200 Subscriber and Mid-Winter’s Eve 2011 Giveaway Winners
Thanks to everyone who participated!
The winners for the 200 Subscriber Giveaway are:
Yiota
and
Denise
And the lucky two for the Mid-Winter’s Eve Giveaway are:
Mary
and
Marie
Congratulations! Emails have been sent.
I just have to say I loved reading the comments you all left in my entry forms,
it was especially touching to see how many people out there really appreciate family.
Now that it’s January, I look forward to my first full year of blogging with you all! 
Thanks for stopping by!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (019)
Hey all! Brief BBS post because I’m so happy to share these books, but don’t have time or energy to hunt down all of my current library loans. Hahaha… Me? Have too many books? Pshaw…
These posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Just a way to showcase the books in my life, because not all of them will be reviewed. 
Let’s cut to the chase!
Steals
Early Christmas presents!
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Die for Me by Amy Plum
Can we say cover love?
I gave my friend a list of books I wanted to own,
and he chose these for the covers! Haha!
-_- We are so alike.
Thanks to my friend, M!
And thanks to you for stopping by!
I’ll make up for the small post by participating in
the Mid-Winter’s Eve Giveaway Hop next week!
I know, it’s been a while! Time to give more stuff away!
And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you followers.
I’ll be counting the entries for my last follower giveaway soon. 
Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette has been locked away for over 200 days because of a lethal incident she couldn’t control. An incident involving what happens to people when they touch her skin. When a male roommmate cellmate moves into her confined space, it’s only the beginning of a new chapter of her life. Not only does she have to relearn how to interact with another human being, his presence heralds a time of change; The Reestablishment, who have taken over the outside world, want to offer Juliette a place on their side. But Juliette, with her roommate’s help, will finally find it in herself to fight to live her own life.
Whew! <– That was my first reaction when I first picked up this book. I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews and hype surrounding this book, and let me tell you–this one deserves it all. This book was so fantastic that when I was stalled on my own thesis novel, I picked it up and suddenly, it was as if the world was made new. All of the changes that had been suggested in my most recent workshop, I saw come alive in Ms. Mafi’s writing. It was as if this book were a manual on how good writing gets done. Like it was speaking to me as a writer. (My classmates and friends will tell you–I recommended the darn thing to every single person who would listen.)
That said, I have to talk about the quality of writing. The story was compelling from the first page–I immediately wanted to know about Juliette, her world, how she would change by the end of the story. And she kept me in suspense the whole time. I’m still in suspense, but it’s even worse now because I want to read book two! (Argh!) I thought the backstory was dispersed evenly throughout the first half. I never felt as if there were info-dumps, or that the story got bogged down in description or history. There was an even pacing and flow to the narrative, as if the story was always moving, and I never felt bored. (I even read the book faster than my usual snail’s pace!) And, of course, it’s told in first-person, and the language itself is very distinctive. Ms. Mafi’s descriptions play with hyperbolic metaphor, but not in a bad way. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, but these moments are overshadowed by moments when I feel the narrative is painting a picture in strokes of vivid, exquisite language. Sometimes I just wanted to hug my book, sigh, and sit back in my chair to savor those poetic lines.
The story itself is pretty cool. Juliette is a bit like Rogue from The X-Men, and the fact that someone wants to use her to hurt people is a very good motivation for her to finally take a stand against people trying to control or confine her. Warner is a twisted guy, and I pretty much was expecting the little “twist” near the end, but I think it was meant to be all-but-stated. Kenji is funny, but doesn’t show up until late in the story. As for Adam, he’s a pretty good male lead. I don’t really see anything very distinctive about him, but I actually love him for the way he treats other people. Just your typical, upstanding good guy. Who wouldn’t want to curl up against him?
And, yes, there is romance! And I didn’t mind it at all! Actually, I barely noticed it for at least the first half of the book. It got more prominent in the second half, but I think it emerged seamlessly so that I wasn’t all “what the–why are they??” as I sometimes am. Ms. Mafi did a good job of keeping the story grounded in the immediacy of the situations and events so that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the romantic elements. And that’s just how I like my romance. And the couple’s backstory breaks my heart and warms it at the same time. Lots of “awwwww” from me, imagining them as sad little kids. 
