I won stuff! I won a companion to the Dexter tv show from Grasping for the Wind.  Super excited.

I've read several books.  Still needing to write outstanding book reviews on my other blog.

Writing - a lot.

Having friends over at various points for movies.

And oh yeah! Belly dance!

So I'll talk about my belly dance class I went to.  It was super fun, and I felt kind of silly, but that's expected when your body isn't used to moving in certain ways.  I think I'm really going to like it.  I mean, by the end of the class my arms hurt, I could feel the burn in my thighs and I felt the workout through my upper body and abs.  I need to practice at home, which I've been bad about because of my fanatical writing, but I will get better.  I even bought belly dance music and one of my writer-friends-who-shares-my-brain bought me a hip scarf at the ren fair this weekend.  I'll now have jangly hips.  I may or may not post a picture of me wearing said hip scarf.  There will be no video of me dancing.  None.

Got to see The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus this weekend which was sort of sad to see Heath Ledger's last film.  There's a really ominous moment early on in the movie where it kind of hits you: he's dead.  The movie was really nifty.  I'm supposed to watch it tonight again.

Also saw two movies I didn't care for: Nine (the musical) and Defendor.  Both were very disappointing.  Nine I knew was the story of a filmmaker, but it was just downright depressing at times.  I re-watched it yesterday and became even less impressed with the music.  Defendor was just all round depressing, though I love Woody Harrelson after Zombieland, I wish I would have passed on this movie.  It wasn't funny, it was depressing and sad.

Yup.  This week should be lots of writing because I'm wanting to finish one novel this week and I have a lot to accomplish.  Though next week should be more interesting as far as social interaction goes.

Okay, I simply must figure out a reason to make these, if only for the fun bit about popping the balloons!!!!

In other news.... um..... I'm writing. A lot.  Did I mention I was going to do the Story a Day challenge for the month of May?  Well I am.  So far it's spawned two chapters of a middle-grade fantasy and a big chunk of a longish short story named after the main character, Pele.  I'm actually posting these rough drafts as I go in the spirit of the challenge, so if you decide to read them, please understand they're very uber rough.  I'm also still writing on my novel and I've sort of picked up writing a little fan-fic.

This boils down to: Cid is writing a lot.

It also means Cid isn't all that interesting, so she talks about herself in 3rd person and imagines her life being narrated by Jessica Stiles.

Okay, not really, that was a book reference to Going in Circles where the character deals with some circumstances by imagining her life is narrated by John Goodman.  The book is fantastic and I review it here.

So what's on the slow-cooker for me?  Well... this week I think not a lot.  I'm watching a lot of Dexter, the tv show with the serial killer, in preparation for another novel I want to write.  I'm subjecting my temporary roommate to it, and I'm sure she wants to clobber me by now  ~__^  She gets the patience award in my book.  The Red Pyramid comes out today; it's written by Rick Roiden, the same guy who wrote The Lightning Thief.  I'm thinking I'll camp out at BnN and read it tonight but buy it next week when he's doing a book signing in Southlake.  I make perfect sense in my head!

Last night was the book club meeting I completely forgot about.  I'm sort of glad I didn't read the book.  I'm also sort of planning on not reading the next book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Sorry, just... not interested.  And now I believe I will eat lunch; it's cooled down enough I can eat it and not burn my tongue off!

Ps - yes, my dad is doing great - thanks all for your well wishes and all!!!

[EDIT]

I had to add this because it was just too good to pass up! 

Okay, yes, things are still sort of sucky in the Real Life front, but that's life right?

For the last few days I've been lost in Lynn Viehl's book series on the Darkyn.  I'm reading at least a book to a book and a half a day right now, and managing to write at least 1K a day.  I haven't blogged much about my writing progress on either of my blogs because - well - that would actually subtract from the reading and writing time.

If you like vampy books, I suggest the Darkyn series.  They're great!  Yes, they're probably in the romance section, but that's only a detail.  The PLOT is amazing and I love her CHARACTERS!  I've reviewed the books I've read in the series thus far on my other blog (cidwrites.com/blog) if you care to know my thoughts.  Three books to go ladies and gentlemen and then I think I'll take a reading break!   LOL

Okay, so I first read the opening chapter of The God Engines on John Scalzi's blog, Whatever, and had to buy it.  I found a copy this last weekend and bought it, never mind I dropped $20 on a first edition hardcover.  This book is up for a few awards, as I understand, and has considerable hype.  I do believe it's lived up to it's reputation.

