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Entry tags:
more to come
A list of things that will remain undiscussed in this entry: the fact that my laptop is still broken; the status of my novel; the level of stress I'm experiencing in regards to school.
A list of things that will be discussed: books, and lots of them.
Since Black Friday (or in other words, last Friday, the day my laptop died), I've read nearly 7 books. That afternoon I finished reading Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente, which was confusing but wonderful and contained prose that would have bordered on being purple if written by anyone else but was saved by Valente's amazing skill for words. Over the course of the weekend, I raided my roommate's bookcase for new books to read and found Scott Westerfield's Uglies series. I blazed through the entire series and later found myself silently using some of the characters' Pretty jargon. It's a good series, though I did find some of the characters immature-- Aya, from the fourth book, particularly wore on my nerves. Tally did at first, too, but I feel like she at least had a character arc and matured throughout the series.
Yesterday I finished Hawkspar by Holly Lisle, a book I picked up in June but didn't start reading until this week. I've been a fan of Lisle's work for years (her forum and workshops for writers were my gateway drug), but her writing never really resonated with me until she wrote Talyn a couple years back. I feel like Talyn is the pinnacle of her story-crafting ability, and it's been on my keeper shelf ever since. Hawkspar is a pseudo-sequel to Talyn. I remember following along throughout the years as Lisle wrote the book, and the struggle she endured to get it published (as a midlist author with years of experience and books behind her) both intact and as the book she knew it to be. At 600-words, it's beefy, but amazing, and I'm glad she fought so hard. There isn't a single page or scene that isn't necessary. I mourn the words I knew she had to cut, just to narrow it down to 600. Hawkspar is an excellent example of an modern epic fantasy with solid world-building. Did I mention that the main character was blind for most of the novel? She was. The fact that Lisle wrote a book featuring a protagonist who couldn't see, and thus, couldn't wax poetic about her surroundings, deserves many a brownie point.
Since I'm not talking about the state of my laptop, I won't mention that while at Starbucks today I experienced hardcore laptop-envy when some dude pulled out his fully-functioning Macbook and proceeded to enjoy his mocha and his uninhibited wireless access, too. It could be upwards of two weeks until I have working computer, so I still won't be around much, though I'll try to update when I can. Up next: a review from one psych major to another for Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, and any other books I burn through between now and then.
A list of things that will be discussed: books, and lots of them.
Since Black Friday (or in other words, last Friday, the day my laptop died), I've read nearly 7 books. That afternoon I finished reading Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente, which was confusing but wonderful and contained prose that would have bordered on being purple if written by anyone else but was saved by Valente's amazing skill for words. Over the course of the weekend, I raided my roommate's bookcase for new books to read and found Scott Westerfield's Uglies series. I blazed through the entire series and later found myself silently using some of the characters' Pretty jargon. It's a good series, though I did find some of the characters immature-- Aya, from the fourth book, particularly wore on my nerves. Tally did at first, too, but I feel like she at least had a character arc and matured throughout the series.
Yesterday I finished Hawkspar by Holly Lisle, a book I picked up in June but didn't start reading until this week. I've been a fan of Lisle's work for years (her forum and workshops for writers were my gateway drug), but her writing never really resonated with me until she wrote Talyn a couple years back. I feel like Talyn is the pinnacle of her story-crafting ability, and it's been on my keeper shelf ever since. Hawkspar is a pseudo-sequel to Talyn. I remember following along throughout the years as Lisle wrote the book, and the struggle she endured to get it published (as a midlist author with years of experience and books behind her) both intact and as the book she knew it to be. At 600-words, it's beefy, but amazing, and I'm glad she fought so hard. There isn't a single page or scene that isn't necessary. I mourn the words I knew she had to cut, just to narrow it down to 600. Hawkspar is an excellent example of an modern epic fantasy with solid world-building. Did I mention that the main character was blind for most of the novel? She was. The fact that Lisle wrote a book featuring a protagonist who couldn't see, and thus, couldn't wax poetic about her surroundings, deserves many a brownie point.
Since I'm not talking about the state of my laptop, I won't mention that while at Starbucks today I experienced hardcore laptop-envy when some dude pulled out his fully-functioning Macbook and proceeded to enjoy his mocha and his uninhibited wireless access, too. It could be upwards of two weeks until I have working computer, so I still won't be around much, though I'll try to update when I can. Up next: a review from one psych major to another for Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, and any other books I burn through between now and then.