All the Ms: Mahy to Mairal

Mahy, Margaret: Mahy, who mostly writes children’s books, wrote the teen book The Changeover. I’m a fan! 

Maia, Ward: The short story "Summer Santa" falls into the category of travelogue + romance. That is, it is mostly about two people enjoying time together in a country--in this case, Brazil--often on vacation. There isn't much plot but I don't suppose these types of stories need to have plot.

Mailer, Norman: I didn’t especially want to read anything by Mailer. Mailer is one of those writers that I always felt I was supposed to read in order to be “well-read” or edified or edgy. I hate reading for that reason. But I read the opening of The Naked and the Dead, which introduces soldiers heading to a campaign. None of them are likable. War is awful. So...Mailer is a good writer. Can I move on now? (For all I know, Mailer is now on the “outs” with the kind of people who monitor what others read for their own good. It doesn’t matter. I don’t like doing what other people deem I should for my own good–they usually aren’t good at all.) 

Maine, Sarah: Women of the Dunes is a tale that transitions from the late medieval era to the modern era to the late nineteenth century. Rather than exploring documents, the main character Libby is an archaeologist. And the area is Scotland. Somewhat unique. 

Mairal, Pedro: The Woman From Uruguay is about the dissolution of a marriage. The “you” in the text is appropriate (I’m generally opposed to “you” in text) since the narrator is addressing his to-be-estranged wife. But the “oh, my goodness, how could this happen to us; it must be different from what has ever happened to others” stuff is tedious. Out of all the genres, the genre of the messed-up marriage is the most cliched despite the fact that it is treated with such intellectual gravity.