I don't own an e-reader and generally I think about them as a lesser entity, not worthy of bearing the words of perfectly legitimate books. I know my opinion is pretty extreme, and I'm sure there are plenty of reasons for e-readers (travel being one of them). But, other than reading a few pages of a book I didn't like on Cal's e-reader, I decided I should probably attempt a full book so that my opinion can be justified (or, I mean, refuted. That could happen too. Maybe).
Thus: A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith.
Crown Duel is one of my favorite books, largely because of Vidanric, so a book all about Vidanric is going to be awesome, right? What better way to attempt to like e-readers than this?
Firstly, it was really hard to find a book. Mostly I've just been having book-finding problems all around--books I want to read, availability at the library/in this country, and then books that were actually available in e-book format. But I've wanted to read this one for a long time.
The point being, I will update you all on this experiment over the next few days. I hope to emerge with a better opinion, but right now I just don't see the point of not having a book in my hand. Please feel free to list reasons why I should like e-readers below.
ALSO, if you could PLEASE give me some book recommendations, I would love you forever! As you can probably see from reviews, my very favorite books are YA fantasy--usually historical, "sword and sorcery" in nature. However, I would be open to anything if you think it's awesome.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Book Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
A young woman wrapped in her own secrets, Seraphina together with Prince Lucian and Princess Glisselda work together to preserve the peace. Facing down dragons, a steely dagger, dancing, and a gossip-hungry governess, Seraphina stumbles through her history, her mind, and the mystery, to come to one conclusion: love is not a disease.
Perhaps one of my more cryptic summaries, but accurate nonetheless. I barely remember reading the back of the book when I found it in a discount bookstore--I picked it up after recognizing the title as something I marked "to-read" on Goodreads--and I loved the reveal of Seraphina's secret after those first few chapters, not seeing it coming at all.
On my copy of the book, there are two recommendations from authors. One from Christopher Paolini, recommending it as well-written with interesting dragons--an opinion which, my apologies to any fans, I took with a grain of salt given my personal opinion of his books, which isn't very high. The second was a simple one from Tamora Pierce stating simply, "I love this book!" which is enough for me to purchase any book at all, supposing it's written in past tense.
Seraphina did not disappoint. I've picked up so many books recently that I haven't had the concentration or will to finish, and this was like a breath of fresh air. Beautifully written with gorgeous descriptions of a wintry, magical castle scene. Sentences about music I could hear as if it played in my ear; luscious gowns, playful balls, the grit and grime of the exiled knights' cave--all of which I could see quite clearly in my mind's eye.
I was astounded by the characters' ability to grow--particularly Princess Glisselda who I hated the first time I met her, and adored by the last page. Lucian and Seraphina herself change, too, but more subtly. I think several of the dragons in their saarantras form were always the same, but they allow a deeper view into their suppressed emotions by the end of the book.
As for plot--the author had me fooled. At least, pretty much. I followed the characters' every thought, which is probably a pretty silly thing to do, but both Seraphina and Lucian were so rational and so correct for so long that--well, why wouldn't I believe their hunches? I did have the perpetrator pegged as an accessory rather than a mere annoyance by the latter half of the novel, but still. I'm usually spot on and it excites me when I'm not.
My only real complaint is an issue of what may have been edited-out continuity. I'm not entirely sure Seraphina ever divulged certain information in her teacher, Orma. I'll leave out the information in question as it's the result of another sub-plot I think would be more interesting to find out on your own. But I felt this information should have been divulged. At any rate, the secret is out by the end and is mentioned to Orma, who--heavily sedated he might be--didn't seem to blink an eyelash. Part of me wonders if I missed the revelation somehow--I was interrupted quite a bit around the section where Seraphina makes the discovery--but I thought it needed to be in there a bit more prominently if that was the case. Long, drawn out conversation. If any of you have read it and know what I'm talking about, please leave a comment and let me know if I need to go back and reread.
Realistically, though, that isn't really part of the main plot, which I felt carried on smoothly, and, like I said, I was surprised by the end of it. This book ranks right up there with Bitterblue and The False Prince for me right now, and I'd recommend it to anyone who'd like something new to read. Luckily, the end is left wide open for a sequel, which I will have my eager hands on the moment it hits the shelves.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Travel Review: Shorncliffe Beach
We were going absolutely stir-crazy in this house. No internet, constant stream of rain, I was at work when it wasn't raining--we've barely had a chance to think about doing something fun, let alone get out and do it. And more to the point, with Emily, Sarah, and me all unemployed, it's hard to find something that's cheap and fun to do. So--to the mobile interwebs I went, looking for something new and exciting.
I found Shorncliffe Beach a few pages in on Trip Advisor. It wasn't a top attraction, but it was a beach, all we had to pay was $8 total transportation to get there and back, and the reviews said it was "lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops."
Well... I can say that it was not lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops, at least none that we saw.
It took just over an hour on public transport to get to the beach, taking a train from Roma Street station to Shorncliffe Station, and the beach was just a short walk from there. It isn't the prettiest of beaches, but I was expecting that, and I'm not sure if I would have wanted to swim in the water. It reminded me more of a big lake than an ocean--there weren't any waves, the sand was brown, and the water a bit mucky. But Cal had said that the beaches right off the coast of Brisbane weren't great. We're obviously going to go to the Gold Coast at some point, so they can get their fill of pretty beaches then!
