Yep, to all those friends who have told me, over the years, that I ought to write a book…I’ve started.  Last November, my brother, Porter, told me about a writing challenge he was participating in . The goal was to write like 50,000 words by the end of the month.  Which averages out to like 18,000 a day. I had wanted to participate then, but it was October 26th and I just didn’t have the time to do my research and get ready to write by November 1st.

I had the germ of an idea one day while reading one of my young adult novels.  So I started researching and kind of forming the framework. But then I had a dream one night that provided more of a whole story. Upon further reflection that story took precedence and it’s the one I am currently working on.  I’m only about 40-50 pages in and it still needs a whole lot of work, but it’s flowing a lot easier than I ever imagined…so far. I just hope that continues!

The whole thing kind of reminds me of my Mom. I remember when I was younger, my Mom read a lot. The joke between Mom and Dad was that Mom was going to write a book, but she felt she needed to read a WHOLE LOT before she’d be ready to tackle writing. I don’t know if the writing was an excuse to read more, or not but I agree that you do need to read a whole lot before you can tackle writing.

PS – I did, finally, manage to remember to ask Porter about last November and the writing challenge.  He met his goal of 50,000 words and that equates to about 80% of the story written, but he hasn’t touched it since November 30th.  He did share with me the premise(s) of the story and I hope he does finish it up cuz I’d love to read it.  He’s the really talented writer in the family!

Way back when, my little brother, Porter, was a video games editor and writer for Amazon.com. Part of his job was to play all the new video games that were coming out and he would write about them on Amazon. With that said, Porter had every video games system on the market, as well as all the latest and greatest games to go with them.  He also had a built in excuse when his wife would get a bit perturbed with the amount of time he spent playing said video game, “But honey, it’s my job!”.  I remember he and I talking about this when my family was visiting his home for one of the first times. The story came out as he was setting up my then, 4 year old son with some video games to play with while we were there.

At the time I remember chuckling at the convenience of that excuse…oh how the tables have turned! Porter no longer works for Amazon, and probably only plays video games when he and my son are together…but I, on the other hand, find myself frequently using his “convenient excuse” whenever I want to read rather than do laundry, dishes, or other household chores! OK, Po, the shoes is on the other foot, you can start kicking me with it. LOL! Love ya lil brother!

http://novelgoddess.blogspot.com/

So anyway…I pulled out the mail and found a key to the oversize boxes that the postal employees put stuff in that won’t fit in your box.  I went over to box 1 and found an Amazon box. I opened it assuming it was something for the library even though the key was in my personal mailbox.

I opened the Amazon box to find a copy of a new book I had been coveting! Now, I know I didn’t order it…so I looked at the packing slip…and there was the sweetest note from my very dear friend, Kristy.

“It’s so nice to have someone to share my love of books with”

AWWWWWWW!!!!!! How sweet is that???? Now you know why I love Kristy…she is one of the sweetest people I know…and she’ll kill me for posting that on the internet and ruining her rep!

Kristy and I hang out on goodreads.com exchanging ideas about books we want to read and discussing our thoughts on the books we do read…we also have an unofficial competition over who will read the most books this year…she has 2 small children and enjoys running marathons, thus handicapping herself in the reading department.

Kristy, I love that we share the same tastes in books and can share them with each other. It was so sweet of you to send me “City of Fallen Angels”…I love it and love you too dear friend. So glad you are part of my life.

I was blessed to be able to read an advanced copy of this book and it has become my second  favorite of the year. And I’ve read over 50 books so far this year.

So you are probably wondering were the love/hate comes in.

Well, I enjoyed this book so much, which I absolutely loved…but when it comes to starting the next book…that’s where the “hate” part of the equation comes in…I feel pretty certain that no matter what book I pick up next,  is going to pale in comparison the Starcrossed.

It’s kind of like the let down after all the Christmas presents have been opened…all that build up and then NOTHING.

I know, I could be wrong…the next one I pick up could blow Starcrossed out of the water…But after 50 books, and only 2 books that I feel that strongly about…there’s only a 4% chance…Ah well. Off to find the next great book.

The “Blink and Caution” and “The Queen of Water” are the April offerings from the Junior Library Guild.  So they weren’t, technically, for ME, more for the library…but they are books in my mailbox and they sound fantastic so I am anxious to read them…and new books make me HAPPY!

I believe I have mentioned that I am active over at goodreads.com. One of the great things about GoodReads is that authors and publishers offer book giveaways called “FirstReads”. GoodReads participants can sign up for a giveaway of a book that has not been widely released yet, or maybe the book is coming out in paperback and the publisher is giving away some paperbacks before they are widely released. The book “The Survivors”, is one of many I’ve won through FirstReads.  It was waiting in my mailbox on Wednesday as well.  This story is steeped in the history of the Salem Witch Trials which I find fascinating.  I finally get to dive into this book today while I am working at the grocery store! And I’m really looking forward to it!

Yesterday, she came in, and brought me a stack of books to check out. I’m scanning the books and stamping the due dates when she says, rather sheepishly, “Sometimes I like to read Jr. High books.”

I glance down at the book I am getting ready to scan and stamp and it’s a Young Adult novel.

I smile at her and reply, “Really” and when I look at her I think I see a flush of embarrassment.

Still smiling I say, “I’ve been reading them, almost exclusively, for over a year.”

She smiles almost, conspiratorially, and we start discussing young adult books.

I’m loving young adult books…so many fantastic authors and stories out there. I think many adults would be surprised if the gave them a chance. So here is a reminder to not judge a book by it’s cover, nor the audience the book is written for…you might find a new favorite author! I have!

