Search
Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary Queen of Scots
10.0
Rate It
Book
A fascinating and revealing new biography of Mary Queen of Scots in captivity. For almost two...
Non-fiction Scottish/ English history Mary Queen of Scots
Rachel King (13 KP) rated On Writing in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I have not now nor ever been a fan of Stephen King's fiction, nor do I intend to change that pattern. His personal brand of fiction is simply not for me. But since this book is non-fiction, curiosity got the better of me. I am glad that I read this book very much, for both the memoir of his writing life, as well as the writing skills he attempts to impart.
The first half of the book is largely a memoir of King's life, with a focus on his writing career. The reader learns things such as what inspired him, what he liked in fiction, his initial forays into getting published, as well as his many rejections and criticisms. I found it both interesting and ironic that his first big book, Carrie, was accomplished largely thanks to his wife's encouragement, as he never really cared for the main character. He could take the simplest ideas, put two random thoughts together, and make them into these successful stories. All of this is woven into the more mundane aspects of his life, from schooling, to various jobs, to meeting his future wife.
The second part of the book is all about what King considers good writing practices, as well some of the advice that King has received over the years, such as when writing a second draft, subtract 10% from the original. He even goes into the details of good grammar and repeatedly refers to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. He finishes off this section by showing a section of a first draft he wrote, and then the edited second draft of it to give the reader an idea of how to approach the editing process.
A final section in the book goes into the details of when King was hit and nearly killed by a "blue van" and the effect that it had on his life and his writing. The accident actually occurs before he begins the second part of this book, giving the manuscript the possibility of never being completed. This was probably the most intriguing part of the book for me, as he was able to remember in vivid detail what happened to him, and yet he seemed to be oddly emotionally-detached from its long-term consequences for his life. There is only one short paragraph in which I actually pick up on some emotion, when he discusses how quickly the driver of the blue van will likely be returning to the road. At one point he also made the observation that the driver could have stepped from the pages of one of his novels. What I do love is that his passion for writing helped him to overcome his injuries and regenerate that need to keep putting words to the page.
The first half of the book is largely a memoir of King's life, with a focus on his writing career. The reader learns things such as what inspired him, what he liked in fiction, his initial forays into getting published, as well as his many rejections and criticisms. I found it both interesting and ironic that his first big book, Carrie, was accomplished largely thanks to his wife's encouragement, as he never really cared for the main character. He could take the simplest ideas, put two random thoughts together, and make them into these successful stories. All of this is woven into the more mundane aspects of his life, from schooling, to various jobs, to meeting his future wife.
The second part of the book is all about what King considers good writing practices, as well some of the advice that King has received over the years, such as when writing a second draft, subtract 10% from the original. He even goes into the details of good grammar and repeatedly refers to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. He finishes off this section by showing a section of a first draft he wrote, and then the edited second draft of it to give the reader an idea of how to approach the editing process.
A final section in the book goes into the details of when King was hit and nearly killed by a "blue van" and the effect that it had on his life and his writing. The accident actually occurs before he begins the second part of this book, giving the manuscript the possibility of never being completed. This was probably the most intriguing part of the book for me, as he was able to remember in vivid detail what happened to him, and yet he seemed to be oddly emotionally-detached from its long-term consequences for his life. There is only one short paragraph in which I actually pick up on some emotion, when he discusses how quickly the driver of the blue van will likely be returning to the road. At one point he also made the observation that the driver could have stepped from the pages of one of his novels. What I do love is that his passion for writing helped him to overcome his injuries and regenerate that need to keep putting words to the page.
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated The War Nurses in Books
Apr 5, 2018
“... a flying ambulance corps made up of a naturist, a pianist, a journalist, a lady and a widowed mother...and a non smoking schoolgirl.” This is the description of the ambulance corp of Elsie Knockers and Mairi Chisholm during World War I. Will these brave ladies' friendship and sisterhood survive the war as they live in close quarters and dodge bullets as front line nurses in a cellar?
I started this book without much hope. To me, the cover is cheap-looking, and I admit this colored my judgement. How wrong I was!!! The War Nurses ended up being a very good read. Mairi is shown in such a real light. I was amazed at what both women did during the war. To see the human side of such a brave woman was interesting. I didn't personally like Elsie, but her character was amusing and kept surprising me.
While it didn't particularly bother me, some people will not like the amount of gore and yucky stuff in this book. While I know you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover to this book is very cheap looking.
The War Nurses by Lizzie Page is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Bookouture.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It ending up being a very pleasant surprise, as I judged this book by the cover and wasn't expecting much from it. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book. I recommend to anyone who loves powerful women, coming of age stories, WWI, medical stories, and/or historical fiction.
I was given a free copy from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.
I started this book without much hope. To me, the cover is cheap-looking, and I admit this colored my judgement. How wrong I was!!! The War Nurses ended up being a very good read. Mairi is shown in such a real light. I was amazed at what both women did during the war. To see the human side of such a brave woman was interesting. I didn't personally like Elsie, but her character was amusing and kept surprising me.
While it didn't particularly bother me, some people will not like the amount of gore and yucky stuff in this book. While I know you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover to this book is very cheap looking.
The War Nurses by Lizzie Page is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Bookouture.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It ending up being a very pleasant surprise, as I judged this book by the cover and wasn't expecting much from it. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book. I recommend to anyone who loves powerful women, coming of age stories, WWI, medical stories, and/or historical fiction.
