Reading like a writer

Ms. Prose (is that a psuedonym?!) begins with a question: is it possible to teach creative writing? She answers herself with a roundabout Yes, and goes on to show us that you learn by reading, by inhaling the structure, details, characters, sentences, paragraphs of the masters. The book itself is like a crash course in reading-- she snips dialogue and paragraphs, explains why they're so juicy and perfect, showcasing the spectrum (excellence both with sparse and overflowing detail).

The book ends with her list of "Books to be read immediately" (god bless, Francine!), of which I've sampled many, but will use as my roadmap along with Bloom's recent recommendations to navigate my reading route for the next year(s).