So what that her mother was a warrior angel and her Dad used to be a Council level Vampire? Opposites attract. Go figure. As far as Sarah is concerned, all she got from the combination was a pair of fangs that lengthen at inappropriate times to embarrass her in front of her secret crush; whereas her brother, Alejandro, got the good looks and cool wings. However, what her parents’ status has created is drama in her life, by ensuring that the mean girls at school will make her life a living nightmare. Sarah knows her family’s renowned slayer reputation will also ensure that everyone at school will assume she had it easy and should be able to do everything her famous rebel parents can do, when she can’t. Not by a long shot.

Once at the hidden boarding school, things go from bad to worse as Sarah tries to fit in. Her nightmares increase and it isn’t just anxiety—her second sight is suddenly developing at a record pace. Layers of secrets are held by the building, held by her parents, and nothing is as it seems. There is something really bad going on at the school, worse than bad—deadly. Only, faculty and administrators don’t know where to begin to look for the cause as students start to disappear. Sarah must then make a choice to stand on the sidelines or to help use her gifts to save someone dear. But to do that means facing all of her greatest fears, along with a demon or two.

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation. Escape from slaver Darwin West and his cruel Overseers. Escape from struggling to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive–and Darwin rich. Escape from her certain, dreary existence, living as if it’s still the early 1800s, when the Congregation was first enslaved. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient to the Water: her blood. So she stays, and prays to their savior Otto, who first gave Water to the Congregants… and fathered Ruby before he vanished.

When tall, dark, and mysterious Chaseyn Lear arrives in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado, high school senior Lia Jameson’s life is turned upside-down. An unexpected twist of fate unravels a long-time family curse that puts Lia in the center of a supernatural drama and threatens her life.

In a future Thailand, calories are the greatest commodity. Anderson is a calorie-man whose true objective is to discover new food sources that his company can exploit. His secretary, Hock Seng, is a refugee from China seeking to ensure his future. Jaidee is an officer of the Environmental Ministry known for upholding regulations rather than accepting bribes. His partner, Kanya, is torn between respect for Jaidee and hatred for the agency that destroyed her childhood home. Emiko is a windup, an engineered and despised creation, discarded by her master and now subject to brutality by her patron. The actions of these characters set in motion events that could destroy the country. Bacigalupi has created a compelling, if bleak, society in which corruption, betrayal, and despair are commonplace, and more positive behavior and emotions such as hope and love are regarded with great suspicion. The complex plot and equally complex characters require a great deal of commitment from readers. Even the most sympathetic people have darker sides, and it is difficult to determine which character or faction should triumph. This highly nuanced, violent, and grim novel is not for every teen. However, mature readers with an interest in political or environmental science fiction or those for whom dystopias are particularly appealing will be intrigued. If they are able to immerse themselves completely into the calorie-mad world of a future Bangkok, they will not be disappointed.

In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on… until Kendall’s boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it’s crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear…and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating…and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico’s mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Sixteen-year-old Angie Favorite’s life so far has been defined by the disappearance of her mother on her eleventh birthday. Since then, she and her older brother Jason have been raised by their grandmother, while their father tours with his rock band. When Angie is attacked by a complete stranger, the crime seems random, until she meets her attacker’s wealthy mother, Lillian Bittner, and discovers nefarious connections between the Bittners and the mother no one has heard from in five years.

Here is the deal.  The Kindle program is available for the Kindle (obviously), PC, Mac, ipod, ipad, blackberry and android…I believe it’s free as well.  Download and install it on your preferred device.  Then if you want to borrow one of my books, shoot me at email with your email.  I go to Amazon and under the “Manage Your Kindle” option, I find the book you want to borrow and shoot you an email via Amazon.  Amazon delivers the email with a link to where you can download the book…You get to keep it for 14 days then I guess it self-destructs! LOL…Visions of Maxwell Smart from “Get Smart”.

How do you find out if any of your books are available for lending? Log into your Amazon account, go to “Manage your Kindle” and scroll down to the list of kindle books you’ve ordered.  See the plus sign next to the book title? Click it.  If you can lend that book you will see a “Loan Out” button under the title and author.

I think this is slicker than snot!  I just wish there was a way to look up friends in amazon to see what they have available to loan. Oh well.  I did make a page for my blog, here, that shows what books I have that are currently available to loan out.  Check it out using the green tabs above my blog title.

OH and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I’d heard about this book somewhere. Can’t remember where though. Hmmm, must be my age showing. ANYWHO…I, of course, went straight to Amazon to pre-order it!! You see, my list of books “to read” was getting a little short and where better to find new titles…or so I thought!

I WAS RIGHT!  Not surprising really…lol, yep, I’m still as humble as ever!

Seriously, though, this is a great book. There are lists of books with genre titles, book titles, authors and a synopsis. Then for good measure there are some book discussion questions should you be reading the book as part of a Reading Group.

Here is a sampling:

In the Part titled “Love” you will find books that fall under that category but you will also find lists for books on “Transgressive Love”, “Fantasy Novels”, “Historical Romance”, and “Gay/Lesbian Love”.  Under the “Political” Part there are lists for “Political Polemics”, “Russian Lit”, “Utopia Books” and “Feminist Lit”. There are ten parts to the book and at least 4 lists in each part.  I filled up my too read list.

One of the new ones I found that I’m going to track down to read was under the list for “Diaries and Journals” and is titled: “I Will Bear Witness 1942-1945: A Diary of the Nazi Years” by Victor Klemperer, a Jew who was married to an Aryan and was thus free under the Nazis. He documented life in the Third Reich with the clearsightedness of his unique position. I think this would be a fascinating read.

Lots of new books on my “to-read” list. Now I just need to finish the ones I currently have checked out from the Bismarck Library and go back.