Anyway. We walked down to the beach, which was at the very bottom of a hill. Maybe the fish and chip places were lining the street above, or something, but we didn't go up to check. First we went to the pier, but it was closed off, so we walked down the beach to another pier-like-thing that probably wasn't meant to be walked on and we climbed on it and walked to the edge.
The beach area was pretty tiny, but it was an awesome place for shell collecting. While there were a lot of ground-up shells, there were also tons of whole ones without any crabs or anything living in them. We found lots of cool ones. Sarah even found some sea glass. Also, tons of jellyfish--the big, proper, these-look-like-they-fell-out-of-Finding-Nemo jellyfish, not the bluebottles that wash up on the Gold Coast.
Then, of course, because they decided to go to the beach with an Upton--that is, me--it started raining. Which wasn't such a bad thing, because once we left the beach area the wind died down and when it wasn't raining, it was hot and humid.
We took shelter in the playground, which was AWESOME. I mean, I'm almost two-three and I thought it was awesome. Kids would love this thing. Lots of secret hideaways and staircases and ropes and slides. There were only a few kids there, all a bit too young to play on the "big kid" equipment (there's a place for little guys too)--probably because it was raining. Though, I did read in the reviews that Shorncliffe is usually a bit quiet, so it might be a good idea to visit if you don't want crowds.
After, we walked back to Sandgate--one train stop before Shorncliffe--along a nice walkway that would be excellent for running if people are into that sort of thing. It was lined with covered areas complete with barbecue facilities and drinking fountains--perfect places for family get-togethers or something. When we reached the end of the walkway the rain just started coming down, so we briefly took shelter under a pavilion and left Cal to look up where the nearest food place was while we ran out and conquered the rain (as we do).
Turns out, we were mere feet from a fish and chip place, whose name I regrettably cannot remember. We all only ordered chips. Cal and I probably had gotten a few too many, but I was dying for something salty at that point so I was okay with that. We went back to sit at a picnic table by the water, and that's when a reenactment of The Birds took place.
Seagulls everywhere. Not even kidding. One of them didn't have a foot (he was very mean). Cal and Sarah started throwing chips at them, which only encouraged more to surround us, and when we got up to leave they followed us. I'm not sure how we shook them.
From there, we had a short walk to Sandgate Station and hopped on a train back to the city.
Overall, I don't think it was the most fun we could have had in a day, but it was cheap and enjoyable, and we got some pretty cool pictures with a stormy-sky backdrop. I wouldn't call it a top attraction, but if I had more guests who were coming to stay for an extended period of time, I'd take them there, too.
I found Shorncliffe Beach a few pages in on Trip Advisor. It wasn't a top attraction, but it was a beach, all we had to pay was $8 total transportation to get there and back, and the reviews said it was "lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops."
Well... I can say that it was not lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops, at least none that we saw.
It took just over an hour on public transport to get to the beach, taking a train from Roma Street station to Shorncliffe Station, and the beach was just a short walk from there. It isn't the prettiest of beaches, but I was expecting that, and I'm not sure if I would have wanted to swim in the water. It reminded me more of a big lake than an ocean--there weren't any waves, the sand was brown, and the water a bit mucky. But Cal had said that the beaches right off the coast of Brisbane weren't great. We're obviously going to go to the Gold Coast at some point, so they can get their fill of pretty beaches then!
Anyway. We walked down to the beach, which was at the very bottom of a hill. Maybe the fish and chip places were lining the street above, or something, but we didn't go up to check. First we went to the pier, but it was closed off, so we walked down the beach to another pier-like-thing that probably wasn't meant to be walked on and we climbed on it and walked to the edge.
The beach area was pretty tiny, but it was an awesome place for shell collecting. While there were a lot of ground-up shells, there were also tons of whole ones without any crabs or anything living in them. We found lots of cool ones. Sarah even found some sea glass. Also, tons of jellyfish--the big, proper, these-look-like-they-fell-out-of-Finding-Nemo jellyfish, not the bluebottles that wash up on the Gold Coast.
Then, of course, because they decided to go to the beach with an Upton--that is, me--it started raining. Which wasn't such a bad thing, because once we left the beach area the wind died down and when it wasn't raining, it was hot and humid.
We took shelter in the playground, which was AWESOME. I mean, I'm almost two-three and I thought it was awesome. Kids would love this thing. Lots of secret hideaways and staircases and ropes and slides. There were only a few kids there, all a bit too young to play on the "big kid" equipment (there's a place for little guys too)--probably because it was raining. Though, I did read in the reviews that Shorncliffe is usually a bit quiet, so it might be a good idea to visit if you don't want crowds.
After, we walked back to Sandgate--one train stop before Shorncliffe--along a nice walkway that would be excellent for running if people are into that sort of thing. It was lined with covered areas complete with barbecue facilities and drinking fountains--perfect places for family get-togethers or something. When we reached the end of the walkway the rain just started coming down, so we briefly took shelter under a pavilion and left Cal to look up where the nearest food place was while we ran out and conquered the rain (as we do).
