Book: The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber
This was one of the books I picked to read for school. I'm really glad I read it. It's similar to Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier in the fact that it takes a lot of different fairy tales and weaves them into the story seamlessly. There are elements of so many tales it's difficult to name them all. There's Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and others. Since most of them are told from the witch's point of view you'll find the stories are turned on their ears and the witches, of course, are not at fault at all, merely hapless bystanders who are trying to do their best.
The story is about a "witch" who finds a disfigured boy left for her. It's about the struggles of a witch raising a human and all that goes with it. On second thought, this is a very hard story to describe because the plot spans a long time and tells the life-story of the boy she found, who she names Lump. Lump is not an altogether likeable character. He's selfish and mean and NEVER does what he's told. The witch still loves him though and tries to do her best by him. Did I mention there's a talking cat? Well there is and he's pretty funny. Anyway, you should read it. I would say that Marcus and Carlye would be about the age for it, but only because they're a little advanced.
What I learned about writing: Even stories without the traditionally "hook" on the first page can be addicting, can't-put-it-down type of books. An unlikeable protagonist can be readable, although not sympathetic. The twists and turns this novel took to get to the finale were amazingly well thought out and it's inspired me to try to be more of a plotter than a pantser. Lastly, I was inspired, yet again, to continue on with my fairy tale writing. Affirmation that's nice to get from myself every once in a while.
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Book Review
Book: Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk & Fairy Tales by Jack Zipes
First of all, this title is totally misleading. It should really be called Jack Zipes Finds Issues Where There Are None Just So He Can Publish Another Book. I really try to avoid giving out and out negative reviews of books, but I honestly gained NOTHING from reading this. It was full of even more self-aggrandizing than usual without any interesting information to make it bearable. I thought the last Zipes book I read was bad, but now I know I will never read another book by him.
Okay, so perhaps I'm being a little harsh. I really loved all of the Introductory Fairy Tales at the beginning of the book. I liked that he disagrees so vehemently with Bruno Bettelheim (who I loathe even more than Jack Zipes). And I thought his take on the Harry Potter series very interesting (pointing out that they aren't true fairy tales because they begin and end the exact same way-with Harry at his aunt and uncle's house).
There were so many things that he brought up in this book that he either didn't follow up on, or have been written about by others in a more interesting way. His book seems to suffer from mulitple personalities, biting off more topic than can be chewed, and inevitably disappointing.
I realize that when I read a book for school I should be talking more about what I learned from the book than "reviewing" it, but I can honestly say that other than the three points above I gained nothing from this book. It was a long, boring read that I never would have finished if it weren't for school.
First of all, this title is totally misleading. It should really be called Jack Zipes Finds Issues Where There Are None Just So He Can Publish Another Book. I really try to avoid giving out and out negative reviews of books, but I honestly gained NOTHING from reading this. It was full of even more self-aggrandizing than usual without any interesting information to make it bearable. I thought the last Zipes book I read was bad, but now I know I will never read another book by him.
Okay, so perhaps I'm being a little harsh. I really loved all of the Introductory Fairy Tales at the beginning of the book. I liked that he disagrees so vehemently with Bruno Bettelheim (who I loathe even more than Jack Zipes). And I thought his take on the Harry Potter series very interesting (pointing out that they aren't true fairy tales because they begin and end the exact same way-with Harry at his aunt and uncle's house).
There were so many things that he brought up in this book that he either didn't follow up on, or have been written about by others in a more interesting way. His book seems to suffer from mulitple personalities, biting off more topic than can be chewed, and inevitably disappointing.
I realize that when I read a book for school I should be talking more about what I learned from the book than "reviewing" it, but I can honestly say that other than the three points above I gained nothing from this book. It was a long, boring read that I never would have finished if it weren't for school.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Book Review
Book: Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey
It's no secret that my favorite opera is Mozart's Die Zauberflote. It's a great gateway opera for those of you who would like to try an opera to see if you like it. Anyway, I picked up Sunlight and Shadow because it was part of the Once Upon a Time series without even knowing it was based on The Magic Flute. I was not disappointed.
