New Year resolution lists are such a cliche. But that’s never stopped me before, so here goes. In 2008, I resolve to: Read more books.Wag more, bark less. (That’s actually a bumper sticker on my car.) Listen more, talk less. Take longer walks.Lose five pounds. (I told you this was a cliche.)Finish the novel I’m…

I got an ipod for Hannukah. I asked my husband for it, and he obliged.Why? Well, I felt old not having an mp3 player, not having those earbuds in my head, not understanding what the fuss was all about.My daughter was a little shocked that I wanted one. I don’t think she views me as…

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was spent with wonderful friends, who are masters at The Big Meal; cooking, serving, cleaning up. My husband, mother and I shared the table with 13 kind people and two turkeys (one smoked, the other deep fried, both delicious.)There was pie and cheesecake and wine. What…

Today is my daughter’s 22nd birthday. She is my one-and-only child, so this is a red letter day in my personal calendar. E. is living in Costa Rica this year, so I sorely miss being able to celebrate with her. To console myself, I visited with my friend A. and her little girls, age 3…

I’m wearing a Red Sox bracelet and I care too much about whether they win. I was in New York City yesterday and I realized that not everyone is as focused on this stuff as us maniacs in Boston and beyond. We grin sheepishly at one another, some of us anyway, at how much it…

It’s been ten years since the publication of The Red Tent, and the publisher has produced a new edition in its honor. Inside, there is an essay I wrote musing about why I wrote it and what it means to me. Outside, there’s a sort of shiny “medal” and the title is in gold foil…

When I was a little girl, growing up in Newark, NJ, the public library had an annual summer reading contest. Who could read the most books! I don’t think there was a prize apart from bragging rights. I tried, but I never won. This summer, I read a good deal and learned a lot —…

I am on vacation, which is to say, I am not living at home for a few weeks. And yet, I am trying to work on my new book and I am answering emails of all sorts, and I’m doing a few bookstore readings in the area… So what allows me to say, “I am…

My 21-year-old daughter, Emilia, is spending the coming year in Costa Rica. She will be working as a dorm advisor in a private school. It’s her version of a “gap year,” a break between college (NYU ’07) and whatever comes next.I am in awe of her spirit of adventure, her willingness to experiment with her…

Walking the dog (a miniature Schnauzer named Buddy) down my tree-lined street, I thought Everyone here has water inside the house. And electricity. And the children all go to school, immunized, dressed, shod. This is the first world. It is safe on this tree-lined street. No one really worries about safety, at least not in…