Tag Archives: memoir

Book Review:  No Ordinary Assignment: A Memoir by Jane Ferguson; Part One

This is an extraordinary, exciting memoir written by one brave badass woman. And when I use the word badass, I in no way imply disrespect. To the contrary. I mean it in the sense that the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines … Continue reading

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Life Is a Gift

As I mention at the beginning of this essay, I wrote it a few weeks before Christmas. My first thought was to post it a week or so after Christmas, possibly even after New Year’s Day, because I thought it … Continue reading

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Strange Christmases – Part Two: Penang, Malaysia

On one of the strangest Christmases I have ever spent, when I was all alone on the island of Penang in Malaysia, I received an unusual but intensely valuable gift: a clue that led me toward my destiny. This was … Continue reading

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Strange Christmases – Part One: Goa, India

As we enter into the winter holiday season, I find myself looking back to some of the unusual places where I have spent past Christmases. The first that comes to mind is Goa, India, in the mid-1970s. I had spent … Continue reading

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A Christmas Gift for My Blog Followers

As a Christmas gift to readers, I have enrolled electronic editions of some of my books and stories in the Smashwords End of Year Sale, which runs from December 12th through January 1st. Complete books are half price, marked down … Continue reading

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Books Make Great Gifts!

After Thanksgiving has come and gone, people commence a search for holiday gifts for family members, relatives, friends, acquaintances, in-laws, outlaws, colleagues, and sometimes total strangers. If you’re looking for fun, sophisticated, lively, intense, flamboyant, and otherwise variegated literary fare, … Continue reading

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Nordic Celebration

Seattle has a multitude of fascinating museums, and since I haven’t been able to accomplish long-distance physical travel lately, I have been taking advantage of a museum pass to mentally travel not only to distant locales but to other times … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

I’m about halfway through this book but I have some thoughts that can’t wait. Knife is a memoir of Rushdie’s recovery after a near-fatal attack by a knife-wielding assailant. It is deeply ironic that this happened at the opening of … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In the introduction, Ta-Nehisi Coates clarifies that he is addressing his latest book The Message specifically to his students and more generally to “young writers everywhere whose task is nothing less than doing their part to save the world.” I’m … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Years by Annie Ernaux

Before I came across a description of The Years in a library listing, I had never heard of Annie Ernaux, or that she had won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022. I suppose I should keep closer track of … Continue reading

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