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Post by ameliasmith on Jul 22, 2018 13:41:02 GMT -5
I'm reading a YA biography of Vincent Van Gough and a bunch of miscellaneous non-fiction.
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Jul 22, 2018 17:31:48 GMT -5
I just finished reading my Fate Weaver series because I forgot too much and need to get back to it. And I'm also reading Story Genius and then I was planning to go back to Dan Brown's new book which I had started, but not finished. I'm just not feeling it. I wasn't feeling it when I put it down, either. Sigh.
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Post by Daniel on Jul 23, 2018 8:07:16 GMT -5
I'm alpha reading The Last Train to Barksville, Susan's 12th Alpine Grove novel. I temporarily set aside Cathedral by Nelson DeMille to do that. I wasn't really getting into the DeMille book anyway.
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Post by scdaffron on Jul 23, 2018 8:36:27 GMT -5
I just finished a "new adult" romance called Remember When, which may be the first NA thing I've ever read. It was a freebie I got because it's set in the 90s. Although I liked the book, the ending was so abrupt that I actually flipped back on the Kindle to see if I pressed the button too hard or something. It was really strange and unsatisfying. Of course there are two other books, so that explains why there's such a non-ending. I can't believe people diss my "cliffhanger" on the first book of the Sensing series (which was NOT a cliffhanger) and loved the, "...and they left. The End." conclusion of this book. Sheesh.
With that said, the author really plays up the 80s/90s references. I should probably do more of that and make it more prominent in my blurbs.
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Post by quinning on Jul 27, 2018 7:19:36 GMT -5
I'm making an active effort to carve out time to read more lately (and hopefully, going forward) - right now working on First Women. It's an NF book about First Ladies Betty Ford, Pat Nixon, Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama. Well, less about Obama, since it was written during their administration. That makes it a little weird because when she talks about the Obamas it's in present tense and it feels awkward and dated. I kind of wish she'd have written it past tense to avoid that, but not sure how that works in NF. Do you want it to feel dated?
Anyway, also beta-reading and so far, so good YA fantasy. Really enjoying it so far.
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Post by Daniel on Jul 29, 2018 8:47:01 GMT -5
That makes it a little weird because when she talks about the Obamas it's in present tense and it feels awkward and dated. I kind of wish she'd have written it past tense to avoid that, but not sure how that works in NF. Do you want it to feel dated? That's an interesting question. If it were my problem to solve, I'd probably write everything in past tense. Everything prior to now is past, so I think that would work fine. However, I'd make it clear that the Obama's were still in the WH and that the information about them is how things have been up to the time of writing. |
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Post by quinning on Jul 29, 2018 9:22:14 GMT -5
That makes it a little weird because when she talks about the Obamas it's in present tense and it feels awkward and dated. I kind of wish she'd have written it past tense to avoid that, but not sure how that works in NF. Do you want it to feel dated? That's an interesting question. If it were my problem to solve, I'd probably write everything in past tense. Everything prior to now is past, so I think that would work fine. However, I'd make it clear that the Obama's were still in the WH and that the information about them is how things have been up to the time of writing. That's how I would have handled it too. The only thing I can come up with is wanting the "current" info to read like a magazine article might, in present tense. I would think though that this would be short sighted, as a magazine is going to be tossed after a month or so and I would want my book to have more staying power than that. Maybe I just need to look at more NF ... |
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Post by Daniel on Jul 30, 2018 8:05:37 GMT -5
That's an interesting question. If it were my problem to solve, I'd probably write everything in past tense. Everything prior to now is past, so I think that would work fine. However, I'd make it clear that the Obama's were still in the WH and that the information about them is how things have been up to the time of writing. That's how I would have handled it too. The only thing I can come up with is wanting the "current" info to read like a magazine article might, in present tense. I would think though that this would be short sighted, as a magazine is going to be tossed after a month or so and I would want my book to have more staying power than that. Maybe I just need to look at more NF ... I've read a ton of nonfiction, and your comparison is exactly right. Information presented in present tense does seem like some kind of reporting, and that makes it feel less authoritative. It sounds dated within months of publication, causing me to question its accuracy. However, all of these impressions could just be my own biases at work. |
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Post by ameliasmith on Aug 20, 2018 16:52:05 GMT -5
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Post by Pru Freda on Aug 21, 2018 11:08:53 GMT -5
Non-fiction: Newsletter Ninja, How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert by Tammi Lebrecque
Fiction: Leviathan by Gordon John Thomson
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Post by djmills on Aug 21, 2018 17:20:09 GMT -5
I was tempted to get Newsletter Ninja, but decided not to, because all the Newsletter books I have repeat the same things. Such as blog articles to attract signups for newsletter like: evergreen articles, emotional articles that connect with readers, non fiction articles (when writing fiction books), outtakes of chapters not used in the book (no one cares when they have not read the book and fallen in love with the characters), cover reveals and polls on which cover they like best (all while the book is getting edited/proof read), write personal stuff and attract friends (note: friends don't buy or read their friend's fiction books), images of the country, county, or town where the story is set, newsletter signups in the back of free ebooks, newsletter links to more free books, etc. :-)
Have you found that Tammi Lebrecque's Author Mailing book has new ideas, or just repeating the same things said over the past 10 years or so?
