October 2024

Miss Lippman Regrets...

When Harriet the Spy first began writing her column for the Gregory School newspaper, she was entranced to overhear her father muttering about a retraction he was going to demand from the Times. She explained the term to her readers, assuring them that her column had been error-free to date.

If only I could say the same about this website. So, a few corrections and clarifications this month.

Correction: In her September letter, the title of Mark Haddon's book was incorrect. It is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Miss Lippman regrets the error.

Correction: In "Oye, Isabel," the title of the book by Dan Fesperman was incorrect, an error made more embarrassing by the fact that Fesperman is her friend and former colleague. The correct title is The Small Boat of Great Sorrows. Miss Lippman regrets dropping the adjective.

Correction: In the biography link on this website, it has not been made explicit that Miss Lippman no longer works at The Sun. The details of her final day at the newspaper can be found here. Miss Lippman regrets the laziness.

Clarification: "Literary Ambassador of Baltimore" is not an official title, and therefore does not entitle one to diplomatic license plates. Miss Lippman regrets the incident at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Clarification: Plots With Guns, an online magazine, was forced to publish its latest issue without a story promised by a usually reliable crime writer. Miss Lippman regrets the hubristic optimism that led to her busting the first deadline of her life and promises the story will appear soon.

Reading report

More Edgar books, about which I must say nothing. (I do wonder if Harriet was submitted, all those years ago. Should have been, that's for sure.) Otherwise, some very good books have kept me company in the past month: Hard Revolution, The Mammoth Cheese, Love Me, and Itty-Bitty Lies. The Devil Wears Prada was a pleasant way to pass time on a plane, but I have to admit my workplace revenge fantasies run much darker than Lauren Weisberger's. Picked up Julie Smith's Mean Woman Blues and then managed to lose it by placing it in the wrong piece of luggage. It was that kind of month. But I read enough to know the opening chapters weave the usual magic I've come to expect from one of my favorite characters in crime fiction. Oh, and in the interest of honesty -- I re-read Rosamond Du Jardin's Double Date and Double Feature. It was that kind of month.

October will look like this. If you see me on the road, I will look like this: . I delivered my manuscript on Oct. 1st. So, one deadline met.

Read Travels with My Angst* * contains a bonus selection of Oye, Isabel Read Speak, Memory Read Bootstraps Read The Lippman Lot Read Local News Read Lilac Time Read I'm A Believer Read Three Little Words Read Reading in Public Read How to Punt. Read Catching Up.

Read Let's Do the Time Warp (Again). Read The Naked Dance. Read Self Help. Read Mistakes Were Made. Read Play With Yourself. Read Musings and Advice. Read We Were Haranders. Read Spying on Harriet. Read Gone Baby Gone. Read The Last Good Saturday Night. Read In a Strange Kitchen. Read The "D" Word.

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