Review: 99 Ways to tell a story

July 15, 2021 in Bookshelf, Oulipo, Oulipo book, Reviews

The book works in so many ways that it’s hard to know where to start.

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Review: A Little History of Literature

July 14, 2021 in Bookshelf, Reviews

As for non-students whose memories of Eng Lit conjure up trying to make sense of Shakespeare, you may discover that “A Little History of Literature” will help you to erase such memories!

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Review: Exercises in Style

June 21, 2021 in Bookshelf, Oulipo, Oulipo book, Reviews

Anyone interested in the craft of writing should read this book. It’s not a primer, or dictionary, or anything of that nature. But it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Oulipo books reviewed on this website

June 17, 2021 in Bookshelf, Oulipo

Here is a selection of books about or featuring Oulipo that I’ve reviewed on this website. It’s not an extensive list, but I’m adding to it all the time.

Review: Book Parts

April 25, 2021 in Bookshelf, Reviews, Research

When you start to read a new book, what’s your routine? My routines differ according to whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, and whether I’ve been sent it to review or not.

Book review: Your Press Release Is Breaking My Heart

April 18, 2021 in Bookshelf

Most press releases are boring. Even worse, some are annoying. And the people who send them can be even more annoying.

Review: Writing Tools, by Roy Peter Clark

March 25, 2021 in Bookshelf, Writer Resource, Reviews

Roy Peter Clark describes and analyses fifty five strategies for writers.

Review: Storycraft, by Jack Hart

March 22, 2021 in Bookshelf, Reviews

Like Chekhov's gun (if a gun appears in Act 1, it has to be fired at some point), actions like someone clearing their throat are pointless if they add nothing to how we see them as a character.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)

Review: The Go-Between

February 01, 2021 in Bookshelf, Reviews

I also started to ponder: why the obsession throughout the book with belladonna?

Review: How to write short

January 28, 2021 in Bookshelf, Creative Writing, Reviews

This is a very different book from Short-Form Creative Writing: A Writer's Guide And Anthology, both in content and style, but covers similar ground.

Quick look: You talkin' to me? The Unruly History of New York English (The Dialects of North America)

January 14, 2021 in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews

One of my ambitions, once this pandemic is over, is to visit New York if I can. In the meantime, this look at the various cultures and dialects in New York is a reasonable substitute for actually being there.

Books of 2020 -- now with audio

January 01, 2021 in Bookshelf, Audio, Reviews

Yesterday I published a blog post entitled Books of 2020, a list of the books I’ve (mostly) read in 2020. Well, it’s a bit of a long read at around 4,000 words, so I’ve created an audio version of it as well.

Books of 2020

December 31, 2020 in Bookshelf, Reviews, Audio

These are the books I’ve encountered in 2020. I’ve read most of them, and reviewed many of them.

Since I drew this cartoon, the names of the authors have changed, but the issue remains the same!

Books I'm determined to finish this year (gulp)

December 29, 2020 in News & views, Bookshelf

These are some of the books I’ve started this year, and which I’m determined to finish this year. Well, maybe I’ll settle for reading a bit more of them at least.

A shorter review of the Penguin Book of The Prose Poem

December 26, 2020 in Bookshelf, Reviews

Arranged in reverse chronological order, this book will help you find great examples of innovative approaches to writing poems, dating back to the 1840s. But what exactly is a prose poem?