Austin Teen Book Fest 2013 #ATBF13

I have wanted to attend the Austin Teen Book Festival for 3 years and could never make it happen. When this year's line up was released, I nearly fell out of my chair in excitement - Rae Carson, Marissa Meyer, Holly Black, MAGGIE STIEFVATER! - and I was determined to be there.

Thankfully, I was able to make it happen and it was an almost perfect day.

via ATBF

Maggie opened the festival up with a poignant and hilarious speech. She made some really great points about how creative types typically have equal stores of fear and imagination, and how we need to be able to balance the two somehow. She said that, as a writer, a person plays the "what if" game - what if someone could physically manifest their dreams? What if shapeshifters were real? - and that that game says that all the dreadful possibilities are just as important as the magical ones.  She spoke briefly about her novels, including the beautiful, perfect creation that is Sam Roth and then The Raven Cycle books, and she ended it by saying that "we are all Dream Thieves because we can choose to manifest our dreams or our nightmares."

It was a really great way to open up the day, and once Maggie spoke, my friend and I headed up to our first panel of the day - Into Hearts of Darkness, which featured Jon Scovron, Mari Mancusi, Robin Wasserman, April Tucholke, Victoria Scott and the fantastic Holly Black.

There were several great questions posed to the authors here, but my favorite tidbits were uttered by Robin and Holly, both in response to the query: Where do your ideas come from?

Robin quoted the amazing Patrick Ness and said that, "One idea is never enough for a book." She talked about how he says he usually gets The Idea, and then other Ideas appear and they all sync and congeal and suddenly, this mass of ideas is a Living, Breathing, Thing, and then there's enough to be a book. I thought that was a really fantastic statement. Holly said the best advice regarding ideas she ever got was to "Honor your obsessions." That's a pretty cool idea, too - the thought that if you love something, you should probably write about it.

It was a great start to the day, and then we went back to the main hall to watch the Fierce Reads ladies face off against the Dark Days gals in a silly set of games. The best part of this, for me, was when David Tennant appeared on the screen and everybody went nuts. O DOCTOR, MY DOCTOR, I LOVE YOU SO!

(Obligatory side note: There were SO. MANY. WHOVIANS THERE. I was basically like, "Hello, you are my PEOPLE!") 

Then, we grabbed some lunch and bought a few books - I got ASYLUM by Madeleine Roux and THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales - and headed upstairs to try to snag a good couple of seats in the Dark Days panel room. (We ended up on the 2nd row - SWEET.)

Madeleine Roux, via my OG iPhone

The Dark Days panel was, by far, my favorite of the entire day. It included Madeleine Roux, Sherry Thomas, Mindy McGinness, Michelle Gagnon, Amy Tintera, and Rae Carson.

These ladies are clearly all friends, and they all played off of one another so well - and they're all hilarious, so that definitely helped. A couple of observations here: Michelle Gagnon is so cool, I want to read all of her books, ever, now. DON'T TURN AROUND and DON'T LOOK NOW have been on my radar, but she's so fantastic, I kind of want them in my grabby little hands right now. She and Rae both had this really calm, approach and it was just super cool. Mindy is hilarious - and I mean, snarky and smart, and I never would have guessed that she spends her days as a high school librarian. Biggest surprise of the day? Sherry Thomas, who's glasses and general look do sort of speak quiet librarian but is smart and genuinely a riot who had a snarky remark to almost every question, including how, sometimes, ideas are on sale at Costco, and how hers was a free sample.

Favorite moment, though?

Madeleine Roux's answer to "Where do your ideas come from?" The answer involved blood sacrifice by the light of the full moon, a spirit named Dave, and naked dancing.

Like you do.

via my OG iPhone

After Dark Days was Fierce Reads, which was in the same room, so we were able to settle in and really enjoy it.  The authors here were Leila Sales, Marissa Meyer, S.A. Bodeen, and Alexandra Coutts. The tone of this panel was a lot less snark and a bit quieter, but the result was the same - these ladies love to write and they loved interacting with their readres. Having already read Meyer's works, the other three authors were virtually unknown to me, but now I can say that I need to pick up TUMBLE
& FALL by Alexandra, STAT. The idea of a novel that focuses on the time spent waiting for a natural disaster to strike is scary in the best, most real way, and I really have to find myself a copy of that book soon.

