It's National Authors Day Today
My piping hot review of a newish Amy Wallen book...with pie
Today is a good day to think about what authors do. They conjure up worlds—real and imaginary—plus expose injustice, make us laugh and cry, and help us to imagine new lives and different possibilities. I’m no designer (obviously), but I thought I should make some sort of visual to commemorate this day. Voila!
So, today I’m going to review a book, and thank an author, and buy a book—and it’s going to be a gift for a dear friend whose birthday is coming up next week (why, yes, Teresa Shea, it is you!) I love gifting books, and since all the books I buy and borrow for my own reading pleasure are ebooks, that is the only chance I usually get to buy books, though I sometimes cop out and buy bookstore gift cards.
The book I’m sharing with you all is How To Write a Novel in 20 Pies: Sweet and Savory Secrets for Surviving the Writing Life by Amy Wallen, illustated by Emil Wilson. It came out in 2023, but I just read it late this summer and I absolutely loved it. Not only is it a fine book about the ups and downs of living a writer’s life, and some good tips (like the importance of exercise), but there’s plenty of information about the craft and business of being a published writer. And about baking pies. That’s right, there’s pie! The book includes over a dozen recipes, each for a delicious pie of some sort of (hence the sweet and savory part of the subtitle). And who doesn’t like pie? I copied down the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie, which I love but have never felt brave enough to try baking from scratch. Now I will be. Thank you Amy!
The book’s whimsical illustrations perfectly illuminate each section—and tell you when to stop and eat pie. Here’s the cover, to get an idea of the fun drawing style.
Anyone with an intact sense of humor would probably enjoy reading this book, whether or not they think of themselves as a writer. And we really need books like this right now—not only because Amy is a fine writer who knows what she is talking about, as far as writing and pie—but because the world (and the crazy news) can feel so scary and overwhelming and just darned awful that we all need an escape.
My own life has been pretty awful at times this last week, what with missing being at the memorial for a close friend of the family who passed away way too damn young and hearing about another dear friend who is in hospice. My heart aches to be everywhere I’m needed, or that I yearn to be. But since I can’t physically be all the places I want to, I have to just concentrate on being here now, and trying to make a small difference. Each of the last few days I have sent between fifty and a couple of hundred more texts to battleground states (and no, I don’t have to type each one!). Today it was Michigan, and I hit a nice weekly milestone.
Other small joys this week were a fun and delicious dinner with friends on their cozy boat, some great hikes with my honey, seeing pics of my friend’s adorable toddler all dressed up for Halloween, getting a lot of editing done on the Baja books, and the Dodgers winning the World Series. Yes, I’m still an SF Giants fan, but I’ll always root for a great west coast national league team, and I’ll never root for the Damn Yankees!
Back to National Author’s Day, if you have read Honeymoon at Sea and enjoyed it, I hope you will take the time to post a review on Amazon or Goodreads or Instagram or TikTok—or Shepherd. I am watching the rapid growth of the very cool book review site Shepherd with great interest (I am a Founding Member and highly recommend it) and I hope you will check it out, too. I look forward to a world with lots more choices of places to hear about great new books, but for now, please review a book you’ve loved somewhere where other people will have access to your opinion.
Today started with me wondering whose birthday it was today, and got reminded by my old vet’s office when they sent Ready a birthday ecard. I sent a message back to them about Ready’s passing and their reply was so sweet it made me cry. Because it is Dia de Los Muertos, I’ll indulge myself by posting a cute pic of young red Ready.
That’s it for this week. Fingers crossed for Kamala and kindness and unity and peace.
hasta pronto!
Awww. That photo of Ready. So much sweetness. Didn't know about National Authors Day. We should celebrate ourselves every damn day. Let's do it.
Ah yes, death does become us: my Day of the Dead altar here in La Paz has more photos than last time, takes up a wall in the great room. My first year here it was on a kitchen counter, nearly compact! Carpe diem, Jennifer, carry on all the good work!