CornerScribe

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

I know you’ve heard of social networking (Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.) If you’re like me and haven’t found a place you really like, then you may want to check out this site.

Goodreads

It’s a site for readers to track what they’ve read, are reading, and plan to read. You can find people who’ve read the same things and even compare book lists to see how similar your tastes are. If you’re interested, I’m Cornerscribe there. Look me up.

So far, I’m please with the site’s ease of use, and the ease with which you can find people to talk with about what you’re reading. If you’ve ever wished you had time for a book group, this site may be a good substitute.

I heard about them on NPR, but there are other book lover’s sites out there too. I haven’t tried any others, so I can’t speak to how they work.

LibraryThing

Shelfari

If anyone has others you’re using, post them here. Also, feel free to post your username if interested.

This is an interesting article on Digg. I have to wonder what effect genetic engineering will have on our species in the future. And what about modern medicine? Think about it. Many people survive today and produce children when they would have had no chance to even one hundred years ago. How will those changes to the gene pool affect humanity’s evolution.

I’m not against genetic engineering, or medicine, for that matter. I do think that considering how we’ve evolved so far, and how we’re able to affect our future evolution, is an intesting topic.

Which brings to mind a book I really enjoyed. Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. I’m a fan of her work in general, particularly The Handmaid’s Tale. If you’re interested in speculative fiction that’s not fantasy, sci-fi or horror, then this may be for you. Both books are set in a fictional future. In Oryx and Crake’s case, the world is faced with the products of many genetic experiments, including super-bacteria and a bizarre new race of humans, engineered to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued humanity so far.

In the Handmaid’s Tale, we see a product of reduced fertility rates and ultra-fundamentalist Christianity, in which fertile women are made handmaids to produce children for the powerful. If you were ever scared of Jerry Falwell, this book will really give you the chills.

read more | digg story

I’m taking the night off from blogging, so you won’t be seeing the next post in the “Characters” series until tomorrow. I hope to put up more of the workshop-style posts over the next weeks, so I’d love to hear what you think of them.

For now, I’d like to recommend a great writing book, Stephen King’s On Writing. I’ve read the book, and I’ve been re-reading it via audio book this week. If you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s funny, sad and insightful, and he gives some wonderful writing advice as well.

See you tomorrow. I’m off to do spend a little time relaxing with my hubby.

Do you have a book you go back to time and again? For me, it’s the one that I grab when I need a bit of comfort and familiarity. It’s the literary equivalent of curling up in my favorite pajamas with some chocolate ice cream

For me, the book is Pride and Prejudice.

Leave a note in the comments and tell us what your comfort book is.

I thought it might be fun to talk about some of the interesting things I’ve been reading in the hope that some of you will find them interesting as well.

What WD missed I really enjoy Paperback Writer, and this is a terrific post. She lists some great sites that WD didn’t include in their “best” listing this year. I can see a few (or more) of these ending up on my Google Reader. I used to read every issue of Writer’s Digest, but I haven’t in a long time. For a while I’d at least thumb through it at the bookstore, but it’s been so long since I’ve found much useful, I don’t bother doing that any more either. Is there a really good writer’s magazine out there anywhere?

Morning Writing Ritual. I haven’t been reading Freelance Switch long, but there are some good articles there. This one describes how, and why, to create a morning writing ritual. Since I’m not a morning person, I may pass, but if you are…

Voice. This is another blog I haven’t been reading long, but I really like it. In this post, she talks about the necessity of developing your own voice. Unfortunately, no one can really tell you how to do that, can they? She’s right; write and write and write some more. Eventually, your voice will come through.

Call for Submission. Here’s a new horror ‘zine, and their request for submissions. By the way, they actually pay!

Top 100, from Crof at Writing Fiction. I love this one, and I just found his blog the other day. I love the fact that he’s willing to take a book that’s accepted as “literature” and say what he thinks. I’ve read a few myself and wondered how such a piece of crap ever got published, let alone considered “great.”

Here are a few that jumped out at me.

• The HistorianThey have to be kidding. It was one of two choices for 2005. I’m not saying it’s a bad book; I enjoyed it actually. I enjoyed it in the way a kid enjoys a dinner made up of chips and ice cream. The book doesn’t really have much substance, and the plot is predictable as well. Fun, but not a great book. Lord help us if if was one of the best.
• DaVinci Code. Again, a fun read. One of the best? Probably not. It has some great plot twists though!
• Handmaid’s Tale Okay, that one definitely belongs on a”best” list. If you haven’t read it, you absolutely must get a copy. This is one of my favorites.

This is for all the techies out there. If you, or someone you know, tends to buy a lot of computer books, you may want to check out Safari.

For about $15 a month, you get full access to 10 books. You keep the books on your "bookshelf" for 30 days, and then you can either keep them on the bookshelf longer or trade them in and choose other books. I usually keep one or two spots open at any time in case something comes up that I need.

This is really handy, especially if you just need to look up a few things and read a good explanation. You might not always be able to find what you want through search engines, and you certainly don’t want to buy a book for that.

I’ve been a subscriber for over a year, and I can’t count the times I’ve used it.

What is everyone reading? What genre(s) do you prefer? What do you read while writing?

Let me start off. I read just about everything, from classics to pulp, fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy horror and fantasy for fun and Tolstoy when I want something a lilttle more serious. As for non-fiction, I enjoy reading about stone-age cultures and general science.

What writing books do you read? I highly recommend the workbook, Writing the Breakout Novel, in the reading list at the bottom of this page.  It’s a very good way to edit scenes and examine characters’ motivations and conflicts.

When I write in a particular genre, I do tend to avoid reading books within that genre. I’d prefer not allowing the author’s approach and voice to influence my own. Anyone feel the same?