Comments for TMR Blog

Comment on Turned off by unaffordable entry fees? Hopefully not anymore… by Superstition Review

Superstition Review — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:45:15 +0000

Interesting idea! We’ll pass the word around to our interns and readers.

Comment on Naming Babies v. Naming “Babies” by Superstition Review

Superstition Review — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:58:50 +0000

I recently read “The Weird Sisters” where the women were all named for interesting Shakespeare characters and their personalities reflected that while at the same time the women tried to change themselves for the better. Naming anything is a very important task. Loved this post.

Comment on Naming Babies v. Naming “Babies” by Hannah Baxter

Hannah Baxter — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:28:03 +0000

my unborn last name first name hyphenated nightmare agrees with you

Comment on Links by Tania de Citas Para Adultos

Tania de Citas Para Adultos — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:47:32 +0000

Excelente muy interesante. Gracias

Comment on What is Read and What is Remembered by Valerie Ginsburg

Valerie Ginsburg — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:17:03 +0000

I like this perspective. Don’t we all, as writers, want to stay in the reader’s subconscious? The first book I read repeatedly was To Kill a Mockingbird. I reread it because there were so many subtlties and I wanted to see, feel, hear smell and taste them all again. I wanted to play with Scout more. The voice was honest and I couldn’t get enough.

There have been many since then, but most recently I read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and was thrilled for the opportunity to pick it apart and defend the techniques and devices Dave Eggers employed. The paper was only a five page assignment. I believe I could have written a book about the book. The same with Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace.

A true honest voice, a consistant perspective with a bit of reverie is a wonderful thing.

Comment on On Wanting to Teach by Cameron Riesenberger

Cameron Riesenberger — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:33:12 +0000

If after graduation, you can’t find a job (which I’m sure you know is likely), consider volunteer work. Nonprofit literary arts centers are everywhere and they can use all the help they can get, which means you’ll likely get a lot of experience in all facets of teaching. Also, since it’s not technically “school” the students are self-selected to a certain extent and you don’t have to worry so much about issues of classroom discipline. Also, there’s the added benefit of building real relationships with kids that aren’t constrained by school hours. Even though you probably wouldn’t get paid, it’s invaluable experience for both your life and your resume.

Comment on Minimalism in the Wardrobe and on the Bookshelf by Paul Lamb

Paul Lamb — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:01:37 +0000

I do periodic culls of my books (later often regretting it), mostly based on the standard that if I’m not likely to read it again, I don’t need it to take up shelf space. When I do this, I donate the books to an underfunded, small-town library. Often they put them in their own collection, which gives me warm fuzzies, and sell the rest at their fundraiser book sale. (And those they don’t sell they give to the local used bookstore, so everyone wins.) I did this very thing with my Iris Murdoch books, and now I’m prowling used bookstores to rebuild my Murdoch collection. Careful culling.

Comment on In Praise of Goodreads.com by Dawn.

Dawn. — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:12:23 +0000

I also love Goodreads and use it regularly; and I’m another person who uses Adblock and highly recommends it. It’s so much better without the ads. I use Adblock Plus.

I don’t personally have a problem with the type of “low-brow” discussion in the forums and message boards. I just move on if I don’t find a conversation interesting and/or insightful–there are always so many different little talks going on that usually you can find what you’re looking for. A private reading group is also a great way to find people interested in a specific level of discussion and/or a small set of shared preoccupations.

A part of me wishes Goodreads existed when I was in high school. I talked with friends about books we loved, but more than half the time our tastes differed or they weren’t reading the kind of work I was. I was also a co-founder of this little writing group in high school, but we rarely discussed what we were reading; it was all about workshopping; so I would have been obsessed with Goodreads.

Comment on In Praise of Goodreads.com by El Horno Electrico

El Horno Electrico — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:58:03 +0000

What Hannah said. And stop by the Goodreads group Bookish. I'm not a moderator! It's just my favorite group. It's like the internet, except with smart people who read smart books and aren't total asses about it. Tell 'em El Horno Electrico sent you. It's Spanish for toaster oven.

Comment on In Praise of Goodreads.com by Angel

Angel — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:08:01 +0000

Same here. I use Adblock on my browser, so the ads are not a big deal. I do concur that the discussion on GR do leave a lot to be desired; I have no problem saying some of those conversations could and should be smarter, and I don’t care if it makes me sound like a “snob.” I just happen to have standards. Then again, so-so forums and boards are just part of the Internet, so it is what it is. I definitely like GR for keeping track of what I read and sharing it with friends.

Best, and keep on blogging.