Gretchen Lida
Gretchen Lida is an essayist and an equestrian. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Brevity, The Rumpus, The Washington Independent Review of Books, and many others. She teaches composition in Illinois, lives in Wisconsin, sometimes lives on Nantucket Island and is still a Colorado Native.
An Elegy to Paper Advance Reader Copies
June 29, 2020A reader recounts the joy of taking a break from online time to read paper ARCs in taking time to mourn the little things lost to pandemic for now.
AMERICAN HARVEST and Life Between the Urban and Rural Divide
June 26, 2020On books set in the rural middle of America and the powerful insights from AMERICAN HARVEST.
The Young Goodman Brown Effect in Education
June 11, 2020A reader and teacher on the educational philosophy she calls the Young Goodman Brown effect, named after the story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
How Anthony Bourdain Taught Me to Write About Horses
April 10, 2020How one writer found Anthony Bourdain's writing influential in understanding their own writing.
What to Read When FROZEN II Turns You Into an Environmentalist
January 4, 2020
The Little Free Libraries of East Rogers Park
December 14, 2019One reader takes a trip through their neighborhood of East Rogers Park in Chicago and explores the Little Free Libraries.
2 of the 2019 New Releases Every Coloradoan Should Read
December 10, 2019Like its terrain, Colorado's history is ragged and complicated. Get to know the U.S. state through these 2019 books.
My Year of Unfinished Books
December 9, 2019A reader looks back at a tough year in reading, the books left unfinished, and a title that turned out to be the right book at the right time.
Four Contemporary Collections to Make You a Believer in the Short Story
December 7, 2019These short story collections are irresistible.
30 Tiny Lessons From 30 Memoirs, 2019 Edition
December 6, 2019Family, healing, and finding your voices are among the biggest lessons one reader found in thirty memoirs this year.
5 Boss Lady Books of Nonfiction
September 23, 2019Give your fall TBR a boost of inspiration with these powerful nonfiction books covering everything from disability to cultural criticism and more.
The Strange and Beautiful Harmony of Two Irish Farmer Memoirs
A reader of Irish heritage gets acquainted with the country through two books set against farms in Ireland.
3 Animal Memoirs to Make Your Heart Sing, Winny, and Woof
September 1, 2019These animal memoirs are perfect for readers who cannot get enough animal love in their life.
Books to Radicalize Your Beach Bag
June 23, 2019What if we used our time on the towel to grapple with hard truths?
My Strangely Dark History With GAME OF THRONES
May 8, 2019A reader discusses the dark days that surround their GAME OF THRONES reading experience and that keep them from watching the show.