One Frightening Way to Ruin a Life: Make an Accusation of Witchcraft
Chris Bohjalian's The Hour of the Witch depicts the damage that false accusations can do. Historical fiction and legal thriller combined.
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Melissa Gouty
- May 3
- 6 min
Four Favorite Books for Writers Sure to Energize The Creative Soul
To be a writer, you must write, but you also must read. Here are four of my favorite reads for writers, sure to energize your creative soul.
660
Melissa Gouty
- Apr 23
- 5 min
Is It Good to Mix Genres? Horror, Fantasy, and the Western in Lone Women
Can a Western novel also be a horror story and a fantasy? Victor LaValle's novel, Lone Women, is a mashup of genres.
240
Melissa Gouty
- Apr 15
- 5 min
The Reading List, a Novel: Can You Learn About Life by Reading Books?
The Reading List is a novel that touts the power of reading - and libraries - to ease grief, understand people, and make connections.
1200
Melissa Gouty
- Apr 10
- 5 min
Britt-Marie's Heartfelt, Age-Old Question: How Should You Live Your Life?
Fredrik Backman's novel Britt-Marie Was Here is a meaningful story at how one woman's surly presence changes the whole community of Borg.
420
Melissa Gouty
- Apr 7
- 5 min
Do Book Blurbs Matter? Do You Really Need Them to Sell Your Book?
Book blurbs have been around since Whitman first used one, but do they really matter? Do you really need them to make sales?
590
Melissa Gouty
- Mar 25
- 3 min
A Different, Daring Way to Feel Blue: The Indigo Girl, a Novel
Natasha Boyd's historical fiction highlights the life of Eliza Lucas, a grower in colonial South Carolina called "The Indigo Girl."
580
Melissa Gouty
- Mar 16
- 3 min
Why Readers of a Certain Age Will Mourn the Passing of John Jakes
John Jakes' historical fiction - made me - and millions of others - love the genre. He died, popularizing American history with his series.
222
Melissa Gouty
- Mar 15
- 5 min
How Classic Themes Ignite in a Remarkable Novel: The Stars Are Fire
Anita Shreve's last novel, The Stars Are Fire, infuses classic feminist themes into a novel about what women do when pushed to the edge.
350
Melissa Gouty
- Mar 10
- 5 min
Want to Experience Time Travel? Read the Novel, The Marriage Portrait
O'Farrell's novel The Marriage Portrait is like time-traveling to the Renaissance, cringing at the injustice of the life of Lucrezia Medici
3980
Melissa Gouty
- Feb 28
- 5 min
Can a Curmudgeon Warm Your Heart? Read The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
Gabrielle Zevin's novel, The Storied Life of A. J. Firky is a touching tale of how books and reading have the power to draw people together.
1520
Melissa Gouty
- Feb 15
- 5 min
How to Punish Evil Men? The Searing Tale of the Lost Apothecary
Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, examines themes of motherhood and justice common in 18th century London and today.
250
Melissa Gouty
- Feb 7
- 5 min
How History and Horror Unite for a Fabulous Read: Devil in the White City
Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, is a combination of two stories: Chicago's 1893 World's Fair and America's first serial killer.
310
Melissa Gouty
- Feb 3
- 4 min
Why Would Some Crazy Guy Try to Steal Authors' Manuscripts?
Fillippo Bernardini worked in the publishing industry when he developed a phishing scam to steal unpublished manuscripts.
500
Melissa Gouty
- Jan 22
- 4 min
Making Your Way as a "Surplus Woman": The Single Thread
Tracy Chevalier's novel, A Single Thread, is a look at the choices "surplus" women had to make to survive after World War I.
350
Melissa Gouty
- Jan 21
- 5 min
How Older Women Writers Prove that It's Never Too Late to Gain Success
Creativity doesn't disappear as you age. Older women writers are proving that it's never too late to gain success.
1700
Melissa Gouty
- Jan 9
- 4 min
Why Lessons in Chemistry, a Fearless Novel, is Exciting Millions of Readers
Bonnie Garmus' novel, Lessons in Chemistry, is exciting millions with its no-nonsense feminist message of a female chemist in the 1960s.
6,7070
Melissa Gouty
- Jan 5
- 5 min
How Hard Would You Look for a Lost Manuscript? The Story Keeper
Lisa Wingate's novel, The Story Keeper, encompasses the world of publishing, the life of Appalachia, and the mysterious Melungeon people.
650
Melissa Gouty
- Dec 15, 2022
- 6 min
How Cartographers Copyright Maps and Make a Little Accidental Magic
Peng Shepherd's The Cartographers asks the question of whether the map makes the world or the world makes the map. Dark academia at its best
170
Melissa Gouty
- Dec 9, 2022
- 4 min
Read It and Weep: Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver's novel, Demon Copperhead, is a painful but important novel, destined to be a classic and a 2022 Pulitzer nominee.
8,4170
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