Turns out, we were mere feet from a fish and chip place, whose name I regrettably cannot remember. We all only ordered chips. Cal and I probably had gotten a few too many, but I was dying for something salty at that point so I was okay with that. We went back to sit at a picnic table by the water, and that's when a reenactment of The Birds took place.
Seagulls everywhere. Not even kidding. One of them didn't have a foot (he was very mean). Cal and Sarah started throwing chips at them, which only encouraged more to surround us, and when we got up to leave they followed us. I'm not sure how we shook them.
From there, we had a short walk to Sandgate Station and hopped on a train back to the city.
Overall, I don't think it was the most fun we could have had in a day, but it was cheap and enjoyable, and we got some pretty cool pictures with a stormy-sky backdrop. I wouldn't call it a top attraction, but if I had more guests who were coming to stay for an extended period of time, I'd take them there, too.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Things I Haven't Done
This blog is about reading, writing, and blogging--and over the last two internetless weeks, I've barely done anything of the sort. That's pretty sad really, given that the lack of internet distraction should have provided ample time to get all of those things done. Alas, I did play a lot of board games, worked extra hours, and rolled about on the floor attempting to make amusing my internetless existence.
I DIDN'T READ, at least not very efficiently, largely because every book I pulled off the shelf turned out to be rather boring, actually. I keep having problems with this: I get a book from the library/bookfest/wherever and think it's going to be awesome, and then I start reading and I want to fall asleep. If I can struggle through one of them I'll put a review up, but it's hard to put my finger on exactly what I don't like about them... I guess the action isn't moving fast enough, or I just don't like the characters. Either way, I was never excited to start reading, with the result that my biggest reading time--right before bed--was mostly spent sleeping instead.
However, we did just stop at a discount bookstore in the city, which didn't have a lot of selection but DID have a book called Seraphina, which caught my eye because I was pretty sure I'd added it as "to-read" on Goodreads some time before (I was right). Slipping into this book was like breathing for the first time after all those duds, so I can happily report that there will be a review--and quite a favorable one, if the first 50 pages are any indication--quite soon.
I DIDN'T WRITE because, in terms of blog posts, I had so little to write about and no Google to find some topics (that is the lamest thing that has ever come out of my mouth--er, fingertips?). In terms of story, I did do a bit more planning on my new project, through chapter five. I'd love to start writing it but I'm trying to make myself wait until I have a middle and an end planned out or this one will go the way of just about every other story I've started--the recycling bin. I did ad a stunning number of mini-conversations between characters to OneNote, but I'm not sure if that counts.
I DIDN'T TRAVEL nearly as much as I wanted to with Emily and Sarah here and all--it was raining, again we were internetless so once we reached the bounds of my knowledge we were without travel sites telling us where to go (so why didn't you just go to the tourist information centre like a normal person, you ask. Not entirely sure.) We did get out and about a few days, going to Shorncliffe on Wednesday, which I suppose I could write up a post about and probably will if I don't come up with anything else that's interesting.
So--there you have it. My confessions. And from this day forward, as long as I have internet, I solemnly swear to return to my writing of blog posts every day, so help me spatulas.
I DIDN'T READ, at least not very efficiently, largely because every book I pulled off the shelf turned out to be rather boring, actually. I keep having problems with this: I get a book from the library/bookfest/wherever and think it's going to be awesome, and then I start reading and I want to fall asleep. If I can struggle through one of them I'll put a review up, but it's hard to put my finger on exactly what I don't like about them... I guess the action isn't moving fast enough, or I just don't like the characters. Either way, I was never excited to start reading, with the result that my biggest reading time--right before bed--was mostly spent sleeping instead.
However, we did just stop at a discount bookstore in the city, which didn't have a lot of selection but DID have a book called Seraphina, which caught my eye because I was pretty sure I'd added it as "to-read" on Goodreads some time before (I was right). Slipping into this book was like breathing for the first time after all those duds, so I can happily report that there will be a review--and quite a favorable one, if the first 50 pages are any indication--quite soon.
I DIDN'T WRITE because, in terms of blog posts, I had so little to write about and no Google to find some topics (that is the lamest thing that has ever come out of my mouth--er, fingertips?). In terms of story, I did do a bit more planning on my new project, through chapter five. I'd love to start writing it but I'm trying to make myself wait until I have a middle and an end planned out or this one will go the way of just about every other story I've started--the recycling bin. I did ad a stunning number of mini-conversations between characters to OneNote, but I'm not sure if that counts.
I DIDN'T TRAVEL nearly as much as I wanted to with Emily and Sarah here and all--it was raining, again we were internetless so once we reached the bounds of my knowledge we were without travel sites telling us where to go (so why didn't you just go to the tourist information centre like a normal person, you ask. Not entirely sure.) We did get out and about a few days, going to Shorncliffe on Wednesday, which I suppose I could write up a post about and probably will if I don't come up with anything else that's interesting.
