Mountain Writer

Photo by   Morgan Vander Hart   on   Unsplash I remember the first time I went to the library and wanted to look for books outside of the kids section- but wasn’t sure I was allowed in the adult section.  I was in 5 th or 6 th grade and reading things like Christopher Pike and V.C. Roberts, authors that are now described as YA or even NA.  Back then (20+ years ago), they were on the shelf in the “Junior Reads” of the youth section.  I had been reading my way through that section, but I was bored, and yet, I remember asking a librarian for a suggestion, and they sent me right back to Junior Reads.  I wanted something different, but I didn't really know what it was.  Eventually, I looked for a sequel to a book in the Junior section and found out it was in the adult section- so I crossed over- with what I still think was the disproval of the librarian on staff in the youth section. This led to years of my going back and forth between Ad...

Divide Me By Zero by Lara Vapnyar Published October 15th 2019 by Tin House Books ISBN: 194779342X Hardcover, 360 pages Synopsis: Katya's view of her childhood in Russia, her immigration to the United States, and her many relationships are all skewed through her mother's belief that math will answer every question, if you just look for an answer like it's a word problem.  This intelligent, sarcastic, and brutally honest examination of modern femininity comes with a twist of learning the language, and how math and language can be keys to happiness, if you know how to problem solve through grief and loss.  As Kayta reviews her life, and its many interesting and inane events she takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, growth, change, and what it means to be outside the establishment for immigrants who just want to have a normal life- whatever that is. Key Elements of Literary Fiction: Language and Style: Having a consistent style of language with elevate...

THE READERS’ ADVISORY MATRIX- NONFICTION River of Lost Souls: The Science, Politics, and Greed Behind the Gold King Mine Disaster by Jonathan P. Thompson Published March 6 th 2018 by Torrey House Press ISBN: 1937226840 1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? o    Highly narrative (reads like fiction) o    A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose) o    Highly fact based (has few or no narrative moments) 2. What is the subject of the book? A history of hard-rock mining and the environment in the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado.  It chronicles the area’s Native populations, Western explorers, settlers, and modern populations through the context of the natural environment and the people’s impact on the pollution in the area. 3. What type of book is it?   A journalistic book told through interspersed personal narrative and historical information. ...