Dan Chaon is one of my favorite
short story writers of all time. Every time I read his work, it makes me want
to be a better writer. Each story in this collection reads quickly, so it’s
great for squeezing some reading time in throughout your day.
It left me feeling like I got to take a peek into the lives of the
people I pass each day on the street: his characters are authentic, a
combination of good and bad, with all their quirks and insecurities. The book
is full of emotion and yet extremely funny all at the same time.
I went back
and read many of the stories several times.
In this haunting, bracing new collection, Dan Chaon shares stories of men, women, and children who live far outside the American Dream, while wondering which decision, which path, or which accident brought them to this place. Chaon mines the psychological landscape of his characters to dazzling effect. Each story radiates with sharp humor, mystery, wonder, and startling compassion. Among the Missing lingers in the mind through its subtle grace and power of language.
This
is one of my favorite books on writing, and I re-read it this summer when I
needed some inspiration to give me the kick in the pants I needed to finish a
project I was working on.
I feel like
Lamott writes down all the things the rest of us are too afraid to say. She
addresses things like self-doubt, procrastination, fear, and jealousy with such
honesty and humor that it had me laughing out loud.
On top of this, she gives
such wonderful advice on writing (giving yourself permission to write crummy
first drafts is my favorite) that always inspires me to get my butt in the
chair and pick up my pen.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps" (Los Angeles Times).
“Superb writing advice…. Hilarious, helpful, and provocative.” —The New York Times Book Review
For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom…
I loved this middle-grade novel because it reminded
me of all the scary stories I binge-read as a kid growing up in the 80s and
90s. There’s a summer camp with a dark secret, mean girls, and a possible
ghost.
This book is very fun and left me feeling so nostalgic. I also related a
lot to the protagonist, who, as a young girl, tries so hard to make friends but
has such trouble with it.
This book
inspired me to start working on a ghost story of my own!
An eerie, twisty ghost story about twelve-year-old Parker, who only wanted a summer of fun and new friendship, and the nightmare she finds instead.
Don't forget your flashlight. . . .
Parker Nelson can’t wait for summer camp. She’ll have fun and make amazing memories, far away from the bullies who made seventh grade unbearable.
But then something terrible happens: The mean girl who made life a living nightmare is in Parker’s cabin. Soon all the other girls turn on Parker, too—no one wants to be her friend. Except Jenny.
Jenny’s the only one who is willing to listen. The…
Twelve-year-old Gracie Freeman is living a normal life, but she is haunted by the fact that she is actually a character from a story, an unpublished fairy tale she's never read.
When she was a baby, her parents learned that she was supposed to die in the story, and with the help of a magic book, they took her out of the story and into the outside world, where she could be safe. But Gracie longs to know what the story says about her.
Despite her mother's warnings, Gracie seeks out the story's author, setting in motion a chain of events that draw herself, her mother, and other former storybook characters back into the forgotten tale.
