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.

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

The Defiance of Salman Rushdie “After a near-fatal stabbing—and decades of threats—the novelist speaks about writing as a death-defying act.” David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, offers background on Salman Rushdie as well as news about the author’s life since he was attacked at a literary event last August 11. Category: Author News 8 […]

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Discussion

Audio or Print Book? Sometimes One, Sometimes the Other

No, I’m not going to rehash the issue of whether audiobooks “count.” As long as the audiobook you listen to is unabridged, it counts as having read the book, just as does reading an ebook. However, I recently listened to two audiobooks that reminded me that sometimes I prefer to listen and sometimes I prefer

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Harlem: The Journey Uptown The February 1, 2023, daily newsletter from The New Yorker describes this article from 1981 as follows: Few neighborhoods in New York City—indeed, few neighborhoods anywhere—are as closely linked with a community as Harlem is with African Americans. In literature and music, fashion and film, the area has become synonymous with

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Left: large book cover, Trust by Hernan Diaz. Right: 2 rows of book covers, each half as tall as Trust. Top row, left to right: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub; Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Bottor row, left to right: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward; Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby.

6 Degrees of Separation

This month we start with the book that topped the most ‘Best Books of 2022’ lists – Trust by Hernan Diaz. Since I had bought the book on vacation last July, this choice prompted me to read it.  Trust is a brilliant novel comprising four sections that each offer a different viewpoint on the lives

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Foreground: a brown fist. Background: stacked color stripes--red, green, gold--with words: Black History Month.

Celebrate Black History Month

(Feature Image by Freepik) Join the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) for its Third Annual Black History Month Festival celebrating the 2023 Black History theme, “Black Resistance.” Black Resistance has taken many forms throughout history. As the late Congressman John Lewis advised, “Never, ever be afraid to make some

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution I’ve tried to hold back on the censorship news recently because, if I’m not careful, I’ll just burst into tears. But with this news story, we seem to have reached a whole new level. Category: Censorship How Edgar Allan Poe became the

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Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Prince Harry’s Book Is Just Good Literature “I don’t give a fig about the royals, but much of Spare reads like a good novel.” After admitting that she doesn’t care about the British royal family and doesn’t follow what they’re doing, Laura Miller writes, “To my surprise, the first half of Spare turns out to

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book review

Review: “The Last Thing He Told Me”

“How well can you know anyone?” Hannah Hall, age 38, has been married to Owen Michaels for a little over a year. Hannah’s relationship with Owen’s 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, is still strained—after all, it had been just Owen and Bailey since her mother died when Bailey was about four—but Owen keeps assuring Hannah that things

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Discussion

My Most Surprising Read of 2022

When I was going through all the “best books of 2022” prompts and lists, somewhere—and I can’t remember exactly where—I came across the question “What was your most surprising read of 2022?” Any other year that question probably wouldn’t have stuck with me because I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers and am therefore

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Discussion

Reading Goals for 2023

Overall, I was pleased with the way my year of reading 2022 turned out. Therefore, in setting my reading goals for 2023, I’m going to follow the general outline of last year’s post: Like last year, I’m going to continue in 2023 to avoid focusing on mere productivity (such as number of books or pages read).

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