The Seventeenth Line

After my long-standing book club came to an end (see The Origin of The Seventeenth Line below) I neglecting this blog for a few years. Then, in 2020, when we all started spending more time at home, I decided to get back into the habit of writing.

Let’s stay in touch!

What You’ll Find at The Seventeenth Line

You can expect to find book reviews, notes on what I’m reading, posts about how I’m approaching writing, as well as updates on my life.

I’ll share thoughts on a range of other topics that I care about too, it’s hard not to do that when talking about reading choices, yet everything will relate back to books and reading. After all, this is first and foremost a book blog!

Post are organized in the following 6 categories:

What I Like to Read

I enjoy literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction. On the nonfiction front I like memoirs and travel writing.

I’m interested in art, art history, and museums and I find myself drawn to novels set in the art world. I’m also eager to learn more about aesthetics, creativity, and design.

I think a lot about place and how place shapes us, which means sometimes the setting of a book is a selling point for me. I’ve got a soft spot for stories set in Panama, Paris, Portland, and New York.

I have a background in sociology, feminism, workforce development, training, community engagement, and social justice and I read both fiction and nonfiction work in this vein.

The Origin of The Seventeenth Line

I originally started this blog in 2009 to document the experience of my bookclub, The Seventeenth Line.

Members of the book club met on the bus, the number 17 to be exact. One evening, during my commute home, I was drawn into a conversation with fellow passengers about what we happened to be reading. Just like that, strangers became friends and decided to start a bookclub. We commemorated our unique origin story by naming our book club after the bus line.

Over the years we had many great conversations about books and life. But, as often is the case, family and work matters started to take up more of our time and after gathering for over five years we closed the cover on The Seventeenth Line book club.

Now, I’ve reinvented The Seventeenth Line as a space to share my thoughts.

A Bit More About Me

Currently, I live in Portland, Oregon in a cozy, old bungalow, along with my husband and cat. In the warmer months I enjoy reading in my yard, I’ve a lovely garden and back deck filled with potted plants, and during chilly months I settle in next to the fireplace with a stack of books.

Reading is one of my very favorite things to do. It allows me to indulge my curiosity, helps me to relax, and, as a lifelong learner, reading gives me a way to build my knowledge on a range of topics.

In addition to reading I like spending time outdoors, I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes from time to time, and, as anyone with an old house will tell you, I get to spend time working on home projects.

I’m happy to be in Portland, it’s a wonderful city and a good spot for book lovers. We have Powell’s Books, one of the largest independent bookstores in the world, and our public library system is consistently rated as one of the best and busiest libraries in the nation. Plus, I really like cities and enjoy taking urban walks, and Portland has great walkable neighborhoods.

That said, I have a wanderlust. I’m always thinking about traveling and living in a new location. I’ve got a short list of practical possibilities and an even longer list of dream destinations at the ready.