1. Favourite childhood book?
The Egyptian Game, by Zilpha Keatley Synder
2. What are you reading right now?
A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness, by Nassir Ghaemi
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None. I tend to be snobbish about sharing books.
4. Bad book habit?
Judging by the cover art.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
The Watchman
Bigenzast
The Runaways, Vol 1-3
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Just the software, for Blackberry and iPad, both Kindle and Nook.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
One if it's fiction, but if it's non-fiction or for class, I read several at a time.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Every once in a while I try to impress people with an obscure title. It usually backfires.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)
I admit to reading a lot of crap around 3 am. So the list is actually too long.
10. Favourite book you’ve read this year?
Gah...
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Rarely, so I am making an effort to do so more often.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Mind candy- paranormal, YA, romance, fantasy, sci-fi. I rarely read classics/ literary *shamefaced*
13. Can you read on the bus?
No- motion sickness. No cars, no trains, no boats... but planes are okay, funnily enough. But nowadays I've trained myself to sleep on planes, so any books I bring on-board are in the optomistic pile.
14. Favourite place to read?
Anywhere I am.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I hate it, because I never get them back. I used to, once. I've learned better.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No. And I hate to highlight/underline. But I LOVE creasing the spine. I do on purpose. Nothing like that first crease, right down the middle. Then repeat, multiple times, so it looks well-read.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only in textbooks/ things I read for class, i.e. notes for assignments. But I had to train myself that this was okay, that no book gods would strike me down with lightening bolts if I did.
18. Not even with text books?
see above.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
French, actually. I read Cyrano de Bergerac in French (an easy reader version, true), and loved it. Then I read a translated version (full-text) and hated the loss of tone and rhythm and fluidity, even though I knew the easy reader was nothing compared to the original. It was still so much better than the English.
20. What makes you love a book?
If I keep thinking about it long after I put it down, rewinding and rewatching the imagined scenes, re-reading for sentence structure and word choice and hidden nuance.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
I rarely do, so I KNOW that you are perfectly suited in interest and previous reading material to like this one.
22. Favourite genre?
Fiction. After that I pretty much read anything, although I tend to read a lot of urban fantasy.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Narrative nonfiction and/or biography.
24. Favourite biography?
Erm, I dunno that I HAVE read a biography- I keep meaning to read Queen Noor's, but never got around to it...
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
One. I didn't finish.
26. Favourite cookbook?
Michael Symon's Live to Cook
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Inspirational? Yeah...
28. Favourite reading snack?
Anything. Usually involves cheese and/or chips.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
The short story with Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, A Scandal in Bohemia. All I heard was, Irene Adler! Irene Adler! The woman, the only one he loved, blah blah blah. And it was like, dude, of course she recognized your poorly disguised ass. Bah.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Depends on the reviewer/ blog/ firm.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
Perfectly fine. I don't tend to WRITE then, but I rant in my head a lot.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Russian, for novels, and Polish for poetry.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Ayn Rand. I forgot which one, but they both scare me.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Moby Dick. I refuse to read it.
35. Favourite Poet?
Wislawa Szymborska.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Heh. Usually the limit. So like 15 or so. I'm a "eyes bigger than my __________" kind of person.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
More times than I like to admit.
38. Favourite fictional character?
Wow, tough one. Wow, tough one! Um, yeah, I like so many... Next question!
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Ooooooh, Frankenstein's monster, except I don't think he's really a villain.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
The ones that I've been avoiding at home. I think that if I get myself into a hotel room with nothing else to read, I'll finally sit down to whatever I've brought.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
A few days?
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
War and Peace. I think I got to page 423 and then just gave up. The names, man, the names. I couldn't keep them straight, even after four hundred pages.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Movement. There's a certain auditory point where I can tune everything out, but seeing something out of the corner of my eye is distracting. This applies to people, light, and TV.
44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?
Mansfield Park. The book was surprisingly dull, but the movie had action.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Blood and Chocolate. It was a favorite YA novel, and then they completely ruined it.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Erm. I don't think I've ever gone over 200.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
It's a must. Usually I can tell in a few pages, but sometimes I'll pick random middle bits for insurance.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
I rarely do. Maybe .... twice? So, really rare. I finish, in a sort of a watching-a-train-wreck kind of way. Does it fail to get better? Can it get even worse? Can this character get any lamer? Oh my gosh it does!
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
No, it doesn't bother me. I just want them on a shelf.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep books, but I'm trying to prune down. I sell some, and donate the hardbacks to the library.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Most of the classics. Most American lit. Especially Moby Dick.
