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So as you’ve probably heard a million times by authors, is the importance of reading as a writer. But I’ve actually have learned way more about writing by talking about books I’ve read than actually reading the book. And besides, talking about books is probably one of a writer’s favorite things to do, even without all the benefits of improving your craft!
So I thought I’d make a forum thread where we can daily, or weekly, or whenever we get the chance, to hop on here and share what we read that day and our thoughts.
It can be short and sweet like, “I read the fifth chapter of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens today and I thought it was boring.” (No offense to Great Expectations fans) Or you could go way in-depth on a multiple page rant about how the chapter(s) you read that day forever changed the way you look at world-building (or other writing craft tips) and the reason and details why.
Not only will it be a fun way to talk about what we read that day, but it will also help us stay accountable to read more and pay attention to what we are reading. Oh, yeah, and at the same time, I learn more about writing!
Just gonna tag some people to get this conversation going! @gracie-j @seekjustice @devastate-lasting @r-m-archer @godlyfantasy12 @lewilliams @nova21 @thekidnextdoor @thequeenofengland @yourfavoriteflavoroficecream @themonsterundermybed @everyoneelse
(Also, I haven’t read anything today yet, but when I do, I’ll be sure to share it here) š
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@kathleenramm I LOVE this idea! I also love talking about what I’ve read… š
First off, let me tag some more peeps… @e-k-seaver @jenwriter17 @libby @annika-c @scoutfinch180 @nova21 @writerlexi1216
Now, I spent the morning reading (since church has closedĀ again š )Ā Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White. (Totally recommend her, btw.) I’m very,Ā very picky about reading Civil War era novels, because I’m very strange about that war. I live in Georgia. My family, both sides, has lived in Georgia for centuries (some branches from before the Revolution, others just after), and my ancestors fought for the Confederacy. However, I come from a long line of “poor white trash,” (no offense intended) also known as Crackers. So I’m very touchy about how people depict white Southerners and the treatment of blacks, simply because (1) not every white man was a slave-owning, heartless jerk and (2) most Crackers were treated just as bad, if not worse, than the slaves. (Not to mention a whole host of other things…) People really like to stereotype whites and the Civil War, so if it’s not a classic likeĀ Gone with the Wind orĀ The Leopard’s Spots, I’m probably not going to read it.
That being said, I entered intoĀ Dreams of Savannah on my tiptoes. However, I’m delighted by the gentle, careful way the author is handling these issues. There is some stereotyping on all parts, but nothing to outrageous.
Has anyone else out there an opinion on the Civil War in popular fiction? What books have misrepresented whites and/or blacks? Which books have carefully handled subjects like racism and slavery during the Antebellum South? (In light of 2020’s racial controversy, this is a very relevant topic.)
@devastate-lasting You just finishedĀ Gone with the Wind. Any opinions to add?@gracie-j,Ā That’s really interesting about your lineage. (I, too, have ancestors who were poor southern farmers. My great-great-uncle [I think that’s the right number of greats. Maybe one more in there for good measure] literally had to hide in the swamp for a couple of days with the family cow to keep it out of the hands of Sherman’s soldiers during the march to the sea.) And yeah, I would agree with you on the whole dislike of totally stereotyped character on either end.
One book I did like (or series, I guess) was Lynn Austin’s Refiner’s Fire series. I don’t remember it super well ’cause I read it a while back, but I think it depicted both sides well.
@kathleenramm somewhere around 12 this morning I finishedĀ Ender’s Game. It was surprisingly good and I really liked the ending.The pen is mightier than the sword, but in a duel, I'm taking the sword.
ekseaver.wordpress.com@kathleenramm Ooh I love this idea!! So I didnāt read anything today yet, but I read the first chapter of the Hobbit Christmas Day! Iāve seen the movies, so itās nice to already have the image in my head lol.
I really love the misty mountains song and ended up singing most of it to myself instead of quietly reading it šš
I also like how the inviting incident is in the first chapter, because it makes me feel better (because my inviting incident kinda begins in the first chapter as well!)
The worldbuilding is just incredible! I hope my worldbuilding can suck people in as well.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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#ProtectSebThis is cool! š
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@kathleenramm Great idea! Though be warned; my list will probably mostly consist of manga, with a classic book once in a while. Hopefully this might spark up my love for reading again, haha…
@gracie-j Ah, yes. I feel you. I may live up North, but being a second-gen immigrant, I’ve never really feltĀ thatĀ strongly about the civil war. However, I have always possessed a deep respect for General Robert E. Lee as well as Stonewall Jackson. My pastor actually had the portraits of both of them framed in his office (I think he’s from Virginia).
I really appreciated Gone With the Wind. While I think we can all agree that slavery is bad, I certainly think not every slave owner were those absolute monsters that people like the portray them as.Ā Essentially, I have been lacking in reading literature that portrays the Civil War from the Southern side (except forĀ Across Five Aprils…and I don’t quite remember that one.) A lot of people bash on GWTW, (as well asĀ To Kill a Mockingbird), and all I can say is, those people who bash on it for certain ridiculous reasons never really read the book properly.
Anyways, today I read the first volume of this manga calledĀ Magus of the Library which has to do with reading, actually! It’s about… (where’s the synopsis)…
In the small village of Amun lives a poor boy named Theo. Theo adores books, but because of his pointed ears and impoverished life, he isn’t allowed to use the village library. As he endures the prejudice and hatred of the village, he dreams of going where such things don’t exist: Aftzaak, City of Books. But one day, Theo chances to meet aĀ Kafna–a librarian who works for the great library of Aftzaak–and his life changes forever…
(From Goodreads.) Anyway, I thought it was a little heavyhanded on the info dumping and a little too on the fantasy side for me to enjoy it but I really liked how it portrayed the characters’ love for reading, as well as the magic that it can bring!
