Category Archives: books
A Quixotic Baptist
In 1930, Thornton Wilder jotted down, “Ideas for Novels or Novellas — Picaresque: Baptist ‘Don Quixote.’ Selling educational textbooks through Texas, Oklahoma.” The result was his 1934 comic novel Heaven’s My Destination. He began serious work on it at the … Continue reading
The Dutch House
After J.L. Carr’s short and moving novella A Month in the Country, I remained in the mood for something of “quality” to read. Don’t get the wrong impression; I have always enjoyed genre books, being an avid consumer of mysteries … Continue reading
Mary Stewart’s First Novel
Mary Stewart was a lecturer in English at Durham University when she wrote her first book in the 1950s. She was prompted to finally take the leap and write a book after an ectopic pregnancy nearly killed her and led … Continue reading
A Month in the Country
Elegiac, a term I associate with high school literature classes, came to mind as I was reading the beautiful A Month in the Country, a novella by English author J.L. Carr which was published in 1980. Carr, like many authors, … Continue reading
My Increasing Sci-Fi Skepticism
I overindulged on “literature” in recent months. In August 2025, I read Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-winning The Bridge of San Luis Rey and in September I followed that up with his ponderous National Book Award-winning The Eighth Day. I used a … Continue reading
Meador Manor 