#writing

Sort of a Lost Art

Script & Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting by Kitty Burns Florey

January 1, 2019 by ASKReviews 2 Comments

Best for: Those who like trivia about everyday life – in this case, about handwriting. (For example, did you know that a typical pencil can draw a line thirty-five miles long?) In a nutshell: Author Burns Florey takes the reader on a trip through the history of handwriting, from the very beginning, through those gorgeous (though illegible) tomes produced by monks in the middle ages, up to strict penmanship training in the early 1900s, and ending with contemplation of how handwriting fits into the digital age. Worth quoting: “In first grade she had to bring from home an official ‘letter […]

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Script & Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting by Kitty Burns Florey

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1/1/2019 | ASKReviews's CBR11 Review No:2 |

Lately my diet has become a trifle monotonous

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

December 10, 2018 by Sophia 1 Comment

A Room of One’s Own (1929) by Virginia Woolf is a short, classic, feminist treatise, and it was on my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. I know very little about Virginia Woolf. I vaguely remember having to read Mrs. Dalloway in school, but I think I was too young to really appreciate it. I never even saw The Hours with Nicole Kidman. So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I began reading this book. A Room of One’s Own is an extended essay based on two speeches that Woolf gave at women’s colleges at the University of Cambridge. […]

12/10/2018 Sophia's CBR10 Review No:57 |

My favorite book of 2018

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee

December 4, 2018 by dAvid 2 Comments

It’s official: I have the yips. I finished reading this book three weeks ago, but every time I’ve tried to write a review, I freeze, not because I have nothing to say but because I can’t seem to calm my mind enough to write the review this book deserves. For you see: Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel is my favorite book of the year. Chee shares essays about his life and writing career, keeping the subjects separate at first, then integrating them more and more as the book progresses. He writes about a summer exchange program in […]

12/4/2018 dAvid's CBR10 Review No:64 |

Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

September 3, 2018 by dAvid 2 Comments

CBR10Bingo: Throwback Thursday I was all set to read Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon for my Throwback Thursday square, but I’d been struggling so much recently with my writing that I made a last-minute substitution, needing the pick-me-up that Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird never fails to deliver. When I decided to get back into writing 13 years ago, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird was the first of many books on writing that I bought and read, but so far it’s the only one I’ve reread . . . and reread . . . and reread. This is at least […]

9/3/2018 dAvid's CBR10 Review No:49 |

Perhaps I should stop seeing myself as an individual and start identifying myself with the totality, but I just can’t do that.

The Faster I Walk The Smaller I Get; Some Trick: Generations; Fight No More; writing; The Ravishing of Lol Stein; The Killing Ground; Charley Bland by Kjersti Skomsvold; Helen DeWitt; Flavia Biondi;Lydia Millett; marguerite duras; mary lee settle

July 1, 2018 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

The Faster I Walk….. 3/5 Stars I picked this one up because it was short and in the new books section of the library and I like little Scandinavian books, and this one was an odd and curious little gem of a book. The story here is about a woman living with a man and sort of trying to figure out who she is in the world. She’s closed off emotionally, she reads a lot, she thinks about death a lot, and she makes little plans and little days and focuses her energies on those. It’s one of those books […]

7/1/2018 vel veeter's CBR10 Review No:234 |

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

February 3, 2018 by dAvid Leave a Comment

Over the last five years, I’ve made a renewed effort at writing, something I loved as a kid but let slip in favor of more practical pursuits. [Translation: I gave up what I really wanted in favor of what others wanted for me.] Having no idea what I’m doing, I’ve read a lot of books on writing and creativity, trying to avoid specifics on writing and storytelling mechanics in favor of tips and tricks on the creative process. This book caught my eye on Amazon, and after having it on my wishlist for several months, I finally went for it. […]

2/3/2018 dAvid's CBR10 Review No:6 |

Late Contender for Favorite Book of the Year

A World Without "Whom": The Essential Guide to Language in the BuzzFeed Age by Emmy J. Favilla

December 27, 2017 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: People who enjoy words. People interested in how language use has changed since the internet. In a nutshell: Buzzfeed Copy Chief shares her perspective on language use for online writing. Line that sticks with me: “Shakespeare used the singular they, as did a gaggle of other writers, including Jane Austen and Geoffrey Chaucer, as long ago as the 1300s. This is not a new trend, people!” (p 219) Why I chose it: I love words and writing. Review: A couple of years ago you might recall seeing stories about the “style guide for the internet.” Ms. Favilla was […]

12/27/2017 ASKReviews's CBR9 Review No:100 |

Why do we write?

Devotion by Patti Smith

October 28, 2017 by tillie Leave a Comment

“Why do we write? A chorus erupts. Because we cannot simply live.” I adore Patti Smith. I’ve never been a huge fan of her music or followed her career. To me she is an artist that lives on the edge of my perception. I know her, but she is just there. A few years ago I picked up “Just Kids”, I don’t remember why. I loved it. Patti Smith lives life straight from the heart. In devotion Smith takes the time to reflect and wonder about the creative process of writing. The book is split in three parts. […]

10/28/2017 tillie's CBR9 Review No:32 |

Malin on I so wanted to love this. Alas, it was not to be.If I'm going to have any chance of reaching a Cannonball this year, I need to review EVERYTHING I read (re-reads not necessarily included).
Malin on I so wanted to love this. Alas, it was not to be.My review backlog is pretty big right now, but once I get through the ten reviews before it, I will be trying to get my...
Scootsa1000 on I so wanted to love this. Alas, it was not to be.I finished this one recently and was left with just a big “huh, that’s it?” I liked it ok, but really was expecting and wanting...
Bothari43 on Reviewing this makes ME feel like an alien.I love hearing that CBR has helped readers grow! And I think you're spot on with this review. A lot of Clarke's stuff has the...
Bothari43 on I love revisiting books at different times in my life. Perspective is so weird."Perspective is so weird." So true! Now I want to go reread some middle school favorites. It's always so heartbreaking when you figure out your...