Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors

I am linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday.

1.  Roald Dahl
When I was growing up, I devoured Roald Dahl's books.  One of my favorites was his books of fractured fairy tales.  As I got older I loved his short stories.  I once heard that he had a hip replacement and kept his old hip bone in a jar in his writing space.  That made me love him even more and made me regret the fact that I had not asked for my hip after my replacement surgery :)

2.  Enid Blython
Another author I loved when growing up.  Between the stories of the Faraway Tree and the Enchanted Wood and the mystery-solving Famous Five, I was hooked.  

3.  Stephen King
I find his writing compelling.  No matter what book of his I pick up, I enjoy reading it.  Novels, short stories, all of it.  I have not yet read On Writing, though it is now on my TBR list.

4. Isabel Allende
The first full-length book I read in Spanish was Isabel Allende's La casa de los espíritus.  Ever since I have been hooked.  I love magic realism.

5.  Gabriel García Márquez
Another magic realism author.  I've been hooked since the first time I read Cien años de soledad.  

6.  Anne Rice
What can I say?  I believe that I have read every single vampire novel that Anne Rice wrote.  I love them!  I was a little obsessed for a while.  I don't usually buy a lot of books(I'm more of a library girl; I love a deadline), but I own a lot of Anne Rice books.

7.  Barbara Kingsolver
Wow!  I love Barbara Kingsolver's writing.  I feel like I am transported to a different world every time I read her books.  I cannot choose a favorite.

8.  Irish Poets
Irish poets.  At one point in my life, I strove to be one.  Two of my favorite poems are The Wayfarer by Padraig Pearse and Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney.

9.  Oscar Wilde
The Portrait of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest are two books I read in high school that I still feel impacted by today.  In fact I feel a sudden urge to read both again right now.

10.  Agatha Christie
The first mystery books I read were Agatha Christie.  I fell in love with Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.  I'm still in love with both of them and occasionally return to her books.  They always make me feel welcome, like a long-lost friend.

Who are your favorite authors?

Writing Update 4/20/15 (One Day Late)

Time for Round 2

This round, my goal is to start a daily writing practice.  I am starting by completing Blogging University's Writing 101 through The Daily Post.  I will be posting on my blog daily using the prompt and twist provided.  I will also be continuing to work on my reading goal of 30 books this year.

I had some family visiting this weekend, so I fell a little behind in all my projects, including my writing.  I took a few days off but I am back and ready to start again.  

Sometimes it is necessary to take a break, even when beginning a new habit.  I enjoyed my time with my family and got to build some new memories that might help with my writing someday.  Who knows?

Well, I'm keeping this short and sweet, so I can head back to my notebook and start writing again :)

Give and Take: Writing 101, Day 7

Today’s Prompt: Write a post based on the contrast between two things — whether people, objects, emotions, places, or something else.
Today’s twist: write your post in the form of a dialogue.

I sit on the couch watching a car snake across my television screen.  As I am drawn in by the movie, my finger is drawn into my mouth.  My teeth tear at skin, flesh, and nail alike.

Inner Voice:  What are you doing?  Why is your finger in your mouth?  I thought you wanted to grow your nails.

Me:  I'm just cleaning up a hangnail.  I'm just evening out a ragged nail, removing some dead skin.  My nails are still growing.  I am not letting myself down.

Inner Voice:  Take your finger out of your mouth!

Me:  But I'm not doing anything really.

Inner Voice:  Take your finger out of your mouth!

Me:  Ok

I remove the finger from my mouth and begin to pick at my thumb with the nail of my middle finger.

Reflection on Day 7:  This is a real, daily battle for me :(  Disgusting, I know.  I'm working on it.

Character Study: Writing 101, Day 6

Today’s Prompt: Who’s the most interesting person (or people) you’ve met this year?
Today’s twist: Turn your post into a character study.

As I sit here writing, I can hear a loud truck engine idling across the street.  I do not need to look out my window to see what is going on.  I know who is responsible for disturbing the peace.  Bigalow.

The first time I saw Bigalow, he was outside his apartment with his two unleashed dogs.  The first dog was a Golden Retriever, friendly and carefree; the second was a velvet grey Pitbull.  a young couple came walking down the street, and Bigalow immediately rushed to grab the Pitbull's collar.  He looked up, his forehead creased in worry, and watched the couple walk past before allowing the dog to roam free again.  He stayed alert and close to his dog from then on.  After the dogs had finished outside, he brought them back to the apartment.  He never removed his dogs' waste.

Bigalow walked back and forth between the apartment and his vehicle, ignoring the piles of dog poop that littered the surrounding grass.  His pompous swagger and puffed-up chest attempted to hide his short stature.  He climbed up into his old, white Jeep, started up the engine and drove away.  Two minutes later, he drove back onto our street.

