reading

Will You Celebrate Pride Month with These First Lines?

Lynette M Burrows

First Line Friday is a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Will you celebrate Pride Month with these first lines? First Lines As she woke up in the pod, she remembered three things. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers Book 1) Becky Chambers The stranger came out of the sea like a water ghost, barefoot and wearing the scars of his journey.  The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon Busting up a casino has never been at the top of Oriol Sina’s bucket list, but here he is, standing in the middle of the Dorothy Queen dressed for trouble in a suit he’d much rather be admiring on another man. Double Edged (The Bulari Saga Book 1) Jessie Kwak Outbreaks of magic started all kinds of ways. The Fever King (Feverwake Book 1) Victoria Lee Behind the clouds of the new monsoon, the ancient mainframe Chang rolls too fast across […]

You Need to do A Reading Study

Lynette M Burrows

Have you ever done a reading study? Recently, I listened to the Mysterious Goings On podcast that featured the Constant Reader and his journey re-reading Stephen King’s bibliography. The idea intrigued me. I’ve often re-read books I’ve enjoyed. Some of them many times. And of course, I’ve read complete series. But I don’t recall ever reading a single author’s entire catalog. The voice in my head said, you need to do a reading study. What is a Reading Study? That’s the fun part. You get to design your own. How? There are no rules. But here are some questions and suggestions to help you get started. What’s Your Purpose? For the Constant Reader, his deep love of Stephen King’s books motivated him. Which author do you read most often? Or choose an author you’ve never read before. If you’re a writer, you may want to figure out how an author created the world, or the characters, or how the writer makes us readers believe it all. Many things go into writing a powerful story. Perhaps you want to read an author with a unique writing style. Or a strong voice.  But what if you’re a reader and not a writer? […]

Read Great Books, Watch Great Films

Lynette M Burrows

Read great books, watch great films. If the book has been made into a film, which do you do first? Do you read a book first or watch the movie? It’s an old question that pops up on the internet over and over. Does it matter? I believe it does, but my answer isn’t one or the other. Do both. Read first or watch first is purely an individual choice. My choice depends on the book or the movie. Read the Book We read in bed because reading is halfway between life and dreaming, our own consciousness in someone else’s mind.. Anna Quindlen Reading a great book is an experience unlike any other. The author’s words fill your head with sounds and pictures and people. But it’s not just the author’s words that paint those things. Your experiences, your world, inform how you interpret the words. A book is usually a longer experience than a movie. You experience it in private, unless you are reading aloud to someone. Even then, it’s your life and your dreams coloring how you read the story. Which is why the movie disappoints you. I’m always frustrated when somebody makes a movie out of a […]