[stylist] what I've been reading...

Sat Jan 14 15:30:51 UTC 2012

Natalie,

Wow. That is some reading there, impressive. And, 
take it from someone who, until only recently 
with in the past couple years, never read much of 
anything much less a whole book, writing  insight 
and ability comes through osmosis by reading 
others works. Both as a, "Well that method 
didn't  work," perspective as well as the, "Wow, 
that's a awesome style, perspective, etc." It 
sounds to me like you  have and can continue, to 
have  a great insight perspective and experience 
in writing book reviews as well. Hope all is well 
and when I run into life issues, I like to remind 
myself, "Each day is a new one having nothing to 
do with the prior one, other than the 
lessons  and experience gained to make me all the 
more closer to my goals today."

Brad

On 1/13/2012  11:06 PM Nat Barrett said...

>To list,
>
>I e-mailed Bridgit today to compliment her on 
>the Breath and Shadow essay, and she mentioned 
>that I'd been quiet on the list. Lol. I've had 
>some personal issues lately and things have been piling up.
>
>Anwyay, I wanted to combine comments. I've been 
>catching up on the list from about two weeks back. Two things.
>May I just say that I'm pretty proud of myself. 
>For 2011 I read 174 books. That doesn't' include 
>the ones that I read some pages and then stopped 
>because the books just weren't that good. This 
>year I'm challenging myself to read at least 200.
>
>I also started a blog last year reviewing books. 
>My fiction writing hasn't really been taking 
>off, so I've been trying to motivate myself to 
>write anything. So far I've done too many 
>romance book reviews and am trying to also challenge myself to branch out.
>
>Anyway, you all were also talking about 
>speedreading audibly. I must say for myself when 
>I first used Jaws back in 1999, I had it so very 
>slow. But as I adjusted to the voice, I began reading faster and faster.
>
>I, too, will fall asleep if I'm not constantly 
>moving around when I'm reading. I try to do 
>chores. Laundry, dishes, sweeping. Most times I 
>listen to books while I scan other books to 
>submit to Bookshare. That definitely keeps my 
>hands moving and since it's awfully, awfully 
>boring work, it makes the scanning go a lost faster!
>
>Anyway, good luck to everyone in 2012 with their writing goals. (smile)
>Natalie
>
>
>--------------------------------------------------
>From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
>Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 10:31 AM
>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: Re: [stylist] what I've been reading...
>
>>Chris,
>>I get Choice magazine, and just got my new copy. I find it has excellent
>>selections.
>>Your book list is varied, and exciting. I do not know how it is possible to
>>be such a prolific reader to finish so many books. Are they all recorded or
>>digital books? That is to say do you listen? Or do you have enough sight to
>>read them. The reason I ask is that even if I am listening to a riveting
>>book, I fall   asleep after forty minutes or so. How can you be a speed
>>reader with a taped selection.
>>Your books are exciting enough to keep most on the edge of their seats.
>>Admiration abounds.
>>Jackie
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>Behalf Of Chris Kuell
>>Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 6:07 PM
>>To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>>Subject: [stylist] what I've been reading...
>>
>>A month or so ago it was suggested we write book reviews, but I didn't
>>notice much interest in the group. However, I will share a little about what
>>I've read in the last 6 weeks.
>>
>>
>>
>>chris
>>
>>
>>
>>Books read since  November 15:
>>
>>
>>
>>The Reversal by Michael Connelly  (2010)
>>
>>The latest in the Harry Bosch series, I think the main purpose of this novel
>>was to make Harry's half-brother, Mickey Haller, a defense attorney, more
>>prominent. It sets up the next Bosch novel, and perhaps a series for the
>>brother?
>>
>>
>>
>>Sixty-One Hours by Lee Child  (2010)
>>
>>Perhaps the best of the Jack Reacher novels. It's an action packed adventure
>>about a Mexican drug lord, tons of methamphetamine and a small town police
>>force in South Dakota.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris (2010)
>>
>>Ferris's writing is terse and takes a little getting used to, but once you
>>do, you'll be drawn into this gut-wrenching novel about a man's attempt to
>>deal with mental illness. He loses his job, his wife and daughter, but still
>>does the best he can.
>>
>>
>>
>>Working in the Shadows: A Year Doing the Jobs Most American's Won't do by
>>Gabriel Thompson  (2010)
>>
>>An excellent non-fiction book, the writer goes 'undercover' working in a
>>lettuce field, in a chicken processing plant and at various crappy jobs in
>>NYC, and experiences how immigrants are treated and paid (or often, not).
>>
>>
>>
>>Scorpion in the Sea by P.T.Deutermann   (1992)
>>
>>A Naval based action-adventure novel, I'll give it a 3 out of 5.
>>
>>
>>
>>In Our Nature: Stories of Wildness edited by Donna Seaman  (2000)
>>
>>A series of short stories that loosely deal with nature-the great outdoors,
>>our sexual nature, our power struggles, etc.
>>
>>
>>
>>Rogue Warrior: Green Team by Richard Marshenko and John Weissman  (1995)
>>
>>Marshenko was a navy seal, and is narcissistic enough to write novels based
>>on himself as the baddest bad-ass of them all. What's really interesting
>>about this particular book are his views on Islamic fundamentalists and his
>>predictions of the terrorist havoc they would unleash across the globe.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Good Soldiers by David Finkle  (2009)
>>
>>This Pulitzer-prize winner spends 14 months with a group of soldiers during
>>the 2007 'surge' in Iraq. Unlike the previous Marshenko novel, where war is
>>glorified, this is bone-chilling, horrible, and real. He describes real men
>>(boys? The age of the average American soldier is 20) being maimed and/or
>>killed in what are essentially useless battles in Iraq. After a year of
>>fighting, trying to rebuild a destroyed city's sewer, power and water
>>systems-Iraqi insurgents blow it all up so they are back at point 0.
>>
>>
>>
>>Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (1961)
>>
>>A very interesting novella, this originally was published as 2 short stories
>>in the New Yorker in the late 50s. Franny is a disillusioned college girl,
>>and Zooey is her older brother trying to set her straight regarding the
>>'Jesus prayer'.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Best American Science Writing 2010, edited by Jerome Groopman
>>
>>These articles, which were primarily medical in nature, were quite
>>fascinating, if a touch dated. I took notes on 2 of the pieces as research
>>information for future stories some day.
>>
>>
>>
>>Rizzo's War by Lou Manfredo  (2009)
>>
>>A former Brooklyn cop writing a story about. Brooklyn cops. And corruption
>>and walking the fine line of what's right, what's wrong, and what just is.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Trial by Franz Kafka  (1925)
>>
>>Kafka asked that all of his work be burned after his death, and to be
>>honest, I think I can see why. I know this is a critically acclaimed novel,
>>it's been made into a movie 3 times, but I found it strange, not very
>>interesting, and except for it being a bizarre statement about Prague's
>>judicial system in the early 20th century, I don't much get the point.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Best American Short Stories 2010, edited by Richard Russo
>>
>>This is a fantastic series, and I thoroughly enjoyed each of the 20 or so
>>stories in this anthology. For the Choice Magazine readers out there, 3
>>stories in this anthology will be familiar.
>>
>>
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>
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Brad Dunsé

"Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I'll 
remember. Involve me, and I'll learn." --Unknown

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