Thursday, December 15, 2011
Naming pets after beloved literary characters.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Maze Runner Trilogy
Hello all!
I recently finished reading The Maze Runner trilogy, by James Dashner. I read the first two probably a year ago, and I did put a very short review in an earlier post, but now Ill go a little more in depth with it.
The first book, The Maze Runner, starts off with the man character Thomas, waking up in a dark, metal box. He has no idea where he is, whats going on, or even who he is, aside from his name. The box starts to move, and when the top opens up, he sees a group of boys looking down on him. He soon learns that he has been placed in a large, farm like place the other boys call the glade. Large stone walls surround the glade, with doors that open every morning, and close every night. And on the other side of the walls lies a maze. A maze that doesn't appear to have a solution. A maze that fills with monsters every night when the doors close.
A few weeks after Thomas arrives, the box he arrived in opens again, and for the first time, the glade has a female resident. Teresa is unconscious when she is lifted out, and in her hand, a note that says 'She is the last one. Ever.' When she comes to, all she says is 'Everything is going to change,' and then passes back out. And she is right. Everything does change.
Without giving to much away, the second book, The Scorch Trials, and the third book, The Death Cure, are equally as enticing and equally as good of a read as The Maze Runner. I really enjoyed all three books, although I feel like the second and third could very well have been a single book. I also have to think that, by the end of the Death Trials, there were quite a few unanswered questions still in my mind. And that is one thing that annoys me quite a bit. Why mention something if you are just going to leave it up in the air, especially when you have finsihed the book in a way that there cannot be a sequel.
But I don't want to criticize to much, because I really did enjoy the books, and I definitely would recommend them. I find that I have a bit of a thing for dystopian novels, and if anyone has any suggestions of other, let me know!
I recently finished reading The Maze Runner trilogy, by James Dashner. I read the first two probably a year ago, and I did put a very short review in an earlier post, but now Ill go a little more in depth with it.
The first book, The Maze Runner, starts off with the man character Thomas, waking up in a dark, metal box. He has no idea where he is, whats going on, or even who he is, aside from his name. The box starts to move, and when the top opens up, he sees a group of boys looking down on him. He soon learns that he has been placed in a large, farm like place the other boys call the glade. Large stone walls surround the glade, with doors that open every morning, and close every night. And on the other side of the walls lies a maze. A maze that doesn't appear to have a solution. A maze that fills with monsters every night when the doors close.
A few weeks after Thomas arrives, the box he arrived in opens again, and for the first time, the glade has a female resident. Teresa is unconscious when she is lifted out, and in her hand, a note that says 'She is the last one. Ever.' When she comes to, all she says is 'Everything is going to change,' and then passes back out. And she is right. Everything does change.
Without giving to much away, the second book, The Scorch Trials, and the third book, The Death Cure, are equally as enticing and equally as good of a read as The Maze Runner. I really enjoyed all three books, although I feel like the second and third could very well have been a single book. I also have to think that, by the end of the Death Trials, there were quite a few unanswered questions still in my mind. And that is one thing that annoys me quite a bit. Why mention something if you are just going to leave it up in the air, especially when you have finsihed the book in a way that there cannot be a sequel.
But I don't want to criticize to much, because I really did enjoy the books, and I definitely would recommend them. I find that I have a bit of a thing for dystopian novels, and if anyone has any suggestions of other, let me know!
Friday, December 2, 2011
And so it ends...
Ah, NaNoWriMo. How I loathe you while you are here, and yet how I miss you when your gone. Technically, its been over for only two days, but I actually validated on the 25th, and I'm sad to say I barely glanced at my novel again after that. Five wasted days, in which I could have gotten at least 10k more, and instead I did nothing. I don't really feel to bad about it though, for a couple reasons. One being that I feel like my novel this year was much more original, and much more enjoyable. Not a single zombie makes an appearance, although a man eating monkey makes up for it.And the other being that I got a job and actually had other things to do with my time, unlike the rest of the month.
