Category: Notebook
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Why are there so many books with “girl” in the title?
Here is an interesting essay by Emily St. John Mandel that analyzes data to find common characteristics of books with the word “girl” in the title and try to answer the question of why this is a trend now. Fun game next time you’re in the bookstore: Make up a short story just using the…
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Some thoughts about immersion and book abandonment…
In lieu of a reading recommendation this week, I offer some unfocused thoughts about book abandonment. Many readers seem to think that it is a virtue to finish every book they start, even if they aren’t enjoying it. I used to think so myself, but as I have gotten older and more aware that time…
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What I love about Stranger Things…
If you like the kinds of books I do and you haven’t been watching Stranger Things on Netflix, get thee to a television. This series constantly references Stephen King’s books plus tons of great movies by John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and others we remember from the ’80s. And it has Winona Ryder! She is the ’80s for…
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12 books to read if you loved Stranger Things…
The fact that so many books on this list are already favorites explains why I so quickly became a rabid Stranger Things fan. Check it out: Finished binging Netflix’s Stranger Things? Pick up these 12 books next | The Verge
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Stop. Using. Periods. Period. – The Washington Post
Stories like this are, to me, omens of the apocalypse: Stop. Using. Periods. Period. – The Washington Post
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Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish? | Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman gives really great advice on whether to self-publish or go the traditional route. Here’s a key point: I see some writers self-publish mainly because they lack patience with the querying and submissions process of traditional publishing. Or they want the instant gratification of getting their work on the market. But again, this is one of the worst…
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Present vs. past tense: Which to use in your writing
Over the past few years, I have noticed that more and more writers are using the present tense rather than the past tense to tell their stories. I think this trend started in young adult fiction, but now writers of all genres are employing the technique. Some readers don’t like this and will refuse to…
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Quality of self-published books, revisited…
Recently, I wrote about the issue of quality in self-published books when compared to traditionally published books. I’m not the first or only person to have written about this (see here and here and here and here). I have also written about it on this blog many times. On my latest post on this subject, a commenter wrote:…
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Experiments in book discovery… (part 1 of many, I hope)
Yesterday, I wrote about self-published books and quality, and I lamented that it is very difficult for the ordinary reader to find the quality reads in the gigantic pool of self-published books. Most self-published authors, especially authors who haven’t established an audience, generally don’t have access to the various means of book discovery that traditionally…
Shannon Turlington 