What I’ve been reading

Over the last weeks I’ve managed to read four fine books, and most I’ve posted reviews on his blog. They are:

Gailias: Operation Thunderspell by Kage Alan. Published by Zumaya Boundless. This a funny romp for a pair of gay secret agents, who are also lovers, working for the government. This novel has all the wit and banter that Kage Alan fans have come to expect.

Princess Of The Andes by Victor Banis. Published by Untreed Reads Publishing. A passenger on the freighter Princess of the Andes makes himself into a bore, driving the captain and crew up the walls. But then the ship’s doctor comes up with a surprising remedy that will bring a smile to your lips.

Tales My Body Told Me by Wayne Courtois. Published by Lethe Press. Paul Lavarnway finds himself in a group home for “recovering homosexuals”. He shares the home with four other live-in patents and one counselor. He struggles through a drug-induced haze to piece together his life and how he came to be there. As the puzzle falls into place, some strange things begin to happen in the home. Dangerous things.

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. Published by Penguin Books. Professor David Lurie loses everything when it is discovered he is having an affair with a young, female student. In disgrace, he flees his home to visit his lesbian daughter who owns a farm in South Africa. While there, an unimaginable act of violence forces father and daughter to confront their already strained relationship.

Lastly, I’d like to mention a book I’m still reading. Story by Robert McKee. Published by Harper Collins. It is one of the finest books on writing that I’ve read. It is geared towards screenwriting, but what McKee has to say is equally as valid for fiction writers. He discusses substance, structure, style, and the principles of writing stories. I highly recommend this book to any serious writer.


Cheers,
alan chin