So--there you have it. My confessions. And from this day forward, as long as I have internet, I solemnly swear to return to my writing of blog posts every day, so help me spatulas.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Book Review: Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
Okay, so I mostly paraphrased the back of the book--but it's a good summary. This book wasn't quite what I expected, but I've wanted to read it for a very long time. It's one of those books that I saw as soon as it was released, thought I should get it, but then someone else reviewed it for the bookstore website before I could and I needed to review other books, so it got pushed to the end of the pile. Needless to say, when I found this in the library a few days ago, I was quite pleased!
The book was much lighter and fun than I thought it would be--it only took me a few hours to finish it. That said, it wasn't a waste of time by any means. I was caught up in Nimira's adventures, excited to learn about the automaton, charmed and beguiled by Mr. Hollin Parry (who confused me greatly when his name was used in the possessive), wishing for the fairy prince to be restored to his real body--and disappointed when the story ended, though I'm happy to say I'm going to reserve a copy of the sequel at the library after I post this.
A few of the twists I saw long before Nimira did, but I tend to, so I wasn't too disappointed. The story was fresh and different, played out by characters who were interesting and filled with their own secrets and history, in a world with magic and fairies and unicorns.
This review is quite short... but the book was relatively short (225 pages) compared to most things I read, too. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Book Review: The Battle for Gullywith by Susan Hill
Oliver Mackenzie Brown hates the thought of leaving
everything he knows to live in a run-down house in the country his parents
thought would be a good idea to buy. When the family arrives, there’s no heat,
the roof is leaking, the barn is falling in on itself, and strange rune-marked
stones are appearing everywhere. Olly soon meets KK and Nonny Dreever who
explain that the Stone King wants to take back Gullywith. With only an army of
brass tortoises and bats on their side, and some help from a mysterious
bookseller, will they be able to save the house—and themselves—from the Stone
King?
I think if you are a younger reader than I am, who has read
a lot less than I have, who is more willing to suspend your disbelief, you
would enjoy this book a lot more than I did. Though I am 22 years old and an
avid reader of children’s fiction, I don’t find that I come across books that
make me say “if I was younger I’d like it” very often. (Ask me again when I’m
thirty—attending a university that cancelled classes once a year to encourage
everyone to dress up like fairies might have extended my childhood a little
bit.)
The point is, this was technically urban fantasy (maybe
that’s not the right term—modern fantasy?). It took place in contemporary times
and strange, wacky things kept happening and Olly kept looking at them like
“Oh, isn’t that interesting, I’ll roll with that” and as readers we don’t get
an explanation as to why moving brass tortoises suddenly appear, or why a
colony of bats is helping out, or how the characters know they’re helping in
the first place. We are completely thrown when a Stone King starts turning Olly
and KK to stone. And I wasn’t entirely sold on the Stone King’s role as an
antagonist even after that, because from what I can understand, Gullywith was
his to begin with and was taken away and now he wants it back—legit, right?
And if the plot was confusing, the characters were
irritating. I mean, they actually had their own personalities and acted within each
personality’s bounds, but I couldn’t stand any of them. Olly’s parents were
probably the worst—the mother wanted to buy Gullywith in the first place, and
all she did was complain about it from the second they walked through the door.
The father was a bit of a pushover and reprimanded Olly a handful of times for
reasons I couldn’t understand, and both of the parents kept foisting the
toddler sister onto Olly, who was only 10, and had some saving the world to do.
(I actually wasn’t entirely sold on the sister’s whole purpose in the book. She
probably could have been cut and no one would miss the “dada gaga mama” babble
in the background of conversation.)
It seemed strange to me that Olly himself was so dead set
against Gullywith, and yet a few hours after they arrive, as he’s sulking on
the garden wall, KK appears and magically everything is okay with Gullywith.
Yeah, his adventures start and whatnot, but it just seems too sudden. If he’d
had some internal monologue about “wouldn’t it be great if we’d never lived
here so I didn’t have all this responsibility on my shoulders” I would have
been more okay with it. Alas.
That said, I thought the setting was quite well
done—described well enough to be magical, while keeping in mind that it really
is more modern. Despite all the happenings, it made me want to live at
Gullywith—but I have a thing for cool, old, magical houses.
The book isn’t without its merits, but I had trouble
stemming a flow of questions with each turn of the page. The intended audience
would enjoy The Battle for Gullywith a lot more than I did.
Excuses!
I have failed in my goal—actually, did I make it a week? I
don’t even know. Ha!
At any rate, I do have the excuse of having no internet for several days, which is pretty legit given that it would be impossible to put up a blog post without the internet. This does not, however, excuse me from not writing them in the first place, since I have had access to a computer and electricity to charge the computer, and even if I hadn’t there’s a perfectly good notebook and pen right over there.
At any rate, I do have the excuse of having no internet for several days, which is pretty legit given that it would be impossible to put up a blog post without the internet. This does not, however, excuse me from not writing them in the first place, since I have had access to a computer and electricity to charge the computer, and even if I hadn’t there’s a perfectly good notebook and pen right over there.
So. What’s been happening? My last few days went something
like this:
On Friday I woke up at five in the morning to get ready and
head out the door so that I could meet my lovely friends joining me in
Australia. I was a bit nervous they would already be out when I got there
because the earliest public transport got me to the airport an hour after they
landed. Taking into account getting off the plane and going through customs and
getting their luggage and taking their luggage through the scanners and dog-sniffers,
I thought I’d be cutting it close, but not that close.
