Book Reviews
Traci Kenworth
Book One: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: It’s taken me a long while to get
to these. Yes, I know that it came out in 1995, but that was the year of my
disastrous marriage and in the years that followed, dark times for me. Anyway,
it was well WORTH the wait!! My kids had been through these books years ago
(grins) and I don’t know why I waited so long to take the plunge. I know the
majority of you have read these but for the rare bird like me, RUN to get your
copy. It is a charming, magical read!! I loved it so much, in fact that guess
what book two’s review is?
Book Two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: I think I would’ve been thrilled
to have friends like these in high school. Oh, wait!! I did. Not with the magic
of course, but still, Hermoine reminded me of my best friend, Colleen. I didn’t
have close to a Ron or Harry though there were a few boys who dared to hang out
at my table, lol. I knew J.K. Rowling had to do something special to warrant
such mega-attention with these books and I have to say she really amazed me
with her voice. I’ve just started the round of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban so that’ll be in a future review.
Book Three: Storm Front by Jim Butcher: This is the first book in the Dresden Files. It too,
had a wizard in it. Harry something Copperfield something Dresden, (sorry about
the something, I’m awful about names in real life, so it’s hard to remember
that many) is a part-time consultant to the police and a full-time private
investigator. If supernatural is your problem, call him!! This time he finds
himself embroiled in a mystery that’s a little too personal for him when a toad
demon is sent to kill him. This is a clever, magic-filled adventure with a
touch of horror. It reminded me a tad of James Bond. Another winner!! I will
definitely be looking into more of this series.
Book Four: Writing
Monsters by Philip Athans: This
book was invaluable to me in my
craft study of horror. It takes you through everything you need to build a
monster from the ground up including setting and point of origin. It gives a
lot of examples from different horror writers such as Stephen King, Dean
Koontz, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, etc. I definitely have a better
understanding of what it takes to create a monster. Highly recommended if you’re
at all into horror.
Book Five: Zen of the Art of Writing by Ray
Bradbury. What does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we
are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right. Second, writing
is survival. I heartedly agree!! Writing is what pulled me through life when
the storms were determined to destroy me. It gave me hope, joy, and love to
begin again. If you haven’t read this gem, I recommend that you hurry to do so.
Ray Bradbury needs no introduction to most. He inspired me from the first time Something Wicked This Way Comes crossed
my path. He is a giant, a legend in the story mines. Here, he teaches us the
methods that worked for him throughout his career. There is a gift alone in
that.
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