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Laura Bird

About Laura Bird

Laura, who’s an ardent reader and debut middle-grade author, loves literary fiction, memoirs, essay collections—and helping people find their perfect book.

2 Novelists, 6 Books, and How to Get Through 2020

An Interview with Steven Rowley and Byron Lane By Laura Anne Bird Despite sheltering at home in Palm Springs, CA for most of 2020, Steven Rowley and Byron Lane have had a very eventful year. Rowley’s second novel, The Editor, was released in paperback in June, and Lane’s debut novel, A Star Is Bored, was published in July. But even more: “We got engaged when Byron proposed to me in the acknowledgements of his book,” says Rowley. (Their rescue terrier, Tilda, was especially excited about the news.) Rowley and Lane’s sheltering-in-place hasn’t been all warm fuzzies, though. In April, Lane—who [...]

2022-04-12T10:08:31-07:00October 1st, 2020|

Novels For Lovers of Nonfiction

A friend reached out to me recently, asking for book recommendations. Here’s the kick: he always reads nonfiction, but he wanted some fiction to help him survive the quarantine. “I need a good escape,” he said. “Something with a plot that will suck me in.” People who have read “maybe three novels in the past 20 years” are an enigma to me, but I jumped at the chance to help him out. The list I curated in his honor consists of titles that are gripping and no-nonsense. Many are centered on historical events, which adds to their depth and ruggedness. [...]

2023-07-14T13:37:51-07:00May 8th, 2020|

Mini Memoirs That Confront the Uncomfortable

I love memoirs. I love that writers of memoirs are courageous enough to offer a glimpse of what goes on in their minds—how they approach the world, how they navigate their sorrows, how they scrape together the fortitude to manage life’s mundane and tragic moments. My favorite memoirs tend to be shorter, while still packing a huge punch. They are vulnerable, smart and plucky—and not one word is wasted. Barely 200 pages in length, each of these memoirs can be read in one sitting if you’ve got the inclination. They are unflinching, so grab a fortifying beverage and a fuzzy [...]

2019-10-13T09:23:46-07:00October 13th, 2019|
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