Be Around Good People Doing Interesting Things
Who Knew the Bangor Police Department Could Give Such Solid Life Advice?
Hello friends of this list,
Did you see the post the Bangor, Maine Police Department wrote about getting a cat out of a tree? It is wonderful and reassuring. I pinned it to the top of my Facebook page, so go read it if you haven't already.
At the end they write this: "You probably have someone trying to coax you to do something interesting. Don't make them chase you. Being around good people doing interesting things is a superb refuge from the 24 hour news cycle....All we have is each other."
So--you can probably guess where I'm going with this. I want to see you, a good person doing interesting things! Let's get together and talk about THAT.
Just Added: New Events for the Fall Book Tour
Am I coming to your hometown this fall? I would love to see you there. If you can't make it, please send another good person doing interesting things in your place and I will have a lovely time with them.
Seattle, WA: Oct 11, 7 PM, Third Place Books Ravena
Houston, TX: Oct 12, 7 PM, Brazos Bookstore
Nashville, TN: Oct 15, 12 noon, Southern Festival of Books
Carmel, IN: Oct 18 & 19, The Guilded Leaf
Portland, OR Nov 11, Wordstock
I will also be dropping by to sign books (but not to do an event) at these bookstores, so feel free to call ahead and reserve a signed book if you'd like one. Sometime in mid-October, I will swing through:
Murder by the Book in Houston
Her Bookshop in Nashville
Novel in Memphis
Turnrow in Greenwood, MS
Square Books in Oxford, MS
Carmichael's in Lexington, KY
Here's What I'm Listening To On Book Tour
Why not, when you're on book tour, listen in on someone else's book tour? Admittedly, John Grisham goes on fancier book tours than I do. And I don't have the likes of Ann Patchett and Clyde Edgerton onstage with me. But here's the thing: Whether you love John Grisham's books or not, I'm pretty sure you'll love him as a podcast host. He's funny, smart, honest, and generous with his fellow authors. If this book gig doesn't work out for him, he has a future as a radio host.
You can find the podcast anywhere, but here's his website with a bunch of links.
Happy Inktober, and a life lesson about staycations
Hey, are you Instagram? Every October is #Inktober, when artists post new ink drawings every day. Here's a drawing I did (using ink and coffee) of our temporary home--a lovely old building in Eureka's Old Town with furnished apartments to rent upstairs. Our house in Eureka is sold, and we can't move into our new place in Portland for another month, so here we are, living in the very center of town, across the street from our bookstore, and less than a mile from the house where we lived for 17 years.
And you know what? Living in a little apartment downtown is WONDERFUL. I love it so much more than I thought I would. It's delightful to wake up and already be in the center of things (such as they are, in a small town), and to walk out my front door and run into my friends. My entire perspective on the town has changed.
Truly, I never would've imagined that my familiar old hometown would seem so completely different if I just shifted my domicile by a mile and got rid of all my possessions. There's a life lesson in there somewhere, and it has something to do with shifts of perspective and unexpected delights.
We'll puzzle that one out together, and meanwhile, do stay tuned to Instagram for more Inktober drawings.
What Are You Reading?
After reading this intriguing New York Times story, I'm looking forward to this new biography of Bunny Mellon by Meryl Gordon. Join me on Facebook or Goodreads and tell me what you're into these days!