So yeah... That last comic I posted? Here's what it turned into.
I came to the realization last week that between having too many characters, too much build up, and too little payoff, that other comic wasn't going to work. I needed to cut the fat (even though I kinda loved the prefect...he might be making a return ;D) and refocus on what really mattered; mainly my main character and her story(s). Sound familiar to anyone?
But yeah, here's Hallow Chandler. Named halfly from my username (HallowSpell149) and halfly after Tris Chandler (who you should totallyrecognize by now), the most awesomest red-head ever. I debated showing her first reactions to the sorting, but I figured that was nothing new. A lot of people have been surprised/disappointed at their sortings, and I don't think I could bring anything original to the table. So instead we have Hallow a little while after settling in. Not to worry, we'll no doubt encounter some of her misgivings in the future.
Possibly a major factor in creating this comic is the fact that the majority of my RL friends (including my sister) are Slytherins, and it's really fun to egg them on. The next comic may or may not address some retaliation. It's so much fun to torture characters.
So, what do you think? Have an idea for a fun (and easy to draw) story line?
Feel free to leave a comment below!
Also, if you do feel inclined to friend me on Pottermore, please comment or contact me somehow to tell me your username so I can nickname you first!
I'm really trying not to have random nameless friends on there.
So I tend to focus on mainly bookish things here. Even my last post, which was art related, stemmed from Harry Potter. But what kinds of sites do I read that aren't book related? Here's my top ten:
Partly business, and partly just browsing. Perusing the site for the latest and greatest handmade goodies is just so much fun! Seeing the prices on said goodies...well, not so much. When I win the lottery...
That's right - I have a video game addiction. But I'm lousy at playing games, so I settle for watching other people play them instead. It keeps me up-to-date on pop culture, while entertaining me with the commentators' witty rapport. And gotta love NTom's British accent.
A fairly recent find, but I absolutely love watching CR, The Nostalgia Critic or Nostalgia Chick rip into my childhood favorites. Whether it be Disney, TV shows of olde or not so olde, these guys are masters of hilarity. I find myself cracking up even while they're bashing movies I absolutely loved.
A web-comic/blog created by one of my college friends. I always look forward to Mondays knowing I'll get a good laugh - even if it does usually come from her misfortune. ...Does that make me a bad person?
I wouldn't say I'm an American Idol addict...but I love reading/watching Michael Slezak's recaps, insights, interviews and predictions each season. And when he's not reporting, I sometimes look for the latest spoilers for my fave shows. TV spoilers = okay. Book spoilers = I kill you.
I'm tempted to put this as number one, but since this is purely entertainment/distraction, I guess it gets lowered a peg. Whether it's watching a line of related videos for 3 hours more than anticipated, or checking out my favorite channels (SSoHPKC, ApprenticeA, CardGamesFTW, ItsJustSomeRandomGuy, HISHEdotcom, and TheCreatureHub to name a few), YouTube never ceases to entertain.
Another site all too easy to spend unaccounted hours at, deviantART is probably where I spend the most non-bookish time. Between reposting my reviews, browsing random art, managing the SmilingMoonCreations account, browsing more art, checking in on my groups, uploading photos, and browsing the latest art my favorite artists have posted, it's a busy busy site.
Yeah, a lot of my sites revolve around movies, video games, and art.
Can you tell I like distractions?
Which sites are on your list? Let me hear you howl!
Ever since I joined Pottermore and was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to my initial surprise and disappointment, (I've since come to terms with my placement and embraced it) I've wanted to make a comic about it. I mean, what better premise than a girl who hates sunshine, plants, and yellow who is thrown into an environment filled with all three?
Unfortunately, I was not blessed with the artistic bug - at least not visually - and my sister, the artist of the family, is busy with her own projects, so mine fell by the wayside.
Until last week when I decided I'd give it a shot. Hence my absence...
I mapped out the first comic completely. So it was on the back of a library receipt, it didn't have to be perfect, right? Here's basically what the first panel looked like.
Then I took it to paper.
I figured I should be able to sketch out my comic then photograph/scan it in and do only minor tweaking. Thing is, I'm a little too much of a perfectionist and my 'minor tweaking' turned into completely re-tracing it. Which would be fine, if I had a tablet or something, but no, I just have a standard mouse.
So there I was, panel one completed, except for the text. It had only taken 8 hours.
Yeah, 8 hours.
UGH! At that rate, it was going to take forever. Might as well scrap it.
But then I thought, maybe I could streamline everything, just use the line and circle tools to cut out some of the steps. And then I'd be ahead of the next panel through the magic of copy/paste.
So I started over and came up with this.
Not very pretty. And the real kicker is that it took me just as long to do! And I'm still not happy with it.
Serves me right for looking for shortcuts and still expecting quality work.
Now I just have to decide if I'm still willing to put the effort in, or if I should scrap it and leave it scrapped. Why does XKCD make it look so easy?!
Since I'm in the process of re-reading Trickster's Girl before moving on to reading and reviewing its sequel, Traitor's Son, here's a bit of fun I ran into today while visiting one of my favorite comics, xkcd.
First, here's a video that should help provide context for the comic below:
Ah, good olde musicals. If you're in for another tongue-twisting song, check out It Really Doesn't Matter.
I'm sure most college students have felt pretty confused at one point or another, especially when it comes to declaring their major. I didn't declare my major (Creative Writing) until the last minute (Junior year), even though I knew when I applied that's what I wanted.
And now, with the recession, I'm sure many kids that age are wondering exactly what to do. I can't offer much advice, seeing as every person and situation's different, but here's a comic that may make you smile:
Someday I'll be the first to get a Ph.D in 'Undeclared'.