One of the things I love about Donna Jo Napoli's books is how much story she can pack in just a few pages. This book was similar, it runs just under 200 pages and packs a massive story in that short span. Giving me another great lesson in succinct story-telling (although there were plenty of places where the story could have been expanded, making it richer).
The story is written in first-person point-of-view, from four or five different characters perspectives. This always annoys me. I have yet to read a book that can pull it off. It would take me several sentences each chapter to figure out who was narrating, so I had to do quite a bit of re-reading. Even more annoying was when she shifted narrators in mid-chapter and I had read two pages before realizing it. Ugh.
Another drawback of writing in a first-person POV is the inclination to tell the story rather than show it. The first two chapters were pretty boring because I was just being handed all this information and it annoyed me. Finally in the third chapter it began to feel like a story and I happily read the rest of the tale.
The only other thing that pulled me out of the story was the formulaic way that the female and male protaganists fell in love. I realize it's a fairy tale, but I still felt like it should have felt more sincere. Instead Mina (female protag) seemed to be using her "love" for Tern (male protag) to get back at her father. That doesn't seem like love to me.
Don't let all of my negative comments turn you away from this book, it was a good fast read that I enjoyed. There were so many unique images and a sort of mythology that played throughout that made it interesting. There were surprises set side-by-side the predictable, so it kept me guessing. I also appreciated the imagery used to describe night and day, a constant theme in the story. After reading this book I'm excited to read the other books in the Once Upon a Time series.
Happy reading!
It's no secret that my favorite opera is Mozart's Die Zauberflote. It's a great gateway opera for those of you who would like to try an opera to see if you like it. Anyway, I picked up Sunlight and Shadow because it was part of the Once Upon a Time series without even knowing it was based on The Magic Flute. I was not disappointed.
One of the things I love about Donna Jo Napoli's books is how much story she can pack in just a few pages. This book was similar, it runs just under 200 pages and packs a massive story in that short span. Giving me another great lesson in succinct story-telling (although there were plenty of places where the story could have been expanded, making it richer).
The story is written in first-person point-of-view, from four or five different characters perspectives. This always annoys me. I have yet to read a book that can pull it off. It would take me several sentences each chapter to figure out who was narrating, so I had to do quite a bit of re-reading. Even more annoying was when she shifted narrators in mid-chapter and I had read two pages before realizing it. Ugh.
Another drawback of writing in a first-person POV is the inclination to tell the story rather than show it. The first two chapters were pretty boring because I was just being handed all this information and it annoyed me. Finally in the third chapter it began to feel like a story and I happily read the rest of the tale.
The only other thing that pulled me out of the story was the formulaic way that the female and male protaganists fell in love. I realize it's a fairy tale, but I still felt like it should have felt more sincere. Instead Mina (female protag) seemed to be using her "love" for Tern (male protag) to get back at her father. That doesn't seem like love to me.
Don't let all of my negative comments turn you away from this book, it was a good fast read that I enjoyed. There were so many unique images and a sort of mythology that played throughout that made it interesting. There were surprises set side-by-side the predictable, so it kept me guessing. I also appreciated the imagery used to describe night and day, a constant theme in the story. After reading this book I'm excited to read the other books in the Once Upon a Time series.
Happy reading!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Book Review
Book: Hush by Donna Jo Napoli
It's no secret that I'm a big Donna Jo Napoli fan. Every book that I've read by her has been fabulous, which is an over-used word, but here it applies. All of her previous books I've read have been short for novels and I've been amazed that she could pack so much story in so few pages. Hush is a book that was twice or three times longer than those others, so I was expecting a LOT of story. The first hundred pages or so could have been left out and the story would have been better for it, which gave me a great lesson in not delaying the plot. (I had been considering beginning my story much earlier, but this book made me realize that it added nothing so I decided against it.)
