Around the World in 10 Books

One of the things I'm most grateful to my parents for is their push for me to travel. By the time I was sixteen, I had tramped all over the United States and visited six countries. Not bad, especially since we always lived in the same small town in Tennessee (which I love dearly). Still, …

Pictures of Hollis Woods: can places have souls?

I've devoured several new and brilliant books in the last few weeks, but today I'm in the mood for a throwback. The first time I read Patricia Reilly Giff's Pictures of Hollis Woods, I was ten, maybe eleven? I read it again when I was fifteen or sixteen, then again when I was around nineteen. Something I've noticed …

Let’s Get Meta: a look at analogies and why we use them

As I read a novel, I like to collect some of its most evocative phrases and store them in my journal. Leafing through that journal, I've noticed that analogies (metaphors, similes, and the like) far outweigh all other types of phrases, which has led me to ponder the allure of the gems that make up …

Dress Up Your Prose with Poetry

Confession: I am not a poet. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate poetry. I do! Poetry, to me, is like a cherry tree. I admire the delicate coloring and the profusion of the blossoms. I pluck and eat all the fruit I can reach. And yet, no matter how many cherries I consume, …

Song of Achilles: Imagery of the Gods

Have any of you had one of those moments when your senses are all in harmony? The colors and shapes around you, the feelings in your heart, the taste on your tongue, the sounds in the background, the scent in the air? I had one of those moments at approximately 12:48 AM, Friday night. I was in …

Tess of d’Urbervilles: the Devil’s in the Details

Read a few passages that demonstrate Thomas Hardy's mastery of detailed imagery.