Right now, I am happy for the break from thinking of nothing but my novel. I am happy for the break for my wrists, which started to get quite achy around the tenth. But this year, I really want to get somewhere with this novel. The biggest obstacle in that is going to be the fact that I now need to rewrite the whole thing. About halfway through, I decided that having my main character be a middle aged man made no sense with the rest of the plot, and that really, he should be an orphaned teenager. I really didn't want to scrap the twenty or so thousand words I had at that point, so I just kept writing it the way it was, thinking that a complete rewrite wouldn't suck as much as being wordless in the middle of the month. And I was right, it doesn't. I have started the rewrite, and its going well. I'm just going to tell myself that it is still November, and keep trying to reach a respectable word count every day.
I am quite glad that NaNo came into my life. I love the challenge of it, and I think it had changed who I am. Now that I know I can do something as crazy as write a book in a month, I know I can do anything. (Hooray for cheesy lines!!) When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer. Now, I'm twenty six, and I still want to be a writer. And with every NaNo I do, the closer I get to that dream. Hats off to my fellow wrimos, the crazy bunch that they are!
I getting another early review book from LibraryThing, so expect a review of that once I receive the book, as well a combined review for The Maze Runner Trilogy, which I just finished reading.
Right now, I am happy for the break from thinking of nothing but my novel. I am happy for the break for my wrists, which started to get quite achy around the tenth. But this year, I really want to get somewhere with this novel. The biggest obstacle in that is going to be the fact that I now need to rewrite the whole thing. About halfway through, I decided that having my main character be a middle aged man made no sense with the rest of the plot, and that really, he should be an orphaned teenager. I really didn't want to scrap the twenty or so thousand words I had at that point, so I just kept writing it the way it was, thinking that a complete rewrite wouldn't suck as much as being wordless in the middle of the month. And I was right, it doesn't. I have started the rewrite, and its going well. I'm just going to tell myself that it is still November, and keep trying to reach a respectable word count every day.
I am quite glad that NaNo came into my life. I love the challenge of it, and I think it had changed who I am. Now that I know I can do something as crazy as write a book in a month, I know I can do anything. (Hooray for cheesy lines!!) When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer. Now, I'm twenty six, and I still want to be a writer. And with every NaNo I do, the closer I get to that dream. Hats off to my fellow wrimos, the crazy bunch that they are!
I getting another early review book from LibraryThing, so expect a review of that once I receive the book, as well a combined review for The Maze Runner Trilogy, which I just finished reading.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Somehow in The Middle of NaNoWriMo I still found time to read
Its been awhile since I posted anything, and I thought I would get back to what this blog was supposed to be. Book reviews.
Tritcheon Hash By Sue Lang
I got this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Tritcheon Hash is set one thousand years from now on a planet called Coney Island. The woman of earth have had enough of the men, left them behind on the already dieing planet and set up house on Coney Island, where they are thriving nicely. They have contact with the men once a year to exchange male babies for frozen sperm. The men are not doing so well. They want to reunify with the woman. The people in charge of Coney Island want to be sure that the men are telling the truth about the sad state of their planet, so they send Tritcheon Hash on a recon mission to get soil, water and air samples. She gets caught almost immediately, and teams up with a man to try and get home.
Ill be honest here, I didn't much like this book. It felt like I was reading a rough draft at parts, not a polished, published novel. Being that it is quite short, I don't feel like I was given enough time to really get to know the characters, and thus felt they were slightly unbelievable.
I feel like the idea that us woman are better and smarter and you will all die without us was pushed to the forefront too much. I am not a feminist by any standards, I'm just a regular person who thinks having a penis or a vagina doesn't make someone better. I didn't like how feminist this book was, even going so far as to say the men were slobby meat eating cavemen, and the women were nice clean vegetarians. I am a woman, and I'll push anyone down who gets in between me and a steak.
All in all, I feel like this book needed some more time on the editing table. I might recommend it to a few people, but I think I would only give this book 2.5 stars out of five.
Looking For Alaska By John Green
Looking For Alaska is a book about boarding school. It's a book about love, and death. Its a book about drinking shitty wine and sneaking cigarettes. Its a book about friendship, and never to be forgotten pranks. But mostly, its a book about Alaska. Miles is the main character, and it is told from his POV, but its still a book about Alaska. About how beautiful and funny and smart and stupid and crazy and missed she is. John Green writes beautifully. I love his style, and the voice he gives his characters.
I wish John Green had been writing books when I was a teenager. Sometimes I feel like they would have changed my life.
I don't really want to say anything else about this book, because I want everyone to go out and read it. It wont take long, and it is a YA novel, keep in mind. But it is worth the read, trust me.