I would really hesitate to recommend this book for the age-group it's intended, just because of the way she dealt with sex. The only sex represented was rape, and I was incredibly annoyed when the protaganist fell in love with her rapist later. I really thought Napoli could have at least given some caveat that not all sex is violent and bad. Between this and the slow start I wouldn't give it as a gift to somebody.
As far as I'm concerned Donna Jo Napoli is the Mistress of Story. She can pack more story in a few pages than most people have in an entire novel. It's amazing to read, because you don't feel as if you're being rushed through at all, but you realize that you've taken such a huge journey in such a small span. In this book the pacing was not as tight, which is so strange because this is one of her more recent novels. There are lagging points, side-stories that add nothing, and so many unanswered questions that at the end I felt a big sinking disappointment instead of that elation that a story ending usually brings. I don't mind if there are unanswered questions, but if the whole crux of the plot is never resolved than it's not a great story.
I am really glad that I read this book, however, because I learned a lot from it. Of course most of the things I learned were what NOT to do, but what can you do? I was able to see a lot of my own mistakes through this book and it made it more clear to me what I needed to repair and avoid in my own novel. But that's the whole idea of reading as a writer, to emulate the positive and watch out for the negative.
All in all, don't let this book turn you off from Donna Jo Napoli her other ones are MUCH better.
It's no secret that I'm a big Donna Jo Napoli fan. Every book that I've read by her has been fabulous, which is an over-used word, but here it applies. All of her previous books I've read have been short for novels and I've been amazed that she could pack so much story in so few pages. Hush is a book that was twice or three times longer than those others, so I was expecting a LOT of story. The first hundred pages or so could have been left out and the story would have been better for it, which gave me a great lesson in not delaying the plot. (I had been considering beginning my story much earlier, but this book made me realize that it added nothing so I decided against it.)
I would really hesitate to recommend this book for the age-group it's intended, just because of the way she dealt with sex. The only sex represented was rape, and I was incredibly annoyed when the protaganist fell in love with her rapist later. I really thought Napoli could have at least given some caveat that not all sex is violent and bad. Between this and the slow start I wouldn't give it as a gift to somebody.
As far as I'm concerned Donna Jo Napoli is the Mistress of Story. She can pack more story in a few pages than most people have in an entire novel. It's amazing to read, because you don't feel as if you're being rushed through at all, but you realize that you've taken such a huge journey in such a small span. In this book the pacing was not as tight, which is so strange because this is one of her more recent novels. There are lagging points, side-stories that add nothing, and so many unanswered questions that at the end I felt a big sinking disappointment instead of that elation that a story ending usually brings. I don't mind if there are unanswered questions, but if the whole crux of the plot is never resolved than it's not a great story.
I am really glad that I read this book, however, because I learned a lot from it. Of course most of the things I learned were what NOT to do, but what can you do? I was able to see a lot of my own mistakes through this book and it made it more clear to me what I needed to repair and avoid in my own novel. But that's the whole idea of reading as a writer, to emulate the positive and watch out for the negative.
All in all, don't let this book turn you off from Donna Jo Napoli her other ones are MUCH better.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Book Review
Book: Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan
This book was both really good and really bad. I was immediately turned off by the overly-flowery language that she insisted on using through the entire book (although it did instill in me that purple prose is not descriptive prose). I also felt that she used an incessant amount of repetition that made this book a hard one to get through. And I vehemently disagreed with her idea that shorter sentences and paragraphs slow things down--they absolutely do not! They speed things up like a punch, punch, punch. Anyway, despite these seemingly insurmountable complaints, I finished the book! And here is what I learned:
This book was both really good and really bad. I was immediately turned off by the overly-flowery language that she insisted on using through the entire book (although it did instill in me that purple prose is not descriptive prose). I also felt that she used an incessant amount of repetition that made this book a hard one to get through. And I vehemently disagreed with her idea that shorter sentences and paragraphs slow things down--they absolutely do not! They speed things up like a punch, punch, punch. Anyway, despite these seemingly insurmountable complaints, I finished the book! And here is what I learned:
- Avoid adjectives that label or explain. They are not description.
