Living the Writer's Life

This was a bit different than the usual book on writing. It did not go into detail on creating characters or plot.
It did talk about writers and how very few are successful yet more and more try every year.
Written from a Doctor of  coun­sel­ing psychology point of view was interesting.
I really enjoyed the one liner thoughts from many professionals in the business.

A very honest look at a very competitive and  life
A good read for people wondering if they really want to try writing then wondering why they keep on writing even when there is no hope of success.

Escape from the Carnivale: A Never Land Book

This is a very short book written by the authors right after the first Peter Pan novel.

This is written for a much younger reader (so the authors say)

But I did not find that too much of a bother.

The plot and the wording was aimed toward younger kids but the story was still fun.

Peter i s off the island doing something so this story is about others on the island. This lost some of the magic but still a good story.

If you have not read Peter and the starcatchers then this will confuse you alittle.

There are more in this series that I will read when I have a bit of time to escape and don't want to be bothered by alot of thought process.

Jacob T. Marley

This one started out a bit on the dull side. I was not too thrilled in the first few chapters, but then, it changed. Maybe my spirit changed or my attitude changed, I am not sure. All I know is that by the end I wished it would not and I found a small tear in my eye and a pledge to do better with my life within my heart.

That is high praise for such a small book. But I stand behind it.

The character of Marley has not drawn a lot of attention over the years but the author does a great job of showing us how he became Marley and more important how he influenced Scrooge to become Scrooge.

The first part of the story deals with Marley and his start in life. While it was enjoyable enough the real joy of the book came when he met Scrooge and then grew as Marley's  part in the story we all know so well with the spirits was played out.

The author was able to add this without taking away from the magic of Dickens original writing and it was here I found myself lost in the book. (That has not happened for quite awhile with me and it was a welcome feeling).

The end of the book, where the author talks about Scrooge in later life was treated with respect to the original writer. I appreciate that intent. This too touched my heart and made me want to do better in my dealings with my fellow man.

I highly recommend this to anyone at any time of the year.

Commitment

This was a quick fast and very enjoyable read. Written in the early 80's I believe, it still has material that is important today.

The stories and thoughts were engaging and some with humor.

I really enjoyed the section on how important it is to read good books that are outside of the religious area.

Elder Featherstone has a simple, easy style in speaking and writing. This lended well to the ease with which to read this.

I recommend this book to all.