Grammarly's 9 Must-Read Books to Celebrate National Grammar Day
Posted by Marie on March 02, 2018

In honor of National Grammar Day this Sunday, we asked the staff at Grammarly—an online personal writing assistant—to recommend books that can help with writing, style, and even conversation. As champions of effective communication, we felt their passion made them great experts to turn to.

"Our suggested reading for National Grammar Day reflects important aspects of communication. There are style and grammar guides to help you make sense of the English language, and books to help you effectively translate your ideas. And we also included our favorite books about writing in general, because the most valuable thing you can do for your writing is just doing it. So however you communicate, these books will help get you started—we’ll be there to help."

Don't forget to add your favorites to your Want to Read shelf!

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Our Readers' Most Beloved Dr. Seuss Quotes
Posted by Marie on March 02, 2018

March's Poetry Contest Winner: Saint Patrick's Day
Posted by Cybil on March 01, 2018

Elaine F. Weiss' What to Read this Women's History Month
Posted by Cybil on March 01, 2018

The Best Recommendations for Audiobook Newbies
Posted by Marie on March 01, 2018

20 Top Short Story Collections
Posted by Marie on February 27, 2018

7 Buzzy Books Hitting Shelves Today
Posted by Hayley on February 27, 2018

To Quit Or Not Quit a Book? Our Readers Weigh In...
Posted by Marie on February 23, 2018



1."99% of the time I will finish the book. I feel I owe it to the author," says Todd.

2. "I usually stick it out. There's been many times that I've ended up loving something that wasn't initially drawing me in," says Andrew.

3."Move on. Reading should be a pleasure. If it’s not the book for you, it’s not the book for you," says Barbara.

4."I give it the 100 page limit. If I am still not into the book by that page, I put it down and get another book to read. Life is too short to suffer through a book you are not enjoying," says Luci.

5. "I used to stick with it, but I have decided that I only have so many years in my life and it is not worth it! There are so many good books out there to discover," says Tamara.

6. "I always finish them off. I sometimes put them down and pick another book but always come back," says Carola.

7. "It depends on the level of not pulling me in. If I'm not loving it, but still want to know how it ends, I'll stick with it. But if reading it feels like a chore, I'll stop reading it," says Chelsey.

8. "If it’s a book I really want to read, I try the audio before giving up completely," says Dana.

9. "Put it away and try much later on. Tastes and style change over the years," says Brad.

10."Depends on why I'm reading it. For review? For my private students? For research? For pleasure? For the first 3, I stick to it. For the last, I move on," says Elizabeth.

11. "If it's unrecommended I'll give it 2-3 chapters. If it's an author I like or has come with a respected recommendation I'll give it more time," says Danielle.

12. "I always try to stick with it. I feel like there is something to learn in the struggle of getting through a book. I’ve only put down a couple of books, but that was because I developed a strong dislike for the material," says Kira.

13. "I usually move on. For every page I force myself to read that I'm not enjoying, that's time I could be reading pages that I love," says Nicole.

14. "Some books take more time than others to learn the flow of the prose, but more often than not it pays to keep reading until you get there," says Carole.

15. "I leave it alone for a couple days and if the desire to read it doesn't come back then I just don't bother," says Teresa.

16."So much of my reading is for book clubs that I pretty much always stick with it—at least I’ll have people to complain to!" says Megan.

28 of the Season's Highest-Rated Debuts
Posted by Cybil on February 22, 2018






Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Creative Journey: S. Jae-Jones on Finding Your Artistic Voice
Posted by Marie on February 20, 2018



I am not a composer.

Because the protagonist of Wintersong lives, breathes, and dreams music, I'm often asked if I compose or write songs. While I am both a student and an appreciator of music, I do not create.

I write novels instead.

So I wrote what I felt, and I wrote what I wanted to be—a character who had a mission to make the world better for the people she loves.

We are often told to "write what [we] know" by craft books and sage advisers, and while I believe that is true, I also believe that our understanding of the old adage is incomplete. Writing what we know is writing what we know to be true.

And what is true about Wintersong? The impulse, the drive, and the process of artistic creation. If I did not hear melodies in my head, then I nevertheless had an idea that I was trying to execute on the page: a story and an emotional journey of a young woman striving to find her artistic voice amid pressures both internal and external. If the medium was different, then the method was not.

Writing was not the only artistic outlet I had growing up. In fact, for most of my life, I was known to my peers as "the one who could draw." (The illustrations and hand lettering in the North American edition of my book are mine.) I was part of a visual arts conservatory in high school, and it was there that I learned how to draft, revise, and execute an idea. For me, the process of creation—genesis—is the same whether I am taking a photograph, painting a portrait, or writing a novel. I have an idea. I take notes. I make sketches. I start a draft: color, composition, characterization, setting. I receive critique. I take more notes. I revise. I work and I work and I work and I work until I can get as close to the vision in my head.

This was the process I gave my protagonist. Liesl heard a piece of music in her head, then she sat down and worked through it until she got something close to a first draft. And then she continued to work on it, over and over and over. As Michelangelo is quoted as saying, "I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." There is the romantic notion that artists are moved by Muses and that works of art emerge fully formed. But that notion is incomplete; it glosses over the blood, sweat, and tears that are the actual labor of creating art. Legend says that Mozart was so struck by divine inspiration, all his music arrived perfect from his mind to the page. The truth is, after Mozart's death, his widow, Constanze, destroyed most evidence of his process to protect that romantic idea.

There is talent, and there is craftsmanship. One is innate, the other is learned. Ninety percent of finding your artistic voice is work—practicing, refining, revising, rewriting. But I would also caution against perfecting your craft at the expense of your art. A work can be technically perfect and devoid of feeling. Conversely, art can be "bad" and still evoke emotion in its audience. Pablo Picasso was a pioneer of Cubism, a style of visual art eschewing ideas of perspective or a single point of view that lends itself to dimensionality or "realism." But this is not to say that Picasso was a "bad" artist; his earlier works evince the technical skill and realistic figures many people expect in paintings. Balancing artistry and craftsmanship is a delicate process that will likely continue for the rest of your career. Sometimes you'll succeed. Many more times you will fail.

Write what you know to be true—true to your own vision. There is no universal "good" in art. People will praise and deride the exact same things in your work. Some will love what you do; others will not. Write what you know to be true, which is all any artist can demand of themselves.


S. Jae-Jones' Shadowsong is now available at a bookstore near you. Don't forget to add it to your Want to Read shelf! And let us know in the comments about your own journey to finding your artistic voice.