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Showing posts from November, 2013

NaNoWriMo and Escapist Literature

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My name is Julia, and I am addicted to escapist literature. I'll read far into the night, even through the night, to get to the end of a story. Even a cluster of not exceptional YA fantasy stories, like the ones I've recently brought home from the library. (Librarian: "You know those are from the young adult section?" Me: Blank look.) Or maybe the stories are good, and I've just had a temporary raising of the bar for books in general, from having finished Abigail Thomas' memoir, Three Dog Life . Which is one of those books full of truth written beautifully, that often made me laugh, about loss of what we know, and loving what takes its place. Profound, in other words. Most of what I read isn't profound. My mother, who worked in a bookstore for part of my childhood, brought home great boxes of books without their covers. Some of my all time favorite books, of which I know every illustration, I wouldn't recognize on your coffee table at a

What comes next?

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Surgery was a month ago. Since then I have been sleeping, writing, painting (a little) and playing with my children. Each child alone is a pleasure, although the two together are baking soda and vinegar. I'm not saying which is which. Finally, Laurent took smallest monkey to France, where smallest monkey will spend a whole month alone with his grandparents, because we all needed a break, including Emile. He might even start maternelle,  preschool, there, for a short while. Everyone gets a break, but I miss him like crazy. Starting tomorrow, I will be going to Boston every day for radiation - that's three hours round trip for 15 minutes of being turned into the Hulk. I'm doing it because they will also be giving me more chemo, and I apparently love chemo that much... Every day is hard. It's a mixture of crabby because I might die within the next five years, and blissed out because life is so beautiful, and crying when I hug my family. It's extrem

My heroes get younger as I get older. Wait...

I was first introduced to Lorde by Maggie Stiefvater , who had made a writer's playlist that included Lorde's stellar song " Tennis Court ". I listened for words, and for music. It was addictive. Then I heard " Royals ", and was swept away. Using beautifully constructed pop music to talk about pop music... I assume I am not the only ancient trying to sing the lyrics. And I found out she'd received flack for saying that one of Selena Gomez's songs conveyed a portrait of women that Lorde, as a feminist, was a bit tired of. I'm so happy that she said this. She's only sixteen. I hope her career continues to be beautiful. -------------- The Day of the Dead is Laurent's and my anniversary. We haven't yet celebrated it this year. Maybe it's feeling a little too morbid. --------------- Words are finally beginning to struggle for freedom as NaNoWriMo progresses. Alas, they are not the words in this year's novel. A ha

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