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Liza Achilles - Literary/Autobiographical Author. The Blog for the Discerning Reader.

Literary / Autobiographical Author

♡ Books to make you laugh, hope & ponder ♡


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News & Events

Enter the Contest – Everyone’s a Winner!

March 1, 2019 by Liza Achilles No Comments
I’m excited to announce the second contest of this blog! Enter by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 15 to win exciting prizes! As many of you know, I have spent the past 15 years writing, editing, and polishing two books, and I’d love to get them published. But I need your help. One of the best ways you can help...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Loses a Chunk of Thumb

February 25, 2019 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
The inquisitive one dug some sunchokes out of the ground, washed the dirt off, and placed them on a cutting board. Well, you can guess the rest of the story.
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Calls Me

February 4, 2019 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
My phone rang, and “The Inquisitive One” appeared on the screen. “Hey you!” I said, upon answering. “Hey Liza!” said the inquisitive one. “I’m calling because I’m concerned about something, and I want to discuss it with you. Do you know?—people keep saying you and I are the same person!” “Oh, well, it happens,” I said. “Honestly, I’m flattered when...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Visits the Town Square

January 23, 2019 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
Around noon on Tuesday, having nothing better to do, the inquisitive one drove to the little skating rink in the town square and parked in the garage. After gathering up the hockey skates in the back seat, the inquisitive one walked to the rink. But the skating rink, the inquisitive one saw, was packed with people! Some were racing one...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Revises the Resolution

January 11, 2019 by Liza Achilles 3 Comments
On New Year’s Day, the inquisitive one sat down with a brand new pad of paper and brand new pen, both received as gifts the previous month. The inquisitive one thought very seriously for a few minutes, biting softly on a thumb. Then suddenly, the inquisitive one removed the thumb from the mouth, picked up the pen, and wrote a...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Takes a DNA Test

December 28, 2018 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
The inquisitive one, having taken a DNA test some weeks back, received an email saying that the results were in! Recalling that day, so long ago, when saliva had been spit into a little test tube and mailed off, the inquisitive one logged on to the ancestry website. However, once logged on, the inquisitive one encountered some odd and disturbing...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Feels Sick

December 7, 2018 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
After sharing some quality time with the toilet, the inquisitive one lay down in bed. It was then that the light from the window started to very badly bother the inquisitive one. Many clouds—the inquisitive one knew, having been outside earlier—were covering the sky over. The clouds were like an unfinished quilt, not yet sewn together and tossed haphazardly on...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Falls Into a Hole

November 23, 2018 by Liza Achilles 10 Comments
It was 4am, and the inquisitive one was walking in the darkness and looking up at the stars. The inquisitive one had been inspired to do such a thing as a result of having just read the very short poem When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman. But then suddenly, while looking up at the stars, the inquisitive...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Runs With a Friend

November 14, 2018 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
The inquisitive one attended a few runner’s club events and became friends with another runner. They decided to meet, on the following Sunday, at a trailhead and run south along the stream together. “I grew pumpkins this year,” said the inquisitive one, between breaths while running. “I grew two kinds of pumpkins, one kind to carve and another kind to...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Waits for a Message

November 2, 2018 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
The inquisitive one was expecting a message. Surely the message would arrive today. Most likely, the message would come via email or text. It was possible that it would come through Facebook or Twitter. WhatsApp was a distinct possibility. Then again, it could be an actual phone call. It could conceivably come through TrilliSilli, DeAppinessApp, or Appavader Rex—though these channels...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Babysits the Nephew and Niece

October 24, 2018 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
The inquisitive one went to the apartment and said goodbye to the parents. The door clicked shut, whereupon the niece started bawling, upset about being left behind. The nephew started hurling multicolored toys up so high that they hit the popcorn ceiling, whereupon asbestos dust rained down on him. “Hey kids, do you want to go to the playground?” asked...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Goes on a Date

October 12, 2018 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
The inquisitive one exchanged a few messages with someone cute on a dating app. The person’s profile mentioned art collecting; co-ed, pick-up soccer; and creating sculptures out of acorns, old car parts, and toenail clippings. They decided to meet at a bar in the city, the next day after work. The inquisitive one arrived at the bar and sat on...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Encounters a Dog Dressed Like Yoda

September 19, 2018 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
The inquisitive one was running on a forest path. The path took a sharp turn. So the inquisitive one also took a sharp turn. And then suddenly, the inquisitive one encountered, standing directly in the path, a dog dressed like Yoda! A blanket, with pink and gray plaid stripes, had been wrapped exquisitely around the dog, who seemed to be...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Finishes Working in the Garden

August 29, 2018 by Liza Achilles No Comments
It was during one of those summer days when it’s hot before dawn, hot at the breaking of dawn, hot the entire day long, hot at dusk, and hot despite the coming of darkness—that the inquisitive one was working in the garden. The sun was shining, and the inquisitive one was super hot. The inquisitive one’s neck was dripping, and...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Comes to Two Forks in the Road

