Been reading so much that I haven't had time to update blog. Have had bad asthma attacks this summer due to high temperatures (some days over 100) so I've definitely had time to read. Maybe too much.
Is it possible to become addicted to silence? I think I might be. I've stopped listening to music while I read. I become completely absorbed in what I'm reading and can ignore most outside sounds. But I still pay attention to the dog (foster dog is gone, with new one on the way) and the cats.
And I'm finding it easier to write. I think I've managed to find, despite reading suspense novel after suspense novel, some inner peace that allows me to let go and enjoy creating. Now let me be clear about something. This work is mainly crap, a sort of exploration of writing what comes to my head. I'm trying the "write-a-50,000 word-novel-in-a-month" method (actually, I'm stretching the time period to 33 days, which means 1500 words a day), so there isn't much time to plan.
The book about National Novel Writing Month (an international phenomenon that takes placed every November) is called No Plot, No Problem. http://www.nanowrimo.org/
I definitely have no plot; hopefully, this won't stop me dead in my tracks. I'll post my words count soon.
Book the day is No Plot? No Problem! : A Low-Stress, High Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty. Exceptionally helpful for my project.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
"Interview with the Vampire", "Skylight Confessions"
I am re-reading Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It is genuinely frightening and creepy--how interesting that now, in the last novels of the Vampire Chronicles Lestat seems tame. I am hoping to read the entire series along with my regular reading.
Other recent reads include: Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman, which was a wonderful addition to her body of work. She handles grief, drug addiction, and distant parents with a lighter touch than in her previous novels. At first her characters' traits seem air-brushed on, but as the story progresses, they become richer and fuller. The last chapter will leave you breathless with anticipation, and I found the open ending appropriate and not at all frustrating.
Of course, since my last entry, I've read some more titles--I'll get to those later!
Other recent reads include: Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman, which was a wonderful addition to her body of work. She handles grief, drug addiction, and distant parents with a lighter touch than in her previous novels. At first her characters' traits seem air-brushed on, but as the story progresses, they become richer and fuller. The last chapter will leave you breathless with anticipation, and I found the open ending appropriate and not at all frustrating.
Of course, since my last entry, I've read some more titles--I'll get to those later!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
"The Italian Secretary" & "Beneath a Marble Sky"
I'm still working on Proust in Love and Farewell, My Queen. And I'm finishing the short hommage to Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, The Italian Secretary, by the ingenious Caleb Carr. He has the style down pat. And for week's end, I'll be reading about the building of the Taj Mahal in Beneath a Marble Sky. The book club here at the library will by discussing the book on Monday with the author, John Shors, by phone. Promises to be fun!
Monday, January 29, 2007
"The Terror", "Proust in Love", and "The Road to Middle-Earth"
Books I'm reading or have recently read will now show up in the librarything sidebar.
The Terror was a 700+ page terror, but a boon for fans of suspense, adventure, historical fiction, and fantasy. It reminded me of a Preston/Child novel. Loved it. I read it in a day and a half, partly because I was sick and partly because the "weather outside was frightful."
Proust in Love is an interesting combination of biography and literary criticism. How could Proust's amorous adventures not affect his incredible book, which is considered the apogee of novelistic studies of love in its multiple forms? William Carter makes his point delicately, with intimate details from Proust's correspondence and from biographies written by those who took their shine from his luster.
The Road to Middle-Earth is more pure literary criticism, but of definite interest to fans of Tolkien's work. Shippey makes the argument that Middle-Earth began as an exploration of Old English words for which there was no definition. Tolkien knew that the author of Beowulf would not have used certain words without their having a meaning, if not being literal things, at the time of composition. Leaves much to ponder about the history of our language and the depth of Tolkien's thinking.
The Terror was a 700+ page terror, but a boon for fans of suspense, adventure, historical fiction, and fantasy. It reminded me of a Preston/Child novel. Loved it. I read it in a day and a half, partly because I was sick and partly because the "weather outside was frightful."
Proust in Love is an interesting combination of biography and literary criticism. How could Proust's amorous adventures not affect his incredible book, which is considered the apogee of novelistic studies of love in its multiple forms? William Carter makes his point delicately, with intimate details from Proust's correspondence and from biographies written by those who took their shine from his luster.
The Road to Middle-Earth is more pure literary criticism, but of definite interest to fans of Tolkien's work. Shippey makes the argument that Middle-Earth began as an exploration of Old English words for which there was no definition. Tolkien knew that the author of Beowulf would not have used certain words without their having a meaning, if not being literal things, at the time of composition. Leaves much to ponder about the history of our language and the depth of Tolkien's thinking.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Me as a Simpson character--Assignment 7
Please see weeworld avatar. It's me walking the dogs in work clothes. Yes, I have a hat that looks like that. My father bought one for Jodi and me in Sweden. They're awesome!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
"The Godfather's Revenge" by Mark Winegardner
I am loving this new title, the second Mark Winegardner has written in the bold and bodacious style of Mario Puzo. Using characters we know from the book and the film, Winegardner also created several new ones, and in this second novel (following The Godfather Returns), he adds more life to each of these characters, old and new.