The Characters are immediately strong.  The Captain, the Rook, the Priest, the other crew members, the Defiled god, their own god - all of these are strong, driving forces in the story.  I was very surprised how well characterized these were in so short a length and at so high a pace.  I would personify the people's faith as an entire character in and of it's self, because it's given so many attributes and character that it comes off the page as a living and breathing.

The Setting wasn't all that fantastical.  A practiced reader of science fiction will fill in the holes and understand the setting is space and craft out the other two places where the story unfolds. 

The Plot.... Hold on to your horses because the plot is quick, intense and has a few surprises.  I liked the twists.  There were two moments where I was like - aanndd why are we here?  Couldn't we have learned this in a better way?  But I still get that the places were useful for character development and divulged in an interesting manner.  The plot, as is sort of clear, centers on god engine's; literally gods who are used to supply energy or power for ships.  This is a story about what is wrong in a world and how it is set right.  It explores, albeit briefly, how those remedies are not always rainbows and bunnies.

Go. Read. It. Now.

Okay, so I have a soft spot for quirky retelling of fairy tales and Gail Carson Levine does some serious magic with stories and words.  I read Ella Enchanted in high school.  It had probably been out for a handful of years by then, but was prior to the movie.  I read it and have fondly recalled it as having been a very good book.

You know the characters, somewhat, though Levine's are full of life and quirks that have you laughing or cheering.  I really do like how the other races are brought in and given their own personalities and roles, and how you see Ella's character through how she interacts with them.

The setting is fantastical! It's a fairy tale land, of course, and I wish I could go there someday.

I really appreciate the plot.  Most of the conflict Ella faces is internal, not external.  Now for the movie there had to be a huge external danger, but what I really appreciate about this book is that we see the implications and severity of internal struggle more.  The book is more about what Ella fears might happen because of her curse as opposed to what is happening around her.

I think after I read the McKinley books this year I will start collecting Levine's.  And I wish I could have found a copy with this cover; it's so cute! I have the one of the girl in the green dress sitting at a desk.

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale.  I think because it was the girl - not a princess - who rescued a man trapped by his own foolishness.  In the Disney version it's a prince, in McKinley's later version he is a sorcerer, and you know what? I wouldn't mind reading ten more books based on Beauty and the Beast.  I'm really happy that McKinley wrote two!  The Rose Daughter follows the older idea, as far as the story goes that I'm acquainted with.

The characters we all know.  The father who was once a wealthy merchant that falls on hard times, the three daughters who are all beautiful and excel in a certain area that they are known for.  In McKinley's version one is great with horses, another sews amazingly, and then there is Beauty ~ who tends roses.  Now, roses in and of themselves have a character place in this book because they are crucial to the story.  In Rose Daughter, roses only bloom for love or magic, so they are rare things and it is important that Beauty is good with roses.  The Beast seems to me mostly unchanged in the stories because we have to like him; he almost always has to be sad or lonely or regretful, though he can also be scary and intimidating because of what he is or because of his anger or bitterness or some other cause.  And then there is the magic; the magic of the house is it's own character.  Over at Writing Excuses there was a bit they talked on how giving a thing or a presence the qualities of a character can be tricky, but I felt that the magic of the house - and even magic in general in this story - was a character all it's own.  I found myself loving the same characters all over again because McKinley put that twist, that shine on the story.

The setting is first a very large house in a city and then Rose Cottage ~ named because of the roses, bet you didn't see that coming?  Well it's still a lovely idea.  There was a lot to the little village that I could see, and especially the cottage that just seemed like you knew it.  And then there was the Beast's palace, which was more a character than a setting.

The plot.  We all know the story.  I could probably recite it in my sleep.  However, McKinley wraps the history and the background around the characters so they seem almost swept up in something they cannot control.  I thought that the resolution was amazing.  Then again, I always like the climax of every Beauty and the Beast story...  See - I have a problem!  I'm addicted to Beauty and the Beast.  But I really do like how the climax and resolution were particular to these characters in this setting.  I also liked how the characters were happy to be where they were and the important things were kept central to their person - and here I go off talking about them as if they're real people!