Turns out, my bus was just early enough that I was able to
catch the train before the train I was supposed to catch and arrived 15 minutes
early. There, I thought—I’ve definitely beaten them now.
I did a quick cursory look around the arrival area just to
be sure, and went to stand in front of the customs exist with my camera in hand
and practically bouncing for joy. And I waited. And waited. And waited. (There
will be a video of this later.)
Finally, at 7:30 when I started to see people from LAX coming through, I peeled away from the exit and started another circuit of the airport. I hadn’t done it earlier because I thought, what if they come through while I’m wandering around and then I go and stand in front of the arrivals section again and they’re off sitting somewhere? I headed toward a coffee place first, thinking that’d be the first thing I’d be doing if I had just gotten off a 15 hour flight, and as I’m walking over I hear “EMILY!”
Finally, at 7:30 when I started to see people from LAX coming through, I peeled away from the exit and started another circuit of the airport. I hadn’t done it earlier because I thought, what if they come through while I’m wandering around and then I go and stand in front of the arrivals section again and they’re off sitting somewhere? I headed toward a coffee place first, thinking that’d be the first thing I’d be doing if I had just gotten off a 15 hour flight, and as I’m walking over I hear “EMILY!”
And sure enough, there they were, waiting there for over an
hour while I stood stupidly at the gate. Well then. Many hugs and squeals
ensued, and we headed over to the taxi rank to get a taxi back, and when we got
to the house I tossed ‘em in amidst the mess of boxes and suitcases, because we
were moving that day.
Not a very convenient time for awesome people to arrive, and
I felt SO bad about not being able to hang out with them much those first few
days. On Friday, I was packing up little stuff while other people were getting
the big stuff out of the house, and then I had an interview for a nanny
position in Toowong that took about two and a half hours with travelling
included. And on Saturday I was supposed to be working but moving had been so
inefficient (I won’t even get into frustrations there, it’ll just make me angry
all over again) that we had to keep moving stuff on Saturday AND on Sunday.
Sunday I was so fed up that Cal and I went early and put every single item that
was left in that house outside and started cleaning, and thank goodness, I was
out of there by noon (angry and hungry and exhausted and sore—but gosh darnit,
done!). Got back to new house, took a shower, and took Emily and Sarah to the
shopping centre so they could finally get things they needed for comfort and
meals.
By this point, we were pretty well set up in the new house
(I mean, it’s livable, but there are still boxes everywhere you turn). I could
have taken time to write some blog posts then, but we still don’t have internet
here (as of February 12, 10:07 a.m.).
Yesterday we had loads of fun, which I think I’ll write up
in a separate travel-y blog post later. Let’s just say, raspberry margarita
slurpees from 7/11 were the low point of the day—and those were probably the
most amazing things I have ever tasted!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
General Read-Write-Travel Update, February 6
I was struggling to come up with a topic today, so much so that I've fallen behind in my blogging schedule. For the past week I've been one day ahead with my blog posts, finishing them the day before and posting them when I wake up. I had nothing finished last night, and unfortunately inspiration didn't strike while I slept--so here I am, at two in the afternoon, stuck and brooding and thinking I have far too much time on my hands to have NOTHING to write about. The result: general update.
Reading: I am currently reading a book called The Battle for Gullywith. I've been reading this book for a while, so you can probably guess that I'm not as thrilled with it as I thought I would be. I think I have just under 100 pages left, so I'm going to muddle through tonight and hopefully that will be my blog post for tomorrow. I purchased the book at Bookfest last month--hey, there's another topic for another day!
Writing: I'm hard at work plotting a new novel project, "The Foxglove Alliance." I'm getting extremely excited about actually writing it, but I'm not allowing myself just yet--mostly, I'm putting ideas and quotes and things into OneNote so nothing falls out of my head, and trying to get to know the setting and characters a bit better before I rush into anything. For NaNo last year, I thought I had a brilliant idea for a novel too, but it started falling apart because I hadn't planned anything at all and couldn't keep hold of all the strings. This time, I hope to avoid that. Writing plan: plot and do some sketchy-writing up until April, when I hope to feel ready enough to do a round of Camp NaNo. Or if writing is going well without a NaNo-incentive, keep doing whatever I've been doing. I'd like for it to be in a coherent state by December and enter it in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition next January. (Long way off, but I think I could make this happen if I'm diligent!)
Travel: Cal and I haven't thought about additional travel plans since getting back from New Zealand (why doesn't Google Chrome recognize "Zealand" as a word?), except for a few more conversations about future Europe and beginning to think about pushing that back due to our current state of joblessness. However! I have two good friends who are making their way over here tomorrow! So excited for their arrival. I don't envy their 16-hour flight one bit, though. Good luck to them. When they get here and they're over their jetlag, we're hoping to visit a bunch of different places--Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, maybe Uluru and New Zealand again... probably Auckland, this time. You can be sure that this blog will be exploding with our adventures. Can't wait.
