Karen Comer

Collecting Stories

Elsewhere girls – book review

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Last week, I went to the book launch for Elsewhere girls, a middle-grade novel by a pair of well-known Melbourne writers, Emily Gale and Nova Weetman.

Their book was launched at Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library by Leesa Lambert from The Little Bookroom, with sparkling wine and cupcakes, beautifully decorated with images of the characters.

Jane Pearson from Text Publishing introduced the writers. She told us it was a publisher’s dream to have writers of Emily and Nova’s talent approach her with a ‘thing’ they’d written, wondering whether Text would be interested.

Emily and Nova gave us a glimpse into their collaborative writing process with the way they laughed and chatted together. They spoke of their different approaches – Emily’s organised approach versus Nova’s wing-it ways – and their research trip to Sydney, which involved swimming in Wylie’s Baths.

Elsewhere Girls is the story of two swimmers living in different times. Fanny Durack is from the Sydney of 1908 – she lives over a pub with her parents and eight siblings and regularly escapes the chores of skinning rabbits and washing bedlinen by hand to swim instead. Cat Feeney lives in Sydney, 2021, getting up early every morning for squad training, even though she’s not as committed as she should be. Thanks to an old timekeeping watch, they somehow swap bodies and timeframes. While both are swimmers, their lives are different and each girl has a greater understanding of her own life while living someone else’s.

The story is told in first person with alternative chapters from Fan and Cat. Often a dual narrative means a reader will like one character over another. I loved Fanny and Cat equally! Fanny’s general all-round-loveliness and her kind, loud, hard-working family were delightful company and Cat’s uncertainty about her swimming future, and her courage in facing a new home, school and friends makes her an endearing character.

While I am in no way, shape or form a swimmer (I used to pretend to be sick on swimming days at primary school, thanks to a nasty, inappropriate male swimming teacher) I did enjoy all the swimming threads – the beach swimming, Wylie’s Baths, squad training, early starts. It was told so vividly, I could almost smell the chlorine!

This would be a perfect book for a 9-12 year-old reader, particularly sporty kids or those readers who love a time-slip story. Happy reading!

Cate Kennedy – workshop

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During Melbourne’s last lockdown of five days, I was supposed to attend a writing workshop with Australian short story writer and poet Cate Kennedy at the Wheeler Centre in the city. She kindly offered to run the workshop online. So that Saturday I spent the day in my study looking at a screen of the unknown faces of my fellow participants as well as Cate’s fabulously detailed slides.

I have long been a fan of Cate’s short stories and poems. Her poems about the miscarriage of her son and the birth of her daughter are heartbreaking. Her two short story collections, Dark Roots and Like a house on fire, have stayed with me long after I finished reading them. Cate focuses on ordinary people, and she shines a light on them to show both their vulnerability and strength.

Her characters are us – a woman organising herself and her family before she goes to a doctor’s appointment to have a lump checked, a man making poor decisions after his partner has left him, a woman struggling at work on her first day back after maternity leave, a young girl rebelling against her mother’s family Christmas photo, a young cleaner befriending an elderly man in hospital. But it’s never about just these events – there’s a subtext of anger or loss or relationship concerns which adds a quiet background hum that sometimes rises to a roar of frustration or despair. Cate discussed the idea that conflict, even though small, brings the inner life of characters to the surface.

Cate was generous with sharing her knowledge and experience with a set of slides which whizzed us through the different elements of creating stories. ‘Emerging writers always have wonderful ideas,’ she told us, ‘it’s about the execution.’ Too true.

Cate’s latest short story collection, Like a house on fire, is on the Yr 12 VCE English curriculum. My Yr 12 son’s first SAC (School Assessed Coursework) was to write an addition or adaption of one of Cate’s stories. It’s such a wonderful opportunity for students to try to understand another human being, through reading about ordinary people’s circumstances and choices and then writing a response. Cate’s stories can be so subtle, that students are encouraged to look at her characters and empathise with them while they imagine different possibilities for them.

What does that elderly man need at the end of his life? What sort of person will that young girl, rebelling against her mother, grow up to be? Cate told us,

The story is the transformation of the narrator.”

