Reading Wrap-Up: 7 Figure Fiction, Braiding Sweetgrass, The Glass Witch
I’m starting to think 2024 is just going to be the year of transition. Which, to be frank, sounds exhausting. Not only sounds. It’s already been exhausting. And it’s not even the end of March!
Exhausting and exciting, of course—once we’re actually out of limbo and onto new things. But not only are we dealing with limbo-ey gunk with our house, cars, work, travel, etc. but my oldest will be leaving elementary school and transitioning into middle school this fall AND my youngest will be starting kindergarten. What?
It’s too much!
So what do I do? I turn to books, of course. Here are my latest bite-sized book reviews.
7 Figure Fiction by Theodora Taylora (Nonfiction: Writing)
This short book packed a big punch! I’ve talked about the idea of writing with the id/cheesecake/candy before, but this book took the idea to a whole new level. I loved how Taylor referred to these sprinkles of deliciousness we add to our writing as “butter.” (The idea being that pretty much any dish you make is better with a little extra butter—sweet or savory, veggies, steak (from what I remember—I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 16), pastries, they’re all better with butter.)
Essentially, Taylor discusses how her career took off when she figured out how to add more butter to her stories, her blurbs, and her ads. Better reviews, more clicks, more page reads, more purchases, the sky became the limit!
I am currently in the process of putting an entire Butter/Trope Index together, and it’s already been incredibly helpful in my own writing. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter (and get a free Story Map, which will help you outline your story’s emotional through line, with examples from the Pixar formula) to be notified as soon as the Trope Index goes live!
Overall, this was a quick read and helpful in both expanding and cementing my understanding of how to make a story pop.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Nonfiction: Nature/Science)
I really wanted to love this book. And I did love parts of it. Kimmerer is honest and insightful in her discussion of her/our relationship with with the land, in her description of the history of indigenous people, and in her ideas about ways we can level up our thinking and perspective. But the book was long, and I didn’t help myself by not being entirely sure what it was going into it.
Again, parts of the book really worked for me. Some sections were 5/5, but some sections had me bored and unsure whether I was up for finishing.
I listened to the audiobook, which Kimmerer narrated herself, and deepened my understanding of both the history and the future of our earth. As someone who is always striving to feel more connected to the earth, I do feel as though this book helped me do that. For that reason alone, you may want to pick it up.
As an interesting side note, the opening of the book was about Kimmerer’s ancestor’s specific indigenous experience of having their land ripped away from them. I read it, and the very next day I went to church and listened to a guest speaker talk about his parent’s identical experience in the same time and place. I only mention this because I love synchronicities like this, and it made me pay closer attention, wondering what the Universe wanted me to learn.
The bottom line is, if you’re in the mood for something quiet and profound, I would recommend Braiding Sweetgrass. I know many others who have picked it up and loved it.
The Glass Witch by Lindsay Puckett (Middle Grade Fantasy)
I’ve watched Lindsay’s YouTube channel for a few years now, and was excited to finally pick up her debut middle grade fantasy. It was fun having the context of her journey and personality, and I could definitely see it in the pages of her book.
This story was cute and fun, and a fast read. Focused on a young witch who can’t seem to connect with her powers, things take a turn when she accidentally unlocks a curse and must defeat an ancient villain before the night is through.
It’s short, so I did feel the ache for a little more to sink my teeth into, but Puckett still managed to do a lot with the words that were there. Might be a good recommendation for a middle schooler in your life!
