Category Archives: Review

52 Ways to Get Unstuck

52 Ways to Get Unstuck: Exercises to Break Through Writer's Block (52-Ways Book #1)52 Ways to Get Unstuck: Exercises to Break Through Writer’s Block by Chris Mandeville

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun, easy, and non-frustrating way to get un-stuck! I purchased Mandeville’s book only a month ago and it has already helped me out of several sticky spots. It is filled with tips and tricks that will help authors through those dry spells. Mandeville utilizes simple exercises that fit the needs of the novice to the seasoned writer. With chapter headings like, “Write Crap”, “Group Dating”, Nick a Name” and “Road Trip!” it is easy to see how fun can be put into a frustrating situation that many writers face. 52 Ways really gets the creative juices flowing again. It is a must for every writer’s toolbox.

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Wool, Shift, Dust

Hugh Howey’s series of books, starting with “Wool” followed by “Silo”,  and ending with “Dust”, have captivated audiences around the world.  “This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge.  The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden.  But there are always those who hope, who dream.  These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism.  Their punishment is simple.  They are given the very thing they profess to want: they are allowed outside.”

The story moves with grace and vigor mixing the sweet elements of love with the sour taste of life.  Tragedy mixed with triumph intermingled with challenges that keep the reader on edge.  Howey’s well developed writing style will pull you into the world of the silos.  The reader can taste the grease in the air and smell the heat of the bodies as they race up and down the spiral staircase connecting the deepest places of the silo to the highest reaches.

Howey does not rehash information from previous books with each new volume.  It is refreshing to not be bogged down with re-stated details from the past allowing the reader to jump in with both feet and in the blink of an eye and find themselves still reading into the wee hours of the night.

At the end of the Omnibus Edition of “Wool” Hugh Howey was asked “Why are these books so cheap?” His reply, “Because I’m a big fat nobody, that’s why!”  It seems safe to say that Hugh Howey is no longer a “fat nobody”.  He has made his mark on the science fiction genre that will remain for a very long time.

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