Tag Archives: readers

On Books, Writing

Announcing the Keen Reader’s Bookclub!

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Happy almost Friday! I’ve been talking about starting a bookclub for a while and a lot of my followers seemed to be interested, especially those with tight schedules and who don’t always know what book to read next. If you would like to join my bookclub, welcome aboard! 📖✈️ Bookclubs are an awesome way to stay motivated to read and meet likeminded people, even just virtually.

Joining is easy: simply like my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/authormbkeen
There I’ll be posting the book of the month and weekly discussions 💬📝

Go to my website http://www.mbkeen.com/keen-bookclub/
or Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/authormbkeen/
for the link to buy the book and the weekly reading schedule. Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Reading!

Word of the Day

Lookalikes III: Emerge Vs. Immerge

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This is another set of words I commonly confuse. Turns out, they are not only pronounced alike but they are, more or less, antonyms.

Emerge [ih-murj] (verb):

1. to come forth into view or notice.

2. to rise, as from difficulty.

3. to come into existence.

Example:

Little bubbles emerged on the surface of the water. “Someone’s down there,” he yelled, “and he’s breathing.”

Immerge [ih-murj] (verb):

1. to plunge, as into fluid.

2. to disappear by entering into a medium, as the moon into the shadow of the sun.

(Think Immerse)

Example:

Having arrived at a dead end, Sergey caught his breath and immerged himself under the surface of the pond.

On Books

Book Review — Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster (1905)

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E. M. Forster’s book is not recommended for those who are looking for suspense. In spite of the ominous title of the book, the plot actually isn’t as dark.

Where Angels Fear to Tread discusses social differences and their effect on people’s characters and relationships. It shows how people who are forced to behave in certain manners seldom do, and that leads to undesired consequences.

What I liked about the book: the weaved web of social and interpersonal events which gave the plot a certain amount of depth.

What I disliked about the book: the showing instead of telling; and the jumping from one era to another sometimes within the same line.

I just discovered that this book was made into a movie. Did anyone watch it? What do you think of the movie version of the book?

On Books

Book Review: Ellen Ullman’s By Blood

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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!

On Books

The Woman in Black by E. C. Bentley – Book Review

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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 🙂

ImageE. 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!