Category Archives: Exactly What I Wanted

I have to read that!

Posted on November 25, 2012 by

              In a discussion recently, someone asked, “What story element gets you to open the book every time you see it?” My first response was, “Only one?”


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Good books are portals wherever we find them

Posted on October 28, 2012 by

            A recent discussion of portal fantasy hosted by Rachel Manija Brown was centered around a panel at Sirens, on which a group of agents maintained that nobody in New York publishing was buying portal … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted, fantasy, kid's books, Publishing, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments

Comfort Reads

Posted on June 24, 2012 by

          “Oh, that’s my comfort read!” I think it’s safe to say that everybody knows what is meant—the books we turn to for rereads, always knowing exactly what we’ll get. The anticipation of the expected comfort—the … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted | Tagged , , , | 64 Comments

Romantic Suspense

Posted on January 8, 2012 by

by Sherwood Smith I was barely thirteen when I first read Mary Stewart’s Madam Will You Talk. It set the bar high for romantic suspense for me—and all these years later, it still works. It’s got what for me is … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted, romance | Tagged , , , , | 42 Comments

Hilary McKay and feel-good books

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

by Sherwood Smith For me, what better way to start off a fresh year than by talking about feel good things? In this case, books. There is a new Hilary McKay coming out in March for USAn readers. I have … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted, kid's books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Star Wars, Dave Trowbridge, and the Zing! of inspiration

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

by Sherwood Smith I want to talk about Book View Café’s newest member. It’s the summer of 1977. The buzz along our apartment building in Hollywood is that Star Wars is better than it sounds. I’m thinking, gheck. Except for … Continue reading →


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Posted in Book View Cafe, Culture, Exactly What I Wanted, Film, science fiction, space opera, Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

The Freedom Maze, and the snap of the real

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

by Sherwood Smith Verisimilitude—authenticity—authority. Plausibility and credibility. Truth.


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Posted in Books and Reading, Culture, Exactly What I Wanted, fantasy, historical novels, History, kid's books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Writing for Kids

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

by Sherwood Smith Every so often discussions rise about writing for kids, sometimes after yet another celebrity who has never written anything, and doesn’t seem familiar with children’s literature, can’t resist trying their hand–and more often than not, bombing totally. … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Exactly What I Wanted, kid's books, Publishing | Tagged , , , , | 51 Comments

Exactly What I Wanted: Books to Recuperate By

Posted on January 26, 2010 by

Blessings on these authors whose books brightened my all-too-long convalescence from the flu!


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Exactly What I Wanted: Julia Child!

Posted on January 21, 2010 by

I didn’t grow up in a Julia Child household.  James Beard and Craig Claiborne were the household gods of cookery at my house (my mother, a woman of unaccountable prejudices, disapproved of The Joy of Cooking too…)  I never felt … Continue reading →


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Posted in Exactly What I Wanted | Tagged | 6 Comments