Monthly Reading Report (2023/08)

Number of reads

The reading volume decreased in August 2023. The main reason is that I went on three short trips and did not have much time to calm down and read.

Novels: 5

Prose: 3 books

Business Management: 1 book

Comics: 1 set of 20 books

Picture books: 2

Topic reading

The reading theme in August was writing, so I read "About Not Becoming a Professional Novelist", "Writing Lessons" and "Writing is the Best Self-Investment".

The three books on writing are very different. The best one is "Writing Lessons" by Chen Xue, which talks about many years of writing experience and encourages every writer to persevere through his own persistence. It’s about the mentality rather than the writing skills. Although "On Not Becoming a Professional Novelist" also has author experience, it focuses more on teaching novel writing. It is very practical for novices, and it is written in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, and it is also very interesting. "Writing is the Best Self-Investment" teaches writing explosive articles. The author makes a lot of money by writing, and his pride is revealed in every word. Because what I want to write is not explosive articles, I am a little bit concerned about the content taught in this book. Lack of interest.

For me, who likes writing, I always like to read other people’s writing experiences. It’s not that I want to steal from others (I know I can’t), but that I feel a vibration of the same frequency. Oh, it turns out that I am not lonely at all on the writing journey.

novel

"Set of Notes"

Author: Yan Yu

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: The last award-winning work of Mirror Literature’s Million Novels, “The Defender of the Eight-foot Gate” was super exciting, so I’m also looking forward to this book. Although it’s also very interesting, it’s still not as exciting and deep as “The Defender of the Eight-foot Gate”. eight".

At first I thought it was a story about the police investigating a case, but I didn’t expect to play time travel in the middle, and severely criticized the collusion between the police and the underworld. Well, saying that the police may be underestimating it, in fact, the government was behind the scenes, so the case was pulled. to the political level.

The plot is compact and the writing creates a sense of tension. It is a novel worth recommending.

"The Trial of Hippocrates"

Author: Zhongshan Qili

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: This is the third book in the Zhongshan Qili Forensic Series. I have not read the previous two books, but the story is independent anyway and will not affect reading.

The story begins with a bizarre case of sudden death. After rounds of body snatching battles (by the way, the corpse snatching battle is very interesting), it is discovered that it is a rare infectious disease (I don’t want to explode, so I write it like this in the official introduction). In order to avoid a big accident, The disease spread on a large scale, so I went out looking for the source of the infection. Although I encountered obstacles everywhere, I still persisted in not giving up until I found the source of the infection... To be honest, since the disease did not cause any immediate harm, only the person involved was nervous when I watched it, but I was not nervous. , the tracing process progressed step by step, and the truth finally revealed really surprised me, which is a bonus. Overall it's good, but not particularly exciting.

"Cold Substitute Teacher"

Author: Keigo Higashino

Like level: ★★★☆

Short review: Keigo Higashino's early short story collection, with a total of eight short stories, the first six of which feature substitute teachers, and two short stories with primary school students as the protagonists, so this book should be classified as a campus mystery.

The chapters with the substitute teacher as the protagonist all take place on campus. Some people are killed, some jump off buildings, some are poisoned, and some have their wallets stolen... Due to space limitations, the puzzles in each chapter are relatively simple, and the protagonist can solve the case very quickly. , there is almost no suspense.

My favorite is the article "10x5+5+1". After reading it, I was very moved. Once something happens, there is no turning back. Because it was an unintentional mistake, it is even more heartbreaking.

"I, go my own way"

Author: Chisako Wakatake

Likeability: ★★★

Short review: The author is a newcomer who only debuted at the age of 63, and his first book won an award, became a bestseller, and was adapted into a movie, but I still can't like this book.

The book is the inner plot of a 75-year-old mother-in-law. She keeps hearing many voices talking to herself, and then recalls the old times, children's stories and the process of getting to know her husband, the loneliness and sadness after her husband's death, and the relationship with her children. Alienation, etc., the narrative of the entire novel is almost in a soliloquy style, which is too nagging for me, and has no story at all. In short, it is not my cup of tea.

"Canning Street"

Author: John. Steinbeck

Likeability: ★★★

Short review: Looking at the work of the Nobel Prize winner in literature, it tells the story of the characters on a street in Monterey, California.

The story does not have a strong main line. Talk about this store, talk about that person, and then use these characters to piece together various aspects of life. Although the story is not strong, the characters are all written delicately, and it can also make people feel the style of this city and this Can Street.

prose

"Writing Lesson: Chen Xue's 12 Tips for Creators"

Author: Chen Xue

Likeability: ★★★★★

Short comment: I like Chen Xue's novels very much. I have read her articles about writing before which are very attractive. So when I read her "Girl's Prayer", I had wrong expectations, thinking that she would write a lot about writing, but it turns out that about writing The contents are all included in this "Writing Course", you can read it to your heart's content this time.