Tritcheon Hash By Sue Lang
I got this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Tritcheon Hash is set one thousand years from now on a planet called Coney Island. The woman of earth have had enough of the men, left them behind on the already dieing planet and set up house on Coney Island, where they are thriving nicely. They have contact with the men once a year to exchange male babies for frozen sperm. The men are not doing so well. They want to reunify with the woman. The people in charge of Coney Island want to be sure that the men are telling the truth about the sad state of their planet, so they send Tritcheon Hash on a recon mission to get soil, water and air samples. She gets caught almost immediately, and teams up with a man to try and get home.
Ill be honest here, I didn't much like this book. It felt like I was reading a rough draft at parts, not a polished, published novel. Being that it is quite short, I don't feel like I was given enough time to really get to know the characters, and thus felt they were slightly unbelievable.
I feel like the idea that us woman are better and smarter and you will all die without us was pushed to the forefront too much. I am not a feminist by any standards, I'm just a regular person who thinks having a penis or a vagina doesn't make someone better. I didn't like how feminist this book was, even going so far as to say the men were slobby meat eating cavemen, and the women were nice clean vegetarians. I am a woman, and I'll push anyone down who gets in between me and a steak.
All in all, I feel like this book needed some more time on the editing table. I might recommend it to a few people, but I think I would only give this book 2.5 stars out of five.
Looking For Alaska By John Green
Looking For Alaska is a book about boarding school. It's a book about love, and death. Its a book about drinking shitty wine and sneaking cigarettes. Its a book about friendship, and never to be forgotten pranks. But mostly, its a book about Alaska. Miles is the main character, and it is told from his POV, but its still a book about Alaska. About how beautiful and funny and smart and stupid and crazy and missed she is. John Green writes beautifully. I love his style, and the voice he gives his characters.
I wish John Green had been writing books when I was a teenager. Sometimes I feel like they would have changed my life.
I don't really want to say anything else about this book, because I want everyone to go out and read it. It wont take long, and it is a YA novel, keep in mind. But it is worth the read, trust me.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
NaNo donations, and The Magicians
The time to start planning my NaNo novel has arrived, and I have indeed begun the process. Now that I'm unemployed, I have a whole lot of time on my hands with which to write. Hopefully, by the time November comes, I will not be unemployed, but at least I can utilize the free time for something productive.
Last year, when I successfully completed NaNo, I made the decision to donate a couple bucks to them in an effort to help keep the program going. Donations are what OLL (the Office of Letters and Light, the charity that runs NaNo) run off of. Aside from paying their staff to keep the website running smoothly during the high traffic times in November, they also get the program into schools, encouraging kids and adults alike to write.
So basically, if you would like to donate something, and in turn earn the right to heckle the shit out of me this November about completing my novel, awesome! If you don't want to/cant donate, I guess you can still heckle me. Surprisingly, its very motivating.
Donate here.
Onto other things now. Perhaps a book review?
As a general rule, I try to stay away from books that seem to get a lot of hype in the media. It is my experience that they are never as good as they are made out to be. Reading The Magicians By Lev Grossman only further proved my point. I don't mean to say it was terrible. The characters were splendid, although in some cases quite undeveloped. The plot had its good points, although it wasn't the most original Ive ever read. Okay, Ill come right out and say it, does he think he is the first to write a book about normal people magically entering another world? And lets be clear on this, Brakebills pretty much IS Hogwarts, and Fillroy pretty much IS Narnia.
That judgement aside, I could see people liking this book. And I can see why it seemed to get some media attention. I just generally didn't like it. I feel like the author sped through certain time periods, which yes, a lot of authors do to progress the plot. But he speed through parts I think would have been more entertaining then parts he spent a lot of time on. All in all, I will not be reading another book by Lev Grossman. In my opinion, it just came a little to close to using someone else's ideas and ruining them. Try coming up with your own fantasy worlds, Mr. Grossman.
Last year, when I successfully completed NaNo, I made the decision to donate a couple bucks to them in an effort to help keep the program going. Donations are what OLL (the Office of Letters and Light, the charity that runs NaNo) run off of. Aside from paying their staff to keep the website running smoothly during the high traffic times in November, they also get the program into schools, encouraging kids and adults alike to write.
