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The Craft of Writing Fiction: How To Tell A Story (Part 2)
The way you tell a story can vary just as the personalities of writers will differ. Yet there are some things a story must have, despite the fact they can come in different boxes, so-to-speak. There is the old construct of a story that many of us learned in school, and while it’s reductive, it’s not a bad place to start when you’re looking at the structure of a story. In school, we learned that a story has a beginning, a narrative hook, rising action, climax, falling action, and a conclusion. While, again, this is simplistic, it’s not a bad idea to keep this in mind. Stories need structure…
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Buncombe Brief Book Review: The Song of the Quarkbeast
This is a sequel to the book The Last Dragonslayer that we reviewed a while back and it’s another venture into the world the the wizarding business of Kazam. This time, King Snodd, the ruler of the Ununited Kingdoms, has ordered a contest where wizarding agencies in the land would compete and there would be one winner and one magical company. This contest pits Kazam again a rival company and it seems the king wants, rather, has an interest in Kazam losing the contest. This, they believe, is because of the events that took place during The Last Dragonslayer. There is also the problem of a Quarkbeast on the loose.…
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Buncombe Graphic Novel Review: Locke and Key-Clockworks
While we continue in the Graphic Novel review of the Locke and Key series we come to an issue, Clockworks, that has a lot going on. However, I will only focus on one section of the story, which is a flashback of a group of men who are fighting in the Revolutionary War. We find among one of them, a Locke who was a smith, and we find a door and learn more about the origins of the keys and how they were made. This issue moves the plot forward in a way that sets the stage for the final conflict and the Locke children are facing more serious…
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Library Fines: Do They Help or Should They Go?
There are libraries around the country and in some parts of the world that are getting rid of library fines. This has led to libraries looking into this practice as there are arguments that it increases the number of visitors to the library. However, there are some people who think this is possibly a bad decision for libraries as late fees can be helpful to a library or town. Yet, there are a lot of articles around, and one website devoted to ending library fines, that all point out the people that might need the library, like low-income families, tend to shy away from the library when fines are present.…
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They Filmed The Book: Jurassic Park
I loved Jurassic Park when I was a kid. It was an amazing movie that was full of fantastic creatures, realistic-looking monsters, drama, tension, action, and it was a massive hit in the theater. It’s still a movie that I think eclipses more recent films and, in some ways, it’s better than its sequels. However, any fan of the movie should check out the novel. I really enjoyed this book by Michael Crichton. It does follow the movie, or I should say the movie follows the book, but there is so much added and more details that it’s a fantastic read that any fan of the movie would enjoy. Frankly,…
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Books About War: Nonfiction Reads About Heroes and The Hell of Battle
As we near Memorial Day, I was asked what my plans were by a coworker. My response was, “I’m going to do as little as possible.” He said that’s not a bad plan but “remember why we have this holiday.” That hit me a little bit as I think most of us know someone that serves in the military and, sadly, we may know someone who has died while serving. While both are true for me, and the need to remember why we have Memorial Day is of the utmost importance, it got me to thinking about books. There are a flood of books relating to war, military service, and…
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Fantasy Literature: How To Choose A Series Right for You
Fantasy Literature is as diverse and expansive as the stories it tells so when someone wanders into the aisle of a bookstore and sees the options of Fantasy Lit, it can be overwhelming. There are classics, like Lord of the Rings and more contemporary works like A Song of Ice and Fire, also known as A Game of Thrones, or series like The Stormlight Archive or The Wheel of Time. So, there are countless options in the genre but some of the reads or even the series can be overwhelming. In that case, if you’re new to the world of Fantasy then it’s important to know what you’re getting…
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Buncombe County Library Festival: Reading Event For Kids Begins Soon!
A great event is starting soon for kids who love reading in the Buncombe County Area. Every year a new theme is hoped to spark the interests of readers or feed the love of certain topics for patrons of the library. The Buncombe County Library site says, “The theme for the 2019 Summer Reading Program is “A Universe of Stories,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. After the opening party at the Oakley/South Asheville Library, fun space-themed events will take place at all the branch libraries throughout the entire summer.” The event will begin on Saturday, June 1 at the South Asheville/Oakley Branch Library at 10:00…
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Donating Books: Where Should You Take Old Books?
Some of us have a lot of books. Some of us know a family member it that boat as well. So, there comes a time in most people’s life where they have to unload some of their literary cache and there are oftentimes some questions as to where they will take these excess of literary treasures. Now, it goes without saying there are places, like Goodwill, where you can take most anything and for some people this may be their first thought when it comes to getting rid of books. However, looking around your community may produce some better ideas on how you can help someone or someplace, better…
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Mini Libraries And Sharing Literature In Your Neighborhood
Some communities have only one library or they are secluded and far from a place where they have easy access to books. While that alone is something that warrants further discussion, there are communities and groups that are creating their own literary world in their neighborhoods. Mini libraries were a big hit years ago when they started popping up and while they are not as much of a trend nowadays you’ll still see them around. There are places that still offer already constructed libraries or show you how to build your own. Some people have these little book lending homes just outside their real house and, in some cases,…