Writer & Translator
Ursula K. Le Guin has died. I've written about her and her books a lot on this blog through the years. She meant the world to me as a writer, as a reader, and as a person. She shaped me, and influenced my writing in ways I can't even really put into words. I read… Continue reading This one hurts
Over the last week, I've devoured two books on writing: Stephen King's 'On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft', and Ursula K. Le Guin's 'Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story'. Both are excellent, and I would highly recommend both books to anyone looking for inspiration and practical tips on… Continue reading Great books on writing, by Stephen King & Ursula K. Le Guin
I read a lot of fantastic books in 2015, and as my Reading List shows there were also a whole lot of books I didn't have time to read (yet). Here is a selection of the best titles I devoured this past year. Disclaimer: these books were not necessarily published in 2015, but are books… Continue reading My favourite reads in 2015
5 books that scared me, each one in its own way. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy This is one of the best books I've ever read, but I won't read it again (I explain why in the post The scariest book I've ever read). It's a story that scares me in profound way, shaking me to… Continue reading 5 scary books for Halloween, or any other time
If you've followed my blog for a while, you might be aware that Ursula K. Le Guin is one of my all-time favourite writers, and one of the writers who has deeply influenced my own writing. I first read her original Earthsea trilogy when I was in my teens, and it profoundly affected me. Her… Continue reading 5 (or 10) must-reads by Ursula K. Le Guin
Interview Magazine has a new interview with author Ursula K. Le Guin, and it's a must-read if you're a writer. Much of the interview concerns the craft of writing, something that Le Guin certainly knows a thing or two about. I've just added her recently updated book on writing - Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide… Continue reading Ursula K. Le Guin on the craft of writing
Writing is a kind of way of speaking, and I hear it and I think a lot of readers hear it, too. And so the sounds of the language and the rhythm and the cadence of the sentences are very powerful. - Ursula K. Le Guin, in an interview with NPR There are a lot… Continue reading Writing & listening – style, flow & rhythm
Ursula K. Le Guin is one of my all-time favourite authors. She is also one of the writers who has influenced my own writing the most. I read the first three books in her Earthsea Cycle as a teenager, and at the time, these books gripped me and shook me to my core like few other… Continue reading A short story collection from Earthsea – URSULA K. LE GUIN’S ‘Tales From Earthsea’
Den of Geek, a very good website for those of us who like being geeks (who doesn't?), has an interview with Ursula K. Le Guin that is an absolute must-read if you're into fantasy and science fiction, if you like Le Guin as an author, and if you're interested in the meaning of books and… Continue reading A wonderful, must-read interview with Ursula K. Le Guin
I was a voracious reader as a child, and I still am, even though I read a lot less than I did back in those days. My husband and I read to our kids every night before bed, and they have also started reading by themselves - even though both of them still seem to enjoy the "read… Continue reading Books to read for kids, young adults, and adults
I love it when I read a new book that pulls me in and doesn't let go. It happened to me when I first read Bernard Cornwell's books about King Arthur: The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur. (They're a truly original take on Merlin, magic, Lancelot and all that jazz. A book that… Continue reading My favourite books to read again and again and again
The Earth is beautiful, and bright, and kindly, but that is not all. The Earth is also terrible, and dark, and cruel. The rabbit shrieks dying in the green meadows. The mountains clench their great hands full of hidden fire. There are sharks in the sea, and there is cruelty in men’s eyes. And where… Continue reading The powerful writing of Ursula K. Le Guin
Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels These books are so much fun to read: action-oriented, old-school, history-infused science fiction. I have a big soft spot for the initial trilogy especially, but the rest of the series is a great read as well. For me, one of the most interesting things about these books when I first… Continue reading Science fiction books I love
I was watching an old interview with Ursula Le Guin on YouTube today, from around the time when her book "The Lathe Of Heaven" was adapted into a movie for PBS. It made me think of how much her writing affected me, both as a reader and a writer when I was in my teens.… Continue reading Writers & books that shaped me
Maria Haskins 