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!
Friday, December 24, 2010
My top ten books of 2010
Well, its almost the New year, and I wanted to do a blog about my favorite books of the year. Not necessarily books that came out this year, just books I read this year.
1. The Hunger Games Series By Suzanne Collins.
These book's are definitely the best book's I have read in quite a long time. I heard about this series a little late in the game, so they were all published by the time I caught on. Which was great for me, I didn't have to wait for the second and third books to come out.
I love books that take you away, and these definitely did that for me. The characters are some of my favorite characters of all time, right behind Harry Potter. I love the adventure of them, and the idea of fighting for what you think is right. It took me less then three days to get through these books, and Ive since read them a second time. Everyone Ive recommended them to has loved them just as much.
2. The Maze Runner By James Dashner
I really do love my dystopian novels. As with the Hunger Games, this one is all about the world gone wrong. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and loved the idea of the maze. If you haven't read this, do it. Right Now.
I almost would have preferred this as a stand alone novel, as the sequel isn't amazing. And now I wait, for god knows how long, for the third to come out and try to awe me.
3. Stranger in a Strange Land By Robert Heinlein
This book came out long before I was even though of. Although i have read quite a bit of sci-fi, some how this one slipped under the radar. I'm told it had quite a following back in the day, though. I love reading books in which the writer dreams up what they think the future world is going to consist of. This one didn't disappoint me in that respect, or in any other. I grok it.
4. Water For Elephants By Sarah Gruen
I joined a book club early in the year that has since stopped meeting, and this was the first book we read. I thought it was a great story, and very touching. Not what you would expect from a circus novel. It doesn't sugar coat the treatment of the animals, and the people, who worked and ran many of the big top shows in that time period, and still in some today. I found out after I started NaNoWriMo that it was actually originally written for that, and that only made me love it more. I don't have high hopes for the movie version coming out, but we will see, maybe it will be good?
5. The Red Tent By Anita Diamant
This was given to me by a friend, and I will admit I was sceptical at first, but I ended up loving it. It was a beautifully told story. I really felt like the author was painting a picture in my mind of how it all looked. Amazing!
6. The Stupidest Angel By Christopher Moore
You gotta love a Moore book. Laugh out loud awesomeness. Its two of my favorite things, Christmas and zombies, wrapped in a nice neat little package. 'Nuff said.
7.The Comfort of Strangers By Ian McEwan
Yes, this is a weird book, and more then a little disturbing at times. Still, I enjoyed it. Made me never want to go on a vacation again, but I liked it.
8. The Walking Dead volume one: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I need to get my hands on the rest of them. I realize the whole zombie business is a tad over done these days, but The Walking Dead is probably the best of the bunch at the moment.
9. The Queens Fool by Philipa Gregory
From the author of The Other Boleyn Girl comes another great story. I love all of her books. They suck you in, and when you turn the last page, its like losing a loved one. Its one of those books that takes you right into the story, and you are the main character. Beautiful.
10. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Yes, I read this book before 2010. But I probably read it twice this year, and it will always be in any top book list I make. Besides, its got it all. Romance, violence, tragedy, comedy. How could you not love it?
Well, that's my top ten for the year. I read a lot of great books this year, and even a couple of not so great books. I would highly recommend this whole list to everyone. Hopefully next year I get to read at least some of the hundreds on my want to read list.
Merry Christmas!!
1. The Hunger Games Series By Suzanne Collins.
These book's are definitely the best book's I have read in quite a long time. I heard about this series a little late in the game, so they were all published by the time I caught on. Which was great for me, I didn't have to wait for the second and third books to come out.
I love books that take you away, and these definitely did that for me. The characters are some of my favorite characters of all time, right behind Harry Potter. I love the adventure of them, and the idea of fighting for what you think is right. It took me less then three days to get through these books, and Ive since read them a second time. Everyone Ive recommended them to has loved them just as much.
