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”
Tag Archives: Plotting
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”
Salt or Sweet?
Books are often divided into two categories: serious and fluff. And readers will often align with either camp, touting the virtues of either. It is essential to be well-informed and empathetic, says one side. And the other: I get enough reality just by getting out of bed every morning. The matter is complicated when theContinue reading “Salt or Sweet?”
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”
I Dissent
Sometimes books and I just don’t click. Like a dud first date, it usually isn’t personal. There are different wavelengths and sometimes I am not on the same one with others. It gets worse when you slog through a tedious book only to log on to your favorite review site to find enraptured praise fromContinue reading “I Dissent”
No Two People
No two people read the same book, or so they say. Our lenses, preferences, and schedules mean that books can be received very differently. What is fresh to one may seem trite to another. While some might enjoy the devilish antics of the protagonist, others may find nothing to root for. And, yet, there isContinue reading “No Two People”
Hook Me
A good opening to a novel should give you a visceral feel for everything that is to come. It is a first impression, and like the human counterpart of first impressions, it’s difficult to erase its impact. Hooking the reader immediately is a literary imperative. There are many ways to do it. You can startContinue reading “Hook Me”
Books Smitten 