This book is a strange mix of memoir and how-to. I found it really interesting and will definitely be following Stephen King's advice. This book shouldn't be read by those who aren't really serious about writing (unless they want to know how King became a writer) as this is a very realistic (and often depressing) look at what being a writer means. However, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a push to get writing and it's a book I see myself reading the 'on writing' section of again and again.

Thrillers are another genre that I don’t read often, but after reading Cinders I just had to find out what [a:Michelle Davidson Argyle|3432663|Michelle Davidson Argyle|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287777395p2/3432663.jpg] had to offer next. When I heard that it was a thriller I have to admit that I was a little cautious, but after reading it I can safely say there was nothing I didn’t love about this story.

Monarch, to me, isn’t just a thriller – it’s a romance, a mystery, an adventure story with plenty of family issues all cohesively winding together to create a thrilling story. I wanted to know more about every single character and I have to admit that I often found myself thinking and wondering about them (and sometimes forgetting that they aren’t real people I know!) when I wasn’t reading.

Michelle has seriously upped her game with Monarch – I was constantly trying to work out what was going to happen (and no, I didn’t manage to guess most of the twists and turns) and when I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be reading it. She also weaves the imagery of monarchs (a type of butterfly) throughout, giving this thiller a unique undercurrent of threat and hope.

This is a gripping tale that I highly recommend to anyone wanting to escape reality for a while (it will also put your problems in perspective), in fact, it’s so good that I’ve put it back on my ‘to-read’ list as I miss all the characters (that’s a big deal for me as I very rarely re-read anything) and I just know I’ll be able to delve deeper the next time.

[Disclaimer: I received a paperback ARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

I have often found myself worrying about what I should do with my life - I have so many hobbies and interests and I don't think I could ever pick one that I'd want to do exclusively. Thanks to this book I've learnt a whole new way of thinking about all these interests, and that I'm not the only one to have so many.

'What Do I Do When I Want To Do Everthing?' is a guide for those who feel they have so many ideas that they don't know where to start. It helped me define myself as a scanner (someone with many interests and ideas) and outlines within its pages many different types of scanner and how to make the best use of our abilities. From hobbies to making money to dealing with the 'I should have a career' this guide is for anyone like me, looking for the best way to deal with everything in life. I will definitely be looking up [a:Barbara Sher|31944|Barbara Sher|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s other books.

As a fan of the show, I guess I was expecting something a little different than a high-school teen book. Reading the blurb, I assumed we would get to know Carrie's past a little. I guess that is what the book delivers but somehow I just couldn't make the connection between the Carrie in the book and the Carrie in the T.V. series. A large part of me actually wishes I hadn't read it as I never learned where Carrie's driving passion to become a writer came from. The plot was quite predictable and though Bushnell attempts to emulate the problems that arise in the series, I found that this didn't work due to the fact that the characters, though supposedly teenagers, are just 20-something girls with cardboard personalities and a school framework.

If you want to write, or just discover yourself through writing, then you need to buy this book. It has literally changed the way I view writing, myself and the world. 'Writing Down the Bones' is not another writing book full of writing exercises, instead it discusses writing as breathing, posing the idea that to a writer, writing is as important as breathing. It is not something that can be picked up and put back down again at will, it is something that becomes part of you.

I borrowed this book from the library and it is the most worn book I've ever borrowed, and I can see why. I will be buying this book soon as there are so many sections I know I will want to read and read again. It is the first writing book I've ever read that actually got me to stop reading and start writing. It is the first book I've ever read that blurs the line between writing for oneself and writing to be published.

I totally understand why so many people recommend this book, and now I am one of them. Natalie Goldberg writes with a truth that is shocking to the system, yet feels so right that I was blind not to see it before. Every writer and artist needs this book.

Hard to follow and left me feeling confused as to the point of it all. Despite that, I would recommend this book purely on it's diverse styles and fantastic writing. Unlike anything I have ever read before.