You might want to hit the More Info button for a neat link...
As part of his April 14th publication, Kevin McGill built a high altitude balloon system equipped with an HD GoPro camera, and a mount for the book. He sent it 100,000 feet up, which is considered near space. The near space area is between 65,000 and 350,000 feet.
Kevin explains:
"I wanted to show teens where a book could truly take them.
See, in the near future, fourteen-year-old hero, Nikolas, discovers that our moon is the cradle of all magical civilization. In order to travel there, Nikolas and company have to launch and ride a shuttle to Moon. When they read, they can go 100,000 feet above the Earth's surface, and more!"
Pretty cool, huh?
And besides giving us stunning visuals and a great adventure, Kevin is also offering a free Kindle Fire as the prize for the person who can correctly (or closely) guess the distance between the launch site and the landing site (not including the height of the tree).
Click HERE to enter.
But hurry—the contest ends this Saturday, May 5th!
Nick lives in a time when one can extend their life indefinitely through cerebral downloads, zip from country to country in hovercars, and have every whim taken care of by the ever faithful nannydrones.
Nick hates it.
Aside from the refugee camps, overpopulation, and unchecked consumerism filling every city across the globe, Nick just doesn’t belong. That is when he hears the voice of a woman:
“The Rones lie about their true intent. They enter the city of Huron at the peril of us all.”
Shortly after, his slightly crazed grandfather reveals to him:
“All you’ve ever heard about the Moon is a lie, my dear Nikolas. He was not always a mere satellite, a ghost wandering the stars. In an age before our own, Moon was our twin, and in him bore the whole of magical life. The cradle of this magical civilization was a fantastic metropolis filled with fire-breathing winged lions, volcano-born nymphs, automaton-legged mermaids, and so much magic you can smell it. We called this city Huron, and you, Nikolas, are her steward.”
Meanwhile on the moon, the senior stagecoach driver Yeri Willrow thought he was performing a simple drive and drop for his mysterious passengers, until they are attacked by foul-breath red-eyed creatures. He soon learns that his passengers are a family of automaton-legged merfolk, and he is their only hope. Yeri suddenly finds himself tasked with saving the merfolk or they will fall to the peril of the creature most foul.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, you should have read this post's title like this beloved Muppet Show intro:
This is something I posted a little while ago on DeviantArt, and in light of recent developments decided it was something I should share here as well.
If you've never been to DeviantArt, here's a little background info for you. dA is a site whose primary goal is the sharing of art. When you upload a piece (a deviation), whether it be a photograph, drawing, or text piece, you are given a number of categories to list it under. Under the Literature category there are the following choices:
Literature
Characters & Settings
Contemporary
Historical
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Poetry
Children's
Emotional
Family Life
General Poetry
Horror
Human Nature
Humor
Narrative
Nature
Philosophical
Romantic
Satire
Sociopolitical
Spiritual
Transgressive
Urban
Prose
Fiction
Children and Teen
Family Life
Fantasy
General Fiction
Horror
Humor
Mystery & Suspense
Philosophy & Perspectives
Romance
Science Fiction
Socio-political
Spiritual & Occult
Transgressive
That's 46 different options just for Literature! I use the Literature->Prose->Non-Fiction->Reviews & Guides category for all my book reviews I post there (mirrors of the ones here).
Another thing to note about dA is that it has groups. Groups can be about practically anything. From Dutch Jewelry Artisans to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Fans to Any And All Poetry, there's pretty much a group for anything. And if there's not, it's super easy to make one. Groups are essentially for connecting members (deviants) with similar interests, collecting and displaying art/literature that appeals to that member pool. Some groups require membership in that group before submitting pieces, others allow any pieces from anyone so long as it fits the theme and abides by the rules.
And thus my story begins.
I've been a member of dA for about 5 years and I've never been much about groups. Sure, I run a LXG fan-group when I have some spare time, but as for my own work, I've never been much for exposing it.
That all changed when I started promoting our Smiling Moon Creations account. I realized if we were ever going to get any customers I'd need to start submitting our work wherever I could. We're in over 300 groups now...
But as for my own StormyWolf account, I still didn't do much in terms of promotion. Sure, I uploaded my reviews and linked them back here, but I don't think I ever got many clicks.
And then I read and reviewed Rusty Fischer's Vamplayers. Not only did I love the book, but I found out that it was being offered for FREE through the end of February. And as a book-blogger, I naturally wanted to spread the word to as many people as possible.
DeviantArt provided the perfect audience to get the word out. Between the vampire groups, the literature groups, and the review groups, I figured I could at least reach a couple interested people. So I joined and submitted my review to probably upwards of 30 groups.
A lot of groups turned it down. No big deal - I half-expected it from them. Keep in mind that a lot of literature groups don't accept non-fiction at all, and I don't have a problem with that. Sometimes groups' rules and guidelines aren't 100% clear, so I take a chance and join & submit my pieces anyway. If they're declined, I shrug it off and go along my merry way.
One rejection, however, rubbed me the wrong way.
I came across this particular group fairly late in the scheme of things. It was a literature-based group, and the group description said it would accept all prose, but not non-fiction, fanfiction or character guides. Okay, not a problem, on to the next group...
But wait! There's a Non-Fiction folder in their gallery. Probably a small change that they forgot to edit into the group description. So I thought I'd give them a try. I joined and submitted my review.
Some time later (the next day? I don't honestly remember) I receive a message in my inbox:
Group Admin: Please,submit works written by you,we do not really accept reviews.