Reading: I am currently reading a book called The Battle for Gullywith. I've been reading this book for a while, so you can probably guess that I'm not as thrilled with it as I thought I would be. I think I have just under 100 pages left, so I'm going to muddle through tonight and hopefully that will be my blog post for tomorrow. I purchased the book at Bookfest last month--hey, there's another topic for another day!
Writing: I'm hard at work plotting a new novel project, "The Foxglove Alliance." I'm getting extremely excited about actually writing it, but I'm not allowing myself just yet--mostly, I'm putting ideas and quotes and things into OneNote so nothing falls out of my head, and trying to get to know the setting and characters a bit better before I rush into anything. For NaNo last year, I thought I had a brilliant idea for a novel too, but it started falling apart because I hadn't planned anything at all and couldn't keep hold of all the strings. This time, I hope to avoid that. Writing plan: plot and do some sketchy-writing up until April, when I hope to feel ready enough to do a round of Camp NaNo. Or if writing is going well without a NaNo-incentive, keep doing whatever I've been doing. I'd like for it to be in a coherent state by December and enter it in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition next January. (Long way off, but I think I could make this happen if I'm diligent!)
Travel: Cal and I haven't thought about additional travel plans since getting back from New Zealand (why doesn't Google Chrome recognize "Zealand" as a word?), except for a few more conversations about future Europe and beginning to think about pushing that back due to our current state of joblessness. However! I have two good friends who are making their way over here tomorrow! So excited for their arrival. I don't envy their 16-hour flight one bit, though. Good luck to them. When they get here and they're over their jetlag, we're hoping to visit a bunch of different places--Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, maybe Uluru and New Zealand again... probably Auckland, this time. You can be sure that this blog will be exploding with our adventures. Can't wait.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Books My Future Children Will Be Reading
I keep coming across lists of books that "kids must read" on Pinterest, and while I agree with a lot of the titles on those lists, a lot of them also include all kinds of classics that I just don't deem necessary to a fun, imaginative book-reading experience. I know, I know... call me a failed English major. But I didn't read many--any, really--classics as a young child. Maybe I should have. But my parents let me pick up whatever I wanted to read. That's what I intend to do with my children, too--despite the title of this post sounding a bit more demanding. I turned out okay feeding off the words of some of my favorite fantasy authors. These are the books I think my children should read if they follow in my fantasy-loving footsteps... (note: not everything is completely fantasy, but has sparked such childlike wonder in my memory that I thought they deserved a place on the list).- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
- His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
- Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce
- Immortals by Tamora Pierce
- Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
- The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones
- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
- Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones
- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
- The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
- The Harper Hall trilogy by Ane McCaffrey
- So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane
- Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
- The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
- Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson
- A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
- The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
- The Last of the Really Great Wangdoodles by Julie Andrews
- East by Edith Pattou
- The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- The Magician's House Quartet by William Corlett
- Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
Do you have any titles that you'd like your future children to read (or that you'll be reading to your future children)? Leave a comment below!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Story Planning Techniques: Microsoft OneNote
I've never been much of what I would call a planner. I never really wrote out plotlines or summaries, never did much in-depth character development outside of writing scenes, and usually had no idea where a story was going. After ten years of near-obsession with one particular story, I guess I just didn't need it. I lived and breathed those characters, and while I didn't really know where the plot was going until it got there, I did finish it eventually.
Now that that story is finished, I've found myself scrambling to keep ideas and characters and names straight in my head. It was the same with last NaNo, too--trying to write something new and different definitely requires some different techniques, at least for me.
I've tried different plotting programs in the past--yWriter and Scrivener stand out--but didn't have much luck. I also tried downloading an "open source writing planning software" program that looked legit but actually just downloaded a ton of random programs onto my computer that made ads pop up on ad-less websites, so that was a no-go. (No harm done--easily uninstalled.)
So I decided to try OneNote. I've actually tried OneNote before for novel planning but I think I was going about it all the wrong way. I already use OneNote for to-do lists, meal planning, travel, etc. so it's often open anyway.
How I Use OneNote to Plan a Novel
1. Create a new notebook. I named mine the title of the project, "The Foxglove Alliance."
2. Three different tabs: Plot, Characters, and Setting.
3. Pages in the plot tab:
Now that that story is finished, I've found myself scrambling to keep ideas and characters and names straight in my head. It was the same with last NaNo, too--trying to write something new and different definitely requires some different techniques, at least for me.
I've tried different plotting programs in the past--yWriter and Scrivener stand out--but didn't have much luck. I also tried downloading an "open source writing planning software" program that looked legit but actually just downloaded a ton of random programs onto my computer that made ads pop up on ad-less websites, so that was a no-go. (No harm done--easily uninstalled.)
So I decided to try OneNote. I've actually tried OneNote before for novel planning but I think I was going about it all the wrong way. I already use OneNote for to-do lists, meal planning, travel, etc. so it's often open anyway.
How I Use OneNote to Plan a Novel
1. Create a new notebook. I named mine the title of the project, "The Foxglove Alliance."
2. Three different tabs: Plot, Characters, and Setting.
3. Pages in the plot tab:
- Beginning-Middle-End, where I lay out the basics of what's happening in mini-paragraph form.
- Random Scenes, where I post ideas for scenes to write, snippets of dialogue, etc. that wandered into my head but haven't been sorted yet.
