Brista Drake: Author &amp; Editor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review (+Tips): On Writing by Stephen King

Posted on August 1, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from July 6th, 2018 to July 30th, 2018.

Wow, Stephen King is so enjoyable to read, even in his nonfiction, how-to book, On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft. This is a great read for any upcoming writer. He has advice for the beginners and the veterans, but mainly for people just starting out. I would say I’m somewhere in the middle, and I felt confident to agree or disagree with some things that King said regarding topics.

It was just a lots of fun facts about him in the memoir portion and cool ways to look at writing. I’m giving Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft a 5/5. My rating system is at the bottom of this post.

I also wanted to share some brief tips with you from On Writing that I personally believe and recommend. Here are those writing tips:

When you’re getting started, write for yourself. You’re telling yourself a story, not anyone else. A second draft is the edited version of the first. At that point, you’re writing for everyone else and therefore taking out things that don’t have anything to do with the story/plot. Those little subtle details that have nothing to do with the story but you love so much? Throw them out.
Find people who get it. You want to have at least one person by your side who believes in what you’re doing. They are half your confidence from here on out.
Use the first words that come to your head. “Why use an alternative word whose only cousin is the word you really meant?” It’s okay if you’re vocabulary is sparse, you don’t have to spruce your words to get the story going.
You can be as vulgar as you need to, as long as you’re characters and narrator are being honest. “Language doesn’t always wear a tie and lace-up shoes.”
You have to feel the beat of your words and paragraphs and chapters. When you feel like it’s time to end a paragraph, then it’s time. Sentences don’t have to be grammatically correct. A thought.
“It’s not just a question of how-to [practice writing], it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how.” Read and write every day. This shouldn’t feel like work at all.
This kind of goes with number 1. The first draft, you’re getting out the story. The second draft, you’re doing a lot of things, like looking to see if you can find theme throughout the book. If you don’t, that’s fine. But if you do, don’t miss the opportunity to expand on that idea.

Hope you guys found something useful! There’s a lot more tips in the book. I imagine that your favorites will be different from mine, so go read it!

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on July 17, 2018 by WritingMime

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Read from June 7th, 2018 to July 16th, 2018.

What a fun read. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson is a children’s book, and one of the better ones. I was worried for that reason, but it turned out to be a great read. At times, it didn’t even feel like I was reading a children’s book.

The world building and plot is so unique – I’ve never read a book like it. Those are definitely it’s strong points. Like one of my fans said, that’s Brandon Sanderson’s specialty. The book got a tad bit slow in the middle, but it sped up real fast at the end, maybe wrapping a few things up quicker than I would’ve wanted, but still. Overall, it was really entertaining.

Supposedly, there’s a sequel coming out, and although the book stands well as a stand-alone, it does hint to a bunch of plots that could still be explored, so I hope there’s a second one soon! A sequel has been hinted to for like five years, so I guess we’ll see.

I’m giving The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson a 4/5 stars. My rating system is as followed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: Black Water by D.J. MacHale

Posted on July 14, 2018 by WritingMime

Pictured above: Black Water and my little klee, Stormi. I let my brother borrow this book some years ago and this is how it was returned to me. Safe to say, I have not loaned my books out since.

Read in 2008 and reread in 2018.

I just finished re-reading the fifth book in the Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale called Black Water, which I haven’t read in ten years! Even though this was a reread, I didn’t remember much of the book at all. It’s weird. So it was almost like reading the entire book for the first time, and I was not disappointed.

So the best way to describe this installment is that this book had no chill. I loved how much emotion I felt while reading it, maybe even more so than the last book, The Reality Bug. I also appreciate that questions are finally being answered about the whole Travelers system. The adventure in this one was fantastic, too. It’s hard not spoiling anything this late in the series, so it’ll be interesting to see how I review books 6-10. But that’s it for now.

I’m giving Black Water by D. J. MacHale a 5/5 stars. My rating system is as followed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Posted on June 6, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from May 22nd to May 29th, 2018.

I’m a little sad I read The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris out of order (it’s the sequel to Red Dragon, which I haven’t read yet), but I really needed a book to take with me to Colombia and it was just sitting there, mocking me.

So to start, I’d like to admit that I’m a big fan of the Hannibal movies, so this book was highly anticipated by me. My expectations were high, and they definitely were met. I was looking for good writing, shocking imagery, deeper thinking, and high levels of thrill.

All the characters were dynamically rich – full of detail and mannerisms – both the good guys and the murderous psychopaths alike. I loved following the inner thoughts of Clarice Starling through her detective work and lessons at the academy. I learned some on how the police force works, how it differs from location to location, and a little on psychology, but it didn’t feel like I was “in class” if that makes sense.

On top of all the thrilling imagery, there were so many plots to explore: the Buffalo Bill murder, Hannibal’s murders, Clarice’s standing at the academy, Clarice’s standing on her current case, the captive’s survival, etc.. The story is so rich in detail, I though I was a detective myself. And at moments, I might have gotten chills. It was great.

If you love true crimes and solving mysteries, you’ll love this story. It’s fun, exciting, sexy, emotional, and has well-rounded, complete plots. I’m giving The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris a 5/5 stars. My rating system is listed below:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: Dante’s Town of Terror by Patrick R. Delaney

Posted on June 5, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from May 12th through 21st, 2018.

I was sent Dante’s Town of Terror from the author, Patrick R. Delaney, to review. I was very happy to read it since I like thrillers and independent authors, so here we go.

First off, independent authors don’t always get the best editing they deserve. This book had a couple of plot holes that I kept wondering about, like where “did that lock come from,” or “what about the hammers, boards, and nails to board up the windows?” Or there once was a time when a character said they’d tell another character what they saw once they got back to hear their side of the story and then they never did. Little things like that threw me for a loop.