So how does that elderly man change the young cleaner’s life? How will that young girl grow up to parent her own children?

Writing is about imagining different scenarios, putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes, daydreaming about different possibilities for ourselves, reinventing ourselves as characters. Cate urged us to go into the ‘vortex of doom’, to face any resistance we have on the page, to allow the secrets of our characters and their inner worlds to float up to the surface, to be examined in the light. Therein lies transformation.

The wonderful thing about students studying these short stories is that hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, they gain insight into their own lives. That in writing their additions or adaptions, they look beneath the surface of Cate’s characters and see what they really want, how they strive to reach it, and how they transform when often they don’t get what they want but instead what they need. In fiction – and life.

Thank you very much for your kind comments last week – I’m glad to be back too in such wonderful company!

Dear readers, it’s been a while

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Dear readers, it’s been a while since I last posted. My website updated itself in December and there were problems that seemed insurmountable because it was December and there were work deadlines and Christmas deadlines and general December busyness.

Thank you to the lovely Nic from Planning with Kids who helped me with the technical side of my blog as well as giving me a big pep talk for continuing on!

There is news to catch up on!

Reading

I’ve been reading a lovely pile of books – my usual mix of fiction, non-fiction, children, young adult and poetry. Standout books include Seth Godin’s The practice (non-fiction), Cate Kennedy’s The taste of river water (poetry), The forty rules of love by Elif Shafak (novel) and The girl who became a tree by Joseph Coelho (young adult). Reviews for some of these books coming!

Editing

I have a mix of projects at the moment which makes my editing life varied and exciting. I’ve almost finished editing a fabulously detailed family history of six generations dating back to Scotland in the 1850s, I’ve proofread a book about wills which has prompted me to have conversations with family members, I’m about to start reading an exciting crime novel for a general reader’s report and I edited a wonderfully lyrical essay on nature.

Writing

My first middle-grade verse novel is under submission so I’ve been researching for my young adult verse novel. I’ve almost finished this now, so I’m ready to look at the structure of the first draft. Are my key scenes in the right places? Do they match up with my research? Do my two main characters meet up at the right moment?

Facilitating

I’m now the facilitator for the online Springfield writers’ group. This is a talented, oh so talented group of women who are writing poems, essays, novels, short stories, memoirs, non-fiction. We meet once a week to discuss two writers’ work and the creative collaboration in this group is a tangible thing.

Creating

Apart from creating a weekly menu of lunches and dinners and snacks which lately have NOT been as creative as my other pursuits, I’ve been teaching myself to weave. Last year during the lockdowns, I found quilting and sewing to be an antidote to the news cycle. I have a beautiful weaving kit and I am making a random, unplanned small weaving in soft dusky pinks, creams and burgundies.

Tutoring

I am constantly telling my children how lucky they are to have me as a mother but it’s only when I cook their favourite meal or help them with an English essay that they truly appreciate me! Mr 17 is in year 12 this year and we have already spent some time together talking through his first SAC. I also read through a few of his mates’ pieces – one of them named a character Karen. I am not sure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult – the character was rather annoying!

Your news …

Please tell me what you have been reading, writing or creating – I’d love to know.

TGIF

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Each week always starts off fresh with five days of possibility before the weekend, and then all of a sudden, it’s Friday and some of the possibilities haven’t quite eventuated!

Brene Brown, author, research professor and Ted talk speaker, sends out a weekly email entitled TGIF. But the TGIF stands for Trust, Gratitude, Inspiration and Fun.

This is my version for today.

Trust – I’ve delivered three writing workshops in the last fortnight – one for a school holiday program and two for a school. It always astounds me the level of trust children, parents and teachers place in me, even though in some cases they haven’t met me before the workshop.

As Brene says – Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visible actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection.

I love the tiny moments, too, where a student is brave enough to show me something they’ve written at home or will come up with a creative idea and want to share it with me quietly.