- Use active, vivid prose.
- Description isn't optional if you want a story to sell, or be read!
- "Description isn't something that we simply insert, block style, into passages of narration or exposition... the term passage suggests a channel, a movement from one place to another; it implies that we're going somewhere."
- Words to avoid like just, was, that, etc.
- Figures of speech and what they actually are in a handy-dandy list; although I have a degree in English I always confuse the various types of figures of speech.
- 9 out of 10 exercises in a writing book are stupid and a waste of time, but that 10th one might just give you an amazing idea for a part of your book that you were stuck on.
- A refresher course on point-of-view and the ways that each one can limit your description or expand upon it. Very helpful if you're writing in a POV you haven't really used before.
- "The difference between activity and action is the difference between running on a treadmill and running in a race." Very good to note.
- Various ways to increase tension using description.
- The difference between tension and suspense.
- You can't write description for descriptions sake, it needs to add to the story. (Like a line from one of my favorite movies, "it must contribute, it cannot simply lie around.")
- You can't describe something or someone once and expect the reader to remember; it's better to give descriptions gradually over time so they can build on their image of the person, place or thing.
- Theme in a story comes organically, but can be greatly increased by use of appropriate description.
- Last, but not least, don't lose sight of the big picture by focusing on little details that don't matter.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Book Review
Book: The Magic Three of Solatia by Jane Yolen
This book was really intriguing to me because it is essentially four tales that can be taken separately and stand completely on their own, but are used to tell a whole story. It was interesting to me in regards to the book that I'm writing because everything that Jane Yolen does in this novel I was asked not to do by my first mentor! She tells this story very much in fairy tale language and that can be such a detriment to most writers, but Yolen is the Queen of Fairy Tales and can get away with things that no other writer can.
A lot of time I can predict where a book is going and what is going to be done, but in this book I found myself being surprised at every turn. This was a quick read, but powerfully written and the imagery and ideas have stayed with me even though it's been a few weeks since I read it.
As a writer it has given me a few ideas for my own stories, just by the fact that she did make such interesting choices in her plot and with her characters. The best books inspire and this one did that for me.
This book was really intriguing to me because it is essentially four tales that can be taken separately and stand completely on their own, but are used to tell a whole story. It was interesting to me in regards to the book that I'm writing because everything that Jane Yolen does in this novel I was asked not to do by my first mentor! She tells this story very much in fairy tale language and that can be such a detriment to most writers, but Yolen is the Queen of Fairy Tales and can get away with things that no other writer can.
A lot of time I can predict where a book is going and what is going to be done, but in this book I found myself being surprised at every turn. This was a quick read, but powerfully written and the imagery and ideas have stayed with me even though it's been a few weeks since I read it.
As a writer it has given me a few ideas for my own stories, just by the fact that she did make such interesting choices in her plot and with her characters. The best books inspire and this one did that for me.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Book Review
Book: Black Heart, Ivory Bones edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
I have read another of their collections of re-written fairy tales. This one is more for an adult audience than that one was. I really loved this collection. Some of the stories had such distinct and interesting voices that I had to read them out loud. There were several stories that were based on the same fairy tale and I loved to see the different takes each author took.
There were some stories that I liked more than others, of course, and I found that the ones that I liked the best were the ones that told the story in a succinct manner. I over-write quite a bit and I think it's that part of me that appreciates anyone who can tell a story in as few words as possible. It has given me a lot of ideas for re-writes of my own story, for sure!
It always amazes me the way that short stories make every word count. They are able to set the scene and make you care about the characters in a few short paragraphs. That is definitely something that I struggle with.
All in all I am incredibly happy that I read this book. Apparently it's the 6th in a series of collections that they did and I am going to hunt down the other five now. I hope that those of you who like fairy tales will read them too!
Happy reading!
I have read another of their collections of re-written fairy tales. This one is more for an adult audience than that one was. I really loved this collection. Some of the stories had such distinct and interesting voices that I had to read them out loud. There were several stories that were based on the same fairy tale and I loved to see the different takes each author took.
