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The Twyford Code: How to re-read a twist ending
First of all, time for a mini-celebration. If you’d told me back in October that I’d write 50 posts – at all, let alone before 6 months were over – I wouldn’t have believed you. The idea that I could find the time to regularly write and edit and share 50 essays of Thoughts on…
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Magicians and mystery: unraveling the secrets of the loneliest sleuths
In a mystery series, the protagonist is key to a reader’s enjoyment. The proper selection of protagonist can have critical impacts on a reader’s willingness to accept the investigation. Does it makes sense that this character investigates this crime? Does her expertise seem actually relevant to her solution? And, to an equal extent – does…
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Piranesi: the loneliness and dramatic irony of journal entries
Have you ever seen a piece of art get so hyped up that you avoid it, because you’re worried that there’s no way it can live up to it? This is how I felt about Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, a weird and wonderful novel that unfolds via journal entries. Despite seemingly everyone in the entire…
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Reading reflections for 2022 (and some challenge commitments!)
This has been really interesting year. I managed to read 140 (!) books this year, and it was around book 100 that I realized I wanted to think more critically about my reading materials. That launched this blog, an experiment: how would my reading experience change if I forced myself to engage with a prompt?…