206 ratings | 115 reviews | avg rating:4.09

Laura’s Year In Books

Laura’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Laura’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Laura’s 2025 Year in Books

Laura Valeri’s Followers (12)

Laura’s Bookshelves

to-read (68)
currently-reading (18)
read (209)
gave-up-on (1)

Laura’s Friends (188)

Darrin Doyle

82 books | 96 friends

Brandi

1,875 books | 540 friends

Sarah McCraw Crow

592 books | 200 friends

Joseph Young

50 books | 394 friends

Clifford

1,564 books | 3,204 friends

Stephanie

1,749 books | 467 friends

LeighAnn Williams

490 books | 59 friends

Diana

1,345 books | 352 friends

More friends…

Laura Valeri

Goodreads Author

Born

Italy

Website

http://www.lauravaleri.com

Member Since

February 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/lauraemv

edit data

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Laura Valeri questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Laura Valeri I feel like I've been writing with writer's block for years now, so the short answer is, well, you write. However, I do think that there is a slight m…moreI feel like I've been writing with writer's block for years now, so the short answer is, well, you write. However, I do think that there is a slight mixup with terminology. Some people think that writer's block doesn't exist, others say it's just procrastination, and in some ways they would both be right. There is a mental condition called writer's block which Alice Flaherty, writer of The Midnight Disease, has explained most eloquently: people with writer's block are people who want to write but can't. (Whereas, procrastination is people who can write but just don't want to or don't feel like it.) Do I suffer from procrastination? Yep. How I deal with it is that I push myself until I do it. Or I time myself: two hours for work, one hour break for social media and other miscellaneous tasks that would otherwise interrupt my work flow. There is also incubation, that part during the writing process where I can't write because something in the story has changed, and I need to let my brain percolate. There is no way to rush that part, so when it happens, I turn to a different project for a while, and also, try to do some physical activity because often times that helps. Especially yoga. But, if we're talking about REAL writer's block, that mental condition that makes writers crazy because in spite of their many efforts they can't write, that's a tough one. That's rare. That's caused by a host of other inner conflicts that I can't even begin to tackle here. How to deal with it? Introspective work, counseling, meditation, a change of environment, etc can all help, but depending on the severity of it, you may need professional help. The analogy would be that of an anorexic girl or boy: they depend on food for nourishment but because of some difficult psychological trigger they use starvation as a form of control. Similarly, a writer may have some threat to his/her self expression (abusive partner, controlling parents, or non-safe space) and react by overprotecting their expression, denying it to themselves, even though (metaphorically) it may kill them.(less)

flag

like
Comment

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Laura Valeri Two things: that rare moment when someone comes up to you and says, you wrote this and it saved my life/changed my world/felt so profound. I melt. The…moreTwo things: that rare moment when someone comes up to you and says, you wrote this and it saved my life/changed my world/felt so profound. I melt. The other thing: other writers and the friendship you develop with them, especially in writing buddies situations. Of course, other writers may also be the worst thing about being a writer, too, so....(less)

flag

like
Comment

See all 6 answers from Laura Valeri…

Combine Editions
Laura Valeri’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 40 ratings · 12 reviews · 6 distinct works

	Safe in Your Head 4.17 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Kind of Things Saints Do (Volume 1) (Iowa Short Fiction Award) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2002 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dead Still Here it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2018	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	After Life as a Human it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chaos & Metamorphosis: The Art of Piero Lerda 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cercle et Carré and the International Spirit of Abstract Art by Lynn Boland, Laura Valeri (Goodreads Author), Catherine Dossin 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Laura Valeri…

67 posts
Laura Valeri's Blog

Sumerian Kings and the Birth of Divine Privilege

The quest for immortality is a theme for much of Sumerian literature, best illustrated in the epic of Gilgamesh, but present in many forms in other texts. Immortality has always been a human obsession, of course. What interests me about Sumerian culture is what it reveals about the human mind at the onset of civilization, and in this particular blog, when and how began the notion of a “king” (or “

Laura is Currently Reading

Laura is currently reading

Operation Gladio: The Unholy Alliance Between the Vatican, the Cia, and the Mafia

by Paul L. Williams

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mar 09, 2025 08:26PM

Laura is currently reading

Ariadne

by Jennifer Saint (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 12, 2025 06:51PM

Laura is currently reading

An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943

by Rick Atkinson

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sep 05, 2024 06:07PM

rss
Laura’s Recent Updates

Laura rated a book really liked it Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life by Harrison Candelaria Fletcher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 15, 2025 08:02PM · like
Laura rated a book really liked it The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 09, 2025 10:07AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura rated a book liked it In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 04, 2025 05:16AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura is currently reading Operation Gladio: The Unholy Alliance Between the Vatican, the Cia, and the Mafia by Paul L. Williams	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 09, 2025 08:26PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Operation Gladio by Paul L. Williams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Operation Gladio by Paul L. Williams <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura is currently reading Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 12, 2025 06:51PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ariadne by Jennifer Saint <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura finished reading Last Call (Fault Lines, #1) by Tim Powers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2025 08:45PM · like
Laura is currently reading Last Call (Fault Lines, #1) by Tim Powers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 14, 2024 07:20PM · like
Laura has read A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing by David Mura	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 24, 2024 06:43AM · like
Laura is currently reading An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 05, 2024 06:07PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura is currently reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2024 07:29PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Laura's books…

Laura’s Quotes

“You told me once that a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love. And you did that with more dedication than most, that work of building a soul-not for your own benefit but for the benefit of those that knew you.”
― Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding

175 likes

Laura’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-1) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 1: by Lois

Dec 13, 2013 11:14AM

Hello Laura,,
We've corresponded briefly online. I'm one of the authors with SFA.
Have you read my book, now out? NUGGETS FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION? It's pockets of humor from those trying times.
Yes, there were some---amusing incidences---tucked between "all togetherness" and "survival of the fittest. Bests, Lois Scott

reply | flag

Laura Valeri’s Followers (12)

Laura Valeri

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssLaura’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon

See a Problem?

Preview — In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

See a Problem?

Preview — Operation Gladio by Paul L. Williams

See a Problem?

Preview — Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

See a Problem?

Preview — An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson

See a Problem?

Preview — A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

rss
Laura’s Recent Updates