Our last panel of the day was Powers Strange and Perilous, which included Robin LaFevers, Lisa McMann, Cinda Williams Chima, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Melissa de la Cruz and her husband Michael Johnston, and the awesome Maggie Stiefvater. (FLAILY FLAIL FLAIL.) I've read something by everyone on this panel with the exception of Lisa and Cinda, so this was a fun one for me. It was interesting to hear how everyone thinks of the supernatural abilities that they've given their characters, and I especially liked how Robin spoke about the extraneous abilities she gave the ladies in her His Fair Assassins series - I love that she correlates them to the ways the infants struggled at birth (which sounds morbid, I know... because it is). Maggie was, as usual, hilarious and awesome but still made a lot of interesting points, and then it was off to the closing speech with the wonderful Holly Black.

Holly spoke of fear, too, and how one of her lifelong obsessions (vampires) manifested from her childhood fears. We really enjoyed her speech, but I'm not going to lie - the lines for autographs were becoming a bit intimidating, so we hopped in line a few minutes before she finished up so we could be sure to have a couple minutes with each author for whom we had a book to be signed.

All in all, I got Leila to sign my copy of THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE, Marissa to sign my copy of CINDER (I already have a signed copy of SCARLET), and Maggie signed my copies of both THE RAVEN BOYS and THE DREAM THIEVES. My little exchange which her while she was signing my books is also one of my favorite things of the whole day.

via my OG iPhone

Actual conversation:

Me: Hi! Thanks so much for coming today!
Maggie: No problem; I love it. <begins signing>
Me: Also, thanks for creating Sam Roth. He remains my favorite YA Boy ever.
Maggie: Well, he's a good book boyfriend to have.
Me: Right? I figure he'll sing me a song and then turn into a wolf with gorgeous amber eyes. What could be bad about that?
Maggie, as she finishes signing, with a grin: Shedding.

HA. And now you know why I say she's 100% awesome. ;)

Anyway, the ATBF was really great. I am thoroughly impressed with how smoothly it ran, how easy the schedule seemed to flow, and how genuinely kind all of the authors seemed. Will definitely try to attend next year's event! 

Thanks to Book People and all the volunteers for making it so great! And a huge thanks to the authors for being generous with their time.

Summer Reading Programs: DONEZO!

I'm excited to say that B completed all three of her Summer Reading Programs as of yesterday. All together, she read THIRTY-TWO books this summer, of varying lengths. We did read Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND together - I read it aloud, chapter by chapter - but I made her read me the remainder aloud, and she did remarkably. We had her first official Meet the Teacher night last week, and I told both her teachers she can read independently and they both just sort of nodded. All of her teachers have been like that at first - the "yes, everyone thinks their child is a genius" sort of brush off - but give it two weeks and they'll change their tune.

Anyway, photos of my B and her rewards:

1) Reading Challenge #1: Austin Public Library's Summer Reading Program

2) Reading Challenge #2: Barnes & Noble's Imagination Destination Program

3) Reading Challenge #3: Book People's Give Me Summer, Give Me Books Program

It makes me happy to no end to know that this focus we've helped her grow, regarding reading and words and art, will be a lifelong one.

I'm so very proud of my little reader.

Update: Summer Reading Challenges!

Well, hi there.

At this point, with 23 days before Kindergarten is slated to start (OMG WHAT), Bella has made great strides in all of the reading challenges she entered this summer.

1) Reading Challenge #1: Austin Public Library's Summer Reading Program
As of right now, we are on book 22 of 32. The deadline for this program is 8/24. She'll reach this goal, no problem.

2) Reading Challenge #2: Barnes & Noble's Imagination Destination Program - DONE!

3) Reading Challenge #3: Book People's Give Me Summer, Give Me Books Program
As of today, this is DONE, too! We'll probably take her to Book People tomorrow to pick up her gift card and let her pick out a book to buy. So exciting!

I plan on taking a photo of all her spoils once she's done with all three challenges - should be three brand new books - and posting it here. It's so cool and so great for me to see her excelling as a reader. I simply love it. And her, of course. To the moon and  back.

