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The Joy of Less: declutter & live simply & well in 2012

January 9, 2012
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The Joy of Less: declutter & live simply & well in 2012

Maybe you've made a resolution to downsize and declutter in 2012. If you're like me, you've made this resolution every year for the past ten years. You keep planning to throw stuff away, but never get around to it. You keep planning to stop shopping, but then you see that stunning pair of shoes, and you forget.  Guilty but necessary pleasure: I don't plan to stop buying books. (That would be hypocritical, since I certainly hope that the good readers of the world will keep buying mine.) Buy the Joy of Less from your local bookstore through indiebound--and when you're...

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Found at Green Apple

December 29, 2011
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Found at Green Apple

Under the tree on Christmas morning, a swell stash of books that my personal Santa picked up from Green Apple The Jokers, by Albert Cossery I know nothing about this book, which is precisely why I love Green Apple: Santa will always find something he didn’t know he was looking for. A House with No Roof, by Rebecca Wilson A memoir by the daughter of labor leader Dow Wilson, who was murdered when the author was 3. Wilson writes about growing up with and later caring for a loving but mercurial mother, in the shadow of Rebecca’s violent and...

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How to be happy: 5 Simple Everyday Rituals for a Happier Life

July 8, 2011
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How to be happy: 5 Simple Everyday Rituals for a Happier Life

I’ve recently been inspired by Robert Arbor’s sweet guide to French living, Joie de Vivre. Arbor, a French restauranteur who divides his time between France and New York, sings the praises of peaceful breakfasts, family gardens, trips to le marche, leeks, love, and homemade jam. Reading Joie de Vivre reminded me how much contentment we can derive from simple, everyday rituals. Here are five I highly recommend, although, of course, you should choose the rituals that bring you and your family the most pleasure and, equally important, peace. 1. Make the beds every morning. It’s difficult to maintain order...

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and all the ships at sea

July 3, 2011
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I wanted to share an interesting email I received last week from a reader: I’m a Marine stationed over at Camp Pendleton in California. While I was on deployment, I found The Year Of Fog in the small ship library…I was a part of an expeditionary unit sitting off the coast of Burma last year after their country was ravaged by a natural disaster. I mean this in the greatest sincerity when I say that reading and finishing your story was truly all I looked forward to the 2 months I spent sitting on a ship, counting the days...

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My Year of Questions

March 25, 2011
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Please visit and bookmark my new blog, My Year of Questions As the mother of a six-year-old boy, my days, more often than not, begin with questions. Our son has a habit of bounding into our bed around six each morning and awakening us with something like this: “Who would win in a fight–Batman or the Incredible Hulk? Which is beautifuler–a sunset or a rainbow?” Many of his questions begin with why: “Why haven’t scientists figured out how to turn sand into time? Why do kids sometimes act like your friend and sometimes growl at you? Why do I...

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