This blog is about seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere, while embracing compassion. In other words, 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.
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, my book previews do not contain spoilers. My goal is merely to seek out interesting and unexpected wisdom and share it with the world.
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.
So what’s that big book about, anyway? That fat book you’ve been reading for months on end—the one with a blue sky and white cloud on the cover—what’s the deal with that? Is it about the sky? I’ve heard of it, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, but before I commit to such an undertaking as to actually attempt to...
Learn a new word, and suddenly you see it everywhere. I ran into more than a few new and strange words in the behemoth I just finished, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. But the one that most jumped out at me was prandial. Prandial and postprandial: relating to a meal and after a meal. Dated to 1820. Usually used...
It’s not just a room (of one’s own) that is needed. We also need room—that is, we need space. Space to think. Space to grow. Space to be. When the traffic is swerving and backed up and blocking you into a lane that feels too narrow . . . When you’ve been trying to make it to the coast, but...
A room of one’s own—this is what every woman writer wants and needs. Notice the many glories of this office environment! Such artistry has gone into the decor! (I do love a room with an open window.) I joke, you protest? Ah, but sometimes the best ideas arise from the worst circumstances; am I wrong? What does your ideal office...
If a book has a forward, introduction, or preface written by someone other than the author, I read it after finishing the book. I don’t want to tarnish my reading experience by learning anything about the contents beforehand. I like to experience the work unadorned so that I can form my own opinions. Also, I hate spoilers. The preface to...
Does a woman writer, in modern times, still need a room of her own, plus enough money to provide her with food, housing, and other necessities? It’s been almost 100 years since Virginia Woolf published her classic book about women and fiction, A Room of One’s Own. Having read it last week, I was astonished by how applicable her thoughts...
I made it to the top! Wow! Look at this lovely vista stretched out before me. The water, the trees, the distant towns, the sky . . . every splash of color is comfortable, serene, and in its rightful place. Ah, what a landscape! What a view! Less metaphorically speaking, I just finished a book. I wrote and wrote, until...
“What’s the clime like where you live?” Has anyone asked you that lately? No? I recently looked up clime in some dictionaries to scout out its deal. Webster’s says clime is the same as climate and dates back to the 14th century . . . a seriously old word. Then I turned to the Online Etymology Dictionary. It notes that...
As they say, “Hello, World!” I read somewhere that your first blog post is bound to be flawed, so you might as well get it over with so you can get on to subsequent posts, which will be much stronger and more interesting. But this blog post isn’t so bad, is it? I mean, really, World, this post isn’t making...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A few weeks ago, a reader of this blog sent me the following message: Hello Liza, I have a longstanding inner dialogue going on about the usefulness of academic humanities like literature, philosophy, and history. I love the humanities and I think they are and will always be extremely important but there are some people who seem to think they...
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:...
