Straight Chatting from the Library: Dorothy Rosby

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

The Witches’ Bridge by Barbee Oliver Carleton published in 1967. I think it’s been republished under the name The Mystery of the Witches' Bridge. I don’t remember much about it, except that when I’d finished it, I realized I was hooked on reading in general and mysteries in particular.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading So Many Doors by Oakley Hall, I’ve Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like by Dr. Mardy Grothe and The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

One book at a time or multiples?

I usually read three books at a time: A main one, which could be a novel or nonfiction; what I call a “little-at-a-time book” which is a book of short pieces like essays, stories or poetry that I read one or two of each day; and some kind of daily devotional or meditation type of book.

Favorite book you've read this year?

Louise Pennys’ How the Light Gets In. Although it may be my favorite because I just finished it so it’s fresh in my mind. I loved it!

When do you do most of your reading?

In the evening before I go to bed. It’s my way to wind down. I’m a big fan of murder mysteries though, so it doesn’t always work that way.

Favorite book to recommend?

The ones I’ve written. 😊

How do you keep your books organized?

We have two bookcases in our home organized carefully using the home library version of the Dewey Decimal System: organized by book size. It’s not always easy to locate what you’re looking for, but it looks really pretty. We have a third bookcase hidden away in our office where our guests won’t see it and judge us harshly. It doesn’t look pretty at all. It’s organized using what I call the Dewey Decimated System which I created to overcome the main obstacle presented by bookcases made of wood: they don’t stretch. The shelves have bowed slightly though. There are books sticking out every which way, books on top of it and a stack of books growing from the floor beside it. This bookcase contains books I plan to read someday and there are a lot of those.

What would make you not finish a book?

I used to force myself to finish a book, no matter what. Now I give it 50 pages. If it’s starting to feel like a chore to stay focused as I’m reading, I give up on it. There are just too many books I want to read to waste time on one that doesn’t keep my attention.

READ THE BLURB

Christmas comes but once a year; chaos never ends! Happy Halloween, merry Christmas and joyful Lumpy Rug Day. That’s real, by the way. Lumpy Rug Day is celebrated every May 3, though “celebrated” might be too strong a word. It’s the American way to create a celebration for everything, then turn it into a chore or worse, a nightmare. ’Tis the Season to Feel Inadequate is a collection of humorous essays about how we let our expectations steal the joy out of Christmas and other holidays and special events. It’s understanding for those who think Christmas form letters can be honest—or they can be interesting. And it’s empathy for anyone who’s ever gotten poison ivy during Nude Recreation Week or eaten all their Halloween candy and had to hand out instant oatmeal packets to their trick-or-treaters.

READ AN EXCERPT

from "The First Year of the Rest of Your Life"

… I’ve studied the topic of New Year’s resolutions. And from my extensive research, I’ve gleaned the following tips for keeping them:

1.Write them down. The simple act of putting your resolutions on paper will make them seem more doable and make you feel more committed to them. Also, if you fail you’ll have your list ready when it comes time to make resolutions next year.

2.Frame your resolutions in a positive way. For example, instead of saying “next year I will stop being a couch potato,” say “Next year, I will become a couch asparagus, which has fewer carbohydrates.”

3.Don’t let setbacks discourage you. If you fall off the wagon get right back in the saddle! Tomorrow’s another day. Never say die. Then next year resolve to stop using clichés.

4.Keep a journal of your progress. It could look something like this. January 1: I resolve to walk the dog daily. This is going to be so fun! January 2: Spotty and I walked four blocks. We are bonding and getting fit at the same time! Tomorrow we’ll do five. January 3: Spotty and I walked four blocks again. It’s okay once we’re walking but I hate getting up early. January 4: Spotty and I walked just two blocks today. It’s so cold this time of year. January 5: I forgot to walk Spotty. January 6: Spotty isn’t my dog. We got him for the kids. Let them walk him.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Dorothy Rosby is an author humor columnist whose work regularly appears in publications throughout the West and Midwest. Her humor writing has been recognized by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the National Federation of Press Women and the South Dakota Newspaper Association. In 2022 she was named the global winner in the Erma Bombeck Writers Competition in the humor writing category. She’s the author of four books of humorous essays.

Website: https://dorothyrosby.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosbydorothy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dorothyrosby
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorothyrosby/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578295520
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Tis-the-Season-to-Feel-Inadequate-Audiobook/B0CBW57GYM

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