Julie Powell charmed readers with Julie and Julia, in which she chronicled her quest to cook, in one year, every recipe out of Julia Child's...
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Wonderful writing of near-perfect vignettes that makes one appreciate the art of the short story even more. And might I add what a lovely design, both cover and chapter, this book has? A pleasure to read and to behold.
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(20 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)
Sex, food and lots of Pernod. Henry Miller calls Paris a whore and reveals her most intimate parts, including her underbelly, and makes us question that romantic notion of springtime, or anytime, in the City of Drab. She is wet, nasty, hungry and in a foul mood - always. His young expatriate writer is the vagabond you almost, if not truthfully come to, admire. You want him to get that proofreading gig; you love it when he laughs in the priest's face; you hate to admit it but confess you'd do the same thing he does in the end. For the few rambling passages, I will not call it "perfect." But Miller's take on world religion alone, especially his thoughts on Christianity and his hilarious posing of "what if...?" as to what the "great miracle" might be, is worth the price of this book.
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(6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
If you've been waiting for someone to hold your hand through the publishing process and answer with candor every nagging and seemingly silly question about what it is to be a published writer (I don't need an M.F.A.?!), here you go. Ariel Gore introduces each section and chapter with pithy quotes from the dead and the living and includes Q & A sessions with writers and comics and other self-promoting geniuses throughout. (Magnificent Meteor's advice and sage wisdom is undoubtedly the most comforting.)
After just a third of the way through my reading, filled with a sense of urgency, renewed vision, and gratitude, I composed the Acknowledgments page of whatever it is I'm currently working on. In it I have included this hip mother of a writer with the few other women I consider my literary girlfriends, those goddesses who offer empathy and humor and a reassuring touch before stepping back and giving me that blessed sweet kick in the ass all writers need from time to time.
This is your wake-up call from Ariel Gore.
I'm Debra Zyla and I am a writer.
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(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
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Debra Zyla has commented on (3) products.
Delicate Edible Birds: And Other Stories by Lauren Groff
Debra Zyla, February 13, 2009
Wonderful writing of near-perfect vignettes that makes one appreciate the art of the short story even more. And might I add what a lovely design, both cover and chapter, this book has? A pleasure to read and to behold.(20 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Debra Zyla, February 25, 2008
Sex, food and lots of Pernod. Henry Miller calls Paris a whore and reveals her most intimate parts, including her underbelly, and makes us question that romantic notion of springtime, or anytime, in the City of Drab. She is wet, nasty, hungry and in a foul mood - always. His young expatriate writer is the vagabond you almost, if not truthfully come to, admire. You want him to get that proofreading gig; you love it when he laughs in the priest's face; you hate to admit it but confess you'd do the same thing he does in the end. For the few rambling passages, I will not call it "perfect." But Miller's take on world religion alone, especially his thoughts on Christianity and his hilarious posing of "what if...?" as to what the "great miracle" might be, is worth the price of this book.(6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead by Ariel Gore
Debra Zyla, November 12, 2007
If you've been waiting for someone to hold your hand through the publishing process and answer with candor every nagging and seemingly silly question about what it is to be a published writer (I don't need an M.F.A.?!), here you go. Ariel Gore introduces each section and chapter with pithy quotes from the dead and the living and includes Q & A sessions with writers and comics and other self-promoting geniuses throughout. (Magnificent Meteor's advice and sage wisdom is undoubtedly the most comforting.)After just a third of the way through my reading, filled with a sense of urgency, renewed vision, and gratitude, I composed the Acknowledgments page of whatever it is I'm currently working on. In it I have included this hip mother of a writer with the few other women I consider my literary girlfriends, those goddesses who offer empathy and humor and a reassuring touch before stepping back and giving me that blessed sweet kick in the ass all writers need from time to time.
This is your wake-up call from Ariel Gore.
I'm Debra Zyla and I am a writer.
(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)