As for me and my Goodreads Challenge, here are my current stats (I won't hit this goal til probably November/December, but still, I'm working on it throughout this summer, so here we are):

Books read: 61 of 85

Pages read thus far: 23029

Thanks for reading this! ;)

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A Beachbody Update, Clean Eating, Books, Joss Whedon, and Bella B.

Hey-o.

Well, we're 9 days away from my first official "measure in," and I haven't lost any weight. I won't lie, that's really disappointing, but I did take some preemptive measurements last week in an attempt assuage said disappointment, and inches are gone from my waist, arms, and legs, so obviously, my body is changing. I just wonder what this is going to mean, weight-wise. I'm eating within a calorie allotment and replacing a meal every day with Shakeology, but still not seeing loss. Yes, there have been a few moderate cheats - like last night, I had Torchy's Tacos for dinner (and it was deeee-lish), but I am still more mindful of what I'm eating now than I have probably ever been before.

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So anyway, it's upsetting (to a degree), but I have tone in my arms and legs where there was none before, and my shoulders and upper body are also changing - so much that a girl in my apartment office said something about me being "pretty cut" through my shoulders, so I'm trying to focus on that. She also said that, in her experience, the first month of her Insanity workout, she only lost 4 pounds, and then she dropped the weight during month two, so I'm hoping I see a similar trend. The goal for me has never been to be skinny, per say, but to the fit and strong. I'm on my way.

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It's a goal of mine to have my household move to clean eating by year end. It's hard, especially in this
day and age of GMOs. God only knows what other science projects are offered to people in the grocery store, but it's a goal, and I hope we can do it, expensive or not. It's probably going to be a step-by-step process for us - move meats, then veg, etc etc, but I think it's a worthwhile goal for a million reasons. Though it was a bit of an unwieldy and overly verbose read for me, I'm glad to have read THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA, because it really did enhance my perspective on food and where it comes from. For now, we try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. We'll see how this goes.

In other book news, I've been reading THE INTERESTINGS for the last week and I'm having a sort of difficult time with it, not because it isn't...well, interesting, but because the narrative itself seems overly dense in all the wrong places. I'd rather sparse but intentional writing (like what's used throughout THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, which I adored) than needless blathering, and I really feel like this book goes on and on about some of the most inane things. But: I will finish it. I have about 150 pages left, I think. We'll also see how this goes.

Obligatory Interjection: I'm currently enjoying the first cup of coffee I've had in about 3 weeks. It is rather divine.

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While I've been sipping on this Cup of Deliciousness, I finished watching Serenity this morning, the 2005 Joss Whedon film, and I'm (as usual) kicking myself for not watching it sooner. Buffy was fabulous, and so was Angel, but my real point here is that I love that Whedon isn't afraid to make brave, bold, kick ass female characters, and for this, Serenity did not disappoint. Also, Nathan Fillion, shirtless and sporting bedhead isn't so terrible on the eyes. I also really want to see his version of
Much Ado About Nothing because I am a Shakespeare girl at heart - have been since I was about 17 and begged for a leatherbound, embossed copy of his complete works. I'm sure it will blow my mind.

And speaking of strong female leads, my wee one will be 5 on Thursday, and she's becoming quite the kick butt girl herself. Thursday will be spent doing whatever she wants.

Til next time,
Ang

Reading the Summer Away

This blog? It's really just a glorified Mama Brag, so prepare yo'self.

This summer, my Beautiful B agreed to be a part of not one, not two, but three reading challenges. Yes, some of the books will overlap, but the point is that she's agreed to read just under 40 books this summer, most of them by herself.

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Reading Challenge #1: Austin Public Library's Summer Reading Program
For this challenge, she's got to keep a log of which books she's read and once she meets her goal, she can turn in her completed list and she'll get a free paperback book from the Library to keep! I asked her how many books she wanted to read per week, and she said 4. I multiplied that by 8, to cover two months of time, so her goal for APL's SRP is 32 books of her choosing. I'm making her read most of them, but I've also read one or two with her.

Reading Challenge #2: Barnes & Noble's Imagination Destination Program
For this challenge, she had to read 8 books of her choosing and keep a log of them. Additionally, she had to make recommendations on who should read each book. Once the list was complete, her "prize" was  free book, based on her age group.