- A page for each chapter, where those random snippets and ideas are sorted into a coherent order. This will come much later in the planning process. At the moment I only have a good idea of what the first and last chapter will look like. (One Note makes it easy to cut/paste different blocks of text into different pages.)
- A main/general page outlining characters and their relationships. A "cast of characters" if you will. For instance: Lydia, the ambassador's daughter; Prince, her betrothed; Colette, her little sister" etc.
- One page for each main character, filled with things like picture inspiration, character interview or a brief personality/appearance/history description. Motivations and their role in the story.
- One page for each group of minor characters. So: "Lydia's Family" and very brief descriptions of each member, or "The Royal Family" and the same deal. This is also the place where I would go into descriptions of different organizations, which is significant to this story. For instance, I'd have a page called "The Foxglove Alliance," detail who they are, what they do, and who's in it.
- Map page. Currently empty for this project, but I'll design a map of the world/city and put it here.
- A page for each country, describing history, government, technology, landmarks, that sort of thing. I like to look at "World Factbook" for inspiration. It gives me an idea of the kind of things I might need to know about a place I'm creating, though following it exactly would probably be more than anyone needed to know.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
On Titles
I have a love/hate relationship with the thing called The Title. I used to keep a list of potential titles in one of my old writing folders--titles inspired by street or place names, or simply something I came up with one day that sounded like the title of something I'd like to read. Sometimes when I see titles a story starts to form, which is why I find title generators so fascinating. I could post links, but there are just so many of them--it's probably easier to google "your favorite genre title generator" instead.
Anyway, I sought one of these to title a new story idea that's been floating in my head--starring Lydia, who you can meet a few posts down. Such greats popped up as:
The Magic Company
The Twin's Child
The Golden Gamble
Fallen Road
Summer's Wing
Year in the Crossroad
Redemption of Clockwork
Child of the Tyranny
The Wizard's Flame-Pits
The Sharing Vampire (better than sparkling, surely)
You get the idea. I can just see stories unfolding with some of those (which you can totally use if you've been inspired, too!). Unfortunately, nothing has popped up that matches the story in my head--which is how we get to the hate part of the relationship. I am horrible at matching a title to a story. I always seem to come up with something kind of lame if it relates--cool, interesting titles never pop out at me when I already have a story in mind.
The biggest piece of advice that I get when it comes to this is to wait, and something will strike me. But I find it impossible to wait. Whatever shall I name the title of the document in which I'm writing/planning if I wait? I feel like along with characters and plot, a title is one of the first things I need to get anywhere with a story. Yes, I know it's all in my head.
So here I sit, clicking "Click here for your fantasy novel titles!" over and over again, waiting for something to strike me. Right now I'm thinking something along the lines of "Ally" or "Alliance." Maybe "Alliance of..." something. "The....Alliance?" I don't know.
If you have any tips and tricks for giving something a title, please share below--I'd love to hear them!
EDIT: Five minutes after posting this, I've stumbled upon the perfect thing: "The Foxglove Alliance." Now, to plot this out... maybe I'll have enough of an outline to do April-NaNo!
Anyway, I sought one of these to title a new story idea that's been floating in my head--starring Lydia, who you can meet a few posts down. Such greats popped up as:
The Magic Company
The Twin's Child
The Golden Gamble
Fallen Road
Summer's Wing
Year in the Crossroad
Redemption of Clockwork
Child of the Tyranny
The Wizard's Flame-Pits
The Sharing Vampire (better than sparkling, surely)
You get the idea. I can just see stories unfolding with some of those (which you can totally use if you've been inspired, too!). Unfortunately, nothing has popped up that matches the story in my head--which is how we get to the hate part of the relationship. I am horrible at matching a title to a story. I always seem to come up with something kind of lame if it relates--cool, interesting titles never pop out at me when I already have a story in mind.
The biggest piece of advice that I get when it comes to this is to wait, and something will strike me. But I find it impossible to wait. Whatever shall I name the title of the document in which I'm writing/planning if I wait? I feel like along with characters and plot, a title is one of the first things I need to get anywhere with a story. Yes, I know it's all in my head.
So here I sit, clicking "Click here for your fantasy novel titles!" over and over again, waiting for something to strike me. Right now I'm thinking something along the lines of "Ally" or "Alliance." Maybe "Alliance of..." something. "The....Alliance?" I don't know.
If you have any tips and tricks for giving something a title, please share below--I'd love to hear them!
EDIT: Five minutes after posting this, I've stumbled upon the perfect thing: "The Foxglove Alliance." Now, to plot this out... maybe I'll have enough of an outline to do April-NaNo!
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Backpack Trials
The thought of backpacking across Europe probably seems a bit romantic. We'll be going in the dead of winter, since that's summer here and that's when Cal will have a chunk of time off, whether he's still studying or a teacher at that point. And besides, who wouldn't want to see Neuschwanstein frosted over with snow? We obviously won't be bringing tents and sleeping bags and setting up on a snowbank whenever we want to stop for the night. And what do the people of the internet say about that?
"Don't bother with a backpack, it's really more of a hassle. If you're not going to live rough, it's not worth it."