Now, I wasn't completely certain what the message meant. Was I declined because they don't accept reviews? Or did they think that my review was copied from another person/source? I mean, I do link to this blog in each review, so perhaps they thought I was copying off another website?
On the off-chance that it was merely a miscommunication, I wanted to clarify that I had in fact written the review. At the same time I was a little insulted so I replied a bit tersely:
Me: So a non-fiction piece written by me isn't accepted? ...okay then.
Honestly, I didn't expect a reply. Oftentimes group admins are busy enough with reading through subscriptions that they only allow one communication per submission. But to my surprise, I got a response within the hour:
Group Admin: You did a review of a book,every person can do it and give a different aspect of a book and our group is not for promoting books,so,this group is about literature: poems,stories,visual poetry,etc...
Non fiction would be a story from real life,perhaps an anecdote in which you are plasming your own experience about something you lived.
Understandably (to any fellow reviewer) I was more than a little peeved, so I slammed back a reply:
Me: No clue what plasming is, but at least I know your narrow definition of non-fiction now.
No, seriously, wtf is plasming??? Anyway, after that I immediately unregistered from the group.
Well, this weighed on me for a few hours (the reply as a whole, not plasming). I mean, did book reviews really deserve such a brush-off? And what about the group description (or lack thereof)? I run a group and I know that as much as I don't approve of some of the art or lit I receive, I haven't made any guidelines or restrictions to the contrary, so I feel I'm obligated to receive those works. I know others don't share this opinion and use themselves as quality or appropriateness judges (honestly, I wanted to save myself the headache).
In the end, I figured the least I could do was address the rest of the group admins (all 26 of them) with my concerns. I sent the group a private note (only visible to the group admins) with the following:
Me: In response to the decline of my submission to the non-fiction folder...
For the record, yes, everyone can give their own opinion of a book, relating their experiences while reading it. But millions of people can also write about how they experienced 9/11, or what they're thinking about for 15 minutes. If what you're looking for is "Creative Non-Fiction," which is in fact a genre, then state that.
In fact, it would be most helpful to post that somewhere in the group rules, folder description or group description. Because right now, all you have concerning non-fiction is in the group description where it states, "We accept all genres of prose except fanfic, non-fiction, and character profiles." Obviously that's not true since you have a Non-Fiction folder.
In short, please don't insult me. I put just as much effort into what I do as anyone writing those non-fiction pieces that you have accepted in your gallery. And if you're rejecting it because of quality of the piece (which I doubt you've checked), then say that.
~StormyWolf
[followed by a transcript of my conversation above]
I received a reply in my inbox the next morning with (in my opinion) an even more flippant and insulting reply than I'd received previously:
Same Group Admin: Nobody insulted you,I gave you an explanation about why we declined your submission,non-fiction has nothing to do with reviewing books.
As I said,we accept literature,we don't need adding 'special names' to the non fiction in which we display or portray the experiences we have lived and we always check all what is submitted to any category,we decline all those works that simply lack quality as well.
Besides,why complaining if you left the group? Note: I'm not sure whether the missing words were because of attitude or because English isn't her first language (as indicated on her profile page).
I was absolutely livid.
As much as getting into fights is kind of invigorating, I know that hurting and getting hurt doesn't give nearly as much satisfaction as reaching an agreement. It's not about being proven right (though that does feel great for a while) or wrong, it's about reaching a hard-fought state of common ground.
As such, I usually vent a lot, then delete most of what I write and go with a more tactful approach. I don't know if I achieved that in the following reply or not, but I believe I at least provided in a few important defenses for book reviews... This was my reply:
Me: Non-fiction is any written piece that is not fiction. This includes essays, opinion pieces, memoirs, biographies, historical accounts, etc., etc.. A review would be classified as an essay or an opinion piece. Rather than giving an opinion on religion, politics, or how my breakfast was prepared this morning, I gave my opinion on a book.
In other, yet similar, words, Non-Fiction is the over-arching category of all prose that does not fit under the category of Fiction. You/this group is obviously only accepting a small portion of Non-Fiction, of which the proper title is "Creative Non-Fiction" (Creative nonfiction (also known as literary or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service to its craft.)
I'm merely pointing out that as your group lacks any visible definition (wrong or otherwise) of non-fiction, 'mistakes' or 'disagreements' such as mine are likely to happen again. Obviously I can't force you to take my reviews, but I can advise you toward preventing a repeat of this situation. I may not be submitting my work (non-fiction or otherwise) to this group, but that doesn't mean I can't take an interest in what my fellow writers may come across.
(In short, I agree with _________)
[I discovered before I posted the reply that another Group Admin had posted a reply of his own:
Group Admin 2: my personal opinion is that book reviews are, categorically, considered non-fictional prose, as are guides, essays, letters, position statements, etc. if we're going to preclude this specific type of prose, then we need to state that in our group rules.]
And for the record, I wasn't insulted that you declined my review. Your first response made it sound like you didn't think I wrote the piece, so I clarified that I had, it was my work, and it was non-fiction. Then you come back with a slight against book reviews as a whole. The "anyone can do it" line applies to EVERY form of literature, so why are reviews singled out?
Only reason I come up with is because they must inherently lack as much effort as other pieces. This could be the case if a book reviewer merely regurgitated the same drivel time and time again about every single book she read, but that would still come down to a quality issue. Since this was not sited in your reasons for declining, obviously quality was never investigated, such that it was a stigma against the sub-genre (yes, sub-genre of non-fiction) as a whole.
In your eyes, my work is inherently inferior to stream-of-consciousness or I-remember-when pieces. It's of no consequence that I put hours into researching (aka reading the book, possibly looking up additional information) my material. Or that I spend another few hours crafting my review so that it not only conveys my opinions in a tactful manner, even when I'm stating negative opinions, but so it also appeals to and engages my audience in a way that they are then compelled to act.
