The great obligation
Book group started this week with me sequestered in the backyard. I had about half an hour to read the last 50 pages of The Great Gatsby and I was not allowed to enter the kitchen (my kitchen) and hang out with my friends until I was done. My friend Tiffany, who was the main … Continue reading
Eva Ibbotson on love and war
Eva Ibbotson’s characters are haunted by the war. Which war? It depends on which romantic historical novel we’re talking about, but one thing’s for sure: neither her brave heroines nor her strong heroes can ever go back to Vienna. Ibbotson (1925-2010), the beloved and bestselling author of chapter books for children such as Which Witch? … Continue reading
No prize for the Pulitzer board
This year when the Pulitzer Prize winners were posted at work one sentence stood out from the rest. “No winner announced for fiction this year.” Was fiction not outstanding this year? I’m sure that sometimes it’s difficult to pick a winner from a selection of books you aren’t impressed with, but doesn’t there have to … Continue reading
Interview with Peter S. Beagle
Peter S. Beagle is one of the greatest fantasy authors of our time. He is a novelist, poet, screenwriter, songwriter and — in the words of Tad Williams — “a bandit prince out to steal readers’ hearts.” He wrote his first novel A Fine and Private Place (1960) when he was only nineteen years old. … Continue reading
