Mini Writer’s Retreat
This weekend I went up to Knoxville to meet a friend for a mini-writer’s retreat. We stayed at the Hilton right near Market Square. We were lucky to be there during the farmer’s market. That was pretty amazing. I picked up honey from three different vendors to send off to Ursula Vernon for her collection. I didn’t really take any photos while I was there. I was too busy looking around and playing Ingress while we were out and writing and working on puzzles while I was inside.
Are any of you playing Ingress? It’s addicting, but I get tired of hitting the same portals in town, so it’s always exciting to go somewhere else. The game is designed to get you to get out and 
walk, so it worked very well with our schedule. There are portals around the world and two different factions are battling over them. You capture, reinforce, and defend the portals. There are missions you can go on, which are usually fairly pleasant walks around interesting areas. We did two right around the Market.
We ate at TomatoHead, Uncorked, and Tupelo Honey Cafe. We even got some writing done. Not, probably as much as you should at a writer’s retreat, but it was great for a visit with my best friend.
I’m also gearing up for NaNoWriMo. I have no idea what I’m writing this year, but hopefully I’ll come up with something soon. Are any of you participating?
I went ahead and downloaded the Scrivener trial. It’s free until December 7. If you’re participating in NaNo you can get a 20% discount on the final price. If you win NaNo, you get a 50% discount, which is pretty awesome. So far, I’ve been writing in GoogleDocs, but that has some issues, so I’m curious to see how Scrivener works for me.
I’m currently listening to The Martian again. I finished up Agnes and the Hitman on the drive up. I’m still reading Chasing the Phoenix.
PopSugar Challenge Check-In
I haven’t gotten as much done on this as I wanted to, mostly because I haven’t been paying much attention to it. But, here is where I am:
a book with more than 500 pages: The Collector by Nora Roberts- a classic romance: Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney
- a book that became a movie
- a book published this year: Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
- a book with a number in the title: Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
- a book written by someone under 30
- a book with nonhuman characters: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
- a funny book
- a book by a female author: Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie
- a mystery or thriller: A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear
- a book with a one-word title: Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
- a book of short stories
- a book set in a different country: The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
- a nonfiction book: The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
- a popular author’s first book
- a book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Speak Easy by Catherynne M. Valente
- a book a friend recommended: Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick (in progress)
- a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
- a book based on a true story
- a book at the bottom of your to-read list
- a book your mom loves
- a book that scares you
- a book more than 100 years old
- a book based entirely on its cover
- a book you were supposed to read in high school, but didn’t
- a memoir: Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
- a book you can finish in one day: Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
- a book with antonyms in the title
- a book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Prudence by Gail Carriger (India)
- a book that came out the year you were born
- a book with bad reviews
- a trilogy: Delia Martin trilogy by Jamie Lee Moyer
- a book from your childhood: Beauty by Robin McKinley
- a book with a love triangle
- a book set in the future: Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
- a book set in high school
- a book with a color in the title: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
- a book that made you cry
- a book with magic: Shattered by Kevin Hearne
- a graphic novel: Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
- a book by an author you’ve never read before: The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley
- a book you own, but have never read
- a book that takes place in your hometown
- a book that was originally written in a different language
- a book set during Christmas: Duck the Halls by Donna Andrews
- a book written by an author with your same initials
- a play
- a banned book
- a book based on or turned into a TV show: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
- a book you started, but never finished
24/50
Not too bad, but I need to get a wiggle on.
Any suggestions for the books I still have to fill up?
Home Read #02 – Chasing the Phoenix
I finished Speak Easy today and started on my next book. Speak Easy was very good, and ended up being a little more alt history than I was entirely expecting. Although, I can’t tell you how without spoiling it, so I shan’t.
My current read is: Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick
Published by: Tor Books, 2015
Cover Illustration: Stephan Martiniere
Read This: With your favorite dog nearby and (possibly) The Princess Bride on in the background.
I picked this up at LP at the urging of a coworker who really likes Michael Swanwick. I previously tried to read The Dragons of Babel, but it was a little dark for me. So I’m approaching this one with a bit of trepedation.
Chasing the Phoenix is set in a post-Utopian China. The world, as far as I can tell, has passed through a technological golden age and has returned to something like the 1700’s. It seems to be swords and rifles and a foot-traffic, but there are the occasional mechanical wonders unearthed from vaults and medical magic passed down from ones ancestors is a possibility.
