Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Hello 2015!
Last year, I slacked on everything. My infant blog, my reading, and my editing, not to mention school. I want this year to be different. I'm in my last semester of school and only have 2 classes so I can leave that off my list of excuses. I'm putting it here as a promise to myself and whoever may stumble across my little piece of dysfunction here. I'm going to read more, post more, write more, and begin building my graphic design portfolio. I'm also planning on sketchy out some new layouts for my blog and finally uploading some images I have. It's time to start promoting my blog and getting it out there. I have the time. I have the resources. It's time to get rid of the excuses and laziness.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
SILVER SHADOWS BY RICHELLE MEAD
Title: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
Source: Borrowed.
Purchase: Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=11191201
What I Love: Silver Shadows is the newest book in Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series. I enjoyed this book which I really didn't expect. I struggled to get through the previous book so I went into this one expecting to be disappointed. First thing I loved, barely, if any, typos. At least, I hadn't caught any while I was reading & that was a major issue for me in the last book. That in itself was refreshing & I know it's crazy & nit picky that I'm harping on the typos, especially since there are plenty typos here, but it makes me crazy. You have a professional editor. Edit that shit!
ADRIAN! ADRIAN! ADRIAN! To me he is all that matters & what will keep me reading these books. I love Richelle Mead's ability to switch between writing Sydney's chapters and writing Adrian's chapters. She does a good job of not blending them together and keeping their personalities separate. From the get go, the stakes are high and that sense of urgency is definitely rampant right from the beginning. The book was packed with action and Sydney always has to stay on her toes. It was nice to actually experience her character without her Alchemist hangups which I always felt were forced by the writer. It's definitely one of the better books of this series in my opinion.
What I Loved a Little Less: For as much as I am absolutely in love with Adrian, he drove me insane in the beginning of this book. At times, I couldn't stand him. Adrian! I know. I couldn't believe it either. His defeatist attitude made me sick and angry. If I could have reached into the book, I would have strangled him. So, you're down with a bad case of Spirit. Your girlfriend is going through much worse. He was so quick to give up, it just blew my mind.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Sydney's. Usually, she is always doing something stupid & these stupid things just seem really forced. I can see the author's hand in some of the decisions that she makes. I liked the tension between Adrian & his mother. I think the issue of duty over love could be relevant to anyone's situation & I would have liked to see some more of that in the book. I just feel like there was some missed opportunity there. Also, a question just for the asking, how does Nina deal with the effects of spirit? I didn't really catch on to any real struggling on her part.
Favorite Line: "No," she said, interrupting him again. "I actually don't want to go home with you, tonight or ever again." (pg. 374)
Rating: 5 golden lilies
Source: Borrowed.
Purchase: Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=11191201
What I Love: Silver Shadows is the newest book in Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series. I enjoyed this book which I really didn't expect. I struggled to get through the previous book so I went into this one expecting to be disappointed. First thing I loved, barely, if any, typos. At least, I hadn't caught any while I was reading & that was a major issue for me in the last book. That in itself was refreshing & I know it's crazy & nit picky that I'm harping on the typos, especially since there are plenty typos here, but it makes me crazy. You have a professional editor. Edit that shit!
ADRIAN! ADRIAN! ADRIAN! To me he is all that matters & what will keep me reading these books. I love Richelle Mead's ability to switch between writing Sydney's chapters and writing Adrian's chapters. She does a good job of not blending them together and keeping their personalities separate. From the get go, the stakes are high and that sense of urgency is definitely rampant right from the beginning. The book was packed with action and Sydney always has to stay on her toes. It was nice to actually experience her character without her Alchemist hangups which I always felt were forced by the writer. It's definitely one of the better books of this series in my opinion.
