February 16th, 2010 § Comments Off § permalink
Here’s where I pull the books down from.
As you can see, it’s full. I haven’t read about half of these, which is embarassing. When I do, I’ll be able to make more room because I’m pretty good about getting rid of books I’ve read. I only keep the ones that I’m really crazy about, or that are part of a series I’m working on.
February 15th, 2010 § 2 comments § permalink
New in the stacks:
Nothing. Isn’t that sad? ;)
Wishlisted:
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz.
“From 2008 Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz comes an exhilarating new adventure — and a thoroughly original fairy who is a true force of nature.
What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.”
Where Everything Ends by Ray Bradbury.
“In 1949, a struggling writer—a man very much like the young Ray Bradbury—boards a late night trolley in Venice, California and hears a disembodied voice murmur the words: ‘Death is a lonely business.’ Shortly afterward, that same young man discovers a body trapped in a cage beneath the waters of the local canal. Convinced of a connection between these events, the narrator/hero—together with a wonderfully characterized detective named Elmo Crumley (named in a nod to noted mystery novelist James Crumley) begins to investigate a series of suspicious deaths among the disenfranchised population of Venice.
Death is a Lonely Business was Ray Bradbury’s first book-length foray into classical detective fiction. Two others followed: A Graveyard for Lunatics, in which Crumley and our hero (now a gainfully employed scriptwriter) join forces with special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and Let’s All Kill Constance, a tale of mystery and suspense set against the faded backdrop of Hollywood’s Golden Age. All three, together with Where Everything Ends, the never-before-published title story that preceded and inspired them, are now gathered together in a single generous volume that should prove indispensable to Bradbury’s large and loyal readership.
Freely acknowledging the influence of the genre’s masters (Hammett, Chandler, MacDonald, and Cain), all of these stories successfully transcend those influences, filtering them through their author’s wholly unique sensibility. The result is a powerfully nostalgic evocation of time and place, and an unforgettable portrait of a writer in love with language, with movies, and with the transformative power of stories themselves.”
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.
“How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated.”
You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them — from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author’s message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science.”
The Case For a Creator by Lee Strobel.
“A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God. ‘My road to atheism was paved by science . . . But, ironically, so was my later journey to God.’—Lee Strobel. During his academic years, Lee Strobel became convinced that God was outmoded, a belief that colored his ensuing career as an award-winning journalist at the Chicago Tribune. Science had made the idea of a Creator irrelevant—or so Strobel thought. But today science is pointing in a different direction. In recent years, a diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported the conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time, Darwinism has faltered in the face of concrete facts and hard reason. Has science discovered God? At the very least, it’s giving faith an immense boost as new findings emerge about the incredible complexity of our universe. Join Strobel as he reexamines the theories that once led him away from God. Through his compelling and highly readable account, you’ll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human consciousness that present astonishing evidence in The Case for a Creator.”
Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour.
“Teaching all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land, from harnessing natural forms of energy and raising crops to keeping livestock and preserving foodstuffs, this new format of John Seymour’s classic is still the most practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.”
What I’m Watching:
Arranged – Pretty cute, even if it (I think intentionally) glosses over some of the cultural issues women of these two religions face. I found it interesting to see a film that is positive towards arranged marriages, an unusual stance to take in the West though it’s a reality for many people in the world.
What I’m Reading:
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
Still reading this one, and enjoying it.
What I’m Writing:
Worked a little on Foxglove, but not much. Thinking about setting up a small setting “bible” so I can keep all my world-building straight. I have stuff written all over legal pads, notebooks, sticky notes, graph paper, etc., some of it probably in triplicate or more. It would help to have it all in one place.
What I’m Revising:
I haven’t touched Dogwood in awhile. This stage of the process is just mentally exhausting.
Around the House:
Spent some time this past weekend going through old papers, receipts and mail. Threw a bunch of stuff away so now I can really start sorting through my writing. Messed with my jewelry making some more, and found out that the antique brass headpins don’t match the wire I’m using and there’s no way to fix it. I’m sick of dealing with the pre-antiqued wire so I may switch to copper and learn to antique it myself. Sounds kind of fun, honestly.
Cooking:
Not much cooking lately. Made some chicken salad with homemade mayonnaise made by a friend which turned out lovely.
Spirituality:
I just keep trying to make time during the day for prayer, reflection and Bible reading. Sadly, my attention span is shorter than it once was. I feel overwhelmed by too many choices each day, and it’s hard to sit quietly without thinking about everything I have to do.
Also, apparently, not being able to find something when I know where it should be is enough to throw me into an unmitigated rage. This is something I must work on.
February 8th, 2010 § 1 comment § permalink
(I’m calling this series of posts “Monday Reflections”, at least until I think of a better title)
Recently added to my stacks:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
“Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.
Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness — featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.”
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
(An ARC sent to me courtesy Marcia at The Printed Page.)
“Arriving in the ancient Byzantine city in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one mission: to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian, who has been exiled to the desert for conspiring to kill Bessarion, a nobleman.
Disguising herself as a eunuch named Anastasius, Anna moves freely about in society, using her skills as a physician to manoeuver close to the key players involved in her brother’s fate. With her medical practice thriving, Anna crosses paths with Zoe Chrysaphes, a devious noblewoman with her own hidden agenda, and Giuiliano Dandolo, a ship’s captain conflicted not only by his mixed Venetian-Byzantine heritage but by his growing feelings for Anastasius.
