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Happiness interview: Jennifer E. Smith. My friend and fellow passionate biobliophile is the terrific writer, Jenny Smith. I got to know Jenny through one of my children’s literature reading groups, and she has written several excellent young-adult novels herself, including one that just hit the shelves: This Is What Happy Looks Like. What a title! Catnip to me. I love Jenny’s titles. …
Because nothing boosts happiness more than a great book, each month, I suggest: One outstanding book about happiness. One outstanding work of children’s or young-adult literature. I have a crazy passion for kidlit. One eccentric pick. This is a book that I love, but freely admit may not be for everyone. I’ll post these recommendations here, or to make sure …
Happiness interview: Hilary Reyl. The brilliant (and gorgeous, not that it matters) Hilary Reyl has been a friend of mine since college, and I’m thrilled that her fabulous debut novel, Lessons in French, has just hit the shelves. It’s a coming-of-age story, and all such stories touch deeply on happiness. It draws somewhat on Hilary’s own adventures in France — …
At the recommendation of a friend, I read Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need. She told me that while she wasn’t writing a screenplay, the book was extremely helpful for writing any kind of story. She’s right, it’s a fascinating look at storytelling, and it also includes some terrific exercises to foster …
I’m so happy for my friend, the incomparable Molly Jong-Fast. Her new novel, The Social Climber’s Handbook, just came out. It’s a delicious, dark, biting story about some characters here in New York City — one of whom has a big, crazy secret. The novel is very funny, and at the same time, also extremely acute in its observations about …
