Joe Beernink
Author of NOWHERE WILD, NOWHERE HOME
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Okay, so it’s the last day of 2011, and as every other blogger is doing, I am now presenting you with my Year In Review blog post. Writing-wise, 2011 was packed: I wrote a new novel called Labeled which I started on January 2, 2011, and finished the first draft of on June 4, 2011. I migrated my blog from my a computer in my house to WordPress.com, a decision I have not… Read More
In 1998, Jared Diamond won the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction for his book, Guns, Germs and Steel – The Fates of Human Societies. It’s a fascinating look back at 13000+ years of human history and the evolution of civilization, and why / how one group of people prevailed over another, and why some groups faded away completely. Diamond’s goal in the book was to show that the environment the people lived… Read More
My sister-in-law’s husband, Adam, gave me this book for Christmas either three or four years ago. Adam’s an intellectual sort – now a professor at UCLA in history / political science. His Ph.D, as best I can recall, deals with the effects of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia / Serbia / Croatia during the Bosnian War. As part of his research, Adam spent a lot of time (years) in that war-torn area. Mesa Selimovic… Read More
It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve read a book I just didn’t have to think about – one I could just read for enjoyment. I really needed something light, and my wife suggested Divergent by Veronica Roth. Yes, to me, a dystopian (possibly post-apocalyptic) book can be considered light reading. Divergent is set in the futuristic, and partially destroyed city of Chicago. The city is broken into 5 factions:… Read More
I will remember 2011 as my year of pain. Physical pain that is. Two foot surgeries. One dislocated shoulder. A trip and fall that cause wounds that took 5 months to heal. Overall, a year that I hope to not have to repeat, physically at least. It’s a damn good thing Groundhog Day isn’t a true story. I’d be the Ned Ryerson of 2011. Bing! One of the impacts of being incapacitated… Read More
Today is absolutely gorgeous in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s proof. This is the view from my bedroom window. That dark object beyond the trees? The sleeping Mount Rainier. Shhh. Don’t wake it. What’s remarkable is that this is December. In the PNW. And we have sunshine. On a Saturday. Crazy. I know!
Yes, the blog has been quiet lately. It goes through these lulls when I get busy. I did read a book last week, but it’s a book that I am reviewing as part of my writer’s group, and it’s by an author you might have heard about. It’s good. Hopefully we’ll see it in print in the near future, and then you’ll hear a lot more about it here. Other than that,… Read More
EDIT 3/14/2012 – The Puyallup Writers Co-op is no longer meeting, as far as I know, and I am no longer involved with organizing it. Please contact the Puyallup library directly if you have any further questions. Since March of this year, my friend Ben Newland and I have been organizing a monthly get-together for writers in the Puyallup, Washington area. For those of you not familiar with the South-Puget Sound Area,… Read More
I had no idea what Neil Gaiman’s American Gods was about when I picked it up at the local library a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t even bother reading the cover before I brought it home. I had added it to my ‘must read list’ earlier this year when it came in at #10 on NPR’s list of top 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy Books of all time. When I saw the book… Read More
Joe Beernink 