Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop – Simon Guerrier (Sci-Fi)

I borrowed this from the library 3 weeks ago (it’s due tomorrow!) and hadn’t planned on actually reading it… for some reason, I just couldn’t muster the courage to pick up a book based on the beloved show, because I didn’t want to waste my time with some cheap, contrived version of Doctor Who. Also, I tend to have a strict policy against reading books based on TV shows (okay, fine… I admit I’ve read some Star Trek & Star Wars books… so sue me!). Then, I read on someone’s thread (I can’t remember who, augh! Sorry!) that they had just read several Doctor Who books and enjoyed them. “Hmmm”, said I, “Perhaps I’ll give it a go after all.”

Well, read it I did, just this afternoon in a few hours. It was a quick, fun read that made for an entertaining diversion from the work I should have been doing. Oops. But I couldn’t put it down! I thought the writer did an excellent job of capturing the Doctor (Tennant’s version) and Martha, with their signature phrases and personality traits and all. Even the ending sort-of made sense, in the Doctor Who-y sort of way that we’ve all come to love and cherish.

Needless to say, I was surprised and very pleased to have enjoyed this one so much. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more.

Rating: 3.5 coffees out of 5

InterWorld – Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves (YA)

Intriguing concept, fast-paced story, and enough world-building to make me wonder if they ever wrote a sequel… apparently the concept they use for this novel was originally an idea the two of the authors came up with for a TV show, but no one was interested. Then, about a decade later, a publisher mentioned to Gaiman that people might like to read this book (go figure, considering Gaiman’s success), so they dusted it off, polished it up, and published.

I’m going to be very disappointed if nothing else was written/will be written based on this multi-universe concept. I think it was very well done, and many of the usual problems with traveling between alternate realities (ie. consistency of time, questions of gravity on alternate Earths, etc.) were actually addressed or commented on. Fairly intelligent for a YA novel of this variety, if I do say so myself.

It’s well worth the evening spent devouring this one!

Rating: 3 coffees out of 5

Tags: books

The 39 Clues – Book 2: One False Note

- Gordon Korman (Children’s Fiction)

Again, a strong story with continuous action that will appeal to young male readers in particular. In my review of the first book, I said I was really rooting for this series to succeed, and after reading book 2, I reaffirm my statement! I won’t say much, since you’ll need to start with book 1 (Maze of Bones) but it’s a quick, enjoyable read that’s fun for children and adults alike. I think the idea of having different authors for each book is also an excellent concept, and I didn’t find there to be any continuity or tone issues between these first two books.

Rating: 3.5 coffees out of 5

Why Don’t Cats Like to Swim?: an Imponderables Book – David Feldman (Humor/Reference)

This was a fun read to pick up and go through in segments. It’s basically one of those ‘random question and answer’ books, and I have to admit, I learned a few new facts that I don’t think I’ll ever forget: for example, ever wonder why you can’t buy shelled ‘cashew nuts’, though you can buy all other nuts still in their shell? It’s because… *drum roll please*… cashews aren’t nuts, they’re seeds! Mmm-hmm, it’s true! And if you want to know more, read this book (or you could Google it, but which one is more fun?).

I’ll be the first one to say, it makes great bathroom reading. *heehee*

Rating: 2.5 coffees out of 5

Tags: books

Today, I started writing a small report/ebook in an area I’m interested in. It concerns a topic of great interest, and I came up with it on the fly, thinking that it was probably something I could write the fastest out of all the other ideas I have. I spent a few hours doing a bit of research to complement my existing knowledge, and I made a brief topic outline.

So far, I’ve written about 2000 words and I’m still in section #1, sitting at page 5. When I was discussing the ideal size of a small report like this with my husband, he suggested 15-20 pages. Hmm… evidently I’m a bit more long-winded than I thought. I could break it up into smaller chunks… but I don’t think that would suit the topic.

Either way, if I can write 2-4k on this each day, it should be done fairly quickly, and I think it will be a good product. It’ll take a day or so to edit, format, and include images – and get a website up to sell & market it on – but I think it will be helpful to those who need the information.