So basically, if you would like to donate something, and in turn earn the right to heckle the shit out of me this November about completing my novel, awesome! If you don't want to/cant donate, I guess you can still heckle me. Surprisingly, its very motivating.
Donate here.
Onto other things now. Perhaps a book review?
As a general rule, I try to stay away from books that seem to get a lot of hype in the media. It is my experience that they are never as good as they are made out to be. Reading The Magicians By Lev Grossman only further proved my point. I don't mean to say it was terrible. The characters were splendid, although in some cases quite undeveloped. The plot had its good points, although it wasn't the most original Ive ever read. Okay, Ill come right out and say it, does he think he is the first to write a book about normal people magically entering another world? And lets be clear on this, Brakebills pretty much IS Hogwarts, and Fillroy pretty much IS Narnia.
That judgement aside, I could see people liking this book. And I can see why it seemed to get some media attention. I just generally didn't like it. I feel like the author sped through certain time periods, which yes, a lot of authors do to progress the plot. But he speed through parts I think would have been more entertaining then parts he spent a lot of time on. All in all, I will not be reading another book by Lev Grossman. In my opinion, it just came a little to close to using someone else's ideas and ruining them. Try coming up with your own fantasy worlds, Mr. Grossman.
Monday, August 29, 2011
The one where I cant wait till March for The Hunger Games movie
Ive just finished rereading the Hunger Games trilogy for about the fifth time, and then watched this a couple of times. I don't want to wait. March is so far away.
Monday, August 22, 2011
What should my book be about this NaNoWriMo?
Yes, I realize that it is only August 22th. Yes, I know that there is still like 70 days until November, and NaNo 2011. But I felt so unprepared last year. I may have finished despite having NO planning, or really even a solid idea at the beginning. Here's the thing, though. I know that I could do so much better if I actually put some thought into it this year. Perhaps do some story boards or character sketches or something. Before I can do any of that, though, I need to think of what exactly I want to write about. Ive been playing around with a sort of Victorian love story gone wrong, and while I like the idea, I'm just not sure if I can get 50,000 words out of it. And since your not allowed to start actual writing till November, I feel like the idea will slip away between now and then. So I need something more concrete, something I can start building upon now so writing in November comes easier. Thoughts?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review
Its been a super long time since I posted anything here. Fail on my part. But life has been busy. Ive moved to a new city, and have been trying to get my house in order. Since Deathly Hallows part two just came out, and I have a lot of thoughts about it, I thought I would share them here. Before I go further, big fat SPOILER ALERT. If you have yet to see the movie, don't read the rest of this post. There. You've been warned.
First off, I absolutely loved the film. In every movie based on a book, they have to cut things out. Fact of life. So Ive learned to kept the two mediums separate in my mind, and try not to get to angry when they skip things I think were vital to the story. For instance, basically all of the Dumbledore family back story. All of that aside, I loved it. It was epic, funny, sad, scary. Just amazing. I love how they portrayed the breaking into Gringotts scene. Loved Helena Bonham Carter in that bit.
I really liked that so much of the movie was devoted to the battle at Hogwarts. I felt like in that respect, at least, they were trying to stay true to the book. It does take up quite a few chapters. And I felt the movie did it pretty good justice. The scene where McGonagall brings the suits of armour to life was amazing. Just how I pictured it, and I laughed through my tears with the addition of the line "Ive always wanted to use that spell".
The one thing I will say I absolutely did not like was Neville stating that he was "Hot for Luna" NOT true to J.K's family tree, which states that Luna marries a wizard named Rolf. I felt like they were just trying to pair everyone up nicely, and it was unnecessary. Granted, I had always that the two of them should be together, but as that's not what Jo said happened, it shouldn't have. Aside from that, Neville was so freakin perfect in this. Matthew Lewis is amazing, and I'm glad that Neville had his moment of showing just why he was a Gryffindor.
I also wish that the deaths of Fred, Lupin and Tonks were done a bit more justice then just a mild glance at their still bodies. Yes, I know that for Lupin and Tonks it was the same in the books, but I wish they had at least given Fred his last moment like in the book, rather then crouched in a corner being overcome when Voldemort's voice took over the castle. Fred dying was, for me, the saddest part of Deathly Hallows, and as I loved the twins so much, I just wish they had given him at least more then a passing glance.