What I Loved a Little Less: For as much as I am absolutely in love with Adrian, he drove me insane in the beginning of this book. At times, I couldn't stand him. Adrian! I know. I couldn't believe it either. His defeatist attitude made me sick and angry. If I could have reached into the book, I would have strangled him. So, you're down with a bad case of Spirit. Your girlfriend is going through much worse. He was so quick to give up, it just blew my mind.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Sydney's. Usually, she is always doing something stupid & these stupid things just seem really forced. I can see the author's hand in some of the decisions that she makes. I liked the tension between Adrian & his mother. I think the issue of duty over love could be relevant to anyone's situation & I would have liked to see some more of that in the book. I just feel like there was some missed opportunity there. Also, a question just for the asking, how does Nina deal with the effects of spirit? I didn't really catch on to any real struggling on her part.
Favorite Line: "No," she said, interrupting him again. "I actually don't want to go home with you, tonight or ever again." (pg. 374)
Rating: 5 golden lilies
Friday, August 1, 2014
Editing Probs
This, my friends, is the part of writing that actually feels like work. I am working on the revisions to chapters 1-3 of my novel & I'm lacking coffee on an epic scale. Wish me luck, dear reader, I'm in a bit of an editing slump. Sunday, July 27, 2014
Charlie Con Haul
I'm really excited to start reading this, especially since he is a local author. I didn't get it signed which is crazy because usually I don't miss that. Oh Well. Doesn't change my excitement for getting this book. For anyone who is interested in finding out some more about his work, I'll link his website here.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
FIEND BY PETER STENSON
Title: Fiend by Peter Stenson
Source: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=11191201
Synopsis: "When Chase sees the little girl in umbrella socks disemboweling the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he's no stranger to such horrifying, drug fueled hallucinations.
But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. And with Chase's life already shattered by addiction, the apocalypse might actually be an opportunity--a last chance to hit restart, win back the love of his life, and become the person he once dreamed of being.
That is, if the darkness inside him doesn't destroy everything--again."
What I Love: First off, I absolutely love the cover of this book. I'm a big fan of simple, minimal art and the artwork is straight to the point. The color scheme is beautiful and really pops. I enjoyed this book a lot up until the end. The main character, Chase, is a really strong character and, despite being a meth addict who shoots up for the majority of the book, he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders in regards to planning a course of action. Throughout the novel, he is struggling with who he is and the person he wants to be. That's something anyone can relate to and I love when a book can connect with its reader on that level. Now, this is a zombie novel, but I loved the way he approached the subject matter. I don't want to give anything away, but I really enjoyed the way he put his own spin on the zombie genre. Overall, Fiend is a super ease and enjoyable read. Reading it was time well spent.
What I Loved a Little Less: Like anyone else, I'm a huge fan of a good F-bomb and the language Stenson uses is without a doubt colorful, but toward the end it kind of got so over used that it became more annoying. I felt the same about some of the characters' dialogue. There was a lot of "for reals" and "yo"s. Now, I don't do drugs, but that can't possibly be the entire vocab of a meth addict. It just didn't feel right or natural in my head as I was reading. Aside from Chase, I didn't particularly care for any of the other characters. There were definitely some parallels between this book and The Walking Dead, at least the TV show anyway. If you watch the show, you'll catch on to these when you read the book. I picked up on a few of these and it always took me out of the story. Now, the thing that I don't like about zombie stories is they're difficult to wrap up with a nice neat resolution. That being said, I wasn't a fan of the ending. It seemed like a rushed attempt to bring the story to an end. I'm not saying you need to solve the zombie apocalypse for a good ending, but at least give me a chance to care about what is going on instead of just pushing me out of the door.
Favorite Line: Our favorite memories are Polaroids of ignorance. (pg: 182)
Rating: 4 little zombie babies
*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Source: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=11191201
Synopsis: "When Chase sees the little girl in umbrella socks disemboweling the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he's no stranger to such horrifying, drug fueled hallucinations.
But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. And with Chase's life already shattered by addiction, the apocalypse might actually be an opportunity--a last chance to hit restart, win back the love of his life, and become the person he once dreamed of being.
