Saturday, September 5, 2009

Just a Couple of Suggestions

A short post today, but want to share two things--one a book, the other a blog--I now count as a few of my favorite things in life.
First, the book. I just finished reading Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Olive Kitteridge. Loved it. Olive is the main character of the novel but sometimes only appears as someone passing through a room in this set of linked stories. I also appreciate the format--a whole book of linked stories about the people in Crosby, Maine. I highly recommend this read and we writers can definitely learn from Ms. Strout's storytelling ability. Her book, Amy and Isabelle, is another favorite of mine from a few years back.
Second, the blog. I just happened upon this one that focuses on rejection--sharing of rejection letters, etc.--handled with (what I think is) a great sense of humor. Laughing along with other writers as we experience opening the dreaded SASE we mailed out with our ms just makes me feel better. Go check it out at: http://www.literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com/ and have a great Labor Day!!

5 comments:

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

I knew you'd love Olive!

Anita said...

Can't wait to read OLIVE! Thanks for the recommendation!

WendyCinNYC said...

I loved Olive Kitteridge as well. I thought that sometimes her presence in the non-Olive stores seemed like a bit of an afterthought, but I was willing to go with it because the writing was just so fabulous.

Amy said...

Interesting you saw it as an afterthought. I didn't get that. I felt that that's just how life is--you might be playing piano in a bar somewhere and here comes Olive and her husband--like that's how real life is. People pop in and out of others' lives but have their own things going on all the time.

Kathryn Magendie said...

I loved that book!~ And that format is something I'd love to be able to do - one day. I want to do a collection and I'm going to ! so let me write it, so let it come true *laugh*

I have seen that blog, too - I'd forgotten about it, so I'll have to go check it out again!