All in all, I really enjoyed the movie. It was really well done, and now that Ive seen it twice, I can say that as sad as I am that there will be no more Harry Potter movies to come, it was a wonderful ending. And now I will go anxiously hit refresh Pottermore, hoping to make early registration today. And I will end this with my favorite quote from the books.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"
First off, I absolutely loved the film. In every movie based on a book, they have to cut things out. Fact of life. So Ive learned to kept the two mediums separate in my mind, and try not to get to angry when they skip things I think were vital to the story. For instance, basically all of the Dumbledore family back story. All of that aside, I loved it. It was epic, funny, sad, scary. Just amazing. I love how they portrayed the breaking into Gringotts scene. Loved Helena Bonham Carter in that bit.
I really liked that so much of the movie was devoted to the battle at Hogwarts. I felt like in that respect, at least, they were trying to stay true to the book. It does take up quite a few chapters. And I felt the movie did it pretty good justice. The scene where McGonagall brings the suits of armour to life was amazing. Just how I pictured it, and I laughed through my tears with the addition of the line "Ive always wanted to use that spell".
The one thing I will say I absolutely did not like was Neville stating that he was "Hot for Luna" NOT true to J.K's family tree, which states that Luna marries a wizard named Rolf. I felt like they were just trying to pair everyone up nicely, and it was unnecessary. Granted, I had always that the two of them should be together, but as that's not what Jo said happened, it shouldn't have. Aside from that, Neville was so freakin perfect in this. Matthew Lewis is amazing, and I'm glad that Neville had his moment of showing just why he was a Gryffindor.
I also wish that the deaths of Fred, Lupin and Tonks were done a bit more justice then just a mild glance at their still bodies. Yes, I know that for Lupin and Tonks it was the same in the books, but I wish they had at least given Fred his last moment like in the book, rather then crouched in a corner being overcome when Voldemort's voice took over the castle. Fred dying was, for me, the saddest part of Deathly Hallows, and as I loved the twins so much, I just wish they had given him at least more then a passing glance.
All in all, I really enjoyed the movie. It was really well done, and now that Ive seen it twice, I can say that as sad as I am that there will be no more Harry Potter movies to come, it was a wonderful ending. And now I will go anxiously hit refresh Pottermore, hoping to make early registration today. And I will end this with my favorite quote from the books.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What I've Been Reading
I have been reading quite a lot as of late, and these are some of the books that I have enjoyed!
Beware, spoilers aplenty to follow!
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Pillars tells the story of Prior Philip and Tom Builder, and their mutual dream to build a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England. With a backdrop of historical events, this is the kind of book that draws you in, so much so that you can almost see the characters facial expressions in the dialogue.
While I did enjoy this book, I felt like it was a tad bit repetitive. Philip gets ahead, Tom gets ahead, William comes along and screws them over. Then Tom dies, Jack takes his place, he gets ahead, Philip gets ahead, and then William comes and screws them over. Pretty much the whole book.
However, I do love books that span generations like this. I love getting the story of a characters whole life, as opposed to just a brief glimpse into a notable period of it. And I did feel like the characters were well defined, and believable. I loved the character of Jonathan, and I wish he had discovered Tom was his dad BEFORE Tom got smashed in the head. But such is life, I suppose. I do almost feel like I would have enjoyed it more had it been split into two books, because it definitely could have been. As much as I love to read, this book was so big, and heavier than some hardcover's I have.
All in all, it was a good read, and I recommend it.
An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green
I've been going through a lot of YA novels lately, mostly because they are easy reads, and they are almost always hilarious. Especially John Green's novels. I wish they had been around when I was still a young adult, as opposed to just an adult.
An Abundance is (so far) my favourite of his, although I haven't read all of them. It follows Colin Singleton in his quest to find out why he keeps getting dumped by girls named Katherine. So far, there have been nineteen, and Colin is looking to break the curse.
After his latest heartbreak, Colin finds himself on a road trip with his best friend Hassan that leads them to Gutshot, Tennessee. Gutshot. Love it.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is told from the point of view of five year old Jack. To him, room is the whole world, the only world he has ever known. Its where him and his mom live, eat, sleep and never leave. I'm not going to lie, this book is weird, and for some it may be hard to read. You soon realize that Jack and his mom are being kept prisoner by a man Jack knows only as Big Nick, who kidnapped Jacks mom when she was only a teenager. Because this is told by Jack, it's hard to really understand what's happening in the first couple pages. It's like being in a five year old kids head, listening to adults talk, and not really comprehending.
