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The Sound on the Page: Style and Voice in Writing

By Ben Yagoda

HarperResource, 304 pages, $23.95

Drawing on interviews with more than 40 authors–from Margaret Drabble to Peter Carey to Jamaica Kincaid to John Updike–this book is a stylish exploration of developing a distinctive voice and writing style. Practical and witty, it’s a helpful book that doesn’t devolve into self-help.