Reviews of favorite books

Fiction: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

1/27/2023

It’s rare to read a book so exceptionally well-crafted as Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron.
The main character, Kadou, is a shy prince with debilitating anxiety and a habit of acting without foresight.
The second point-of-view character, Evermeer, is his methodical and morally rigid body-guard.

The story unfolds in a secondary (made-up) world reminiscent of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. There’s a mystery to solve, political intrigue of the highest order, and countless heart-clutching moments of betrayal, compassion, and pathos that kept me reading well past my bedtime.

There is so much to savor in this novel:

The writing is pitch-perfect throughout.
The characters are living, breathing human beings--not just the main characters, all of them (and I loved all of them).
The plot unfolds at a balanced pace--neither too fast or too slow.
The slow-burn romance feels organic and natural, and climaxes (pun intended) fantastically.
The world is complex (but not confusing) and fascinating.
The ending is completely satisfying.

I rarely give a five-star rating, but A Taste of Gold and Iron deserves the highest praise.
Perhaps the best book I’ve read this past year, and one of the best I've ever read. Highly recommended.

Writing Craft: You’ve Got a Book in You by Elizabeth Sims

1/7/2023

The best thing about this how-to writing guide, You’ve Got a Book in You: A Stress-free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, is the author’s enthusiasm and positive attitude.
Eilizabeth Sims starts the book by declaring: Writing a book is a heroic act, and it is an accomplishment no one can take away from you.
She also advises: you can choose to write with patience, receptiveness, and a heart filled with zest. You can have fun.

Some favorite gems:

The way to succeed as a writer, by whatever standards you set for yourself, is to persist.
You are the hero of your own life.
(Writing) Time is not the point. Productivity is.
Write like your life depends on it.
Eat a good breakfast every day.
You have to be okay with exposing yourself, because that’s the way we best relate to real stories.
Give up your addiction to struggle … Just let it go.
Few great artists color inside the lines.
Distinguish your large cast of characters by using different first initials … and vary your number of syllables and places of emphasis
While plot is important, good characters can make or break your book.
Every word you write must serve a purpose, whether to move the action forward or to develop a person (character).
Open your heartbrain and write from there. Become the person you’re writing about.
A Ray Bradbury quote: “You’ve got to jump off cliffs and build your wings on the way down.”

One of the most powerful ideas in the book is the “Heart-Clutching Moment.” These are the big emotional set-pieces of a book: Judas takes the money.
Murder, betrayal, love at first sight, a change of heart, forgiveness--any of these can serve as a heart-clutching moment.
The skeleton of the book becomes a connect-the-dots map of these high moments.

A closing thought: “The best artists know that if they dedicate themselves to the process, a beautiful result will follow. It might not be the result they first envisioned, but it will be honest and true.”

For more by Elizabeth Sims, read my synopsis of her excellent short story class.

Fiction: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Writing Craft: You’ve Got a Book in You by Elizabeth Sims

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