And this is different than any other piece of "literature" because...? Oh, because I'm recommending the reading of a specific book? I guess it would be more literary if I were telling them to support local animal shelters. Or take a stance on pro-life/pro-choice. Or telling them that poaching or terrorism or slavery or rape is bad. Yes, all those opinions are literary, but my reaction to the violence, desolation, and other horrors in The Hunger Games trilogy isn't because I have "review" in the title.
And I shouldn't be insulted because?
On some level, I'm still angry. It really is hard to separate yourself from a dispute when you've worked your butt off on one side of it for the past 2 years. I took hiatuses because I was overwhelmed by all the work I'd heaped on myself. I stressed myself out to the point where I didn't want to read at all. Was that all for nothing?
Sure, anyone can read a book. They might need a dictionary for some books, or cliff-notes for others, but the act of turning a page and absorbing information from the words on a page (or words being spoken from an audiobook) is accessible to anyone literate.
But a review isn't a simple, "This book was good!" or "I give it 4 out of 5 stars." A review's goal is to speak to its audience, connect with them, take them on a journey, and ultimately convince them to take a chance (or not) on a book.
Some audiences require critical literary analysis - what metaphors are used, how does the juxtaposition between the character and the setting work in this novel, did the author's divorce during the writing of this novel impact the outcome, etc.. Others might just need that star rating.
In my case, I try to appeal to an audience that reads Young Adult literature, so my tone is typically informal, my analysis focuses on the characters and key plot points, and I include what I think to be an appropriate age-range for each book based on language, violence and relationships/sex.
I write because it makes me happy. I'm not paid for it. I typically don't get much response from it. I've written a few fiction pieces, and even contemplated writing a novel once or twice. But writing reviews allows me to combine my two favorite hobbies: reading and writing. I don't know if I'll ever publish something of my own, but in the meantime, I can recommend the fantastic works that are already here. And that's why I review.
~~~
A couple days after I posted the above journal on dA, I got a reply from Group Admin 2 (the nice one):
Group Admin 2: That was about as well put as could be. FYI, I noted the group founder concerning this question of whether we accept this type of prose. I even suggested that we add a gallery just for this type of piece. I really like that you were able to define the group's slant as being towards "creative non-fiction". If nothing else, this exercise will help us better refine our galleries and define our audience. So, you have done us a service. And I would like to thank you.
~~~
And now, here it is almost a month later and I am ecstatic to announce that the group has recently re-named their "Prose - Non-Fiction" folder to "Prose - Creative Non-Fiction" AND added a "Prose - Essays and Reviews" folder to their gallery!
I haven't yet decided if I'll give them another chance, or if I'm going to resign myself to being happy for them and reviewers in general. What do you think?
Perhaps you've seen the couple on Britain's Got Talent who played Titanic's My Heart Will Go On. Perhaps you've just heard ringing now and again at Christmas time.
Or perhaps you've seen the episode of Fox's show, New Girl, which happened to feature the instrument(s) known as handbells. As much as I like the show and appreciate their efforts to include a fairly unknown instrument, I can't say I approved their methods. Most of the sound produced may have been handbells (though it mostly sounded synthetic) but none-to-little of it matched what the actors onscreen were playing.
So, for those interested, here's a little informational rant summary on handbells.
Handbells, as indicated by their name, are a series of bells which are held and played by hand. To play, the ringer has to either hit the bell with an external mallet (like a xylophone or marimba) or swing the bell so that the inner clapper strikes the bell surface. There are other techniques to produce sound, such as plucking or the "Singing Bowl" technique, but these are mostly only in advanced groups. Clanking may occur when two bells bump into each other, so most ringers space them out as far as possible (but still within reach).
As with any percussion instrument, the sound only stops when the surface stops vibrating. Typically handbells are dampened on one's chest, or by laying it down on the padded playing table.
Each bell is sized for a specific pitch, much like a piano's strings. In fact, handbells are often colored off of piano keys, either by their handles or the handguards (disks separating handle from bell) being white or black. Thus, to achieve a full octave of 13 notes (C to C), you need to have 13 bells.
Because of the amount of hardware required, handbells are usually used by groups of ringers, forming a handbell choir. Beginners often start with 1 or 2 notes/bells, and their accidentals (sharps & flats). More advanced ringers may move to 4-in-hand (2 bells per hand) or even 6-in-hand (3 bells per hand) in the upper octaves, but the ringing techniques are much harder because of trying not to 1) clank the bells together or 2) play 2 notes at once.
Some ringers are skilled enough to be able to handle more bells by themselves, such that entire octaves or more are played by 1 or 2 people. This greatly reduces harmonics and undertones, since most bells are being played singly to produce the melody. You will see the majority of groups consisting of at least 4 or more.
Ringing techniques may alter the sound slightly, but really there is very little variation on how the note can be manipulated once struck. Swinging the bell back and forth can create a Doppler effect (a dimming then increasing in volume), or twirling the wrist while ringing creates a slight variation in sound, but the note never truly changes pitch or gets louder after being struck.
Handbells are most traditionally found at churches, but lately they've started moving into schools and outside organizations. Hillsboro, Oregon's Ring of Fire started as a school group, and has performed at events ranging from news shows to NBA games to Boston Pops concerts.
Bells of the Cascades is a non-profit organization that plays everything from Sleigh Ride to Pirates of the Caribbean. There really is a wide range of music available now, and even more can be made available if more music arrangers would get on the ball.
