In a loose way, these six books—suspense, horror, mystery—are arranged in the order I would read them through the course of a single day; the first two require full-on daylight, and the last I would read even after dusk (but it’s still a gripping story, though largely character-driven). For
Over the year, my #HereandElsewhere project took me to the following places in my reading: Copenhagen, London, Havana, Kyoto, Paris, San Francisco, Marrakech, Mexico City, Rome, Shanghai, Amsterdam and New York City. But even while an ordinary desk-top calendar inspired me to read and watch beyond my usual borders, I was even more acutely aware of
Betty Smith gave simple advice to writers: “First: Be understanding always. Keep the understanding you have and add on to it.” As the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943)—a best-selling novel that challenged the myth of poverty as a choice, and allowed low/no-wage characters to demonstrate courage
Welcome to the fourth journey inspired by my desk calendar—first described en route to Copenhagen, then London and Havana. Just this random spark, my curiosity, and my library card: everything I needed to expand my horizons, to counter the inclination to withdraw when the news seemed menacing. But
How pleased was I, to flip the calendar to March and see Havana. Later last year, writing a review of Teresa Dovalpage’s new mystery novel for The Chicago Review of Books, I realized just how little I knew about Cuba. And #HereandElsewhere started with my wanting to look for