This challenge is actually done already! B chose the classic RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 for her free book. I can't wait to read it with her.

Reading Challenge #3: Book People's Give Me Summer, Give Me Books Program
This program is a bit more structured than the other two, in that Book People has a list of recommended books according to the child's age. Granted, B's skillset is a bit more advanced than some of the books for K-2, but it's good practice for her, so I don't mind. I've gotten 4 of the recommended 6 books on their way to us from the Library and I'll let her read two other books of her choosing. Once she finishes this challenge, the reward is a $5 gift card to Book People, which we'll let her use on a book of her choosing.

We'll get our girl a library of her own yet. ;)

For the record, I, too, and part of a reading challenge for the summer. It's hosted through the APL as well, and for every 5 books I read, I am entered into a drawing for some pretty sweet prizes. I'm also still trucking along on my Goodreads Challenge.

What are you reading this summer?

MWAH,
Ang

Summer Reading Plans

Hey there.

So, this thing has been circulating around the interwebz : clicky click.

Aside from the fact that, for about a thousand reasons, I won't touch 50 Shades of Shite with a ten foot pole, I've made myself go through this flow chart a couple different times with different answers, and every time, I've ended up with a book that's been on my to-be-read list for quite some time, which is pretty cool.

That got me thinking - what are my summer reading plans? Last year, I decided to read some kidlit between whatever I happened to pick up from my shelves. In some instances, I reread old favorites; in others, it was the first time I'd gotten around to it. Some examples of what I read last summer are:

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (one of my favorite books)
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• Wonder by RJ Palacio (FEELS ALL OVER)

An approximation of my tbr pile. No, really.

I think that, this summer, I'll finish up my reread of the Harry Potter books. I just started a slow read of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, and I'm really enjoying reading the books with the knowledge of everything that's to come. I'll also continue to be part of a book club. But, I'm not sure that that's really enough to constitute Summer Reading Plans! Maybe I should set a numerical goal - "I'll read x books by the last day of August."

Are you a reader? What are you going to be reading this summer?

:)

Reading is Cool. Or Something Less Lame Sounding.

I feel that there are two types of readers in the world.

There are those who read because they just love to do it, and there are those who read because they have to do it. That's a key difference in verb usage, and it's intentional.

Many people love to read. It's fun for them to collect books and to fill their free hours with new worlds and stories or histories and real crime. They read their preferred genre, or not. They just really like the way that they get to watch a story unfold right before their eyes, all thanks to a set of pages, bound together.

Believe me when I say that there is obviously nothing wrong with reading because you love it. Isn't that the definition of reading for pleasure? And reading does grant me a good amount of utility. I do love to learn a new world and new characters, and I really enjoy getting to know an author's style, and more often than not, reading inspires my writing in some fashion.

But I don't read because I love it.

I read because I need it.

Yes, really. I need to.

There are a litany of reasons for this, but most of them stem back many years, to when I was a kid growing up mostly by myself after about age 11. I couldn't go anywhere, seeing as I couldn't drive, so what were my options? Books and music (which I'm sure I'll attempt to handle in a different post, because holy jeez) and later, with more seriousness, writing.

From a very young age, I learned that if I wanted a reprieve from the strain of my day-to-day life, all I had to do was slip between the covers of a book. Between the paragraphs on the pages. Between letters in the phrases. I could lose myself that way. I could lose sight of whatever was going on in my life, and unfortunately, there was (with rather alarming regularity) always something negative and dramatic going on in my life. Reading was one of the only ways I could discern that allowed me to leave without ever physically going anywhere and, without my ever realizing it (until much later in life), it very quickly became my primary outlet and sanity keeper. Later, I would begin to write in an attempt to vent all of these feelings out of my head - that started around age 14 - but for a few years, it was me and my books, my books and me. Whether said books were from my then quite meager collection, or borrowed from my school or public library didn't matter. I treasured them. They helped me in a thousand ways. They were my coping mechanism.

And, as an adult, I have realized that in all honesty? Not much has changed.