Though I have yet to find any phenomenal videos that really capture the sound of handbells well, below are a few that I've found to be entertaining or at least a proper showcasing of techniques handbell choirs use.
I've played handbells off and on for the past...oh, 10 years or so. They really are a lot of fun, and a great activity for those who've always wanted to learn music but haven't had the aptitude or courage for a solo instrument or voice. I've known people that couldn't even read notes who would play along by highlighting their music for when their left/right hand plays.
If you're interested in joining or forming a handbell group, I'd recommend checking out Handbell Musicians of America or searching for one in your country or local area.
Sleigh Ride performed by Bells of the Cascades at an informal concert.
Disney Music including Mainstreet Electrical Parade, How Do You Get to Wonderland?, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?, Part of Your World & Parade Reprise.
Born This Way by Lady Gaga. Performed as a solo in 4 parts - this has especially great close-ups of technique!
Ring of Fire, an all-teens group, performing for a TV special.
Carol of the Bells similar to Mannheim Steamroller's rendition, played by the Golden Bells of Atlanta.
Pretty much you just answer the questions using the name of a book you've read in 2010. You can go for serious answers that most closely match what your real answers would be, or you can go with the funniest ones you can come up with for your available titles.
I went ahead and linked my answers to my reviews (except for 1, which was from before I started reviewing) so you can check them out if you're curious.
Have fun!
Describe yourself: Moon Called What can I say? I'm a night-owl.
Describe where you currently live: Northanger Abbey Okay, not really. But I am in the north.
What's the weather like? Heat Wave Can below freezing be considered a heat wave?
Life is... Paranormalcy Chocolates are nice, but hawt shapeshifters are nicer.
Your greatest fear is... The Strangers Outside Unless it's Ed McMahon and his crew—I want my giant check!
You would prefer to die by... Fire Wait, what?! O_O
Your soul's present condition is... High Wizardry I swear I'm high on life...
What is the best advice you have to give? So You Want to Be a Wizard I hear it's a very lucrative field!
Thought for the Day: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Now I can open up my own fish store and supplement my writing! As soon as I have my nose removed.
You can find the full list of books I read this year HERE!
1. Answer every question to the best of your ability.
No one or two-word responses. Take some time with your replies.
2. Each question must at least be acknowledged.
If you're uncomfortable providing a truthful response,
at least thank the commenter for their curiosity.
3. If there are no questions, provide a question of your own.
What're you reading? How was your day? What'd you do this weekend?
And then, of course, respond to it.
There's no reason you can't indulge your readers' curiosity.
This Meme may be copied on your own pages, but please link it back to me and my blog.
Thank you!
I've been wanting to read the City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Is it awesomeness?
~ Well, I found it pretty enjoyable. I might have been a little put off by the hype surrounding it, and so didn't find it quite up to my expectations, but it was good enough to propel me to continue with the series. You can read my (spoiler-free) review if you'd like more of my opinion.
I don't know about this Tilney fellow. He's almost too mysterious, ya know?
~ Hm, I suppose he might be. But so far, he's the best alternative to John Thorpe, and I just can't imagine Miss Austen would torture poor Catherine with two ineligible suitors! Horror of horrors! ;)
I haven't seen My Book Essential before, what is it?
~ It is an external hard-drive that hooks into your computer via USB. My laptop only has so much disk space, and it runs best when it's less full, so I use an extra hard-drive to store large files, such as my music library (60+ GB) and the occasional video file or large (book-size) PDF. It's also useful for creating back-ups, in case my main hard drive (or laptop in general) dies. That way, if something happens I can still save my important documents (school projects, stories, pictures) and access them on a new computer.
The 'My Book Essential' is the specific model of hard-drive I got.
Don't forget to answer my poll questions below. That's A Wrap!
Cheri Tyne is the queen of Grant's View High school. She's head cheerleader, on her way to being valedictorian, and her boyfriend, Nick, is thinking about proposing. Or so she's heard. She's just got a few more things to check off her list, and she'll be a shoo-in for Harvard. Next up, sponsoring a new student.
Joelle Rainer just moved in from Alaska and is signed up for the sponsoring program. She's reluctant at first, but when she sees her sponsor, she immediately reconsiders. The girl is gorgeous, kind, funny, smart, and someone she feels safe around.
The two become fast friends, and as time goes on they get closer and closer. Now they're drawing all the wrong sort of attention. Joelle's parents try to set her up with her neighbor. Nick is getting suspicious, and Cheri's not sure what to tell him. Or even what to tell herself.
With the prom approaching, what will the two decide? Can they make themselves and their parents happy, or will they have to choose one or the other?
Eh, probably not.
I found a couple postings of this Summer Break Reading Challenge, where people had to use random generators to make a book cover and then write a synopsis for it. Even though I was late in finding and participating, I figured there wasn't any harm in participating. It looked fun.
Making the cover was a lot of fun (I really lucked out on that picture)...writing the synopsis for the book was hard! Considering Realistic-YA is NOT my forte, I had a hard time figuring out what to write. I mean, there's a girl in a swimsuit (or underwear...) dangling a cherry from her finger to someone shorter or sitting down (hence the angle). Oookay, other than being bizarrely similar to the Twilight cover, that doesn't give me much.
My other idea was Cheri sponsoring a child genius who made her life a living hell. And, given my choice, I would rather read about that. Honestly, I'm not much into romance, and I'd prefer reading about YA dysfunctional friendships than serious relationships (straight or otherwise).
