A blog about New York City, my books, and my cats. Mostly.
The other day I was trying to decide where to sit and read. I went with the River. That reminds me, I have questions about the currents in the East River and I was wondering who to ask. The Coast Guard? I will start there. I mean yes, I’ll google it too, but come on, contacting the Coast Guard is more fun.
My view of the river while reading. Beautiful boat. Ship. Whatever you’re supposed to call it.
Be still my heart. I’ve just started reading the first of a group of books I plan to read for inspiration. Not because they have information that I need, but because they cover the time and place I’m writing about in a way that I hope will help me. The danger is that they are so well-written they might crush my tender-writer feelings.
First up, The Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow. Holy mother of God could this man write. I would be crushed, by the way, if I wasn’t enjoying it so much. And it’s doing exactly what I hoped, it’s giving me ideas. After this it’s on to The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, and I’m thinking I might also need to read The House of Mirth.
If you have favorite novels about 19th century New York City I’d love suggestions for more to read! Thank you in advance!
Clouds across the street from my apartment. I wanted UFOs to start pouring out of them, like they do in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
I have a ton of reading to do but I need to get out of the house. I have three places I like to read: by the Hudson River, the northwest corner of Washington Square Park, or Central Park. Which shall it be?
Seen at a construction site on West 4th Street.
I have so much to read and process before beginning the next chapter of my book I’m freaking out. I made a list so I can cross things off as I go along. I’ve found having a big piece of paper with each thing written on it in great big letters with a Sharpie that I can cross off is calming.
Last week I was freaking out about all the reading I had to gather. I was going out of my mind there was so much and now, miraculously that part is done. Try to remember that, try to remember that. A week or two from now and this part will be done.
More musicians in the subway. This is probably a cello, right? I must get a violin or a viola next.
In a little while I’ll be heading out to the New York Public Library. Yesterday I was at the Municipal Archives, and on Monday I was exploring the archives of the New York Academy of Medicine. Sheer heaven.
AND, I live in a city with a lot of music and there’s always someone carrying one instrument or another (but this what I am assuming is a double bass is quite impressive, no??). Life is good.
