Feature and Follow - Great Characters or Gorgeous Writing?

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where two blogs are featured. Click the links above to follow the hosting bloggers and featured bloggers. Enter your own post's link in the linky, then hop around to as many blogs as you can - find new blogs to follow and gain new followers as well. Mingle and make some new bloggy friends!

This week's question: How important is good writing to you? In an ideal world, a book would be beautifully written AND have great character development, plot, etc. But in the real world, which do you prefer: (1) Great characters and plot with lousy writing or (2) Middling character development and plot but gorgeous writing.

This one, for me, is easy. Bad writing is simply too distracting. I can't force myself through something that is poorly written, or contains typos (more than the odd one off), or grammatical errors. No matter how great the plot, the character, or anything else. Sorry, just can't.

What about you?

Feature & Follow - Convincing

Question of the Week: Have you ever convinced someone to read a book, a series, or a whole genre? What book(s) and who was it? Did they like it?

Not often, but a few times. I got my son hooked on epic fantasy. I have recommended some history books to some friends. Unanimously when I convince someone to try a book or series or genre, they have loved it. Since I only try in rare instances, and only when I see a clear synergy, that is not surprising. I wish I would just be better at selecting new things for myself!

What about you? Comment, please!

Moments - Poetry for Everybody

Poetry that is readily understandable finding beauty, wonder, hope, and happiness in the everyday. Approach the anticipation of spring finally returning after the long winter. Experience the joy of boys playing in the mud or the beauty of a new snowfall. Feel the stories of ancient bones and listen to the quiet of the early morning. Hear the reminiscence of the passing of time and see the excitement of each passing scene in a life. These and many more.

Review by: P.S. Rowland on May 01, 2014 :      
When reading a book, did you ever get the feeling the author could see right inside your brain and was putting down your thoughts and not theirs? Author Greg Schroeder, has done just this in this recent gem "Moments". Thank you for the memories you have invoked, the thoughts you have inspired and the memories yet to come as I read your words over and over again!

Author P.S. Rowland of "Lest We Forget Life's Passion"

From Moments:

Infinity

Clear and cold

The winter night sky reaches

To the edge of time

And space.

Brilliant full moon floods

A pale, thin light

But fails to illuminate

The blackness above.

Stars, tiny pinpricks:

Yellow, red, white, blue

Mixed in color and intensity,

Serve as markers through

Distance and time.

Sitting on the hill

Icy wind buffets

Lost in the depths

Of space and time

Lost in the imagining,

Imagining the infinite,

And the possibilities

That grow from it.

Feature and Follow - Authors Met

Sadly, I have no photos of me with a favorite author. I can say I worked with Susan Isaacs on a couple of community boards. I also did a soccer fundraiser with Bart Davis. Unfortunately it was in my "no camera" phase.

Have you worked with an author outside of writing?

Dinner with John Green (Feature & Follow)

John Green would be my choice for dinner, of living authors. He writes the kind of fiction I wish I could write - smart, current, somewhat quirky. I think it would be a long an interesting dinner, from hors d'ouerves to dessert.

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the Follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Review - The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

 

This fine, short novel won the Newbery Award in 1961 and is O'Dell's most recognized work. As with most historical novels it maintains its relevance well.

The novel, like many of O'Dell's stories, is based on actual history, in this case the story of Juana Maria who was stranded on San Nicolas Island from 1835-1853. It is a story that showcases how close to the edge of mortality primitive societies live. It features sharp, painful loss as well as triumph and growth.

The main character, Karana, of necessity, assumes both the traditional roles of men and women. She builds a friendship with a woman who comes to the island with a band of Aleuts, a tribe with whom Karana's tribe had fought. She also finds companionship with the animals of the island, particularly two dogs.

Very well crafted, The Island of the Blue Dolphins is a highly recommended tale of adventure, adversity, resourcefulness and perseverance.

Feature and Follow - Hobby

I play with toy soldiers. And paint them. And research them (and the battles, campaigns, history). And build the terrain. And dabble in writing the rules. It is quirky but it is a lot of fun.

An American Civil War game

Two Crusaders

Romans on the march

Prussians from the time of Frederick the Great