Tarzan I am Not

{ April 16, 2008 @ 3:37 pm } · { *Sigh* }
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I fell. Off the vine that is. Or maybe the monkey pushed me. Either way, nine months ago, I tried to get back into blogging. See how well that worked? Being a quasi-optimist I’m going to try again, but I fear that this blog and I are going to have an on-again/off-again relationship.

In August I moved to Chico and am now in my second semester at CSU, Chico. I’m studying English and going through the amazing Literary Editing program they offer. I’ve been busy, but I love it.

I decided to make up with my bog because I can’t seem to stop writing about my life. Twice I’ve sat down to write literary essays and both times, I poured out creative non-fiction stuff instead. Not really what my teachers were looking for, but I enjoyed it.

Maybe I’m ready to write my memoir. It would be very boring. And short. Even I wouldn’t read it. Better put that on hold.

Since I haven’t been able to maintain one blog, the clear answer was to create another one. This one will remain about books. I still hope to turn this into a more review-type blog. The other  (www.girl12.wordpress.com) will be more about me and what I’m up to. I hope to have a more stable relationship with that one.

I thought writing about books would be enough to make me commit to this one, but it has not helped. Fortunately, the only thing I love more than books is me! So maybe that will help me. I wouldn’t trust me to be consistent with it. I can’t guarantee to be diligent in my writing, but I will try to make them entertaining.

Even if they are only entertaining because everyone is laughing at the silly little Girl trying to be entertaining.

The Return

{ July 11, 2007 @ 10:33 am } · { *Sigh*, Random }
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In my very first post, I did say that I procrastinate a lot.   Now you know I’m telling the truth.  I’ve spent the last four months fnding anything else to do except write another post, but I have finally gotten around to it.  I’d apologize for the long absence, but I wouldn’t really mean it, so why bother?

Alright, what have I been doing since March?  Videogames have taken up a huge chunk of time, getting ready to move to Chico, writing, drawing maps, world building, camping, and reading-lots and lots of reading. 

Just before I started writing this post, I read my old ones and I’ve decided that none of the old ones talk very much about the books themselves.  I mostly ramble on about what I thought of the book, not a whole lot of other stuff.  So, I’m going to try to discuss the books more in depth, so the two (maybe three) of you who read this can know what the books are really about.

I’m in the middle of a book right now, and there have been way too many these past months to pick one to write on, so the next post will be a different kind of review about what I’m reading now. 

I’ve packed most of my books up, so it will be hard to update the book list, but I’ll try.  Fortunately, I have an excellent memory when it comes to the books I’ve read and shouldn’t have a problem remembering if I liked them or not.

Mostly this post is just to get back into the swing of things, so I’ll try not to fall off the vine again.  Later.

Writing in the Big Leagues

{ March 28, 2007 @ 5:37 pm } · { *Sigh*, Reading }
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For most beginning writers-who are writing genre fiction-paperbacks are the testing field.  Understandably cheaper to make than hardcover books,  paperbacks are the medium used to launch newbie authors.  An introduction to a series or author with very little monetary commitment from either the publisher or the consumer.

If the first few books are successful enough, authors and publishers make a bigger commitment to each other and go for hardcover.  The number of successful books needed before reaching this stage varies, but it usually happens with the fourth book.

For Kim Harrison, author of the Hollows series, the magic number was five. 

She wrote four popular books featuring Rachel Morgan, witch and runner, in an alternate version of Earth.  With vampires and pixies the norm and tomatoes banned for killing most humans, Harrison hit the New York Times bestselling list.  So she went hardcover with book number five.

In my never-really-as-humble-as-I-say-it-is opinion, it was lame. 

When I have to shift from seven dollar paperbacks to twenty-five dollar hardcovers, I get a lot more critical of the books I am reading.  So this book was the first time I noticed that each of Harrison’s books have the same two bad guys: a demon and an elf.  In each book, Rachel and her adversaries just come to a stale-mate, neither side really wins. 

Well then, you may think that these books are more about the characters than the plot.  The people, not what the people are doing.  Nope.  Nada.  Nothing doing. 

A closer look at the characters show that they don’t make sense.  They are developing relationships and having ‘revelations’ but their actions and insight just feel off.  There’s no foundation for them to behave the way that they are.  I have no idea how to explain this better.

Anyway, it was a seriously disappointing book that made the rest of the series look bad. 