52. Name a book that made you angry.
River Called, by Patricia Briggs. Seriously, a foster kid w/ abandonment issues who also happens to be a recent rape victim is happily getting married? And you didn't even write the proposal? GAHHH. Please, treat these issues consciously and not as a plot vehicle. (Both the previous rape and the marriage.)
(disclaimer: I believe that rape victims can get married. But I also think that completely forgetting said rape within a month or two is unrealistic. There are side effects. Especially with romantic relationships. Getting married should stir the pot emotionally. Briggs wrote the character as completely blase.)
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Villette, by Charlotte Bronte. It was a mind-blowing experience.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
The Language of Bees, by Laurie R King. It was fine, just ... dissatisfying afterwards. Not memorable, I guess.
55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Georgette Heyer, hands down.
I started out writing novels. Then a brief flirtation with short stories, followed by a solid relationship with poetry that lasted several years. Not unhappy but feeling a distinct lack of spark, I broke it off with poetry to start up with flash fiction. Here, I feel that I finally found a supportive and mutually beneficial interaction- if I believed in the word, I would use "soulmates." This, this was the one that completed me.
But now, I'm taking a class in sequential art - comics, graphic novels, and manga- and I am writing CHAPTERS! A series of 3,000 to 4,000 words STRUNG TOGETHER to create a coherent whole, and then strung together AGAIN to create a coherent PLOT ARC!
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCEPT HOW MUCH INTERNAL LOGIC IS NECESSARY FOR THAT KIND OF WRITING???
DO YOU?
It's actually really, really hard. I no longer "think long." In fact, my most frequent critique is "add detail." *Laughs* I never thought I would hear that one.
I feel like a little primordial switch in the back of my head is permanently snapped- I can't get back to flash, but I'm not functioning in long form either. I'm stuck in some hell-hole in between where the ante-up is constant revisions, just to keep playing.
Sometimes, I don't wanna play anymore.
Guh.
Anyways, that's where I've been lately. I haven't died, my will-power just loses steam long, LONG before the blog comes up on the to-do list. Actually, I admit, I haven't even WRITTEN it on the to-do for quite a while.
I would make promises to do better, but I don't believe myself. :p
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Abney Park "Building Steam"
What I want most: to read the rest of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me, but the preview is over and the book isn't publish yet *cries*
Dear Specific Writing Genre,
I don't sure what you were expecting, but I think you've made a mistake. I'm not looking to settle down here. I'm not really into a "committed" relationship, and I thought I made that pretty clear at the beginning. I'm sorry you got your feelings hurt, but I never promised you anything. Exclusivity just isn't my thing. What can I say, I just like to flirt.
It was great while it lasted but I think its time to move on.
haz no ideas for Mr. Bloggie. Instead I stole this from Reading In Color. And I am unapologetic, because I can (and I linked back so there).
Five Books Read Recently:
- The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
- False Colors by Georgette Heyer
- Toil and Trouble by H.P. Mallory
- The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten
- To Kill a Warlock by H.P. Mallory
Five Books I'm Reading:
- Bone Dance: A Fantasy for Technophiles by Emma Bull
- The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
- Hint Fiction Anthology edited by Robert Swartwood
- Edge by Thomas Blackthorne
- An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
Five Favorite Books (not definitive)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Villette by Charlotte Bronte
- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
- Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs
Five Least Favorite Books
-Sophie's Choice by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- Passage to India by E.M. Forester
Five Notable Book-to-Film Adaptions
- Mansfield Park (hands down)
- A Little Princess
- Howl's Moving Castle
- The Princess Bride (HATED the book)
-Pride and Prejudice (all versions)
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: or rather, trying to ignore the news
What I want most: I think its dinner time? On nom nom FOOD!
First! I am happy to say that I have been accepted for publishing in Camroc Press Review and Short, Fast, and Deadly! Both publications have impressed me with their submission process, and I have enjoyed interacting with their editors. Seriously, go check both of them out. And read! And submit!
Also, I'm am in love with > kill author. Their philosophy is just so unique and somehow "fresh" (which I should not be saying as if I were the cynical veteran of the small presses). Check out their interview with PANK magazine to see what I mean.
Double also, I now have a HEE-UUUUUUUUUUUUGE fangrrl author crush on T.H. Mafi. She's super funny, agented, and only 22! *suddenly eyes January birthday with disfavor* I would be super jealous if she wasn't completely down to earth about all the hard work she had to do. Also, practical about writing trials and tribulations, without letting them getting her down. Actually, pretty much she might be the author I wanna be.