Take this evening for example: I left work in a rather foul mood, because of a very specific reason. I got home and I was able to (mostly) shake off the ickies and be in a good mood for my kiddo and hubs, but (as the ickies are wont to do) it crept back up on me by about 9PM. By 9:30, I was trying like hell to get lost and wander around in a book, and already, the distraction was helping, nevermind that the book itself isn't actually all that great.

Reading keeps me generally sane. It keeps me focused outwardly as well as in. It helps me cope. And sure, it gives me something to collect, but more importantly, it allows me to find inner peace when everything around me is apeshit and a nasty red color and just plain mean. I need it.

And I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Besides:

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In Which There is an Apple

Hey guys.

This is going to be a sort of "update" blog. I guess they all sort of are, aren't they? But I wanted to give anyone who's interested an update on all the goings on in my life at present.

First up: I've made a good dent in my 101/1001 list, but not as much as I'd like at this point. That said, I've made progress on a few of the items that will take the longest to complete, which is nothing to shake a stick at.

Some notable accomlishments (in my opinion, anyway): 

1. I've read six of the twenty recommendations I requested.
2. I've kept record of one of six months in "My Day in Six Words" journal.
3. I've written a short story to begin my Short Story Project.
4. We have plans with regard to savings/paying off various debts in mind.

For my comprehensive 101/1001 list, you can click here.

Second, I have read 31 of my intended 85 books this year. Thus far, this equates to 11688 pages.  Cray cray!

Third, I started at what is essentially my Favorite Day Job Ever on Monday. Working at this company was always the game changer for me, and I'm hoping to be able to move from contract to permanent employee in a hot second. Good thoughts appreciated. :)

And lastly, I've decided to be more comment-y in my blog reading. I very rarely get comments on this thing, and I know how much it means to me when I actually do get one, so I want to be sure to pay that forward a bit. :)

I'll leave off with this, just for some TRUFAX:

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How are you? What's new? Are you working steadily toward any of your own goals?

PS HOMG THE WALKING DEAD AUGH.

People, Words, Music, and Lack

I turned 30 in December, and since then, I've come to a lot of realizations about life and where I want to be and what everything means. It's a bit like I disappeared into the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and instead of coming up with 42, I got the real answer. Not that 42 isn't a real answer. Or something. And if you don't get that joke, I'm very sad for you.

Anyway.

Thing is, for several years, I've done what was easy for me.

Roughly translated: My life has sorely been lacking in passion.

I don't mean in my marriage or my friendships or whatever. And obviously, I've been writing a ton for the last few years, both on this blog and in other places, but what I mean is that I go to work, I come home. I go to work, I come home. I go to work. I come home.

And I'm bored all the while.

Because the fact of the matter is that I don't care about accounting, and that's what I work in, mostly because it's easy for me to get a job in that arena, and therefore: I am bored. I do good work, I'm efficient, and it's simple, for me. But I'm bored.

I did an inventory - a balls out sort of inventory, where I really tried to iron out my priorities. At the end of the day, here's the short list of things I care about, save my immediate family and friends (who are, generally speaking, more like family than most of the people who are technically classified as family based on genetic connectivity):

- people (both in and out of my life)
- words (i.e. writing and reading)
- music (no explanation necessary)

Yeah. No math.  No numbers. No office work.

Go figure.

So, anyway, this has been a really long, rambling way to get around to this announcement:

I'm going back to school, hopefully this fall, to get my Master's in Counseling from Saint Ed's. It's a 2-3 year program, exceptionally affordable by comparison to most of the other programs in this area, and I want it so bad I can taste it. Ken is wholly supporting, and feels a bit like "I told you so!" because he predicted this would happen years ago, as most people know.

When I think about what this would allow me to include in my life, I am giddy with excitement. I could work with people, day in, day out. I could make a difference in their lives, just by listening and offering quiet thoughts in return, if they want them. I could probably work part time and make more than I make doing my stupid accounting job, and I'd be happier, to boot. And that happiness? It's worth the strain of preparing to take (and ace?) the GRE, as well as managing life with a husband (who will also be in school) and a precocious daughter and school, all at once. Also, a social life.

Anyway.

So, yes, hopefully, you're reading the blog of a graduate of Saint Edward's University, Class of 2015 or 2016. Seeing LPC/LMFT behind my name is going to be pretty damn awesome.

