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Literary Fangirl

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Read-A-Thon! Eat to Read Mini-Challenge [Oct. 24th, 2009|02:44 pm]
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I am home from SC, I have run errands, I have unpacked, I have had lunch, I have my jammies on, and now I'm going to get as much of the Read-A-Thon in as I can today.  Already my eyes are tired, and I've only just sat down!

Eat to Read Mini-Challenge Entry
I've got a bottle of water and a glass of Haus cider beside me for my first participating hour.  At the ready: a full supply of cookies, popcorn, coffee, cocoa, chips, and other, more substantial food, like salad and sandwich stuff for later. 

But specifically, I'm looking forward to munching on Spekulatius cookies and drinking a nice cup of Raven's Brew coffee (thank you, [info]alaskanmermaid ).  And for a special treat later (if I come near finishing even ONE book): cream soda.  

I love read-a-thons.  Best calorie dump evar!





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Leaving. Again. [Oct. 12th, 2009|01:30 pm]
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Just as I'm winding things down from this summer and getting everything ironed out for fall, I'm leaving again.

Miss V and I will be road tripping to South Carolina mid-week, staying until sometime next week.  This is a Cool Thing (TM) because I read Paper Towns last week and am all about hitting the road right now. 

I will be taking [info]sboman 's revision and the following books:

Yes, I plan to do a LOT of reading. Add to that about 24 hours of audiobooking (TBD), and I might just get caught up on books for the year.

Okay. 

I have two dozen things to do before tonight.  And my goal is to have all of it done before 8pm, so that I can cuddle up with Rose & Co. as I get deep into [info]blue_succubus 's Blood Promise.

I LOVE BOOKS, GUYS!

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Grounded. From Writing. No Lie. [Sep. 17th, 2009|12:16 pm]
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[Current Music |There's Only One - Caedmon's Call]

Last Saturday I had a complete manuscript-related breakdown that culminated in big fat baby tears and me saying, "This is STUPID and it makes NO SENSE and I HATE IT and CAN YOU PLEASE TORCH MY WRITING FOREVERRRRR?"

Boy, the wise, handsome man that he is, sat down next to me.  Put his hand on my shoulder.  Asked, "Can you, at this point in time, even tell me what the book is about?"

I sniffled and hiccuped and cried more.  "No?  Because it's STUPID and it makes NO SENSE and--"

He stopped me, hugged me, and said, "What are you trying to do?"

Line edits.  I told him so. 

He said he loved me, he liked the book, and because he thought I was a little insane at the moment, he took all my book-related files from my computer.  Made a disk image, locked it from me.  Copied stuff for his safe keeping.  Took all my notes, all my related notebooks, all my index cards.  Hid them somewhere, probably in his shop, because it takes a lot for me to go in there (I'm SO allergic).

I'm partway through a mandatory two-week vacation from my writing.  And now?  Now I'm trying to figure out what AWFUL and HIDEOUS thing I can do to make him extend it for a month.  

Yeah, it was really, really good to get away from the story for a while. 

Today's Verity's first day of preschool.  I subbed in her old class for two hours this morning, but it felt like 4 hours because of no breakfast, no coffee, the Headache of '09 (it's been more or less one continual, yearlong headache, really), and this one kid who kept making escapes.  I ran more this morning than I have all year.

But HEY, I am BLOGGING and that is ALL KINDS OF WIN.

During my break, I've been reading and catching up on the housework that's gotten shuffled into the background, working on getting the Sr. High drama team off the ground again after a summer of next to nothing, figuring V's homeschooling fun out, and planning V's birthday party.  SHE TURNS 4 ON TUESDAY OMG.  *faints*  

And now, I get to plan a trip south for October!  SWEET!  @wodhaund, you and me, coffee & writing.  You promised.

The reading: Liked LITTLE BROTHER.  Loved CATCHING FIRE.  Liked WICKED LOVELY.  Loving INK EXCHANGE and my heart is breaking over BEFORE, AFTER, AND SOMEBODY IN BETWEEN.  So glad to be reading!  *pets the reading*  It's so lovely.
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Outloud, we're telling your secrets (The Sugarcult Game) [Jul. 7th, 2009|02:14 pm]
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My icon? It's pretty much a mirror image of the outside today. SOOOOO pretty. V is at lake (really, a swimmin' hole) for a few hours with [info]cynthiamary and the second cousins.
BEFORE I FORGET! 


