Writing groups can provide all sorts of benefits, from stimulating us to write new material in new ways, helping to improve our writing, encouraging our efforts and teaching us new skills, not to mention the camaraderie and pleasure of sharing…
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A review of Fresh Milk by Fiona Giles
For those of us who have experienced the sensual, emotional, and intense power of being able to feed our children for extended periods, there are many chapters in this book which will resonate. Those who haven’t probably won’t be interested.…
A review of Withdrawal by Michael Hoffman
Is this artlessness or is it art perfected? One hardly cares, for Hoffman is a natural storyteller and, although this is often not high praise for a writer, it achieves a different dimension when, as here, the writer is sufficient…
A review of Gabriel Gate’s Guide to Everyday Cooking
Guide to Everyday Cooking is an all-inclusive primer, with over 200 dishes and lots of information on techniques, ingredients, and kitchen help. As with all of Gate’s books, the focus is on using the freshest and best quality ingredients you can…
A review of The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
In the end, we choose our point, arbitrarily: “A period, a dot of punctuation, a point of stasis.” Atwood reminds us that the story could easily end elsewhere, that endings are random, and that, for her protagonists (but not for…
A review of Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft
In terms of intention it succeeds brilliantly and the intention is no paltry one. It explores a dark world of a man who was a difficult tortured child and never escaped that childhood. His failure to generate love among any…
A review of The Portable Writer’s Conference
Like a writer’s conference, there are lots of different self contained mini-courses or topics presented by experts in their fields – 45 in all. Also like a writer’s conference you can pick and choose what topics are relevant to you…
A review of James Joyce: A Short Introduction by Michael Seidel
One who has long been acquainted with the works that Seidel discusses will enjoy the book most. Despite the title and despite the titles of books like it, there is really no introduction to Joyce. The only introduction to the…
A review of Promote Like a Pro
There are quite a few books on the market which cover promotional skills, and how to handle the media, but Linda Radke’s Promote Like a Pro was specifically written for authors. It is a complete guide to obtaining serious and very low…
A review of Write From the Heart by Hal Zina Bennett
Bennett uses many of his own and other’s real life examples to show that anyone can write well by tapping into their own unique experiences. In a very humble way, he takes his own work and shows that he is…