I was thinking about why I like Anne McCaffrey's writing so much while I was reading The Masterharper of Pern this afternoon. In this book, McCaffrey uses more sentence fragments, mainly to show the thought patterns of her characters. (I do prefer her books that minimize the fragments.) However, it's her word choice and realistic dialog that I really enjoy. As I read, I keep coming across wonderful words like crepuscular (pertaining to twilight) used in a way that is natural and effective. So many of the words that most commonly appear on the GRE exam are in her books, but the books are still easy to read. This reinforces what I keep telling my students -- SAT and GRE words are used in every day writing!
The two authors who I think write the most beautiful sentences are Pat Conroy and Hampton Sides. In Ghost Soldiers, Sides describes the landscape as Army Rangers crawl across the fields toward the prisoner of war camp in Cabanatuan. The book is a war story, but the language in that section made me just sit and admire the beauty of his writing. Much as Shakespeare's tragedies benefit from the comic relief scenes, the sentence structure and word choice that Sides employs eases the harsh reality of what happened while concurrently making it more vivid. I don't think I could have finished the book were it written in harsher sentences. Conroy can likewise ease me through reading an emotionally challenging chapter with his incredible sentences.
Then there are my students -- sometimes they write the most beautiful sentences of all! Some of them write essays that are so good I forget to grade them while I'm reading. Sometimes, there is just one gem of a sentence in a sea of less polished writing. Regardless, it's the sentences that make me just sit and savor them that make a stack of essays enjoyable.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Reading for relaxation
When summer rolls around, I like to unwind with some of my old favorite books before getting caught up in unfamiliar story lines that keep me glued to the recliner for hours at a time! It's so much easier to put a book down and get out in the garden or paint the kitchen walls when I already know how the story lines resolve themselves. Until the house and garden are where I want them to be and the dust has been thoroughly washed off the kayak, I probably won't do much serious reading.
This year, I've go back to hang out with my book friends on the planet Pern. I'm currently on my sixth book, averaging a book every two days. While Anne McCaffrey's books wouldn't be my first pick to write about for an AP essay, her characters are well rounded and her story lines unpredictable and credible. Despite the vast numbers of books, it is rare that one contradicts another, showing that McCaffrey referred to the "Dragondex" included in the books as well as other notes with each subsequent novel. Sometimes my memory ruins a book for me simply due to inconsistencies in a story line. If I had half the memory for student names that I have for snippets in a story line, my life would be much easier at the start of each school year!
I've also read a couple of novels my Mary Kay Andrews this summer. These two books were new to me, but they are such quick reads and perfect for those rain-soaked afternoons when I can't get outside. While McCaffrey's books are equally enjoyable for male and female readers, Andrews books are geared more toward the ladies!
On a more serious side, I did start reading The Remains of the Day on my Kindle while waiting at the dentist one morning this week. It's interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. I first want to finish Anil's Ghost, a book which has me intrigued but which I left in my classroom in one of the boxes or bags that I have yet to unpack! Blogging reminded me to order a copy that I can annotate in preparation for teaching it next year.
I do need to finish The Remains of the Day and Fasting, Feasting over the next few weeks in preparation for a class I am taking at the end of July, so my mental vacation with Anne McCaffrey will soon have to come to and end.
This year, I've go back to hang out with my book friends on the planet Pern. I'm currently on my sixth book, averaging a book every two days. While Anne McCaffrey's books wouldn't be my first pick to write about for an AP essay, her characters are well rounded and her story lines unpredictable and credible. Despite the vast numbers of books, it is rare that one contradicts another, showing that McCaffrey referred to the "Dragondex" included in the books as well as other notes with each subsequent novel. Sometimes my memory ruins a book for me simply due to inconsistencies in a story line. If I had half the memory for student names that I have for snippets in a story line, my life would be much easier at the start of each school year!
I've also read a couple of novels my Mary Kay Andrews this summer. These two books were new to me, but they are such quick reads and perfect for those rain-soaked afternoons when I can't get outside. While McCaffrey's books are equally enjoyable for male and female readers, Andrews books are geared more toward the ladies!
On a more serious side, I did start reading The Remains of the Day on my Kindle while waiting at the dentist one morning this week. It's interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. I first want to finish Anil's Ghost, a book which has me intrigued but which I left in my classroom in one of the boxes or bags that I have yet to unpack! Blogging reminded me to order a copy that I can annotate in preparation for teaching it next year.
I do need to finish The Remains of the Day and Fasting, Feasting over the next few weeks in preparation for a class I am taking at the end of July, so my mental vacation with Anne McCaffrey will soon have to come to and end.
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