This is a summer binus episode, part of a webinar recording from earlier this year. Terry and I will be back discussing more books and first pages in September.
Category Archives: Read Like a Writer Book Club
Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell is historical fiction at its best. Besides riveting readers with a ticking clock to a murder, O’Farrell places us firmly in Renaissance Italy with a woman who is young, with limited agency, and trapped in a world she is not completely equipped to understand. Lucrezia is nothing if notContinue reading “Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell”
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Janice Hallett uses complex structure in her novels to great effect and the Alperton Angels is no exception. Hallett’s mysteries are like matryoshka dolls, every layer reveals something, but it isn’t until the last one that the full picture emerges. In the Alperton Angels, she takes a fictional cold case and has the reader followContinue reading “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett”
The North Woods by Daniel Mason
This literary stroll through history is a great book if you are wondering what makes a book literary. In it, the author uses the frame of a piece of property to tell several stories that seem at first to be unrelated, but by the end, everything is connected! It is literary because it defies genreContinue reading “The North Woods by Daniel Mason”
New Podcast Episode: Author Interview
New Podcast Episode: The Mystery Guest
Take a listen to this shorty episode about a highly anticipated sequel. There are a few nuggets in it for writers to be aware of as they strive to give readers an elevated experience.
New Podcast Episodes
Take a listen to some new book discussions! If you’re working on your writing goals for 2024, try out the goal calculator below.
New Read Like a Writer Episode
Take a listen to hear a discussion of the Scarlet Pimpernel and how it questions notions of class…
New Podcast Episode: Vanity Fair
Take a listen to this solo episode to hear how Thackeray used opposing trajectories in his heroines to keep the narrative drive going…
Book Review: The Dutch House
Ann Patchett is a member of American literary royalty, so I am probably not going to say anything surprising in this review. I recently listened to The Dutch House in preparation for recording a podcast episode. I will admit that it started a little slow. However, since it was read by Tom Hanks, I stuckContinue reading “Book Review: The Dutch House”