That is, if the darkness inside him doesn't destroy everything--again."
What I Love: First off, I absolutely love the cover of this book. I'm a big fan of simple, minimal art and the artwork is straight to the point. The color scheme is beautiful and really pops. I enjoyed this book a lot up until the end. The main character, Chase, is a really strong character and, despite being a meth addict who shoots up for the majority of the book, he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders in regards to planning a course of action. Throughout the novel, he is struggling with who he is and the person he wants to be. That's something anyone can relate to and I love when a book can connect with its reader on that level. Now, this is a zombie novel, but I loved the way he approached the subject matter. I don't want to give anything away, but I really enjoyed the way he put his own spin on the zombie genre. Overall, Fiend is a super ease and enjoyable read. Reading it was time well spent.
What I Loved a Little Less: Like anyone else, I'm a huge fan of a good F-bomb and the language Stenson uses is without a doubt colorful, but toward the end it kind of got so over used that it became more annoying. I felt the same about some of the characters' dialogue. There was a lot of "for reals" and "yo"s. Now, I don't do drugs, but that can't possibly be the entire vocab of a meth addict. It just didn't feel right or natural in my head as I was reading. Aside from Chase, I didn't particularly care for any of the other characters. There were definitely some parallels between this book and The Walking Dead, at least the TV show anyway. If you watch the show, you'll catch on to these when you read the book. I picked up on a few of these and it always took me out of the story. Now, the thing that I don't like about zombie stories is they're difficult to wrap up with a nice neat resolution. That being said, I wasn't a fan of the ending. It seemed like a rushed attempt to bring the story to an end. I'm not saying you need to solve the zombie apocalypse for a good ending, but at least give me a chance to care about what is going on instead of just pushing me out of the door.
Favorite Line: Our favorite memories are Polaroids of ignorance. (pg: 182)
Rating: 4 little zombie babies
*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Camp NaNo Update
There are seven days left of Camp NaNoWriMo this month and it is safe to say that I'm not going to reach my goal. As you know, my goal for camp was 20,000 words and I'm not even half way there. There are probably 2 reasons that I can say definitely had a hand in my camp failure.
The first was the fact that I decided before I even started my novella that it wouldn't stay a novella. I planned on shorting it a lot and submitting it to the Tennessee Williams Fest Short Story Contest. So, right away I was in short story mode and that just made me run out of juice early on. I'm calling it a loss and rewriting the story as a short story so I can submit it to the contest. If you are interested in donating, submitting to the various contests, or just want to check it out, you can get more info here. I'm really looking forward to submitting and starting to get my work back out into the world.
The second reason Camp didn't work out in my favor, I was consumed with other activities. And by other activities, I mean I was reading and working on this blog and playing around with making videos. I really just wanted to put the writing aside and play with editing software. And that is going way over my head.
Now, I'm reassessing the situation and going to move onto the next project until November comes along. I already have a small idea of what I want to work on then. We'll see how it goes.
The first was the fact that I decided before I even started my novella that it wouldn't stay a novella. I planned on shorting it a lot and submitting it to the Tennessee Williams Fest Short Story Contest. So, right away I was in short story mode and that just made me run out of juice early on. I'm calling it a loss and rewriting the story as a short story so I can submit it to the contest. If you are interested in donating, submitting to the various contests, or just want to check it out, you can get more info here. I'm really looking forward to submitting and starting to get my work back out into the world.
The second reason Camp didn't work out in my favor, I was consumed with other activities. And by other activities, I mean I was reading and working on this blog and playing around with making videos. I really just wanted to put the writing aside and play with editing software. And that is going way over my head.
Now, I'm reassessing the situation and going to move onto the next project until November comes along. I already have a small idea of what I want to work on then. We'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Harry Potter Shenanigans
I'll just leave this here. 
That's a tiny, light up dinosaur I got my brother for his birthday. He smushed it.
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