However, the setting was amazing. There was so much detail describing the fantasy town. I could picture all of it in my head. This is a setting I would happily return to (hopefully the author sends me the second book in the series).

My least favorite part wouldn’t be the plot holes, however, but actually the way the female characters were portrayed. I was hoping the whole time the girl, Cathy, was going to be involved in the story somehow, but really the author could’ve cut her character out completely and nothing would have changed. There’d be two less monster attacks caused by her. She kind of was the “stupid” one in the group. The men would tell her not to do something, and then she would do it a few chapters later, causing a small scene of conflict that doesn’t move the plot at all. The things she was doing made her a very unrealistic character. There was also a random shower scene of the girl that I didn’t see how it added to the plot. The second woman in the story disappeared really early on. The females seemed useless, so for me as a not-useless female it was hard to understand their perspective. That would be my biggest problem with the book.

I’m giving Dante’s Town of Terror by Patrick R. Delaney, his first novel in the series a 3.5/5 stars. I’d love to see what happens in the second book! My rating system is as followed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Posted on June 5, 2018 by WritingMime

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Read from May 8th to April 5th, 2018.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson was a marvelous book. Being an artist myself, reading a whole novel about multiple characters who are artists was just delightful. They were especially engaging, believable, and unique. My favorite part of the book were probably the characters. The second is the dynamic relationships between them.

This was a big book, and I would read big chunks at a time because it was hard to find satisfying stopping points. Sometimes a lot was revealed, other times I was watching a relationship form.

The book had a tendency to draw things out that could’ve been shortened, I’d say, and a few shorter scenes could’ve been drawn out, but that would be my only negative.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson is a great beach-trip book that reads moderately quickly. I’m giving it a 4/5 stars. My rating system is as listed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Posted on April 5, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from March 12, 2018 to March 31, 2018.

It’s been a long wait since John Green’s last publication, and I have to say that Turtles All The Way Down is one of his better ones. My favorite book of all time is Looking for Alaska, and The Fault in Our Stars is one of my least favorites. Paper Towns was a decent read. I’d say this one was also a decent read.

One could either hate or love this book. I think the beginning and end of the novel is fast and enjoyable. Those parts I could read happily on a beach for enjoyment. It’s a medium-sized chunk in the middle that I can see most people having trouble with. I didn’t see it as a problem because I think Mr. Green portrayed a mental illness pretty accurately, and I refuse to shame a book due to its accuracy. Yes, the person with the mental illness might not be pleasant to read about sometimes, but that’s not the author’s fault.

I kind of liked reading inside the mind of someone with this illness. It wasn’t the same as reading inside the head of someone who has totally fallen off their rocker. I don’t enjoy those because they tend to be scatterbrained. This story, including the parts which tell a truth that can be hard to read about, is totally chronological and organized. It’s not confusing to follow in the least bit.

Read it to understand a mental illness, if not to read for enjoyment. I’m giving Turtles All The Way Down by John Green a 4/5 stars. My rating system is the following:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Posted on March 1, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from January 4th, 2018 until February 28th, 2018.

So, I bought The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho with high hopes since its 25th anniversary edition made the top 100 best sellers list, which is where I first heard about it.

Without spoiling too much, the beginning of the book seemed like the start of an adventure story, but the further I went on, the more I realized it was a book about life lessons. Every paragraph was some kind of message I had to wrap my head around and less of a plot. I was never swept away by the storyline because that was clearly not the focus of the book, therefore it was a very slow read for me. I only read a few pages at a time before setting the book aside for another time.

It is a short read, and inspirational at most times if you’re in the mood to listen, but it’s not a story for entertainment or I’d have finished reading it a lot quicker than I did. If you’re wanting something that is captivating, something that will help you escape the real world for an hour each night before you go to bed, I wouldn’t recommend this. But if you want a book that’s filled with interesting proverbs and life lessons, this might be the way to go. I was overall saddened that I didn’t like this book.

I’m giving The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho a 2.5/5 stars. My rating system is as followed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22704883-writingmime

Book Review: Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

Posted on January 13, 2018 by WritingMime

Read from January 4th, 2018 to January 12th, 2018

For my first book of the year, can I first say that, wow, this book is underrated. I didn’t know much about Far Far Away by Tom McNeal when I first picked it up, and it had been sitting on my shelf for years after I bought it for a discounted price somewhere. I finally started it up this year and I can’t believe how long it took me to get to it!

The writing is absolutely beautiful! The detail is spectacular. I couldn’t wait to get back to reading this story every chance I got. It just kept surprising me how much I liked it more and more.

There were a few issues: there were a lot of artistic spots that got drawn out, which was usually great, but when the action hit I felt those scenes could’ve used less detail. I still had a few questions that were left unanswered at the end and the last few chapters felt a bit rushed. Also, and this is a small also, I was picturing a different setting than the one presented in the book the entire time, due to the narrators diction, accent and the way things worked in that setting in general.

Besides that, without spoiling anything, I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a good fairytale with a dark twist, or just a beautifully written story. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m giving Far Far Away by Tom McNeal a 4/5 stars. My rating system is as followed:

My rating system stands: 5/5 is a knock out of the park; this book deserves to be read by everyone. 4/5 is, “I really liked it,” but it did have a couple of kinks. 3/5 is, “I believe there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but for one reason or another, it didn’t sit well with me.” 2/5 is, “I really didn’t enjoy it and I’m not going to recommend it.” 1/5 is, “no one read this – throw it in a lake.”

Where you can find my books: http://www.amazon.com/Brista-Drake/e/B00YZGC792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/writingmime