P.S. For those of you wondering, yes, I am still querying my manuscript, and yes, I will still be writing. I will always write. Period.
P.S.S. It's Licensed Professional Counselor/Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I'd want both certifications.
 

101/1001 - #46: Book Recs - WIP

#46 on my 101/1001 list is:

Ask 20 friends to suggest one book, and read them all

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i've started this one! i put together a google form and sent it out, as well as poked around on facebook, and i'm pretty excited about the recommendations I received. see below (in no particular order):

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan (rec'd  by Jes) - read 1/15/13
Everyday by David Levithan (rec'd by Tricia) - read January 2014
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (rec'd by Ken) - read 2/7/13
Shadow of Night by Deb Harkness (rec'd by Kimber) - read 4/28/13
Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield (rec'd by Tonya) - read 2/9/13
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (rec'd by Jen) - read 1/10/13
Bed by Tao Lin (rec'd by Krystal) - read 8/22/13
Matched by Allie Condie (rec'd by Mandy) - read 9/22/13
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (rec'd by Vicki) - read 10/6/13
Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah (rec'd by Roxie)
The Wool Series by Hugh Howey (rec'd by Brie) - read 3/4/13
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (rec'd by Erin) - read Nov 2013
Empty by KM Walton (rec'd by Mary) - read 6/16/13
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (rec'd by Michelle)
Dirty by Megan Hart (rec'd by Lins)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (rec'd by Chey)
John Dies at the End by Oliver Wong (rec'd by Yvonne)
Flat Out Love by Jessica Park (rec'd by Bec) - read 3/8/13
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (rec'd by Beth) - read 6/14/13
Feed by Mira Grant (rec'd by Anna)

in these 20 books, many genres are represented - historical romance, supernatural, realistic fiction, steampunk, and even a short story collection and some erotica (which i don't generally read much of). there's a good amount of YA, but also a good amount of non-YA, and even some non-fiction and a bit of satire, and one book by the author of my all time favorite short story.  (also: zombies. wheeee!) basically? my friends are awesome.

all in all, i think this makes for a really great selection, and i'm super excited to get started on the list. (side note: a handful of these are already on my shelves, either literally here in my living room, or on my tbr list on goodreads, which is pretty cool.)

have you read any of these books? do you want to?

oh, PS: i'm about to be in a book club again, and i'm insanely excited about that, too. :)

A Bookish Sort of Update

 before all the christmas business starts up, i wanted to post a few updates about a few sorts of booky information.

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1) after a whole lot of personal upheaval/stress/development type stuff, i will be back to editing my novel after this weekend. the goal is to get through it and start querying in january 2013. (if you're reading this, and you read the rough draft of my manuscript, and you're interested in reading the more finessed variation of the book, let me know.) i'm really excited to get back to it and i hope that 2013 is the Year in Which Ang Acquires an Agent as well as the Year in Which Ang Obtains a Publishing Deal.

2) furthermore, but along those same lines, i'll be outlining books 2 and 3 in the series betwixt editing. i'm really excited to get back to my characters, guys. like, really, really.

3) also, i think i'll be back to writing My Beautiful Disaster (tentative title) instead of my murder mystery book once querying begins.

moving on to something a bit different:

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4) i hit my reading stretch goal for the year. as of today, i've read 105 books, which is crazy and awesome. i'll probably read a good bit less next year, as i'll be writing and editing and querying (oh my!) throughout 2013, but i'm still going to aim for 60 books, or 5ish a month.

that's all for now.

:)

alice in wonderland

here's a funny little fact about me:

i really dislike most classic literature.

yeah, yeah, i know. "but all modern literature wouldn't exist if not for the classics." i know that. but i hate reading them. i can't name a single piece of victorian literature that i have enjoyed reading. i do love shakespeare, though, and i like more "modern" classics, like The Great Gatsby. but generally? meh squared.

however:

i have a sort of life long obsession with Alice in Wonderland.



Disney's Alice

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(side note: i read it and thought it was only okay.)

despite the glorious meh i felt after reading it again (as an adult), i just love the idea. i love the spins it could take, the way you can manipulate it into something so very different than what's canon. this is why i loved syfy's Alice miniseries, and why i really enjoyed tim burton's take on the story as well. (more on tim burton here.)