That’s something that drives me a bit nuts about the internet… yes, there are piles of information out there, but more often than not, you need to visit 10-20 websites to get all the information you need… especially with a topic where you need to be very thorough. What I like to do is read as much as I can about a topic, let it mull about in my brain, and then condense it all into one place. I’ll include opposing viewpoints, the various suggestions from all my sources, and then indicate what I believe to be the most logical solution.

It’s my hope that writing small reports or ebooks like this will be genuinely helpful to those who are looking for the information… because as long as I can continue to find topics that I know something about and that I have a passion for, I really don’t mind writing non-fiction material. As much as I’d love to sit around and write stories all day, the truth of the matter is that it isn’t really affordable right now… and to succeed in this business, you need to branch out and be flexible.

Hopefully I can keep that writing fire burning and maintain the necessary level of productivity…

Tags: ebooks, non-fiction, small report

Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of “The Little Mermaid” – Debbie Viguie (YA)

This is my second foray into the ‘Once Upon a Time’ series of retellings, and after Belle, this one had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite make it for me. I realize that the original story had few details and could be easily re-imagined in a variety of ways, but I thought Viguie took it too far and was unable to capture the magic and tragedy of the original fairy tale. Too many secondary characters who seemed forced into place, combined with a happy ending that felt far too Disney-esque (in fact, there were many occasions when I wondered whether she was retelling the original version or the Disney version, which was frustrating), made this one less than outstanding for me. I would have liked to see an element of the original tragic ending, but somehow refined to be wondrous and optimistic… oh well.

Rating: 2 coffees out of 5

Big Boned – Meg Cabot (Chick Lit)

This is the third book in a series, after Size 12 Isn’t Fat and Size 14 Isn’t Fat Either. I quite enjoyed the previous two… I thought they were light, funny, and entertaining. Book 3… not so much. I think maybe Cabot just wanted to wrap up her characters from the previous two books, because this one suffered from a severe case of “nothing happens”. These are supposed to be pure escapist chick lit mysteries… and while the previous two books have a ridiculous mystery and silly action while the heroine keeps trying to solve a crime when she knows nothing about police work, this one had, well… uh… I remember she had a protein shake at one point and thought it was gross… that was exciting… or not.

I read it all the way through in one sitting (because I was forcing myself to relax, hah), but I think I could have done without this one. My verdict is: read the first two, then stop and don’t bother with this one. It’s not necessary, and it’ll spoil the smile on your face from the previous two.

Rating: 1.5 coffee out of 5

Tags: books, fairytales

Did you know that there are a ridiculous amount of poetry contests ‘out there’ in the great wide world of The Internet? Like, literary journal contests? It’s crazy. I had no idea that people were still writing that much poetry… and reading it, for that matter.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a good poem now and again, but I’ve read an awful lot of bad poetry in the past, and I think that’s put me off of ever learning how to write poetry properly (if there is such a thing) or even go out of my way to read it.

I think it’s just too easy to plop some words down on the page and call it a poem. But, try to write something good – something meaningful – and it’s harder than it seems! April was Poem-A-Day month, and I tried on Day One and gave up. Perhaps not a good reflection of the effort made on my part, but still…

…still I wonder, some of these contests have a goodly amount of prize money, and when you think about it, a poem theoretically takes far less time to write than a short story (for which there are also many contests). Is it worth it to try and churn out a bunch of semi-passable poems and shoot 10 or 15 around in a month, hoping to score a win somewhere, or is it better to sit down and thoughtfully plot out & write a short story (taking perhaps three or four… or fifty times as long to do) and submit maybe one per month, at best?

Where is the time best used? Honing one’s primary craft, or trying to take the easy way out?

I think what might stop people from taking the easy way out is: the entry fees on the contests. These are small literary journals, and I suspect that these contests help them finance their publishing costs during the year, but still, $1000 is pretty decent prize money for a struggling writer.

Of course, you could always work on both. HAH! Who has the time? Let’s be honest, here.

But, if poetry is your thing – or perhaps if you have a few original pieces kicking around in your notebook – it might be worth your while to check out a contest or two and see if they would be right for your style.

Here are a few I came across just today:

• Autumn House Press – Deadline June 30th, 2009
• Bitter Oleander Press – Deadline June 15th, 2009
• Boulevard Online – Deadline June 1st, 2009
• Finishing Line Press - Deadline June 30th, 2009
• Literal Latte: A Journal of Prose, Poetry & Art – Deadline July 15th, 2009

Interested? Want more? Head over to Poets & Writers for a whole slew of upcoming contests to enter!

