Around the World in 10 Books

One of the things I'm most grateful to my parents for is their push for me to travel. By the time I was sixteen, I had tramped all over the United States and visited six countries. Not bad, especially since we always lived in the same small town in Tennessee (which I love dearly). Still, …

Let’s Get Meta: a look at analogies and why we use them

As I read a novel, I like to collect some of its most evocative phrases and store them in my journal. Leafing through that journal, I've noticed that analogies (metaphors, similes, and the like) far outweigh all other types of phrases, which has led me to ponder the allure of the gems that make up …

The 10 Books I Brought to Brazil

I'm here, at last, on my new island home where orchids grow on trees, my husband makes juice from pineapple, ginger, and mint, and the toilet paper is always a little bit soggy from the ocean breeze. Back home, my friends and family poked fun at me for my non-traditional luggage. I was allowed to check two …

How to Capture a Setting in 4 Days: Ireland Edition

It's Halloween night, and I am sitting on the edge of a pub stool in Dingle, Ireland, warming my hands with a mug of (appropriately) orange-colored soup. The deftest voice I've ever heard is crooning through a ballad, inspired by a 13th century insane asylum . . . My staff has murdered giants, my bag a …