There were some stories that I liked more than others, of course, and I found that the ones that I liked the best were the ones that told the story in a succinct manner. I over-write quite a bit and I think it's that part of me that appreciates anyone who can tell a story in as few words as possible. It has given me a lot of ideas for re-writes of my own story, for sure!
It always amazes me the way that short stories make every word count. They are able to set the scene and make you care about the characters in a few short paragraphs. That is definitely something that I struggle with.
All in all I am incredibly happy that I read this book. Apparently it's the 6th in a series of collections that they did and I am going to hunt down the other five now. I hope that those of you who like fairy tales will read them too!
Happy reading!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Book Review
Book: Off With Their Heads!: Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood by Maria Tatar
Last semester I read a book similar in topic by Jack Zipes. It was not very good, convoluted, and he obviously thought way too much of himself. Tatar's book could not have been more different! It was a breath of fresh air compared to most fairy tale theory books. Although her last chapter was completely unnecessary and could have been left out completely, I still really loved this book.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: "It may seem pedantic to demand logic from a genre that traffics in the supernatural, but even fairy tales have their ground rules, and those rules assure a degree of predictability in the plot." I thought this was great and it really shows the complexity beneath the supposed simplicity of fairy tales.
There were so many interesting things that I learned from Tatar that I will be able to incorporate into my own fairy tales. I'm so glad that I chose this book this semester. Turns out it doesn't have to be painful to read fairy tale theory!
Happy reading!
Last semester I read a book similar in topic by Jack Zipes. It was not very good, convoluted, and he obviously thought way too much of himself. Tatar's book could not have been more different! It was a breath of fresh air compared to most fairy tale theory books. Although her last chapter was completely unnecessary and could have been left out completely, I still really loved this book.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: "It may seem pedantic to demand logic from a genre that traffics in the supernatural, but even fairy tales have their ground rules, and those rules assure a degree of predictability in the plot." I thought this was great and it really shows the complexity beneath the supposed simplicity of fairy tales.
There were so many interesting things that I learned from Tatar that I will be able to incorporate into my own fairy tales. I'm so glad that I chose this book this semester. Turns out it doesn't have to be painful to read fairy tale theory!
Happy reading!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Book Review
This is a little unprecedented, but I am going to review two books at once, since they are on similar topics.
Books: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King; Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
Self-Editing was recommended to me by some people in my Writing Popular Fiction program and Techniques was recommended by my fabulous mentor Anne Harris! Both books have been beneficial to my writing, but I definitely got WAY more out of Techniques. And for being written by editors I found it ironic that Self-Editing had quite a few mistakes in the text.
First I'll talk about Self-Editing: This book was probably about 3/4 examples, which is fine except that most of them were not super beneficial. Towards the end I began skipping about every other example, because there were just so many of them! There were also a lot of exercises at the end that were redundant and (I thought) unhelpful. Some of the chapters seemed to cover the same topics too. I wouldn't recommend this book to any other writers to buy, but it would be good to read once--maybe checking it out from the library.
Good parts about Self-Editing: It's very easy to read. Because it's written by editors it gives a different perspective from most writing help books. It gives a lot of good advice about things to focus on before you send it to anyone else to look at. Just by reading it I was able to see certain things that I was doing wrong that I will now be able to notice and fix. Very good to read, but I won't be going back to it again and again like other writing books.
Now for Techniques: I cannot say enough about this book! I'll start with what I didn't like though (the list is shockingly short)--it was pretty expensive for a paperback, but worth every penny. Also I was pretty annoyed by what he said about heroines: "Her main function in a story is to serve as part of the hero's reward for being indomitable." This definitely shows the time period he was writing in, but it still rankled me that women are looked as "reward" for anyone.