2. The Maze Runner By James Dashner
I really do love my dystopian novels. As with the Hunger Games, this one is all about the world gone wrong. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and loved the idea of the maze. If you haven't read this, do it. Right Now.
I almost would have preferred this as a stand alone novel, as the sequel isn't amazing. And now I wait, for god knows how long, for the third to come out and try to awe me.
3. Stranger in a Strange Land By Robert Heinlein
This book came out long before I was even though of. Although i have read quite a bit of sci-fi, some how this one slipped under the radar. I'm told it had quite a following back in the day, though. I love reading books in which the writer dreams up what they think the future world is going to consist of. This one didn't disappoint me in that respect, or in any other. I grok it.
4. Water For Elephants By Sarah Gruen
I joined a book club early in the year that has since stopped meeting, and this was the first book we read. I thought it was a great story, and very touching. Not what you would expect from a circus novel. It doesn't sugar coat the treatment of the animals, and the people, who worked and ran many of the big top shows in that time period, and still in some today. I found out after I started NaNoWriMo that it was actually originally written for that, and that only made me love it more. I don't have high hopes for the movie version coming out, but we will see, maybe it will be good?
5. The Red Tent By Anita Diamant
This was given to me by a friend, and I will admit I was sceptical at first, but I ended up loving it. It was a beautifully told story. I really felt like the author was painting a picture in my mind of how it all looked. Amazing!
6. The Stupidest Angel By Christopher Moore
You gotta love a Moore book. Laugh out loud awesomeness. Its two of my favorite things, Christmas and zombies, wrapped in a nice neat little package. 'Nuff said.
7.The Comfort of Strangers By Ian McEwan
Yes, this is a weird book, and more then a little disturbing at times. Still, I enjoyed it. Made me never want to go on a vacation again, but I liked it.
8. The Walking Dead volume one: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I need to get my hands on the rest of them. I realize the whole zombie business is a tad over done these days, but The Walking Dead is probably the best of the bunch at the moment.
9. The Queens Fool by Philipa Gregory
From the author of The Other Boleyn Girl comes another great story. I love all of her books. They suck you in, and when you turn the last page, its like losing a loved one. Its one of those books that takes you right into the story, and you are the main character. Beautiful.
10. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Yes, I read this book before 2010. But I probably read it twice this year, and it will always be in any top book list I make. Besides, its got it all. Romance, violence, tragedy, comedy. How could you not love it?
Well, that's my top ten for the year. I read a lot of great books this year, and even a couple of not so great books. I would highly recommend this whole list to everyone. Hopefully next year I get to read at least some of the hundreds on my want to read list.
Merry Christmas!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I wrote a book!
50,000 words? 30 Days? Pssh, that's nothing!
I can now say with pride that I wrote a book! It may not be amazing, it may not make sense, but its got a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sure, it will take some editing. Probably a lot of rewriting. But I wrote it, from scratch, in thirty days.
The experience was pretty amazing. Yes, there were times when I didn't think I could do it. And I did think about quitting a couple of times. I guess part of me wanted to finish to prove to myself that I could. I cant describe the feeling when I wrote those last words, when I crossed the 50,000 mark. I felt like I had just climbed a mountain. And now I'm one step closer to a dream I have had since I was a little kid. To use a word I hate, I'm pretty stoked about the whole experience.
NaNoWriMo is awesome!
I can now say with pride that I wrote a book! It may not be amazing, it may not make sense, but its got a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sure, it will take some editing. Probably a lot of rewriting. But I wrote it, from scratch, in thirty days.
The experience was pretty amazing. Yes, there were times when I didn't think I could do it. And I did think about quitting a couple of times. I guess part of me wanted to finish to prove to myself that I could. I cant describe the feeling when I wrote those last words, when I crossed the 50,000 mark. I felt like I had just climbed a mountain. And now I'm one step closer to a dream I have had since I was a little kid. To use a word I hate, I'm pretty stoked about the whole experience.
NaNoWriMo is awesome!
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