Reading: What Makes a Book Satisfying?
Last week, I posted about what makes a book unsatisfying (it’s all about a poor resolution–sorry, Eve). But pinning down what makes a book satisfying isn’t as simple as writing out a list of opposites. Sure, a book with a great wrap up might be a good read, but there’s more to a satisfying book than that. Reading–moreover, enjoying–a book is a very subjective thing. So far this month, I’ve read just one completely satisfying book – Megan Whalen Turner’s The...
Read MoreWriting YA: Reading Deeply to Write Deeply
We all do it, right? Glance at a group of letters, pull out a word. Reading is so ingrained in our minds that it’s almost impossible to not read signs, titles, anything with words on. But there’s reading, and then there’s reading. Today, reading mostly falls into two categories: reading for pleasure, and reading for information. Reading as an art–really reading, reading deeper, to get within a story, to pick it to pieces and learn how it works–is fast becoming forgotten. But...
Read MoreDownload a PDF of William Hazlitt’s “On Familiar Style”
My recent post about familiar style was quite popular, so I started looking around for somewhere I could direct people who wanted to read Hazlitt’s essay, On Familiar Style. Unfortunately, I could only find small excerpts online–until I remembered Project Gutenberg. Thanks to the marvelous folk over there, I was able to find a ready-to-go copy of Hazlitt’s book of essays, Table Talk: On Men and Manners. So here’s Hazlitt’s original in all its glory. Funny thing:...
Read MoreYA Fiction: 11 Novels To Get You Over St. Patrick’s Day
Still recovering from hitting the Irish coffee too hard on St. Patrick’s Day? These gems, set in Ireland, steeped in Irish folklore, or written by a few great Irish YA novelists, will help you get back on track. Download the list here; get just the titles here. 1. NOTES FROM A SPINNING PLANET–IRELAND, (series), Melody Carlson Affectionately teased as a “country bumpkin,” nineteen year-old Maddie has never been one to explore new territory. Her first trip outside of the country with...
Read MoreWriting YA: What Familiar Style is & Why You Should Use It
Young adult fiction is full of phonies. It’s not surprising–after all, the majority of YA is written by authors in their twenties, at the least. And teen vernacular is always changing. Words that were popular a few years ago (“wicked” comes to mind) are dated now, pushed aside as a new crop of words creeps in. But forced coolness and past-their-teen authors are just the tip of the phony iceberg. The true issue, lurking like only a giant, submerged slab of ice can, is style. In terms...
Read MoreYA Fiction: Filial Piety & Uncool YA
Picking books to give to others is difficult. It’s particularly difficult if you’re picking for a YA audience. YA pickings are vast and ungenred, everything housed in the same not-quite-big-enough section of the bookstore, the ever-popular paranormal romance crammed up against Trixie Belden (Oh, Trixie, oh Jim, how I wanted you to get together in that lovely, tame 70s-80s way) reissues. Then, of course, there’s theme to be considered. Sure, your YA-loving teen might love werewolf-dalek...
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