This AMAZINGFUNBOOKOFAWE is out!  Go congratulate [info]lisamantchev  for creating a WHOLE NEW WORLD OF FUN for us to explore!

Also, it is the 9th anniversary of my engagement to Boy!  Which means my mom's eleventy-first birthday is tomorrow!  (okay, she'll only be 69!)

 
* * * * * 

Friday night was one of those superduperfun nights with Boy. Most nights are good, but we made up a new game, called simply, "Sugarcult."

How to play:
  • Grab a Sugarcult CD. We listened to Lights Out.
  • Sugarcult's music is FIERCE but it's also extremely derivative.
  • Listen to the first few seconds of a song.
  • Whoever can come up with the band that particular song is modeled after wins.
  • BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
  • Listen to the song in its entirety.
  • Because it may SWITCH INFLUENCES in the middle.
  • OR NEAR THE END.
  • For real!
No kidding! A single Sugarcult song can go Nirvana-Toadies-Buggles ALL WITHIN FIVE MINUTES!

I'm sure there's a way to win, but we didn't care about that. We had so, so much fun. We got near the end of Lights Out, and I was like, BUT THEY DIDN'T STEAL FROM U2! GOOD FOR THEM! And then boom--there it was. The Edge all over the place. Two songs in a row! WACKYFUN!

* * * * * *

The writing?  Well, I have made it to the climax of the revision.  This is where the plot is giving me problems.  So my job this week is to examine those problems and come with alternatives to bounce off BookMommy.  I already have two endings -- one from the original, one from the first revision.  So I have to figure out what worked, what didn't, and what needs to happen for it all to come together.  I hope to have a plan of action before the California trip.  Crossing fingers here. 

Other stuff is going on right now, but that's enough chatter for now.

Read Eyes Like Stars!  Play Sugarcult!  Keep yer fingers crossed for my dumb-bunny brain! 

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Give Up the Ghost Quizlet! [Jul. 6th, 2009|09:28 pm]
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BOUGHT today. [Jun. 27th, 2009|12:30 pm]
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  1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  2. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  3. Pinocchio by C. Collodi
  4. Andersen's Fairy Tales (great early 20th century version; illustrated, some of the front pages missing)
  5. The Giver by Lois Lowry
  6. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
  7. Charlotte's Web by EB White
  8. Christmas Dreams: Four Stories in the Portraits of Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott and Susan Beth Pfeffer
  9. Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi
  10. Box Car Children #3: The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
  11. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
  12. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
  13. Emma Watson by Joan Aiken and Jane Austen
  14. Rat City by Curt Colbert
  15. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  16. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  17. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
  18. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
  19. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
  20. They Shall See God by Athol Dickson
  21. The Beloved Invader by Eugenia Price
  22. These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon
  23. The Great Pierpont Morgan by Frederick Lewis Allen
  24. Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw
Plus three Pooh movies, twelve woodworking books and five woodworking magazines for K and Boy.

Grand Total: 
   $23.25

Thank you, Salem Library!  And please, Ohioans, please check this link out.
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SHIVER! [May. 14th, 2009|08:00 pm]
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[info]authorwithin  personally invited me to join the team!  I am never invited to join teams, so, in hopes of doing everything right, I'm TOTALLY COPYING HER POST (b/c I don't follow directions well at ALL, see:  ELIZA'S COOKING FIASCOS).

Team Raving Pen needs your help! So all my friends out there in blogging land, if you haven't already joined a team, please join Team Raving Pen. We are up to about 20 team members and we need about 30 more team members since we are shooting for at least 50 to double the ARC love.

 

Team Goading The Pen and

[info]ravelda  have formed an alliance.  Here is what you get if you join our team Raving Pen!
Everybody on the new team is entered for a giveaway for an ARC of EYES LIKE STARS.

 

Everybody on the new team shares the ARC of SHIVER, determined by random number. (Starting with #1 the first person reads and then mails to the next person on the list and so on. Last person on the list will get to keep the ARC)

Everybody on the new team is entered to decide who gets one of 4 signed copies of Lament. (We are giving away all four.)

Come on, join the team!

Here are the details of Maggie's contest:

Maggie Stiefvater is having a contest here: A Better Way To Get a Shiver ARC

Winner gets:
- a signed ARC of SHIVER
- 4 signed copies of LAMENT
- and for each of the friends that you got to comment, a critique of the first 5 pages of any of their manuscripts.