Um... have these people ever tried dragging a rolling suitcase behind them over cobblestone? It should be an Olympic sport, for goodness' sake! I mean, rolling suitcases have a habit of hitting my heels in the best of conditions--I think the handle's a bit too short for my long legs--but rolling it over cobblestone, or simply in a city where there are hundreds of people walking around you as you attempt to turn it back on its wheels after if was kicked over onto its side, again, was stress that I didn't need while attempting to find hostels and places of interest.
Not to mention, everything we need for a month plus any souvenirs we want to bring back with us is simply NOT going to fit in a couple of the standard carry-on suitcases. Not when you're talking bulky winter clothes. Which means you'd have to go next size up, and I shudder to think how that would hold up being dragged across Europe.
Moral of the story is, we're taking backpacks.
So the question turned into: which backpacks? As I started looking, I discovered quite quickly that there are a wide range of backpacks. Different sizes, some that open at the sides or bottom as well as the top, some with places for ice picks and skis and sleeping bags and water bottles, some with unclippable daypacks. Looking at them online is pretty much a nightmare. At the same time, I wanted to know what was out there before we started looking in stores so I had at least some idea of what to tell salespeople we wanted.
First, size. Per recommendations, I'm thinking 50L for me, and around 60-65L for Cal. We figured we'd pack lightly, hopefully with room to spare in both (for those souvenirs!). Next, I really would like one that has side-openings into the main compartment for ease of getting at things, but it's not hugely necessary. And I think my only other requirement is that I get one designed specifically for women.
We've been passing a store called Mountain Designs on the bus for ages, but never have time stop in. So, when we were in Wellington and saw a Mountain Designs right next to a Kathmandu which was next to another outdoorsy place I can't remember the name of, we thought we hit the jackpot.
We tried on tons of different backpacks, and I was swiftly coming to the conclusion that everything was the same and I didn't need to be in a store at all to buy a backpack, it would be just as easy to buy it online. And then.
The Osprey Aura 50L, size large. SO COMFORTABLE. Couldn't believe how comfortable it was. I was like, this is going to be the backpack for me. (AND it comes in purple!).
Cal tried on the Osprey Aether 65L, and had similar feelings. I can't remember about that one, but the Aura didn't have side access from what I can remember, and I'm pretty much ready to completely overlook that since it was roughly the most comfortable thing ever. We're obviously going to keep looking since we have months and months left and backpacks are expensive (to someone who's jobless and someone who's about to become jobless, anyway). Those are our front runners, though.
Have you ever gone backpacking and have any recommendations? We'd love to hear them!
"Don't bother with a backpack, it's really more of a hassle. If you're not going to live rough, it's not worth it."
Um... have these people ever tried dragging a rolling suitcase behind them over cobblestone? It should be an Olympic sport, for goodness' sake! I mean, rolling suitcases have a habit of hitting my heels in the best of conditions--I think the handle's a bit too short for my long legs--but rolling it over cobblestone, or simply in a city where there are hundreds of people walking around you as you attempt to turn it back on its wheels after if was kicked over onto its side, again, was stress that I didn't need while attempting to find hostels and places of interest.
Not to mention, everything we need for a month plus any souvenirs we want to bring back with us is simply NOT going to fit in a couple of the standard carry-on suitcases. Not when you're talking bulky winter clothes. Which means you'd have to go next size up, and I shudder to think how that would hold up being dragged across Europe.
Moral of the story is, we're taking backpacks.
So the question turned into: which backpacks? As I started looking, I discovered quite quickly that there are a wide range of backpacks. Different sizes, some that open at the sides or bottom as well as the top, some with places for ice picks and skis and sleeping bags and water bottles, some with unclippable daypacks. Looking at them online is pretty much a nightmare. At the same time, I wanted to know what was out there before we started looking in stores so I had at least some idea of what to tell salespeople we wanted.
First, size. Per recommendations, I'm thinking 50L for me, and around 60-65L for Cal. We figured we'd pack lightly, hopefully with room to spare in both (for those souvenirs!). Next, I really would like one that has side-openings into the main compartment for ease of getting at things, but it's not hugely necessary. And I think my only other requirement is that I get one designed specifically for women.
We've been passing a store called Mountain Designs on the bus for ages, but never have time stop in. So, when we were in Wellington and saw a Mountain Designs right next to a Kathmandu which was next to another outdoorsy place I can't remember the name of, we thought we hit the jackpot.
We tried on tons of different backpacks, and I was swiftly coming to the conclusion that everything was the same and I didn't need to be in a store at all to buy a backpack, it would be just as easy to buy it online. And then.
The Osprey Aura 50L, size large. SO COMFORTABLE. Couldn't believe how comfortable it was. I was like, this is going to be the backpack for me. (AND it comes in purple!).
Cal tried on the Osprey Aether 65L, and had similar feelings. I can't remember about that one, but the Aura didn't have side access from what I can remember, and I'm pretty much ready to completely overlook that since it was roughly the most comfortable thing ever. We're obviously going to keep looking since we have months and months left and backpacks are expensive (to someone who's jobless and someone who's about to become jobless, anyway). Those are our front runners, though.
Have you ever gone backpacking and have any recommendations? We'd love to hear them!
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