Book Review: Poetics
Poetics by Aristotle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book Review: The Art of X-Ray Reading
The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book Review: Zen in the Art of Writing
Zen in The Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Review: Education of a Wandering Man
Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating read. This is L’Amour’s autobiographical memoir of his life. He focuses on his wandering travels and the books he read all along the way. I have never read anything by L’Amour, nor did I know much about him. If you’re a reader or a writer, you will enjoy and learn from this book. You will probably like it also if you are a fan of L’Amour’s novels.
By many ways of measuring, he had a full life. He would argue that his life was richer still for the books he read and the people he met that told of him people, places, and events he could never know otherwise. Some books he names only. Some books he comments on. He also scattered nuggets about living life, reading, writing, and learning throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and picked up some good recommendations.
Review: On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Everybody recommends some books because everybody recommends them. Being heard or read recommending them lends cachet in certain circles. Recommendations for those books are easy to find, but finding someone who actually read the book and can tell you what is good or useful about it is not easy. Zinsser’s book is not one of those books. Everybody recommends this book because it is excellent and worth reading.
This isn’t a technical grammar manual, but a book on writing clearly. Zinsser uses numerous examples to illustrate his points. If you read nothing else, read the chapter on clutter.
