Liza Achilles - Seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere.

What is this blog about?

This blog is about seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere. It's about sharing exciting ideas that can enhance our lives in unexpected ways.

The blog is located here on the Home page. (Scroll down!) New posts come out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (usually). To receive blog posts in your inbox, subscribe to the newsletter.

Here are the categories of posts:

  • BOOK PREVIEWS—I write about wisdom I discovered in books.
  • GUEST POSTS—Guest bloggers write about wisdom they discovered in books.
  • INCIDENTAL MUSINGS—I write about wisdom I discovered elsewhere.
  • NEWS & EVENTS—I share news and events.
  • PHOTOGRAPHY FRIDAY—I feature a beautiful and artistic photo.
  • TALES—The inquisitive one has mythopoetic adventures.

    • A note about the first category: Unlike book reviews, my book previews are not comprehensive. They do not attempt to describe the entire book. Also, they do not contain spoilers. My goal is to seek out interesting and unexpected wisdom and share it with the world.

    SHOW MORE
    SHOW LESS

    What is this website about?

    This website is about me, Liza Achilles, (hi!!) and how I can help you through writing, editing, coaching, events, and general friendly human being stuff.

    If you're curious about who I am and how I got here, check out the BIO page.

    If you're curious about what I've published, what I've not published, and what projects I'm working on now, check out the PUBLICATIONS page.

    If you're seeking professional writing, editing, or coaching assistance, check out the SERVICES page. You can learn about my services and request a free consultation.

    You can learn about past and future poetry readings and other performances and presentations on the EVENTS page.

    If you're mainly here because you want to say hi to the inquisitive one, you can do so on the THE I.O. page.

    But if you want to say hi to me, or leave me a message of any sort, head on over to the CONTACT page.

    And you'll definitely want to subscribe to the newsletter on the SUBSCRIBE page.

    SHOW MORE
    SHOW LESS
    roses on pink paper
    News & Events

    New Published Poetry

    March 16, 2022 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
    Another of my love sonnets has been published. Check out the poem in The Headlight Review: https://www.theheadlightreview.com/poetry/sonnet-114
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    defibrillator sign
    Book Previews

    It was meant to save her. Did it have a sordid past?

    March 14, 2022 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Katherine E. Standefer had a problem. A device implanted in her heart was giving her massive shocks when it wasn’t supposed to. She was due for heart surgery, but she didn’t have health insurance. She was forced to give up the life she had loved as a rugged outdoorswoman, due to a genetic heart condition. But her main problem, above...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    flowers pen letter
    News & Events

    Update on the Memoir and My Health

    March 7, 2022 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Hi Blog Readers, I’m writing to give you an update. My memoir writing is going well. I’m about 5/8 of the way through. I have stopped writing for a bit because I need to reread some books that I read and learned from at crucial points in my life. In the meantime, I may have time to write a few...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    tree in snow -- winter weather
    News & Events

    More Silence

    January 10, 2022 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
    Dear Blog Readers, I’ve been doing some soul searching over the past couple of weeks. What do I want this blog to look like in the new year? I knew I wanted to switch things up, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. So I asked you for feedback—and a big thank you to those who replied. Your replies were...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    toucans
    Incidental Musings

    Is Nother a Word?

    January 5, 2022 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
    I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one. Is nother a word? The answer is YES! Nevertheless, I was surprised to see it in a novel I was recently reading. I have long thought that nother should be a word. I use it in speech regularly. Instead of saying “a whole other,” I tend to say “a...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    fireworks
    News & Events

    New Year, New Blog … and I Want Your Opinions

    January 3, 2022 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Happy New Year!! This is a good time of year to switch things up, and I’m thinking about making some changes to the blog. But first—I want your opinions. A few days ago, I set about to create a survey on SurveyMonkey. But it turned out to be more of a time suck than I had anticipated, it was going...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    tree in snow -- winter weather
    News & Events

    Silence

    December 27, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    The blog is on hiatus this week. Enjoy your week, and stay warm!
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    berries, beverage, and pinecones
    Photography Friday

    Happy Holidays

    December 24, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Photo by Carolyn. California. Portfolio. Welcome to Photography Friday! This is a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful and artistic photo at the end of the week. For me, it is a chance to catch up on some projects I have been wanting to accomplish for a long time, including finding a publisher for my poetry collection and writing...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    Santa pants
    Incidental Musings

    3rd Annual Christmas Rant!!!!

