Reading List
The Scrapbook by Heather Clark
I’m the type of person who has a hard time getting rid of photographs that I’ve printed, cards that I’ve received, or pieces of art that I’ve been gifted. So, when I stumbled upon this book, I was intrigued from the title alone.
It’s a novel about the ramifications of World War II, as told through a love story between a young college student and her German exchange student boyfriend. I picked it up for a few reasons:
1990s Setting: The 90s aren’t exactly contemporary, but I wouldn’t consider it historical. It’s one of those in-between times, where people made long-distance phone calls, but recent enough to make my millennial brain think it was “just a few years ago.” A portion of my novel is set during this time, so I wanted to study how the author immerses the reader into a world not that long ago.
Exploration of German History: I’m learning that much of what happened during the Cold War was a ripple effect from WWII, so although I’m not writing about the war itself, I was very curious how another author explores the messy feelings that resulted from that time.
Breaking the Rules: Sometimes, I hold too tightly onto grammar rules, because I don’t want my reader to be confused. But sometimes I want to play with something unconventional, even if it makes me nervous. I was really interested in how this author kept me connected to the story even without dialogue tags and minimal identifiers.
My favorite parts of the book: a complicated relationship, exploration of generational guilt, duality between a beautiful place and an ugly history
Prompt: What types of “rules” do you wish you could break? Have you ever tried? How did it turn out?
Manuscript Corner
I’m still in research mode, and in the last month I finished Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp and started Stasiland by Anna Funder. These are two interesting collections of narratives about the German Democratic Republic, but told from different perspectives.
One definitely feels like an Eastern perspective from the people who still live in the east side of Berlin, where the other takes a more critical, may I say more “Western” approach. Both are valid. And for me to answer my (endless) research questions, I’m trying to read broadly. My hope is by the end of this, I tell a story that feels like a real place, with real people, living real lives.
I’m continuing to take notes in my knowledge management system in Obsidian, which is becoming more useful the more that I use it, even making connections between different books.
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Life Update
This month, I am a nomad. Between staying in a corporate apartment, to a rental home, to our new house, to a vacation home, I’m sleeping in four different places. Eating at four different tables. Working at four different offices, one of which is a plastic outdoor chair in an empty dining room.
We bought a house, and I’m back in “Project Manager” role, except instead of Trello boards, I have a 2” binder full of diagrams, to-do lists, and paint swatches. I even got a gold star on my detailed drawing of our laundry closet by the appliance specialist at the Home Depot.
On a more fun side, building writing community is so important for me, so I was thrilled to meet with fellow Substack writer Rebecca Haynes for coffee. Tucked away in a cutie bookstore cafe, we talked about reading and writing and life, and I walked away from that experience feeling so inspired and supported. If you haven’t checked out her newsletter, Letters from Gaia, I really recommend it.
Prompt: What does your writing community look like these days? What do you wish you had more of?
My novels are mostly set in 2009, so I understand the feeling of in between times. Not historical exactly but long enough to go that my memory is foggy about how it was, lol