Entries from August 2009
Aug. 31, 2009
Julia Child: “The way to a full and healthy life”
“I do think the way to a full and healthy life is to adopt the sensible system of ‘small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything.’ Above all — have a good time.” — Julia Child
Tags: quotes
Aug. 31, 2009
Boston’s Wonderful/Terrible City Hall
Ask a Bostonian to name the ugliest building in the city, and nine out of ten will say “City Hall.” (The tenth will say something rude to you. If he does neither of these things, he is no Bostonian.) But architects love the building as much as everyone else hates it, and in this case [...]
Tags: architecture
Aug. 28, 2009
Philip Roth: “the desire to get the work right”
“I have to have something to do that engages me totally. Without that, life is hell for me. I can’t be idle and I don’t know what to do other than write. If I were afflicted with some illness that left me otherwise okay but stopped me writing, I’d go out of my mind. I [...]
Tags: Philip Roth · quotes for writers
Aug. 27, 2009
Ten Views of the Combat Zone
Since it looks like this blog is going to be a permanent thing, I’m going to try to gather up some of my other writing here. I don’t do a lot of writing outside my novels, and what I do is mostly for book publicity. But some of it is worth a second look, I [...]
Tags: Combat Zone
Aug. 26, 2009
Wallace Stevens: “The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm”
A poem for summer reading, “The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm” by Wallace Stevens.
Tags: poems · Wallace Stevens
Aug. 21, 2009
Why authors should (and shouldn’t) blog
Blogging will probably never help me sell books, but to me it’s worth doing anyway.
Tags: bookselling · featured posts · writing life · writing tips
Aug. 20, 2009
Philip Larkin: “This Is the First Thing”
This is the first thing / I have understood: / Time is the echo of an axe / Within a wood.
Tags: Philip Larkin · poems
Aug. 19, 2009
Book Three Update
A quick update on my novel in progress. The first draft is roughly half written, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Not only has the book been sold in the U.S. and UK, but we have a new and very enthusiastic publisher in Norway, Versal Forlag. I have had lots of overseas sales, but [...]
Tags: Defending Jacob
Aug. 19, 2009
Barbara Mensch’s photographs of New York
Gorgeous images of New York City by photographer Barbara Mensch. Some background information about Barbara Mensch is here.
Tags: New York
Aug. 18, 2009
“No battle plan…”
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (via)
Tags: quotes
