Clammy, crock-jammed wetlands in Australia, a cop accused of abducting a 13-year old girl, a quirky tattooed convicted murderer turned private eye, and a sweet brood of downy baby chicks combine to make Crimson Lake a refreshing take on the thriller genre. At its core, Crimson Lake is about two broken people who come together to solve the disappearance of a local author. While solving his case, they unearth the
I rarely read fiction and, if I do, I generally reach for a suspense novel or historical fiction—a fool for crimes and country manors, I guess. I’ve been on an extended non-fiction binge and wanted to break away to something entirely different for the weekend. So, I picked up (an advance reader copy) of How to Walk Away by Katherine Center—only because of the cover blurb: “If you read just
There’s no question that I want to go to Harvard. Even at my age. If nothing more than to take Shelley Carson’s course, Creativity: Madmen, Geniuses, and Harvard Students. This is a woman who loves to teach. And is a Rockstar at it. That much I know is true after reading her instructive and interactive book, Your Creative Brain. There are dozens of books on creativity. Most focused on demystifying
What a surprise The Kinfolk Entrepreneur was. I discovered it in the Business—Startup section of my local Barnes & Noble. I thought it was a beautiful coffee table book that profiled entrepreneurs, and it is, but not of the traditional “startup” kind often associated with technology and Silicon Valley. It’s a beautiful book. And it profiles entrepreneurs. But they are entrepreneurs of a different sort: the creatives—i.e., the fashion designers,
I first read On Writing five years ago as I was working on the manuscript for my children’s book. I loved it. I read On Writing again last week as I was gathering inspiration for an article on creativity. I loved it. If you want to be a writer, read this book. If you want to be a creative and live the creative life, read this book. Or, if you
There’s a lot of meaty goodness to Creativity, and some sleepy time too, but overall it’s insightful and instructional. The backbone of Creativity is interviews with 91 exceptional individuals by Csikszentmihalyi and his students at the University of Chicago. Their primary goal? To demystify the creative process. But before we delve into the guts of the book, let’s start with Csikszentmihalyi’s presuppositions: 1. Creativity is defined as “a process by
I’ve been reading a lot of books on creativity lately—most by 20th-century scholars. They offer intriguing insights but are also a tad heady and dry to consume. Wired to Create is not a compendium of sober research. It’s a highly readable, fun peek into creative minds—something to devour in full on a quiet, snowy Sunday. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s inspired by Gregoire’s hit Huff Post article “18 Things
Simon Sinek sees a better vision for the world and work, shares his Technicolor vision with us, and inspires us to join him on his journey that will unquestionably benefit us all. It’s hard not to like him and respond (intellectually and emotionally) to his unbridled optimism. Because of his TED Talk fame, his voice and delivery are as iconic as his words—swift, articulate, impassioned. I don’t “read” Sinek’s books,
I’m not sure how The Tenacity of the Cockroach landed on my nightstand but I’m glad it did. The book is a collection of interviews with various entertainment industry “stars.” And I use that word loosely—some of the individuals are household names, some are off the radar screen entirely, most have had some success—if short lived. All are “outsiders”—and that’s what makes this book so darn interesting: it’s a sneak
Tell Me More is a lovely little book. Each chapter is a personal essay centered on a common phrase that characterizes the story: - It's Like This - Tell Me More - I Don't Know - I Know - No - Yes - I Was Wrong - Good Enough - I Love You - No Words at All - Onward - This Is It All 12 essays are about relationships—her