So I have also finally invested the time to use Duotrope's Digest, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The interviews with the editors are invaluable, and the stats on response times and rejections so helpful. I really think that I'm getting published in CPR and SFD because of them. Use it. Be an avid tracker. Help keep the stats accurate.
I have decided that I become more and more "out there," I need to step out of an amateur role. So I have taken down my book blog- it's no longer public. I don't need to be commenting on other author's books as another author. If I decided to stick strictly within the role of a reader/commenter, that's different. But I want to be peers with some of these people. There's just too much possibility for mishap, mayhem, and madness. I don't want some future internet drama cat fight thing to be hash-tagging MY name! So no more book blog. I'll leave that to another type of writer. And I think I might pull my reviews from Goodreads- or make it private. Something. There will be more purging. I will be the ultimate professional.
Um, also updates to the website. More hyper-linking. More samples. More "professional" details, and bio. (Do you see the trend? I'm kinda obsessed. lol) It's a work in progress.
And, yeah. I think that's about it. It was scattered. But whatever. So's my mind. ;-)
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: CSI re-runs
What I want most: some lotion
I think "A Writer's Apology" might be one of the most mature of my published works. I feel that I am developing the spare, lyric style that poetry celebrates, but with the technical details of punctuation (especially hyphens) that I wish to represent my voice. Of course, I have a long way to go. But this poem gives me hope.
She got edited out of the title, but this poem still is as it always was- for Michelle.
On to fun things. In the past two days I have:
-bought the home exercise machine I have obsessed over for two years. It's this awesome leg machine for the inside and outside thighs, and it's killing me. Conversely, I heart it.
-started my jewelry up again, and bought the books on metal working that I wanted. And am settling on a title for my small business license. Wholesale, baby!
-bought out of print Sherwood Smith books on Amazon. They may make some sh*tty business decisions that piss me off (see AmazonFail), but I admit I like the interface of the Kindle better than the Nook, and the secondhand sellers seem reliable. Hence, out of print Sherwood Smith at $9 and $10 instead of $25 and $32. Yeah, exactly.
- have bought entirely too many other books to qualify for free shipping, and have gorged myself on Kindle. Two forms of reading, twice as many deductions from my account. *rulerhandsmack*
-have discovered some fun new artists through various means, including the lovely single "Jar of Hearts" from Christina Perri, Tristan Prettyman, and The Pierces. And I have added to my collection of Zero 7, Moby, and ABBA (what can I say, I have eclectic tastes.) Yum, music.
-reread some old friends squirreled away here at Ye Olde Childehood Homestead. It's good to be home for the summer.
-gorged myself on Hollywood gossip. (I have this thing for Angelina Jolie. It's stupid, it's probably only half-true, and I buy the magazines anyways. Anyone notice that three or so this month have her on the cover? Fascinating. . .)
-finally got myself back into the business of submitting poems. I write, fairly consistently, but submitting is the real true talent behind it all. Trust me. Understanding the market is hard.
-ate entirely too much. Which leads me back to the beginning, and my super-duper awesome cellulite blasting leg torture device. Because I may be twenty-one, but this writer lifestyle has done nothing for me. The grass has withered, my friends, the grass has withered. Another side effect of living in the desert.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: The Pierces "The Secret" (I love the cheerful French style accordian melody against the morbid lyrics)
What I want most: Mmmmm, still the release of Jennifer Estep's Venom. But the whole month of September is rather wonderful for my in terms of new books.
I am falling in love with the yellow legal pad.
I've never really explored the possibilities of the legal pad. I'm much more of a journal kind of girl, and have gotten into the small pocket sized ones that you can stick anywhere and take everywhere. I have many many mini journals- in every purse, in every backpack, extras in a drawer, a few by the bed, a few by the desk... I really like journals.
I also really like the Moleskine cardboard 5X7 journals-- the ones that come in a three pack? I find them handy to use thematically. One for last semester, one for this semester, one for scribbling, one for journaling in Romania- essentially the perfect size to hold my inspirations before I run out of ideas. Not long, but enough. (haha)
Unfortunately, I have run out of blank cardboard Moleskine three packs, and must resort to other means. The notebook is too ubiquitous, and loose paper too easy to loose. I happened to have several pads hanging around, and voila! The new partnership was born.
I am now in danger of running out of yellow legal pads.