The last novel seemed almost too full of separate story lines: why Fredo turned on his brother and how someone in the Corleone organization plotted his betrayal; how the CIA set up "boot camps" for mob soldiers to learn how to bring down Castro's regime; and how Michael Corleone guaranteed a character named Jimmy Shea (read John Kennedy) a stint in the Oval Office. It was a great, interesting book, but now that many of the characters from it are dead, this new book is a slimmer, trimmer read. And much more gripping. We don't know what's going to happen here. Will Michael and his men find Nick Geraci before he can wreak havoc on the family? Will Tom Hagen survive a smear campaign that Geraci engineered? Will the women in the family ever find peace? (There are some great scenes with the women--don't miss those!)
Anyway, I'd recommend this books to fans of the original Godfather books and fans of the film. Fabulous stuff.
And, I updated my profile. Yes, I'm a mob movie fan. I can't even fit all of the movies I like in the space provided.
FYI, this site will also host my comments on the technological training we're undergoing here at the library. "Can You Tech It?" runs for the next two months and hopefully, I'll finish in time : ) So, fellow readers and staff, I'll include comments about a book and comments about techie stuff at the same time. Sound fair? It will get me more in practice...and make me update this site more!! By the way, I have more Dexter pictures : ) So watch this site!
The last novel seemed almost too full of separate story lines: why Fredo turned on his brother and how someone in the Corleone organization plotted his betrayal; how the CIA set up "boot camps" for mob soldiers to learn how to bring down Castro's regime; and how Michael Corleone guaranteed a character named Jimmy Shea (read John Kennedy) a stint in the Oval Office. It was a great, interesting book, but now that many of the characters from it are dead, this new book is a slimmer, trimmer read. And much more gripping. We don't know what's going to happen here. Will Michael and his men find Nick Geraci before he can wreak havoc on the family? Will Tom Hagen survive a smear campaign that Geraci engineered? Will the women in the family ever find peace? (There are some great scenes with the women--don't miss those!)
Anyway, I'd recommend this books to fans of the original Godfather books and fans of the film. Fabulous stuff.
And, I updated my profile. Yes, I'm a mob movie fan. I can't even fit all of the movies I like in the space provided.
FYI, this site will also host my comments on the technological training we're undergoing here at the library. "Can You Tech It?" runs for the next two months and hopefully, I'll finish in time : ) So, fellow readers and staff, I'll include comments about a book and comments about techie stuff at the same time. Sound fair? It will get me more in practice...and make me update this site more!! By the way, I have more Dexter pictures : ) So watch this site!
Friday, October 06, 2006
"Heat" by Bill Buford
Have you felt the Heat yet? Check out this sizzling nonfiction title as soon as you can. More info soon. As for me, I'm busy being a foster mom to this cutey-pie, Dexter, the marvelous English setter...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Sorry!
It's been too long since I have written, but I have been reading up a storm! I recently finished all of the Miss Marple novels (excluding the short stories). More on those later--the best and the worst!
I'm also making my way through most of the "Hard Case Crime" series. Hard Case Crime is a new imprint of Dorchester publishing. They are re-releasing old pulp noir mystery titles, as well as some new ones. My favorites so far, in no particular order, are 361 by Donald Westlake, written in the 60s, and Straight Cut by Madison Smartt Bell (a recent publication). Both are excellent character studies, as well as hard-nosed, no-nonsense tales of nasty deeds and nastier people. Speaking of which, there are actually quite a few chuckles to be found in another recent entry in the series, Bust, by new-to-the-scene authors Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Their femme fatale is quite a creation, who manages to get by on her looks and serendipity.
Finally, I'm currently reading Plunder of the Sun by David Dodge, another entry in the series, and Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Kabat-Zinn (oops, his first name is escaping me). It's a dive, not a dip, into mindfulness meditation. Wish me luck!!
I'm also making my way through most of the "Hard Case Crime" series. Hard Case Crime is a new imprint of Dorchester publishing. They are re-releasing old pulp noir mystery titles, as well as some new ones. My favorites so far, in no particular order, are 361 by Donald Westlake, written in the 60s, and Straight Cut by Madison Smartt Bell (a recent publication). Both are excellent character studies, as well as hard-nosed, no-nonsense tales of nasty deeds and nastier people. Speaking of which, there are actually quite a few chuckles to be found in another recent entry in the series, Bust, by new-to-the-scene authors Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Their femme fatale is quite a creation, who manages to get by on her looks and serendipity.
Finally, I'm currently reading Plunder of the Sun by David Dodge, another entry in the series, and Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Kabat-Zinn (oops, his first name is escaping me). It's a dive, not a dip, into mindfulness meditation. Wish me luck!!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Greetings and salutations
Welcome all readers. Hoping to share with you my thoughts on books I'm reading or have read. Since this is my first post, I'll keep it short. Photos and book comments to follow!
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