Book Notes: September 6, 2023 - Nonfiction Audiobooks

 Welcome to the scenic route! I've got a couple of book reviews to share with you today, as well as a three word prompt. Whether you're looking for something new to add to your bookshelf, or a little help with a creative project, I hope you find today's post helpful. Let's go!

Book Review: Chesterton's Tavern by Kevin Charles Belmonte

Chesterton's Tavern: A Great Writer's Thoughts on Life and Things of Wisdom by Kevin Charles Belmonte
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't usually undertake reading using audio books because they usually cost more than I can spend. However, I listened to this one via Canon+. What a wonderful biographical styled book. It's not so much a biography as it is exactly what the title says...what Chesterton thought about things. But I feel like I know this person a lot better than I did. I mostly knew him as being the author of the Father Brown mysteries. The reader was pleasant to listen to and easy to understand, which is always a worry for me. I'm glad I took the time to listen to this today. If you're looking for a non-fiction book on a person who seems to have been quite interesting and eccentric, this might be a good fit for you.

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Book Review: Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson

Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I usually enjoy word-crafting books. This one was no exception. I loved the way it was easy to understand and how the author encouraged learning other languages to help with writing in your own. That makes sense to me. I'm not fluent in any other languages, but I know a healthy dollop of French, having had classes in elementary or middle school, as well as in high school. I know less Spanish, having had only one summer course and one year of classes in high school. And I know a smattering of words and phrases in a few other languages. This has indeed helped me, though I never noticed it before. I think studying languages brought me to a point of wanting to know more about the people who speak/spoke them. When one knows people better, and one knows better how language works, one can create a better book for the target audience. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the amount and variety of writing books the author directed readers to for more information on specific topics. Some of the info in this book was known to me already, but I definitely learned a few things. I'd recommend it to writers looking for ways to get better at their craft.

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You'll notice these are non-fiction. I love history, to include biographies of people I don't know very well. I knew of G.K. Chesterton, of course. I enjoyed watching the Father Brown mysteries on BBC TV. But I didn't realize he wrote so much more than fiction, that he was one of the 'thinkers'. I can't wait to get a hard copy of Chesterton's Tavern so I can really dig into it and catch the pieces I missed from listening while I was at work. 

I chose the second book, quite happily, because not only did I get to read something by an author I was coming to enjoy, but it was on my craft. It's so hard to read books on the writing craft. I almost always have trouble focusing. This one wasn't a problem. I want to purchase a hard copy of it, as well. 

Next Wednesday, you can look forward to more nonfiction reviews. I figured since September is the first full month of school for most students, educational type offerings would be most fitting. 

Just Keep Writing: Wednesday Whimsy

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (i.e. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

I hope you have some fun working with these words. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.

I hope you found something interesting in today's post. If so, please visit again soon and bring you creative and reader friends along. The more the merrier! Tomorrow, I'll have a new word prompt ready for you. 

Until next time,
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