So, if you saw this cover in a bookstore, would you pick it up? What would you think the story was about? Can you come up with a better storyline?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland ~ Diane Wynne Jones
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling From Goodwill
Borrowed
City of Bones (Book & Audio) ~ Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes (Book & Audio) ~ Cassandra Clare
City of Glass (Book & Audio) ~ Cassandra Clare
Eragon (Audiobook) ~ Christopher Paolini
The Will of the Empress (Audiobook) ~ Tamora Pierce From My Library
Received
Hunger (e-ARC) ~ Jackie Morse Kessler
Trickster's Girl (e-ARC) ~ Hilari Bell From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley
(My First ARCs!!!)
And Won
What The Dickens ~ Gregory Maguire
The Hearts of Horses ~ Molly Gloss From Kate at A Reader's Ramblings
A Matter of Magic ~ Patricia C. Wrede From Heather at Buried in Books
Sea Change ~ Aimee Friedman
& A Handmade Bamboo Beach Mat From Chick Lit Teens
1. Answer every question to the best of your ability.
No one or two-word responses. Take some time with your replies.
2. Each question must at least be acknowledged.
If you're uncomfortable providing a truthful response,
at least thank the commenter for their curiosity.
3. If there are no questions, provide a question of your own.
What're you reading? How was your day? What'd you do this weekend?
And then, of course, respond to it.
There's no reason you can't indulge your readers' curiosity.
This Meme may be copied on your own pages, but please link it back to me and my blog.
Thank you!
My reviews read like James Joyce! Is that a bad thing?
~ Hmmm. Not having read anything of his, I'm not quite sure. However, since I have heard of Ulysses, I'd say he's at least notable.
Plus, from what I've read on Wiki, "Each chapter [of Ulysses] employs its own literary style, and parodies a specific episode in Homer's Odyssey. Furthermore, each chapter is associated with a specific colour, art or science, and bodily organ. This combination of kaleidoscopic writing with an extreme formal schematic structure renders the book a major contribution to the development of 20th-century modernist literature."
So, no, I'd say it isn't a bad thing at all!
And since that was the only question asked this week, I'm going to have to ask my readers a question.
What is the purpose of Blog Buttons? Should I make one?
~ I've been pondering this for some time, seeing them on various blogs I visit, but I've never actually figured out what they're for... A little help?
If you haven't heard about this amazing site, you should kick yourself for not being more on the ball. Okay, fine, I'll clue you in. I Write Like... uses some sort of algorithm to compare your writing style to that of other authors, then tells you who you compare to.
1. Answer every question to the best of your ability.
No one or two-word responses. Take some time with your replies.
2. Each question must at least be acknowledged.
If you're uncomfortable providing a truthful response,
at least thank the commenter for their curiosity.
3. If there are no questions, provide a question of your own.
What're you reading? How was your day? What'd you do this weekend?
And then, of course, respond to it.
There's no reason you can't indulge your readers' curiosity.
This Meme may be copied on your own pages, but please link it back to me and my blog.
Thank you!
~ No. I've seen her various books and series at the bookstores a lot. And I believe I even heard her speak at the local Powell's when her last book came out earlier this year. But I haven't yet taken the plunge and dived into her (slightly daunting) series. She is on my list, though.
And since that was the only question asked this week, I'll go ahead and provide one of my own:
How many unread books do you own?
~ Well, let's see... 102 fiction books, 16 non-fiction. I'd give an excuse, but really I can't come up with one. Though, I will say that I wouldn't be able to own NEARLY that many extra books if they were all in hardcover. *wink*
Okay, really it's just an excuse to answer some of the questions I've so recently been receiving.
Each Wednesday I will answer any questions I've received as blog comments in the past week, well, to the best of my abilities, that is. Since there's no direct-reply option on comment feed, this seems to be the most logical solution to replying to my followers' and visitors' comments and questions.
This is a brand new and original Meme created right here in The Wolf's Den!
Wonder-No-More Wednesday Rules:
1. Answer every question to the best of your ability.
No one or two-word responses. Take some time with your replies.
2. Each question must at least be acknowledged.
If you're uncomfortable providing a truthful response,
at least thank the commenter for their curiosity.
3. If there are no questions, provide a question of your own.
What're you reading? How was your day? What'd you do this weekend?
And then, of course, respond to it.
There's no reason you can't indulge your readers' curiosity.
This Meme may be copied on your own pages, but please link it back to me and my blog.
Thank you!
Firstly, a HUGE thanks to all my new followers and your compliments on my blog's appearance. It's really great to hear that the work I've done appeals to more than just myself. Even if, at the same time, it does make me a little more self conscious about it, too.
Is [Diane Duane's Young Wizards series] similar to Harry Potter?
~ Yes and no, but mostly no. Where Rowling has a wizarding world cut off from the rest of society, Duane's wizards are very very much involved with the real world. The first book takes place in the middle of Manhattan, after all.
Where HP has a villain with minions bent on conquering the world, these wizards are fighting what could be considered a god, the creator of death itself. In that respect, there's really no "end-goal" they're pushing for over the course of the series, it's more of a book-by-book, problem-by-problem theme.
Yes, both series have young (teenage) wizards who grow and age through each book. But instead of a year's time in HP, the YW's events/books are only a few days or maybe a couple weeks. Thus, the YW kids age much slower (allowing for more books before they're no longer 'young').
I could draw more comparisons, but I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers. Perhaps I'll make a longer, more detailed post after I finish reading and reviewing the series. In fact, plan on it.
My release date [for The Thirteenth Chime] is Friday the 13th, (August this year) isn't that crazy?
~ Yes, that is a little crazy, but an awesome kind of crazy. Crazier still is the fact that the release date is the day before my birthday. Hear that, people? Sounds like there's no reason why I shouldn't get this as a birthday present!
