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The Art of X-Ray Reading
by Roy Peter Clark • 2016
How to read a novel and come away with a toolbox, not just a story.
4.04
1k+
The Art of X-Ray Reading Summary
The Art of X-Ray Reading 91%
How to read a novel and come away with a toolbox, not just a story.
by Roy Peter Clark 2016
4.04
1k+ ratings
Reading Like a Writer
by Francine Prose • 2006
Workshops preach rules. Real craft is learned one Chekhov sentence at a time.
3.77
12k+
Reading Like a Writer Summary
Reading Like a Writer 90%
Workshops preach rules. Real craft is learned one Chekhov sentence at a time.
by Francine Prose 2006
3.77
12k+ ratings
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
by George Saunders • 2021
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
4.53
26k+
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain Summary
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain 90%
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
by George Saunders 2021
4.53
26k+ ratings
The Art of Subtext
by Charles Baxter • 2007
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
4.02
1k+
The Art of Subtext Summary
The Art of Subtext 90%
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
by Charles Baxter 2007
4.02
1k+ ratings
Borges on Writing
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1973
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
4.07
1k+
Borges on Writing Summary
Borges on Writing 90%
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1973
4.07
1k+ ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 90%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 90%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 90%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
How to Read a Book
by Mortimer J. Adler • 1940
Beyond words: the four-level method for reaching real understanding in serious books.
3.98
28k+
How to Read a Book Summary
How to Read a Book 90%
Beyond words: the four-level method for reaching real understanding in serious books.
by Mortimer J. Adler 1940
3.98
28k+ ratings
Your Creative Writing Masterclass
by Jürgen Wolff • 2012
A hundred great novelists teach you fiction's craft secrets, from character to voice.
3.88
182
Your Creative Writing Masterclass Summary
Your Creative Writing Masterclass 90%
A hundred great novelists teach you fiction's craft secrets, from character to voice.
by Jürgen Wolff 2012
3.88
182 ratings
Several Short Sentences About Writing
by Verlyn Klinkenborg • 2012
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
4.13
4k+
Several Short Sentences About Writing Summary
Several Short Sentences About Writing 90%
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
by Verlyn Klinkenborg 2012
4.13
4k+ ratings
How Fiction Works
by James Wood • 2008
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
3.99
8k+
How Fiction Works Summary
How Fiction Works 90%
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
by James Wood 2008
3.99
8k+ ratings
Reading in the Wild
by Donalyn Miller • 2013
What separates lifelong readers from the rest? Five habits, and the classroom moves that build them.
4.45
6k+
Reading in the Wild Summary
Reading in the Wild 89%
What separates lifelong readers from the rest? Five habits, and the classroom moves that build them.
by Donalyn Miller 2013
4.45
6k+ ratings
On Writing
by Stephen King • 2000
Stories get found, not built. Read voraciously, write privately, cut ten percent.
4.34
321k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 89%
Stories get found, not built. Read voraciously, write privately, cut ten percent.
by Stephen King 2000
4.34
321k+ ratings
The Art of Fiction
by John Gardner • 1984
Master the craft that makes readers forget the page and live inside your story.
3.99
6k+
The Art of Fiction Summary
The Art of Fiction 89%
Master the craft that makes readers forget the page and live inside your story.
by John Gardner 1984
3.99
6k+ ratings
On Writing
by Ernest Hemingway • 1984
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
4.02
5k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 89%
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
by Ernest Hemingway 1984
4.02
5k+ ratings
A Poetry Handbook
by Mary Oliver • 1994
The teachable half of poetry: a master poet's craft rules for turning feeling into durable art.
4.23
10k+
A Poetry Handbook Summary
A Poetry Handbook 89%
The teachable half of poetry: a master poet's craft rules for turning feeling into durable art.
by Mary Oliver 1994
4.23
10k+ ratings
Book Lust
by Nancy Pearl • 2003
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
3.77
4k+
Book Lust Summary
Book Lust 89%
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
by Nancy Pearl 2003
3.77
4k+ ratings
How to Write Short
by Roy Peter Clark • 2013
Tiny texts, big impact: the craft moves that make short sentences stick harder than long ones.
3.77
1k+
How to Write Short Summary
How to Write Short 89%
Tiny texts, big impact: the craft moves that make short sentences stick harder than long ones.
by Roy Peter Clark 2013
3.77
1k+ ratings
Description
by Monica Wood • 1995
Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.
4.06
610
Description Summary
Description 89%
Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.
by Monica Wood 1995
4.06
610 ratings
About Writing
by Samuel R. Delany • 2006
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
4.26
459
About Writing Summary
About Writing 89%
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
by Samuel R. Delany 2006
4.26
459 ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 89%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
The Book Whisperer
by Donalyn Miller • 2009
Forty books a year per student: the method that works when worksheets and whole-class novels fail.