The protagonist is a genetically-modified dogman from Vermont. (Apparently, there is still a Vermont.) He’s the shorter one on the cover, although, from what I’ve read so far, he’s average height for a man, if not tall. The other guy on the cover is currently dead, so I’m not sure how that’s going to work out. (It’s not a spoiler. It’s the opening paragraph of the book. And it’s on the flyleaf.) I’m only on page 28 though, so I shall report back as I go.
Visiting Little Shop of Stories
Last week, on Wednesday, I got to go to Decatur, Ga to the Little Shop of Stories. Ursula Vernon, M.A. Larson, and Rob Harrell were there for the Once Upon a Chapter Tour. I did not end up taking any photos of the authors, because that would have been logical. But I did get lots of photos of the bookstore!
The store itself is very cool. It’s set right in the Decatur Square area, which has coffee shops, shopping, and restaurants. I also found a great store called Locally Grown, which is an artists’ co-op. I spent far too much money and got some awesome stuff there.
I think my favorite part of Little Shop of Stories were all the posters that visiting authors/illustrators have done. The ceilings in the 
shop are very high, which makes it the perfect display space for these great pieces. I’d love to do something like that at LP, but we just don’t have the wall space. Maybe we could run them up the columns around the balcony? Hmm… something to think about.
From what I could tell, the store is mostly kids’ books, but there was a good selection of recent and popular adult titles for all the parents that bring their kids in to shop. They’ve also got some great events going on. I think they probably partner with lots of schools, so authors come, talk to the school kids, and then do a signing at the store in the evening.
What are your favorite bookstores?
House Reading – #01 Speak Easy
The holidays are coming up, and so I need to think about spending money on other people instead of myself (which isn’t a bad thing to think about all year, but, like Lent, at least this time of year, you’ve got lots of company.
I have truly insane numbers of books in my house that I haven’t read.
AND, it’s been at least ten minutes since I had a crazy project.
So, for the rest of the year, my goal is to read through books that I already have in my possession. This will include my stash of ARCs at work and the several boxes of books in my car… Ok, I admit, I have a problem.
So, at the suggestion of the luminous and intelligent Clair McLafferty over at See Clair Write, I shall be embarking on a new series of posts to tell you a little bit about the books I’m looking at.
My current read is: Speak Easy by Catherynne M. Valente
Published by: Subterranean Press, 2015
Cover Illustration: Michael Wm. Kaluta
Read This: With a drink in your hand and glitter in the air.
I ordered this book straight from Subterranean. It’s part of a signed, numbered edition. My copy is #163/1250.
I had seen Cat’s books in the bookstore, probably starting with Deathless, but I hadn’t gotten around to picking up anything by her until A) I listened to the SF Squeecast, and B) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairlyland In a Ship of Her Own Making. You know how much I like long titles.
I adored the Fairyland books, but I couldn’t quite get into Cat’s adult books. (I’m also trying to read Radiance, which is a forthcoming DecoPunk novel. It’s fascinating, but I’m not quite the right audience.)
But, Speak Easy is set in New York in the 1920’s. It has a beautiful IT Girl facing off with, possibly, the Devil? Or, at least a reasonable facsimile. I’m hoping it will be everything I love about Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries without the bits I hated in The Great Gatsby (which was all the bits with people, if I remember correctly.)
Speak Easy is a novella, so it’s quite slim, much like its nominal protagonist, the lovely Zelda Fair. I’m currently on page 63 of 142, so I hope to finish it up tonight.
The language is very much set in its time, so if you have trouble reading things like Chandler then this one might not be for you. I, on the other hand, love it. I want to hear about beautiful cobweb girls swimming in bathtubs full of gin, sleepy lions living in apartments, and fountains of bootleg booze flowing out of the Artemisia Hotel. It’s not a world I would have survived in, but I like to shake up the snow globe and watch the glitter fall down on the scene.
A few other notes:
I’ve started a Vine channel for the bookstore. I’m doing 6-Second Book Reviews twice a week if you’re interested.
I’m also trying out Shelfie. It’s an app that lets you take pictures of your bookshelves to catalog your books. It also offers discount ebooks for some of the titles you already own in physical format. It’s not perfect yet, It gets about 7 in 10 of my books so far. But it’s kind of fun. I’m not all that interested in the e-book component at the moment, but it’s a nice touch.
Current number of books read this year (according to Goodreads): 90
New Books 9/21/15
Here are my latest acquisitions. What have you picked up lately? 
