NIGHTLY READING THREAD: Welcome to Edition #21 of #GMGreads. Every night through this weird time, I'm tweeting out a list of my five favorite books around a general theme—and a link to an indie bookstore where you can order them online....
In honor of the quarantine write-a-thon my publisher @avidreaderpress hosted today for its new @poetswritersinc COMPLETE GUIDE TO BEING A WRITER, here are some of my favorite writing books (as opposed to my more editing-heavy #GMGReads Thread No. 5):
(Aside: Here's the link to the @poetwritersinc book, which publishes on Tuesday! Available at tonight's indie-of-choice, right in the midst of the publishing world, @mcnallyjackson:) mcnallyjackson.com/book/978198212…
1) When I taught magazine writing at Georgetown with @denisewills, one of our beloved core texts was WRITING TOOLS by Roy Peter Clark (@RoyPeterClark), excellent advice and thoughtful tips for anyone doing any kind of writing: mcnallyjackson.com/book/978031601…
2) Speaking of prose, two great "Prose-themed" books: I also always love Tracy Kidder's GOOD PROSE mcnallyjackson.com/book/978081298… and Francine Prose's READING LIKE A WRITER: mcnallyjackson.com/book/978006077…
3) If you want to peak into the world of publishing itself, read Boris Kachka's (@Borisk) HOTHOUSE, about the colorful and erudite history of @fsgbooks: mcnallyjackson.com/book/978145169…
4) Similarly, it's really hard to come by, but you if you ever want a treat track down Carol Polsgrove's IT WASN'T PRETTY FOLKS, BUT WE SURE HAD FUN, about @Esquire, the rise of New Journalism, and some of the best writers of the 20th century: strandbooks.com/journalism/it-…
(Hint: There's at least one copy available of the book right there at the link! buy it now! it's legit hard to find! buy a book! save a job!)
5) Terry McDonell's ACCIDENTAL LIFE is a rich history of his time editing @outsidemagazine, @esquire, @SINow, and @RollingStone, what makes writing work, and—equally important—what makes writers work: mcnallyjackson.com/book/978110197…
5A) I haven't read it yet, but I've heard lots of good things about DREYER'S ENGLISH, Benjamin Dreyer's (@BCDreyer) guide to utterly correct style and clarity. I'm sure he'd have a thing or so to say about the atrocious punctuation of my thread tonight: mcnallyjackson.com/book/978081299…
Those are tonight's #GMGreads. What great books have you read about writing or writers? What has helped you be a better writer? I'll order one of your suggestions from @mcnallyjackson myself. What are your other favorite indie bookstores? Share! #avidreadersunite