Gratitude – there is so much to be grateful for – Miss 13 is starting to feel better and brighter after a few months of illness, the pile of books waiting to be read, my new boots (!), English Breakfast tea in bed, warmer weather (soon, surely!), longer daylight hours, interesting work on my desk, lovely intimate conversations with friends, green leaves on the birches outside my study window, a fluffy puppy with heaps of energy …

Inspiration – I’ve recently read two new-release non-fiction books. Everything is figureoutable by Marie Foleo is full of everything you need to solve all the problems from non-connecting flights to starting up a new business to finding special care for an ill relative. It’s creative, inspirational and practical. And it’s my new mantra.

Super attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein is almost a spiritual counterpart to Marie’s book – she believes you can attract everything you need. It’s full of a strong sense of possibility, of flow with God/the Universe/Spirit/Source. I’ve been enjoying the accompanying meditations.

I’m also really inspired by my husband, Brett, and the 40-odd cyclists who are riding this weekend to raise funds for ovarian cancer. As many of you know, our dear friend Leane was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost three years ago and is a shining light for raising awareness and funds for an early detection test. If you’d like to donate to support Brett, please go to this link.

Fun – I’ve had fun catching up with friends for lunch or walks or bookclub. I’ve also enjoyed crafting again – I spend so much creative time in my own head that I had forgotten how much I need a creative project to make with my hands. Miss 13 received a beautiful craft kit and I may have/did take over completely. The flowers are made of gorgeous linen and a tulle-like fabric and as they don’t require much concentration, flower crafting has become the perfect mindful and fun activity for me. I think a couple of them might make it to a hair clip for a spring racing look!

Let me know your TGIF or your Friday news in the comments!

July musings

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It’s been a little while since I posted! Four of my family of five have been sick, and I went down sick with the kids a month ago. We also had a holiday in sunny Queensland during the school break (everyone was well), and then we were back home with a sick daughter. So I thought I’d do a little catch-up post.

  • Workshops – I’ve presented two workshops over the last fortnight – a school holiday writing one for kids and an editing one for a marketing team. The kids’ workshop was fabulous and fun – 20 kids drawing characters, planning their stories and reading them aloud. The editing workshop was also fun – well, for me anyway! I hope the marketing team enjoyed it. We had discussed tools for brainstorming, planning and writing blog posts in an earlier workshop, and so I spent time with each participant, editing their blog post.
  • Editing – I’ve been collaborating with a pair of talented new writers who are writing their first book – a cross between a self-help guide and story for 9-12 year-old girls. Their manuscript has gone backwards and forwards between us, polishing and developing the story each time. I’m looking forward to checking the final draft next week.
  • Holidays – of course, holidays are lovely. But as well as the things you do on holidays, it’s also the things you don’t do that really make it. Things like driving your kids to all the activities, cooking dinner every night, making sure the sports uniforms are clean, answering text messages about sharing lifts, vacuuming etc. So that left plenty of time to sleep, read, eat and drink well, laze at the pool, have lovely conversations with my family and walk on the beach.
  • Reading – I’ve read an eclectic mix, everything from middle-grade fiction to adult non-fiction and fiction. Loved Jaclyn Moriarty’s Gravity is the thing, Angie Thomas’ On the come up and Sharon Kernot’s The art of taxidermy. Fascinated by Martha Beck’s Leaving the saints, her account of leaving her Mormon community. Enchanted by Roger Housden’s Ten poems to change your life, a selection of life-changing poems with a commentary on each one. (Note to self – read more poetry, not just on holidays!)
  • New website – friends of mine, Michael Hanrahan and Anna Clemman, launched their new website, Publish Central, yesterday. It’s a one-stop shop for anyone who is thinking about self-publishing a non-fiction or business book. There’s plenty of free resources and lots of information about the process of writing and publishing a book. It’s definitely worth having a look and passing on the details to any friends or family members who are thinking of self-publishing.
  • Eating – I’m eating more vegetarian dishes since Miss 12 is eating less meat. My favourite quick lunches to eat at home are chargrilled broccoli with smashed chickpeas, spicy eggplant with soba noodles and sweet potato salad with lentils. And then there was the lovely Thai restaurant on holidays, plus the delicious pizza, plus the wine, plus the ice-cream after dinner. Lots of pluses on holidays!
  • An anecdote – Mr 10 usually asks me for a puppy story when I pick him up from school – he’s interested to know if our ten-month golden retriever, Cleo, has been up to any adventures. This week, I had set out with her for a walk but we just turned the corner when she started sniffing frantically in the nature strip. Before I could stop her, she had gulped a bit of milk chocolate, still in its shiny foil wrapper. As you may or may not know, dogs are not supposed to have chocolate and often end up having their stomachs pumped. I called the vet, and they seemed to take forever to confer while I waited on the phone. They decided that because the amount of chocolate was so small – mini Easter egg size – and Cleo was large enough, she would be ok. And she was ok – phew! (Cleo’s photo taken by Miss 12.)

