 | |
| St David in stained glass, Jesus Chapel, Oxford. |
 |
| The Welsh flag. You wish your country's flag had a dragon on it. |
So! February reads! I read six books in February:
- Death Note, volumes 5 and 6 by Ohba and Obata. Meh. The story's gone all "evil corporate bankers" on me, and it's getting kind of (really) boring. I've got one more volume that I bought on a 3 for 2 offer at Forbidden Planet in London, but if the plot doesn't improve I may give up on the series.
- Three Diana Wynne Jones novels (two were Valentine's Day presents from Big Chimp—thanks honey!): House of Many Ways (from the Howl series) The Magicians of Caprona, and Witch Week (both from the Chrestomanci series). The Magicians of Caprona (magical feuding Italian families) didn't really work for me, possibly because there were too many characters, or the plot was a bit too simplistic. Witch Week (boarding school in a world where witches are both common and illegal, and burned to death if they're found out) was better, but still not up to Howl's Moving Castle standard, in my opinion. I did quite enjoy House of Many Ways, and it was fun to see Howl and Sophie again. I've found that Diana Wynne Jones writes on a couple of different levels, and—not surprisingly—some of her books are a bit too young for me. I love her more complex books for slightly older readers. Enchanted Glass, which I'm reading right now, seems to be one of these, and I'm really loving it.
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Though I found the first three or four chapters a little slow, after that I started to get right into this novel. It's a delightfully dark science fiction dystopia starring Todd Hewitt, a twelve-year-old boy who has grown up in Prentisstown, a religious settlement on New World. When Todd was a baby, the Spackle—New World's native intelligent lifeform—released the Noise germ, a biological weapon that killed off every human woman, and made all of the human men able to hear each other's thoughts. Or at least that's what Todd's been told. It's only when he discovers a hole in the Noise that he realizes he's been lied to, and has to escape Prentisstown before he's turned into something...evil. I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.
*Photo source for the above two images: wikipedia.org
Hello Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI would like to take this opportunity and ask for your opinion. Certainly, I am neither a gifted nor talented writer. However, I do love to write! One of my New Year’s resolutions is to polish my writing in terms of grammar and punctuation. I do have to admit that I am completely stubborn when it comes to proof editing and reading. When you have a moment, would you be able to list a book or two on what you consider great, good, or decent books on writing?
Recently, I purchased William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, Theodore Menline Bernstein’s The Careful Writer, and Rudolf Franz Flesch’s The Classic Guide to Better Writing: Step-by-Step Techniques and Exercises to Wrote Simply, Clearly and Correctly.
I thank you very much for taking the time to read my post!
Sincerely,
JAVIER
Hi Javier,
ReplyDeleteDon't jinx yourself—honestly, you ARE a good writer. But if you want to brush up on grammar, I recommend the McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage. I took an online copy-editing class (through UCSD extension) that used that book as a primary text. It's the clearest English grammar book I've read, and it helped me grasp concepts I'd struggled with in the past (stupid California schools and their refusal to teach us grammar!).
Do you write nonfiction or fiction? If fiction, I can recommend some things from my MA syllabus.
Hello Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI like to write nonfiction whether it's journal entries, movie reviews or historical essays. However, I would like to compose my first short story. Actually, the story is based on my experience with anorexia, but I want to fictionalize the character, events and experiences. If you have any recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it! : )
Sincerely,
JAVIER
Hi Javier,
ReplyDeleteYour project sounds interesting, and I imagine it would be cathartic for you as well. Have you read Laurie Halse Anderson's WINTERGIRLS, or Marya Hornbacher's WASTED? These are both great books that deal with anorexia, though they do contain things that may be triggering for eating disorder survivors.
I know more helpful books for fiction than nonfiction. I personally like the Writer's Digest fiction writing series (with books on plot, characterization, etc.). I'll have a look to see if I can find my creative writing syllabus for more suggestions. Really the best way to develop your writing is to write every day, and to read a LOT of books. Don't worry if it's not as good as you want it to be at first—practice makes perfect. Good luck!
Hello Jessie,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for responding to my questions and providing me with positive feedbacks. Frankly, I have not heard of Laurie Halse Anderson’s WINTERGIRLS or Marya Hornbacher’s WASTED, but I am eager to read these books. I will search for these books at my local library. I am very happy with myself that I completed reading 18 books last year as opposed to 2 books the following year.
Thank you, thank you for providing me with encouraging words and ways to build my vocabulary and polish my writing. I think I needed to either hear it or read it from individuals I admire. I wish you and your husband great health!
Cheerio!
JAVIER