Laila Lalami

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The one and only Randa Jarrar is in Connecticut this week visiting her family so I’m going to be around here today. I’ll be catching up on some old posts I’ve been meaning to write, so stay tuned.

I’ve been hooked to the news the rest of today, so I won’t be much use around these parts. Randa Jarrar guest-blogs on Moorishgirl on Friday, so I’ll be back here on Monday.

I spent the weekend trying to relax and trying not to think about the imminent battle for the Supreme Court. I went to a reading/live show with Rob Roberge on Friday. I also read the much-hyped The Almond and hope to post my thoughts about it sometime soon. And I worked on my novel, as usual. It’s starting to get a bit unwieldy. Ugh.

It was a quiet weekend at Dar Moorishgirl. We saw Batman, which Alex loved, but which I found slightly hard to get engaged in. I’d watch Christian Bale in anything, and I love Christopher Nolan’s work, but the whole set up was just too middle-of-the-road for my taste. I’ve started reading Admiring Silence by Abdulrazzak Gurnah, and spent some time with family and out-of-town visitors. I didn’t get a lick of writing done, and I’m OK with that. I’m still working out things in my mind even when I’m not typing three pages a day. I guess I’m not as paranoid these days as I used to be.

That’s it for Moorishgirl this week. The one and only Randa Jarrar guest-blogs here tomorrow and every Friday. Have a great weekend!

I am taking off a bit early today, mostly so I can enjoy the last few pages of Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Desertion, which is the best thing I’ve read in a while. The one and only Randa Jarrar takes over tomorrow and every Friday. If you’re lucky, she might transcribe other conversations she’s had in New York last week. Do come back next week–I’ll have more news, reviews, recommendations, and guest columns. Have a great weekend!

I’m just now back from the trip to New York. The reading at BEA went really well, the RAWI panel was awesome, and I finally got to meet some people for the first time. I still have a ton of work to do, though, and lots and lots of sleep to catch up on, so I don’t think I’ll post anything for today or tomorrow. Check back again on Wednesday, though, because I’ll have a longer post about what my personal experience was like–sort of a writer’s take on the madness that is BEA, and the completely opposite experience of a conference like RAWI. In the meantime, you can check out my pick for the LBC Read This! selection. And if I owe you an email, please have patience with me–I am slowly catching up.

That’s it for me this week. The one and only Randa Jarrar takes over tomorrow and every Friday. Monday being a holiday in these parts, I probably won’t be back here till Tuesday. Have a great weekend!

Thanks to Randa for watching the site on Friday. I have a whole bunch of things to share with you this week: a great event held in Seattle, a book recommendation from a good friend, a guest column on writers’ rejection, and a sneak preview at a bunch of recent reads. Stick around.