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Post by Pru Freda on Aug 23, 2018 11:45:02 GMT -5
I was tempted to get Newsletter Ninja, but decided not to, because all the Newsletter books I have repeat the same things. Such as blog articles to attract signups for newsletter like: evergreen articles, emotional articles that connect with readers, non fiction articles (when writing fiction books), outtakes of chapters not used in the book (no one cares when they have not read the book and fallen in love with the characters), cover reveals and polls on which cover they like best (all while the book is getting edited/proof read), write personal stuff and attract friends (note: friends don’t buy or read their friend’s fiction books), images of the country, county, or town where the story is set, newsletter signups in the back of free ebooks, newsletter links to more free books, etc. :-) Have you found that Tammi Lebrecque’s Author Mailing book has new ideas, or just repeating the same things said over the past 10 years or so? Actually, I’m not that far into it yet. I’m still on the onboarding (horrible term) sequence bit. I do find my eyes tending to glaze over, but then I do most of my reading in bed. I may skim through, before reading it again sat at the computer, where I can put her ideas into (immediate) practice. |
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Post by Tanja Milaja on Sept 20, 2018 3:09:44 GMT -5
I'm currently reading Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. And I'm also working my way through The Belgariad-series by David Eddings, currently on book 3, Magician's Gambit.
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Post by Daniel on Sept 20, 2018 8:18:31 GMT -5
I'm currently reading Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. And I'm also working my way through The Belgariad-series by David Eddings, currently on book 3, Magician's Gambit. The Belgariad is possibly my favorite fantasy series. I re-read it every couple of years. I'm also a fan of Jim Butcher, having read just about everything he has published. I'm currently reading Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs and The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. I'm having trouble getting into the Reichs book, but I can't really put my finger on why. It's just not engaging me. The Vogler book is a craft classic. I'm just finishing the introduction section, which has been very interesting. Looking forward to more. |
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Post by djmills on Sept 20, 2018 17:19:15 GMT -5
All my David Eddings books survived my last book cull six years ago, so I could read through all of them again soon. I loved all his stories.
I started The Magdalene Cipher by Jim Hougan last night, and finished it early this morning. Really good story. But, I will have a Nana Nap this afternoon to catch up on missed sleep.
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Post by Tanja Milaja on Sept 21, 2018 1:14:14 GMT -5
The Belgariad is possibly my favorite fantasy series. I re-read it every couple of years. I'm also a fan of Jim Butcher, having read just about everything he has published. I'm currently reading Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs and The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. I'm having trouble getting into the Reichs book, but I can't really put my finger on why. It's just not engaging me. The Vogler book is a craft classic. I'm just finishing the introduction section, which has been very interesting. Looking forward to more. I must admit that I haven't read much fantasy at all. My husband convinced me read them. I began with The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Noon. Really enjoyed that series. I have The Writer's Journey in the library but have only flicked through it, hopefully I'll get to it soon. |
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Post by Tanja Milaja on Sept 21, 2018 1:17:06 GMT -5
All my David Eddings books survived my last book cull six years ago, so I could read through all of them again soon. I loved all his stories. I started The Magdalene Cipher by Jim Hougan last night, and finished it early this morning. Really good story. But, I will have a Nana Nap this afternoon to catch up on missed sleep. The Magdalene Cipher by Jim Hougan, did a quick search and that book sounds really interesting! Had to go on my to-read-list  I love it when you get so immersed in a story that you just have to finish it. |
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Post by ameliasmith on Sept 21, 2018 5:56:31 GMT -5
I seem to be obsessively reading about sleep, but will get back to reading fiction eventually.
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Post by quinning on Oct 1, 2018 11:20:23 GMT -5
I spent last week at the beach, so got a bit of reading done! Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday. All about the take-down of Gawker and the Hulk Hogan lawsuit. Very interesting! The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan. Really enjoyed this one. Felt topical even with the political mood at the moment. Rescuing the Prince by Victoria. Actually not quite finished with this one, but will be by bedtime! Loving it so far and have some questions when I'm done. |
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Post by ameliasmith on Oct 1, 2018 12:22:42 GMT -5
Just finished Assassin's ApprenticeI by Robin Hobb, one of those semi-classics I've been meaning to get to for years. I will probably go on to read the rest of the trilogy.
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I love it when you get so immersed in a story that you just have to finish it.