And if any single person manages to get over 50 friends to comment, I'll make it 3 ARCs of SHIVER and 8 copies of LAMENT. (With your help we can do this! Just copy and paste this entire post into your blog and then go comment on Maggie's blog that you did it for Team Raving Pen!)
In Short the person who gets the most people to join there team by posting:
1. A picture of the Shiver Book Cover
2. A description of Shiver
3. A link to the pre-order page
4. Letting her know that they have posted and who they are posting for: HERE

Copy and Paste this post and post on your blog. Then go here:
http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/105279.html
And let Maggie know you posted for Team Raving Pen!

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace forever.

Pre-Order Shiver Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shiver-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0545123267/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241744679&sr=1-2

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Summer Movies. [May. 4th, 2009|03:07 pm]
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Just because I feel like posting.  Movies out in the next few months I'm at least a little interested in.

Star Trek.  I was a Trekkie.  I hadn't seen Star Wars, but I loved Chekov, Wesley, and Bashir from the first three series.  Clearly, I liked the brainy Beta males to the Alphas (my best friend in Jr. High loved Kirk, Riker, and Sisko--Alpha-lover much?)  I never watched Voyager.  "The City on the Edge of the Forever" made me cry, just like it was supposed to.  Star Trek IV is my favorite of the movies.  Because of teh funnehs! 

I owned a copy of the Kingon dictionary, but my best friend wanted it and had a copy of the Newsies novelization (in which Spot is a redhead omg no!) so I traded her, even though the Klingon dictionary was WAY more expensive.  BUT NEWSIES OMG BALE.

One of my favorite scenes of all time comes from the Star Trek OS book How Much For Just the Planet? and involved Chekov running around with a golf club yelling, "My name is Pavel Andrevich Chekov!"  That book was teh funnehs, too!  They could make this movie A-MAY-ZING! or they can make it utter fail.  I'm interested, nonetheless. 

THOSE WERE THE GEEKIEST THREE PARAGRAPHS I HAVE EVER WRITTEN.  

BTW, I still think Tricorders are cooler than iPhones.  And i LOOOOVE iPhones.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!  SQUEEEEEE!  SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  *dances and hops and stuff*  If the last entry left ANY doubt in your mind about the geekiness of me....

Terminator: Salvation
. BALE!  BALE!  BALE BEING AWESOME!  I know the writing won't compare to The Dark Knight (if comes anywhere close, I will be ecstatic), but I've enjoyed the whole Terminator franchise, from worst-ever chase scene in the first film (you know, the one where they CRAWL the whole climax?) to River Summer Glau's sweet menacing innocent fierceness.  COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.  

Up.  Pixar.  'Nuff said.  This might be a drive-in movie with Verity.  AND PIZZA, lots and lots of PIZZA!  AND CANDIES!

Public Enemies.  BALE IN 1930s!!!!!!!!!! MY LIFE IS SOOOO GOOOOD. Also, Johnny Depp as John Dillinger!  Emelie de Ravin!  Giovanni Ribisi!  Lots of other cool people!  But mostly BALE! 

My Sister's Keeper.  Part of me is cringing as I wonder how badly this complex story will be screwed up.  The other part of me is extremely happy for Jodi Picout.  I'm more interested in The Lovely Bones, but I know eventually I will have to see this.  Couldn't have picked a better Campbell Alexander than Alec Baldwin, though.  I DO hope this will be one of the movies Cameron Diaz decided to, you know, ACT in.  She can do it.  We saw it in ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.  C'mon, Cameron.  Don't be you.  Abigail Breslin will astound me if she doesn't nail Anna, though.  THEY ARE LIKE THE SAME PERSON.

What else am I missing?  This fall, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE will be on my to-see list, fo' sho!









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My head is exploding and that is Not Awesome. [Mar. 24th, 2009|08:17 pm]
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MG and YA writers?  You have to go add [info]slappy11  to your regular reading list.  He's one of my friend's sons, and HE IS YOUR AUDIENCE if you're trying to write anything for MG and YA.  Technically, he's still supposed to just be venturing into MG, but he's WAY AWESOME and an INCREDIBLE WRITER and GETS BOOKS.  