Now for the good stuff: I took more notes in the margin than I ever have in any book before. A lot of you know about my Princess Adelaide fairy tale that I have been writing for years now and this book helped me FINALLY figure out my plot problem that had been preventing me from finishing the trilogy! There was so much good advice in here that I've already started re-reading it (using a different color high-lighter) to find what I had missed the first go round. I also really loved the fact that he didn't put in examples, but instead tells you how to use any book you want as an example! I don't even know what else to say without giving paragraph after paragraph of quote from the book. I will say that he helped me find my way to plot and that enabled me to become re-invigorated with the story that I'm writing for my Master's.
In short, if you are a writer or would like to be one you HAVE to read Dwight Swain's, Techniques of the Selling Writer!
Happy reading!
Books: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King; Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
Self-Editing was recommended to me by some people in my Writing Popular Fiction program and Techniques was recommended by my fabulous mentor Anne Harris! Both books have been beneficial to my writing, but I definitely got WAY more out of Techniques. And for being written by editors I found it ironic that Self-Editing had quite a few mistakes in the text.
First I'll talk about Self-Editing: This book was probably about 3/4 examples, which is fine except that most of them were not super beneficial. Towards the end I began skipping about every other example, because there were just so many of them! There were also a lot of exercises at the end that were redundant and (I thought) unhelpful. Some of the chapters seemed to cover the same topics too. I wouldn't recommend this book to any other writers to buy, but it would be good to read once--maybe checking it out from the library.
Good parts about Self-Editing: It's very easy to read. Because it's written by editors it gives a different perspective from most writing help books. It gives a lot of good advice about things to focus on before you send it to anyone else to look at. Just by reading it I was able to see certain things that I was doing wrong that I will now be able to notice and fix. Very good to read, but I won't be going back to it again and again like other writing books.
Now for Techniques: I cannot say enough about this book! I'll start with what I didn't like though (the list is shockingly short)--it was pretty expensive for a paperback, but worth every penny. Also I was pretty annoyed by what he said about heroines: "Her main function in a story is to serve as part of the hero's reward for being indomitable." This definitely shows the time period he was writing in, but it still rankled me that women are looked as "reward" for anyone.
Now for the good stuff: I took more notes in the margin than I ever have in any book before. A lot of you know about my Princess Adelaide fairy tale that I have been writing for years now and this book helped me FINALLY figure out my plot problem that had been preventing me from finishing the trilogy! There was so much good advice in here that I've already started re-reading it (using a different color high-lighter) to find what I had missed the first go round. I also really loved the fact that he didn't put in examples, but instead tells you how to use any book you want as an example! I don't even know what else to say without giving paragraph after paragraph of quote from the book. I will say that he helped me find my way to plot and that enabled me to become re-invigorated with the story that I'm writing for my Master's.
In short, if you are a writer or would like to be one you HAVE to read Dwight Swain's, Techniques of the Selling Writer!
Happy reading!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Book Review
Book: The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli
Although I finished this book over a month ago I waited until now to review it because I had think about it. I really enjoyed this book, but I had to figure out why. It's barely over 100 pages long, but it tells such a rich and distinct story-line. In fact, you could make the argument that it tells TWO distinct story-lines.
This is the second book that I've read of Donna Jo Napoli's; the other was Zel, her re-telling of Rapunzel and I really loved that book too. The Magic Circle is a re-telling of Hansel & Gretel and, like Zel, is told from the witch's perspective. We all know how Hansel & Gretel ends, and this book is no exception, but it is such a surprising release that you have to read it to experience it.
The book, obviously, centers around goodness and witchcraft and choosing God above all. It's about resisting tempation, but it's not moralizing in a heavy-handed way, it's just matter-of-fact. I think that Napoli is able to do this because it is written from a first-person point-of-view and the character is so simplistic in her view of right and wrong, that it never comes off as condescending.
What I learned about writing: You can make a "bad" character good and vice-versa. If you are talented enough you can tell an in-depth tale in 100 pages. I'm actually going to go back and read this again and again to figure out how she was able to tell such a vivid story in such a small book. Her lyrical use of prose is something else I would love to be able to emulate. It will also be a good "handbook" to learn about unique use of voice; an excellent use of first-person POV; and making a seemingly unlikable protaganist the heroine of the story. This book really amazed me in so many ways and I can't wait to read it again--and get everyone else to read it!
