We moved back from Cheyenne when I was two — Dad got out of the Air Force and went back to the farm. The Farm. The older and further removed from the farm I am, the less saying “I grew up on a farm” means. Even Lee has no idea what it means to grow […]
It turns out that when you retread your memories over and over again, they become less “your memory” and more “the memory of your memory.” After 9/11, some researchers went out and recorded people’s memories of the event, three thousand people’s worth. Eleven months later, they asked the same questions, and thirty-five months later. The memories were
Finally reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which, if you don’t know it, is a writer-book that starts off by advising writers to dig into their pasts. For some reason it struck me this morning that, although both sides of my parents’ families gossip and definitely have a few legendary stories, neither side really
(A story) Daphne had been kicked out of her friend Nina’s house because Nina got grounded. It happens, you get grounded. Ugh! It was so frustrating! One minute they were playing video games and the next everyone was in tears. In. Tears. It was so unfair, too. None of the parents would believe JUST HOW EVIL
How to EXPLODE Someone Else’s Brains with the POWER OF YOUR MIND Read More »
When I was a boy I lived in England and considered it the most ordinary place in the world. It was America that I was fascinated with, if you can imagine that. I thought that you could find anything in America. Did you know that the Jolly Green Giant lives in America? Most of you
Welcome to the Containment Facility of The Criminal Currently Known as Mme. Bientot No pictures, film, or sketches of any kind. No Exceptions. No metal, glass, or other shiny objects, including pens and eyeglasses. Do not think of your name, any nicknames or aliases; do not think of the names of your parents, children, or
Fiction: Things You Must Not Think When Visiting Mme. Bientot Read More »
I don’t want to lecture you about your boyfriend. You already know what I think. Instead, let me tell you how we met. It’s either that or you’re grounded. —Okay, Dad. So I’d gone to the zoo a week ago when the zombie apocalypse started. Your mom was wearing a leopard-skin wrap with the claws
Yesterday I held a cooking party. (I’ll get the final recipes up soon, I promise.) People came over, drank, cooked, ate, talked, had fun. Every one of these I do, they get better. More fun. It takes a lot of work, a lot of hidden prep to make these things go off. An understanding of
**** Excellent Male main character who should appeal to both boys and girls. There’s a girl character later on, but you never really get into her. Gran, although not a ten-year-old, definitely rocks by the end of the book. About 100 pages. In short: Ten-year-old Sam Jones has about had it with getting shuffled off to Gran’s
**** Excellent. The book has two narrators, a boy and a girl, both with fun stories. Abut 150 pages. Thunderbird by Deb Logan In short: Twins Janine and Justin are stuck at their father’s dinosaur-digging camp for the summer. While most kids would be thrilled, they’ve seen it all before. However, when Janine is
