Some readers have a preference when it comes to narrative voice. The first person is intimate but limited, like listening to one side of the story. The third person is more expansive, like hearing multiple sides of the story from a more objective source. Some writers use multiple first-person narrators, a bridge of sorts betweenContinue reading “Voice Tricks”
Tag Archives: Fiction
The Ten (2021)
I often find it difficult to select “best of” lists based on a numerical limit. Do I really need to cut off an excellent contender just because there were ten more suitable options? (And why ten?) The next criteria to grapple with is what the standards are for naming something “best.” There are beautifully writtenContinue reading “The Ten (2021)”
The Wife Nearby
Tension building is one fundamental of suspense. The reader must feel a mild fear as the plot builds, aware of danger without being able to spot it too easily. A growing sense of unease develops in the narrative with the hint of something about to boil over. A trio of novels have tried a newContinue reading “The Wife Nearby”
The Reading Afflictions
Not everything is joyful when it comes to books. There are experiences that take the fun out of reading, such as the reading rut, the hostage negotiation, and the incessant replay. If you are an avid reader, you have probably experienced all of these. So what are they? I will attempt to explain. 1. TheContinue reading “The Reading Afflictions”
The Financial Incentive
There are a lot of plots that involve money. Often it’s simple greed, such as characters who are driven to murder for financial gain. Sometimes it’s desperation, such as a story in which frantic parents need to fund their child’s medical bills. Others involve characters who take a well-paid job without realizing that the extraContinue reading “The Financial Incentive”
Reading Double: Alice Feeney
In the name of diversity, I usually don’t read a particular author twice. There are exceptions. I have read pretty much everything Anne Tyler, Armistead Maupin, and Anne Lamott have written, and occasionally find an author I want to read more of. In the past few years, Joshilyn Jackson, Alex Michaelides, and Alice Feeney haveContinue reading “Reading Double: Alice Feeney”
Reading Double: Joshilyn Jackson
I think of books as authors’ children. They resemble each other, usually not identically, and occasionally you might find two that don’t seem at all similar. They all have the essence of their maker in them, though, which is why I rarely read the same author multiple times. There are exceptions – Anne Tyler, AnneContinue reading “Reading Double: Joshilyn Jackson”
Crosses To Bear
When you think of Christian fiction, you might conjure up feel-good stories like Jan Caron’s Midford series or the action-packed Apocalyptic best-selling Left Behind books. There is even a large subgenre of Amish mysteries. As a major religion of the world, Christianity is not just limited to genre pieces. Christians are present in many mainstreamContinue reading “Crosses To Bear”
DNF
There are some readers who have no trouble abandoning a book. If the story isn’t dazzling them, they toss it aside, or drop it down a book chute, or hit permanent delete on their e-reader. Others struggle with the need to push on, to complete a task, to not give up. I am firmly inContinue reading “DNF”
No Slow Nellie Knockoffs
When it comes to rants and raves, the reviews are in. There is a necessary chemistry between book and reader and when it’s not there, readers can get feisty. Why exactly do books and readers not click? I’ve narrowed it down to five main reasons. No One To Root For Who knew that likeability wasContinue reading “No Slow Nellie Knockoffs”
Books Smitten 