Tuesday, April 21, 2015

What Are Your Go-To Reference Books?



Today's photo is of the first cookbook I ever purchased. I bought this basic cookbook in 1961 at a Book Fair sponsored by the PTA in the school where I had my first teaching job. It's still my go-to cookbook for the basics of preparing foods. There are recipes that are spotted with this messy cook's splatters. I have lots of cookbooks but there are a few that I use on a regular basis while some just look nice on the bookshelf. 

How about the books that deal with writing in your bookcase? Do you have one or two that you refer to more than the others? I certainly do. I'll list just a few of the ones that I especially like and are not those I read this once and that's enough kind of books. Look them up on Amazon for a full summary and review.

1. Self-Editing For Fiction Writers (second edition) by Rennie Browne and Dave King

2.  On Writing by Stephen King

3.  Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott

4.  The Power of Memoir by Linda Joy Meyers

5.  Writing and Publishing Personal Essays by Sheila Bender

6.  Seven Steps On The Writer's Path by Nancy Pickard

Your list may be quite different from mine. If you write nothing by novels, reference books in that vein will head your list. If you are a short story mystery writer, you'll look for books that help you come up with the best mystery stories possible. If you are a poet, your list will be filled with poetry help books. 

Every now and then, we should take some time to leaf through some of the favorites on our list. Just becasue we read the book and thought it wonderful does not mean we retained everythikng in it. Read it again for a reminder and perhaps to inspire you, as well. 

Every writer should have one section of their home library reserved for books on the craft of writing. It's your home tool box! 

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