Creative Nonfiction by Andrea Badgley
A few years ago, I wrote about research that suggests literary fiction helps us understand one another. In making a concerted effort to read beyond the authors I typically read, I think now it’s not just literary fiction that helps us understand one another: it’s diversity of perspectives. With my Andrea Reads America project, I’m … Continue reading The humbling experience of reading diversely
My Andrea Reads America project is now 5 years old. I started in November 2013, and I am currently reading New York: state number 32 of 50. I’ve got 18 states (54 books) to go. I’m ready to be finished. Why do I commit myself to stuff like this? Finding books I like has been … Continue reading I love those books you just can’t put down
“Never get angry,” the Don had instructed. “Never make a threat. Reason with people.” The word “reason” sounded so much better in Italian, ragione, to rejoin. — Mario Puzo, The Godfather I’ve read a number of business and professional development books. Many spend the first half telling you how awesome the book is going to be … Continue reading The three best books I’ve read for work
I’m reading Natalie Goldberg again. This time I’m reading her for my Andrea Reads America project. I know she lived and taught in Taos, and I wanted her voice when I read New Mexico. I’ve been restless lately, needing to create, yet not creating. Knowing writing would make me feel better, yet not writing. Goldberg’s … Continue reading Live with vigor
Pansy petals are flapping in the cold wind. It’s almost noon and it’s still too frigid for me to work in the garden. So I’m listening to Fleetwood Mac and writing instead. I don’t know about you, but I go through periods where I crave a certain feel in the fiction I consume. Sometimes I need … Continue reading Mood reading
One week ago, on Tuesday, I started reading William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Within two pages I was texting friends who had read it, asking, “What the hell is going on here?” I read the first chapter — 50 pages narrated by a 33-year-old character at the development stage of a child, who … Continue reading The Sound and the Fury: wut
