In the spirit of the anthology, we’ve decided to tailor our annual “best of” list to the sections in the book.
I can’t be the only one who wanted to know others’ thoughts about them. The stories locked away, whatever they are, waiting to be told.
…using an old atlas to navigate new roads.
Whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind goes to empty and distant places.
The road to the Two Hearted River is not an easy one.
Every day since then, when I wake, the first thing I experience is that ringing.
This Christmas eve, I feel responsible.
I never identified with Scrooge until this Christmas. It’s so easy to be Scrooge.
Can you imagine how ridiculous a whip and fedora would look paired with elbow patches? The jacket lays the foundation of the transformation.
“Just for the sake of the simulation. I need to enter an end point. How long do you plan on living?”
I don’t know how long I do this, but I have begun making a map in my head of the curves and turns in the wall.
If this is grace, it’s as lovely as it is disconcerting. It takes the very ugliest of us and says, “I can work with this. Child, I can work with you.”
Two important facts: first, there are two doors leading into this bathroom, one from the hallway and one from my housemate’s bedroom. Second, a deadbolt on the bathroom-hallway door allows it to be locked from the inside.
Vienna is a bizarre place to spend Advent because, as Billy Joel reminds us, it’s a city more accustomed to waiting than arriving.
When I’m confused, I need the motions. I need to plant the mustard seeds. Watch them grow, and even watch them die.
Lights shine along Seattle’s hills, illuminating all the homes where everyone no one knows eats, sleeps, listens, and loves.
So there you have it: my NYC role models. Here’s hoping I learn from their mistakes and also make some non-fictional friends ASAP.
It’s a typically bustling city now silent and eerie, “Jingle Bell Rock” echoing forlornly down the avenues.
I can’t be the only woman who read his post and thought, “You’re kidding, right?” I can’t be the only woman who read his post searching for the punchline.
But Nathan was right. I can’t plan for the apocalypse. I can only do what I believe to be useful and good now. I can only do what is in front of me.
When is the last time
You knew what you wanted?
Kids are insanely gullible. They will believe literally anything you tell them.
What do you mix with eggnog? What is a good Christmas gift for someone you are only casually dating?
I would wear my long underwear for the rest of the day, feeling like a fur trapping Superman throughout econ, band, English, and calculus.
I have used my extensive knowledge of the genre to rank them in order based on the covers and (occasionally) cover copy.
Whatever he has been, Dylan always returns to his humanity, and the fact that he’s simply an artist doing his thing.
Take two balls of dough out from the fridge. Roll out both on the kitchen counter. Don’t bother trying to form a perfect circle, only God could manage that.
To name without claiming full understanding and possession is to adopt an attitude of humility, subscribing to mystery over mastery.
I had always prided myself on writing and speaking well, and suddenly I was handed different tools to use; they felt cumbersome and did not fit well in my hands.
