
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: John Hodgman
Like Will Ferrell or Amy Sedaris, it seemed like John Hodgman was creating a new kind of humor. We had no idea what he was
Like Will Ferrell or Amy Sedaris, it seemed like John Hodgman was creating a new kind of humor. We had no idea what he was
One thing I know about the writing life is that you get better at the thing by doing it. I started out hoping to be
I’m doing Liz Frugalwoods’ Uber-frugal challenge this month, and I don’t like it. I mean, I like her and her challenge, but I don’t like
It’s spending season. The sun shines upon Seattlites at University Village as I run to the Amazon book store, because it’s the only place to
Is there anyone classier, smarter, and more of a person I might be tempted to put a photo of on my mantel than Michelle Obama?
Before my trip to South America, I looked for places he’d been. I had 24 hours in Cali in Colombia, and he’d gone there, had
“In my mind, a beach read is something that’s “unputdownable,” whatever that means to you,” says Susan Kehoe, managing partner of Browseabout Books. When the
Zadie Smith is kind of everything you ever want to be. I’m in love with this short story I heard her read on the New
As you know, Amy Schumer is ridiculous. I consider her my long-lost third sister. Not only does she have her book, The Girl with the
I’ve only once fallen in love with a piece of land, and I’ve been trying to write about it for a decade. When I bought
Roxane Gay was sitting outside Hugo House one night when I went to a reading. My friend Jessica and I chatted with her about student
George Saunders is an uber-favorite: kind, brilliant, hard-working. I’ve never met anyone who said a bad word about him, and he was very generous when
You know that feeling like you want to just head out to a cabin in the woods and just write? Well you can get a
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone Ask by Ryan Levesque Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port Getting Things Done by David Allen
There’s a style of third-person in fiction that frees up your narrator to let the characters indirectly share their thoughts, without all the clunkiness of
Here’s how I got into McSweeney’s: 1. I submitted about 10 pieces over the last 10 years. 2. I joined a group of comedy writers
When you get live in a certain place, you get to know the writers who aren’t necessarily the biggest names (though some are). Here are
Susan Orlean is a force. The author of The Library Book, The Orchid Thief, and Rin Tin Tin. I once got to sit near Susan
When you think of poetry, you probably think of the things that come up when I looked for stock images for “poetry.” Feather quills. Roses.
Have you ever wondered what the best books ever are? I found out! There’s a whole website dedicated to it, TheGreatestBooks.org. They took more than
Do not listen to David Sedaris on a bus. I tried to enjoy The Drama Bug, and nearly convulsed as he described picking up Elizabethan
Here are 10 books that have shaped who I am today: 1. Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi An unprecedented international publishing event: the
First person can be a tricky road, but when it’s done well, we are along for the ride, no questions asked. You’ve probably read a
These books helped me increase my earnings or lower my costs, making the writing life more feasible: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Craft books are an essential part of any writer’s reading regime. Don’t let your ego get you all excited about “being self-taught.” There are