Dear Ones,
read
Dog round-up! My literary love of dogs began with HARRY THE DIRTY DOG. You know the story, right? A dog got so dirty his family didn’t recognize him. He had to convince them to give him a bath and when they realized the filthy mutt was indeed Harry, he was returned to their bosom like a prodigal. Perhaps little me recognized the book as a tale of unconditional love and redemption. Even if I royally screwed up, darn it, I was worthy of love, right?!
Here are three recent books in which the dogs are almost my favorite characters.
BIG SWISS, by Jen Beagin, was snort-funny, weird, cringy, random, insightful, embarrassing, singular, and at times annoying. The novel is very fresh (in all senses of the word). It’s about Greta, who lives in a small town and works as a transcriber for a sex coach, who calls himself Om. (Henceforth I will never not laugh when I hear the word!) Everywhere Greta goes in town she recognizes the voices of his clients, about whom she knows, well, every scintillating thing! Om is hilarious. Along with sexual peccadilloes, he discusses “healing your inner child,” or “re-parenting yourself,” which, ahem, I think I believe in (?) but which also makes me incredulous. (Me thinks I doth protest too much? Note my feelings about Harry and unconditional love above!) But I’m not here to talk about any of that because I want to talk about Piñon, the terrier! What a joy-burst! Take a look:
Everyone liked to believe their dog was superior to every other dog, but in Piñon’s case, it was undeniable. He jumped rope. He could ride a scooter. He could surf, skateboard, somersault. He could balance a soccer ball on his nose. He caught balls with his front paws. He slept in until nine or ten, never begged or slobbered…in addition to being a highly gifted and trained athlete, he was a very powerful kisser…his beverage of choice was iced black coffee. In addition to exercise, he enjoyed a lot of sustained and intense eye contact.
I’ve already recommended LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, by Bonnie Garmus, so I won’t go into the story here. But, the dog, Six-Thirty is tremendous. He knows everything. He’s judgmental. He’s a caregiver, a worrier, a delight. Check this:
“You’re a very smart dog,” she’d told him just yesterday, and he longed to agree, but the truth was, he still didn’t understand what “smart” meant. The word seemed to have as many definitions as there were species, and yet humans–with the exception of Elizabeth seemed to only recognize “smart” if and when it played by their own rules. “Dolphins are smart,” they’d say. “But cows aren’t.” This seemed partly based on the fact that cows didn’t do tricks. In Six-Thirty’s view this made cows smarter, not dumber.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, by Alison Lurie also provides us with some canine depth and frivolity. However, in this terrific book which won the Pulitzer Prize, the dog is pretend. See for yourself:
The dog that is trailing Vinnie, visible only to her imagination, is her familiar demon or demon familiar, known to her privately as Fido and representing self-pity. She visualizes him as a medium-sized dirty-white long-haired mutt, mainly Welsh terrier, sometimes trailing her silently, at other time whining and panting and nipping at her heels, when bolder, dashing around in circles trying to trip her up, or at least get her to stoop down so that he may rush at her, knock her to the ground, and cover her with sloppy kisses.
Have you a favorite dog character? Do write to let me know!
*****
I’ve made a read.write.eat. Bookshop Store, where you will find many of the books I’ve recommended in the newsletter. Buying books from my shop is a way you can support my newsletter.
Big thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee. I’m so grateful you enjoy my free newsletter, and that you took time to drop me a note and offer support. Yay! Cute button below for anyone who’d like to join in.
write
I’ve been reading Alice McDermott’s craft book, WHAT ABOUT THE BABY?, which has given me a lot of great things to think about in my creative work, in the work I do for my editorial clients, and in my life as a reader. I love McDermott’s fiction, and if you haven’t read anything, please do dive in. CHARMING BILLY (which won the 1998 National Book Award for Fiction) is a great place to start. I have extreme tenderness for the characters in SOMEONE.
From my reading notes I’ve made a white board of ideas, both hers and my own. She speaks solely of fiction in her craft book. Here I use the word “stories” for fiction and memoir, each of which tells a version of the truth.
Leaping Forward/ Slowing Down: Time in Prose.
When should we slow down and dwell in a scene? When should we summarize and move rapidly through weeks, years, or decades? When should we go back in time to reveal and understand a character’s motivation? How does the experience of time differ in a short story vs. a novel, or in memoir?
This workshop will explore how writers bend time to create different narrative effects. We will read work by Tessa Hadley, Rachel Cusk, Sally Rooney, Toni Morrison, John Cheever and others. After the discussion, we’ll work together on a long prompt, expanding and contracting time to see how we can effectively utilize it when telling our own stories.
eat
A pal came to visit and spread a little jouissance during my husband’s convalescence from shoulder surgery. Over lunch one day she said, “You know what’s a good thing? Small bites!” I co-sign!
Hence my Spring Chop and, if you’d like to try another check this: Nancy’s Chopped Salad. Seriously, it can’t be beat.
Spring Chopped Salad
Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 t kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ c sherry vinegar
- ¼ c olive oil, ideally extra-virgin
- 2 T crème fraîche
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Put everything in a jar and give it a good shake. It it seems a bit too sour, a smidge of honey will do the trick.
Salad
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed, leaves chopped
- 1 bunch dill, use as much as you like, chopped
- 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings, soaked in 50/50 hot water and red wine vinegar while you prepare the salad, then drained and added
- ½ c marcona almonds, chopped
- cherry tomatoes, as many as you like. I use about ½ a pint, halved
- 3 smallish carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ – ¾ c Feta (I prefer sheep’s milk) crumbled
- 1 bunch radishes, washed and diced. If you can get your hands on French breakfast radishes, use the entire bunch. Or, a watermelon radish would be glorious!
- 3 or 4 celery sticks, diced
- A small bunch asparagus, washed, trimmed, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled w/salt, roasted at 400° for 6-8 minutes, then cooled, and cut into chunks
- 1 small head butter lettuce, washed, leaves stacked, and cut in 1/2-inch ribbons
- 1 small head radicchio, halved, cored and cut in 1/4-inch ribbons
Please, adjust the measurements to suit your taste. Mix all ingredients in a big salad bowl. Toss with dressing. Jouissance!
Thanks for reading. Thanks for being part of my community. I’m grateful for you. Here’s a little Springtime Stanley, who sleeps under the duvet, detests dental hygiene, waits patiently for his scrambled eggs, which he prefers soft, his apples must be cut into small bites, he has the terrible habit of licking feet under the dining room table, and he settles comfortably on the sofa when he hears the Ted Lasso theme song.
xN
