by Kristin A. Oakley | Feb 22, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
I picked up this month’s novel, Detour, at the independent bookstore Arcadia Books in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and couldn’t wait to get to it. Jeff Rake, creator of Netflix’s Manifest, and bestselling author Rob Hart, wrote the tale of six people...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Jan 25, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
To start this year’s Writer’s Book Club, I’ve selected Stephen King’s novella The Life of Chuck. At only 109 pages, $20 seems pricey for the slim, small hardcover, but it includes images in the lower-right-hand corner of a man dancing....
by Kristin A. Oakley | Aug 18, 2025 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
I’ve recently discovered Blake Crouch and his sci-fi, dystopian novels including Dark Matter and Recursion, so I went looking for more of his work and discovered Pines. The first book in the Wayward Pines Trilogy, this novel had me hooked the minute I started...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Jul 20, 2025 | Books and Movies, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
As a big Hunger Games fan, I was looking forward to Suzanne Collins’ latest addition to the series, Sunrise on the Reaping. The first book, The Hunger Games, is so well written, I refer to it often in my Crafting Unforgettable Characters workshop. Honestly, I...
by Kristin A. Oakley | May 5, 2025 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
For this month’s Writer’s Book Club, I enjoyed listening to the audio version of Shelby Van Pelt’s charming novel Remarkably Bright Creatures (narrated by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie). Then, halfway through the book, I didn’t want to keep...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Mar 16, 2025 | For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
For this month’s book club, I listened to the audiobook of The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, read by George Weightman and Katie Leung. The premise of this novel is intriguing—a civil servant becomes a “bridge” (a guide) for a time-traveler...
