Demiurgic Dames

In the middle of winter, when Lake Michigan looks like the Arctic Sea and walking from a parking spot to a restaurant in 10 degree weather is so daunting that we're sampling yet another pizza delivery place, books become a lifeline for us.

This is truly a silver lining, as in Vegas we had lamented those rainy days spent drinking tea and losing ourselves in a good book. Dreams of rain have turned to snow, but it's the same book-lovin' gray to us, and we are both finally reading again.

Thus, my discovery of two fun women writers' short story collections. Bright, lively, fresh, and likely to make one blush at times, these gals have injected some color into my short winter days.

Alissa Nutting, a fellow Las Vegan, has recently come out with a story collection with a great title: Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, which explores many of the areas in a woman's life that rarely get discussed in such a novel, honest, and hilarious fashion: our need to be needed, our need to be desired, and much, much, more. These stories stretch your imagination, make you laugh, and demand that you dig deep.

Similarly, Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You explores well-hidden parts of humanity that tend to seep out into our larger existences, sometimes without our noticing. These stories have a sweet, simple lesson: you are okay.

I look for creative inspiration everywhere, especially in the cold, dark months where it can be difficult to find. Right now these books have lent themselves as my companions while I write and submit my own blogs and poems, cook like crazy, and add to the beauty and self-expression of our home.

Thanks, ladies!