I Don't Know Exactly How Long The

I Judged About A Zillion Awards This Year So Ive Been Reading A Lot Of Books That Just Came Out.

I Am In Boston Right Now, In Fact, To Do Work At The New England Historical Genealogical Library, Where I'm Trying To Finish Up Tracing My Lineage Back To The Seventeenth Century.

In General, Each Form Is A Relief From The Other Forms. I Can't Write A Novel After A Novel. I Just Use Up All The Material Each Time, And I Need To Rest.

The Great Recession Is Not Imaginary, And The Effects Loom Large. There Was An Article In The Nyt About The Galloping Death Rate Among White Men In Middle Age. Higher Than Among Any Other Demographic, Etc. Mostly Death By Drugs, Alcohol, Or Suicide. Many Of Them Rural. My Feeling Is That It's Many People Who Haven't Been Able To Get Back Into The Work Force. Reg Morse Is An Example Of The Problem.

If I'm Going To Feel Estranged And Alienated And Away From Home I Don't Want Anyone Interrupting It To Debate Which Berries To Have In Their Pancakes.