    December 22, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    HOW . . . DEE . . . DOO . . . DAH . . . and welcome your Santa pants to the . . . . . . 3rd Annual Christmas Rant!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it’s been two years since the inaugural Christmas Rant, which was a hoot an’ a half?! Can you believe it’s been a whole year...
    Share:
    Reading time: 2 min
    apartment with lights on at night
    Book Previews

    All the Lights

    December 20, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Of all of Sally Rooney’s novels, her first novel, Conversations With Friends, is the nearest and dearest to my heart. It’s a beautiful story with a surprising conclusion and lots of heartbreak in between. The protagonist is a young college student. This passage, from early in the novel, reveals her life situation in an unusual way: “When I got back...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    Live Colorfully
    Photography Friday

    Jump Right In

    December 17, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Photo by Clay Banks. Roscoe, New York. Portfolio. Welcome to Photography Friday! This is a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful and artistic photo at the end of the week. For me, it is a chance to catch up on some projects I have been wanting to accomplish for a long time, including finding a publisher for my poetry...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    door cracked open leading to red room
    Book Previews

    Walk Through the Door?

    December 15, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Here is one of my favorite passages from Normal People, Sally Rooney’s second novel: “When he talks to Marianne he had a sense of total privacy between them. He could tell her anything about himself, even weird things, and she would never repeat them, he knows that. Being alone with her is like opening a door away from normal life...
    Share:
    Reading time: 2 min
    filmstrip
    Book Previews

    The Discontinuous Present

    December 13, 2021 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
    It’s hard not to notice that the pace of media has been increasing over our lifetimes. Does anyone out there remember when the news came at certain designated times of day, and could not be accessed at any other time? TV news had certain timeslots. Newspapers came out one a day, or once a week. Internet was not a thing....
    Share:
    Reading time: 2 min
    graffiti with broken bicycle
    Photography Friday

    Graffiti With Broken Bicycle

    December 10, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Photo by Bekky Bekks. Berlin. Portfolio. Welcome to Photography Friday! This is a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful and artistic photo at the end of the week. For me, it is a chance to catch up on some projects I have been wanting to accomplish for a long time, including finding a publisher for my poetry collection and...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    woman in cafe or restaurant looking at phone with sea beyond window
    Book Previews

    New Favorite Author Alert!

    December 8, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    OMG, OMG, OMG. Everyone is talking about the Irish novelist Sally Rooney, . . . and now so am I. I got caught in her web and could not stop reading. I read all three of her novels in a tear, and I loved each one to pieces. Reading Sally Rooney makes me feel like a girl again, eagerly clutching...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    ballerina doing the splits
    Book Previews

    Acrobatics

    December 6, 2021 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
    When I think of ballet, I think of fit people performing incredible feats of strength and flexibility. For instance, I think of people doing the splits, walking on their toes, and spinning around and around. I also think of grace, exactness, and delicacy. I generally do not think of this: “At the end of Opus Jazz I get tossed off...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    lava hitting ocean in Hawaii
    Photography Friday

    Hawaiian Lava Hitting the Ocean

    December 3, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Photo by Buzz Andersen. New York City. Portfolio. Welcome to Photography Friday! This is a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful and artistic photo at the end of the week. For me, it is a chance to catch up on some projects I have been wanting to accomplish for a long time, including finding a publisher for my poetry...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    dancer silhouette
    Book Previews

    The Dancer’s Body

    December 1, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    I was deeply disturbed by one theme that ran throughout the memoir Swan Dive, by Georgina Pazcoguin. I was so disturbed that I had to talk it over with a friend just to get my bearings; and I debated whether or not to feature the book on this blog at all. Ultimately I decided to feature the book because (1)...
    Share:
    Reading time: 3 min
    ballerina
    Book Previews