Let me know what you’ve been reading or eating or whether your dogs have been eating chocolate.

Christmas book ideas for 9-12 year-old girls

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It’s seven and a half weeks until Christmas – gulp! In order to make your Christmas shopping a little easier, I am putting together a few lists of books to buy for different age groups over the next few weeks.

A book is an easy thing to buy – it doesn’t take up a lot of room if you need to hide it. It doesn’t require batteries. It won’t make a noise. It can be shared. It’s a conversation starter. It will entertain for hours. It can be returned to again and again, like an old friend.

Today’s list is for girls aged 9-12 years. Of course, these books may be suitable for girls slightly younger or older. And just because the main characters in these books are girls, doesn’t mean that boys can’t read them.

The girl who drank the moon by Kelly Barnhill – this could almost be my favourite children’s book of the year. It’s about a village who sacrifice the youngest-born baby each year by taking it into the wood and leaving it there for the witch to take. In return, she stays away from the villagers. There is a witch but she’s a kind one and she believes she rescues the babies by taking them to another village on the other side of the bog and giving them to a loving family. One year, she is so enchanted by the baby that she accidentally pulls moonlight down from the sky and ‘magics’ the baby girl. She knows she must keep the girl herself now and teach her how to use her magic wisely. It is such a beautiful story, with lovely language and quirky, loveable characters who draw on their strengths in remarkable ways. Strong readers will gather all the insights and appreciate the language while less confident readers will simply love the story – something for everyone.

The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty – I haven’t read this book yet but I heard a great interview with Jaclyn on the So you want to be a writer podcast which made me want to go and read it! Bronte’s parents have been killed by pirates (but she didn’t know them) and she has to follow their wishes and deliver a trunk of presents to ten different aunts – otherwise terrible things will happen to her home. It sounds like an adventure of magic and courage – a fabulous combination for a story. Maybe it sounds so intriguing to me because Jaclyn said she started the book by wroting each chapter in a different cafe but then finished the book by writing in the same chocolate cafe!

The turnkey by Allison Rusby – this is a historical novel, set in London in the middle of World War II. The protagonist is Flossie, a twelve-year-old ghost, who is a turnkey – someone who is in charge of a cemetery, keeping all the souls buried there at rest. This is such an original story. The balance between the history and the story is perfect so kids who don’t know a lot about World War II will enjoy reading it. A fabulous book by an Australian author.

The land of stories by Chris Colfer – I loved the premise of this story. A pair of twins (girl and boy) are in miserable circumstances – their father has recently died and their mother had to sell their house and the family bookshop. Their grandmother gives them their father’s old storybook of fairytales. The twins discover that the book is magic, and jump through the book into the land of stories where all their favourite – and not so favourite – characters live. This book will be made into a movie, and I’m predicting it will do well because author/director Chris Colfer is a Glee actor. While the story is wonderful, the writing is so-so. Miss 11 and some of her friends have devoured this book, and the five that follow in the series, so clearly the writing is not as important as the story for them. This book would also be suitable for 8-9 year-olds who are strong readers.

The little white horse by Elizabeth Goudge – this book was published in 1946 in the UK and is simply delightful. It has that classic children’s book feel. Some young readers may find it is too old-fashioned because of the descriptive language. It’s the story of Maria Merryweather who is forced to leave her home in London and live with her governess and cousin in the country. There is a dwarf who cooks, a dog who can communicate well with humans and a legend of the moon princess who must try to do the right thing and save her people again. This is a fabulous read for imaginative and romantic girls – there are three weddings at the end!