After a couple chapters, you get used to the voice of Jack, and can understand a lot more of what's happening. I liked this book, but I almost feel as though even saying I liked it is weird. I mean, it's a story of kidnap, rape, imprisonment, mental abuse, child abuse. It is a well told story, with a good dose of comic relief right when it is necessary.
I've also been reading The Dark Tower books, by Stephen King. I have finished The Gunslinger, and am about half way through The Drawing Of The Three. I'm not going to say anything about them just yet. Not quite sure how I feel about them. Definitely different for King. Hmmm.
Also, totally unrelated to things I have read lately, but filming has begun on the movie version of The Hobbit, and that makes me really happy! Who's excited?
Any recommendations of what I should read next? I'm always on the prowl for new authors and books.
Happy reading!
Beware, spoilers aplenty to follow!
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Pillars tells the story of Prior Philip and Tom Builder, and their mutual dream to build a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England. With a backdrop of historical events, this is the kind of book that draws you in, so much so that you can almost see the characters facial expressions in the dialogue.
While I did enjoy this book, I felt like it was a tad bit repetitive. Philip gets ahead, Tom gets ahead, William comes along and screws them over. Then Tom dies, Jack takes his place, he gets ahead, Philip gets ahead, and then William comes and screws them over. Pretty much the whole book.
However, I do love books that span generations like this. I love getting the story of a characters whole life, as opposed to just a brief glimpse into a notable period of it. And I did feel like the characters were well defined, and believable. I loved the character of Jonathan, and I wish he had discovered Tom was his dad BEFORE Tom got smashed in the head. But such is life, I suppose. I do almost feel like I would have enjoyed it more had it been split into two books, because it definitely could have been. As much as I love to read, this book was so big, and heavier than some hardcover's I have.
All in all, it was a good read, and I recommend it.
An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green
I've been going through a lot of YA novels lately, mostly because they are easy reads, and they are almost always hilarious. Especially John Green's novels. I wish they had been around when I was still a young adult, as opposed to just an adult.
An Abundance is (so far) my favourite of his, although I haven't read all of them. It follows Colin Singleton in his quest to find out why he keeps getting dumped by girls named Katherine. So far, there have been nineteen, and Colin is looking to break the curse.
After his latest heartbreak, Colin finds himself on a road trip with his best friend Hassan that leads them to Gutshot, Tennessee. Gutshot. Love it.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is told from the point of view of five year old Jack. To him, room is the whole world, the only world he has ever known. Its where him and his mom live, eat, sleep and never leave. I'm not going to lie, this book is weird, and for some it may be hard to read. You soon realize that Jack and his mom are being kept prisoner by a man Jack knows only as Big Nick, who kidnapped Jacks mom when she was only a teenager. Because this is told by Jack, it's hard to really understand what's happening in the first couple pages. It's like being in a five year old kids head, listening to adults talk, and not really comprehending.
After a couple chapters, you get used to the voice of Jack, and can understand a lot more of what's happening. I liked this book, but I almost feel as though even saying I liked it is weird. I mean, it's a story of kidnap, rape, imprisonment, mental abuse, child abuse. It is a well told story, with a good dose of comic relief right when it is necessary.
I've also been reading The Dark Tower books, by Stephen King. I have finished The Gunslinger, and am about half way through The Drawing Of The Three. I'm not going to say anything about them just yet. Not quite sure how I feel about them. Definitely different for King. Hmmm.
Also, totally unrelated to things I have read lately, but filming has begun on the movie version of The Hobbit, and that makes me really happy! Who's excited?
Any recommendations of what I should read next? I'm always on the prowl for new authors and books.
Happy reading!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Editing My NaNo Novel
After spending the entire month of November working on my nano novel, literally every spare second I had writing, I took a loonnngg break away from even looking at it. Yes, maybe I have procrastinated just a wee bit. And maybe I have been avoided rereading something that I'm convinced is pure crap. But its time. I'm going to kick myself into action and get'er done!