Sigh. I suppose that it's now time for a school supply shopping adventure? I seem to recall that I have run out of white-out, and my highlighters are running low again. At least I had the forethought to bring highlighters from home this semester.
Really, what IS it with school supplies this year? So unaccommodating in my needs...
Right now:
What I'm listening to: "Gimme Sympathy" by Metric
What I want most: Moleskine journals!!
Oh, I am home, I am home, I am home!!
Right now:
What I'm listening to: The Fray
What I want most: SLEEP!
Today's my birthday!!
Happy 21st to me.
Can't believe that I already 21. It sounds so old, and I still feel so incredibly young at some times. And then I think, "I'm only 21?" because I feel so incredibly old at some times. Therefore, all age is relative, and it's stupid to assign a number to life experience.
But one benefit of being 21 I am not enjoying at the moment- I am currently somewhere over the Atlantic, and probably fast asleep instead of drinking myself into oblivion. (I scheduled this in advance) So very sad.
Would it be weird to ask for a mimosa with my airline breakfast of fake egg and hard croissant?
Anyways, I am taking today off, because of my birthday and because of the travel. I may be around tomorrow, I may not. We'll see how things go.
So tip back a double or two in my name, and be sure to toast to my health.
Right now:
Where I am located: 30,000+ miles up, above the birds, but below the interesting stuff, like outer space
What I want most: Maybe a 7-7. Or a Lemon Drop - I've always wanted to try one of those. Or maybe something fruity like a Mai Tai or a Pina Colada. Ah, who knows. I probably will have to try them all over the next few weeks (and months).
I used to be the type of person that could be incredibly productive on a plane. I could breeze through three or four books, especially on the longer international flights. Then books got difficult, so I could watch three or four movies and a couple of TV episodes.
Now? Now, I hardly pack anything for in-flight entertainment, because I know I will conk out like a bear going into hibernation before we even lift off. There is no productivity, there is no reading, there is no writing, there is only sleep.
Lots and lots of sleep.
I'm not sure why this always happens now- is it because I am usually coming out right after mid-terms or finals to go home for the holidays? Or because I am now traveling on my own, so I have to think (read: worry) about logistics like catching the shuttle and checking in and getting the right gate and all other travel sundries?
Anyways, on this trip I have brought several books and a blank journal. I delude myself that I am going to write on the plane- even drank two whole sups of coffee in hopes that it would stave off the cloud of oblivion that rests on my horizon. But the cloud is wide, and deep, and darker in color than I expected, and all the caffeine in the world might not be enough to break up the sleep seratonin raindrops.
And perhaps I will dream of my manuscript.
Right now:
Where I am located: probably somewhere mid-Atlantic (I scheduled this post-- aren't I clever?)
What I want most: sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep. lol
Well, I am heading off into the wide blue yonder- or rather, white, for there are snowstorms galore between me and my destination of Romania. I might get there, I might not; but at least there's a story or two in between, right?
So for the next three weeks I will be in and out of internet availability, so the blog is going to sadly decrease in frequency. But I hope to catch a couple hours at an internet cafe sometime, so I will try to post then. I have my computer, so I will likely write up several posts beforehand, and then post them all at once. I am sorry that this will fill up your inboxes, but it's better than no posts at all.
No, don't answer that, my ego is fragile enough, thank you.
So I thought as a way to stimulate the mind, I would change myself during the next three weeks to somehow or another incorporate the word "travel" into the title of the post. The body doesn't have to do with travel (although it might), just the title.
Whaddya think? Post your thoughts in the comments section!
Well, I'll see you around, I guess, and in the meantime, Happy Holidays!
Right Now:
My location: in the middle of a dorm room packing hurricane
What I want most: sleep. And to be there- I hate getting there.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I'm taking the day off to spend time with my family, so I think that you should also get off the computer and get into the living room or kitchen! No hiding away today- there's too much food to eat, at least.
There will still be a Wordsworth Station post today, if you NEED your writing fix, and my Tumblr post if you need something interesting. So enjoy!
And happy holidays!
I found this delightful summary on Ilona Andrews' blog, and thought I'd re-post it for the general enjoyment. Also, because I need to spend my time doing other things, like homework. (*sigh*)
Anyways.
This is how the book idea works (only for me, take out a couple of zeros, or substitute "words" for "seconds")
The Progress of a Book:
10,000 words – New idea! Shiny, shiny, shiny!
15,000 words – So what exactly happens next?
20,000 words – Maybe this idea isn’t as good as I thought.
