Comments on: Matrimony, by Joshua Henkin

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:34:54 +0000

Jennifer Allison, formerly known as Jennifer Brostrom, who wrote a series of middle-grade mystery novels (Gilda Joyce). She doesn’t live in the area anymore, but was more than willing to cough up that she grew up there. :)

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:08:13 +0000

Oh, how neat! I’d love to read books set in my hometown, but if people are setting books in South Louisiana, they’re pretty much setting them in New Orleans, so the rest of us get shafted, alas!

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:40:51 +0000

Chartroose, I only know famous people through my sister. In fact, come to think of it, another one of her friends wrote a collection of short stories that was very well received.

Fred, I bet that was weird! I once saw a movie, I think it was The Pelican Brief, where in one scene there was a closeup of an answering machine that was the identical model to the one we had at the time. And there was Julia Roberts checking messages on OUR machine. ;-)

Mrs. S, nope, don’t know Point Crime, but it sounds fun!

Melissa, who is the author from Saline?

Valerie, you’re the second person to mention Feast of Love to me in the same day! I am embarrassed to admit I’ve never read anything by Baxter. I am definitely adding that one to my list!

And ha ha, yeah, I’ve read a few MSS by aspiring friends too.

Unfinishedperson, ha ha! That’s a bit of a dilemma… or maybe it wasn’t.

By: unfinishedperson

unfinishedperson — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:30:16 +0000

I’m with you on the ARCs. I don’t want to be forced into reading something in which I’m not interested. Although I am in challenges, I chose books that I really want to read and already are on my TBR pile (but if I don’t get to them, oh, well).

As for knowing someone who has written a novel that I know, no, but I know someone who wrote a nonfiction book that was a bestseller. However, I think he was such a…ahem…a-hole that I couldn’t bring myself to read it.

By: Valerie

Valerie — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:51:24 +0000

Well, there’s “Feast of Love” by Charles Baxter. No, I never knew him, but it takes place in Ann Arbor and he lived there for a while. But I’m sure you knew that.

I’ve read manuscripts by a friend and also by my MIL. So if either gets published I can say I know them personally :-).

As for any (published) writers I have known (there’s none that I currently know). I guess the only one I know of is Nicholas Sparks. I attended junior high school with him and his brother. I have read a few of his books, mainly out of curiosity, because like you, I don’t often read that type of genre (contemporary romantic ficiton). However, it was really a weird feeling reading his autobiography (co-written by his brother) “Three Weeks With My Brother” because of intensive mention of our hometown–even mentioned our junior high school by name–and mentioning other people I had known as well. One of his best friends was a co-worker of mine, and he’s mentioned in the book.

I think I will keep my eyes open for “Matrimony”, though…I think I would enjoy it for the same reasons you did.

Also–you may know about “Writing Ann Arbor”, edited by Laurence Goldstein; a collection of writings (poems, fiction, etc) taking place in, or about, Ann Arbor. I bought it before moving away from Michigan.