They Call Me Mom by Pete Springer 5/5 x Pete Springer’s memoir They Call Me Mom (Outskirts Press 2019) about his first years teaching will delight new teachers and have experienced educators nodding along with him. As a teacher, Pete’s early experiences remind me of the joy inherent in teaching: “This job required about as … Continue reading
Every once in a while, a book grabs me and I know I will never forget it. This is one of those: *** The Adventures of a Nature Guide by Enos Mills 5/5 Enos Abijah Mills (1870-1922) spent his entire life exploring nature and then sharing his observations with anyone interested. This book, The Adventures … Continue reading
I’ve devoured both of Kathy Steinemann’s pithy writer’s help books, The Writer’s Lexicon Vol. 1 and 2. I received her latest–The Writer’s Body Lexicon–as an ARC and it now occupies pride of place on my how-to-write virtual bookshelf. It covers descriptions and details about bodies and so much more. It’s available on Amazon tomorrow–June 30, … Continue reading
Tracy Walder’s The Unexpected Spy (St. Martin’s Press 2020) is a real-life account of one 23-year-old’s rise from college graduate to a highly-respected intelligence-gathering CIA operative hired on directly after 9-11. The tagline sums her job up pretty well: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World’s Most … Continue reading
Here are three more interesting non-fiction books I read recently: Humor That Works–humor as the key to communication The Writer’s Lexicon Volume II–like Volume I with more words–a godsend to Indies. The Rural Setting Thesaurus–descriptions of personal and natural places as though you had been there –a note about my reviews: I only review books … Continue reading
Here are two more how-to-write books for your professional library: Crafting Story — Just starting out? Ready to be inspired? Read on… The Writer’s Lexicon — great resource to inspire creative thinking Crafting Story: A Guide for the Emerging Writer by Kate Johnston 5/5 Kate Johnston starts Crafting Story: A Guide for the Emerging Writer (2015) … Continue reading
Here are three more great Indie books I am thrilled I didn’t miss reading: Murder in Blue Gingham — Bridal salon owner, Max, not only is a talented wedding consultant but a gifted amateur sleuth in this third in Walker’s popular series Dirty Work –– Two twins lead very different lives, one rich and one struggling, … Continue reading
As I prepare to launch my next novel and first historic fiction in my Man vs. Nature series, I arrive at a faceplant moment: My marketing sucks. To that end, I picked up James Scott Bell’s book, Marketing for Writers Who Hate Marketing: The No-Stress Way to Sell Books Without Losing Your Mind (Compendium Press … Continue reading
Here are two more great books I read recently: Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb — an in-depth discussion on all facets of the battle that killed more people than both atomic bombs From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon — detailed biography of Sir … Continue reading
A friend of a friend is working on a dissertation. I read a lot about nonfiction genres during the A to Z Challenge, looking at grant writing and nonfiction in general, but I didn’t get into the fine art of writing a dissertation. She covers it well in this post: Writing a thesis will most … Continue reading
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