"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison

Thursday, March 31, 2016

March Book Reviews

This month I read 3 books.  Here are my mini-reviews....

The Magician by Michael Scott
  "After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenell is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Nicollo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He’ s after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenell. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year—their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophesy is becoming more and more clear.
    It’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there’ s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope—if they don’t turn on each other first."
image and summary from Amazon.com

This is the second book in the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.  At first I had a hard time getting into this book.  I had previously rented it twice from the library and each time the library got to take the book back before I could even finish chapter 1.  Well, it turns out that the third time is the charm.  

In this book of the series, the twins and Nicholas Flamel continue their adventures in Paris while Perenelle battles for her freedom on Alcatraz.  Once I got into the story, I could not stop reading.  I love the author's take on magic and alchemy and how he mixes mythology and fantastical creatures with historical figures

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
This was a really interesting book about memoir writing.  Mary Karr uses great examples from a variety of memoirs, analyzing the writers' choices and what they add to the stories.  She talks a lot about truth in memoir writing: how much of the writing can be fictionalized, how to deal with those who disagree with your version of the story, how to find the universal truths that are represented in our stories.  It was an inspiring read, and I will use what I learned from Karr to continue exploring the possibility of writing some of my own memoir.  I am also planning to slowly work my way through her extensive recommended reading list.  

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
"Darcy Patel has put college on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. With a contract in hand, she arrives in New York City with no apartment, no friends, and all the wrong clothes. But lucky for Darcy, she’s taken under the wings of other seasoned and fledgling writers who help her navigate the city and the world of writing and publishing. Over the course of a year, Darcy finishes her book, faces critique, and falls in love.
Woven into Darcy’s personal story is her novel, Afterworlds, a suspenseful thriller about a teen who slips into the “Afterworld” to survive a terrorist attack. The Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead, and where many unsolved—and terrifying—stories need to be reconciled. Like Darcy, Lizzie too falls in love…until a new threat resurfaces, and her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she cares about most"
image and summary from Amazon.com

What can I say?  I know that I have already talked about my love of Scott Westerfeld's writing on this blog.  This book was another winner.

When I started reading this book, I thought I knew exactly what it would be about.  I thought that the writer's world and the world of her characters were going to mix together in a fantasy-type way.  I was very surprised to find that this was not the case.  I still loved the book; it did not disappoint.  In fact I could not put it down and finished the book in just two days.  

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #11

My next read will be The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark.

Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  So far I have managed to stick to my goal.

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 11/32
Books from TBR list: 1
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
3.  Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #10

I just finished reading The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr.  I am not sure what I will read next; I'm just hoping to squeeze one more book in by the end of the month :)

Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  So far I have managed to stick to my goal.

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 10/32
Books from TBR list: 1
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Monday, March 21, 2016

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal: Easter Rising of 1916


Today I am participating in the AtoZ Challenge Theme Reveal Blogfest.  
Check out the link to see the other blogs that are participating.


This year is the 100 year anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland.  I am Irish but have never taken the time to learn about this part of my history.  I left Ireland before the topic came up in my school history lessons.  So I am taking this opportunity to learn more about my history by blogging my way through an A to Z of the Easter Rising.  I am really looking forward to this challenge!


Are you participating in the A to Z Challenge?

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #9

I am currently reading The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr.  In fact, I have not actually started the book yet, so I cannot say how I feel about it yet.  I will officially start tomorrow.

Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  So far I have managed to stick to my goal.

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 9/32
Books from TBR list: 1
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (March 15, 2016)


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:
"No matter how much you are gunning for the truth, the human ego is also a stealthy, low-crawling bastard, and for pretty much everybody, getting used to who you are is a lifelong spiritual struggle.  Start trying to bring yourself to the page, and fear of how you'll come off besets even the most forthright.  The best you can hope for is to rip off the mask as you find it blotting out your vision."
The Art of Memoir  by Mary Karr, p. 153

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #8

I am currently reading The Magician by Michael Scott.  This is my third attempt to read this book.  Both other times ended with the library removing the book from my possession before I even got started.  This time I believe that I will get to finish it.

image source:  amazon.com

Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  So far I have managed to stick to my goal.

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 8/32
Books from TBR list: 1
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (March 8, 2016)


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:
"Drawing in a deep shuddering breath, Sophie straightened.  She stretched out both arms, fingers closed into tight fists.  Closing her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm her thundering heart, she visualized gloves of flame; she saw herself bringing her hands together, shaping a ball of fire in her fists like dough and then flinging it at the figure standing before her."
The Magician by Michael Scott (no page number, Kindle)

Monday, March 7, 2016

Weekly Wrap-up (March 6, 2016)


Blog Posts
February Monthly Check-in

Teaser Tuesday - a teaser from The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

What I'm Reading Wednesday #7

What I read
I finished The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld and with it I finished my first series of the year.  Yay for meeting goals.  Now I am reading The Magician by Michael Scott.

Interesting Stuff I Found on the Internet
I've been researching editing techniques.  Here are some of the articles I enjoyed:

What happens after the first draft?

25 steps to edit the unmerciful suck out of your story

How to revise a novel

5 problems to avoid in your first novel

Tips from an editor


Fiction Writing
No writing this week :(

Editing
Does researching and bookmarking websites count??

How did your week go?

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #7

I am currently reading The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld.  I love his books.  I was hooked the minute I started the first book of the Uglies series.  I can't get enough.  I love his voice, his style, his super creative ideas.  I even have another of his books waiting on my bookshelf.


Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  So far I have managed to stick to my goal.

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 7/32
Books from TBR list: 1
Series completed: 0
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)


What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (March 1, 2016)


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:
"Minerva was glowing, her pale skin luminous in the darkness.  Her movements had smoothed out, no longer insectlike.  She was singing now, teeth jammed close to the microphone, her incomprehensible song sputtering for a moment at she turned a page of the notebook.
The practice room was seething, phantasms filling up the spaces between objects, demons with long tails riding the sound waves in the air."
The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld, p.94