Trying to clear her brother’s name, Anna learns more about Justinian’s life and reputation—including his peculiar ties to Bessarion’s beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow the emperor. This leaves Anna with more questions than answer, and time is running out. For an even greater threat lies on the horizon: Another Crusade to capture the Holy Land is brewing, and leaders in Rome and Venice have set their sights on Constantinople for what is sure to be a brutal invasion. Anna’s discoveries draw her inextricably closer to the dangers of the emperor’s treacherous court—where it seems that no one is exactly who he or she appears to be.”
The Cavalier Poets: An Anthology by Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, Richard Lovelace et al.
“Rich sampling of more than 120 works—characteristically charming, witty and graceful—by poets associated with the court of Charles I of England: Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling and Richard Lovelace. Includes such gems as Herrick’s ‘To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,’ Suckling’s ‘Why so pale and wan, fond lover?’ and many more. Reprinted from standard editions.”
Shadow & Claw: The First Half of ‘The Book of the New Sun’ by Gene Wolfe.
From the Amazon.com Review: “This is the first-person narrative of Severian, a lowly apprentice torturer blessed and cursed with a photographic memory, whose travels lead him through the marvels of far-future Urth, and who–as revealed near the beginning–eventually becomes his land’s sole ruler or Autarch. On the surface it’s a colorful story with all the classic ingredients: growing up, adventure, sex, betrayal, murder, exile, battle, monsters, and mysteries to be solved. (Only well into book 2 do we realize what saved Severian’s life in chapter 1.) For lovers of literary allusions, they are plenty here: a Dickensian cemetery scene, a torture-engine from Kafka, a wonderful library out of Borges, and familiar fables changed by eons of retelling. Wolfe evokes a chilly sense of time’s vastness, with an age-old, much-restored painting of a golden-visored “knight,” really an astronaut standing on the moon, and an ancient citadel of metal towers, actually grounded spacecraft. Even the sun is senile and dying, and so Urth needs a new sun.
What I’m Watching:
The Twelve Kingdoms Complete Collection
“Upon being confronted by a mysterious stranger, Youko is told of her destiny and pulled away into another world. Thus begins Youko’s perilous journey to the Kingdom of Kei on an epic road of espionage, terror, and betrayal. The mystic world of The Twelve Kingdoms assails her with one challenge after another. Will Youko embrace her destiny?”
What I’m Reading:
I haven’t read as much as I would have liked so far this year. I’m working to remedy that.
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
(An ARC sent to me courtesy Marcia at The Printed Page. See plot summary above.)
The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers.
“This classic, with a new introduction by Madeleine L’Engle, is by turns an entrancing mediation on language; a piercing commentary on the nature of art and why so much of what we read, hear, and see falls short; and a brilliant examination of the fundamental tenets of Christianity. The Mind of the Maker will be relished by those already in love with Dorothy L. Sayers and those who have not yet met her.
A mystery writer, a witty and perceptive theologian, culture critic, and playwright, Dorothy Sayers sheds new,unexpected light on a specific set of statements made in the Christian creeds. She examines anew such ideas as the image of God, the Trinity, free will, and evil, and in these pages a wholly revitalized understanding of them emerges. The author finds the key in the parallels between the creation of God and the human creative process. She continually refers to each in a way that illuminates both.”
What I’m Writing:
I’m flitting between three or four projects right now, and trying to choose one to really focus on. I think the Searoyal novel is probably in the lead, if only because I’d developed the plot more before I began to really discover my process.
What I’m Revising:
Dogwood (working title)
Revisions are coming along, but more slowly now. I’m going through the manuscript and looking for promises I’ve made and failed to keep, and the process is a lot more difficult than the first time through for general revision notes. I’m getting a feel for what needs to be expanded and what needs to be removed. Read-through 2/pg. 15 out of 158.
Around the House:
The housework has been slipping a bit, but I’m getting back into it. I’m just trying to do a little each day and develop a routine that includes writing, reading and jewelry-making. I was doing better when I was focusing solely on the housework, and adding creative work into my schedule is disrupting things. But it’s past time for me to accomplish something in my life.
Cooking:
Working through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child with a friend. I’ve been using the cookbook for awhile but now we’re going through it more systematically so we can both learn. Tonight we’re making poached red snapper with Sauce Béchamel in a sort of casserole. And unrelated to that, I’m also getting ready to learn to sprout grains and use them in cooking.
Spirituality:
“And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41,42
I’m frequently anxious, and I’m going to make sure to put regular prayer time into my routine. I used to feel more content and peaceful when I was praying regularly. Praying for a few minutes each night before conking out is just not sufficient anymore.
January 5th, 2010 § 2 comments § permalink
At the beginning of each year, I wonder whether it’s wise to set these goals, or if it’s even important. I think about skipping this step every year, and this year is no exception. This morning, though, I realized that I finally met a long-term goal of mine in 2009: I wrote a novel. It’s a NaNoWriMo novel, hardly what you could call “complete”, but it has a beginning, middle and end and has a main story arc. I’ve finally done it! So this year, I’m going to keep setting goals and keep trying to reach for them.
Writing Goals
Reading Goals
That’s all for reading goals. I’m trying to avoid any challenges involving specific authors, series or similar since usually end up regretting them. I’m also not hosting any challenges other than 100 Project, because every time I do, the blog I host it at dies a sudden death! Though I’m sure I’ll try again in the future . . . but not right now.
Personal Goals
I have more personal goals I could list, but I think I’d better keep it reasonable. If I get to other stuff, all the better. Those are the definites.
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Charise is a writer and reader, novice watercolor painter, and lover of traditional culture and history. You know, just your average curious, free-spirited chickadee.