Happy reading!
Although I finished this book over a month ago I waited until now to review it because I had think about it. I really enjoyed this book, but I had to figure out why. It's barely over 100 pages long, but it tells such a rich and distinct story-line. In fact, you could make the argument that it tells TWO distinct story-lines.
This is the second book that I've read of Donna Jo Napoli's; the other was Zel, her re-telling of Rapunzel and I really loved that book too. The Magic Circle is a re-telling of Hansel & Gretel and, like Zel, is told from the witch's perspective. We all know how Hansel & Gretel ends, and this book is no exception, but it is such a surprising release that you have to read it to experience it.
The book, obviously, centers around goodness and witchcraft and choosing God above all. It's about resisting tempation, but it's not moralizing in a heavy-handed way, it's just matter-of-fact. I think that Napoli is able to do this because it is written from a first-person point-of-view and the character is so simplistic in her view of right and wrong, that it never comes off as condescending.
What I learned about writing: You can make a "bad" character good and vice-versa. If you are talented enough you can tell an in-depth tale in 100 pages. I'm actually going to go back and read this again and again to figure out how she was able to tell such a vivid story in such a small book. Her lyrical use of prose is something else I would love to be able to emulate. It will also be a good "handbook" to learn about unique use of voice; an excellent use of first-person POV; and making a seemingly unlikable protaganist the heroine of the story. This book really amazed me in so many ways and I can't wait to read it again--and get everyone else to read it!
Happy reading!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Book Review
Book: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
I bought this book a long time ago at The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. Because of one thing or another I didn't get the chance to read it until recently. I can't believe what I was missing! This is a beautiful woven tale set in Transylvania (no, there are no vampires). Marillier takes a wide array of fairy tales and not only makes them believable as a whole, but leaves you wondering why no one has ever done it before. The reason I bought it in the first place was because it was said to be an homage to my favorite fairy tale - The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
There are not twelve princesses in this story, but five sisters who travel to another realm every full moon. The characters, the setting, the dresses are all described in breathtaking detail that never gets in the way of the actual story. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first but my skepticism soon turned to wonder and I found myself drawn into the story.
One horrible habit I have as a writer is to try to "read" the plot ahead of the pages. I am constantly guessing what will happen next. In this book I was continually surprised that what I thought would happen was not what actually happened! I'm not sure if Marillier has written anything else, but I will definitely read anything else by her.
Happy reading!
I bought this book a long time ago at The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. Because of one thing or another I didn't get the chance to read it until recently. I can't believe what I was missing! This is a beautiful woven tale set in Transylvania (no, there are no vampires). Marillier takes a wide array of fairy tales and not only makes them believable as a whole, but leaves you wondering why no one has ever done it before. The reason I bought it in the first place was because it was said to be an homage to my favorite fairy tale - The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
There are not twelve princesses in this story, but five sisters who travel to another realm every full moon. The characters, the setting, the dresses are all described in breathtaking detail that never gets in the way of the actual story. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first but my skepticism soon turned to wonder and I found myself drawn into the story.
One horrible habit I have as a writer is to try to "read" the plot ahead of the pages. I am constantly guessing what will happen next. In this book I was continually surprised that what I thought would happen was not what actually happened! I'm not sure if Marillier has written anything else, but I will definitely read anything else by her.
Happy reading!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Book Review
Book: The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
This is a Robin Hood re-telling with all the characters you would expect - Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scarlet and the Sheriff of Nottingham. I have always loved the Robin Hood tales and looked forward to reading this book. Although very slow-going at the beginning, as most of McKinley's books seem to be, I was eventually swept up into the story and my imagination took flight.
I don't recommend this book whole-heartedly though. I thought the ending was contrived, out of left field and wholly disappointing. I also disliked the jarring change of point of view where we learned more about minor characters than we were ever able to learn about Robin Hood or Marian. Anyway, if you're a fan it's a book to read; if you're not perhaps you should look elsewhere for your first Robin Hood adventure.