I’m pretty new to the dystopian genre, so I can’t really comment on how well it hits the dystopic button. But I can say that I felt like there was a good amount of worldbuilding. There are things wrong with the world, and there’s an explanation to why things are wrong with the world, and it all seems logical to me now that I’ve read to the end. However, I don’t really quite understand the structure of the institution where Juliette is locked up in the beginning. But I’m hoping this gets addressed in later books.
Something I loved about this book was the relationship portrayed between self-perception and power. Juliette is on the verge of insanity at the start, and she is afraid of herself, and how she can hurt other people because people deem her worthy of being locked up. Warner treats her like a pet tiger, Kenji refers to her as the “psycho chick.” Adam treats her like a human being. It isn’t until Juliette believes she can be on the same level as human beings that she finds the inspiration to fight against the system. It isn’t until a person values her or himself that one can see true worth. It’s very well-threaded throughout the story.
Well, I think I’ve rambled on quite a bit. Bottom line: Good book. Very good book. It will hook into you, then make you hungry for a sequel. And it’s a fast read. What’s not to like?
Review copy acquired from the publisher at San Diego Comic Con.
Workshop Wednesday (004): Don’t Take the Good for Granted
“Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce his wife, Shuyu.”
Waiting by Ha Jin
So what exactly is Workshop Wednesday? Well, it’s going to be an ongoing discussion of ways to read and critique (and hopefully improve) writing. Basically, I’m going to be drawing on my experiences in writing workshops through undergraduate and graduate studies and sharing them with you all. These posts are for everyone, whether you’re wondering how you can give good feedback to a writer friend, or whether you’re a writer yourself and want to find new ways to look at your writing. Hopefully these discussions will be helpful. And hopefully seeing a compelling first line in each post will inspire you to write your own, or to read the rest of that story!
Welcome back to Workshop Wednesday! I know it’s been a while, but hopefully I’ll be able to make up for it now that I’m officially on Winter Break.
All right, last week I started talking about the actual process of giving feedback. I know it was pretty condensed, but I’m definitely going to be delving further into all of my tips, and many more I did not list. This week, though, I’d like to focus one overlooked but very important related point: Constructive criticism will always help a writer, but don’t forget to let the writer know what is actually working in the piece.
Not only is hearing positive feedback important for preserving the writer’s sense of self-worth (we’re a sensitive people), but it helps the writer to figure out his or her strengths. It is through these strengths that a writer can try to solve some of the problems that the critic is pointing out. For instance, I noticed a trend among a few of my fellow writers in their ability to give vivid, specific physical descriptions, but then this specificity of detail does not show up in portraying characters’ emotions. I will often write in my comments that these writers should use their strengths to their advantage and use this eye for detail to address other aspects of the story.
Sometimes good feedback simply helps a writer to know what to preserve in edits and revisions, or to know what they’re doing right in their writing. If a writer knows that she does a good job of portraying a certain character as a full-fledged, well-rounded human being, then she might be inspired to give this character more page space as a way of keeping her audience compelled to read.
Of course, even things you like may need to be cut from a manuscript. This may be hard to tell a writer, but if a narrative description is bogging down the story, don’t be afraid to give your writer the positive feedback, then advise her to make the good part even more concise.
Conversely, if you enjoy a particular passage examining the protagonist’s emotions, but it’s only two lines long, encourage your writer to write more. Don’t feel restricted by what’s on the page. Imagine what your writer can do if she pushes her narrative eye just a little deeper under the surface. Don’t be afraid of encouraging overwriting–there’s always the possibility of cutting later.
And that’s a brief discussion of positive feedback. Don’t forget to point out positives! Actually, if you’re like me when I was just entering the world of workshops, positives will probably be the bulk of your critique. Don’t let this discourage you! It took me years, literally, to learn how to give helpful critiques. And I’m still not as good at it as some of my illustrious classmates.
Hope this helps!
