Weekly Geeks 2010-5: Author Fun Facts

Sharla — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:15 +0000

One of my favorite writers is Phyllis A. Whitney. I think I’ve read nearly all of her books. I love the mystery, the romance, and trying to figure out if the person we think is the good guy is really not good after all.

At one time I had a few shelves filled with her books. When we moved, I gave many of them away and have regretted it ever since. I miss being able to pick one up and reread it any time I want. I am not a big rereader of books, but hers are the big exception.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Here are a few fun facts about this author:

1. Lived until she was 104 years old (1903-1998)

2. Was born in Yokohama, Japan to American parents

3. Hoped to be a dancer

4. Began writing as a teenager

5. Wrote and sold many short stories to newspapers and magazines

6. Taught fiction writing for Northwestern University

7. Taught dancing before she gave it up to write

8. Served as Mystery Writers of America President

9. Earned multiple lifetime achievement awards

10. Also wrote a few books on writing (I have a copy of one of them)

A picture of Phyllis can be found with this CBC article.

Have you read any of Whitney’s books? Who is your favorite author?

Weekly Geeks: Winter Reading

Sharla — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:06 +0000

Winters in Utah seem to go on forever, and some days it’s hard to remember when you last saw the sun peek through the cloudy, and sometimes downright smoggy, inversions that settle in.

I don’t know about you, but when winter seems its dreariest, I find myself ready to hibernate under my favorite blanket with a steamy cup of hot chocolate and a warm dog at my feet.

I also find that my reading habits change in the winter. I’m more drawn toward books that offer some sort of insight into life, people, and the sticky and difficult situations we find ourselves in.

Here are just a few of my favorite winter-hibernation titles:

Missing Mom
by Joyce Carol Oates

In addition to being an Oates fan, I really enjoyed following the emotional journey of the main character, Nikki after her mother is murdered. This book is a fictional mystery, but it also makes you wonder how you would feel if this had happened to your own mother. How would your world fall apart? How could you possibly put it all back together? It’s an excellent book on grief, the mother-daughter connection, and the different ways we deal with loss. I can’t recommend it enough.

A Million Little Pieces
by James Frey

OK. OK. I feel a little like I’m supposed to hate this book after the whole Oprah-is-it-memoir-or-is-it-fiction fiasco. But I didn’t hate it. I liked it A LOT. Every night before bed, I would be up late because I couldn’t put it down. This story is about James’ experiences going through rehab after being addicted to drugs. I will offer one caveat: If you are opposed to the F- bomb, you may not be thrilled with this book. The language, while a bit crude, seemed to reflect what James was going through at the time, and for that reason, it did not particularly offend me. This was a definite page-turner.

Teacher Man
by Frank McCourt

If you ever get the chance to listen to this on audiobook, I highly suggest it. There is just something magical about listening to McCourt narrate in his Irish accent. I’ve heard so many people praise Angela’s Ashes, which I thought was OK. But, I absolutely LOVED Teacher Man where McCourt told of his experiences being a new teacher in the New York City school system. I laughed a ton while reading/listening to this book. If you’re interested, check out this interview/reading McCourt did on NPR:

FrankMcCourtTeacherMan.mp3

Find more winter reading suggestions at Weekly Geeks.

How about you? Does the cold weather change your reading habits? What are your favorite types of books to read in winter? Do you have any you would recommend?

WinterWrite » Weekly Geeks