- Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Quote of the Day
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Book Review: Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer
In Beside Still Waters, author Tricia Goyer takes the reader on a journey into an aspect of Amish life that few people consider: What happens to the people of such a tightly knit community when tragedy strikes?
Born on the same night her two older sisters were killed in a buggy accident, Marianna Sommers has tried to replace them in her parents’ lives. Marianna is caught between her duty to honor and respect her parents and her own desires to enjoy the courtship of the man she loves. If she refuses to relocate to an Amish settlement in Montana with them, Marianna would disappoint her parents and cause yet another loss to their family, something that she can’t bear to do. And yet, Aaron Zook has built a cabin on his land; a cabin for her if she’ll just stay and be his bride. As Marianna seeks to find peace with her decision, she finds something else that she never even knew was missing: the peace that she finds beside still waters.
I enjoyed this story immensely. The characters were presented realistically, with a lot of variety in personalities, which is something that is often missing in books with an Amish setting. Marianna is compelling as she seeks to understand the nuances of her life and the affect that the tragedy of the night of her birth had on her, and continues to have on her family. I also enjoyed the setting, since as readers we don’t often see Amish outside of Pennsylvania or Ohio.
This is the first of Tricia Goyer’s books I have read, but I will certainly look for more of them. A sequel to this book, Along Wooded Paths will be published in October, 2011, and is available for pre-order.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for my review.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Book Review: Story Engineering by Larry Brooks
Learning to write fiction – that is, good, quality fiction that an editor will embrace – is a little like Theseus seeking the Minotaur in the labyrinth. The prize is there, but where?
In his book, Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing, Larry Brooks gives the writer tools that will assist in crafting a story. Teaching the reader about Concept, Character, Theme, Story Structure, Scene Execution and Writing Voice, Mr. Brooks maintains that by learning and implementing all six of the core competencies the writer will be able to craft a complete story – one that covers all the bases.
The problem with most stories, Brooks states, is that “they still fall short of expressing the essence of a great story.” Without the blending of the core competencies together the writer is left with a story that is flat. It can have great characters, or a stellar theme, but it fails to carry them through in a way that will bring the reader a “literary feast.”
As I read the book, I found myself being persuaded that perhaps Brooks has a map to the labyrinth of crafting stories. I tried a few of his techniques in the first draft of my work in progress, with the result of feeling more confident that my story captures that essence of storytelling that all writers seek. I plan to implement all six of the core competencies as I begin the rewrite of my story, balancing them as Brooks suggests.
Of course, Theseus found his prize with help from Daedalus and Ariadne, but he still had to slay the monster himself – and that’s the task that Brooks leaves to his readers. This book won’t write your story for you, but it will provide you with the tools you need to do the job.
A free copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for my review.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Attention All Bibliophiles!
Nora St. Laurent is the guest on Seekerville today (seekerville.blogspot.com). I've copied the post here (with permission!) just so you can join in the fun of the big birthday bash for The Book Club Network. Enjoy! And now, here's Nora -
Want to start a book club that reads Christian Fiction and don’t know how or where to begin looking for books your club can read? Are you a Christian Fiction or non-fiction author and want to speak to book clubs but don’t know where to begin finding them?
The Book Club Network is there to connect authors with book clubs and leaders with their books. I work at a Christian book store and when my boss asked me to start a book club at the store I was overwhelmed at the task of selecting books to read for our group. I wanted a meaty book that had more for us to say than,” Wow, that was fun.” What would we do with the rest of the time allotted for book club?
I would look at the rows of books and didn’t know where to
begin my search. I only had so much time and the library only had so many books in its shelf where to begin? Hence the birth of The Book Club Network, it grew out of my desire to learn more from other book clubs as to what books worked really well for their book club meetings. It also grew out of my desire to connect authors with book clubs. I saw how books didn’t have a very long shelf life. How were the book clubs going to find out about great, moving novels if they weren’t on the shelf very long? Where do you begin finding Christian authors on Amazon, the thought was overwhelming!
My husband and I started The Book Club Network one year ago in hopes that authors would connect with book clubs and book club leaders would not feel intimidated to interact with authors or other book clubs. Maybe we could help facilitate authors speaking to book clubs on the phone or with the computer via Skype!
The Book Club Network took off and now is close to 1,000 members. I’ve enjoyed watching the authors and book clubs interact. For example authors have asked book clubs what discussion questions work in a book club setting, and which ones don’t. Answers to these questions were interesting and both parties are learning from the other. Exciting to watch!
Book Clubs have set up their book club pages and many of their members have joined their page. A few book clubs are actually having their meetings on-line at TBCN. The leader has put the questions up for the author and the book club members to answer and interact. It’s been great fun to see and learn from their book club discussions.
