The Shape of Today

On the nightstand--July 2025

"On the Nightstand" used to be the name of one of those little sidebar features from the Sunday newspaper my dad took when we lived Hagerstown, MD. I don't remember which paper, but I remember learning of The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley from it and checking it out from my local library as a result. I don't recall whether I liked the book or even finished it (hey, I was a teenager, cut me some slack), but it was about that time I realized that reading is both fun and fundamental.

Anyway, "On the Nightstand" is the name I will give to entries like these, where I chat a bit about whatever I'm reading. Writing about the work of other writers should give me the impetus to kick-start my own writing, I'm hoping.

So what am I reading now? A cute little paperback called To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton. She is a new author to me, but one I've been checking out to library patrons for nearly a decade now. She has several themed mystery series out involving farmer's markets, cooking schools, Scottish bookshops, and in the case of this book--a typewriter repair shop in Utah. "Cozies" are their own genre nowadays and you can find one with just about any theme woven into it. It's something I should keep in mind, certainly. The book is a pleasant change of pace after an engaging but intense fantasy novel recommended by a co-worker, but so far it's holding my attention.