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Books About Writing That I’ve Read

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I love reading books on the writing craft. I always learn something that I wouldn’t have otherwise known or realized about writing. Writing craft books are also great for motivation on becoming a better writer and for motivating me to write more. After reading a book about storytelling, I find my writing always changes for the better. There is always something new to learn about how to write well, whether or not you’re a beginner writer, or an expert. It’s great to always be a student of writing and to always be striving for the best writing you can do. These are some writing craft books that have helped me over the years. I have so many more I want to read, but these books got me started on reading the writing craft genre.

  • The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write with Emotional Power, Develop Achingly Real Characters, Move Your Readers, and Create Riveting Moral Stakes by Donald Mass
  • Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron
  • Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne, Dave Kings
  • Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
  • Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
  • Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It) by Janice Hardy

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan Review

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“May you always have a star to wish on, Abriella, and a reason to believe,” Lexi Ryan These Hollow Vows

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan follows Arbiella, Brie, who wants to avoid making deals with the fae. However, when her sister is captured by the cruel king of the Unseelie Court, she will do anything to free her. To free her sister, she will even betray her old childhood friend and crush, Sebastian, who has secrets of his own that will threaten their relationship.

Brie is a strong character who stands up for what she believes in and will go to great lengths to protect those she loves. However, she struggles with the possibility of betraying Sebastian to free her sister, which she doesn’t want to do, but she sees no other way. These Hollow Vows is a story of family, love, and magic. The world-building is spectacular and kept me on the edge of my seat as I wanted to find out more and more about this new fantasy world. The magic system was intriguing as well!

As I read, I wanted to learn more about how the magic worked in the fae world and how it affected the characters and their choices. The characters rely on magic a lot, almost to their detriment, and it was fascinating to see how they decided to work through their problems, whether by using magic or not.

The pacing of the story was excellent as well. There was hardly a dull moment and while it took me two weeks to read this book, that had nothing to do with the book itself. Whenever I had the chance to sit down and read, I always had a hard time pulling myself away from the book. This book also reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass, which is one of my favorite series of all time. I’m very excited to find another series that is similar, and yet very different. If you enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses, I believe you might really love These Hollow Vows!

I can’t wait for the sequel, These Twisted Bonds. It releases very soon, July 19th!

How Skyrim Has Influenced My Writing

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In 2020 I discovered Skyrim music and ambience videos on YouTube. During the beginnings of Covid, I started writing my eighth book, A DANCE OF BEASTS AND PIANOS. I wrote that book listening only to the Skyrim soundtrack. I also wrote the first draft in three months which was the shortest amount of time I’ve ever written a draft. Now, at the time, I didn’t even know what Skyrim was—I just liked the music and images on YouTube and it increased my world-building skills. Then, a year later, I asked my brother for a video game recommendation where I would feel like I was in a fantasy world, and he gave me Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch for Christmas.

As soon as I started playing the game, I realized I knew the music because I had been listening to it for a year before while writing. It was a very strange and coincidental experience. I wrote another book after A DANCE OF BEASTS AND PIANOS called A HISTORY OF MEMORY AND GEMSTONES. Both of these are Young Adult Fantasy. I also listened to the Skyrim soundtrack while writing A HISTORY OF MEMORY AND GEMSTONES because I couldn’t bring myself to stop listening to it and it had become a part of my writing routine. I have to admit, it still is.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out in 2011, but I wasn’t playing video games back then, so I’m having a blast discovering new places on the Skyrim map eleven years later. I read a lot, so it’s nice when a video game can also inspire writing ideas. Spyro the Reignited Trilogy has also been an influence on my writing, though not as much as Skyrim. Has a video game ever inspired writing ideas for you, if you are a writer reading this?

Book Lovers by Emily Henry Review

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“Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you,” Henry, Book Lovers

Book Lovers by Emily Henry tells the story of Nora Stephens, a book lover and literary agent from New York City whose focus in life is on her work and her relationship with her sister, Libby. Nora eventually agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for a month in the summer with her sister. Libby wants Nora to finally be the lead in her own life, rather than always taking care of her clients. In Sunshine Falls, Libby attempts to get Nora to stop working in the evenings, which Nora struggles with as she is a workaholic. Libby wants to spend quality time with her sister.

Libby is pregnant and has her own struggles as a mom and with her husband. Nora wants to help her sister out, while also trying to figure out what she wants. Eventually, she meets Charlie Lastra, another book lover who works in the publishing industry. He’s an editor and also from New York City. Nora and Charlie’s working style clash, which creates for some great banter between the characters. It also adds to their character development over the course of the book which I found to be a very compelling facet of the story.  

I’ve heard that this is an enemies to lovers story, but I don’t think they were exactly enemies, but rather they just didn’t have the best first impression of each other. They did argue with each other, but they also discovered a lot about each other as they worked together, both on manuscripts and at the bookstore Charlie’s parents own in Sunshine Falls. I’ve read Beach Read by Emily Henry which I enjoyed, however, I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. I felt similarly about Book Lovers. Maybe it was just that I didn’t want it to end? I understand the hype for this book. It was very much a comfort read. It felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket with a hot cup of coffee or drink of choice. It’s perfect for bookworms and anyone who works with books for a living.

