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Janet’s 2023 Year in Books
Take a look at Janet’s Year in Books. The long, the short—it’s all here.
Janet Fitch’s Followers (88,753)
1,900 books
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5,001 friends
2,288 books
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20 friends
8,884 books
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3,039 friends
5,569 books
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357 friends
2,070 books
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112 friends
126 books
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4,552 friends
591 books
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72 friends
20,763 books
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199 friends
More friends…
Janet Fitch
Goodreads Author
Born
in Los Angeles, California, The United States
Website
Twitter
Member Since
August 2008
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/janetfitch
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White Oleander
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published
1999
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135 editions
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Paint it Black
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published
2006
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55 editions
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The Revolution of Marina M. (The Revolution of Marina M. #1)
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published
2017
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14 editions
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A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life
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published
1999
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9 editions
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Chimes of a Lost Cathedral (The Revolution of Marina M. #2)
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published
2019
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13 editions
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Kicks
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published
1995
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3 editions
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By Janet Fitch - The Art and Craft of Jewelry (1994-07-16) [Paperback]
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Point It Black
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Paint It Black: A Novel
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Art Craft Jewellery
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African Lit Book List! Happy Thanksgiving
I had the good fortune to meet two African writers at Thanksgiving this eyar--Henneh Kyereh Kawaku, a poet and non-fiction writer from Ghana, currently a grad student working for his MFA, and Socrates Mbamalu, a working journalist from Nigeria--so of course I had to hit them up for their book recommendations--with a preference for fiction but they included everything.
Via Socrates, mostly Nigerian Read more of this blog post »
Via Socrates, mostly Nigerian Read more of this blog post »
Related News
The author of
White Oleander
takes readers inside the St. Petersburg bourgeoisie in
The Revolution of Marina M
. Fitch tells us about her...
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Janet’s Recent Updates
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Janet
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Janet
rated a book it was amazing
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| Miranda July is a certain flavor of author--depicting a world in which unusual people behave unpredictably, and thus she startles and amazes, charms and perplexes. The strangeness of All Fours lies in the performance-artist protagonist's unpredictabl ...more | |
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""One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years."- Eka Kurniawan, Beauty is a Wound
This book has one of the best, most memorable opening sentences I've ever read. And it definitely set the stag" Read more of this review » |
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Janet
rated a book it was amazing
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| Miranda July is a certain flavor of author--depicting a world in which unusual people behave unpredictably, and thus she startles and amazes, charms and perplexes. The strangeness of All Fours lies in the performance-artist protagonist's unpredictabl ...more | |
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Janet
rated a book it was amazing
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| Could not have loved this more. Listened to it in audio, now dying to go back and read it on the page for its full artistry. Written both in close third and first person, this is a fabulously language-oriented self-portrait of one Carlotta Mercedes, ...more | |
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“
Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you'll ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let the cattle stand in your way.”
― White Oleander
― White Oleander
“Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay.”
― White Oleander
― White Oleander
“She would be half a planet away, floating in a turquoise sea, dancing by moonlight to flamenco guitar.”
― White Oleander
― White Oleander
Polls
Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| College Students! : Fall/Winter Challenge: Official Record of Points | 44 | 739 | Dec 14, 2009 09:25AM | |
| Cover to Cover Ch...: Aths' Race to 144 in 2010 | 13 | 115 | Jan 12, 2010 04:49PM | |
| The Life of a Boo...: Abbey's TBR Challenge - 2010 | 24 | 117 | Jan 16, 2010 01:42PM |
“Many couples, many people, are not living with real human beings, but with their ghosts. Who has not followed for years the spell of a particular tone of voice, from voice to voice, as the fetishist follows a beautiful foot, scarcely seeing the woman herself? A voice, a mouth, an eye, all stemming from the original fountain of our first desire, directing it, enslaving us, until we choose to unravel the fatal web and free ourselves.”
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“Military operations alone cannot defeat an insurgency because only economic development and political action can address most sources of disaffection. If military operations are not conducted consistent with political objectives or occur without economic development, they are certain to alienate the population further, reduce the amount of intelligence available to [...] security forces, and strengthen rather than weaken the enemy.”
