The Reading Room

The Emotional Craft of Fiction

“Fiction can do things that no other art form can. If engages imagination on a deeper level, stirs minds and hearts, and brings about change in a way that few other art forms can manage.”

Summary - The emotional craft of fiction is about intentionally using story elements like character, plot, and setting to create a powerful emotional experience for the reader. It goes beyond simply showing or telling emotions by exploring how to connect the character’s inner journey with the outer events, build compelling characters with hidden depths, and use specific writing modes to evoke specific feelings.

The Fort Bragg Cartel

HOLE LEE SH*T.

This book may have been the most surprising, grossest (and I don’t just mean the gore but there was plenty of that), and scariest books I’ve ever read.

Summary - Fort Bragg Cartel investigates allegations of a network involving U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers in drug trafficking, violence, and cover-ups at Fort Bragg. The investigation was reportedly sparked by the 2020 murders of two special operations soldiers allegedly involved in drug dealing and trafficking, highlighting broader issues of unexplained deaths and misconduct at the base.

Loved one

“Loving someone means accepting that different versions of them existsome we know intimately, others we may never fully understand.”

Summary - The story follows Julia, a jewelry designer, as she grieves the sudden death of her first love and best friend, Gabe, a musician. Her journey to understand their complicated relationship and recover his belongings leads her to his ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth, and explores themes of ambiguous loss, memory, and the complexities of love.

Save the Cat

My Developmental editing journey continues…

Yes, this book is about writing but what is a developmental editors job? To help authors with their manuscripts. So it is helpful to understand the craft in ways I haven’t previously learned.

Summary - Jessica Bro Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is a story-structuring guide that adapts the popular 15-beat “Blake Snyder Beat Sheet” for novelists. The book provides a practical, step-by-step blueprint for plotting a compelling story with a strong character arc, addressing common novel-writing challenges like pacing and structuring multi-book series.

Not quite dead yet

This thriller was a page turner!

In the mood for a page turner, this should be bumped up your list!

Summary - 27-year-old Jet Mason is attacked on Halloween night, resulting in a brain injury that will cause a fatal aneurysm within a week. Rather than undergo risky surgery with a slim chance of survival, Jet decides to live out her final days by solving her own murder. With her childhood friend Billy’s help, she uncovers a web of family and town secrets, revealing an abundance of motives and suspects as she races against time to unmask her killer.

Leonard Pitts Jr. Backlist Project

Who’s looking for a winter project??

Leonard Pitts Jr. is one of the most underrated authors of our time.

I first read Freeman way back in 2015, pre-bookstagram. Freeman was a masterpiece, I knew I had stumbled upon someone special. Fast forward to 2020 when I read a second book by him, The Last Thing You Surrender which may have impacted me even more?!

AND I RARELY (if ever) SEE ANY OF HIS BOOKS HERE.

Library of Unruly Things

“But that there was such a building, and that it was a library, a temple of learning and dreams, was something Gwen wouldn’t have dared imagine, let alone hope for”.

We loved this book.

Summary - The Library of Unruly Treasures follows 11-year-old Gwen, who, after being sent to stay with her Great Uncle Matthew, discovers tiny winged creatures called Lahdukan in the library that shares her last name. Gwen, a seemingly unremarkable girl, must embrace her destiny as a Qalba (caretaker) to help the Lahdukan find a new home when their library is slated for renovation. With the support of her uncle, a lively dog named Pumpkin, and a local child, Gwen overcomes her feelings of being unwanted to embark on a courageous journey that reveals her true worth.

English teacher

“Was it possible in any relationship to not disappoint, to do anything more than only briefly rekindle the initial fatal illusion?”

Summary - Fifteen years ago Vida Avery arrived alone and pregnant at elite Fayer Academy. She has since become a fixture and one of the best teachers Fayer has ever had. By living on campus, on an island off the New England coast, Vida has cocooned herself and her son, Peter, from the outside world and from an inside secret. For years she has lived largely through the books she teaches, but when she accepts the impulsive marriage proposal of ardent widower Tom Belou, the prescribed life Vida has constructed is swiftly dismantled.

Poppy Fields

“There is only one reason anyone would sleep at the Poppy Fields. Love. Love makes people do wild things, things they can’t understand, things they might have sworn they would never, ever do.”

Summary - A speculative novel about grief and healing, centered around a controversial treatment center in the California desert where people can sleep through their pain. Four strangers with unique pasts embark on a journey to this facility, hoping to heal from heartache. Their individual secrets and motivations threaten to derail their trip, as they search for Ellis, the enigmatic founder of the Poppy Fields.

Vanderbeekers

“Nothing was certain in this world, Laney thought as she gazed at the magical snow and the crowds of people who had come to be a part of this day. Laney breathed it all in and gathered it into special place in her memory. Each day, each moment, felt so much more precious, especially after the past few months. It was all the more important to know that on the journey before her, she could always count on the people she loved and the place she called home. A home that was, and always would be, the brownstone on 141st street.