He pulled up to the curb, revved his engine for a while, then reversed, stopped, and revved the engine again.  This process was repeated for over twenty minutes until I wasn't sure if he was looking for attention or he just couldn't handle parallel parking.  Based on how his friends park, I am guessing the latter.  

Today, I saw Bigalow packing a trailer.  I think he is moving out and I hope that loud truck outside is getting ready to drive him away into the sunset.

Reflection on Day 6:  This prompt had me stumped, and I avoided it for a long time.  Now that I have written, I still feel stumped by this prompt and I don't think that I did it justice.  Maybe I will try again another time.

2015 What I'm Reading #6

Time for Round 2

This round, my goal is to start a daily writing practice.  I am starting by completing Blogging University's Writing 101 through The Daily Post.  I will be posting on my blog daily using the prompt and twist provided.  I will also be continuing to work on my reading goal of 30 books this year.

Here is a glimpse at my e-library bookshelf:

Ugh!  Not much progress has been made.  I am still reading Wicked.  It is slow-going and I am not sure what I think of it :(  I thought I was going to love this book, but now....meh.  Maybe it gets better?

Top 10 Inspiring Quotes from Books

I am linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday.

Every time I read a book that I enjoy, I start a journal page of quotes I like.  Sometimes, I love the language used, sometimes the message, sometimes both.  I often post my journal pages on this blog, like here.  For this Top 10, or 9, I went back through my reading journal pages and chose my favorites.  

1.  "There was something comforting  about spending the day with women whose only magical powers were forgetting their own names."  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Another one of those books that I did not read until after I saw the movie.  

2.  "It is only the old who can look around them and marvel, for it is we who know how alike the world really is, how all of its problems and wonders have already been recognized and recorded."  The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

Interesting book.  If you haven't read it, I recommend it, although some parts may be difficult to read.

3.  "Our brains are like giant, muscular vines, and they can wrap themselves around almost any skill we ask them to consider." The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown

I love thinking of my brain as a giant vine.

4.  "To repair a man's soul and deepest heart- to reverse an irreversible trade- that might be far, far more than Matty could possibly undertake."  The Messenger by Lois Lowry

Great book, a companion to The Giver.

5.  "The others have whittled an image of me with the distorting knives of rumor until I am a different piece of scrimshaw to each of them."  Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Yet another book that I did not read until after I saw the movie, and I love, love, love this quote.

6.  "A certain feeling comes from throwing your good life away, and it is one part rapture."  Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

OMG. I. Love. Barbara. Kingsolver.

7.  "Teaching is a profession of hope.  It requires, on top of everything else, a leap of faith.  A willingness to believe that something that does not currently exist might one day come to life."  Building a Better Teacher by Elizabeth Green

I don't know what to say about this one.

8.  "Promise me you won't stay here," Gillian said.  "You'll get all crumpled up like a piece of paper.  You'll ruin your life."  Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Yes, it's another book that I did not read until after I had seen the movie.  In fact I watched the movie many times before even realizing that it started as a book :)

9.  "Life... The important parts you blocked out altogether, but the random, slanted moments haunted you, replaying over and over in your mind."  Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

True.  So true.

What are some books or quotes that inspire you?

Be Brief: Writing 101, Day 5

Today’s Prompt: You stumble upon a random letter on the path.You read it. It affects you deeply, and you wish it could be returned to the person to which it’s addressed. Write a story about this encounter.
Today’s twist: Approach this post in as few words as possible.

That morning I walked out to the backyard to check on the ripening strawberries and I found a large floral tote bag slouching amongst the sunflowers.  Curious, I approached the bag and peered inside.  It was almost full with papers spilling onto the dirt and grass.  I glanced to the alley on my right, then to the street on my left.  I saw no one, but anyone could have deposited the bag in my open, fenceless backyard and taken off.  I hoisted the bag onto my shoulder and brought it inside.

On the dining room floor, I started unpacking the bag.  Most of the papers turned out to be photographs, although there were some letters and even bills.  As I emptied the bag, I found jewelry, trinkets.  Why would someone leave all this in my backyard?

My mind raced.  Was someone trying to leave an old life behind by burying the bag and its memories in my backyard?  Or was the bag dumped in my backyard by thieves?  What if someone had been kidnapped, and her memories had been flung into my yard from the getaway car?

The bills and the letters were addressed to the same person, so I immediately stated a search.  The phone book yielded no results.  A quick search of the news and papers proved no kidnapping had occurred.  I called the police.  They had no news but took note of my finding.  I began to calm down.

Nothing in the bag was really valuable.  The bills were old.  The jewelry and the trinkets were worthless.  The photos could all depict bad memories, the kind a person might like to forget when moving to a new city.  The innocence of it all overtook me.

I packed everything back into the bag and put it in my hall closet.  I continued to search for the owner of the bag for many years without any luck.  I like to think that she is far away, living a happier life, unencumbered by her past.