The Daily Reader: 366 Selections of Great Prose and Poetry to Inspire a Productive and Meaningful Writing Life

by Fred White

Let Great Reading Fuel Your WritingGreat writers read–voraciously and across many topics and genres. They read to learn, to research, to study the style of others, and to improve their own work. They read because they love the written word. But becoming well read takes time, dedication, and patience. The thought can be daunting–especially when you're eager to get to your own writing.

Fred White, author of "The Daily Writer," helps you sort through the plethora of reading material available by providing you with 366 engaging excerpts from ancient poetry to modern science, on topics from allegory to food to writer's block. Each thoughtfully chosen excerpt is followed by a brief reflection and a prompt that allows you to integrate elements from each piece into your own writing.

"The Daily Reader" makes broad reading accessible, invigorates your thirst for the written word, and equips you to put the power of the pros behind your writing.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Books About Books, Poetry, Reference

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of readings from various genres that can expose a reader and/or writer to new topics, styles, and ideas. I would never have read anything from many of these texts without this book, and it's fun to find new books that I might want to read in full.

The book also features writing activities related to each text. These were hit-or-miss for me, but that's to be expected. Some of the ones that weren't my style might appeal to other people. Occasionally, the writing suggestions seemed quite similar to the example text, and it would be nice to see something inspired but more removed from the original source--encouraging writers to do something new rather than follow in someone's footsteps. Of course, they're just suggestions, and readers might find themselves inspired to go in a different direction.

I like the discipline involved with a daily reader, and my favourite part was the diversity of the passages. There was plenty of fiction and non-fiction, and there's an index broken down by topic for easy reference later. It combined sections from books I've wondered about, books I've never heard of, and even books I already love, and it's helped to expand my reading list and give me a few thoughts to add to my list of writing ideas.

[Stanley Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting daily reader, I found a few books that I wanted to read after reading about them in this book. There were plenty of other works mentioned that did not inspire me to either read them or even read the full daily reading version, but what can one say as no one can excite and inspire everyone for 365 times without a few duds. Excellent work otherwise and highly recommended for readers and writers…SLT

[Meghan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic selection of readings, one per day, to last the year. It includes a wide variety of genres, topics, and writers and varies between both fiction and non-fiction. Some selections were less interesting that others, and some inspired me to look into the books they were chosen from.

[S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A handy reference for writers, The Daily Reader replaces the typical writing prompts found in similar books with examinations of specific literary works and the themes or concepts involved for each day of the year. Guaranteed to keep you busy if you try to keep up with it on a daily basis.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in tandem with The Daily Writer...together these books created a really enjoyable reading experience.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so I cheated and read ahead to finish this book one month ahead of schedule. 31 Subjects, for subject for each possible day of the month, covering the various sciences, arts, history, religion, literature (by time periods), different 20th century genres, memoir/biography, and of course, one day for "on writing."
My interest was piqued beyond expectation when reading the excerpts from disciplines I would normally not have an interest in. Of the 366 books introduced, I have read 19 books, and I found another 23 that I would like to read; opening doors never sought after.
Thank you honey for this Christmas gift.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Daily Reader is comprehensive and encompassing in its delectable selection of prose and poetry. This book will expand the mind of the writer by reading from renowned literary works and then help him or her exercise critical thinking on the way to stretching the writer's creative limbs with the suggested writing exercises. In one year and one day, by lapping up Fred White's 366-page buffet of literary servings, a once troubled or "blocked" writer will surely come out all fired up again and scribbling.

[Claire]

Saving it for later. no time now