The good news is, this is one less series I have to wait for next year.

The Lead In

{ March 16, 2007 @ 7:54 pm } · { Authors, Reading }
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Oftentimes, I begin reading books with an air of impatience.  I want something to happen right away.  One part of my brain knows that backstory is every bit as important as the story’s current events.  The rest of my brain is very childish and wants something to happen now, now, now!

This week, I learned that grand old lesson about being careful what I wish for.

I’ve spent the week reading Kate Collins’ Flower Shop Mystery series.  On Saturday, I started reading the first book in this series, Mum’s the Word.  The action started right away, and I didn’t stop reading it until Other Me called to see if I was still meeting up with her that night.  I was over an hour late.  Oops!

Fortunately, Other Me understands about books. 

Anyway.  I finished the first book and then thought about it.  I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.  It jumped right into the attempted murders and dramatic threats, but it wasn’t believable.  There was no real suspense built. 

In the end, it was explained why people were trying to kill the main heroine, but there was no suspense.  The killer was exactly the most obvious person, despite the author’s attempts to cast guilt on others.

I still enjoyed the book, and the other four in the series.  Except for the fact that each book has the character investigating two seemingly unrelated mysteries that end up having the same resolution.  The same people are behind both schemes.  Always.  This would be a surprise…if you haven’t read the other books she wrote.

Dead Author’s Society

{ February 24, 2007 @ 5:15 pm } · { Authors, Reading }
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I read too many book series. I always vow to not read a series unless the author is already dead. Theoretically this will keep me from having to wait for the new books to come out; although nowadays that’s not always true, what with children taking over their parents’ series (the Herberts’ Dune Series) and people continuing to write books from a deceased author’s notes.

It’s crazy. Crazy I tell you. Crazy people and their crazy not right ways. Plus, the books not written by the original author are never as good as the ones that are.

Usually though, this system of waiting for death woukd work. Except when it comes to books, I am the sort of person who can resist anything but temptation (to borrow a line from Crazy in Alabama). I now wait each year for seventeen different series to launch a new book.

Then, on the day it comes out, I buy it, usually finish it that day, and start counting off the new year until the next one comes. The cliff-hanger endings are the worst ones, although the forgettable endings are bad too because I forget the book.

Although it is only February, this year is already turning out to be a bad year for books. Or rather a bad year for readers. As anyone who is reading a series of books knows, the summer is the time when new series books come out. New books come out all year long, but most series have new installments coming out in late June or throughout July.

Already, eight of the series that I read have pushed back the release date on their new books-some all the way to October. Impatient readers-such as yours truly-are in for a very long year. Bummer.

Buyer’s Remorse

{ February 23, 2007 @ 7:03 pm } · { Random }
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Whenever I go to the bookstore, I’m always scared.  You would think that Barnes and Noble would be like visiting the holy land of books for me, but I never really enjoy myself there.  Why?  Because I have book commitment issues.

I’m always afraid to buy a book, because I can’t return it.  I can get a book, read it (because I read so fast) and then return it if I don’t like it, but that just seems like cheating the book store and that’s not cool.

Although I’m comfortable buying books by authors I really like, I have a hard time trying new authors.  It’s easier to buy paperbacks because they’re only like eight bucks each, but the twenty-five dollar commitment to the hardcovers makes me break out in a cold sweat.

I sometimes go through a mental routine of breaking up with the book as I put it back on the shelf, explaining that it’s not the book’s fault I won’t buy it.  The old it’s not you its me routine.  I think the books understand.

Fortunately, the library almost always has whatever book I want to buy.  That way, I can take it for a test read before commiting to ownership.  Remember, if you’re going to be an avid reader, the librarian is your friend.  So go say hi.

The Butler Did It Again

{ February 22, 2007 @ 11:15 pm } · { Reading }
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There is a popular theory that there are really only seven basic plots in literature.  That’s it.  Every book can be stripped down to one of seven distinct storylines (Christopher Booker’s book Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories is a good place to read up on them).  Why then do we keep reading the same stories over and over again?

Simply put, it’s the details.  Many stories have characters triumphing over something, but each story has a different character, triumphing over a different thing, in a different way.  While there may only be seven or twenty or thirty-six plotlines, there are an almost infinite number of plot devices that can be used to play out each plot.

However, and this is a big however so pay attention, there is one very important rule that must always be applied to every plot device: IT MUST MAKE SENSE. 