4.49
19k+
The Book Whisperer Summary
The Book Whisperer 89%
Forty books a year per student: the method that works when worksheets and whole-class novels fail.
by Donalyn Miller 2009
4.49
19k+ ratings
The Intelligent Reader’s Guide to Reading
by Thinknetic • 2023
Read a book once and actually remember it. The systematic approach to deeper comprehension.
3.98
142
The Intelligent Reader’s Guide to Reading Summary
The Intelligent Reader’s Guide to Reading 89%
Read a book once and actually remember it. The systematic approach to deeper comprehension.
by Thinknetic 2023
3.98
142 ratings
10 Days to Faster Reading
by The Princeton Language Institute • 2001
Read faster, understand more. Retrain your eyes, quiet the inner voice, and learn what to skip.
3.84
4k+
10 Days to Faster Reading Summary
10 Days to Faster Reading 89%
Read faster, understand more. Retrain your eyes, quiet the inner voice, and learn what to skip.
by The Princeton Language Institute 2001
3.84
4k+ ratings
How to Read Better and Faster
by Norman Lewis • 1951
Train your eyes to swallow a paragraph whole, and silence the voice that slows you down.
4.10
724
How to Read Better and Faster Summary
How to Read Better and Faster 89%
Train your eyes to swallow a paragraph whole, and silence the voice that slows you down.
by Norman Lewis 1951
4.10
724 ratings
Writing as a Path to Awakening
by Albert Flynn Desilver • 2017
Writing craft meets meditation: a yearlong practice that sharpens prose and quiets the inner critic.
3.77
128
Writing as a Path to Awakening Summary
Writing as a Path to Awakening 89%
Writing craft meets meditation: a yearlong practice that sharpens prose and quiets the inner critic.
by Albert Flynn Desilver 2017
3.77
128 ratings
Novelist as a Vocation
by Haruki Murakami • 2015
Originality is subtraction: how writing badly in English gave a Japanese novelist his voice.
3.89
19k+
Novelist as a Vocation Summary
Novelist as a Vocation 89%
Originality is subtraction: how writing badly in English gave a Japanese novelist his voice.
by Haruki Murakami 2015
3.89
19k+ ratings
Writing 21st Century Fiction
by Donald Maass • 2012
Plot alone won't keep readers. The craft of making scenes and sentences pull with equal force.
4.34
882
Writing 21st Century Fiction Summary
Writing 21st Century Fiction 89%
Plot alone won't keep readers. The craft of making scenes and sentences pull with equal force.
by Donald Maass 2012
4.34
882 ratings
How to Write a Sentence
by Stanley Fish • 2011
A few logical forms generate all possible sentences. Master them, and content follows.
3.48
3k+
How to Write a Sentence Summary
How to Write a Sentence 89%
A few logical forms generate all possible sentences. Master them, and content follows.
by Stanley Fish 2011
3.48
3k+ ratings
Good Prose
by Tracy Kidder • 2013
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
3.92
1k+
Good Prose Summary
Good Prose 89%
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
by Tracy Kidder 2013
3.92
1k+ ratings
How to Grow a Novel
by Sol Stein • 1999
The editor's craft playbook: what makes readers abandon a novel, and how to keep them turning pages.
4.06
845
How to Grow a Novel Summary
How to Grow a Novel 89%
The editor's craft playbook: what makes readers abandon a novel, and how to keep them turning pages.
by Sol Stein 1999
4.06
845 ratings
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 89%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences
by June Casagrande • 2010
Your sentences are losing readers. A guide to making every word pull its weight.
4.15
2k+
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences Summary
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences 89%
Your sentences are losing readers. A guide to making every word pull its weight.
by June Casagrande 2010
4.15
2k+ ratings
Help! for Writers
by Roy Peter Clark • 2011
210 targeted fixes for the predictable problems of writing, from idea drought to the final edit.
3.92
443
Help! for Writers Summary
Help! for Writers 89%
210 targeted fixes for the predictable problems of writing, from idea drought to the final edit.
by Roy Peter Clark 2011
3.92
443 ratings
The Writing Life
by Annie Dillard • 1989
The work leads, the writer follows, and most of what you write must be destroyed.
3.98
18k+
The Writing Life Summary
The Writing Life 89%
The work leads, the writer follows, and most of what you write must be destroyed.
by Annie Dillard 1989
3.98
18k+ ratings
Consider This
by Chuck Palahniuk • 2020
Most writing advice avoids the craft that actually builds authority, tension, and voice.
