Last weekend we visited FOGELBO in Portland, OR. It's a Steiner cabin that contains the largest private collection of Nordic antiques and folklore in the U.S. It's also on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Back Cover Description:
Beneath the surface of these beautifully written tales lies a world of quiet, sorrow, moral clarity, and deep human compassion. In this classic collection, Oscar Wilde presents five timeless stories that explore love, sacrifice, friendship, and vanity through poetic allegory and gentle irony.
Fom the golden statue who gives everything for the suffering people below, to the nightingale who dies for a rose that goes unappreciated, each story reveals the beauty - and tragedy - of true kindness.
My Thoughts:
This little tome is a lovely ode to kindness and love - and it's perfect for readers from the ages of eight to eighty. Today marks the 172nd birthday of Oscar Wilde, so it's a great day to showcase his anthology.
Earlier this week my husband and I attended a fundraiser for FVRL - our local library. The special guest speaker was the award-winning author, Amy Tan. Learning from talented writers is always inspirational for me, and hearing Ms. Tan was no exception. She shared about how in 2016 the racism targeted at Asian women had hit her hard. She'd found solace in taking an art class to learn how to draw the birds in her own backyard. And draw them she did! She filled journals with her amazing renditions.
by Harlan Coben
Flap Copy Description:
With 100 million books in print worldwide and over twenty blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process. Part deep personal memoir, part storytelling seminar, Plot Twist is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer whose stories have thrilled us for decades...
My Thoughts:
While Mr. Coben is a super successful author, I must confess that this is the first Harlan Coben book I've read. However (like so many others) I discovered the uber-talented writer through his made-for-TV mystery thrillers. When I listened to him on a podcast, I was fascinated by his life, and by his approach to his craft. I just had to read his new book!
From his pragmatic approach to writing, to his quirky Jewish family (which includes the Kosher Nostra!), this is one of the few books I've read on writing that was not only insightful, but entertaining. He also reveals a few of his secrets to those incredible finales for which he's so famous. He included numerous inspirational quotes, which was cool for me since I love quotes. Here is one that he mentioned over and over: "If it helps me produce pages, good. If it doesn't, bad." My personal favorite: "Amateurs wait for the muse to arrive; the rest of us just go to work." (Attributed to many authors.)
I highly recommend Plot Twist to anyone who aspires to be an author, and to established authors as well!
After a fun-filled and productive summer, autumn has finally arrived. It's my favorite season here in the Pacific Northwest.
Gray rain clouds bring on a cozy feeling of spending time inside reading, writing, and enjoying a mug of hot coffee or apple cider.
Click here to read my recent quarterly newsletter which includes an exciting update on my current work in progress.
Spending time with our sweet granddaughter Adeline is one of our favorite things to do. She's very curious and loves to be outdoors. She also loves to be creative. The day I took this photo Adeline had another art lesson with her oil-painter grandfather, Michael.
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| Photo credit: CNN |