~ Ooh, great question! It's a long story, actually, but I'll try to slim it down as much as possible.
I've always loved wolves, probably starting at least as far back as Balto, but possibly longer. In 2005 I joined a Harry Potter fansite under the username StormyWolf, and shortly afterward I began to role-play a character of the same name. In the years since, my character acquired some wolfish characteristics and I acquired the nickname (from some friends) of Wolfy. Now, it's been quite some time since then. That character has 'retired', and most people refer to me by the first half of the username instead of the last. Yet...the affinity toward wolves still remains.
However, I cannot take full credit for my blog's name. When starting this blog, I was scrambling for ideas of what to call it. One friend (who knows me primarily by my moniker) suggested The Wolf's Den and I glommed onto it immediately. Not only does it take in my online identity and love for wolves, but the Den can either mean the wolf's home or, in urban terms, a study or library. Perfect for a reader or writer's blog, no?
As I continue outlining my UrbanFantasy/Paranormal novel, I've even found myself jotting in The Wolf's Den as a location. How's that for getting a head-start on publicizing? Hehe, but we'll see how far that goes.
Including a 'read time' is a really good idea but how do you keep track?
~ Well, when it comes to reading along with audiobooks it's actually quite easy. For the few other books I have read and reviewed on this blog thusfar, I've made my best guess. I mostly like to read books in one sitting (often at night), so it's fairly easy to keep track.
If I ever get in a situation where I'm stopping and starting a lot, I might just have to invest in one of those timer-bookmarks! I'd have to be pretty desperate for that, though, as I NEVER use bookmarks.
...I need to practice commenting instead of just lurking most of the time. How else can bloggers know that people enjoy what they wrote?
~ Well, I see two options. They can either develop psychic abilities and use Cerebro to search the world for what people think about their blog, OR they can follow the yellow brick road to find the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and ask him.
...Or maybe we should just learn to lurk less and comment more? ;D
Wow, how did you keep track of how many blogs you visited?
~ Well, there were 261 blogs listed at Crazy-For-Books' page, and I visited all of them, plus one. I didn't follow/add all of them because not all of them had Google-Follower as a part of their website (WordPress or LiveJournal).
Holy cow... This is crazy! Are you still following all of these [375] blogs?!
~ Ahem...yes. Yes, I am. It took me the better part of two days to get my Google Reader to say "Zero Blogs Unread". And since starting this post, I have 39 waiting to be read.
I have, however, moved many blogs to my "Probationary" Folder and three to my "To-Delete" Folder. In one or two weeks, I'll start un-following the blogs I'm not interested in.
[Concerning the Young Wizards series] Just based on your review... maybe a mixture of Wizards of Waverly Place and the Magic Treehouse series?
~ Wizards of Waverly Place is very, very comedic and concerns mostly the kids learning life-lessons in and around the magic use. The YW series is very much a life-or-death adventure series with some elements of comedy relief woven through. There's not so much a "the moral of the story is..." as there is a "Wow! I wanna see magic in the world like they do! -Well, I guess I can start out by..."
Unfortunately, I've not read the Magic Treehouse series, so I can't really make a comparison there...
As many of you know, I posted MANY questions around the blogosphere over the weekend: Care to venture into The Wolf's Den?
And, just because I feel like it, here's the best response to my question I've yet received:
Hey Vicki, thanks for stopping by my blog. Lately I've had the notion to venture into a wolf's den, on the hope that it might spur my link to the world of werewolf, but alas I had not been able to. So, without further adieu yours is the first so I thank you! :D I'll be following you to see what lovely wolfy things you provide.
Oh, and though you've all been so kind and haven't asked this yet, I'll go ahead and do it for you...
All my followers ask:
Yo! Where's that latest update of the Young Wizards series you promised us "Tuesday at the latest"?!
~ Heh, well, I haven't yet started the 4th book yet. I've been a little bogged down with all my following, after all.
*dodges rotten fruit*
Hey! Alright! I'll read it tonight!
In fact, I'll probably have to be reading one or two books a day in order to get through #9 in time for it to go back to the library on Tuesday. Sigh.
Teaser Tuesday
~ Grab your current read ~
~ Open to a random page ~
~ Share a short passage (around 2 sentences) from somewhere on that page ~
~ BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! ~
~ Share the title & author, too ~
High Wizardry
by Diane Duane
PASSWORD?
"Huh," she said to herself, as possibilities flickered through her head. Did Dad have the software encrypted somehow so that Nita and I can't get into it? But why? He wants us to use it. She let out a breath. Maybe it just wants an ID code for the user—there're some programs that do that. She squinted at the screen a moment, then smiled and typed in a private joke: the code name that a certain untrained farm boy used in his fighter run on the Death Star, a name that suited Dairine since she had inherited her mother's red hair. RED FIVE, she typed and hit the carriage return. PASSWORD RED FIVE ACCEPTED.
~Pages 48 & 49
Be sure to post or link me to your own teasers in the comments!
And go ahead and spread the word back to MizB on her post.
Since I'm still pretty young, and young at heart,
I'm limiting this to pre-high school reading.
In order of being read:
1. The Berenstain Bears and the Dress Code ~ Stan & Jan Berenstain — Quite possibly the first book I read by myself and remembered. Also possibly the first book I specifically requested be bought for me. I absolutely loved this book and re-read it more times than I can count.
2. Ramona the Pest ~ Beverly Cleary — Though I've read the entire Ramona series multiple times, I'm pretty sure this one has been re-read the most. I remember reading it shortly after we moved from Indiana to Oregon and realizing that we lived in the same area! Ah, the joys of connecting with books.