4.37
6k+
Consider This Summary
Consider This 89%
Most writing advice avoids the craft that actually builds authority, tension, and voice.
by Chuck Palahniuk 2020
4.37
6k+ ratings
Why We Make Things and Why It Matters
by Peter Korn • 2013
A woodworker spent decades making furniture, only to discover he was the real project.
3.73
2k+
Why We Make Things and Why It Matters Summary
Why We Make Things and Why It Matters 89%
A woodworker spent decades making furniture, only to discover he was the real project.
by Peter Korn 2013
3.73
2k+ ratings
Elements of Fiction Writing - Scene & Structure
by Jack M. Bickham • 1993
Your novel drags because your scenes end well. End them badly and the pages turn themselves.
4.11
2k+
Elements of Fiction Writing - Scene & Structure Summary
Elements of Fiction Writing - Scene & Structure 89%
Your novel drags because your scenes end well. End them badly and the pages turn themselves.
by Jack M. Bickham 1993
4.11
2k+ ratings
The First Five Pages
by Noah Lukeman • 2000
99% of manuscripts get rejected by page five. Catch the invisible flaws that trigger the no.
3.98
4k+
The First Five Pages Summary
The First Five Pages 89%
99% of manuscripts get rejected by page five. Catch the invisible flaws that trigger the no.
by Noah Lukeman 2000
3.98
4k+ ratings
The Art of the Poetic Line
by James Longenbach • 2007
The 'line break' is a misnomer. A poet-critic reveals what actually happens where lines end.
4.03
694
The Art of the Poetic Line Summary
The Art of the Poetic Line 89%
The 'line break' is a misnomer. A poet-critic reveals what actually happens where lines end.
by James Longenbach 2007
4.03
694 ratings
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction
by Alan Jacobs • 2011
Your to-read pile is a tyrant. Follow curiosity instead, and reading becomes alive again.
3.94
3k+
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction Summary
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction 89%
Your to-read pile is a tyrant. Follow curiosity instead, and reading becomes alive again.
by Alan Jacobs 2011
3.94
3k+ ratings
Lost in Thought
by Zena Hitz • 2020
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
3.64
2k+
Lost in Thought Summary
Lost in Thought 89%
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
by Zena Hitz 2020
3.64
2k+ ratings
Word Painting
by Rebecca McClanahan • 2014
Most writing advice says 'show, don't tell.' This one teaches you how, sense by sense.
4.13
816
Word Painting Summary
Word Painting 89%
Most writing advice says 'show, don't tell.' This one teaches you how, sense by sense.
by Rebecca McClanahan 2014
4.13
816 ratings
The Story Grid
by Shawn Coyne • 2015
Why stories fail, scene by scene: an editor's diagnostic that finds the break and the fix.
4.30
2k+
The Story Grid Summary
The Story Grid 89%
Why stories fail, scene by scene: an editor's diagnostic that finds the break and the fix.
by Shawn Coyne 2015
4.30
2k+ ratings
Every Day I Read
by Hwang Bo-Reum • 2021
Fifty-three essays that reclaim deep reading from the scroll, one stolen quarter-hour at a time.
3.88
4k+
Every Day I Read Summary
Every Day I Read 89%
Fifty-three essays that reclaim deep reading from the scroll, one stolen quarter-hour at a time.
by Hwang Bo-Reum 2021
3.88
4k+ ratings
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser • 1976
Your personality is the only writing tool: how to strip away everything that buries it.
4.23
31k+
On Writing Well Summary
On Writing Well 89%
Your personality is the only writing tool: how to strip away everything that buries it.
by William Zinsser 1976
4.23
31k+ ratings
Murder Your Darlings
by Roy Peter Clark • 2020
Voice, craft, and discipline: the writer's toolkit, handed down from Aristotle to Zinsser.
4.02
644
Murder Your Darlings Summary
Murder Your Darlings 89%
Voice, craft, and discipline: the writer's toolkit, handed down from Aristotle to Zinsser.
by Roy Peter Clark 2020
4.02
644 ratings
Read for Your Life
by Pat Williams • 2007
One daily reading hour reshapes your mind. Simple habits that make it stick for life.
3.75
106
Read for Your Life Summary
Read for Your Life 89%
One daily reading hour reshapes your mind. Simple habits that make it stick for life.
by Pat Williams 2007
3.75
106 ratings
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
by Gary Provost • 1985
Concrete techniques that turn stiff sentences into music and hesitant writers into confident ones.
4.03
2k+
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing Summary
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing 89%
Concrete techniques that turn stiff sentences into music and hesitant writers into confident ones.
by Gary Provost 1985
4.03
2k+ ratings
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