So go, read, introduce yourself, ask questions, get to know this awesome kid.

Fo' serious. 

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Friday Five: I'm sorry I blanked your blank [Mar. 20th, 2009|01:26 pm]
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Five awesome things on a chilly Friday afternoon.

1.  Received package of[info]anghara 's WORLDWEAVERS series.  Dove into said series.  Loving said series.  Fangirling to follow, I'm sure.  Thea is so totally a young Hayden Panettiere in my brain.  This will easily lend itself to icon making.  Also, it reminds me that I have a bunch of Heroes to catch up on, and I intend to do so this weekend!

2.  Reading fics by[info]annpendragon  and manuscript by[info]sboman  and everything is rocking so hard for them.  You guys...wow.  After I'm done with that, I get to dig into [info]alaskanmermaid 's manscript, and I'm soooo excited for it.  I love reading stuff I get, and I get all of these peoples' worlds so much.  LOVE that.  That makes me SOOO happy.

3.  And if I do run out of awesome stuff to read by my LJ friends,[info]anghara ,[info]annpendragon , [info]alaskanmermaid  and[info]sboman , I have ENVY, the latest LUXE novel, waiting for me at the library.  HUZZAH. 

4.  ALSO, CITY OF GLASS COMES OUT NEXT WEEK AND I HAVE PREORDERED IT SO I WILL GET TO READ IT AS SOON AS IT COMES TO MY HOUSE YOU GUYS I LOVE[info]cassandraclare !!!

5.  And the best thing EVER?  My mom, who is MADE OF AWESOME, PURE AWESOME, went shopping for me.  She's the best shopping buddy I've ever had, because she's honest and has an eye for stuff I'll like.  She sent a package with SIX AWESOME TOPS that she got on sale.  HUZZAH!  HUZZAH!  HUZZAH!  $82.00 worth of stuff for less than $30.  Also, package received a childrens version of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES!  My mom is so cool.  My mom is cooler than everyone.  My mom is The Wow. 
 

I love books!  I love clothes!  I love my mommy!

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Ooohcontest! [Mar. 17th, 2009|01:50 am]
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Lindsay Leavitt.  Contest.  Books!  Critique!  GO!
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RCVRY Monday: Dreamin' of the open space [Mar. 16th, 2009|11:42 am]
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Lots of catch-up to do.  I didn't even crack open my MacBook yesterday.  THE BUSY IS UPON ME!

Okay.  Where did I leave off?  Thursday night.  Writing.  LOTS OF GOOD WRITING OF WHICH I AM NOT ASHAMED!  Wrote a scene I was nervous about, since it's the same basic scene as in both the first draft and the revision-that-failed.  I had to keep the same basic action in it, but I wanted a lighter mood from Anna, and the conversation had to be about 85% different, since I'm supposed to cut back on that subplot.  But the same basic actions had to happen. 

And I don't hate it. 

This is good.

Friday.  Um.  I did some stuff on Friday.  I just don't know what.  Toward the end of Friday, we packed up and went to Camp David* to hang out and watch Dollhouse.  Verity loves Deacon most of all.  And the Proprietors love Verity enough to not get mad over spills.   Even if the stuff spilled is the equivalent of Black Gold.  Thank you, Proprietors!

Then it was off to Boy's parents' house.  We spent the night there, and I left when morning was just happening.  Off to the very best cafe in the area, Friends Roastery.  I rarely get to go there, because when we're in Salem, we're usually there dropping The V Thing off or picking her up, with a little layover for lunch.  But I really love that place.  I'd move back to Salem for that place. 

It reminds me TONS of the Tea Lounges in Brooklyn.  More the Cobble Hill location than the now-closed Park Slope one.  Only no sofas, and smaller.  But still.  Makes me feel like I'm in Brooklyn, and that is a VERY GOOD THING.

Stayed there until about 2:00, and then it was back to Camp David to pick up my cell phone (THANKS, PROPRIETORS!), and back up to Youngstown for a late lunch and Doctor Who.  Then boom, library, where I picked up What I Saw and How I Lied, and did some research on prewar fashion.

Then, off to church, where I was to watch children during a MOPS dinner.  Beth and I ended up having 16 kids between the ages of 2 and 6. 

It was insane, and I'm still hurting.