August 17, 2018 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
The inquisitive one was on a long nature walk and became very thirsty and hungry. It was then that the inquisitive one came to two forks in the road. To the left, the road widened to a more-traveled, gravelly way that went past some old Victorian houses and out to a street. In the distance, the inquisitive one saw florescent...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Talks With the Boss

August 6, 2018 by Liza Achilles 8 Comments
The boss said to the inquisitive one, “How’s it going with the thingamajig project? Will the thingamajig you’ve been working on be complete by Thursday?” “The thingamajig project is going great,” replied the inquisitive one. “Yes, I will have the thingamajig ready for you by Thursday.” “Great,” said the boss. “The thingamajig is very important.” “I agree with you about...
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Hi! I’m Liza

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About this blog

THE BLOG FOR THE DISCERNING READER: This blog will feed your mind and soul, plus the soles of your feet, if you're ticklish there. Read previews of intellectually and artistically great books, as well as insights on living life well, always with sprinkles of humor.

Categories of posts

  • Author Interviews (7)
  • Book Previews (349)
  • Guest Posts (8)
  • Incidental Musings (158)
  • News & Events (70)
  • Tales (82)

Featured books


candlestick with lit candle on round table with books in living roomNote that the link for the most recently added book(s) will not work until I have published the corresponding blog post.

Joyride Susan Orlean
Vigil George Saunders
When Nothing Feels Real Nathan Dunne
Just Love Me for Who I Am James Styers
The Glory of Giving Everything Crystal Haryanto
Strange Houses Uketsu
On the Calculation of Volume II Solvej Balle
The Literati Susan Coll
Bring the House Down Charlotte Runcie
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain George Saunders
Intimacies Katie Kitamura
On the Calculation of Volume I Solvej Balle
Hunchback Saou Ichikawa
Pop! Mark Polanzak
Dreaming Reality Steven Jay Lynn & Vladimir Miskovic
Audition Katie Kitamura
Free Amanda Knox
The Pleasure Plan Laura Zam
Shakespeare’s Sisters Ramie Targoff
Unshrunk Laura Delano
The Vegetarian Han Kang
Viable Chloe Yelena Miller
Animal Liberation Now Peter Singer
A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara
Ghost Pains Jessi Jezewska Stevens
Hope for Cynics Jamil Zaki
Midnight in Chernobyl Adam Higginbotham
Cork Dork Bianca Bosker
The Scent of Bright Light Jean K. Dudek
Rejection Tony Tulathimutte
Intermezzo Sally Rooney
Do I Know You? Sadie Dingfelder
James Percival Everett
There Is No Ethan Anna Akbari
The Other Significant Others Rhaina Cohen
Slow Productivity Cal Newport
Blue Ruin Hari Kunzru
Get the Picture Bianca Bosker
Lawn Boy Jonathan Evison
Congratulations, The Best Is Over! R. Eric Thomas
Kairos Jenny Erpenbeck
Exhibit R.O. Kwon
All Fours Miranda July
The Year of Living Constitutionally A.J. Jacobs
Ghosted Jana Eisenstein
Disease Of Kings Anders Carlson-Wee
Why We’re Polarized Ezra Klein
Molly Blake Butler
The Big Bang of Numbers Manil Suri
Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow Steve Almond
Doppelganger Naomi Klein
King Jonathan Eig
The Rachel Incident Caroline O’Donoghue
The End of Loneliness Benedict Wells
Poverty, by America Matthew Desmond
The Trees Percival Everett
The Great Experiment Yascha Mounk
Study for Obedience Sarah Bernstein
Some People Need Killing Patricia Evangelista
The Words That Remain Stênio Gardel
Pageboy Elliot Page
Post-Traumatic Chantal V. Johnson
Stuart: A Life Backwards Alexander Masters
The Girls / The Guest Emma Cline
Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs Kerry Howley
The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Gogol
I’m Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy
Unlearn Your Pain Howard Schubiner with Michael Betzold
The Way Out Alan Gordon with Alon Ziv
The Best Minds Jonathan Rosen
Monsters Claire Dederer
Spare Prince Harry
As I Lay Dying William Faulkner
Rebuilt Michael Chorost
Losing Music John Cotter
Kokoro Natsume Sōseki
Party Going / Living / Loving Henry Green
Chatter Ethan Kross
Tender Is the Night F. Scott Fitzgerald
Stay True Hua Hsu
The Invisible Kingdom Meghan O’Rourke
How to Be Perfect Michael Schur
Orfeo Richard Powers
Unwinding Anxiety Judson Brewer
The Confidence Men Margalit Fox
Liberation Day George Saunders
Pandora’s Jar Natalie Haynes
Night of the Living Rez Morgan Talty
The Journalist and the Murderer Janet Malcolm
Mislaid Nell Zink
Exercised Daniel E. Lieberman
Lapvona Ottessa Moshfegh
Empire of Pain Patrick Radden Keefe
Furious Hours Casey Cep
First Person Singular Haruki Murakami
Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro
Dead Souls Sam Riviere
The Pale King David Foster Wallace
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

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Intellectually great nonfiction. Artistically great fiction and poetry. Get the inside scoop on the best 21st-century books!
 
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