The 2023 Reading List
I read an interview with an actor who mentioned that he kept track of every book he’d read for something like 30
Read →Essays & observations
Articles
Writing, books, music, radio, and the occasional attempt to make sense of life.
Fifty Years on the Run
Half a century. When you frame it that way, fifty years somehow takes on more significance. More respect. More gravitas, as the snooty magazines would
Read the article →The complete collection
Thirty pieces.
Plenty to think about.
Paying For It
The band Stereophonics released a song in 1999 called “I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio,” which includes these
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The Middle Dom
My dad’s name was Dominic, even though he went by Donald throughout his military career. (There was a lot of prejudice against Italians back in his
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The Career Venn Diagram
Think of all the pressure associated with one particular life choice: What do I want to do for a
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A Toast to Indies
Sometimes it takes years to finally get the last laugh. But somehow that makes it almost sweeter, knowing that you patiently waited for someone—or, in this case, an entire industry—to catch on to something you…
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Warm Reception
Two weeks after my 16th birthday, I walked into a radio station’s lobby to ask about a job. I was a shy kid and had no idea what I was
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The Death of Phone Calls
Here’s a subject I’m hesitant to bring up because it will invariably lead to charges of “luddite” or “grandpa” or some other slam. But let me tighten up the chin strap on my helmet and dive
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Serial Returners
Amazon announced they’re going to start tagging products that have a large number of returns. They’ll put some sort of badge on the product page, warning consumers that this choice comes with some…
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Celebrating Success
Have you ever accomplished something that should’ve made you feel proud, and yet you just weren’t able to enjoy it? It somehow wasn’t good enough. Or, if you celebrated your success, the joy was short-lived…
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Wait. You didn’t LOVE it?
I’m a hardcore fan of Agatha Christie stories, especially the Hercule Poirot series of whodunnit mysteries. As far as I’m concerned, the only slight blemish to be found on these century-old books is the…
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The Wrong Path
Thought-A-Day calendars are generally pretty cheesy. (Today’s thought: You CAN do it!) For years, though, I’d receive them as Christmas gifts, and I’d dutifully flip that page every single day. It usually…
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Re-reading a book
I rarely read a book I’ve already read. In fact, of the nearly 1,500 books I’ve consumed through the years, I’ll bet fewer than 20 ever got a second
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Bob Dylan doesn’t suck
Bob Dylan ain’t my thing. I don’t enjoy the music or the lyrics, his unique vocal style is difficult for me to listen to, and the haggard-artist look—on anyone—always struck me as
Read →The Selfish James Bond
I spent this past New Year’s Eve on the couch, watching the latest James Bond movie. (WARNING: This piece contains spoilers.) The rental cost six bucks, which was less expensive (and safer) than going out on…
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What Took You So Long?
Imagine writing a story, a true labor of love, agonizing over every word—and then putting it in a drawer where no one would see it for
Read →Why I Use Pen Names
As the year 2022 came to a close, I’d published 25 books and counting. There will be at least two more coming out in the next year. Of those existing 25, about half are published under my name, Dom Testa. The…
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Social Exit
Looking back, I’m grateful now for some snotty messages I read on social media. They stung at the time. There was even a sense of betrayal looped in because the person behind it all was a
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Go It Alone
It happened again: I mentioned that I had traveled to the UK for eleven days, by myself, and several people gave me a bug-eyed look while exclaiming, "By yourself? Oh, I could never do
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Books Read in 2022
For the last dozen years or so, I’ve kept track of every book I’ve read—and yes, I count audiobooks. If you look down your nose at that, I think you’re misguided. That’s a conversation for another
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McCartney at 80
Last summer, Paul McCartney celebrated his 80th birthday. And he did it on the road. The guy is still touring, still selling out huge arenas, performing for throngs of adoring fans. He’s an icon in the music…
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The Humanity of the Thriller
It was in the library at Jefferson Junior High School that I made the transition from reading "kids' books" to adult fiction. The Hardy Boys, after years of prepping me, were left behind as a new world of…
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The Best Bad Review
How funny that the common stereotype of an artistic person is that of a quiet, sensitive
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And now, a word about F-bombs
I just read another social media thread where authors debated the use (in this case, the overuse) of F-bombs in
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The Unread Books
In 1981 I joined a mail-order book club. It was the kind where you had to order five or six books a year at the list price. To entice you to cough up the money, they sent half-a-dozen free titles—of their…
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Review: The Hunt (previously titled 27)
If the book title in my headline is confusing, it’s because the publisher made it
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Let It Be Good
On a vacation to New England my wife and I discovered a bar that truly kicked ass. It was on gently-sloping property behind a restaurant, a rectangular outdoor bar overlooking a small river. Towering shade…
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