Category Archives: Trends in books

The secret to naming characters

Posted on May 4, 2021 by knlistman

Writers seek every secret advantage that they can to make characters appealing. Choosing a good name for the character is supposed to confer one of those advantages. The only rules I see for naming a fictional person is to make … Continue reading →

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How I Judge Books

Posted on April 20, 2021 by knlistman

People are supposed to judge books by the cover, by the blurbs and by who the author is. I have favorite books with unappealing covers, done in an out-of-date style, or an old illustration slapped on the front. I tend … Continue reading →

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Searching for the perfect quest

Posted on March 30, 2021 by knlistman

A friend of mine who had a desk cluttered with Star Wars memorabilia, raved about each movie. Yet, she admitted sheepishly that she never finished Lord of the Rings because she just couldn’t get into it. When I read the … Continue reading →

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Should I write what I know?

Posted on February 22, 2021 by knlistman

According to commonly given advice, the popularity of a memoir rests on the fame of a person writing it. However, the argument against “writing what you know” is often refuted by an excellent rebuttal in the form of a well … Continue reading →

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Please make me think

Posted on August 5, 2019 by knlistman

Science fiction in films was once an outlet to comment on society, often with a critical view, such as Fahrenheit 451 and Silent Running. As recently as ten years ago I was intrigued by the British Science Fiction film, Moon, … Continue reading →

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After the fall

Posted on July 15, 2019 by knlistman

The term post-apocalyptic brims with images of ruins, remnants of civilization crumbling around the world. Meanwhile humans a reduced to living like prehistoric hunter gatherers. Honestly, if a novel pictured how life improved for humans after the collapse of civilization, … Continue reading →

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The three little worlds

Posted on June 16, 2019 by knlistman

The places of the imagination must have some semblance to earth, or we are confused by the nonsense as we try to take in an alternate world. Usually there is one difference—one factor that is altered to set the ball … Continue reading →

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