A DeviantArt Wallpaper for Tim Burton's film

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SyFy's Hatter. My Favorite.

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as a matter of fact, i have a dark little spin on Alice in Wonderland in my pile of ideas - one day, i'll write it all down (at present, i have about 1500 words, and the bones of the story in a scrivener doc). it was inspired by this image, which was originally sent to me by my friend, Bec:
 

and i just love this image:

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(side note: i have just realized that my life-long affinity for striped socks probably originated with my affection for this story.)

What's your favorite kid's story?



book nerd 101

i read a lot.

this is evidenced by my goodreads lists.

also, i'm 11 books away from hitting my goal of reading 100 books in 2012. #exciting

so, anyway, i wanted to list a few books i'm excited about that will be released soon or will be delivered to my house soon:

DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor

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laini has this amazing way with words. her prose is beautiful, never purple, and always impacting. also, the world she crafted here, one that aligns right alongside the one we actually live in, is compelling and terrible and feels very complete, even after just one book (her first in this trilogy, Daughter of Smoke and Bone). her characters are real, her conflicts are real, and the backstories she gives everyone within the pages of her books are heavy and gritty and intense. i simply cannot wait for this, the second installment of Karou's story.

really, it's probably an accurate statement to say that this book belongs at the top of my "books i'm impatiently waiting on" list.

~*~*~

THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

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reviews among my friends (and friends of friends) for hodkin's first book (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer) were mixed. me, personally? i found it intriguing, to say the least. the mix of psychosis and mystery left me definitely interested to see what book 2 would hold within it's pages, and this book is on its way to my house as i type this, scheduled for delivery on monday. 

can't wait to see what happens in this one. (p.s. the cover art for this and The Unbecoming is stunning. love it.) 

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The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

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so, here's the deal with me and the beautiful creatures books: i have been interested since day one, but never actually picked them up because... well, i don't actually know. i was definitely interested in the fact that a boy narrates (i am penning a male-narrated novel for this year's NaNoWriMo), the premise surrounding a variant of witches, and the fact that a few of my nearest and dearest devoured the books. but my to be read list is insane, and when i realized that there were going to be four books... i decided to wait. 

well, my pre-order of the box set of the caster chronicles is on its way to me, and i can't wait!

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there are more books i'm looking forward to, but i'll save those for another post.

which books are you not-so-patiently waiting on?

TGFB (thank god for books)

first: a video -

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did you read this book?

i read this book. when i was about 11 or so, and i loved it. and when this movie was released about a year or two later, i saw it, and loved it. harriet m. welsch, as a character, spoke to me. she was different, smart and quirky, and she was obsessive about observing life as she saw it. she wrote constantly.

basically, she was me.

i can say that harriet m. welsch was probably the first MG/YA heroine that i truly identified with, that i can remember. by the time i met harriet, i had already read a wrinkle in time, which stars my beloved meg murry, and roald dahl had already introduced me to matilda & charlie, but harriet was my girl.

here's why i'm bringing this up.

i watched this movie this evening with my daughter, and not only is it still a poignant reference to life as a middling adolescent (and in general), but it still made me cry. i remember crying so hard when ole golly had to leave harriet, and when sport and janie wouldn't initially forgive her. but that was a million years ago, right? when i was 13!

and yet: the tears still came. and yet, i still melt when sport rushes out of the store, embarrassed because his friend had to help him so that he could afford groceries for the week. and yet i still hate marion hawthorne just a tad.

harriet the spy is one of very few books i remember falling in love with in my early adolescence. sure, i read all  the time, but there are probably five books at most that i remember reading until my eyes couldn't take it anymore and i finally succumbed to sleep. there are few books that, with a mere mention, shove me all the way back, back, back to twelve or thirteen year old me, holed up in my room with my nose in a book, wishing life was a bit more like the world i found between those beloved pages.


that's the beauty of books, though, isn't it?

they grab you and then they begin to live under your skin, and they speak to some internal part of you that never forgets their message.

and so when you're twenty-nine and have a child of your own, those memories can still grab hold of you and overwhelm you a bit.

thank god for books is all i can say.