still not talking about politics
Oh, Jesus H. She actually uttered the words "...and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska." Does she hear herself when she's talking? Here's the link if you want to see the interview: Sarah Palin should have paid more attention during the cram session with Bush's old tutors Wednesday night.
And that's all I'm going to say about politics, mostly because I am going to have a stroke if I think about it any more. Instead let's talk about books.
Recently I finished reading A Broom Of One's Own by Nancy Peacock. Peacock is a novelist who made her living for many years cleaning houses, so the book is about writing and day jobs and observing from inside the lives of people who don't necessarily think of you as a peer. It's really fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Admittedly, it was a lot of fun for me because I used to clean houses too, but the bits about making writing your life in spite of all the chatter were really great. I highly recommend it.
Yesterday I moved on to Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott, which is also about writing. I guess since I'm not doing any writing at all lately, I am reading about it in a sad attempt to get myself writing again. So far it's not working. What I have brought away from both books so far, however, is that I have to make the time to write, which is something I haven't been doing. It's too hectic at work*, even in the midst of hours filled with nothing to do, and once I make dinner and work out I'm too tired at night. So the option I am left with is the one Nancy Peacock chose: Get up even earlier and write before work. I haven't done it yet, but I've thought a lot about it. I know it's going to be painful. I already have so few hours to myself in a day, though, in spite of the fact that I live alone, that I might find I enjoy getting up at 5:00 to write for an hour.
At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself of.
I do have a fiction recommendation for you: Mistress Of the Art Of Death by Ariana Franklin. There's also a sequel called The Serpent's Tale, but I'm waitlisted for that one. Anyway, it's a historical murder mystery set during the crusades, and it's about a female forensic pathologist from Salerno who travels to Cambridge to catch a serial child murderer. I'm not a mystery person, per se, but the characters in this novel are fantastic and engaging, and there's just enough romance to please me. Two thumbs way up. And it's so much less depressing than Child 44, aka the really good but depressing novel about Stalinist Russia.
* I have discovered that it's possible to write little snippets of fic at work from time to time, however, because it doesn't require the same focus as my original stuff. So I'm giving myself permission to do that when the mood strikes, and reserving all my at-home writing time for my novel. We'll see how it goes.
And that's all I'm going to say about politics, mostly because I am going to have a stroke if I think about it any more. Instead let's talk about books.
Recently I finished reading A Broom Of One's Own by Nancy Peacock. Peacock is a novelist who made her living for many years cleaning houses, so the book is about writing and day jobs and observing from inside the lives of people who don't necessarily think of you as a peer. It's really fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Admittedly, it was a lot of fun for me because I used to clean houses too, but the bits about making writing your life in spite of all the chatter were really great. I highly recommend it.
Yesterday I moved on to Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott, which is also about writing. I guess since I'm not doing any writing at all lately, I am reading about it in a sad attempt to get myself writing again. So far it's not working. What I have brought away from both books so far, however, is that I have to make the time to write, which is something I haven't been doing. It's too hectic at work*, even in the midst of hours filled with nothing to do, and once I make dinner and work out I'm too tired at night. So the option I am left with is the one Nancy Peacock chose: Get up even earlier and write before work. I haven't done it yet, but I've thought a lot about it. I know it's going to be painful. I already have so few hours to myself in a day, though, in spite of the fact that I live alone, that I might find I enjoy getting up at 5:00 to write for an hour.
At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself of.
I do have a fiction recommendation for you: Mistress Of the Art Of Death by Ariana Franklin. There's also a sequel called The Serpent's Tale, but I'm waitlisted for that one. Anyway, it's a historical murder mystery set during the crusades, and it's about a female forensic pathologist from Salerno who travels to Cambridge to catch a serial child murderer. I'm not a mystery person, per se, but the characters in this novel are fantastic and engaging, and there's just enough romance to please me. Two thumbs way up. And it's so much less depressing than Child 44, aka the really good but depressing novel about Stalinist Russia.
* I have discovered that it's possible to write little snippets of fic at work from time to time, however, because it doesn't require the same focus as my original stuff. So I'm giving myself permission to do that when the mood strikes, and reserving all my at-home writing time for my novel. We'll see how it goes.