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.

stack of 3 books plus open book with pen. Title: Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday   Completed Series I Wish Had More Books

Related Post: Authors/Series I Stopped Reading–For Whatever Reason Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton Also known as the alphabet series. Sue Grafton began her career writing screenplays. But she had always been fascinated by mysteries. Between 1982 and 2017 she published 25 novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone, one of the first women investigators to […]

#TopTenTuesday   Completed Series I Wish Had More Books Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Is Publishing About Art or Commerce? “The antitrust trial to block the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has riveted the industry—and raised larger questions about the business of books.” If, like me, you’re having trouble keeping up with the trial to prevent the merger of two major publishers, here’s a good

Literary Links Read More »

stack of 3 books plus open book with pen. Title: Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday   Books I Love That Were Written Over Ten Years Ago

I had such a hard time whittling down this list that I’ve added an honorable mention section at the end. The numbers on this list are not ranks, just a way of keeping count. 1. The Blind Assassin (2000) by Margaret Atwood (scroll down the linked page) 2. Where Are the Children? (1975) by Mary

#TopTenTuesday   Books I Love That Were Written Over Ten Years Ago Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

What We Gain from a Good Bookstore “It’s a place whose real boundaries and character are much more than its physical dimensions.” “You may have heard that we’re experiencing a renaissance of the independent bookstore, but the situation is far from rosy,” writes Max Norman in this piece about how independent bookstores enhance communities. Category:

Literary Links Read More »

Why Salman Rushdie believes the books we love ‘make us who we are’ Salman Rushdie made his name as a novelist, but he is also one of our finest literary critics and defenders of the importance of… – Everything Shortform – Medium

Salman Rushdie made his name as a novelist, but he is also one of our finest literary critics and defenders of the importance of books… “I believe that the books and stories we fall in love with make us who we are, or, not to claim too much, that the act of falling in love

Why Salman Rushdie believes the books we love ‘make us who we are’ Salman Rushdie made his name as a novelist, but he is also one of our finest literary critics and defenders of the importance of… – Everything Shortform – Medium Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

John Williams joins The [Washington] Post as books editor John will lead our award-winning nonfiction and fiction books team, hiring new writers and working with colleagues to reach new audiences. We believe in books coverage that revels in the life of the mind and big ideas and is also consumer-oriented, giving book lovers the information

Literary Links Read More »

On Tech: The books merger that’s about Amazon

The U.S. government is suing to stop the book publisher Penguin Random House from buying a competitor, Simon & Schuster. The government says that the merger, which will shrink the number of large American publishers of mass-market books from five to four, will hurt some authors by reducing competition for their books. Source: On Tech:

On Tech: The books merger that’s about Amazon Read More »

Last Week's Links

Literary Links

Gilbert Cruz Is Our Next Books Editor The New York Times has announced its new book editor, “veteran culture editor” Gilbert Cruz: Gilbert spent the past four years bringing important changes to our arts report . . . Now he’ll move to Books to focus his energies on three important pillars of coverage. The first

Literary Links Read More »

Scroll to Top