Tags: contests, poetry

16) The Missing, Book 1: Found – Margaret Peterson Haddix (Children’s Fiction/YA)

I stumbled across this in the library, and was hesitant to pick it up. After reading most of her Shadow Children series, I figured she had a lot to live up to, and this book looked like part of an attempt to repeat her prior series’ success. But… I read it anyway.

It was good, but not as good as her other work. There were some aspects of the book that felt contrived – particularly the ending sequence, though I understand that it needed to set up the next book – and the writing style and characters were similar to that of Shadow Children. There were some unbelievable parts, while other parts simply surprised me… namely, she doesn’t turn around and give everything a perfectly natural explanation in the end, like in many of her other books. That was good – a bit of a departure, so I appreciate the effort – but I’m not quite sure how it’ll pan out.

That said, I can say with certainty that I’ll read the next book, though it isn’t released until this coming August. I want to reserve judgment on the series as a whole until after I see how she develops the theme and moves the plot. In the meantime…? If you’ve liked her other books, it’s worth checking this one out. If you haven’t read Haddix before, try book #1 in the Shadow Children series first (Among the Hidden).

Rating: 2.5 coffees out of 5

Tags: books

Huzzah! I’ve hit 75k and counting! …it’s really quite amazing what a few hours at a coffee shop can do for you. Problem is, the story is going to end before I hit 90k. Hrm. Well, that’s what rewrites are for, yes?

In other news, I’m still attempting to make use of the bulletin board from a few weeks back (refer to previous posts about motivation), but it’s not going so well. Apparently to make it work, you have to actually post new things and, oh… complete some of the ones you already have up there. So far, I have about 50 ‘to-do’ things and maybe 3 in the ‘Doing’ category. Now, I know Holly says to limit yourself to 5 things at a time – ie. only make cards about 5 tasks ahead of yourself – but it’s a very busy time and almost everything on the list is urgent… and ironically, few are about writing. Maybe it’s just the time of year, but it isn’t really working for me right now.

I’m not going to give up yet, though! At the very least, my long term goals are posted on the board, and it’s good to see them over and over… well, except for on certain days when all they do is depress me, but that’s another thing for another time.

Ah well.

Tags: motivation, word count

15) Belle: A Retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” - Cameron Dokey (Children’s Fiction/YA)

I have to say, I was surprised by this book. It took me a few pages to really get into it and stop trying to urge the story into familiar territory, but I have to say: Dokey knows her craft. She presented likable characters – even Belle’s sisters – which is certainly not traditional in the original fairy tale. I found it to be rather delightful that her sisters weren’t evil or completely self-absorbed (in a manner of speaking… the characters actually grow throughout the course of the narrative, and for the better!), and the family actually acted like… well, a family.

As for the traditional core of the Beast and Belle’s obligation, Dokey puts a lovely little spin on things that keep the story familiar enough to the reader, while also making it a little more believable for a modern-day audience. I’ll admit: the ‘revelation’ scene between Belle and the Beast actually caused me to tear up, it was so incredibly well-written. Maybe it’s just me, but I found the delivery particularly powerful.

It’s a small book and a quick read… but well worth it.

Rating: 4 coffees out of 5

Tags: books, fairytales

14) Inkheart – Cornelia Funke (Children’s Fiction)

I picked this one up in anticipation of the film release this coming Friday, as I really prefer to read a book before seeing the movie. I’m not really sure what I expected from the book, but I can say that it wasn’t what I thought I was getting into… and yet, I still enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say it was wonderful, because I did think it had several lulls in the plot, but for bibliophiles, it’s certainly worth the read. It’s very book-oriented, perhaps in a way that only bibliophiles can really appreciate, and there is one scene that would make anyone who loves their books blink back a tear or two.

Perhaps most telling is that I do plan to read the next two books that come after it, though I don’t feel compelled to do so immediately (the first book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, yay!). All said, I’d recommend it, but don’t expect a high-tailed fantasy adventure through literature – it’s more subdued and, well… book-focused. But that’s a good thing.

Rating: 3.5 coffees out of 5

Tags: bibliophile, books