    Yearning for Movement

    November 29, 2021 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
    She’s a dancer, and, by definition, she moves. All day. Every day. She’s a classically trained and highly experienced ballerina who auditions for the musical CATS . . . and gets the part. She’s that good of a dancer: she’s versatile enough to dance at the highest levels in many different styles. And then, the performers of CATS are required...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    turkeys
    Photography Friday

    Gobble, Gobble

    November 26, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Photo by Tyler Donaghy. New York City. Portfolio. Welcome to Photography Friday! This is a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful and artistic photo at the end of the week. For me, it is a chance to catch up on some projects I have been wanting to accomplish for a long time, including finding a publisher for my poetry...
    Share:
    Reading time: 1 min
    windmills in Consuegra Spain
    Book Previews

    Don Quixote: What’s the Best Translation?

    February 10, 2021 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
    I have read the masterpiece Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, twice in my life. The two experiences were quite different. This was in large part due to the fact that I read two very different translations of the book. Don Quixote Reading #1: Bargain-Bin Translation The first time, I was in my early 30s. I had picked up the...
    Share:
    Reading time: 4 min
    three monkeys in India
    Incidental Musings

    Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

    November 4, 2020 by Liza Achilles 10 Comments
    I recently met a guy who disclosed to me that his personal motto is “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” Despite this expression having been popular for a number of years—it’s all over the Internet—I did not remember hearing it before. But I instantly took to it. What lovely imagery. And what lovely meaning: so metaphorical, yet so obvious. At...
    Share:
    Reading time: 4 min
    Baker Street - London Underground - London Tube
    Incidental Musings

    Mind the Gap: British Slang in an American Mind

    May 22, 2019 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
    Mind the gap! This I will do. Yes, sir; yes, ma’am! It would be a shame to drop a personal item between the platform and the train—or, God forbid, a body part. I am finding that the gaps here in London are more irregular than in Washington, D.C., and truly do require some minding. Sometimes the train is flush with...
    Share:
    Reading time: 4 min
    tall stack of chocolate bars . . . to eat in moderation
    Incidental Musings

    Everything in Moderation, Including Moderation

    April 22, 2019 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Everything in moderation, including moderation. Heard that before? Now you have, in any case. Feel free to attribute that quote to me. After all, I wrote it. (Look above, if you don’t believe me.) Take it and run with it, Internet! Origin of the Quote Oh, so you require more persuasion before quoting me on that? You wish to know...
    Share:
    Reading time: 3 min
    A difficult book to read may be a book worth reading - published in Bologna, 1694
    Incidental Musings

    How to Read a Difficult Book

    April 10, 2019 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    Humor me for a moment, and mentally discard all those books that are, in your opinion, page-turners. Any reads that you find to be quick, easy, fun, fascinating, lovely, exciting, or otherwise engrossing are irrelevant to this discussion. Next, add to that discard pile all those books that lack redeeming qualities, as far as you can tell. You’ve read a...
    Share:
    Reading time: 7 min
    Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker shoe
    Book Previews

    The Comfort of Your Clothing

    January 20, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
    I got into a minor Facebook spat with a friend. I had posted an image of Kamala Harris wearing the Converse sneakers she has become famous for wearing. And I wrote that I was excited about this clothing choice by a woman at the top levels of government. My friend objected. She said, why are people commenting on a female...
    Share:
    Reading time: 3 min
    sending an email for the purpose of business communications can result in if vs whether grammar pitfalls
    Incidental Musings

    If vs Whether: Grammar at Work

    February 20, 2019 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
    The following is a true story about if vs whether grammar pitfalls that can happen in business communications. The First Email A few weeks ago, one of the leaders of the company I work for sent all employees an email announcing an upcoming company event and listing possible dates on which it might be held. The leader also wrote this:...
    Share:
    Reading time: 4 min
    purple woman in room
    Incidental Musings

    A Young Woman With Spiky Purple Hair

    December 18, 2019 by Liza Achilles 12 Comments
    One A tall, paunchy man stood next to the wall. No one could see him, except for me. I was afraid of him. I tried to stuff him into a large trunk and close the lid. The lid would not completely close. I was afraid, knowing he would emerge again. Later, I was in a bedroom packed with people. The...
    Share:
    Reading time: 6 min
    Load more posts
    Page 1 of 2312341020...Last »