So I began going through the first couple chapters, and I was right, it is pure crap. There is plot holes galore, I didn't separate any of it into proper chapters, some of my sentences run on for far to long. I learned that my spelling and grammar are awful. I discovered that I absolutly hate the names I have given my main characters, and while I managed to find a suitable replacement for the female main, one for the male has yet to come to me. Please share any suggestions!
With all the things Ive learned from the process of editing, Ive also learned that I can write. There is some good stuff in there, some damn good stuff. One of the main reasons I like to read is for the escape it gives me, out of this world, and into one someone has created. And despite pinpointing and fixing errors while reading my own novel, I found I could escape into the world that I myself had created. And that's a pretty awesome feeling.
Im actually starting to think that allowing other people to read my novel would be a good idea. And that they might actually like it. Who knows, maybe one day I will walk into a book store, and see my own book sitting on a shelf, and be able to say to the shop owner "I wrote that".
So I began going through the first couple chapters, and I was right, it is pure crap. There is plot holes galore, I didn't separate any of it into proper chapters, some of my sentences run on for far to long. I learned that my spelling and grammar are awful. I discovered that I absolutly hate the names I have given my main characters, and while I managed to find a suitable replacement for the female main, one for the male has yet to come to me. Please share any suggestions!
With all the things Ive learned from the process of editing, Ive also learned that I can write. There is some good stuff in there, some damn good stuff. One of the main reasons I like to read is for the escape it gives me, out of this world, and into one someone has created. And despite pinpointing and fixing errors while reading my own novel, I found I could escape into the world that I myself had created. And that's a pretty awesome feeling.
Im actually starting to think that allowing other people to read my novel would be a good idea. And that they might actually like it. Who knows, maybe one day I will walk into a book store, and see my own book sitting on a shelf, and be able to say to the shop owner "I wrote that".
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Awesomeness that is Ender's Game
Hi!
So my brother recently sent me this comic : Locke and Demosthenes . If you are a fan of the work of Orson Scott Card, you will love this. If your not, go buy Ender's Game RIGHT NOW and you will be a fan.
This was the book that started my love for all things sci fi and fantasy. I think I was maybe about eleven or twelve when I first read it, at the insistence of my older brother. Ive since learned that if he tells me to read something, I should not hesitate. If it wasn't for him, I may never have read HP, and we all know how I feel about that.
Anyways, I digress. Ender's Game is a futuristic story about the coming war with an alien race called the buggers. The people of Earth have united themselves against this threat, and put aside their differences for the greater good. In order to win the second invasion, they are seeking out super intelligent children, and taking them to Battle School, training them to become soldiers. Ender Wiggin is one such child, taken at the age of six.
The story unfolds from there, and is without question my favorite book. Yes, I know, what about HP? Well, my friends, I loved Ender first. There is currently ten books in the Ender and Bean saga, all of them amazing. I read the whole lot of them at least once every two years, if not every year. Ive had to replace my copy of Ender's Game multiple times due to pages falling out from being flipped so many times.
If your going to fall into any universe, make Ender's. You wont be sorry.
Happy Reading!
So my brother recently sent me this comic : Locke and Demosthenes . If you are a fan of the work of Orson Scott Card, you will love this. If your not, go buy Ender's Game RIGHT NOW and you will be a fan.
This was the book that started my love for all things sci fi and fantasy. I think I was maybe about eleven or twelve when I first read it, at the insistence of my older brother. Ive since learned that if he tells me to read something, I should not hesitate. If it wasn't for him, I may never have read HP, and we all know how I feel about that.
Anyways, I digress. Ender's Game is a futuristic story about the coming war with an alien race called the buggers. The people of Earth have united themselves against this threat, and put aside their differences for the greater good. In order to win the second invasion, they are seeking out super intelligent children, and taking them to Battle School, training them to become soldiers. Ender Wiggin is one such child, taken at the age of six.
The story unfolds from there, and is without question my favorite book. Yes, I know, what about HP? Well, my friends, I loved Ender first. There is currently ten books in the Ender and Bean saga, all of them amazing. I read the whole lot of them at least once every two years, if not every year. Ive had to replace my copy of Ender's Game multiple times due to pages falling out from being flipped so many times.
If your going to fall into any universe, make Ender's. You wont be sorry.
Happy Reading!
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