Flashback Review: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
These reviews are going to be different because the books aren’t as fresh in my memory (we’re talking from last year to as long as a decade ago… maybe even further back). I’ve decided to do this because there are a lot of books out there just waiting to be read, and I think they deserve hype once in a while, too. Consider these glorified book recommendations, of a sort. I’ll do my best to recall the reading experience, but you’ll have to bear with me.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Blurb from Goodreads:
First published in 1844, Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling epic chronicles the adventures of D’Artagnan, a gallant young nobleman who journeys to Paris in 1625 hoping to join the ranks of musketeers guarding Louis XIII. He soon finds himself fighting alongside three heroic comrades—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—who seek to uphold the honor of the king by foiling the wicked plots of Cardinal Richelieu and the beautiful spy “Milady.” As Clifton Fadiman reflected, “We read The Three Musketeers to experience a sense of romance and for the sheer excitement of the story. In these violent pages all is action, intrigue, suspense, surprise—an almost endless chain of duels, murders, love affairs, unmaskings, ambushes, hairbreadth escapes, wild rides. It is all impossible and it is all magnificent.”
… Actually that is a pretty accurate description, and a lot more eloquent than what I have to say. But hey, this is my blog, so I’m gonna say it anyway.
Right, so I watched the new film at the discount theater last night. And having actually read the book, I have to be honest: I enjoyed myself. If you’ve read the book and are offended, you have every right to be. But I tend to judge movies by their own merit. Yes, it was over-the-top (literally) at times, but I actually really liked the soundtrack, the action scenes were pretty awesome, and how can anyone not love D’Artagnan and the musketeers in question???
But I get ahead of myself. Here’s what I think about the book. I loved it. It’s incredibly funny, but not laugh-out-loud spur-of-the-moment humor. It’s more like situational humor, or humor that keeps you smiling for a long period–over the course of the unfolding plot–rather than evoking the laughter all at one time. (Okay, maybe there are a few of those moments, too.) For instance, D’Artagnan and the musketeers go on a road trip, and D’Argtanan loses all three of them. Not at the same time–separately. Then he has to go back and collect them again. It doesn’t sound like it could possibly be funny, but with these guys, trust me, it is. The best part of the humor is that the characters don’t realize they’re being funny. They’re just being them. It’s us, the readers, who get to figure out what the heck is actually going on.
The evil characters pack a punch as well. They’re not actually funny. They’re just really, really well-written evil characters. They want to bring war, and they’ll stop at nothing to do it. Milady is one crazy, diabolical lady. She hasn’t got Milla Jovovich’s moves, but she can hold her own in different ways.
And of course there are the duels. There is a lot of fighting in the story. People actually die or get hurt quite a lot. Doctors show up quite often, and days pass to heal. But I love this fact, because it keeps things realistic.
Oh, and the romance. OH, the ROMANCE. My relationship with book romance is sketchy, but I couldn’t keep myself from getting behind D’Artagnan’s pure, innocent love! And Aramis is totally a player, but that makes him so much cooler. Athos has his reasons for being the way he is, and when we find out–WOW.
I’m pretty sure Dumas knew what he was doing when he sat down to write this book. Similar to Douglas Adams’s work in the Dirk Gently series, everything seems to matter. With its twists and turns, all of the events are interrelated and have consequences for better and for worse. Every character has an agenda, good and evil, and by this fact alone one can say this is superb writing.
This book is truly classic literature. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are amazing, multi-faceted characters. They have strengths, weaknesses, desires, fears, regrets, and hopes–all of which effect the plot in magnificent ways. Most of all, they have their ideals and their cause–to preserve France and its rulers. All for one, and one for all!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (018)
Hey everyone! Finishing up the term in the next few days, then I’ll be a reading and writing (and blogging!) machine! Here’s this week’s Beg, Borrow, & Steal!
These posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Just a way to showcase the books in my life, because not all of them will be reviewed.
The Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals helped me do some begging in the past week…
Begged
The Demon Trapper’s Daughter by Jana Oliver
Soul Thief by Jana Oliver
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Such a beautiful cover!
Matched by Ally Condie
I waited to get the paperback because I prefer the green gradient to the white.
I’m happy with all of my purchases. Books and… not books.
Y’all may get to see some new blog features soon…
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (017)
Hi all! Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate! Happy day to you equally wonderful people who do not. Time for a thanksgiving Beg, Borrow, & Steal!
These posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Just a way to showcase the books in my life, because not all of them will be reviewed. 
Well, this post fits with the spirit of giving and thanks! No books begged for or bought (but we’ll see what happens tomorrow!).
Let’s see what my gravitational pull of bookishness managed to snag…
Borrowed
From the library.
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
The Children’s Librarian at work read this and said she liked it.
