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Literary Fiction Vs. Genre Fiction: Finding Books You Love
This week the list of 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners were released and while more than just Fiction winners were on the list it got me thinking about the types of fiction we read and enjoy and the books that get critical acclaim. Some books sell faster than they can be printed but win few, if any, awards, while others may rake in the acclaim and prizes, they aren’t widely known by all readers. Obviously, books are like people, they come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, and types but when it comes to finding a book you love, you might need to explore the types of books you enjoy…
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Buncombe Graphic Novel Review: Locke and Key- Keys to the Kingdom
This issue opens with a mixture of true events and imagination. We see a darker side to Zack (Dodge) but also get a new key. This one allows anyone to open a small door and once they crawl through it, they become an animal. Bode finds this and while talking with birds we see Zack go through the door, become a wolf and attempt to attack Kinsey and Tyler. However, Bode and his new bird friends swarm in to help and keep them from being overtaken by the animal Zack. After that, an old friend of the Locke children’s father shows up and Kinsey finds the Mirror Key to transform…
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Pushing Through Doubt When Writing A Book
There are as many thoughts on writing, as many as there are books, on how the craft should be conducted. From published professionals to novice dabblers in the fictitious arts, many people have ideas on what the best way to write is, and for a lot of established writers there is no right way. There are just ways that work best for them. Indeed, writing is an individual pursuit, like running, but it does require that we all put one foot in front of the other and press on. However, there is one area where writers, both pros and wannabes, can agree and that is there is oftentimes doubt when…
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Buncombe Brief Book Review: The Elementals by Michael McDowell
The Savage and McCray families own two homes on a secluded area of beach in Alabama, which has been a long staple in their families lives, going back to the younger days of members of both families. However, a third house in their little hamlet is slowly being devoured by a sand dune and both families warn their children not go to near it. While they make the argument that it’s simply unsound, the truth is there is a terror that lives in the house which seems to have awoken and begins to follow the younger members of the families as they vacation in this off-the-map area during the summer.…
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They Filmed the Book- 1922 By Stephen King
This is one of King’s darker, possibly more gothic stories, as the characters seem to face one travesty after another but they are self-inflicted. I liked the story and it’s not a very long read, but the Netflix version of 1922 is pretty good too, in my opinion. It’s for sure worth a watch if you are a fan of the novella by King as it stays pretty close to the source material but does a great job in bringing the story to the screen. Mind you, this isn’t one of King’s most famous works but it’s still a great chilling story. With King you get the horror aspect…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: The Setting (Part 1)
Where your story takes place can matter a great deal. The plot and characters are what most people will focus on, but the setting can further enrich your tale to the point that it becomes more alive to readers. One of the best examples of setting being important is Harry Potter since Hogwarts is a place of such wonder and magic that it’s basically a character on its own. However, this is by no means the only example of the importance of setting. The entire world in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is full of dangers and beauty. In many a horror story, you need a spooky house or…
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The Old Man and The Sea: Thoughts On Hemingway’s Short Novel
There are certain books I try to read often, even every year, and The Old Man and the Sea is one of them. It’s a short book, a novella really, that packs in a lot of material. In the collection Ernest Hemingway Selected Letters 1917-1961, Hemingway has said, “Then there is the other secret. There isn’t any symbolysm [sic]. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The shark are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you…
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The Difference in a Novella and Short Story
Recently, I’ve mentioned short stories and talked about a few novellas. However, there is a big difference in the two types of stories that could impact how you read them and which to choose, if you are so looking for shorter fiction. While these types of writing are very similar, they differ in more than just length. While, yes, the page count of a short story and novella is one big factor in their differences, it’s more to do with content, time, and detail that makes shorts and novellas differ. While these things are not universal, I’ve found that novella and short stories read a lot different and can bring…
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Are Happy Endings Better Than Sad Stories?
Now you may be thinking, “What a dumb question. Of course a happy ending is better than a sad one.” Here me out though. I will say, I love when a book or story ends and everything is neatly wrapped up, everyone is happy and all’s right with the world but there are some benefits to books that have some serious sadness about them to the point where a happy ending isn’t really possible. I believe I was in 5th grade when I read two books, back-to-back that broke my heart. A Taste of Blackberries and Bridge to Terabithia were crushing but I loved them, and still do, despite their…
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They Filmed The Book: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Part 3 of 3)
As we end the series that was based on the wonderful book by Susanna Clark, we see the action pick up pace. After the altercations between Norrell and Strange over Strange’s book, we find that the Gentleman (the faerie Norrell unleashed) is causing chaos of his own. Strange explores the limits of his power and encounters the Gentlemen in his homeworld (Lost Hope), which infuriates the faerie. Strange is cursed by the Gentleman and is returned to our world but anywhere he goes a whirlwind of shadow follows that is slowly draining Strange’s life. Meanwhile, Lady Pole is able to communicate the she and Mrs. Strange have been held captive…