I freakin’ did it! I wasn’t sure I could hit my goal of reading 200 books in 2023 until I was just a couple of books away, but I did it! I set the goal — my highest ever — because I saw readers on TikTok bragging about having read 200 books in a year. I’m a competitive gal, so I took it as a double-dog dare. Of course, now I see … [Read more...]
My Favorite Books of November
I've been on a reading spree! Ok, the truth is that I'm trying to reach my 2023 reading goal of 200 books, and I'm down to the wire. Luckily, I've been traveling a lot in the car, which makes audiobooks essential to my happiness and ability not to just open the door and jump out. I hate car trips! Audiobooks make them much more … [Read more...]
Books to Read during Spooky Season
It’s October, which means that people (unlike me) who don’t read thrillers year-round are looking to pick up a book to scare the bejeezus out of them during spooky season. To be honest, the book that scared me the most that I’ve read the last few years was Truman Captoe’s In Cold Blood. I never understood why it frightened me so much, given that … [Read more...]
My Favorite Books of September
September is kind of a weird month. Oklahoma couldn’t decide if it was summer or fall, so I read in the pool and covered up with a blanket on the sofa while it was cold and raining. Since I’m a summer lover, I guess I should be grateful that summer kept reappearing all month. It looks like fall will arrive in October, and … [Read more...]
Life’s Too Short to Read Bad Books
It was inevitable. I had the same algebra teacher for three versions of the subject in as many years of high school. An uninformed student asked the question every year. The rest of us just shook our heads and waited for the answer. Naive student: "Mrs. Poplin, I don't know why we have to learn this anyway. We're never going to use it." Mrs. … [Read more...]
Focusing on Writing When You Lack Focus
Do you ever have those days when you just flit around from one project to the next, feeling the chaos of the busyness in your schedule? I call those “butterfly days” when I’m bouncing from one project to the next, never landing anywhere for too long. I never feel productive on those days. I usually end the day feeling stressed and like … [Read more...]
There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block
I recently asked my students their views on writing. It seemed important when starting a fresh writing class to talk about how they think and feel about the craft. Imagine my surprise when one phrase that I don’t even believe in came up repeatedly. Writer’s block. The students talked about it. They think they’ve experienced it. It keeps them … [Read more...]