Boy and Babykid were still with his parents.  They'd gone out of town to his aunt's birthday party, and I hear most of his (large) family was there.  Which is cool.  Guess what?  I didn't feel guilt about not going!  Huzzah!  They stayed Saturday night at his parents' again.

Which means I spent the night, in my house, alone.

O!  Glorious quietude!  

Except for this part:


When I finally went to bed, I turned on the white noise machine because it would've been too quiet otherwise.

Sunday morning, I went to Sr. High, did our thang, found out like, NONE of my girls can make it to the girls' retreat in April (WAIL!  I like them so much!), and then skipped on on proper church (hey, I"d be going to third service, be nice!).  I went back to Friends and grabbed a mocha and read about half of What I Saw and How I Lied.  Then lunch with Boy and his parents and The V Thing.  Then off to a friend's house for hummus a jewelery party.  I scored a LOVELY bracelet!  Huzzah!  And there was hummus!  Huzzah!  And I met friend's family, and they are Huzzah!  Julie, your mom is a riot! 

Then it was BACK to church AGAIN for the THIRD time in TWO days and the NINTH time in SEVEN days.  

I kid you not.

We need a gas and mileage reimbursment fund.  Srsly.

Drama practice came first last night, and the KIDS WERE AMAZING.  I am SO excited, and so glad to work with all of them.  They come in with such good attitudes, and such an openness, and I just love all of them tons.  I left practice feeling really good about it all.  I'd forgotten how much I loved working in drama and theater.  How fulfulling it was.  My co-coordinator, Kari, also rocks like you wouldn't believe.  She's smart, she's cool, and I like getting to know her better.

Although I think that, by the end of the summer, if we hear Lifehouse's "Everything" one more time, our brains will fry.

Then third service, which was great, and the guest speaker was really good, with some funny stories to tell. 

Cool things are happening in this world, guys. 
In the midst of everything bad, there is still good that thrives.


I had a pretty awful migraine the last half of the day, so on the way home, Boy was amazing and massaged my neck and shoulders.  And once home, I went right to bed.  Slept until about 2:30, got up, and brainstormed a bit for upcoming chapters and read.


Finished these two books this morning.  Reviews forthcoming!


Current music love: "Street Fight" by Hedley.

Got in a street fight,
With the I.R.S and I'm all right,
Took one to the chest but I'm fine,
It's all coming up roses.
Call me 'The White Guy With A Real Bad Case Of That Pink Eye'
But it's just a reflection of roses,
It's all coming up roses.


 
* To newcomers, it's not that Camp David.  It's what we call my best friend's house.  

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Combat the Bad: BOOKS FTW! [Mar. 12th, 2009|09:57 pm]
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So I went to B&N tonight (more about that later) and on my way out, I went to ogle this book:

and I got a VERY COOL SHOCK in finding this book out, too!

 
Our B&N never releases early.  Ever.  I want  them to, but no.  They don't.  And then this!  Yay!  [info]onegrapeshy , my B&N loves you! 

By the way, SAY THE WORD is a VERY good book, and according to [info]leahclifford , THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is, too!  Both are un-put-down-able.  Books, FTW!

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Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee [Mar. 10th, 2009|09:52 pm]
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Summary: The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part, that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take.

Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing. Shawna’s honest and relatable voice will draw readers in and hold them until the last page in this coming-of-age story. Jeannine Garsee has delivered a compulsively readable second novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

My thoughts: Wow, to be compared to Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson? That's a tall order. But it's totally appropriate. Say the Word is one of those books that, even as you're reading it, you're growing. Shawna is a completely real person, even when she's being "Perfect Shawna." But as she's forced to deal with betrayals and perceived wrongs from everyone around her, the perfection is stripped away, and Shawna sees herself as we see her: not a robot or trained pony, but an emotionally intelligent, loving human being.

I related to Shawna more than I've related to a character in a long time. In high school, I tried to be That Person. By the time I was about seventeen, I realized I could no longer live for someone else's expectations, and, with my own life falling down around me, I finally had to step out and be my own person. For me, it took a few years more, and I'm still dealing with a lot of those things...and avoiding some others. And, even though the book is "over" for me, I know Shawna's still dealing, too.

All that to say that [info]onegrapeshy has created a fully relatable character, and around that character, a fully relevant story. This isn't a book to read alone--it hits so many issues on so many levels that it deservers to be talked about in depth. I'd totally recommend this for a book club--adult or teen.