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“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”
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The F-word
— 5694 members
— last activity May 05, 2024 05:16AM
This is our reading group for anybody who loves to read and identifies as a feminist. We'll be reading a variety of books that may fall into one of th ...more
Russian Readers Club
— 1204 members
— last activity Aug 10, 2023 03:07AM
The place where both russian readers and lovers of russian literature can share their thoughts about russian literature as well as about foreign one, ...more
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 246697 members
— last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Silverlake Classics
— 51 members
— last activity Oct 05, 2021 11:56PM
To share opinions and recommendations on any genre prose, poem, or play.
Nobody Reads In L.A.
— 146 members
— last activity Jul 06, 2016 05:52PM
L.A.'s original alternative book club. Designed to be the "Book Club for the Nightclub set." We are dedicated to putting books into hands accustomed t ...more
Dalkey Archive Press reads
— 147 members
— last activity Apr 18, 2020 05:39AM
Hi everyone, Join our Backlist of the Month discussions! What is Backlist of the month, you ask? It's something we'll tell you all about on Faceboo ...more
AROHO Reads
— 33 members
— last activity Sep 21, 2015 12:40PM
AROHO women write. AROHO women create. AROHO women retreat and gather and find community. AROHO Reads is a platform for AROHO women to share with one ...more
The BURIED Book Club
— 852 members
— last activity Dec 30, 2023 03:57PM
TODAY BOOKS ARE NOT BURNED. THEY ARE BURIED. WE SHALL UNEARTH THEM.
Comments (showing 1-31)
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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer me! It really means a lot to me! I can see what you mean...Would be great to read about her further journey, but to imagine it is also quite satisfying. Wishing you also good reading and good writing! Samantha
Saaamaaa wrote: "Dear Ms. Fitch, I always wanted to write to you, but never knew how to start. So I will just begin with: When I was twelve years old I watched the movie "White Oleander". I didn't know it was bas..."
Thanks Samantha, for this note--glad things are going better for you these days! So glad you took the time to write to me. Yes, I can imagine her with a child, and being a far more caring parent. But also having certain ideas about conventionality that would be as hard for her as for her mother, a certain restlessness with how other people do things... more inner conflict than Ingrid ever had. Wishing you good reading, and all best! Janet
Dear Ms. Fitch, I always wanted to write to you, but never knew how to start. So I will just begin with: When I was twelve years old I watched the movie "White Oleander". I didn't know it was based on your book until I was 19, but I have never forgotten about the story. I watched the movie multiple times because it made me feel understood and less alone. Later, when I had read the book, I felt the same way but was in a totally different place in my life. I was able to see everything from above now and not from the inside anymore. When someone asks me, which book in my life made me feel the most emotions, I always say it's the story of Astrid and her mother Ingrid. My childhood and youth were really tough sometimes but I'm very good right now and I just wanted to let you know, that you helped me a lot with coming to terms with everything. So, thank you for these beautiful, poetic words, for the memorable characters, for letting art take an important place in this novel and for sharing this story with us.
Sometimes I wonder, how Astrid's life would look right now...
Do you?
I imagine her with a daughter, being a very different mother than Ingrid, when it comes to parental care and warmth but also very much alike, talking about secrecy and gracefulness.
English is not my first language, so I hope you understand the bottom line of what I want to tell you.
I saw on you're Goodreads profile that you're very much into Russian literature and history. I must say, it didn't surprise me. But I was really happy to see it. One of my all time favorite stories is Anna Karenina. It also helped me grow a lot and taught me some important life lessons.
I hope you're very well and have a lot of stories in your life that touch your heart like yours will always touch mine.
Happy Easter and best wishes from very far away,
Samantha
Hi Janet,Thank you for accepting my friend request. I am honoured of being friends on Goodreads and I want to tell you how much I enjoyed reading White Oleander. It is such a beautiful book.
Eugenia
Hi Amy,Thank you for taking the time to send me this moving comment. I'm sorry for the circumstances in which you discovered my novel, but very glad it was there for you. Books keep us company in ways nothing else can quite do. Appreciate this note and hope things work out better for you!
all best wishes,
Janet F.
Janet,I discovered White Oleander this year in jail, of all places. How ironic for me-- The most beautiful book ever written unveiled to me through the darkest recesses of my life.
I want you to know that White Oleander got me through that time. I read, and re-read, and re-read, and re-read White Oleander, continuously, over the course of 5 months. I didn't know how something so beautiful could be found in such a lonely place, but alas, it was there-- unearthed from its grave in "true crime" novels.
Thank you for creating that world to be lost within.
~Amy
Steve wrote: "Thanks Janet, for accepting my friend request. Steve"
Thanks for finding me here--hope you like the books!