How to bee by Bren MacDibble – Love, love, love this book! It was published this year as a debut novel by an Australian author – you’ll remember it for the distinctive yellow and black cover. The main character, Peony, is determined, stubborn and courageous – she wants to be a bee (someone who picks the pollen from the orchard trees) and she wants to bring her family together. It’s set as a dystopian world, and that world is so well built.

When you reach me by Rebecca Stead – I am such a big fan of Rebecca Stead! I love this particular book because it has such a complex storyline (time travelling) with wonderful characters. It’s set in the 1970s in the US, and follows the story of Miranda. She has an intelligent mother who is trying to win a game show, an ex-best friend who won’t talk to her anymore and some new friendships to navigate. This one is for the more discerning reader who is prepared to think a little about the story. You can read more about Rebecca Stead and her other books here.

When the lyrebird calls by Kim Kane – this is a historical Australian book, set in 1900. Madeleine has fallen back in time, and is trying to return to her own time with her grandmother. She spends time with her new friends, and wears their clothes, eats their meals and becomes involved in the women’s lib movement. It’s a wonderful historical novel.

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo – This is Kate DiCamillo’s latest book, published this year. Most kids will have probably come across her books – she’s a bestselling US author. Raymie’s voice is strong and compelling, the language evocative. You can read a book review here.

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend – I have ordered my copy of Nevermoor and am waiting for it to arrive! I can’t speak with any authority about it but it would be remiss of me not to mention it here because there has been so much publicity about it. It is said to be the closest thing to Harry Potter!

I hope some of these books find their way into some lucky girls’ Christmas stockings! You can also look at my previous Christmas suggestions for 9-12 year-olds here, here and here. Please forward on this post to friends and family members who may be looking for some help with buying Christmas books.

 

Children’s book week 2017

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Back to school! Happy cute industrious child flying on the book on background of sunset sky. Concept of education and reading. The development of the imagination.

Next week Children’s Book Week is celebrated in Australia from 19th-26th August. Many schools celebrate with book fairs, dress-up as your favourite character days and even play DEAR – Drop Everything And Read! (It’s my favourite game – I played it a lot with my three kids when they were little).

  • You can find out more about this year’s theme – Escape to Everywhere – at the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s website.
  • There are plenty of ideas for dressing up as your favourite character from author Allison Tait here – her go-to costume is a cloak which can be used for a ranger, superhero, princess, adventurer or olden-day character.
  • The shortlist for the CBCA book of the year is here. The winners will be announced at midday today. We haven’t made our way through reading all of these beautiful books yet – it’s a work in progress. If you’re looking for quality books for your children or grandchildren, borrowing or buying these books will guarantee a good read.
  • Author Tristan Bancks has some great ideas for celebrating Book Week – I like his idea for making a book trailer.

I hope your children or grandchildren enjoy all the bookish festivities. I’m off to a YA book launch tonight, and then I’m thinking a game of DEAR might be in order for us over the weekend!

The stars at Oktober Bend – book review

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9781743315897

Miss 9 and I had a girls’ afternoon out on the weekend – we do like to leave our boys behind and go to places likes cafes, craft classes, cheese shops and gardens every now and again – and went to a fabulous book launch at Readings. We were there for the launch of  The stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard, her latest young adult book. Miss 9 was there to ask Glenda to sign her first book from the Kingdom of Silk series.

There was cheese, there was champagne, and then the formalities. An Allen and Unwin editor introduced the book, then Mike Shuttleworth from Readings told us why he loved it. I agreed with his point about Glenda offering a different sensibility, a different way of viewing the world.

Glenda’s book is told from the point of view of fifteen-year-old Alice who has an acquired brain injury. She has difficulty voicing her thoughts but writes them beautifully in poems, which she leaves around her small Australian town for strangers to find. Manny finds them. He is a refugee, a child soldier who is trying to establish a new life in Australia.

