Monday, January 28, 2019

Characters Who Are... Writers

This year, we're in for some fun reading challenges that will hopefully help us find some new favorites. Please post ideas in the comments, as other readers might need assistance in finding books that fit into the categories.

February's reading challenge is to read books in which characters are writers.


They may be lead characters or part of the supporting cast.

The type of writer may vary, from a novelist to a journalist to a diary or letter writer.

The books may be short, long, fiction, or nonfiction.


Some of my favorites in this category are:

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

This book is written in the epistolary format, which is a series of letters. Because of this, the "chapters" flow quickly and keep the reader engaged in the story quite well. I usually end up weeping by the end, sometimes during multiple scenes. This one's definitely a favorite book of mine, since I've read it several times already.

Note: There is some alcohol usage in this one. Not a fan of that aspect of the novel.

The Angel of Bastogne by Gilbert Morris

This one's a novella featuring WWII, but not in a historical-fiction sense. It's a sort of throwback to the era, visited through the view of a modern-day journalist... and with a flair of It's a Wonderful Life tossed into the mix.

Harbor Secrets by Melody Carlson

The lead and several supporting cast members are newspaper writers in a small town that is facing some pretty big changes and a few newcomers. This is the first book in the Legacy of Sunset Cove series. It's entertaining and contains surprises throughout the plot.

Note: I copy edited this one. Just thought you should know.



What books have you enjoyed that feature writers?

Which writer-character books are you looking forward to?


January's reading challenge is a TBR Reducer.



8 comments:

Andrea Cox said...

One nonfiction book I'm trying to get to is A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl. It's about her husband, a U.S. journalist who was kidnapped while in Karachi.

It's general market, so I don't expect it to be squeaky clean, but it should be an interesting read.

Angela said...

My novella has two writers! It is a clean Christian romance.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40092558-the-thief-the-damsel-and-the-dragon

Andrea Cox said...

Thanks for the suggestion, Angela!

Dawn Cox said...

Andrea,

I just finished reading HARBOR SECRETS by Melody Carlson. Thanks for getting me off to a great start this year with your challenges!

Andrea Cox said...

Wonderful job! I'm glad to help. :)

Rebekah said...

I got my final book finished last night. :) I didn't only read books that fit this category this time, but it was fun to pull out ones I probably wouldn't have read otherwise.

1. The Deepening Stream by Francena Arnold
2. The Treasure Hunter (the story of Robert Louis Stevenson) by Isabel Proudfit
3. Jefferson's Masterpiece by Dennis Parker
4. A Bridge Unbroken by Cathy Bryant
5. In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Andrea Cox said...

Well done!

Andrea Cox said...

My final tally:
1. Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate 2/10/19
Grandma Rose, newspaper articles and journal
2. Love Story by Karen Kingsbury 2/11/19
various characters wrote letters to one another, and Cole had an assignment to write (which was part of the main thread of the story)
3. The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright 2/22/19
Gabriella kept a diary, and Ivy kept a "death journal."

I'm still working on A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl (GM). Nonfiction books are slower reads for me than fiction, and life was quite busy in February.