Robynettely

So we'll see how I do. The boy was casting about for a book to read a few evenings ago, so I gave him a pile of things he hadn't read before. He asked which I recommended, so I pulled out Uninvited by Justine Musk. He read it. He liked it. He said he thinks there ought to be a sequel. Rachael Ray should be paying me a commission. I have raved about my RR meals so much that two of the people who sit in my area at work have bought a RR book in the last month. Last night I went through my giant filing cabinet. My god, I have a lot of first drafts that have never seen eyeballs again. I had come up with the crazy idea that I should apply to Viable Paradise , so I was looking for something to brush up and send in. My brain had fixated on one particular story, which I never found (however, I did find the stocks I was looking for about three years ago). I guess when you write a page per day for 15 years, that piles up. Ugh. A lot of the books I read come from the library. Unfortunate...

Why I read it: Part of the Cybil awards last year. I'd requested it from the library on January 2, 2008 (1) and about five days ago the library website started listing it as "in transit". You know how ominous those words are to me, after the Nicola Barker "Darkmans" episode. Anyway, so yesterday was Kagami Baraki in my dojo (I kept calling it Kobiyashi Maruk, but I know that's wrong), which ran from 10am until 6pm. The only time I can ever get to the library is on a Saturday (it's across the street from karate, which is why I request books be sent there, since I go there 2x per week). So I wasted half of my lunch break getting out of my gi and running across to see if the book was there, because if it was, then the clock starts ticking, and if I don't pick it up within the seven days or whatever (and I'm not totally believing of when those days begin, because I've had some bad experiences in the past) then I go to the back of the line. And I...

Why I read it: I am beginning to evidence a little bit of a theme here. First a vampire book with no vampires in it, then a Very Popular YA vampire book, now a less-well-known YA vampire book. I can stop any time I want. Oh, okay, just one more and then I'll stop. I bought this for the boy for Christmas 07 not because I thought he would like it, but because I fell in love with the title, and it was an excuse to bring it into the house. I'm not sure he finished reading it. He may have found it disturbing and creepy. Tastes like chicken: The Black Company, The White Rose, Shadows Linger (actually a series I read because of the fabulous title of that last one... There's only one other book I can think fo that I read because of the title: "Rumors of Spring") And those books go back to that bio of John Hawkwood that I read a couple of years ago and totally recommend to anyone who wants a history of the basis of fantasy literature. Stylistically, a lot of the Garth Ni...

Why I read it: The boy read the entire series twice, and then he saw the movie, which he said was bad. I didn't let him know I was reading this, because he'd forbidden it to me. Naturally, that made it all the more intriguing. Also, a lot of people on the internet have opinions about it. Bookmark: Envelope for a yarn gift card from the boy. Tastes like chicken: I hate to say this, but it reminded me a lot of my dad's novel. Mostly that's because I felt like they came from the same place -- the ongoing soap opera in our heads that tell ourselves over periods of months or years, to entertain ourselves when we're bored standing in line, or before we fall asleep at night. (Everyone else does that, right?). The same way my dad had many, many references to the tear in Fiona's sweater, Twilight had many, many references to Bella's clumsiness. I get the idea. What I liked: It was certainly a quick read. The boy read it the first time in the car on the way to Mai...

Several years ago, I received what was perhaps the worst piece of fortune cookie advice ever, "keep your plans secret for now." The problems stemming from this advice are myriad. When does "now" end? Which plans? Secret from whom? Okay, maybe not myriad, but three. Somehow I chose to keep all my plans secret from everyone forever. Which makes it kind of hard to act on them, you know? It's easy to not move forward, not even make plans, if I'm keeping them to myself. There's no commit there, no failure to live up to promise. It's too easy. So now, for the whole world, I say this: I have a novel (okay, I have about seven, and they're all in rough draft). I plan to edit it, and get it published. Mmmm, black belt. Me want. A little scared of how it might change me, but we'll work through that. There, not secrets any more. That felt good.

Why I read it: I read her blog, which is entertaining because of the celebrity stuff I suppose, but also because she is very open about her life. Also, she did Tai Kwon Do. A couple of days ago, she said she writes "vampire books with no vampires in them". Excellent. I got the book for Christmas from Ed (because I'd provided him with a list of "a book by..." type items). Bookmark: Envelope from a Customs questionnaire I received back in August, the last time I crossed the border. Tastes like Chicken: Tough one, this time. (Edited later to add:) I think if Tim Wynne-Jones were to write a different book than the two I read that were exactly the same, it might come out like this. That is a good thing. What I liked: So very much. The voice was good. It made me laugh. I found Kelly really believable as a teenager, I found her parents believable as parents of teenagers, I found her brother believable as someone who had expectations placed on him that just weren...