Say the Word comes out March 17!
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How I Read. [Mar. 7th, 2009|06:37 am]
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I started writing this post when I was feeling great, and doing the evaluations. 

When I pick up a book, I really, really want to like it.  I want to be all Fangirl-Squee about it.

Even if I'm dreading reading a book for whatever reason (i.e.The Shack), I want to be proven wrong.  I want to be surprised.  

I do not want to feel like I wasted my time.

I am extremely forgiving if there's a little problem here, or a little trip there. 

I do nitpick, but my nitpicking doesn't often stand in the way of my enjoyment of a book.

I think this is because I'm a learning writer.  Nitpicking and analyzing and comprehending what I'm reading is part of my pseudo-apprenticeship. 

The books I love the most are ones where I am 100% interested in the character.  A strong plot is a definite plus, but there are a lot of books I read that take me forever to get through because the characters aren't pulling me through.

This is probably why so much nonfiction takes me two or three times to get through. 

I love effortless narrative.  It challenges me more than literary prose.

I get jealous when a writer "Has me at hello."  Because I don't know how to do that yet.  

Your goal as a writer: make me jealous. If you make me jealous, you will also have a diehard fangirl.  See[info]lisamantchev  for a writer who makes me jealous, but also made me a diehard fangirl.  Also, see icon, for such fangirly fangirnesses. :-D

There are only a handful of books that I enjoy disliking.  The Alchemist is one of them.  BAH ON THAT BOOK!  BAH ON EVERYONE WHO LIKED IT!  //end bah, resume friendship

Even if I really didn't like a book, I'll probably read something else from that author.  I like giving second chances.  It makes me feel good inside.

Pete Hamill is one of the authors who I was VERY disappointed in.  I read Forever and was just terribly disappointed.  So I read Snow in August.  And was disappointed.  I WANTED TO LIKE IT.  I like him, I wanted to like his book.  So then I read North River and OMG IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!  And my heart gets happy whenever I think of that book.  See?  PROVE ME WRONG!

I drink a lot of water when I read.

I love to read in my jammies.  LOVE IT IT IS THE MOST FUNNEST THING I CAN THINK OF.  Sometimes.

I pity any author who's writing in a genre in which I write.  Because that's when I pay the most attention.

I am afraid to write reviews for anything I didn't LOVELOVELOVE.  I've gotten comments from authors, and it makes me feel bad that they actually read the thoughts of dumb little me. 

I really think it's in poor taste to defend yourself in a response to a review.  Even if you're nice, it kind of puts the reader off. 

And I feel awful saying that much.  

I hate reviews that are actually summaries.  That annoys me so much.  I DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THE PLOT!  IF I WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT I WILL READTHEBOOK.
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I'm a New Jersey success story [Feb. 26th, 2009|04:02 pm]
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I woke up excited to write this morning.  That hasn't happened in a while.  Not that writing has ever been drudgery, but this morning I was really excited for it again.  I'm not terrified (at the moment).  I can imagine my book being acceptable again!  Yay!

I had a list of things I needed to do today when I got home.  Got back from preschool to see Boy had done everything.  Well, everything but read the book I need to finish today.  But still.  Dude.  Yay!

And in the mailbox?  A signed copy of THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY by Kathryn Fitzmaurice! Huzzah!

I'm feeling a lot like what I imagine poo feels like on a daily basis, so now that I have no housework to do, I'm going to rest.  Because rest would rock my socks. 
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I can has vision? And EYES LIKE STARS! [Feb. 19th, 2009|11:30 am]
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Church this morning.  On the way, it was a complete white-out.  And slipalee.  Eek!

I posted my review of EYES LIKE STARS over on my main review Web site, but, um, my love for this book cannot be contained to a single post.  

SO HERE IS MORE!  PLUS FANGIRLY ICON OF LUUUUUVVVV!  I want Bertie to be my friend!  Will she be my friend, Lisa?  Will she?
------

All her world's a stage.

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.

She's not an orphan, but she has no parents.

She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.

Until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book--an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family--and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

My thoughts: I was totally pumped to receive this ARC, and I was even more pumped to read it! I was physically unable to put it down (I think my copy was enchanted), and it took all of my willpower to not toss Lisa a message every time there was a plot twist or a character revelation or a funny line. Which was every few pages. Seriously.

