Lifescapes

BookScapes: Review of Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life

My experience of writer Shirley Jackson began with her two memoirs, Life Among the Savages (1952) and Raising Demons (1957), both genuinely funny, crisp, and captivating. I discovered them in the early 1960s, when I was a young mom with small children, learning how to write and wanting a career as a writer. In those books, Jackson seemed . . . More on my new BookScapes blog.

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All Writers Start Somewhere: On Becoming a Writer 1

I get a lot of questions from book collectors and bibliographers about the books I’ve written over the decades. I began thinking about writing a short post to answer some of those specific questions. But—as usual—that thought morphed into something else.

As a result, what you’re going to get (in a series of posts) is my long view of . . . More on my new LifeScapes blog.

Please note: I double-post here on my old blog for the benefit of new readers. If you're a regular reader. please subscribe to my new Wordpress blog. That way, your notification will take you directly there without a detour through this slower-loading site. The fewer clicks, the better. Right?

Whoo-dunnit?

One of the pleasures of living here at MeadowKnoll is the close company of animals, some domestic, many wild. Over the years, we’ve raised cattle, sheep, geese, ducks, peacocks, guineas, chickens, dogs, and cats. Our 31 Hill Country acres are a permanent home to coyotes, raccoons, possums, nutria, foxes, deer, squirrels, snakes, and . . . More on my new LifeScapes blog.

Please note: I double-post here on my old blog for the benefit of new readers. If you're a regular reader. please subscribe to my new Wordpress blog. That way, your notification will take you direct to WordPress without a detour through this slower-loading site. The fewer clicks, the better. Right?

All About Thyme for October

Hey, there! The October issue of my herb/gardening eletter, “All About Thyme,” is waiting for you. There's a thymely October calendar, some savory suggestions for seasonal projects, and this month’s special feature, a post about the famous (or infamous) 17^th century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper—one of my favorite historical characters. Read it on my new website. And while you're there, you can subscribe for announcements of these unique eletters.

 

BookScapes: Review of Furious Hours, by Casey Cep

One of the most fascinating mysteries in American literature is the mystery of Harper Lee's single masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird--especially after Go Set a Watchman was published and we realized that there really were no masterpieces tucked away in Lee's bank vault.

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, by Casey Cep, digs deep into Harper Lee's post-Mockingbird life to show us . . . MORE on my BookScapes blog

Please note: I double-post here on my old blog for the benefit of new readers. If you're a regular reader. please subscribe to my new Wordpress blog. That way, your notification will take you direct to WordPress without a detour through this slower-loading site. The fewer clicks, the better. Right?

The Tale of the Priscilla Hollyhock

When I was a girl, I loved the frilly hollyhocks that grew along the garden fence on my grandmother’s Missouri farm. I was a bookish kid who loved stories, and when one of my teachers told this story about a special hollyhock, it enchanted me. Now, as a grownup, I still remember it when I see hollyhocks in bloom. And I think about it when I read about . . . MORE on my new LifeScapes blog

Please note: I double-post here for the benefit of new readers. If you're a regular reader. please subscribe to the new Wordpress blog. That way, your notification will take you direct to WordPress without a detour through this slower-loading site. The fewer clicks, the better. Right?

BookScapes Review: Who Killed These Girls?

For me, Beverly Lowry’s book about the 1991 Austin TX Yogurt Shop murders ranks right up there with Truman Capote’s classic In Cold Blood as among the very best of true crime. But . . . MORE on my new BookScapes blog (Please note: I double-post here for the benefit of new readers. If you subscribe to the new Wordpress blog, your new notification will take you direct to WordPress without a detour through this slower-loading site. The fewer clicks, the better. Right?)