I mentioned in my last book review post that most of my reading ceases in October and November. This was mostly true. Here’s what I’ve been reading during Nano season (and post-Nano, so far).
Bound, Possession, and The Nine by J. Elizabeth Hill: I see the author in my Twitter feed occasionally, considering quite a few people I know follow her (and each other). So it was just a matter of time before I checked out her books. Who says Twitter doesn’t sell books? Anyway. The worldbuilding and characters are brilliant and feel natural, and the story is well-written and engaging throughout the whole series.
Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5 mirrors
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury: I picked this up at the library when I just wanted to sit down and write for an afternoon, then read it before November arrived. The book itself is an essay collection where Bradbury waxes poetic on the art of writing, and it’s beautiful and I want to print the whole thing out and hang it on my wall.
Goodreads rating: 5 out of 5 witticisms
No Plot? No Problem! Revised and Expanded Edition by Chris Baty: First off, a couple of tips appear in the book, so I got a free (signed!) copy. Woo! Now to the review. This book is as good as the first one. While a lot of the content is the same as from the first edition, there are published Wrimo pep talks, more tips from Wrimos (including yours truly), and no more references to floppy discs. There’s enough material unique to this edition to make it worth a read.
Goodreads rating: 5 out of 5 brilliant metaphors
30 Chapters: 30 Cheats by Brian Wood: First, I know the author. That aside, this book is a metabook of writing advice. The advice is sound, especially when I’m chuckling at typos like Decembruary. While the book is a first draft, the writing is pretty solid, and most of the awkward turns of phrase are part of the metanovel joke. And a little birdie told me there’s a sequel soon…
Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5 metajokes
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell: I went into this book expecting a lot and was disappointed. It wasn’t bad, mind you, but there were plenty of stories and not enough analysis on those stories. That said, I am now thinking about how my brain does snap judgments, like how I can usually tell how many stars I’ll rate a book within a few chapters.
Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 snap judgments
Up next… who knows? I’m picking up close to half a dozen books at the library tomorrow. This is what happens when all my self-imposed holds end because NaNo’s over. So many books.