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
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@e-k-seaver Fun fact: my mom is a direct descendant from Maximillian Wildes, who was killed in the 1830s in the last Indian massacre in Georgia. And my seventh great-grandfather, Dr. Samuel Nunez (who actually has a Wikipedia page!), was one of the first Sephardi Jewish immigrants to the US, let alone Georgia, from Portugal, in the last 1600s.
And, yeah, stereotypical characters ruin the authenticity of the story more so than actual historical inaccuracy to me.
I will definitely have to checkĀ Refiner’s Fire out!
@devastate-lasting I think the Confederacy had more admirable generals than the Union did, which is very disappointing. The way you feel about the Civil War would be similar to how I feel about the American Revolution. As crazy as it sounds, with most of my family in Scotland, Ireland, and other Northern European countries at the time, I’ve probably got some Redcoats in my family tree, or else none of my ancestors ever fought in that war. The Civil War and on, however, I’ve had many x-amount-of-greats grandfathers involved in the fighting.What is the most disappointing to me is that people–not just authors–portrayĀ all white Southerners as wealthy, privileged slave owners when most of them were Crackers. I’ve only ever seen them in GWTW. *shrugs*
Nowadays, those who write about the Civil War from the Southern/Confederate perspective still put in a “Yankee agenda,” which makes the characters seem unrealistic, inauthentic, and wishy-washy. They’re evil racists, and yet they’re so open to the Northerners views…??? I would recommend The Leopard’s Spots by Thomas Dixon Jr. It’s more about the Restoration than the war itself, but it gives a depiction of the South and Southern people closer to To Kill a MockingbirdĀ and GWTW than anything else. I think it was written sometime in the early 1900s.
I’m glad that you appreciated GWTW! It’s difficult to find people who will look past prejudice or the romantic aspects to see the good in it! š
@godlyfantasy12 I’ve been reading the first chapter ofĀ The Hobbit for, um, a few months now. LOL! š I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it…makes me want to go back and read some more!@gracie-j Lol! My goal is to read all the Chronicles of Narnka, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and the Simarillion by the end of the this next year!
I figure if I take it chapter by chapter I can achieve that.
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@godlyfantasy12 Girl, that is some goal! Good luck!
@gracie-j
I don’t have many opinions on the Civil War in fiction. I literally don’t think I have ever read a book set in the Civil War? Ever?? Nope, I’m pretty sure I haven’t. However! I do have opinions on the Revolutionary War. My family is English (my grandparents came out to Aus in the late 60s, and my cousins and other family members still live over there in a miniscule house in London somewhere) so I feel kind of passionately about the Redcoats. I mean, most of them were just soldiers doing their jobs, so why do they deserve to be villainised so much, while American Revolutionaries are lionized? After all, both of them were invading a country that didn’t belong to them.
I do share your distaste for stereotyped characters though, those are the worst.
INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
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@seekjustice Thank you for adding your opinion! Even though I’m an American, I’ve had my thoughts (or doubts, maybe) about ours and England’s parts in the Revolution–so, yeah, I definitely agree with you. I think oftentimes we as the future generations look towards our ancestors and historical figures as just that–figures, not people. In the same way, most Americans despise Confederates and Southerners in general and treat people like Abraham Lincoln as saints (which, considering he wasn’t even an abolitionist, is quite a stretch). In speaking of England, just as America revolted against Britain, so did Britain against herself. Take the English Civil War, for example. So not everyone in England was a Redcoat, a Loyalist, a Tory, or a heartless rapist–just as not everyone in America was (or is) a God-fearing, “all men are created equal” patriot, y’know?
@devastate-lasting @e-k-seaver I just remembered, if either of you are looking for more Civil War books, I HIGHLY recommend Eugenia Price. She wrote a fictional series titled Savannah that was a perfect balance of political views (Republican, Democrat, and Whig), biblical views, and ethical views during pre-war Georgia and on into the war.Ā Plus, she included a lot of a real people and their opinions too.Today I read the first couple chapters of Spinning Siver by Naomi Novik. It’s an adult fantasy book that I’m pretty sure is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
So far I’m enjoying it! The atmosphere is really nice, and every time I read it it’s like I’m being transported into a magical winter forest. Ā Although I’m only a couple of chapters in, I can see the depth in the world despite there not being any info-dumping. (Which is always a plus for me). The writing style is also enjoyable to read. It almost feels like your reading the main character’s diary, which is pretty cool. My one concern with it right now is that I’m not too crazy about the characters yet. None of them are very likable or unique as of now, but I’ll wait and see if the author develops any of the characters into memorable ones.
Yeah, finding a fantasy book without any info-dumping is more difficult than it should be. XD Do you have a favorite Manga author? Or are all your favorites from different authors?
Sounds like this coming year will be a great year of reading! I’ve read all of those books at least once, except for the Simarillion which I’m planning on reading this year.
@gracie-j
I’ll definitely check Euginia Price out! I haven’t read many, (or any), good historical fiction books but I’d love for that to that change. XD
I’ve heard a lot about Enderās GameĀ and have it on my ‘to read’ list. Ā Are there any good characters?
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@kathleenramm Cool! I may have to check that one out!
If you’d like any more recommendations, I’ve got aĀ long list! š Are you on Goodreads?
@gracie-j Thanks for the recommendation!Ā (I do have a Goodreads, if you ever wonder…not an author one though.)
@kathleenramm Most of my favorites are from all different people, but Naoki Urasawa has been by far one of my most favorite authors. Everything he creates is just an absolute masterpiece… (Highly recommended for older people, however. Would not recommend to, say, younger than 16.)Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
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@devastate-lasting I have wondered, actually. What’s your username?
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