Loot!

Bought 3 books yesterday, so am feeling a little guilty. Yes, I went to a bookstore. AGAIN. Two days in a row. *facepalm*  What can I say? I'm a sucker for punishment!

I'm trying to console myself that at least the books aren't fiction. You see, when I was a teen, my dad told me fiction is a waste of money: "You should buy informative books, books which you will reference over and over again. Novels and storybooks just sit on the shelf after you've read them."

What did I get, you ask?

1. Crafting novels & short stories: The complete guide to writing great fiction
2. Beaded jewellery: Step-by-step techniques and projects to create your own style
3. The brushstroke handbook: The ultimate guide to decorative painting brushstrokes

I nearly bought a fourth book, one on card-making, but I already have a collection of card-making books and I decided this particular book didn't really offer any new techniques I hadn't seen before. Phew, managed to cull one from the pile!

Nothing like an excerpt to help demonstrate the allure of a book. So here, I give you something from book #1 in the list above:

*      *      *      *      *      *

He was tall, 6 foot 2, with a nose to match, tall, thin, and straight.
  That's the author talking.  
He caught sight of his 6-foot-2 reflection in the window of a bagel shop, paused and studied his thin, straight nose, both in profile and straight on. Straight on, he decided, always show your nose to her straight on. Never from the side.
  This approach provides the same facts without stopping the story as if to say, "I'm going to describe somebody now." We see the reflection through the character's eyes, not the author's keyboard. We see action, both actual and implied. Plus, we learn somethhing about the character's personality. He's vain about the nose.