I was given a free copy from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Motherhood in Books
Apr 9, 2019
As women, it's our one job to reproduce, but is it? Some women can't wait to be mothers, others want to wait for the right time. Some women can't have children, and some women don't want children. This book examines one woman's journey through one of the biggest decisions women make between the ages of 20-40(the childbearing years). To have a baby or not to have a baby, that is the question.
Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I couldn't get this book. I read it from cover to cover and I just couldn't find the something that drew it all together. To me it seemed really repetitive and there was really no cohesiveness.
I wanted to read this book because from a young age, I didn't want kids. Everyone one in my family and all of my friends knew this about me. I love kids. I was the neighborhood babysitter, I was a Girl Scout Camp leader, I went to school to become a child psychologist, but I just didn't want to have any of my own. One year before my Doctor agreed to tie my tubes if I hadn't had kids I got pregnant, two years later came baby number 2 and 10.5 months after that baby number 3. So I was really looking forward to reading this book and hearing someone else's perspective on the topic.
I couldn't relate to anything in this fiction/non-fiction tale. I'm not even sure if the main character had a name. Was it the author? The boyfriend was Miles. I'm not sure what message was trying to be conveyed, but I didn't get it.
I don't know if I will read other books by this author.
Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I couldn't get this book. I read it from cover to cover and I just couldn't find the something that drew it all together. To me it seemed really repetitive and there was really no cohesiveness.
I wanted to read this book because from a young age, I didn't want kids. Everyone one in my family and all of my friends knew this about me. I love kids. I was the neighborhood babysitter, I was a Girl Scout Camp leader, I went to school to become a child psychologist, but I just didn't want to have any of my own. One year before my Doctor agreed to tie my tubes if I hadn't had kids I got pregnant, two years later came baby number 2 and 10.5 months after that baby number 3. So I was really looking forward to reading this book and hearing someone else's perspective on the topic.
I couldn't relate to anything in this fiction/non-fiction tale. I'm not even sure if the main character had a name. Was it the author? The boyfriend was Miles. I'm not sure what message was trying to be conveyed, but I didn't get it.
I don't know if I will read other books by this author.
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated A Free Man of Color (Benjamin January, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Historical fiction isn't my favorite genre, but I'm much more willing to read it when it's mixed with mystery. I've read some of Hambly's work before and know her to be a fine writer, and I'd read good reviews of this series by people I respect, so I decided to give it a whirl.
I suppose all the descriptions of people's clothing would have mattered much more to someone who cared about such things, but I do realize that they were important in the context of the story. Personally, I was relieved when the main character went on a journey! I would have been happier had his medical skills been utilized more frequently than they were, but I suppose his experiences were fairly true to life for a "colored" man of his time.
I did learn quite a lot—things that I intend to verify in non-fiction sources shortly. The information about the black code, for instance, and the explanation of the distinction between "black" and "colored" people seemed too precise to be fabricated.
I knew, too, that Louisiana is the only U.S. state whose laws are based on French rather than English common law, which seemed silly to me. Why wouldn't they go with the standard everyone else used? After reading this novel, I'm starting to realize that there may have been rights given to citizens under French law that were lost under English law.
I'm not sure as to whether or not I'll go forward in the series, as I'm not sure that I can handle the unhappiness I can see foreshadowed even in some of the titles. However, I will say that this volume is well-written and well-plotted. I certainly didn't guess who the killer was or why the murder was committed before the big reveal, and that was a pleasant change!
I suppose all the descriptions of people's clothing would have mattered much more to someone who cared about such things, but I do realize that they were important in the context of the story. Personally, I was relieved when the main character went on a journey! I would have been happier had his medical skills been utilized more frequently than they were, but I suppose his experiences were fairly true to life for a "colored" man of his time.
I did learn quite a lot—things that I intend to verify in non-fiction sources shortly. The information about the black code, for instance, and the explanation of the distinction between "black" and "colored" people seemed too precise to be fabricated.
I knew, too, that Louisiana is the only U.S. state whose laws are based on French rather than English common law, which seemed silly to me. Why wouldn't they go with the standard everyone else used? After reading this novel, I'm starting to realize that there may have been rights given to citizens under French law that were lost under English law.
I'm not sure as to whether or not I'll go forward in the series, as I'm not sure that I can handle the unhappiness I can see foreshadowed even in some of the titles. However, I will say that this volume is well-written and well-plotted. I certainly didn't guess who the killer was or why the murder was committed before the big reveal, and that was a pleasant change!
The Buddha in the Attic
Book
Read our exclusive interview with Julie, in which she talks about the sentence that made everything...
The Pale King
Book
The Pale King is David Foster Wallace's final novel - a testament to his enduring brilliance The...
The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion
9.5
Rate It
Book
A perspective-shattering work into the minds of violent criminals that reveals profound consequences...
Non-Fiction True Crime Psychology Mental Health Crime
Katastrophe
8.0
Rate It
Book
The new blockbuster thriller from Graham Hurley set against the final stages of the Second World...
Historical fiction World War 2 War Germany Russia Europe
The Infinite Sea
7.9
Rate It
Book
The Infinite Sea is the second book in the phenomenal and bestselling 5th Wave series by...