Once upon a time, writers wrote, marketers marketed, and readers read. Alas, I missed out on the days when authors primarily paid attention to their craft and the art of storytelling. Now the line between content producers and content promoters has blurred, if not disappeared. The idea of what it means to be an “author”... Continue Reading →
Every Sunday when I was a kid in the tiny New York town of Hillsdale, my parents would drive five miles down a dirt road to the local grocery store to pick up the New York Times. My parents were transplants from the greater metropolitan area of New York City; I imagine that great hunk... Continue Reading →
A friend approaches an author at a party. "So, what's your new book about?" The author swirls the wine in her glass, takes a deep breath, and begins. “Well, there’s this woman, see, and she’s being held hostage in her kitchen by her son, and he tries to get her to listen to him but... Continue Reading →
I don't usually post book reviews, but I just finished reading Enchanted Objects, by David Rose, which I undertook as research for my speculative fiction work-in-progress. The book jacket copy describes Rose as “an award-winning entrepreneur and instructor at the MIT Media Lab, specializing in how digital information interfaces with the physical environment.” My brain... Continue Reading →
I recently reviewed a couple of books on Amazon and Goodreads. Nothing so remarkable about that. But I found myself hesitating a long time before hitting the "submit" button on the Amazon reviews. What confounded me was not writing the reviews but choosing the accompanying star rating. I felt like a woman in labor who... Continue Reading →
Maury Ballstein: What do we do when we fall off the horse? Derek Zoolander: [thoughtfully looking up and mouthing the words silently] ... fall off the horse... Maury Ballstein: [looking to supply finish] ... we... get back on! Derek Zoolander: Sorry, Maury. I'm not a gymnast. From the 2001 movie "Zoolander" (courtesy of IMDB) FALLING... Continue Reading →
I have been digging deeper into Goodreads over the last few weeks and find a lot to like. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the site, it's kind of like Facebook for book lovers. Would that be "Bookbook?") First, it seems to be a site populated by people who are genuinely interested in... Continue Reading →
The night before Thanksgiving, I pounded out a blog entry that I held off on posting. I was pretty ticked when I wrote it and I've discovered it's best not to share what you write (or say) in a moment of heat (I'm working on the keeping my mouth shut part). Now that most of... Continue Reading →
Most of the time, the amount you pay for something is roughly commensurate with its value—or its perceived value. A few very valuable things, however, you can’t pay for (hence the aphorism, “The best things in life are free”). Into that category I now place book reviews. I would love nothing more than to have... Continue Reading →
