"Maybe writing fiction about particular kinds of people living particular kinds of lives will allow certain areas of life to be understood a little better than they were understood before. /.../ Good fiction is partly a bringing of the news from one world to another."

From and interview with Raymond Carver

I once stumbled upon a site (Scribd.com) offering wide selection of e-books for a monthly fee. I signed up half-way, didn't feel like completing when they asked for my pay-pal to get to use my first month free. Since I had entered my email address I've been getting promotional emails once a month - each time they feature a selection of three new ( Read more... )

The early spring has made me think about Japan a lot. I'm not even sure what's the connection, maybe I'm secretly hoping that the trees on our streets will be miraculously turned into sakura by the exceptionally warm and sunny march. Or maybe it's just that everyone seems to be talking about or actually going over there these days ( Read more... )