Betty in Storms of Malhado and the Appeal of Sad Girl Fiction

In this blog post I discuss the appeal of sad girl fiction and talk about my favorite sad books.

What Makes a Book Good?

In this blog post I reflect on reading Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum and on what makes a book enjoyable to read.

Today I drove to the Island to check on the little house. There might be a tropical storm coming, but … More

This blog post explains why Storms of Malhado by Maria Elena Sandovici, is the perfect hurricane season read.

Today I painted this, inspired by a picture the League-Kempner House posted to show its Christmas decorations. I felt oddly … More

I started preparing for my Storms of Malhado dinner party. I bought more plates from Nautical Antiques, and I started … More

Book club discussion questions for Storms of Malhado, a Galveston novel by Maria Elena Sandovici.

Today it rained and I set out to make a large painting that would serve as the cover art of … More

Today I was feeling rather tense. I decided to take a short swim, and it turned out that it was … More

Here are some of the things that help me when I’m feeling anxious: a trip to Little India with my … More