Happy reading!
This is a Robin Hood re-telling with all the characters you would expect - Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scarlet and the Sheriff of Nottingham. I have always loved the Robin Hood tales and looked forward to reading this book. Although very slow-going at the beginning, as most of McKinley's books seem to be, I was eventually swept up into the story and my imagination took flight.
I don't recommend this book whole-heartedly though. I thought the ending was contrived, out of left field and wholly disappointing. I also disliked the jarring change of point of view where we learned more about minor characters than we were ever able to learn about Robin Hood or Marian. Anyway, if you're a fan it's a book to read; if you're not perhaps you should look elsewhere for your first Robin Hood adventure.
Happy reading!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Book Review
Book: Ever by Gail Carson Levine
From the author of Ella Enchanted and Fairest comes a stylistic departure from her fairy tale roots. This book, instead of being based on fairy tales and folk tales as all of her previous books have been, concerns itself more with mythology than anything else. The story is about faith and love and the lives of gods and the humans who love them. Levine made up her own gods to inhabit the mythology of the story, but they are so beautifully done that you could almost believe that they were worshiped somewhere by some people long ago.
As I said before, this is a stylistic departure from her previous works and it was a bit jarring for me at first. The tone was different, but once I got used to the new "voice" of the book I really enjoyed it. There are elements of known myths throughout the story, but it doesn't make the story more predictable or less enjoyable in any way.
If you found her previous books easy reads then this one will be no different. I hope that you like it, if not let me know! Happy reading!
From the author of Ella Enchanted and Fairest comes a stylistic departure from her fairy tale roots. This book, instead of being based on fairy tales and folk tales as all of her previous books have been, concerns itself more with mythology than anything else. The story is about faith and love and the lives of gods and the humans who love them. Levine made up her own gods to inhabit the mythology of the story, but they are so beautifully done that you could almost believe that they were worshiped somewhere by some people long ago.
As I said before, this is a stylistic departure from her previous works and it was a bit jarring for me at first. The tone was different, but once I got used to the new "voice" of the book I really enjoyed it. There are elements of known myths throughout the story, but it doesn't make the story more predictable or less enjoyable in any way.
If you found her previous books easy reads then this one will be no different. I hope that you like it, if not let me know! Happy reading!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Book Review
Since most of you are book buddies with me I thought I would review books as I finish them. The first book I'm reviewing I happened upon in Barnes & Noble when I was wandering around. I have found that this is the best way for me to find books (it's also how I found The Goose Girl). It was also a mere $7.95 for the hardback so I couldn't pass it up! Anyway, here it goes:
Book: The Dark of the Woods Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Age: 8-12 or anyone who loves fairy tales!
This is a charming collection of short stories of re-invented, re-imagined and altogether re-worked fairy tales by some great authors. It's a great book to read if you need something that you have to pick up and put down since you can read a story and then come back to the book later. They are all COMPLETELY different stories and it's interesting to see the way that the writers changed the way you view a story (I'll never look at Hansel & Gretel the same again).
Another bonus: Most of them are short enough to be read aloud to little ones. This is especially nice if they already have a favorite fairy tale because now you can show them a different view of their favorite.
So anyway, if you're looking for something quick and fun to read you should pick up this book! Happy reading!
Book: The Dark of the Woods Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Age: 8-12 or anyone who loves fairy tales!
This is a charming collection of short stories of re-invented, re-imagined and altogether re-worked fairy tales by some great authors. It's a great book to read if you need something that you have to pick up and put down since you can read a story and then come back to the book later. They are all COMPLETELY different stories and it's interesting to see the way that the writers changed the way you view a story (I'll never look at Hansel & Gretel the same again).
Another bonus: Most of them are short enough to be read aloud to little ones. This is especially nice if they already have a favorite fairy tale because now you can show them a different view of their favorite.
So anyway, if you're looking for something quick and fun to read you should pick up this book! Happy reading!
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