Notes To Aspiring Writers – I bought this e-book because I am one. An aspiring writer I mean, not an e-book. That would be awkward. It’s a short, easy read and as it turns out? It doesn’t have a single tip for getting published. Nope. Not one. So even though it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, I still think it is a great book. There is a lot of emphasis on redefining your focus, your idea of success and recognizing the presence of God in your pursuits. And some good, gentle reminders about family first. Always good for me because I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, even in my work-at-home status. Even if you’re not an aspiring writer, you can absolutely take a ton of good away from this book.
If you don’t have a Kindle you can download it in PDF form here. Also? You can read a free chapter of the e-book here, so it’s a great way to preview it before you invest three dollars. The author blogs at A Life In Need Of Change and that’s a pretty good read too, although a little heavy for my personal taste.
My Sister’s Keeper Handle With Care – Wait, did I accidentally write out the wrong book title? I did? That’s because they are practically THE SAME BOOK. Seriously, if you read My Sister’s Keeper, don’t bother reading this book. I honestly can’t believe her publisher wasn’t all, “Um, Mrs Picoult? You DO realize that you’ve already written this book, right? You can’t just change around the character names and call it a day.” Or maybe you can. I mean, I’m not a best-selling novelist but really? It’s the SAME BOOK. Child with severe illness? Check. Lawsuit regarding said illness? Check. Parents at odds over the lawsuit? Check. Sibling rebelling against family situation/illness? Check. Ridiculous ironic twist of an ending? CHECK PLUS.
And the thing is, I really liked My Sister’s Keeper. Go buy that if you haven’t read it and don’t waste your time on this one.
The Glamorous Double Life Of Isabel Bookbinder – Remember when I asked y’all if you bothered finishing a book you hated? And mentioned how I was sitting on the couch wondering aloud to myself how this woman got a book deal? Yeah, that’s this book. It was horrible. The cover says “If you like Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books and you miss Bridget Jones, then meet Isabel!” And I thought to myself, “Self, I DO love the Shopaholic books! And now that I think about it, I do miss Bridget Jones! This shall be a delightful book!”
Or a complete waste of an afternoon. I’m pretty sure the author read both the Shopaholic books and the Bridget Jones series and then attempted to come up with her own witty conglomeration of the two, right down to the stylistic journal entries that borrow from each. Except that she missed the mark on the humor found in those novels because Isabel isn’t funny at all. In fact, I kind of hate her. The plot is silly and predictable and there isn’t a bit of depth to any of the characters. On top of that, the author insists on using the word “bemused” repeatedly in the book and it never feels like it’s being used in quite the right context. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s just one of the things I was randomly yelling about while torturing myself during this read.
If I knew anything about baseball, I could say something like “I’m batting 1000 here!” but I have no idea how to use metaphors. Which is probably why these people have book deals and I don’t.
About Kayla Aimee
Handle With Care made me grumpy… very grumpy. Hated the ending the most though! I still love Jodi Picoult, however, but I would agree that people shouldn’t waste their time on this one.
I did Handle with Care on CD in my car last year. And I felt the SAME way. Exact same as MSK. And the ending twist was TERRIBLE. I really was angry at the end.
I gave up on Jodi Picoult a long time ago when I realized she was just writing the same books over and over. She has the same characters and formula plots and just changes the same. Easy way to make a bunch of money, I guess.
I started My Sister’s Keeper and FORCED myself to finish it. I absolutely hated it. It certainly tainted me and I won’t be looking at anything else she writes. Glad to know I’m in good company.
I love your book posts. I was just thinking about reading that Jodi Picoult book, but I think I’ll skip it now.
I don’t know if this will help you, but Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson had a list of advice for first time authors. He linked up his e-book about writing book proposals there too.
Oops! meant to include this link to the post:
http://michaelhyatt.com/advice-to-first-time-authors.html
I feel the same way about JP’s two books as I do with stupid Nicholas Sparks books. Yes he does have different story lines, but you KNOW someone is going to die at the end. EVERY BOOK. He goes for the tears. Its kinda lame.
I miss Bridget Jones..
Yeah- there is a pattern with Jodi’s books. She often writes about either a medical or law drama involving family and friends. Every book.