Janet wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Hi, Janet!I hope all's well with you and yours.:)
Thank you for accepting my friendship request, it's always appreciated. Also, I wanted to tell you that White Oleander has been ..."
Thank you for writing it! I think I will enjoy it.:)
Dustin wrote: "Hi, Janet!I hope all's well with you and yours.:)
Thank you for accepting my friendship request, it's always appreciated. Also, I wanted to tell you that White Oleander has been on my "to read"..."
Hope you enjoy it! Good reading and happy holidays,
Janet
Angela wrote: "Miss Janet,I am pretty sure I have written to you on here before but I am writing again because I believe this should be embedded into your heart like your book is embedded into mine: you were tru..."
Hi Angela,
Thanks for this lovely post. HOpe you have a chance to read Paint It Black while I'm busily finishing up the new book! Wish you good reading and thanks for the shoring-up!
all best,
Janet
Hi, Janet!I hope all's well with you and yours.:)
Thank you for accepting my friendship request, it's always appreciated. Also, I wanted to tell you that White Oleander has been on my "to read" list for a couple years now, and I'll finally be reading it in a couple weeks. I'm very much looking forward to it!
Have a wonderful day, enjoy the rest of your week!!
Miss Janet,I am pretty sure I have written to you on here before but I am writing again because I believe this should be embedded into your heart like your book is embedded into mine: you were truly meant to be a writer. Your words are lyrics to the soul. White Oleander is my favorite book of all time, and every time I read it, I find something else to love and relate to. You will never understand how much this book has helped me because there are no available words. I consider you a blessing for writing it and motivating me to pick up a pen myself. I keep hoping and praying for another book from you, whenever you are ready. Until then, I will continue hold my several copies of White Oleander near and dear. Thank you for having the courage to publish such a beautiful piece.
Always a fan,
~Angela.
Janet, thank you so much for accepting my friend request. I read White Oleander when I first started college. It reminded me a lot of my own relationship with my mother. It's one of my all-time favorite books. I have read it twice, and I plan to read it again and again. Both times I've read it, I have taken away something new. I had been looking for a long time for Paint It Black, and finally found a copy last week. I can't wait to read it in a few days. Thanks again for accepting my friend request!
Hi, Janet! Thank you so much for accepting my friend request. It was such a pleasure to escort you, Julie Otsuka, and Christopher Tilghman at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on April 21st! I hear great things about "White Oleander," I must add it to my "Books To Read Before I Die" list!
I can't praise you enough for White Oleander. It was amazing and your words are still with me! I like to think of myself as a phoenix now..... Thank you!
THanks David! Look forward to following you, loved comparing the books and seeing that long skein of overlap--and then fun to see the rest. I just stopped by Petersburg to see if anyone had read it. It was like wrestling an active, slender, brightly colored snake...all best and good reading
Janet
Dear Janet,Thanks for the add and like on Biely.
Your shelf is exquisite, especially the Russians.
Loved "White Oleander."
Please stay in touch.
Cordially,
David
Thank you for adding me. White Oleander is a book which reached me on a profound and inexplicable level. I first read it 8 years ago when I was 17; I was submerged in a very dark, lonely, desolate period of my life. I could not put the book down, I brought it with me everywhere until I finished it. I felt very connected to Astrid. I remember sitting in one of my classes reading the final scene with Claire as the tears streamed down my face. And when I finished the book, I felt this clear and overwhelming sense of fulfillment within my heart. I wished it never had to end because it filled a void that had only been deepening by the day. I am so grateful that someone captured the experiences of this young woman and the mother-daughter relationship in a way that moved me deeply, and for which I aspired to convey myself (as I am also a writer). White Oleander is truly a gift. Thank you for writing it.
Thanks for adding me as a friend! White Oleander is my favourite book of all time!!!!
I'm sure you are asked this every day... when will the next book be out?Meghan
thanks for the add, janet! i love white oleander! the references in and around los angeles really amused me since i grew up in the area. my friend and i were really excited about the thrifty in alhambra, haha. :)x
jeane.
Miss Janet,Thank you so much for accepting my friend request && for actually B E I N G my first actual friend here in Goodreads.com :D
BTW, I loved White Oleander. (:
-Maggieeee. :")
Thanks for the add! The Sheltering Sky, indeed.
Dear Janet, I loved White Oleander. Nahid Rachlin
Oh, Janet, How fun and funny that we get to be friends this way too.
