Blog

  • A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France by Miranda Richmond Mouillot My rating: 5 of 5 stars Miranda Richmond Mouillot was young, romantic, and naive when she set out to retrace her grandparents’ story, one she imagined to be like a fairy tale, full of love but with stars crossed that

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  • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert My rating: 4 of 5 stars A refreshing read for the discouraged creative soul, Big Magic is essentially a long, written pep talk encouraging you to stop quivering in fear about your creative projects and go out and make stuff already, for no reason other than:

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  • Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan My rating: 4 of 5 stars New York City during World War II. A father who disappeared after getting tangled up with the mob. A daughter with secrets of her own trying to become a diver at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Manhattan Beach is about a father and daughter and

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  • Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee My rating: 5 of 5 stars A must-read for anyone who wants to write nonfiction, Draft No. 5 is a collection of essays about the writing process by John McPhee, long-time staff writer for The New Yorker. With smooth writing that makes reading effortless and

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  • 1947: Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Åsbrink My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book is exactly what its title describes: a look at the year 1947, where the world as we know it begins. From the establishment of Israel to the smuggling of Nazis to South America, this book communicates both the history and

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  • Diligence. Careful and persistent work. Slow, plodding, steady effort that isn’t crushed by setbacks. Keep moving forward. As soon as I finished college, I started learning the disappointing lesson that big achievements don’t just happen. Maybe if you went to an Ivy League school and had the right connections, you got your dream job right

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  • Take the first step: A look back on 2017 and my crazy list of goals

    I know it’s early to be talking about the end of the year—we have eleven more days! But with travel plans and being home with my family for the first time since last Christmas, my status on these goals will be overwhelmingly the same when New Year’s rolls around (except I might read another book). When

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  • The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone My rating: 5 of 5 stars My expectations for this book were pretty high: I’ve followed Jason Fagone’s magazine work for a while and know him as a strong writer and evocative storyteller.

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  • Music for Wartime: Stories by Rebecca Makkai My rating: 5 of 5 stars I bought this book after attending a reading by Rebecca Makkai and connecting with her writing. This collection of short stories marries creativity and originality with compelling characters in sometimes absurd situations. Stories vary in length and subject matter, but all connect

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