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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (1999)

Before reading: If you've been here a while you will know...I am not a fan of nonfiction. That doesn't mean I don't like any nonfiction, I just don't love reading it. I will say, I have heard many good things about this memoir. As far as I know it is basically half memoir, half master class on writing. Even with nonfiction King is a great writer so I am going in with high expectations and a thirst for knowledge. 

After reading: All right. Honestly, I don't have too much to say so this should be short and sweet. At the end of the day, this was a nonfiction. Therefore, for me, it was a little tough to get through. I struggle with wanting to read nonfiction because there is no urge to read what is going to happen next. I try my best to read every single day and with this book...that just didn't happen. I had days where I simply didn't feel like reading this. Now with that being said, this was probably one of the best nonfiction novels that I have read. For what it was, I really did enjoy this book. I would absolutely also recommend this book and call it what it is: great. 

The memoir aspect of this novel was really enjoyable. It was so interesting to read about aspects of King's life that I recognized from his work. It also felt very personable. The way King writes feels like he is talking to you. I felt like I was reading a very very long text message from a friend. The actual "on writing" part of the book was also enjoyable. I am not a writer but this book made me feel like I could be. Should I be? King has me convinced now that I could. 

With the context, there really isn't too much that I can say about this read. Was it my favorite? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes. There was also some fun stuff in there like King talking about my other favorite literature work, Harry Potter. We also got to read some of his editing of a not-yet-released-at-the-time 1408. King also updated this book through 2019 with novels that he recommends. Who knows, maybe I'll go through that list next when I finish with King. Ultimately, this book will rank low on my list of King favorites simply because it is a nonfiction but I do want to make it clear that this was a great memoir. 

Get out the tissues cause up next we're reading The Green Mile.



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