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Podcasts: Alternative to Audiobooks?
I have to admit, I rarely listen to audiobooks. I don’t know what it is but I’m not a fan of being read to despite some great audiobooks (and readers) out there that have produced great content. I feel like I just can’t get as much from listening to a book as I can reading it but, hey, that’s me. I know numerous people who are on the audiobook bus and love shopping, cleaning, driving, or whatever all the while listening to a book. Yet, I am someone who loves podcasts. If I’m cleaning around the house or out for a walk, I love listening to podcasts, so I started…
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Stress Management And Reading: Shutting Off A Worried Mind
When it comes to Stress Management and reading there are countless books on the subject of dealing with stress and anxiety that can be beneficial and even life-changing but those types of books aren’t what I want to focus on. Reading is a hobby or a practice that can be used as a stress management tool; it can merely be used as a way to shut off your mind at the end of a busy day or it’s something that can be used to quiet your thoughts in the morning before you head off into the real world. Now, I’m not an expert, I’m not a doctor, and I certainly…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: The Setting (Part 3)
Setting, while it may not be the foremost thing on a writer’s mind, is very important, as we have discussed in this series, because it is foundational. Characters are a piece of a work of literature that a person follows but the setting is what can draw them in. Setting and characters are vital to a story but the place where your story lives and where your characters move is what pulls the reader into the book or story. A setting can be new, exciting, and imaginative in ways that enthralls a reader or it can be some place familiar that brings a swell of memories to a reader and…
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Buncombe Brief Book Review: Elevation by Stephen King
I am a big Stephen King fan, but not all of his work is a shining example of brilliant horror or storytelling. While I’ll read anything he produces, I really love a lot of his old work but there are a few newer tales that are great reads. However, for me, Elevation was just okay. Mind you, it’s worth a read so don’t shy away, but being a shorter work, a novella, it’s a little fast and forced for my liking. The story surrounds Scott Carey, who seems perfectly normal on the outside, looks the same and all that, but he begins to get lighter. His body is the same…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: The Setting (Part 2)
Setting is something that can be overly explained despite the fact that it is so very vital to a story. There are countless stories that go into detail upon detail of a certain landscape or the country their characters inhabit or the inside of a spaceship or wherever their story resides. Yet, this can be off-putting to many readers so it’s important to slowly introduce your setting if its something incredibly expansive. Be it a magical castle or a vast roaming land, these settings can be exciting and fantastic places that have a life all their own, but it’s important not to focus too much on them, rather, let your…
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Reading Star Wars Novels: Going Beyond The Movies
I am a huge fan of Star Wars and despite the fact the movies vary in quality, I love them all because they are simply, Star Wars. While I enjoy watching the films, there are so many stories and characters outside of the films that many haven’t explored. While I played some of the games, there are many novels (also of varying quality) out there I have never explored. It’s my hope that in the coming weeks and months I can explore some of these books in the hopes of getting deeper into the universe and lore that I love. I want to learn more about the Old Republic, how…
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Reading Nonfiction: Thoughts On Breaking Away From Novels
I love reading fiction, especially when you get into a book that you can’t put down or one that makes you rush through the day just so you can have quiet time to rejoin the story as soon as you possibly can. There are so many great types of fiction out there with countless stories to be told and there is no lack of great fiction. There is also a mountain of nonfiction books that offer endless journeys from experiences of others, self-reflection, trials and tribulations, or ways to look at the human condition. I love when fiction causes us to think deeply about ourselves or the world around us,…
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Writing Self-Help Books: Are “How To Write” Books Worth The Time?
On most subjects you’ll find “How To” books and there are good and bad in any bunch. However, on some subjects, there is more difficulty when it comes to teaching. You can teaching techniques, philosophies, and even review practices and habits but there are some cases where you can’t make someone great if they aren’t very good to begin with and, for types of art, this is the case. Writing is one of those things that can be subjective in that two people can read the same thing and one likes it and the other hates it, but when it comes to what is good writing, there are books…
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When Writing Fiction, Edit Your Work Without Mercy
I hate reading what I’ve written, even if it’s an email, because I know what I meant to say and as I read, my mind is seeing what I want and not always what I wrote. For me, editing for grammar and spelling is a weak point. However, some people are great at this aspect of reviewing but might miss entirely the need to improve the content of their fiction, so this is where other readers, or even a professional editor, can be so very important. Yet, writing fiction requires a lot of work in seclusion or behind a closed door as some writers like to say. This also requires…
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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…