-
Reading the Climate
As some of you know I have published two climate-fiction novels, Accidental Child and Providence. While I write fiction as a way of thinking deeply about climate issues, I read lots of non-fiction. Here’s a partial list of books that have enhanced my understanding of climate issues. Some of these books scare me, and that’s…
-
Reading Scary Stuff
I’ve been thinking about scary stories and my reluctance to read them. My fear relates to seeing years ago the movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. I was on a first date and just when the movie got intense, the guy I was with disappeared into the men’s room and left me alone in…
-
Faith, Hope, Clarity and Sweetgrass
Some books earn my respect, even affection. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is one. The subtitle tells a lot: “Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.” I am not a gardener nor a farmer, so anything that explains plant life feels fresh to me. Kimmerer is “a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled…
-
Sweet Reads
I read like the proverbial kid in a candy store, and since Halloween candy has taken over much available freezer space in our house, candy, like good books, calls to me. Hmm, Snickers, Peanut M&Ms, Tootsie Roll? Nah, I’m full up on sugary stuff. But never full up on reading, never. So much to choose…
-
Questions from Other Worlds
Margaret Atwood has a wonderful book out, In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination. Read it and learn. Wisely, Atwood doesn’t pretend to know everything about fiction, but one question she raises intrigues and frustrates me. Just what is sci-fi? I’ve just finished revising a novel that I’m not comfortable calling science fiction because…
Karen Douglass, Author 