25,000 words – This idea sucks.
30,000 words – Oh God. I hate it, I’m stuck, I shouldn’t have written this in the first place. Stuck, stuck, stuck.
35,000 words – Maybe this wasn’t so bad.
40,000 words – I could work with that.
45,000 words – It’s lagging. I know it’s lagging. I need to definitely fix the first chapter.
50,000 words – Ugh
55,000 words – Can I just quit now?
60,000 words – God, I hate this stupid story. It’s pure crap. It’s the worst thing that I’ve ever written. Why won’t it just die and rot in the gutter in hell?
65,000 words – Have to finish, just write and don’t think about how much it sucks…
70,000 words – Just get it to finale, just get it to finale, I can do this.
75,000 words – Actually, you know it’s not too awful bad…
80,000 words – It won’t fit. There is no way I can pack this conclusion into 15 K.
85,000 words– So help me God.
90,000 words – Die, book, die!
95,000 words – I am done, I’m done, oh saints, I am done.
2 weeks later: New idea! Shiny, shiny, shiny….
Argh, that's so how I feel right now! I have a great idea floating in my head, and I'll think about it for 10 days or some, and I discard it because I've convinced myself it's all crap, without ever writing a word. I really regret that, and I'm trying to stop this awful habit of mine. Trying to write done everything, to just get it down.
So that during summer when I have lots of time to revisit shiny things, I can.
So I'm opening it up for questions today. Feel free to leave a question in the comments section about anything writer-ly. Feel free to leave anything on your mind here for me; questions, comments, compliments, even complaints. Please only serious and/or constructive comments because this will be posted to my blog with replies as in the order received.
Please, don’t be afraid to say SOMETHING. I won’t know of your existence otherwise. I would like to know as many of the people that are following me to find other like-minds.
Thanks!
So I was reading Bibliobitch, the book blog from Bitch Magazine and found this delightfully amusing video from a recent article.
Ahahahaha, oh my.
I really wish that a lot of the urban fantasy genre could take themselves a little more lightly, whether reader or writer. The recent controversy over Twilight has sent everyone to one extreme or the other, and in the process I think that we have lost a lot of humor that the genre originally intends. As Kelsey Wallace says, "I also love that, while she is a fantasy writer herself, Stiefvater doesn't seem to be taking the genre too seriously (you know, since it's supposed to be fun)."
Well, that's all for today. I have this really exciting writing assignment coming up today in class for Life Writing, and I want to sit and contemplate the fun coming. Like, Vampires, Werewolves, and Kraken (oh my) fun.
=)
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Psychobabble by Frou Frou
What I want most: coffeeeeeeeeeeeeee x_x
Something Random so I can say I posted today.
From InkyGirl
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Red Friday
What I want most: teh?
I'm currently working on a presentation on Sherman Alexie due today (and this blog absolutely and assuredly does count as working, or research, or some such similar activity) and I admit... I rival the pitch and tone of all self-proclaimed fangirls out there. My poor, poor roommate-- shall we dub her the Long Suffering One? She certainly had her trials the other day, when I was whispering and hissing unintelligible sibilant phrases for Study of Language homework.
Anyways, I think you should definitely check out his website, and this interview, and an audio interview from Barnes and Nobles (scroll down for a small-ish box on the right, just above the reader reviews where Alexie gets criticized for using curse words in a teenage novel, which is absolutely not representative of the normative teen experience, oh no.)
I was first introduced to Sherman Alexie through the assigned reading list of my Literature Topics course: Native American Literature. Alexie was my favorite author, and I have caught up and kept up with his work since finishing the course. We read Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, his first published collection of short stories. My favorite story was "The Approxiate Size of My Favorite Tumor," which told the story of a man who dealt with terminal cancer through humor. It's especially my favorite story now.
What amazes me is that Alexie recieved two fellowships and published two collections of poetry, both back to back, a mere 2 years after he graduated from college. I can't really imagine accomplishing something like that. He was 23 when his first book was published, and I am scarily close to that age now. The realization of the hard work that Alexie had to put in, while still in college, boggles my mind. And then I tell my Inner Critic to shut up, because there IS precident.
AND HE'S COMING TO WASHINGTON D.C. AT THE END OF THIS MONTH ON HIS BOOK TOUR! I am sooo going. Don't even care. I will walk. I am going.
