Mini Book Reviews!

ooks galore!

I've been reading a lot in the last week or so. Here are a few of the books and stories:

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

I tweeted about this yesterday and today. I'm always impressed by writers who can take real life and distill it into a lesson, a moral, a story. I tend to find it hard to connect the dots of real life events. Amanda does it brilliantly.

Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman

A brilliant retelling of the classic fairy tale. Isn't it sad that when, in the middle of the tale, he writes "Gretel and Hansel" it jumps out at you? Why does the boy's name tend to come first?

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

Another retelling, of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty's stories. I love what he did with Snow White's character. I do wish dwarfs had been pluralised dwarves, but I guess they're not the same creatures as Tolkien's dwarves. Really intriguing spin on Sleeping Beauty's tale. And the illustrations are beautiful.

Married by Midnight by Talli Roland

I read this in one sitting! I was drawn into the world of the characters almost from the first sentence. And oh! it's full of Christmas spirit. I wish it was out in a slim, large size paperback or hardcover so I could give out lots of copies as gifts. Or am I the only one that still finds it hard to read on screen? This is only the third book I've done that with!

The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

It's always dangerous reading the first book in a series. This is the third and I've got nine books to go! If you've ever wanted to visit the Eastern Townships neighbourhood or anywhere in rural southern Quebec (south of Montreal, that is, and north of the US border), reading this series will transport you there instantly. And the mystery aspects of the books are intriguing too. This review from the Charlotte Observor, by Salem Macknee, says it all:

"If I thought for one minute this place really existed, I would be packing the car. As it was, on finishing "The Cruelest Month," I grabbed the first two books, "Still Life" and "A Fatal Grace," and spent a lovely weekend in the village. The mouthwatering food, the beautiful gardens, the quirky and literate villagers -- Three Pines is a charming oasis for the spirit....it's more about the journey than the destination in these wonderful books full of poetry, and weather, and a brooding manor house, and people who read and think and laugh and eat a lot of really excellent food."

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil Revised and Expanded Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien

I've read these lovely poems before, but the commentary was new to me. The best part, of course, is the language; all those intriguing words, some invented, some ancient. And the delicious thrill of "The Mewlips".

And then there's NaNoWriMo!

I've been writing steadily (ROW80 check in!), which is the positive way to look at things. Some days I fall behind. What I need to do more of is think of the story during non-writing times, so that when I set paper to pen, there are definite scenes to be explored and some forward movement.

Plotters out there must be shaking their heads. But as a pantster, that's how I plot, by seeing my way forward a little at a time, towards the distant horizon I know is there. That is, the limited amount of plotting I do is to know what my characters want, and the end-point they're headed for. The path they'll take is uncertain until written.

How do you feel your way into a story?

What good books have you been reading lately?