Liza Achilles - Seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere.
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Bio
Publications
Events
The I.O.
Contact
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Liza Achilles - Seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere.

Seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere.

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Publications
  • Events
  • The I.O.
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
the inquisitive one
Tales

The Inquisitive One Learns a New Term

June 23, 2023 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
The boss called the inquisitive one. “Good morning,” said the boss. “I have important news to share with you. Starting in August, you will be required to come to the company office two days a week. One of those days must be Tuesday. You can choose the other day. You can also choose to come in more than two days...
the inquisitive one
Tales

The Inquisitive One Acts

April 14, 2023 by Liza Achilles No Comments
“Caffeine is bad for you,” said the doctor to the inquisitive one. “Do not drink it.” “Loud colors are obnoxious in clothing,” said the friend to the inquisitive one. “Wear black.” “Running is bad for you,” said the neighbor to the inquisitive one. “You will end up hurting yourself more than helping yourself.” “Work on this soul-sucking project,” said the...
the inquisitive one
Tales

The Inquisitive One Writes a Poem

March 22, 2023 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
The inquisitive one sat down and wrote a poem. It went like this: !!!!!!!!!??????,,,,,,, ,,,,,,???????!!!!!!!!! !!!!,,,,?,,,,,!!!!,,,? ??????,,!,!,!,!,!,!!!! Satisfied, the inquisitive one smiled and went out for a run. The next day, the i.o. reread the poem and frowned. It was not quite right. So the i.o. edited the poem. It now went like this: !……..??????,,,,, ,,,,???????……..! !…,,,,?,,,!!!!,,,? ??????,,.,…,.,!!!! Satisfied, the...
stacks of books in a stairwell
Incidental Musings

How Many Books Do You Read at Once?

March 10, 2023 by Liza Achilles No Comments
In a work team-building activity at a previous job, all of us employees were standing in the middle of a room. The leader of the activity said, if you read only one book at a time, stand in this corner of the room. If you read multiple books at a time, stand in that corner of the room. The employees...
marathon winner
Incidental Musings

Hard Work and Luck

August 12, 2022 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
“Luck is such an interesting concept. Personally, I think you have to work very hard to be lucky. But even then you have to be lucky.” —Betsy Lerner, from her blog post You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are Boy In other words, you can have hard work without luck, but you can’t have luck without hard work. You can...
sun hanging low over field
Book Previews

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

July 11, 2022 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
Klara is a robot with sophisticated artificial intelligence. The sun is the sun: beautiful, replenishing, worthy of worship. Kazuo Ishiguro is a master storyteller most famous for his brilliant novel The Remains of the Day (1989), which has many similarities to Klara and the Sun (2021). In both novels, written an astonishing 32 years apart, the protagonist is wholeheartedly dedicated...
dawn with a tree and boats and water
Book Previews

Listening Harder

September 1, 2021 by Liza Achilles No Comments
This one is very important and very beautiful. Here is an interesting paragraph, plopped seemingly on a random page, in the book Dusk, Night, Dawn by Anne Lamott: “My friends are the low note that hold me. Love is the whisper of wire drum-brushes. And while everyone has to make a living and show up for family, listening is optional:...
karaoke neon sign in Texas
Incidental Musings

Carved My Name Into His Leather Seats

April 7, 2021 by Liza Achilles 3 Comments
Our culture is so weird. I was listening to the radio, and the DJ, in a peppy voice, said something like, “This is such-and-such station, and here’s some music for your workday!” Immediately thereafter, they played a song about a woman who gets so pissed at her philandering boyfriend that she goes psychopath on his swanky, upscale vehicle—totally destroys the...
pine tree snow winter scene
News & Events

Liza Needs a Holiday Break

December 25, 2020 by Liza Achilles No Comments
Hi, Blog Readers! As always, thanks for reading my little blog posts. Thanks, also, for reading those of my blog posts that aren’t so little. Much appreciated. I’m feeling the need for a break, so I’ll be in absentia next week. (Patrons will continue to hear from me as usual.) It will be a little holiday break for me. And...
two people almost connecting
Book Previews

How to Forge a Human Connection Remotely

March 20, 2020 by Liza Achilles No Comments
We’re doing the social distancing thing, due to the coronavirus. It feels strange and awkward and new and unprecedented and scary and confusing. But there is great precedent! We are currently engaged in a vast social experiment: can we continue to work and earn a living, keep up friendships and make new friends, date and experience romance, and obtain the...
the river so calm and clear
Incidental Musings

The River So Calm and Clear

January 6, 2020 by Liza Achilles No Comments
I have never seen the river so calm and clear. I had to take a picture. Maybe it will inspire a blog post? A reader of this blog recently sent me this message and photo. Yes, inspired! Let’s take time to appreciate the aspects of our lives that are calm and clear. Further, let’s strive to bring calmness and clarity...
head hurts due to a concussion - woman with hand on forehead at table with mug
Incidental Musings

How to Get a Concussion

December 30, 2019 by Liza Achilles 8 Comments
When I share with people that I am recovering from a concussion, the first thing they generally do is offer condolences. The second thing they do is express curiosity. How did I get it?! (Here’s how, if you are feeling a sudden bout of curiosity.) The third thing they do is tell me a story about how they, or someone...
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...
the inquisitive one
Tales

The Inquisitive One Completes the V.I.T. Just in Time

September 11, 2019 by Liza Achilles 4 Comments
There was a Very Important Task (V.I.T.) that had to be completed by 8am on Wednesday morning. And only the inquisitive one could do it. The inquisitive one was up for the job! The inquisitive one was a trooper! However, the truth is, the inquisitive one had been experiencing some health issues over the past week and a half. (Quite...
Yoda dog blanketed in a forest
Tales

The Inquisitive One Has to Work

May 3, 2019 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments
The boss assigned the inquisitive one a particularly large project, with a particularly short deadline. One of the inquisitive one’s neighbors was an artist. The artist called up through the inquisitive one’s open window: “Take the afternoon off! Let’s go to this new art exhibit I just heard about!” “Go away!” yelled the inquisitive one. “I have to work!” Another...
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:...
skeleton thinker
Incidental Musings

Medical Mysteries (Part 2)

December 26, 2018 by Liza Achilles 7 Comments
I was stumped by yet another medical mystery. I have been plagued by migraine headaches for my whole life. My triggers include too much sunlight or sunlight from certain angles; overheating; too much alcohol; dehydration; not enough sleep; too much jostling while traveling by car, bus, train, plane, boat, roller coaster, horse and buggy, etc.; jostling from too much coughing;...
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...
daisies or rainbows
Book Previews

Daisies or Rainbows

September 24, 2018 by Liza Achilles 6 Comments
Which of these photos, in your opinion, best represents happiness? The daisies or the rainbows? Okay, I admit it—this is a trick question (and a silly one, at that). According to Mark Manson in his book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, neither is a good representation of happiness. Why not? “Because happiness requires struggle. It grows from...
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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  • Book Previews (288)
  • Guest Posts (3)
  • Incidental Musings (141)
  • News & Events (55)
  • Tales (72)

Books previewed

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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