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Episode 25:
Fiction Books to Read for Craft

Episode 25
00:00 / 01:04

There are many non-fiction books on writing to help you dig deep into the craft of story, but there’s nothing like seeing it done masterfully in an actual novel. In this episode, we share fiction book titles that we think are strong in various categories, from world building and characterization to voice, along with prime examples of successful villain POVs and more.

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Books we talk about in the episode:

  • World building

    • Daughter of Smoke and Bone & Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 

    • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

    • Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke

    • The Night Circus & The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

  • Magic systems

    • A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

  • Action scenes

    • The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

    • Lexicon by Max Berry

    • Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

  • Multiple POVs

    • The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

    • Illuminae series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

  • Voice

    • Feed by MT Anderson

    • The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

    • We Were Liars & The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Bates by E. Lockhart

    • Wintergirls & Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

  • Mood:

    • Raven Boys & All the Crooked Saints & Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

    • Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

    • We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu

  • Plot:

    • Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

    • The First Fifteen Lives of Henry August by Claire North

    • Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

  • Emotion

    • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

    • Anything by Laurie Halse Anderson

    • We Are Okay, Hold Still, & Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

  • Cleanliness: 

    • Fable duology by Adrienne Young

    • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

  • Relationships and relationship building

    • The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

    • Circe by Madeline Miller

  • Villain POVs that work

    • Vicious & Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

    • The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

  • In Verse

    • Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

    • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

    • Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ep 24: When to Revise vs When to Quit

Ep 26: Narrowing Down Your Ideas 

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