So suffice it to say, I think I should collect novels based on Beauty and the Beast.  I've probably read ten or so novels, but I still like them.

 Okay, so I don't care for romance books, however I read the synopsis for Touch of Evil before I really got the idea it was a romance book.  I was already kicking myself for wanting to read it because it's a vampire - werewolf - psychic - adventure!  Oopse.  I still wanted to read it so I figured I'd go ahead and read it.  I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a whole lot of blatant "romance" typical stuff going on.  The book was much more plot driven than I'd thought to give it credit for.

The setting was simple - and believable.  Denver, Colorado.  Now I don't know Denver very well so I can't really complain about anything, but the few things I was familiar with were right in the book so thumbs up there!

The characters were diverse and interesting, but at a few places I didn't quite believe their actions.  Now, I can excuse it by saying that in the circumstances the characters were in were definatly not normal and some odd behavior would be excusable so I can live with those inconsistencies that seemed off to me.  Don't get me wrong, I really liked many of the characters.

The plot surprised me.  I had high hopes when I read the excerpt on the Macmillian site but when I went to look for it and found it in the romance section my expectations plummeted.  I really wasn't expecting half of what I got!  Once you got to the end you can see that the plot is fairly simple, but like in real life things don't usually seem simple from the inside of things.  I really liked how the authors set up several aspects of the vampire element and how they played out. 

The ending is left completely open for a sequel, which I expect is forthcoming, but I don't know that I'll read it.  I don't really like romance books because I keep rolling my eyes and laughing at stuff.  However, I would expect books coming after this one to have a lot of action and steam since this one sets it up to follow in those tracks.  Yeah.

I picked up this book because we watched Princess of Thieves a week or more ago.  I read one of the more archaic Robin Hood stories years upon years ago - and I'm glad McKinley crafted her own.  Now the language is still a bit archaic, but it was still a great book.


Now, everyone is familiar with the setting and characters and aspects of the plot.  I liked how McKinley created Robin Hood as a real person and less of the bravado filled, I can do anything image that comes to mind so often.

I enjoyed it.

 Okay, so when the book club picked out The Glass Castle, which is a memoir.  I don't actually like memoirs or autobiographies or things of that sort.  Most of them seem to be along the lines of oh look at how amazing I am! Or the opposite, see how dreadful my life is?  Yeah.  Neither interest me a lot.  However, Jeannette Walls has constructed an amazingly quirky story that is her life.  This is the kind of amazing story you actually can't make up so it has to be true.

The strange thing is that I identify with a lot of it.  I know a lot of people will read this and not believe much of it, but I do.  The first ten years of my life was spent traveling; granted it was under different circumstances than what Jeannette talks about but I know the feeling of it all.  I'll stop rambling.

I've never read any of Jeannette Walls stories or books or articles, but after reading this I would.

I found out about this graphic novel series thanks to Rick Riordan (blog / website), who wrote the Percy Jackson, Olympian, series.  Seeing as how I am currently very interested in Greek mythology thanks to Rick Riordan, I figured these graphic novels were a great lead.  However, finding this one was tricky. It just came out in January and I finally found a place that had ONE copy. I bought it, needless to say.

I haven't read comics or graphic novels in a really long time, besides V for Vendetta a month-plus ago.  However, I was really fascinated with Zeus.  I loved the art-work, but as a not-very-artistically-drawing-inclined-person, stick figures fascinate me.  I was really glad at how the story was done.  There are a lot of different versions or takes on the myths covered in Zeus and I thought it was a really good read.  I'd suggest it!  I'm also eagerly awaiting the other releases.  If you're interested in seeing sneak peaks or the artwork in the process of being done, check out the blog, Olympians Rule!  George O'Connor posts works-in-progress or other snippets of stuff.

Jane Austen as a vampire? Really?  Okay, when I passed this in Target one day around Christmas I did a double take, laughed, and was rather certain she rolled over in her grave.  However, this book is adorable and charming. 

The Setting is simple.  Small town with a book shop and a few other briefly visited areas.

The Characters are wonderful.  I can't think of anything to say without giving up spoilers.

