Reading This Week

Are you reading this week?

You should be, especially if you’re a writer or you hope to be a writer.

And, as you’re reading, try to do so from a writer’s point of view.

Notice the character viewpoint, voice, tone, and structure of the books, stories, articles, and essays you are reading.

Perhaps even make note of a few of these things in your Success Journal.

Or, you might want to create a separate reading journal for your reflections and notes about the things you read.

As I’ve said in previous posts, I always try to read 3 books each week.

Sometimes this can be a bit challenging, especially when I have many coaching calls during the week, or I’m teaching an online writing workshop, or I have things to write on assignment, or even just a lot of new content to create for my readers.

With all this in mind, here’s is what I’m reading this week.

Title: The Last Thing He Told Me

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Book Club edition (May 4, 2021)

ISBN-10: ‎ 1501171348

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1501171345

I started reading this book late one afternoon and couldn’t put it down, so I finished it within a few hours (as I’ve said before, I’m a fast reader, especially when I really love whatever I’m reading).

I thought the author did a great job of planting just enough information from chapter to chapter to keep me reading to find out what happened next.

The story begins with the main character’s (Hannah’s) husband, Owen, suddenly disappearing after their first year of marriage, leaving Hannah with his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey, whose mother died tragically when Bailey was a child.

A young girl comes to Hannah’s front door with a note from Owen that simply says, “Protect her.”

Hannah realizes “she” refers to Bailey, but she doesn’t know who are what she needs to protect Bailey from.

The rest of story centers on Hannah and Bailey trying to figure out what happened to Owen and, hopefully, find him.

Parts of the story are somewhat predictable but there are also lots of twists and surprises.

If you decide to read this book, notice how backstory is handled.

It might give you some ideas for your own story if you’re having trouble weaving all the details together.

Title: Golden Girl

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Publisher: ‎ Little, Brown and Company (June 1, 2021)

ISBN-10: ‎ 0316420085

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0316420082

I reserved this book at my local library because I can’t afford to buy every book I read each week.

Plus, I don’t have room to store that many books.

If I love a book and know I will want to reread it at some point, I usually wait till the paperback version is available and then I buy that.

Anyway, I had to wait several months to get this book since there were so many on the “wait” list ahead of me at my library.

But the book was worth the wait, which didn’t surprise me since I tend to love anything written by Elin Hilderbrand.

This book was quite different from her others books, however, because the main character is killed accidentally early in the book, but then she “sees” everything happening back at home as she waits to “join the choir” in Heaven.

The book is structured much the same as Hilderbrand’s other books.

Instead of chapters, she divides the books into different character viewpoints, including sections called “Nantucket” that are supposed to be a group POV of the residents of the island.

After the main character is killed in a hit-and-run incident when she is out jogging on Nantucket, dark secrets start to unfold at every turn.

Vivi – the main character – is a best-selling novelist who, before her death, lived on Nantucket and her books all took place there (mirroring Hilderbrand herself, who also jogs, so I sure hope she is careful when she’s out running!).

At the time of her death, Vivi had a new book coming out called Golden Girl, but there is someone she hopes never reads the book because of a secret that might be discovered.

Note: I thought having the title of Hilderbrand’s book being the same as the book within the book was a clever idea.

While Vivi is watching all the conflicts that are happening among her family and friends down on earth, the police chief is busy trying to find the person who killed Vivi.

All clues lead to a young man named Cruz, who was best friends with Vivi’s son, Leo, and a second son to Vivi.

This is another great beach read from Hilderbrand, but if you aren’t lucky enough to live and write by the sea, it’s also a great novel to curl up with next to a roaring fire with a cup of cocoa – or a glass of wine.

Again, if you read this book, examine the structure, character development, pacing etc. for tips that might help with your own writing.

Title: Wallflower in Bloom

Author: Claire Cook

Publisher: ‎Marshbury Beach Books (June 6, 2020)

ISBN-10: ‎ 1942671296

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1942671299

This is a fast paced book filled with quirky characters I loved.

The main character is a woman named Deidre whose life revolves around arranging everything for her brother, Tag, who is a popular motivational “guru” who seems to think that ALL things revolve around him.

Deidre, who has always loved to dance, gets the idea to appeal to her brother’s online fans and followers (as if she were him doing this) to support her desire to become a contestant on Dancing with the Stars as not a real “star” but the relative of a “star.”

I love the way Claire Cook writes and the way she “anchors” her stories.

In this case, it’s a bit gimmicky, but still fun.

Each chapter begins with and includes what the characters call a chiasmus.

In the book, Deidre’s mother defines a chiasmus as “when the second half of an expression is balanced against the first half but with the parts reversed.”

An example would be, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

But this lead me to think about the term antimetabole and whether every antimetabole is also a chiasmus.

Read more about chiasmus and antimetabole here, then you decide when you read Wallflower in Bloom.

Okay, so now that I’ve told you what I’ve been reading this week, please share your reading list here as a comment so I can add even more books to my “must read” list.

Happy reading,

Suzanne Lieurance

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