review Archives

Currently Reading: Patti Smith, Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Palahniuk

March 31, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Hello!

I hope everyone is doing great! ~ I am at the tail end of my last semester and I have been reading like crazy. Last week was my spring break but unfortunately, I was sick the entire time. I spent a lot of time at home reading and started quite a few new books.

Here are my favorite books that I am currently reading.

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Originally published in 2010, Patti Smith recounts her relationship and friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe

In the late 1960’s Smith journeyed to New York to pursue her career as an artist. She quickly met Mapplethorpe and the two started their long and intimate relationship.

So far, I am about halfway through the book and I absolutely love it. I am a huge admirer of Mapplethorpe and Smith and I have always wanted to read this book.

Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk

This collection of non-fiction pieces were written by Chuck Palahniuk, the internationally known author of Fight Club. Chuck’s style and humor are at it’s best in these short essays which are centered around the unusual and perverse.

I love Chuck’s work, his style, voice, and choice of content. It is always refreshing to pick up a Palahniuk book, fiction or not, and be immersed in a world that bears all and doesn’t leave out the nasty details.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

I was inspired to read some Thompson the week before spring break. I used to read a few stories of his every once in a while when I was 18 but haven’t really since (at the same time I was into Naked Lunch and the work of Irvine Welsh and Bret Easton Ellis). I decided to pick up this book and reacquaint myself with the drug addict and talented writer. It’s funny, scary, disgusting, and absolutely horrific~I love it.

Thank you for reading my work!

-Alina

Currently Reading: Postmodernism, 1920s, and Fiction

February 23, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

This semester is pretty crazy for me as I am sure some of you have noticed I have not been posting as much because I have no time! My last semester is jam-packed and I’ve been reading a book a week alongside 200 pages of required reading for classes and writing up articles for my job at The Chrony.

Just to keep in touch,

Here is my current reading list (NOT including required reading for class)

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“Beyond Gatsby: How Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Writers of the 1920’s shaped American Culture”

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“The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos”

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“Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen R.C. Hicks”

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“Cinderella’s Big Score by Maria Raha”

and still reading

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“Gotham Writers’ Workshop: Writing Fiction”

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“Dracula by Bram Stoker” (a regular ‘re-read’ of mine)

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“Frankenstein by Mary Shelley” (another regular ‘re-read’ of mine)

This is just a quick cap of what I am currently reading the real list is about 18 books.

I hope to have review posts finished within the next few weeks. The review posts will be on “Gotham Writers’ Workshop: Writing Fiction” and

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“Hemingway’s Paris: A User’s Guide by John Baxter”

I read “Hemingway’s Paris” recently and found it to be extremely fascinating for its content and concise writing style.

Thank you to all my regular readers and followers for sticking with me!

-Alina

What to Expect: Discussions and Book Reviews

January 10, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Hello!

My last semester in college has now officially started and I am thrilled to be one step away from graduating. Because my workload is pretty heavy this semester my posts may seem sparse but I will not disappear completely.

What to Expect from me by the end of January and in February,

Book Reviews:

“Writers Gone Wild” by Bill Peschel

“Imaginations” by William Carlos Williams

“Gotham Writers’ Workshop: Writing Fiction”

Discussions:

I will be emphasizing on short short stories and fiction for the next few months due to my increasing interest in writing in both styles. If anyone has any suggestions or would like me to tackle a specific topic related to these styles please leave a comment below. I would love to have an online discussion on this topic and involve as many writers as possible.

Thank you to all my followers and regular readers that continue to stick with me and read my work! I am deeply grateful for your attention and dedication.

-Alina

Response to Jane Eyre and Discussion on Creating Complex Characters

December 1, 2017April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

I recently finished reading for nth time Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (first published 1847) I find myself usually rereading this novel every winter out of habit. I love this novel for so many different reasons but the main one being that Jane is smart, witty and stands up for herself which should not be taken lightly. The novel is set in the early to mid 19th century and revolves around the story of Jane Eyre from her youth to adult years. Her life story is full of loneliness, pain, seclusion, and hardship. The main subject of the novel is the love story between Jane and Mr. Rochester, a man about twenty years her senior who hires Jane as a governess for a child he has taken into his home. Besides the love story, a plot which is full of drama and secrets, there are aspects of the novel that really stand out to me.

