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Mar 29, 2023Liked by Jim Ruland

The Dos Passos call out made my rainy SoCal morning today! I had a high school English teacher recommend the USA trilogy.... so, so amazing!

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I used to keep a lot of books that were aspirational (for lack of a better term). Books on subjects I wanted to learn, adventures I wanted to take, etc. It took me a long time to move past that. Moving a few times certainly helped nudge me along.

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I used to never keep books, or dump them at my parent's house. But now that I'm semi-permanently in my hometown, suddenly piles are beginning to grow! And fun to have a lot of good stuff around, that is just sitting there waiting. Like this gorgeous edition of PEPYS' DIARY that i bought for a dollar somewhere..... It's the best made book I've ever owned.

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Mar 29, 2023Liked by Jim Ruland

Enjoyed the thoughts on library reduction protocol. I have a lot of old friends hanging around my shelves as well, including some Carver. I’ve never thought of him as an “artless imitator,” but I do remember reading an interesting article, I believe in “The New Yorker,” on how crucial his editor was to forming his minimalist style.

Thanks again. I always look forward to your posts. Good luck on the road, and I look forward to your new novel joining my shelves. Oh yeah, and go Dodgers.

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Mar 29, 2023Liked by Jim Ruland

⚾️ opening Day, yes!

I don’t read that much but I do like to keep my favorite books near just in case I want to check for a random page every once in a while, a nice quote or something I already forgot about the book.

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Mar 29, 2023Liked by Jim Ruland

😄😄😄

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