I've enjoyed watching Book Clubs interact with one another. I've seen leaders ask about certain books they hadn't read to see if any group had read it. I've also seen book clubs share the list of books they are reading this year and have read in previous years? Book Clubs are also sharing ideas about the fun things they’ve done at their meetings and what they hope to do in the future! I’ve learned so much.
I’ve also had people email me asking about where to find book clubs. They’ve always wanted to be apart of a book club but didn’t know where to begin the search. At TBCN we have a member map. It shows where book clubs are located across the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, helping you connect with a group near you. Other members were moving and had belonged to a book club and wanted to join another in their new location. The member map has been a helpful tool for book clubs and book club members seeking out a book club meeting face-to-face or on-line anywhere you they go!
We have monthly contests at the Book Club Network where members have a chance to win big! The last contest we had was called, “Just Desserts”. The winner of this contest won fifty books; twenty five of two different books. The winning club went on to help judge the winning dessert!
We are celebrating in a big way at TBCN. Our first birthday party is on Monday, June 13th at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. TBCN will be having the biggest giveaway party we’ve ever put on. We asked authors that are at TBCN and have been our biggest cheerleaders to participate in this event. Many of these authors will be at the party that night. Thanks to these authors for helping this event be fun and successful. We also thank them for helping get the word out about TBCN to the book clubs they speak to. Vicki Hinze, Kathi Macias, Creston Mapes, Ginny Yttrup, Sandra Bricker, Brandilyn Collins, Julie Carobini, Anita Mellott, Mary Connealy, Julie Lessman, Meg Moseley, Melanie Dickerson, C.J. Darlington, Missy Tippens, Janet Dean, Tina Radcliffe, Glynna Kaye, Cheryl Wyatt, Ronnie Kendig, Tricia Goyer, Gina Holmes and Novo Inc. ALL of these authors will be contributing some really great prizes. We have over $200.00 in gift cards to be given out, lots of books and a super secret grand prize worth over $100.00.
So, check out the fun we’ve been having at The Book Club Network – sign up today and be up on all the latest news about the party TBCN Check out TBCN on facebook where authors and bloggers post giveaways, author book signings, interviews and exciting book fun news. Join our Facebook page at:
TBCN Facebook. If you’d like your book club featured on the CFOM contact me at TBCN or on Facebook.
We’ll be keeping our website and Facebook page current about exact items being given away and when. The event will last about an hour and I hope many of you can be there. In celebration of our party I’d like to help book clubs and readers find great books and give them away at your meetings.
Want to start a book club that reads Christian Fiction and don’t know how or where to begin looking for books your club can read? Are you a Christian Fiction or non-fiction author and want to speak to book clubs but don’t know where to begin finding them?
The Book Club Network is there to connect authors with book clubs and leaders with their books. I work at a Christian book store and when my boss asked me to start a book club at the store I was overwhelmed at the task of selecting books to read for our group. I wanted a meaty book that had more for us to say than,” Wow, that was fun.” What would we do with the rest of the time allotted for book club?
I would look at the rows of books and didn’t know where to
begin my search. I only had so much time and the library only had so many books in its shelf where to begin? Hence the birth of The Book Club Network, it grew out of my desire to learn more from other book clubs as to what books worked really well for their book club meetings. It also grew out of my desire to connect authors with book clubs. I saw how books didn’t have a very long shelf life. How were the book clubs going to find out about great, moving novels if they weren’t on the shelf very long? Where do you begin finding Christian authors on Amazon, the thought was overwhelming!My husband and I started The Book Club Network one year ago in hopes that authors would connect with book clubs and book club leaders would not feel intimidated to interact with authors or other book clubs. Maybe we could help facilitate authors speaking to book clubs on the phone or with the computer via Skype!
The Book Club Network took off and now is close to 1,000 members. I’ve enjoyed watching the authors and book clubs interact. For example authors have asked book clubs what discussion questions work in a book club setting, and which ones don’t. Answers to these questions were interesting and both parties are learning from the other. Exciting to watch!
Book Clubs have set up their book club pages and many of their members have joined their page. A few book clubs are actually having their meetings on-line at TBCN. The leader has put the questions up for the author and the book club members to answer and interact. It’s been great fun to see and learn from their book club discussions.
I've enjoyed watching Book Clubs interact with one another. I've seen leaders ask about certain books they hadn't read to see if any group had read it. I've also seen book clubs share the list of books they are reading this year and have read in previous years? Book Clubs are also sharing ideas about the fun things they’ve done at their meetings and what they hope to do in the future! I’ve learned so much.
I’ve also had people email me asking about where to find book clubs. They’ve always wanted to be apart of a book club but didn’t know where to begin the search. At TBCN we have a member map. It shows where book clubs are located across the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, helping you connect with a group near you. Other members were moving and had belonged to a book club and wanted to join another in their new location. The member map has been a helpful tool for book clubs and book club members seeking out a book club meeting face-to-face or on-line anywhere you they go!
