This book delivers what it says. It categorizes all of the possible fiction and nonfiction genres and tells you about them each in turn. It tells you what to look for in each case. So the essential thing for that is Curiosity; if you aren't interested in the subject you won't be able to find out anything from it. Through this book, you could also get some good writing advice.

It also has a list of suggested authors and works by those authors at the end of the book.

This book is what I expected, so it's not that bad. ( )

I was struggling with Modern Poetry so I pick up this book for a read on the ride to Singapore and some other moments where I tend to be not in the mood for anything. Surprisingly, this book is useful even for casual reviewer for me and also students who do critical reviews in reading comprehension articles.

There were introduction to the basic forms of reading literature like fiction, non-fiction and other types of writing. Each are accompanied with its own examples which sometimes I just glaze through but some of the time, it provide guidance in analyzing something in the text like how to read and understand the content of an essay. How you have to focus on key words and phrases, re reading, main points and etc.

Its also added some chapters on the writing structure itself, like setting, themes, characterizations, climax, plots, progressive thinking, literary classics etc. There are also 101 on newspaper, memoirs and research. Instead of long hours of sitting in a chair and listening to paid people rambling about how you should do it, try reading this book first.

The last several chapters like "Testing Your Knowledge of Fiction" does help when you're on review-writing block like I'm having now. I especially like the one about "Identifying Figurative Language" which are always a problematic to me with my abysmal ability to comprehend poetry.

Albeit, a basic reference books but if you want some information on even the basic of things in critical reading which are used in school mostly, you should have a copy of this book on the side. ( )

I was struggling with Modern Poetry so I pick up this book for a read on the ride to Singapore and some other moments where I tend to be not in the mood for anything. Surprisingly, this book is useful even for casual reviewer for me and also students who do critical reviews in reading comprehension articles.

There were introduction to the basic forms of reading literature like fiction, non-fiction and other types of writing. Each are accompanied with its own examples which sometimes I just glaze through but some of the time, it provide guidance in analyzing something in the text like how to read and understand the content of an essay. How you have to focus on key words and phrases, re reading, main points and etc.

Its also added some chapters on the writing structure itself, like setting, themes, characterizations, climax, plots, progressive thinking, literary classics etc. There are also 101 on newspaper, memoirs and research. Instead of long hours of sitting in a chair and listening to paid people rambling about how you should do it, try reading this book first.

The last several chapters like "Testing Your Knowledge of Fiction" does help when you're on review-writing block like I'm having now. I especially like the one about "Identifying Figurative Language" which are always a problematic to me with my abysmal ability to comprehend poetry.

Albeit, a basic reference books but if you want some information on even the basic of things in critical reading which are used in school mostly, you should have a copy of this book on the side. ( )