She decided from the beginning that she wanted to specialize in writing novels. Even when she was looked down upon by her teachers and friends when she was young, and thought she had no talent for writing, she still persisted in her belief and did not find a full-time job in order to write novels. I took a part-time job just to be able to write full-time in the future.

She writes about her experiences, her persistence, her habits and disciplines. She insists on writing novels first before doing anything else every day (because she thinks writing novels is the most important thing). Even if she can't write, she insists on sitting down and writing, no matter how well she writes. Whether it's good or not, just write it down. Seek it first and then seek good.

After writing about yourself, then write down ten suggestions for creators, using your own experience to tell the problems that many writers encounter, such as what to do if you are not talented enough? Where does the inspiration come from? How to deal with stress?

Finally, here is a guide for accepting cases for freelancers, which will introduce how to handle the problem of accepting cases for freelancers.

Chen Xue's writing style is good, so it reads smoothly and touchingly. Oh, yes, if you can keep writing novels for thirty years, how can you not be touching?

Her life is not easy, but she still insists on writing. Every article is admirable to readers (especially to writers) and very practical.

If you are interested in reading or writing, you will definitely enjoy reading this book.

" On Not Becoming a Professional Novelist "

Author: Three-point glimmer

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: Although I haven’t read the novel Three Thirds of Glimmer, it’s still interesting to see the novelist talk about writing novels.

At the beginning, the author talked about the reasons why he started writing novels, and the difficulties faced by novel authors. Just when I thought that the whole book was the author's experience, the second half taught me how to write novels seriously, starting from the outline to the characters. , plot and background, it not only talks about the theory, but also provides examples to make it easier for readers to understand. It even teaches how to use the symbols in depth. It is a very practical book for novices who want to write novels. But this is not a textbook after all. It just provides some concepts. If you really want to create novels, you probably need more practice.

"Fortunately we can't turn back time"

Author: Xu Meiyi

Like level: ★★★☆

Short comment: I have never read "Exchange Diary" by Xu Meiyi and Zhang Miaoru, and I don't know the author at all. This collection of essays combines her online articles from 2017 to 2021 to talk about the entrepreneurial process, marriage, and parenting. In the book, I saw the author's constant self-improvement. Even when faced with setbacks in life, he did not complain, but always thought about the positive side. This is a collection of essays that is comfortable to read.

business management

"Writing is the best self-investment"

Author: Chen Lifei

Like level: ★★★☆

Short comment: This is a book about writing "hot articles". The author starts from his own experience and teaches people how to write professional and popular articles from a rational perspective. Since the author started out with a WeChat official account, I actually don’t even know what an “official account” is, and I hardly look at Moments. Therefore, I have no clue about the author’s constant use of official accounts as examples, and I’m completely uninvolved. .

Although theoretically writing professional articles and teaching new media makes no difference whether it is a public account or not, this book is too hard to write, and what I want to write is not a hit article, so I don’t particularly like this book, but for those who want to read it This book is very practical in terms of how to introduce people who write hit articles.

comics

"The girl who was mistaken for a proposal was asked to divorce after one year" 1-20

Author: ほいっぷくりーむ

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: I read twenty books in one go. Because each book only has 26-27 pages, I can read them quickly.

The story is just like the title of the book. A girl who has been ignored by her father since she was a child and treated as a slave suddenly receives a marriage proposal letter. She happily goes to the count's house and discovers that the person he proposed to is actually her sister, but because their marriage has been recognized , it would take one year to get a divorce, so the earl made it known from the beginning that he would divorce her after one year.

I don’t need to say much about the development of the story. I know that they will definitely fall in love with each other. The question is how the process is. Although it is old, I think it is interesting. After reading the twelve published books, I found that the story is not finished, and I am very anxious to know the follow-up development. , so I continued to read the latest developments online, but the story was not over yet, and I was left hanging in my heart.

This set of comics is very smooth and has a good drawing style. It is worth reading if you like this type of comics.

picture book

"Fortunately you are timid"

Author: Juan Ayuna

Like level: ★★★☆

Short review: I thought it was interesting when I read the title of the book. How can a coward save everyone?​

Although I have already guessed the answer after seeing the second version, children may find it interesting.

The story tells that three puppies, a piglet and a hen decide to leave the pen and venture outside. One is bold by nature, one is romantic by nature, and the other is timid by nature. What will happen if such a combination takes risks together?​

This book is suitable for parents and children aged three to eight to read together.

"Smiley Chocolate"

Author: Xu Yunjie

Like level: ★★★☆

Short comment: A little boy is always annoying and everyone keeps away from him. What should we do?

Sometimes being squeezed out is not the end of the world. Correcting some bad habits and communicating seriously is a good way.

This picture book is simple and easy to read, and can be understood by children independently, but it is better if a parent explains it.

More reading reports: Read whatever you want