Nobody is ever going to believe that a man with no legs could outrun police.  It seems like this should be self evident, but some authors-very few but some-will still try to trick their readers.  This is especially true in mystery books. 

Authors want surprise endings that no one is ever going to expect.  In mysteries, many writers try to pull off what I call The Butler Did It suspect.  This is the person you would least expect to commit the crime.  Why don’t you expect them to be guilty?  Because the author never offers any clues to suggest that The Butler was guilty.

A surprise ending is fine, as long as the reader can go back, re-read the book, and undestand how the crime was solved.  If there is no evidence that The Butler did it, then The Butler didn’t do it. 

I Just Want The Bad Book To Go Away

{ February 20, 2007 @ 10:37 pm } · { *Sigh*, Reading }
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The only thing worse than reading a really bad book is reading a really bad book right after reading a really good book. 

Last week, I read Haunted Ground by Erin Hart.  It’s a mystery, so I don’t want to talk about it too much because I hate when endinggs for books are ruined.  Although I don’t mind very much if a movie ending is ruined.  Hmm.  I am such an English major.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh right, the engaging tale spun by Erin Hart.  So, read it. 

This post however is going to focus on the atrociously bad book that I read after Hart’s book.  Namely, Diamond Dreams by Sandra Heath.  I picked this book up because the back summary hinted that the story would involve Russian Czars. 

I haven’t read that many fiction books set in Russia, even though Russian history is one of my favorite subjects.  This book, however, was badly written from the beginning.  The characters were obnoxious, their conversations were stilted and the author was fonder of telling than of showing.

Showing versus telling is an important part of writing.  A reader (or at least this reader) is more likely to enjoy the story if they see what is happening, rather than just being told that something had happened.

Heath just tells the reader what has happened.  I hate that.  Ah, well.  I have a new library book that will hopefully erase this horrid book from my memory. 

Never Hold Your Breath Waiting For Me To Do Something

{ February 5, 2007 @ 8:57 pm } · { Authors, Reading }
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You’ll probably suffocate waiting for me to get around to it.

When I was in ninth grade, my mom got me a t-shirt for my birthday that said “National Sarcasm Society: Like we need your support.” It’s still my favorite shirt, and still ever so very true. I could finish so many projects that I start if only I wasn’t such a procrastinator. Oh, well. I’ll stop procrastinating tomorrow.

Okay, here it is. The long awaited Southern Vampire Series review. Charlaine Harris has built a six-book-and-counting series that could easily be made into a twelve or even an eighteen book series because of all the intricate plots in each of her books. Ordinarily, these kinds of books would get on my nerves. If the author isn’t really skilled in plot developement, this can become very confusing. Fortunately for me, and all of her other fans, Charlaine Harris is a master at weaving plots together.

While it is sometimes hard to remember which sub-plot is in which book, this isn’t enough to make me stop reading the books. It actually gives me a reason to read more of them to find the one I want to read. Any excuse to read, that’s my motto. One of my motto’s anyway.

Seriously though, the best reason to read these books is the main character: Sookie Stacckhouse. Sookie’s a telepathic barmaid working for a shifter and sometimes dating Vampires. She’s tough, resourceful, and hilarious to follow. She has a cast of supporting characters that I like as well, from her actual fairy godmother kept hopping by her antics to the area’s overly dramatic head vampire (silly ex-vikings).

Another of Charlaine Harris’ strength’s lie in creating tension. She can build storyline tension, but also the harder-to-pull-off tension that can build between characters. Janet Evanovich is very good at building character tension as well.

Back From Vacation…

{ January 15, 2007 @ 1:10 pm } · { Random }
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And I brought you a present.

Of course, since it was a mental vacation, the only thing I brought back was insight.  Insight into me, not you.  I figured out why I haven’t been in the mood to read.  I was in one of my creative moods.

It’s like this: I go through different moods of what I want to do for entertainment.  Most of the time it’s reading, but sometimes my brain just decides it wants to do something else.  The past few weeks, I’ve been in an artsy kind of mood and have done several different sketches of a muse. 

Now I’m over that and have gotten back into reading with a vengence.  I read a lot of books in a short amount of time, so I’m going to skip the in depth plots.  Since six of them were from a series, I’m going to do an evaluation of the series in my next post.  This post is just to get me back into the swing of blogging.  Until later, happy reading.

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