No Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le Guin

No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin with an Introduction by Karen Joy Fowler --- 215 pages

I have been a fan of Ursula K. Le Guin since I discovered science fiction and fantasy in my teens.  Once I had the opportunity to hear her speak, and read aloud from one her books, in a packed auditorium at a library conference. I discovered that the magic of her language was only exceeded by hearing that magic made by her own voice.

What I love about this book is how I can hear the echo of the cadences of that voice in the written words on the page. A collection of blog posts written over five years, by a woman with a keen eye, a keen wit, wielding the fateful lighting of her terrible swift pen. Long may her truth march on!

Click HERE to read the review in Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read the review in Kirkus Reviews.

Click HERE to read the review in the Los Angles Times.

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card -- 240 pages

If you have read fiction by Orson Scott Card, you know that he puts a lot of work into his characters. They are explained and understood, but not over-explained.

In this book Card gives us some insight as to how he thinks of his characters, constructs them, and then portrays them. If you are a fiction writer or want to be one, this is one book you simply must read. It inspired me and instructed me, and it pulled me along to the finish. After checking out this book at the library, I went online and bought my own copy because it is definitely worth having on your shelf.