I have a copy of Life Eternal, so I thought I’d give it a try!
Steals
Many thanks to The Children’s Librarian and my professor!
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Playing with King Arthur mythos? Yes, please!
The Children’s Librarian had an extra copy, so she let me take it.
Breath of Angel by Karyn Henley
I’ve never heard of this book but I do like angels and I am really intrigued.
Received from TCL.
Legend by Marie Lu
Absolutely love the cover.
Have seen this book around the blogs, and am glad to have grabbed a copy.
Thanks to TCL for letting me grab this ARC!
Huntress by Malinda Lo
SO EXCITED to have this ARC.
Badass chick on cover? Hells yeah!
I have Ash and have been wanting to read it. Now I have both books and no excuses!
(Well, after I finish with classes I’ll have no excuses.)
Many, many thanks to my professor for giving me this beautiful book!
Story Review: Infinity, Ltd: 1963! by Julio Angel Ortiz
In
finity, Ltd: 1963! by Julio Angel Ortiz
Former Grim Reaper Palequus and discharged cherub Peter are back! While on a fairly innocuous personal mission at a comic convention, troublemakers–inspired by the setting and influenced by a clever baddie named Supremo–rear their heads.
I am so pleased that Mr. Ortiz is writing more ebooks featuring this pair. When I finished this story, I felt like I came away with more cool worldbuilding, especially in regards to Palequus and what he can do. I have a thing for angels, but Palequus is pretty badass. The narrative does feel a little unbalanced because of this focus on him though, as I feel Peter is more along for the ride. But I like both of the protagonists, so it’s not really a problem for me.
The way Mr. Ortiz writes Supremo is interesting. At first he feels like that generic bad guy who is really powerful and has no real motivations but power and destruction. But then he proves himself to be very smart and have specific weaknesses. And by the end, there is a twist on his character that is really intriguing. I do wish that more hints of this end twist could be present earlier in the story. Considering Palequus and Supremo seem to have a past together, I think there are opportunities to mine that history and use it explore the characters more.
Overall, this story is fun. There are twists where I don’t expect them, and spots of humor that hit the mark. (Like the Facebook thing. Oh, SO TRUE.) I obviously enjoy the cool fantasy elements. I do wish there were more to the ending. Right now it feels a little too quick, like I don’t have enough time to process the revelations and what’s happening. Don’t get me wrong, I like the actual plot ending, I just think more narrative time could be spent on it.
When comparing this short to the first Infinity, Ltd story, Unnatural Time, the two feel quite different. Where Unnatural Time was about a mission in a setting that was brimming with the fantastic, 1963! has fantastic elements based in realistic settings. Unnatural Time also, through plot points, spent more time with both Palequus and Peter as characters. In 1963! there is less of that internal gaze and more focus on external action. I think I enjoyed Unnatural Time more because of the above, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time in 1963!
Thanks to Mr. Ortiz for providing the review copy of this story.
You can find the ebook at Smashwords here for 99 hot cents!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (015)
Hey all! Welcome to this week’s Beg, Borrow, & Steal post.
These posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Just a way to showcase the books in my life, because not all of them will be reviewed.
Haven’t made a BBS post in some time, but don’t worry, I’ve still been keeping an eye out for books. I came upon a goldmine when the library was looking to discard a bunch of teen books in order to make more room on the shelves. I of course had to swoop in and save all of these treasures. I know I have enough books as it is, but who can resist the chance to add to one’s personal library for free?
Here’s what I acquired since my last post:
Begged:
Books I had to have at awesome prices.
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
by George R. R. Martin
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Who can resist that cover?
Borrowed:
Checked out from libraries.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Welcome to Bordertown by various authors
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Steals:
Scavenged from the library’s discard pile.
The Decoding of Lana Morris by Tom Mcneal and Laura Mcneal
B for Buster by Iain Lawrence
Whitechurch by Chris Lynch
The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
Captives by Tom Pow
Zigzag by Ellen Witlinger
Ribbons of the Sun by Harriet Hamilton
Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie
Song for Eloise by Leigh Sauerwein
Time’s Memory by Julius Lester
A Walk In My World by various authors
The Traitor Game by B. R. Collins
Booth’s Daughter by Raymond Wemmlinger
Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin
A Brush With Napoleon by Laban Carrick Hill
Stories for Young People: Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy
