They are amazingly well written, high interest for young men books. And apparently, women of a certain age enjoy them also. They take place in Saddlestring, Wyoming--a place I would seriously consider living--and are centered around Game Warden Joe Pickett and his family. It is seemingly a sleepy little town and yet, there is an undercurrent of evil lurking about the place. And good guy Joe Pickett? Well, he seems to always be in the fray. C.J. Box has an amazing writing style, it's not showy or flowery and yet, it's descriptive in a way that makes me feel like I am right there as all the action is taking place. In the midst of all the mystery, there is that family part of the story. I cannot decide whether these are mystery novels, crime and suspense, romance--not your typical romance, mind you--more like the romance that men have with fishing, hunting and nature, or family saga. Family saga probably isn't a real genre of reading but I really enjoy novels that center around families and their trials and tribulations.
But since every waking thought, and really, every sleeping thought I have these days goes back to my freshman English classroom, something very interesting has come to me.
Writing.
I am planning to do a lot of writing with my Freshman. I love writing. And I know--like things, love people. I could write all day long. Am I good like my husband is good at writing? Not even close--he is amazing at his craft. My writing is more of a jot ideas down, write a letter, send a card, journaling, notes for teaching, etc. Am I the best writer in the world? Nope. Am I the best proofreader in the world? Nope. Do I make mistakes using their and there? Your and your're? To and too? I hope not, but probably.
Today when I was reading, Trophy Kill, I noticed something. Joe Pickett writes. He has to submit reports to his supervisor. He has to make notes about wildlife, he takes down info about the vegetation in an area, and he has to make a report when someone reports the sighting of a grizzly bear. The D.A. asks him to write up a summary of what he knew about a case. C.J. Box, the writer, wove writing into the story. Maybe he didn't mean to, maybe it was purposeful.
And it made me think about writing. Is there a profession that doesn't require some type of writing? Teaching. Insurance. Billing clerk. Microbiologist. Engineer. Banker.
Lawyer. Doctor. Nurse. Priest. Nun. Church secretary. Landscaping. Construction. Lineman. I literally cannot think of any 'job' that does not require some type of writing skills. That made me think--WHY are we not focusing on writing at all levels in our schools? WHY have we let this skill slide? WHY?
I could get on my grammar soapbox right now--but I will save that for another post.
Look out Freshman.
I think we are going to be doing some writing. Just sayin'.
1 comment:
I couldn't agree more. Do you think Sydney Rae would like these books?
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