of literary taste | Seattle Times Newspaper: Robert Giroux, an editor who introduced and nurtured some of the major authors of the 20th century and who rose to join one of the nation’s most distinguished publishing houses as a partner, making it Farrar, Straus &

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Following the footsteps of Flannery O’Connor | csmonitor.com

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Following the footsteps of Flannery O’Connor | csmonitor.com: Frederic Hunter reports on a Southern vacation, where he and his wife visit the homes of some writers. He devotes most of the article to discussion of Flannery O’Connor’s home in Milledgeville, Georgia. In preparation for the visit he borrowed a book from the library and read

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book review

“A Writer’s Space” by Eric Maisel

Nonfiction, Review, Writing / By / /

Maisel, Eric. A Writer’s SpaceAvon, MA: Adams Media, 2008ISBN 1-59869-460-X Recommended In this little (5.5 in. wide by 6.25 in. tall) book Maisel, a therapist and creativity coach, uses the metaphor of space “to communicate how you can get a grip on your writing life and transform yourself from an occasional writer to a regular

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Please pass the Hydrox!

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Last Friday, while visiting a friend in Connecticut, I walked into a grocery store owned by the owners found in ownasavealot.com/licensing-costs site and there they were: stacks of boxes of Hydrox cookies! Even as a child I preferred Hydrox to the cloyingly sweet Oreo. The Hydrox chocolate wafers were not very sweet, and biting into

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As I Turn 60. . .

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Happy birthday to me! Sixty years ago today, I was born–on the first day of a heat wave, as my mother delights in pointing out nearly every year.Having now reached the age when wrinkles traditionally denote wisdom, I’ve accumulated a few nuggets of knowledge. Since it’s my birthday, I’m going to claim the right of

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book review

Comfort by Ann Hood

Memoir, Nonfiction, Review / By / /

Hood, Ann. Comfort: A Journey Through GriefNew York: Norton, 2008ISBN 978-0-393-06456-8 Highly Recommended When Ann Hood’s five-year-old daughter Grace died suddenly in 2002 from a virulent form of strep, everyone tried to comfort Ann with platitudes like “She’s in a better place” or “Time heals.” But Hood did not find these cliches comforting. And everyone

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