The Plot as you are led to believe is about Jane Austen publishing a book - today.  It is much more than that.  There is a smattering of romance, some murder, accusations, blackmail and a foreboding doom at the end of the book - it's overshadowed by a much more happier event at the end. 

Yes, I realize it's ridiculous - but if you're in the need of a fun, lighthearted vampire novel that nods to great literature - it's a fun read-in-a-day book.  I'm already stalking the sequel.

I don't generally read mysteries - or stories set in current day.  I don't generally find them interesting, but I wanted to challenge myself with reading something out of the normal - for myself.

If you're unfamiliar with the book, the author Stieg Larsson passed away in 2004 and this book was not published until 2008.  It was also written in his native language and the first in a trilogy.  Wikipedia does a good job of explaining it here.  I think that some of the original shimmer must have disappeared in the translated work - which is still good and engaging - but I think if I understood the setting and context better I would find it much more compelling.  I, however, read a lot of fantasy so I can fill in the blanks when we mention kroner instead of dollars.

The Setting in the book throws me and a few times I consulted a map before saying Screw it!   I just trust that these places exist and I don't have to know where they are.  However things seem European enough; though I wonder at all of the one or two room cabins in a modern-day, not everything is all Americanized  :P

The Plot! OMG It's the best thing about this book.  The writing is good, but the plot is so intricate I could only stay a few steps ahead.  I had some vague idea of how it would turn out but I was never 100% sure.  It's got a lot of layers, a lot of things going on, and if you can keep track of who is who it's what keeps you reading.

The Characters. This is where I have a problem.  The main character? Yeah, I think he's like a whitewashed wall.  Salander (sp?) is about the most interesting character and most of the time I find her believable.  What I don't find believable is the almost author-fantasy way the female characters jump in and out of bed with the male MC (whose name I can't spell) and nonchalantly say hello to each other as they pass in the hallway as the next female hops in his bed. 

And while I like endings that aren't ....and they lived happily ever after.  I didn't like the ending. I won't spoil it, but it left me unstaisfied and reaching for something light hearted and funny - because at the end of this book I was grumpy, unhappy, and unsatisfied.

I didn't even mean to start this book today.  I tossed it in my bag thinking - might as well keep a book with me! I actually did the reading during a few minutes during lunch and before and after church.  It's a very engaging story, and the difference between McKinley's writing int he 80's - like when The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword were written I believe, and her later work; I think Chalice came out between '05 and '08.  Again a story about a girl who does something about what's going on around her.  I sort of didn't much care for the MMC because he just sort of let her do all the work.  Now I know he did what he could but 'eh.  The story is engaging and fun and you really feel and want to know how everything happens and you feel for the characters and the land.  I really liked it, read it in a few hours and really, really, really liked it.

Yes, I have a terrible habit of reading an entire book in one day.

I like The Hero and the Crown; I love The Blue Sword.  I don't know what it is about this story, but I have remembered bits and pieces of it for years.  I think it's possibly one of my favorite books of all times and for what reason I'm not entirely sure.  I like the idea of books that feature girls who get up and do stuff, and I also like books that have horses because it reminds me of where I come from.  Maybe it's just that in McKinley's writing I see something of what I wish I was or what I wish could be.  I want to be one of these unlikely heroes that fall into place in a world that's not quite sure what to do with them - but needs them.  I'm not sure what it is about this book but it has inspired me even when I'm not quite aware of it which is an alarming thing to realize. 

I read this first in junior high and I don't think I ever reread it.  Such a shame.  I think this book does many things well.  It's intelligently written, and yet doesn't divulge into frivolous details.  That's something I could use a few lessons in.  I know this was written after The Blue Sword, so there is a good deal that draws on the lore established first in that book but changed to fit this setting.  It's a great story of a girl who does things.  I like the McKinley books for that reason.  The Setting is vivid, the Characters are alive in your mind, and the Plot isn't one-dimentional, it doesn't end with the slaying of a dragon or the self-realization of a character; there is far more there.  I sort of wish I knew what happened to Luthe, that wild, free side of Aerin's life.  Tor was everything that was familiar, everything she was supposed to be.  Parts of me wonder what would it have been like if Aerin was indeed the Hero, but chose a different end to the story.  I adore this book, I really do - even if I still don't get why some surka and the dragonheart were enough to kill her uncle....