A Penny for Your Heart

Every time I talk to someone who has just met Quebec novelist Louise Penny for the first time, they always say the same thing: “She seems so nice.”

And every time I respond in exactly the same way: “She is so nice.”

Penny (The Cruellest Month, A Fatal Grace, Still Life) is extraordinarily nice. More. She’s lovely, talented, funny, brilliant. And just one of those special people who make you feel more special just knowing you’re sharing air with them.

All of this amazing niceosity comes through in Penny’s new blog, launched just a few days ago. Penny is not a huge technogressor but, in her first post, she says she’s developed an affection for the form:

... I started reading other people's blogs and was charmed by them. Their simplicity, for the most part. Their willingness to gently swing open the door on their lives and allow us a glimpse inside--both physically and emotionally. Not the full-frontal exhibitionism of some reality shows, but a kind of internet slow-cooking.

I liked that.

And I’m liking the glimpse that Penny has allowed us so far. The new blog is here. I suspect I’ll be a regular visitor.