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Quitting A Book Before Finishing: Is It A Good Practice?
I believe I’ve mentioned this before but there are times when I’ve wanted to stop reading a bad book but continued on because I thought it would be beneficial. For me, as a wannabe author, knowing bad writing and storytelling is just as important as knowing good, so when you recognize bad and dive deeper into it, it’s more likely you’ll know when you’re writing something bad in your own work. Yet, not everyone wants to be a writer so is it still a good practice to stop a book? My answer is: Yes! In years past I would have given you a different response but as I’ve gotten a…
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The Debate Between Audiobooks and Physical Books
I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and choose a side in a debate that, for some, is no real debate at all. There are numerous readers who feel a need to choose between physical books and audiobooks simply doesn’t exist and both are very reasonable and, to an extent, equal methods for delivering a story. However, I have to wonder if one is not better than the other. I recently mentioned that I have trouble with audiobooks but love podcasts. For me, listening to a story, an audiobook, while cleaning or walking or driving to work is something I just can’t seem to do and still maintain a connection…
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Books From My Younger Days: A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith
This is one of the first books that was really heartbreaking for me and being a children’s book, it took a toll on me as a young reader. It’s a story that focuses around two friends, and kind of reminded me of Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen but this is a different kind of tale in many ways. While it does center around two friends, one of which is rather wild and carefree, it allows us a more serious look at a friendship and less of a zany story like Harris and Me. The title comes from the outings to pick blackberries the boys go on but the book…
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Buncombe Brief Book Review: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
This novel is considered a classic and has a lot of beautiful language but it is a work that is a great example of what many might call “literary fiction” as it’s not very plot driven and can be a difficult read for some. The story centers around Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf who are catholic priests that are assigned to New Mexico in the hopes of starting a church and establishing catholicism in the area. There isn’t much by way of story but the book does have a few accounts and reflections by the characters. Death Comes for the Archbishop does a great job of showing how difficult…
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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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They Filmed the Book-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Part 2)
Obviously, a lot of The Hobbit was changed for the film, but a good deal of the main points of the source material, like Bilbo getting the ring, talking to Smaug, etc., did remain in tact and were great adaptations. For me though, some of the exaggerations can be forgiven because taking a book to a screen can sometimes require embellishment, especially when it’s a move on the scale of this one. The battle at the end of the movie was enlarged and the size of Smaug was also increased but these things, for me, can be overlooked. I loved the scenes, especially in the Lonely Mountain, and there are…
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Nonfiction of Note-Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain
This is an account of a woman raised in the Westboro Baptist Church and her relationship with the church and her family. Lauren’s father seemed to be the driving force behind their moving and joining the church and I think, when it comes to what I perceived to be his misguided actions and shortcomings, Lauren does a good job of just reporting the facts about her dad. While she also goes into detail about her personal feelings and experiences, she does a great job of explaining how the “church” works. While there are a lot of events that are recounted in this book that make you shake your head in…
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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…