I am a Writer, obviously, and I do like to write in short fiction. Fiction is a genre that resounds with me on a creative level whenever I may have too many words for just poems. The issue of creating characters that are not one dimensional is one of the elements that I find myself occupied with the most. I have read multiple books with advice on how to create lifelike three-dimensional characters through writing and I found myself amazed (yet again) when reading Bronte’s writing the details and layers that she uses in making Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester so complex. A reoccurring theme in most of the books on fiction writing that I read is that adding complexities to your character (for instance a character that hates liars but in fact lies constantly) is one of the ways in which your character can come to life. A key piece of advice that keeps popping up for me now is also, “Show, don’t tell.” Which is a part of my writing that I have struggled with from the beginning.

How do I show readers through words what my character is like as a person? How do I do this through dialogue, action, and narration without making my writing feel forced?

I know this is not a new question and it is a possibility that whoever reads this post may be dealing with the same obstacles in their own writing. If so, I would love to read some comments on how you, as a writer, try to create complex lifelike characters, what books have you read? what advice have you heard?

As for me, here are a few books that I have read (or am reading) that have been invaluable in my constant learning to write regardless if its fiction, prose, or poetry.

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

Bird by Bird: Some Instruction on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

I am constantly searching for more books about writing, how to write, and study literature. If anyone has any suggestions please leave them in a comment below! If you would like me to respond to a question about writing please also feel free to message me or leave the question in a comment below!

Thank you so much to all my readers (new and old) for taking time out of your day to read my writing! I hope you will return in the future!

-Alina

Reflection/Response: Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice

November 23, 2017April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

I have most recently finished Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. These two novels are classics of the western European literary tradition and question social status, class, and gender-related issues of 19th century England. I enjoyed both for different reasons and at the same time had my own complications with the two.

Pride and Prejudice (published 1813)

The characters are vibrant and possess a lot of stubborn vigor when it comes to family and gossip. The socio-cultural habits of middle-class and upper-class (somewhat royalty) families are the main subject of this book revolving around complicated marriages, friendships, and of course the tumultuous romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I enjoyed reading this novel again purely because the dialogue is extremely witty and the plot is full of plenty of drama. My complication, or struggle, with this book is probably the same as anyone else’s Elizabeth and Darcy’s behavior, mainly their stubbornness and arrogance which is sometimes frustrating and painful to read. I love Elizabeth for her honest and straight-forward ‘say-it-like-it-is’ style which I think is refreshing to read and comforting. Overall it is a novel I would read again at any opportunity.

Wuthering Heights (published 1847)

This is a much darker more tragic novel than Pride and Prejudice, it is not a happy romance. Lockwood rents a home from Heathcliff and what results is a long story told to Lockwood by Nelly, a housekeeper about the complicated history of Heathcliff and Catherine’s love and the generation after. Illness, madness (mental illness), rage, and abuse are consistent throughout. There are mysterious elements in this novel such as ghost stories and apparitions, and I believe this could be considered a Gothic Novel. My complication with this story was the role of Nelly, she is the narrator and ultimately a complete meddler in people’s affairs but she has no family, few friends, and is a life-long servant to the two main households in the story making Nelly, in my opinion, an equally complex character to that of Heathcliff and Catherine. I found this novel interesting and heart-wrenching but I gradually became more curious about the possible inspiration or reasons that Emily Bronte would write such a book. Overall I am impressed by this novel and I have been struggling to think of anything I’ve ever read that could be similar to it that is from the same century.

I wanted to give brief reflections on these two novels, to keep it short and sweet. Usually, I would include a little background info on Emily Bronte and Jane Austen but I am thinking about posting a small summary of the lives of Emily and Charlotte Bronte as well as Jane Austen sometime soon. I am currently reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte for the nth time (it is one of my all-time favorites) I have no idea how many times I have read this novel but it is incredible and I love it, do expect a reflection/response post to this novel as well!

Thank you for reading my reflections and writing, I hope that you will return in the future!

-Alina