As an English lit major, poems are familiar friends to me. But some people find them strange and off-putting. Today I want to encourage you, regardless where you fall on the spectrum of appreciating poetry, to sit with a poem …
Reading
Your Annual Must-Read
During our weekly Books & Such staff meeting last Friday, I mentioned that there are two books that should be considered a must-read for all of our clients. I confessed that for thirteen or fourteen years I reread these books …
A Social Media Platform that REALLY Sells Books: TikTok
I need to start out by apologizing. I know writers are weary of being told to build their platforms, to promote their books on social media, to, well, work magic at something most don’t particularly enjoy. I’m one of those …
A Social Media Platform that REALLY Sells Books: TikTokRead More
Favorite 2020 Reads
Each January each year, I ponder which books I read the year before that were the most rewarding, stayed with me the longest (not in a bad way, like indigestion), and were the most exquisitely written. Below are my favorite …
What Could Make Any Christmas the Best Ever?
This year I find myself realizing that not having a large family Christmas gathering leaves plenty of space to think about what we’re really celebrating at Christmas. To slow my heart to a more tempered pace this 2020 Christmas, I’m …
The Joy of Re-reading
Our blog friend, Andrew Budek-Schmeisser wrote in to suggest a blog post about re-reading Here’s what he wrote:.
…May I suggest that a blog post might deal with re-reading books? In my straitened and dread circumstance, I am finding grace
Favorite Book of 2019
As has become my tradition, at the beginning of each new year, I like to reflect on the books I’ve read in the year that’s just closed out (not necessarily books published in that year) and call out my favorite …
Favorite Children’s Christmas Books
Christmas brings out the child in each of us in ways no other holiday does. Most of us retain happy childhood memories of this special, celebratory season. Some of those memories are nestled inside favorite children’s Christmas books. You know, …
Reading Groups and Why We Love Them
Writers, for the most part, are readers. And that means they have two reasons to feel fondness for reading groups: as a grand place to connect with fellow readers and discuss a book; as an author who knows connecting with …
Tidying Up Your Grammar
By Janet Kobobel Grant
I’ve been editing in one capacity or another all of my adult life. Why, I just finished editing my grandson’s résumé for his first job out of college. And I’ve edited all sorts of work-related documents, …