This archive contains book reviews written by myself and guest writers. Topics are all over the board: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plus size related, writing related books and more.
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ~ Anna Quindlen
A Quick Review, Sort Of I have been reading Under the Dome by Stephen King (Amazon.com / Amazon.ca) for about five months. Maybe longer. In general, I tend to be a slow reader but not usually this slow. I finished reading the book! It is a huge weight off my shoulders. And my wrists. Seriously,…
Book Review A Writer’s Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld (official website) is a book on cultivating the writing craft, practicing consistency, and finishing strong (wherever your writing may lead you). It aims to be refreshing and encouraging without going too easy on you–you have no excuses not to be excellent in your writing practice!…
Ready. Set. Novel! is the book for you if you are in search of your next novel idea, or have a hint of a concept but are looking to develop it further before you set fingers to keyboard. Co-authored by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant and Tavia Stewart-Streit, three of the brains behind National Novel Writing…
Book Review David Morrell is the author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. In his book The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing, he lays down the rules of writing as he understands them. Overwhelmingly, it is a helpful array both for the new writer and the experienced ones….
Steven Pinker’s The Sense of Style is not a typical style guide. Pinker explains in the first chapter that he does not intend to replace classic guides such as Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Rather, his book acts as a commentary both on the changes that have taken place since that classic guide…
Book Review Why We Write is a collection of essays from 20 authors*, edited by Meredith Maran. The essays are written by authors who “have written books that sell in the kinds of numbers that make publishers send them flowers and leather-bound first editions. And most importantly, new book contracts.” Maran calls them the successful ones,…
Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks has the rather ambitious subtitle “Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Getting Published”. For the most part, the book lives up to its promise. Regina Brooks covers all the essentials of writing great books for young adults, such as plot, character, setting…
Dani Shapiro’s Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life is a gentle companion, filled with a myriad of antidotes that helps the writer on their own personal journey. The book is not a how-to guide in the least. It does not go over grammar, writing a sentence, or the like. It does, however,…