When we did talk, I told her I wasn't looking forward to writing this review, because it would be hard to tamp down my enthusiasm.

This was exactly the book I wanted to read.

Here are some of the other things I told her, at the risk of enlarging her amazing head:

The word that kept coming back to me as I read it was effortless. The humor works perfectly, and the dialogue rivals that of the Gilmore Girls--only it's a lot more genuine. The cast--and it is a large cast, since, you know, every character from every play lives in the Theater--was handled deftly, and even the minor characters shine.

I was worried when I started, afraid that worldbuilding could have weighted the manuscript down. That's the problem with coming up with something so unique, so fresh--most writers don't know how to make it work. I'm always terribly interested in the workings of the world in which characters I like live, but oftentimes it gets in the way of plot. Again, the word effortless pops up. Mantchev tells the reader just what they need to know to make the story viable--no more--and leaves the rest up to the imagination...or perhaps the next books in the series.

And the voice?

Oh wow, the voice rocks my socks. Glib but tinted with mystery, new but old, curious and straightforward, the contradictions only add depth and flavor to an already solid plot.

As for the characters, I fear saying much because their stories are so tightly woven that I might give spoilers. Trust me, you don't want spoilers. You just want to experience the magic that is this book.

And I think that's what's been missing from a lot of fantasy stories: real magic. But Eyes Like Stars has magic and so much more. Can't wait for the next installment to get here!

This book isn't out until June, but you can pre-order on Amazon. And you should. Fo' real.



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What I'm Reading [Jan. 30th, 2009|08:42 am]
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I'm shifting all my attention now to Drood, Dan Simmons's new novel, primarily because it is 800 pages and, well, 800 pages demands attention.  It comes out in February, so I wanted to make sure I got it good and read! 

I'm a bigger fan of Wilkie Collins than of Dickens, and you guys know I love Victorian stuff, so I jumped at the chance to review this.  I love the narrative voice--it has all the snark of a masculine friend turned acquaintance, and is strong even through the backstory setup.  Reminiscent of Caleb Carr's The Alienist, Drood is full of interesting detail and richly textured scenes of real Dickensian London.  

On June 9, 1865, while traveling by train to London with his secret mistress, 53-year-old Charles Dickens--at the height of his powers and popularity, the most famous and successful novelist in the world and perhaps in the history of the world--hurtled into a disaster that changed his life forever.

Did Dickens begin living a dark double life after the accident? Were his nightly forays into the worst slums of London and his deepening obsession with corpses, crypts, murder, opium dens, the use of lime pits to dissolve bodies, and a hidden subterranean London mere research . . . or something more terrifying?

Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens's friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), DROOD explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, DROOD is Dan Simmons at his powerful best.

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Combat the Bad: The Page Flipper has Debs! [Jan. 30th, 2009|07:53 am]
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So everyone's beloved Chelsea, The Page Flipper, vlogged her "In My Mailbox" this week.  Which is awesome.  Among the books are [info]anywherebeyond 's SHADOWED SUMMER, [info]lisamantchev 's EYES LIKE STARS (which, so far, is cool, unique, and fun -- I'm thinking about icon sets already), [info]mandywriter 's PRADA AND PREJUDICE, and [info]jenniferjabaley 's LIPSTICK APOLOGY.


The [info]debut2009  community has done an amazing job promoting their books.  Whenever I saw one of their books pop up, I got all excited.  I think that's the beauty of blogging for authors.  It gives their blog readers a sense of ownership.  And when you've been a longtime reader and seen the whole process, from struggling with the ms to finally landing an agent, to the shopping and the sale, to revisions and proofs -- I don't know.  It's just really cool to be able to cheer others on through it all and watch their successes. 

So here's how we're going to combat the bad the next few weeks: every time us not-there-yet writers see books of this year's debut authors, we're going to rejoice.  And when we can, we're going to promote. 

They've let us into their world.  They've shared wisdom and struggle.  That's awesome, and it deserves to be rewarded.

[info]debut2009 , you are made of awesome!

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I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS! [Jan. 28th, 2009|05:12 pm]
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I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS!
I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS!
I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS!
I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS!
I GOT AN ARC OF EYES LIKE STARS!

[info]lisamantchev  is AWESOME!!!!!!!!  Thank you, [info]lisamantchev !  I am so looking forward to reading your book!

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