Buyer’s pick
Also in the warehouse
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Brian Hovis
Assistant Buyer,
Books
Becoming a novelist was a lifelong dream for
the Michigan-born Mangan, who never thought it
would be realized. Instead, she opted for a life in
academia—finishing a Master of Fine Arts degree in
fiction writing at the University of Southern Maine
before getting a Ph.D. in English from University
College Dublin.
That’s where she dived deep into her passion for
;;th-century Gothic literature. It was during that
time, in the spring of ;;;;, that Mangan took the
book-inspiring trip to Tangier.
“You cry when you arrive in Tangier, and you
cry when you leave,” she insists. “You have to over-
come so many obstacles just to get through the day.
But once you are accustomed to the rhythm of the
place, you become enamored by it. I find myself still
thinking about the people, their stories, the smells.
“Through Lucy and Alice, I investigate the
exciting, unnerving and often quite lonely experience
of adjusting to living in a strange place,” Mangan
explains, noting her interest in the bond of female
friendships formed during young adulthood, when
boundaries are often crossed and identity is blurred.
Mangan wrote Tangerine after submitting her
doctoral thesis, and stories of the Brontë sisters and
James Hogg, Ann Radcliffe and Eliza Parsons were
dancing in her head. That’s when she began her
writing process of filling notebooks with characters,
plot lines and settings. Only when the story is
formed does she type the tale on her computer.
“I have a habit of writing things and getting near
the end, or even to the end, then deciding that it’s
not what I want to be working on,” she says of her
current project. “But I’m excited about what I’m
writing, and I’m hoping, by the end of it, I’ll still feel
that way.”
Hope Katz Gibbs is a freelance writer who lives amid the
gothic architecture of Richmond, Virginia.
so. While this is a
guide on how to do
(almost) everything,
I am always aware
there might be a
better way and will
always be open to
learning more. We
are now constantly
told that we are
too busy to learn
anything new—that
we cannot possibly fit
a gardening lecture
or a sewing lesson
or a painting tutorial
into our schedules. I
vehemently disagree.
Put down the cell-
phone and pick up
some knitting nee-
dles, a trowel or even
a screwdriver—and
make, plant, fix. You’ll
be glad you did.”
Is there a tip
she finds the most
useful? “[Folding a
fitted sheet] is quite
simple to learn, but
it’s something that so
many people don’t
know how to do. The
biggest tip here is to
start with the sheet
inside out.”
The Martha Manual (Item #1292445;
12/24) is available in
most warehouses.
Martha Stewart is a
trusted go-to source
for advice on just
about everything.
Her new book, The
Martha Manual:
How to Do (Almost)
Everything, o;ers a
variety of advice for
tackling everything
from bathing a cat to
folding a flag.
Stewart recent-
ly shared some
thoughts about her
new book. “I have
always been on the
lookout for the most
practical, appealing,
e;cient and sensible
way to accomplish
everyday and
meaningful tasks,
and I have devoted
my life to discovering
and sharing those
solutions,” she tells
the Connection. “This
book provides hun-
dreds of expert tips
and useful insights
to learn how to do
(almost) everything—
the Martha way.”
She continues,
“Once I find the
smartest way to
complete a certain
task, I am commit-
ted to teaching that
method until I learn
a better way to do
“I am always
aware there
might be a
better way.”
—Martha Stewart
