Today’s word brings some light and color into those gloomy winter days.
Iridescent [ir-i-des-uh nt] (adj.) or (noun):
displaying a play of lustrous colors, like those of a rainbow.
Example:
His iridescent eyes, like those of a cat, peered at her, luring her to walk toward her own death.
Feel free to submit examples in the comment box. Hope you all had an iridescent Sunday!
5 Stars
One of the best-told and most exciting books I have ever read!
As I’m writing this, I’m still under the effect of the shocking, brutal, unapologetic, hooking… ending of this book.
By Blood is about a college professor who fleas from scandal, goes to San Fransisco, rents an office there, only to find out that he could clearly hear whatever is going on in the adjacent office of a shrink, Dr. Schussler. He is particularly interested in one of the doctor’s patients, whose name is never revealed. This patient is adopted, and is attempting to uncover her mystical European origins. Little does she know, that a perfect stranger, lurking behind the thin walls of her therapist’s clinic, is going to change her life.
The twists and turns of the plot, uncovering the patient’s journey of self-discovery, are thrilling enough. However, Ellen doesn’t stop there as she uncovers the true nature of her protagonist — the lurker, the stalker… In spite of his acrimonious nature, Ellen makes us root for her protagonist; we want this dweller behind the walls to keep on spying on this person’s therapeutic sessions, because it’s helping him, and helping us…
The book is a thriller, a journey, a history lesson, a free therapy session, all amalgamated into one. A true page turner!
I just received the good news of having another one of my children’s poems published. I called it Bedtime Hymn, but they changed the title. You can enjoy it here: http://www.childrens-stories.net/poems-and-rhyming-stories/go~to~sleep~my~little~kitten_margaret~benison.htm
There’s a rating button at the bottom of the page. Read, rate, share, repeat…
P.S: Don’t fall asleep just yet!
This funny photo made me think of the vices of writing dialogue. As writers, we tend to dramatize simple sentences, to show off our skills. However, when it comes to dialogue, it’s better to tone down the parade of skills.
Speak in the language of the character. You can’t expect a college professor to use words like “yo'” and “ain’t”; and you can’t expect a man from the wrong side of the streets to speak in the style used in the picture, either.
Even when the sentence in the photo is extremely sophisticated, it does give a clear example of what might go wrong in a dialogue.
What do you think about this photo? Personally, it made me laugh for quite some time!
For those of you who are new to my blog, this section is me sharing with you my journey through the modern and classic works of literature. Please, feel free to recommend any book.
The Door in the Wall – H. G. Wells: 3 stars.
H. G. Wells’ four-chapter story transports the reader into a mysterious world.
The title of the book describes the premise accurately – a door in a wall. What lies behind this door, however, and the existence of the door itself is something that we cannot be sure of.
The conclusion of the story is simple: whether the door existed of not, it was an escape; and that’s something we are all looking for.
H. G. Wells’ book gets 3 stars: One, for the creative plot that kept me hooked enough to read the whole book the first time I picked it up. Two, for being ahead of its time and narrating in the most modern way. And, three, for the conclusion of this fantastic read, which is every bit realistic.
Next review: By Blood – Ellen Ullman.
I simply love to read; although, reading classics was a dreadful task for me. I have decided, however, that to flourish as a writer, I needed to study the history of my craft just as well as its current achievements. And I’m taking you with me, by sharing with you reviews of the books I read – modern and classic. My first review will be of the 1913’s Woman in Black. Hope you enjoy this new section of my blog, as I will be positing review often 🙂
E. C. Bentley’s The Woman in Black is a mystery novel about the sudden murder of Mr. Manderson – an extremely wealthy, yet detested, business man and the husband of Mabel Manderson (the woman in black).
The novel, set in London, kicked off by the process of the investigation, executed by Detective Trent. Even though the book is considerably short (157 pages long), the story seems staled, especially during the first few chapters. It does get compelling, however, when suspects emerge, then turn out to be innocent, then other suspects emerge, and so on… To me, the final three chapters were the most anticipatory. The story ends with a major twist, which is both unexpected and ironic.
Even though the story falls clearly into the category of a mystery novel, Bentley doesn’t shy away from employing his humorous side, at times. In the final chapter, as Trent was heading to a restaurant called Sheppard’s, he explains the reasons of choosing that particular place by saying: “All I know is that you can get a bit of saddle of mutton at Sheppard’s that has made many an American visitor curse the day Christopher Columbus was born…” Am I the only one who finds this funny?
The message at the end of the book is, clearly, about the odious effect of haste death sentences. During a time when science and technology weren’t so advanced, many innocent men were convicted of crimes they didn’t commit – due to misleading evidence. The story aims to denounce rash judicial verdicts.
I give The Woman in Black ** 2 Star.
* One, for its incorporation of humor as well as it’s noble message* And two, for its unpredictable twist at the end.
Next book review: H. G. Wells – The Door in the Wall.
Have a nice weekend and happy reading, everybody!
I’m pleased to receive this piece of news, after having been writing for hours (yes, my hard work is paying off!) . I was published again, and this time it’s a children’s poem. Pretty paradoxical to my previous thriller, I know! You can read it to your little ones, and even enjoy it yourselves.
Just follow the link : http://bedtime.com/The_Tangled_Web_of_Alice_Young.pdf 🙂 🙂
My blogger friends, I would like to share with you a piece of great news: I got published!
It had been a long journey for me trying, then giving up, then trying again, leading to this moment. I always felt inferior somehow – that I am incompetent. I felt that not being a native English speaker was disadvantageous for my writing ambitions; so having my English-written story published is major for me. I realize that this may not be huge, still I am optimistic that it is a step in the right direction.
Here’s the link to the thriller: November 13th. Please feel free to read it, share it, and let me know what you think 🙂 🙂
http://www.short-story.me/mystery-stories/597-november-13th.html
Words of Margaux 