On Writing

First of all, I didn't know Stephen King was funny (granted I've only read one of his books thus far).  The first half of this book is his memoir and it is great, poignant, and often hilarious.  It is also extremely helpful in understanding the second half of the book regarding his advice on and experience with the writing process, which was also fantastic.  I was able to take a lot of things away to try to apply to my own process, though I am debating how much the discovery process of writing applies to me.  One of his main concepts is that he considers his stories situational but character based.  The characters are put into a situation and then he discovers what they do and who they are as they deal with that situation.  He likened it to uncovering a fossil.  I think I am more of an outliner AND a discovery writer, but only time will really tell.  Anyways, I was grateful for this book and his thoughts on what can be a very overwhelming and daunting process.  Though at the end of the day it is pretty simple - write a lot, read a lot, and you'll do fine.  3 stars - I liked it!

The Night Circus

I've been wanting to read The Night Circus ever since I heard Erin Morgenstern on The Diane Rehm show.  Not only does it sound fun and I love circuses, magicians, and magic (so how could I resist), she did it as her NaNoWriMo book, which I myself have done and it was so nice to see someone become successful with one!  The story was well told and I loved how she worked with the magic.  It was very Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but with two magicians that are more pawns than competitors.  But the things they create and the circus in general is simply dazzling - It's a circus I would go in a heartbeat.  I took it with me on vacation and couldn't put it down!  Thus earning a 4 stars.