Writer's Books

Books are playing a large role in my recuperation from surgeries. One of the first (of many) gifts my friends bestowed is a charming, slim volume from Abingdon Press titled Best Regards: Recovering the Art of Soulful Letter Writing, compiled and edited by Ben Alex. I can't think of a more appropriate gift from one writer to another. Another subtitle is: A Treasury of the World's Great Spiritual Letters. The book design is exciting and attractive, with each page appearing to be a sheet of parchment laid against a dark brown background. It is generous with lovely illustrations, interesting sidebars and callouts. I nibble away at it slowly, as if it were a box of expensive, imported chocolate candies.

Before the cancer tsunami struck, I had received a stack of books to review (some unsolicited). I'd started reading See Jane Write: A girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs. I'd requested the book on a whim, generally being out of the chick lit age range, because I wanted to see exactly how they define the genre. I have some quibbles with the content and design, but overall the book is entertaining and applicable to other lit forms. I will be reviewing it soon. Another book I haven't yet begun to read is The Fine Print of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine. It promises to analyze, rank and expose the contracts and services of 48 self-publishing companies. The PR packet that accompanied the book contains an "Authors Bill of Rights". This should prove interesting.