The point of writting about Alexie (see, I get carried away when speaking about him) is that he mentioned a website (salon.com) that I got really excited about, thinking that the concept was based on the French literary salons of the 18th and 19th century. Unfortunately, I was sadly let down by the realization that it was another news provider (not that anything was wrong with the site; indeed I found several interesting articles to read after mid-terms, but the -imagined- expectations were more enticing.)
My secret burning ambition is to set up and/or participate in the modern salon, and be considered a "man of letters." I was so exicted to see my concept actually implemented... except then it wasn't. But the good news that it's still left for me! I would love to design my little publishing empire around that concept of a salon, and probably only need the freedom of time to allow me to do so. Although it might be said (probably by the Voice of Reason) that I am crazy for taking on any more than my currently alloted 3 slash 4 blogs (depending on how you count it.) Although I should warn you, for, as the ever estimable Rick Castle says, "There are two types of people who think of ways to kill someone: socio-paths, and writers" and someday I will undertake the argument of any megliable differences.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Dance, Dance" by Beach Boys
What I want most: the stratching in my throat to go away
I have NO TIME; therefore I offer a quick, random tidbit.
My favorite word EVER: apoplexy
My least favorite word EVER: ablutions
Yeah, don't ever use ablutions in your writing. I guarantee, it doesn't set the historical time period, it only sets your reader's nerves on edge.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Nothing! Takes too much time!
What I want: more time! more time!!!!
I love libraries. There is something special about each and every library, whether it's the smallest basic collection or the mega modern public libraries or the gorgeous rare collections with stained glass and leather chairs. It must be something in the air that evaporates from the very pages of the books. The library can be functional to the point of minimalistic, and I am still enchanted, still transported into a rosy-hued world.
It's something in the air.
When I visited the Boston Public library, I got lost, and spent an uncomfortable half-hour in the Reading Room. It was gorgeous, it had character, and it had oodles of history... but it had few books, and I felt constrained by the atmosphere. I escaped... and I found the real library.
I literally stepped over the threshold and a kind of euphoria washed over me. All the tension from the Reading Room were completely erased. And I might have freaked out a bystander or two with my uncontrollable smiling.
When I walked into the regional library here near campus, a brief stop to pick up a volunteer application. I didn't step beyond the check-out desk, didn't get near any books, but same effect.
I love libraries.
I think it might be a cool idea to travel around the world and review all the great libraries. Go city to city, spend a few days at each... same way that I want to take a yacht and visit every coast country.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: CSI
What I want most: more time!
I decided to explore today, and watched ABC's new television series "The Legend of the Seeker", based off Terry Goodkind's best-selling series of novels. Now, I love Goodkind's work, and have followed his series for years. I truly believe that one of the later books changed my perspective and my life. I even wrote my college application essay on that particular book (but that's another blog post). So I was really hesitant going into this show. Everyone knows that books rarely translate well into movies (although I can list a few that are actually better than the book in my opinion, but that is also another blog post), and a TV series seems doomed to rank even lower than a movie. The opportunity for greater detail due to the expanded time-line is a definite plus, but the acting and accuracy seems to suffer.
Which I find to be the case for "The Legend of the Seeker."
My main caveat is the actor playing Richard Cypher. In first book, Wizard's First Rule, it was acknowledged that Richard was a simple woods guide, therefore naive and innocent. But nowhere was it mentioned that Richard was immature, but rather a very self-controlled character despite his naivety. In the TV series, the actor playing Richard looks to be around 18 years old, and acts around 15. He is angsty, prone to shouting cliches and cringe-worthy vows of justice that he can't back up. Think Harry Potter #5.
The other issue I have is the major re-structuring of the plot. In the TV series, the Book of Counted Shadows was not in the possession of Richard Cypher from the beginning, but delivered to him by Kahlan. I'm not sure what the ramifications for the ending are, but major changes will be a necessity. I don't want to give too much away, to avoid spoilers, but it's a major change for the ending. Think Harry Potter #7. Then take out all the build-up details. Oh, WAIT, they did. But that's another blog post.
The last issue I have is that Richard's right to the position of Seeker in the TV series is hereditary. In the book, they emphasized right of personality (hereditary might have been there, but I don't remember well enough for negate it for sure).
The only redeeming point was the scene where Zed stood on his cloud watching rock. But after that even Zed fell into contrite stereotypes.
Conclusion: If you can suspend your attachment to the real book and it's details, you might get away with enjoying the series. Maybe. Otherwise, I would recommend only for really bored days.
RATING:
2 out of 5 stars
Watchable for another episode or two
Don't follow on a regular basis
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Last Night" by Skillet
What I want most: sleep.
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