Another Page
What I’m Reading: ‘The Sourtoe Cocktail Club’
If I’ve triggered this damn thing to autopost at the proper time (8 a.m. Mountain, Wednesday, September 14th), I should, at this very moment, be sitting (or perhaps lying down) in a wonderful old hotel in Fort Benton, Montana, reading this extraordinary book by Ron Franscell: I started The Sourtoe Cocktail Club about 10 days … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Populuxe’
This tome by Thomas Hine, originally released in 1986, is one of my favorite books of the past twenty-five years. It is part social dissertation, part spin through popular culture, part deconstruction of an era — particularly the baby boomer years — and total fun. With a meticulous and fanciful eye, Hine shows how spartan … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Lapsing Into a Comma’
Today, I conclude my two-part series on books that can help you improve your writing and self-editing. For Part One, go here. My opinion: If you aim to write in a cogent, conversational style while still employing careful usage and grammar, your best bet is to get this book by Washington Post copy editor Bill … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Woe Is I’
I’m going to spend the next two weeks on conversational, common-sense usage and grammar guides. For one thing, I pay the bulk of the bills as a professional copy editor, so these issues are important to me. For another, perhaps the most troubling things I see in new writers — and in far too many … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Bloom County Babylon’
This feature is supposed to be about books that have had a profound impact on me (or, in the case of guest posters, on others). So I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this compendium, published in 1986. I was sixteen years old, and my sense of politics and humor — and the absurdity … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Bound Like Grass’
One of the more remarkable books I’ve read in the past few years is this memoir, by Great Falls writer Ruth McLaughlin. In it, she details the story of her family’s struggle — ultimately unsuccessful — to survive on homesteaded land in the northeastern corner of Montana. The impressive cover endorsements, from the likes of … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘A Reader’s Manifesto’
This book is what I’ve been reading for the past few days. It’s not a new book; just new to me. And it entered my view at a time when I’ve really been struggling with some of the things I read, things that have received near-universal acclaim but leave me cold, never allowing me to … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Catcher in the Rye’
By J. Gregory Smith This past Father’s Day had me thinking about and missing my Dad, who passed away five years ago. I remember one of his early jobs in journalism. He was one of very few reporters granted an interview with the reclusive J.D. Salinger. Given that honor, you might think I would have … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘The Wayward Bus’
Of John Steinbeck’s titles, I regularly re-read three. The first two aren’t likely to be surprises: Of Mice and Men (to remind me that a novel need not be long to be brilliant) and Travels With Charley (even though much of the rustic appeal apparently was embellished, if not outright made up, my heart was … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Cujo’*
* — aka, “The Horror Novel That Isn’t Really a Horror Novel Nor Is It Really About a Rabid and Murderous Saint Bernard” By Jim Thomsen I never had a “Hemingway moment” as a kid, as most modern-day male writers have. Nor a Steinbeck one, though my inner road-tripper was mesmerized by Travels With … Continue reading