Another aspect of Book Lovers that I really enjoyed was the sister’s relationship. They had some difficult times considering their mother. They do things that their mother did to bring themselves closer to her, like movie nights together—watching their mom’s favorite films. This part of the book reminded me of Gilmore Girls. It’s the warm family scenes that gave me a Gilmore Girls vibe. Overall, I rather enjoyed Book Lovers, especially considering romance isn’t my favorite genre. I’m a fantasy lover, but I enjoyed Book Lovers so much more than I thought I would and I completely understand how it is so well loved! And it just came out a few weeks too, which is amazing that so many people have read it so fast!

Authors I haven’t read yet, but want to get into

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There are so many authors I haven’t read yet, but I want to get into their work. I’ve heard so much about these authors through the online book community. I’ve watched a lot of Booktube and I’ve been on Bookstagram for a few years now. I have yet to get into BookTok, but I’ve seen some Booktok’s here and there through Instagram. These authors I’ve seen over and over again and I hope to be able to add a few more favorite authors to my list. There will always be more authors I’ll find and want to delve into their books, but for now, these are the writers I want to check out.

  • Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Tahereh Mafi
  • Morgan Rhodes
  • Amanda Foody
  • Ayana Gray
  • Danielle L. Jensen
  • Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • Robin Hobb
  • Emma Lord
  • Elizabeth Lim
  • Rebecca Ross

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone Review

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“I open my eyes and press my hands deep into the mud. Light blooms at my palms. I am the sun. I am wildfire,” Clipstone, Lakesedge.

Lakesedge follows the main character Violeta, also known as Leta, on a journey to keep her brother, Arien, safe at all costs. He has forbidden magic that is coveted by the Monster of Lakesedge, Rowan. Rowan makes Leta and her brother, Arien an offer: a place to stay at Lakesedge estate, but he gets Arien’s powers, which would hurt Arien and Leta very much.

Little does Leta know, they are not by themselves at Lakesedge Estate. There’s the Lord Under, who is very threatening to Leta and everyone at Lakesedge, but Leta specifically. He is a very intriguing villain and I found myself quite invested in Leta’s relationship with him. I was also enjoying Leta and Rowan’s relationship. Lakesedge does a great job developing friendships between characters and making the reader care what about happens to them.

Leta is a strong character who will do anything to save those she loves, even if it hurts her deeply, which her bargain she makes with the Lord Under will hurt her more than she maybe realizes. Lakesedge tells an atmospheric journey with moments of sadness, but also tells a story of how far family will go to protect each other. The writing is fast-paced and extremely descriptive. I loved the images of the Lakesedge Estate I conjured up in my mind while reading. It felt like I was watching a movie in my head, which is one of the reasons I love reading so much. It’s great when a book is told so well that it feels effortless to read it.

I had a lot of emotions going through me during my reading experience of this book. At times I really felt for Leta and what she was willing to do to save her brother. She was willing to give up so much for him, that I was even more worried about Leta and questioning whether she was really going to make that bargain with the Lord Under. I hope the sequel, Forestfall, which is set to release September 27th, 2022 will answer all of these questions the ending left me with. In fact, when I finished reading the book, I sat on my couch in shock, wondering what in the world just happened. It had a great cliffhanger ending that will leave you wanting more and eager to pick up book 2!

This is already a new favorite book of mine for 2022 and definitely the kind of YA fantasy that I love to read.

Written in Starlight Review by Isabel Ibanez

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Companion to Woven in Moonlight (I suggest reading Woven in Moonlight first)

Written in Starlight follows Catalina Quiroga, a condesa who doesn’t have a country. She is trying to get her throne back after being banished to the dangerous jungle. She has to learn how to survive on her own, however, she runs into an old acquaintance, Manuel. He helps her navigate through the treacherous jungle. In the jungle, the dangers they face aren’t just poisonous plants and predators, but also the Illari, who are trying to figure out why the forest is dying. Catalina has a gift that can help them solve their problems, she just has to learn how to use it.

Catalina and Manuel knew each other when they were children. It’s been years since they’ve seen each other. I really enjoyed getting to know more about their friendship in the past and seeing how their relationship develops in the present. As a main character, Catalina grows throughout the story as she learns more about herself and the world around her. It was nice getting to see Catalina change as she navigates the politics of her world and trying to figure out where she belongs.

The descriptions of the jungle were very vivid and kept me intrigued while I was reading. Some of the explanations of certain creatures were even fairly graphic and had me cringing. It made for a very immersive read! The pacing was also very well done, with the tone of the book shifting about halfway through that made me even more curious about how the plot was going to end!

The banter between Catalina and Manuel was very fun to read. I could’ve used even more of that, but I enjoyed what was there. I was very invested in their story. I was certainly rooting for them as Catalina had to choose between duty and her own heart. Overall, this was a great adventurous read with magic, romance and friendships!

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced story, I would recommend this one! Though I would say that reading Woven in Moonlight first would be a good choice. Happy reading!