We have monthly contests at the Book Club Network where members have a chance to win big! The last contest we had was called, “Just Desserts”. The winner of this contest won fifty books; twenty five of two different books. The winning club went on to help judge the winning dessert!
We are celebrating in a big way at TBCN. Our first birthday party is on Monday, June 13th at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. TBCN will be having the biggest giveaway party we’ve ever put on. We asked authors that are at TBCN and have been our biggest cheerleaders to participate in this event. Many of these authors will be at the party that night. Thanks to these authors for helping this event be fun and successful. We also thank them for helping get the word out about TBCN to the book clubs they speak to. Vicki Hinze, Kathi Macias, Creston Mapes, Ginny Yttrup, Sandra Bricker, Brandilyn Collins, Julie Carobini, Anita Mellott, Mary Connealy, Julie Lessman, Meg Moseley, Melanie Dickerson, C.J. Darlington, Missy Tippens, Janet Dean, Tina Radcliffe, Glynna Kaye, Cheryl Wyatt, Ronnie Kendig, Tricia Goyer, Gina Holmes and Novo Inc. ALL of these authors will be contributing some really great prizes. We have over $200.00 in gift cards to be given out, lots of books and a super secret grand prize worth over $100.00.
So, check out the fun we’ve been having at The Book Club Network – sign up today and be up on all the latest news about the party TBCN Check out TBCN on facebook where authors and bloggers post giveaways, author book signings, interviews and exciting book fun news. Join our Facebook page at:
TBCN Facebook. If you’d like your book club featured on the CFOM contact me at TBCN or on Facebook.
We’ll be keeping our website and Facebook page current about exact items being given away and when. The event will last about an hour and I hope many of you can be there. In celebration of our party I’d like to help book clubs and readers find great books and give them away at your meetings.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Book Review: Attack at the Arena
More Imagination Station adventures! In the second book of this series, Attack at the Arena, Beth and Patrick are sent to Ancient Rome to find the monk’s chalice. While the cousins are there they meet slaves, Christians, gladiators and even the young Emperor Honorius. But Patrick and Beth are separated, and finally meet again at the Arena where a crowd is gathered to see the bloody games between wild animals and barbarian captives. What can Beth do to save Patrick? And who is this mysterious medieval knight that is guiding their quests?
Written for ages 7 and up (reading levels 1st through 7th grades), this book is filled with the sights and sounds of Ancient Rome, and a hint of the difficulties entailed in an entire empire converting from pagan beliefs to Christian ones. There is even a bonus word puzzle at the end of the book.
Attack at the Arena is the second book in the series of five “Imagination Station” books. Your young reader will want to collect all five!
I received a free copy of this book for my review from Tyndale House Publishers.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Book Review: Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud
Make yourself a cup of tea and settle in for a chat with your new friends, Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud. Cindy is an accomplished author of Amish fiction who met Miriam, an Old Order Amish wife and mother, through a mutual friend. As their friendship grew, they felt the call to share their lives with others. This book is the result of their collaboration. Far from being a how-to book or a ten-steps-to-better-living book, Miriam and Cindy have shared their experiences in order to encourage us, their readers. The result is a series of visits that give us glimpses into the lives of two very real women who happen to live in two very different cultures, but united by their love for the same Lord. The book is divided into sections like “The Rhythm of Life” and “Laughter in Odd Places”, and then the sections are filled with short chapters written by both women. Sprinkled with bits of wisdom and delicious recipes, each chapter brings us another blessing to savor.
I read this book slowly, enjoying each chapter with my feet up and a cup of tea close by. I was sorry to see it end, but it’s one I’ll read again!
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Book Review: What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller
Set in the community of Paradise, Pennsylvania, Kathleen Fuller’s collection of three Amish romances take the reader into the heart of Lancaster County. In the first story, “A Miracle for Miriam,” we meet a young woman who has never forgotten the teasing she received from Seth when they were in school, but she has forgiven him. When he comes back to Paradise after a devastating accident, she discovers that he may be worth a second chance. The second story in the collection, “A Place of His Own,” we find Josiah and Amanda trying to renew their friendship ten years after Josiah and his father moved away suddenly. Will he stay around long enough for their friendship to blossom into love? And in the third story, “What the Heart Sees,” we meet Ellie and Chris. Five years after the accident that claimed the life of Ellie’s best friend and Chris’s fiancée, Chris can’t forgive the one he holds responsible. But Ellie is holding on to a secret that could change all of their lives. All three of the stories have been previously published. One thing I appreciated about Kathleen Fuller’s presentation of Amish families is that she doesn’t expect her characters to be perfect. The people who appear in her stories have the same struggles as their non-Amish neighbors. I hadn’t read any of Kathleen’s books before this one, but I will watch for her name in the future.
A free copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for my review.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
