Grammarly Poses the question: Men vs. Women Who is the Better Writer?

Anyone who has read this blog knows that our writers love Grammarly.  Incredible people, and a really great grammar checking product, especially for those of us who struggle with confusing modifiers, comma splices or dangling anythings.

Grammarly recently posed the question who is the better writer, men or women? And I think you'll find their results surprising! Check it out! (if the pic is too small to read the words, click here to see the original :-)

 

What do you think? Do you agree, or do you think gender plays no role at all when dealing with great stories and the authors that write them? 

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. (From Goodreads.)

I have conflicting emotions about this story. Certain aspects are beyond incredible, while others made the read barely tolerable. I laid it down for two weeks about halfway through and didn't give it a second thought. I did pick it back up, but it didn't exactly "stick" with me. For that reason, I don't feel I can fairly rate the story, but here are my thoughts.

The Good: I've never read a story quite like this. It's completely unique in every way. The pictures and ideas behind them are brilliant! They really added a special touch to the plot. Another plus, I appreciated reading a story from a guy's POV. It adds a different flavor that's much appreciated. The time travel/sci-fi feel was a neat idea, and it worked well to fall under a multi-genre kind of story. The writing was witty and Riggs has a humorous way with descriptions. I loved the quirky, Tim Burton-esque feel of the story. The settings were just phenomenal! Riggs nailed the eerie factor on this one. A scarcely populated island. An enormous, creepy manor. The "bad" guys … Just perfect. And his lead-ups into scary scenes were very well done. 

The Mediocre: Some of the characters lacked depth. I found it frustrating to want to know more or expect more in a certain scene, only to be disappointed. Explanations fell short in some places, leaving me confused or unsatisfied that everything had played out fully. There were times where the story stalled, as if he'd run out of ideas and was just looking to fill the white spots in the pages. In the end (as much as I hate to say it), I don't feel like the story lived up to its potential. I think Riggs would've benefited from a little more exploration in the characters a little bit at a time as opposed to this is xxx and their power and this is what xxx can do. It felt rushed. A picture isn't enough to truly see a character. It would've been nice to have Riggs show us with writing versus relying on the photographs. More often than not, opportunities were missed to really make it sing. 

All in all, it's a decent read. Fans of Burton and all things eclectic will like it. I did enjoy Riggs writing style and would recommend Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ... just don't get your hopes up too much.

By: Izzie

Summer Nights Sizzle!

                                                                      Back-of-the-book-blurb

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband.So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing—and persistent—admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon—and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

This is the first in the wallflower series and sets the stage nicely for the next three books. The four main characters are distinct, yet they share the common bond of being hindered by their inability to conform to society at large, forcing them into wallflower status.

The prologue introduces the Annabelle and Simon Hunt in a unique way, which explains so much the animosity she shows him in the first few chapters. Annabelle is a ravishing beauty with her classic English looks, but she has no dowry as her father died unexpectedly leaving the family no means of a steady income. Kleypas does a great job of showing the struggles of women of the late 1800's while keeping her characters strong and in control.

The romantic lead, Simon Hunt, is a self-made man, which I love. He doesn't care about the opinions of they aristocracy. He was born a butcher's son, and he is proud of the fact that he came from humble beginnings. It's obvious from page one that he is taken with Annabelle, but the complexities of social status puts him at a distinct disadvantage. At times his pride makes him seem like a jerk, but then we are shown his softer side which makes him even more attractive. I also love that Kleypas allows the reader to grow with Annabelle as she discovers that there is life beyond the English peerage.

There where times that I felt the story dragged a bit. I'm used to stories that move at lightning speed, and Kleypas' style of writing is to languish, allowing the characters to move slowly through an experience. I've come to appreciate that and hope to explore that type of writing in my next project.

If you love settling in on a cold winter's night with a cup of coffee and a great romance novel, then Secrets of a Summer Night is just the book for you!

Posted by: Chi

 

Kleypas Mania!

  
Last summer, Rennie (AKA Italia Trent, or better known as the ren in Chirenjenzie :- ) and I had a discussion about male leads in romances. At the time, it seemed that the men in books were stereotyped. In YA, the all-knowing bad boy seemed to dominate. Contemporary ran with the experienced as well, but these men had serious baggage. And then there was the men of the historical romance. These are virile men who know their place, and kept their woman right by their side.

A lively discussion ensued about creating one character that held great traits of each genre. It would be interesting, wouldn't it?

I hadn't read historical romance in years, but what I did remember of them I didn't like. The brutish you-are-my-woman type didn't appeal to me, but Ren insisted that I read a historical romance or two to broaden my understanding of the male psyche. I balked at first, hating the idea of sifting through pages of submissive English waifs being used as doormats. But I had to fly to Chicago that weekend, and so, determined to keep an open mind, I picked up a Lisa Kleypas book from the airport bookstore.

I almost missed my flight. :-)

Oh, mylanta! While Rennie was right about the complexity of the male leads, I didn't fall in love with the genre, I fell in love with the writing!

Kleypas has a way of bringing well rounded characters to life. She uses subtle inflections and mannerisms to make each character distinct, naturally weaving their personality into each paragraph. The stories move at a leisurely pace, but not so slow that the reader becomes bored. Descriptions are woven in at just the right times as to not become tedious, but what I really love is that after reading over twenty of her books, she has the ability to make each story fresh.



And so, my posts in the month of January and February are going to be dedicated to Kleypas's Wallflower series, and her Bowstreet series. The first will be posted in a few days, so be sure to check back!

Chi