3. Wayside School is Falling Down ~ Louis Sachar — I distinctly remember finishing this book and immediately going back and starting at the beginning again. Though, whether that was purely because I enjoyed the book or because it confused the heck outta me, I'm not quite sure.
4. The Invasion ~ K.A. Applegate — The first of the 64 book Animorph series (of which I own 62), how could I not include it? Every month I'd race to the store to buy the latest installment, then, because my parents could see if my bedroom light was on late at night, I would read in the bathroom with the door locked so they couldn't stop me. I think I eventually got to the point where I could finish a book in 4 hours. Then again, they were only 150 pages at the most.
5. The Gentleman Outlaw and Me ~ Eli ~ Mary Downing Hahn — This is one that I loved so much as a kid that the story stuck with me long after I'd read it. Years later, when I saw it on the shelf at a used bookstore, I just had to buy it. Of course, the story wasn't exactly as I had remembered it, but it was still enjoyable.
6. Tangerine ~ Edward Bloor — It's hard to explain why this book appealed to me so much. It's really very dark, but...I dunno, you get more out of it the older you are. It has layers, you know? Like ogres.
7. The Samurai's Tale ~ Erik Christian Haugaard — This one was an assigned book from, quite possibly, the best teacher I ever had, Mr. Wandell. If I ever had a teacher crush, it was on him. This book was accompanied by an in-class Role Play Assignment, where each desk-group was a Japanese Feudal Clan and it was a race to see who would dominate whom. We were the last independent group standing up against the conquerors, and so in a last ditch effort to save our clan, my friends and I performed a skit to earn some more "money" (rice) which involved Monty Python (Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition) and Klingons (don't ask) and nukes (we were Nagasaki, after all)... But yeah, the book is awesome too.
8. Ella Enchanted ~ Gail Carson Levine — Technically, I had this read to me in 4th grade, but I had to leave early for summer vacation (I think for my Aunt's wedding), so I never heard the ending. It took me a while, but I finally picked it back up and fell in love in 7th grade. The movie was okay, but not nearly as fantastic as the book.
9. Alanna: The First Adventure ~ Tamora Pierce — The first Tamora Pierce book I read made me a life-long fan. Alanna is a fiery girl who dreams of becoming a knight. When she and her twin are being shipped off to train (her in sorcery, him as a knight), they decide to trade places! And you thought you had it rough? Fantasy, adventure, romance, and strong heroines, who could ask for more?
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling — Last, but certainly not least, is Harry Potter. Technically, the 4th book is my true favorite of the series, but without the 1st, where would I be? I've connected with so many people, gone so many places, learned so many things because of this series. It holds a special place on my mantle, and in my heart.
What were some of your favorites?
Comment below or link me (and The Broke and the Bookish)
to your own blog post!
Top Ten Tuesday
~ Stan & Jan Berenstain — Quite possibly the first book I read by myself and remembered. Also possibly the first book I specifically requested be bought for me. I absolutely loved this book and re-read it more times than I can count.
~ Beverly Cleary — Though I've read the entire Ramona series multiple times, I'm pretty sure this one has been re-read the most. I remember reading it shortly after we moved from Indiana to Oregon and realizing that we lived in the same area! Ah, the joys of connecting with books.
~ Louis Sachar — I distinctly remember finishing this book and immediately going back and starting at the beginning again. Though, whether that was purely because I enjoyed the book or because it confused the heck outta me, I'm not quite sure.
~ K.A. Applegate — The first of the 64 book Animorph series (of which I own 62), how could I not include it? Every month I'd race to the store to buy the latest installment, then, because my parents could see if my bedroom light was on late at night, I would read in the bathroom with the door locked so they couldn't stop me. I think I eventually got to the point where I could finish a book in 4 hours. Then again, they were only 150 pages at the most.
~ Mary Downing Hahn — This is one that I loved so much as a kid that the story stuck with me long after I'd read it. Years later, when I saw it on the shelf at a used bookstore, I just had to buy it. Of course, the story wasn't exactly as I had remembered it, but it was still enjoyable.
~ Edward Bloor — It's hard to explain why this book appealed to me so much. It's really very dark, but...I dunno, you get more out of it the older you are. It has layers, you know? Like ogres. 
~ Erik Christian Haugaard — This one was an assigned book from, quite possibly, the best teacher I ever had, Mr. Wandell. If I ever had a teacher crush, it was on him. This book was accompanied by an in-class Role Play Assignment, where each desk-group was a Japanese Feudal Clan and it was a race to see who would dominate whom. We were the last independent group standing up against the conquerors, and so in a last ditch effort to save our clan, my friends and I performed a skit to earn some more "money" (rice) which involved Monty Python (Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition) and Klingons (don't ask) and nukes (we were Nagasaki, after all)... But yeah, the book is awesome too. 
~ Gail Carson Levine — Technically, I had this read to me in 4th grade, but I had to leave early for summer vacation (I think for my Aunt's wedding), so I never heard the ending. It took me a while, but I finally picked it back up and fell in love in 7th grade. The movie was okay, but not nearly as fantastic as the book.
~ Tamora Pierce — The first Tamora Pierce book I read made me a life-long fan. Alanna is a fiery girl who dreams of becoming a knight. When she and her twin are being shipped off to train (her in sorcery, him as a knight), they decide to trade places! And you thought you had it rough? Fantasy, adventure, romance, and strong heroines, who could ask for more?
~ J.K. Rowling — Last, but certainly not least, is Harry Potter. Technically, the 4th book is my true favorite of the series, but without the 1st, where would I be? I've connected with so many people, gone so many places, learned so many things because of this series. It holds a special place on my mantle, and in my heart.