The book is written entirely in lower case, as we see everything through Alice’s eyes, with small sections of the book in Manny’s voice. Despite my last post about editing your own work and the importance of communicating clearly, the lower case writing draws us immediately into Alice’s way of seeing – might not be correct grammar but it expresses Alice’s voice authentically. A perfect pairing.

I’ve lost count of how many books I’ve read and owned by Glenda. What I love about her writing are the characters and her language. Miss 9 and I told Glenda we would like to live with the Silk family – those characters are so creative, sensitive, brave and thoughtful. And Alice is a beacon for every teenager on the outsider, everyone struggling to express themselves aloud, for every young adult on the brink of falling in love. As for her language, this is one of Alice’s poems:

and when he comes
i will
pass to him
new poems
on fine white pages
sonnets and songs
rows of notes
for words to waltz to
and when he reads them he will
know that i am
more
than twelve
more
than broken much
more
he will take
my hand press my fingers
gently into his
scarred places and i
will know their meaning.

Or this is her voice –

there were fewer silences than there might have been during that first shared meal. hope prised open the tiny doors of my caged heart. twice now manny had seen me fitting. twice he had not turned his back. he had listened to fragments of my stumbling speech and begged me to speak again. his wanting to listen made no difference to my speech. it was no clearer, quicker or more fluent. my words did not sound like birdsong or poetry. but many watched me and waited while i spoke. asked me when he didn’t understand. laughed with us when we laughed at my mumblings and his misunderstandings. that night we had everything we needed – food for our hunger and conversation for our souls.

And lest you think that this book is just about stars and poems, the last section is so gripping you will not be able to put it down. Promise. This is a beautiful book for the young adult in your life – it will encourage them to look at poetry, the evocative language will expand their vocabulary and the story of two outsiders will make their world a little larger.

Glenda told Miss 9 about the next three books she was writing – we both can’t wait to read them.

Reading widely

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Pile of books on a black background

I went to a fabulous seminar at Writers Victoria this week, presented by Danielle Binks about reading widely for writers. It may seem a little odd to think that writers need a tutorial about reading, because after all, if you write books, then it must surely follow that you read books and would hardly need to be told how to do so. Yet as Danielle explained, writers usually fall into two categories of readers – we either read only in our own genre or read too narrowly within our own genre.

When I look back on my reading list for last year, I can see that I read mainly middle grade fiction, adult fiction that would probably be classified as women’s fiction, a little bit of young adult fiction, and non-fiction about creativity and parenting. So plenty of room to add crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, biographies, autobiographies, historical fiction.  And even though there is so much room for improvement in this area, I think I need to read more widely in middle grade fiction, for 8-12 year-old readers.

I love my monthly bookclub meetings – mainly for the lovely friendships but also because I read books that I haven’t heard of before.

And why, you may ask, is all this important? Well, Danielle explained that if you only read in your own genre, you will never break beyond it, you will only be a pale imitation of the best writers in your field. Seems to me that it is true in any field.

I remember watching Australian Story a couple of years ago and seeing Professor Graeme Clark, who invented the cochlear implant, explain how he came across his brilliant idea. He was sitting on a beach, turning over a shell in his hand and observing how blades of grass were flexible enough to reach all the way inside it. He could see how similar the shell was to an ear, and he knew then how to solve the last piece of the puzzle. If he had stayed in his lab, ignoring the beach, he would not have changed the lives of thousands of deaf people.

Back to reading and writing – how can you write an original book if you are living and breathing the narrow world of your genre?

I think reading widely is true for kid readers, too. One of the greatest gifts reading can give anyone is a sense of compassion. You can understand the deaf protagonist’s perspective, you live the life of the athlete who was never quite good enough, you become the mother living hundreds of years ago who lost half her babies in childbirth, you understand the protagonist who was brought up by an alcoholic father. For kids, reading can offer insights into the home life of a school bully, into the feelings of the kid who can never keep up at school, into the thoughts of the kid who is never invited to parties. And if you read the same sort of book all the time, your world is narrow, and your compassion is limited.

So, I intend to read more widely this year to become not only a better writer but a more compassionate person! Anyone else have any reading plans for yourself or your kids this year? Or a book recommendation to help me read more widely?