The Writing Life

Exciting news: I am a published author! I have one essay in a newly published anthology, Unfolding. This well curated collection is the result of in-person and on-line writing workshops that Lisa Colburn of Market Street Writers has been leading for the past 12 years. To commemorate this work that celebrates the concept of writing from the heart, Lisa asked those who have written with her to submit poems and short essays. The book contains a wide range of beautiful, thoughtful pieces from 42 women of varing ages, locations, and life experiences. 

Lisa’s Market Street Writers group is one of the first places that I found community after my cross-country move five years ago. I joined after seeing a poster at a local coffee shop advertising a women’s writing group nearby. I was not seeking out writing as an avocation, but the idea of a writing class interested me. What I found was a group of intelligent, creative women of differing interests and backgrounds gathering together to write and share their writings in a positive community. Through these workshops, I gained confidence putting words on a page, formed a book club with local writers, and made some lovely friendships. I only have one essay in “Unfolding” but even this is not something I ever would have imagined for myself. This area of growth in my creative life is an unexpected source of joy.

If you live in the Northern Virginia area, Lisa is hosting a book release party at Birch Tree Books in Leesburg on October 27 and will be conducting a writing circle at the event as well. Click here for free tickets!

Books About Writing

As part of my writer’s book club, we have read many books over the past four years centered on writing. If you enjoy the creative process or are interested in the process of writing here are five stand outs:

1. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott. This is a beloved classic and great fun to read. Lamont is self-depricating, funny, and wise. She almost convinces us that we too could string words together as beautifully as her.

2. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence, and Spirit - Brenda Ueland. First published in 1938, this one stands the test of time. Ueland seeks to break down the doubts people have about their ability to write. Everyone in our group enjoyed this charming and encouraging book.

3. Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel - Mystery writer Elizabeth George outlines the steps she uses for structuring and writing stories. This book is great because she provides the specific nuts and bolts of her process using one of her best selling Inspector Lynley novels as an example.

4. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King. If you can, listen to King narrate his book, then buy the book to reference his specific advice. He tells stories of his early years as a writer then gives some really great practical writing tips. Inspirational and useful.

5. Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert. Anyone can benefit from Gilbert’s treatise on creativity. I have read and listened to this book multiple times and her message never grows old.

And if you don’t want to read a full book about the writing life, in this recent article Hilary Mantel gives some excellent advice for writers.

Links:

• There is still time: Pizza Hut has brought back its Book It reading program and is giving away 1,000,000 personal pizzas through October.

• Last month I mentioned all the new titles for fall 2024. Now I want to suggest this is the perfect time to go back and read a couple of last year’s hot fall releases. Most likely they are easier to get from the library and many are now available in paperback. Click here and here for a couple links to last year's “hot” books. I recommend North Woods, The Good Part, Bright Young Women, The Vaster Wilds, and The Half Moon.

• Middleburg Books is in Southern Living!!! We also just celebrated our one year anniversary. What a fun ride it has been. Middleburg is a great town to visit, let me know if you are in the area.

• Such a great read: The London Times puts The Anxious Generation to the test - are phones for out kids really that bad? They carry out an experiment disconnecting teens from their phones for a month.

• Excited for this adaptation! If you enjoy The Thursday Murder Club Series, try The Marlow Murder Club.

The Sprayed Edge Trend

Recent Sprayed Edge Books

A hot new trend I am seeing at the shop are sprayed edges. Fantasy books led the way, but now titles in other genres and new paperback releases are being published with colored or decorated page edges. I definitely notice customers delight in seeing these pops of color and designs on the end pages of books.

Recent Reads

I was excited but apprehensive to dig into this new series by Osman. In We Solve Murders, Osman brings more action than in his Thursday Murder Club series. Here we are introduced to Amy, a first-rate private security agent and her father-in-law Steve, a retired detective. While on assignment guarding a famous (and amusing) best selling author, Amy realizes that she is being set up to take the fall for a couple recent murders. She enlists Steve, who would rather stay home and play trivia at his local pub, to assist. What follows is a fun and clever adventure that jet sets around the globe. While the plot comes off as a little far reaching at times, the great writing and likeable characters kept me turning the pages. It also reminds me a bit of last year’s big hit, Killers of a Certain Age. Osman can be relied upon to churn out engrossing mysteries with charming characters and clever dialog and I am here for all of it. [Published: 9/24, Pages: 397]

I just finished one of the “buzzy books” of this fall - Colored Television. Written by Danzy Senna. (Note: She happens to be married to Percival Everett who wrote my favorite book this year James- talk about a literary power couple.) Colored Television is a contemporary tale about class and money and about novel writing versus television writing. Our protagonist Jane is a published writer who teaches at a college in Los Angeles and is trying to get a tenure. She’s also a wife to an artist and a mother of two young children, one of whom may or may not have a learning disability. She has spent 10 years working on her Magnum Opus. A lengthy book about the Mulatto population in America. I don’t want to give anything away here, but she is struggling. and things are not going how she planned. Jane looks around and sees other writers that have gone into the television industry who seem to be much better off.  

I could not put this book down. It drew me and I cared about Jane even at times when I didn’t really like her. This is a book that gives you complicated characters that are not always making the best choices. Senna provides a sense of urgency because Jane and her family are living on borrowed time - house sitting for a year. The book takes place over this time period, while you as the reader are wondering, hoping, wishing that things go differently, and that Jane’s family gain some security. Her husband is both well written and complicated and adds texture and layer to this story. This is a great choice if you liked Yellowface because it deals with the publishing industry and people behaving badly. This expertly constructed contemporary novel is a blast to read. [Published: 9/24; Pages: 288]

Stanley Tucci is following up his fabulous food centric 2021 memoir, with another fabulous food-centric memoir - What I Ate in One Year. I listened to the affable Tucci as he catalogs, literally, what he ate in a year. He details the locations and circumstances of many meals. The book starts in Rome, while he was filming Conclave, which I can’t wait to see in November. It also includes restaurants and simple dinners he prepares at home for himself and his family, as well as guest appearances by his famous circle of friends. I love the premise of keeping a journal of memorable meals both out and at home. He also muses about raising kids, acting, airplane travel, growing older, and watching his parents grow older. This book is charming and easy to listen to, because of course, Tucci is narrating it. But even though it is a terrific audiobook, I plan to buy a copy of the hardcover for myself. He includes a number of  recipes that sound doable and delicious and he lists his favorite eating spots as he travels. What really comes across in this book is Tucci’s love of life, of great food, and of his friends and family. In the stressful times that we live in, this book feels like a warm comforting hug. [Published 10/24, Pages: 368]

Please send to a person you know who loves reading!