    Search this blog

    Posts by category

    Books previewed

    Lightning Flowers Katherine E. Standefer
    Beautiful World, Where Are You / Normal People / Conversations With Friends Sally Rooney
    Swan Dive Georgina Pazcoguin
    A Passage North Anuk Arudpragasam
    Lucky Jim Kingsley Amis
    Projections Karl Deisseroth
    The Indian Lawyer James Welch
    Atomic Habits James Clear
    The History of Philosophy A. C. Grayling
    Dusk, Night, Dawn Anne Lamott
    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick
    Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson
    Change Damon Centola
    Homeland Elegies Ayad Akhtar
    Becoming Attached Robert Karen
    Piranesi Susanna Clarke
    Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
    Solitary Albert Woodfox
    Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo
    Enlightenment by Trial and Error Jay Michaelson
    Death in Her Hands Ottessa Moshfegh
    The Cooking Gene Michael W. Twitty
    The First Bad Man Miranda July
    Upheaval Jared Diamond
    A Journal of the Plague Year Daniel Defoe
    Creatures Crissy Van Meter
    Indelicacy Amina Cain
    Say What You Mean Oren Jay Sofer
    Habits of a Happy Brain Loretta Graziano Breuning
    Bad Behavior, This Is Pleasure Mary Gaitskill
    The Brother Gardeners Andrea Wulf
    Severance Ling Ma
    How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi
    The Museum of Modern Love Heather Rose
    Why I Write George Orwell
    The Woman Destroyed Simone de Beauvoir
    Educated Tara Westover
    The Gift Hafiz
    The Collected Schizophrenias Esmé Weijun Wang
    Your Duck Is My Duck Deborah Eisenberg
    Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari
    Milkman Anna Burns
    Under the Banner of Heaven Jon Krakauer
    Waiting for Bojangles Olivier Bourdeaut
    A Mind Unraveled Kurt Eichenwald
    Eugénie Grandet Honoré de Balzac
    The Body Keeps the Score Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
    The Bookshop Penelope Fitzgerald
    Digital Minimalism Cal Newport
    The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt
    Dare to Lead Brené Brown
    My Year of Rest and Relaxation Ottessa Moshfegh
    Almost Everything Anne Lamott
    Born to Run Christopher McDougall, Bruce Springsteen
    The Ladies’ Paradise Émile Zola
    The World Beyond Your Head Matthew B. Crawford
    All the Birds, Singing Evie Wyld
    Barracoon Zora Neale Hurston
    Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury
    JavaScript & jQuery Jon Duckett
    Home Fire Kamila Shamsie
    The Weather Detective Peter Wohlleben
    Play It As It Lays Joan Didion
    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Mark Manson
    Convenience Store Woman Sayaka Murata
    Perfect Me Heather Widdows
    Sorry to Disrupt the Peace Patty Yumi Cottrell
    Why Buddhism Is True Robert Wright
    What Is Real? Adam Becker
    Kudos Rachel Cusk
    The Days of Abandonment Elena Ferrante
    F*cked Corinne Fisher & Krystyna Hutchinson
    Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine Alan Lightman
    Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys
    Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace
    A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf

    SHOW MORE
    SHOW LESS

    Get the newsletter

    art of colorful tree with hearts
     
    This blog is about seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere. Subscribe to engage with some of the greatest books and ideas of the present and past.
    (I invite you to view the Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.)
    art of colorful tree with hearts

    Most frequent tags

    anxiety art blogs books bookstores brains children comedy communication concussions coronavirus dating doctors drugs family fear food Fridays friends health history Internet love mental health music novels philosophy phones photography poetry politics psychology reading running science self sociality society the inquisitive one truth wisdom women work writers writing

    Posts by month

    Top 10 Wisdom Quotes From Books Published Since 2015

    Wisdom Quotes Mini Poster - all 3 - image for popup

    Available in 3 colors!

    Receive a free mini poster when you subscribe to the newsletter about seeking wisdom!

    Top 10 Wisdom Quotes From Books Published Since 2015

    Wisdom Quotes Mini Poster - all 3 - image for popup
    Available in 3 colors!

    Receive a free mini poster when you subscribe to the newsletter about seeking wisdom!