DragonCon 2015 Haul
DragonCon is over and I have returned home! I’ll do a longer post soon, but I’m wiped out tonight. But, I thought I’d show you guys the books I picked up. (And my cute owl sheets.)
Sebastian has feelings about my book choices.
The Devil’s Panties 1-7 by Jennie Breeden
Princeless 1-4 by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin
Owly by Andy Runton
Princess Ugg by Ted Naifeh
Hero Cats by Marcus Williams, Kyle Puttkammer, & Ryan Sellers
Tales of the Wilder Forest by Cael Jacobs & Cory Godbey
Menagerie by Cory Godbey
Have you picked up anything new and exciting lately?
DragonCon Plans, 2015
It’s that time again! I leave on Thursday for the madness that is DragonCon! I’ve got a pretty busy schedule this year.
I’ll arrive on Thursday and get checked into the hotel/get badges. Then I go drop off ARCs and samplers for the YALit track. (If you’re going to DragonCon, be sure to check in with the YALit folks. They’re awesome and there are door prizes! Mostly books that currently are hanging out in my car.) And yes, I’m wearing a costume on Thursday. It’s based on a soon-to-Kickstart game called Aberford. It was inspired by some concept art of 1950’s housewives fighting zombies. I have a bright red frying pan!
Thursday night is the traditional dinner at Truva. They’re an amazing restaurant right off Peachtree. (Don’t ask me which Peachtree. It’s Atlanta. They’re all Peachtree.) It’s a Turkish restaurant that my friends and I have been going to for 7 years or so. The spinach is amazing and they have belly dancers sometimes!
Friday my big events are the Wonder Woman Universe group photo shoot in the morning. I’ll be wearing my amazing Wonder Woman chainmail, created by Back to Earth Creations.
Then, in the afternoon, I’m helping out with the Vintage Vogue Fashion Show. It’s a fashion show for historical and alt historical costumes. I’ve been looking over the entries and it’s going to be pretty amazing. We’re starting off with some of the Spartans from 300 and then coming forward in time from there. (I’m really looking forward to the flapper Wonder Woman!)
Saturday has the Dragon Age photo shoot! I went last year in my Morrigan gown and will be wearing that again this year. (Fingers crossed that the weather holds out and we don’t get rained out!)
Sunday is a new costume, inspired by the Mad Max: Fury Road episode of Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap. I’m doing a Fallout-inspired (so 1950’s style) post-apocalyptic librarian! I really hope it comes across! I’ve got a giant date stamp to use as a weapon! I’ve built a travel library backpack. I’ll have pictures after!
Monday, I’m back in a Wonder Woman costume. This time, a 50’s era one. (Can you tell I have a thing about skirts with crinolines? Also, my crinoline will be much bigger than in this picture! So many skirts!)
Me with Jonathan Maberry at a DragonCon long past.
I will, of course, go to many, many panels. There are actors and authors and artists that I’m eager to see. Here is a brief and not-at-all-comprehensive list:
The Brobdignangian Bards
Mercedes Lackey
Naomi Novik
Jonathan Maberry
Jennie Breeden
Yuri Lowenthal
Tom Merritt & Veronica Belmont
Cherie Priest
Courtenay Taylor
Ted Naifeh
Autumn from Daydreams & Giggles
Kelly Sue Deconnick
Felicia Day
Sam Flegal
Skullgarden
I could go on, but I should probably stop. I need to pack!
Who do you look forward to meeting someday?
Children’s Books – August 2015
School is back in session, and so I’m back to reading 5 or 6 picture books every week. So, I thought I’d start posting the books I’m reading.
So, here are some of the books I’ve picked out for this week.
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
This is an adaptation of the story of Ganesha writing down the Mahabharata. It’s very much adapted to be accessible to children, but that is, by no means, a criticism. It’s a beautiful book, and I’m honestly sad it didn’t get a Caldecott nod when it came out.
Sanjay is an animator and storyboard artist at Pixar, so it’s not surprise that the illustrations are amazing. I honestly hope I can find some of these as posters or prints.
Little Elliot in the Big City by Mike Curato
This is an adorable book about a tiny elephant who lives in New York. He has various issues because he’s so small. This saddens him until he meets someone even smaller than he is and realizes that together they can accomplish so much more. The art is adorable and the setting is full of vintage cars and backgrounds.
The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
What do you do when you are a warrior princess and instead of getting a majestic steed to ride into battle you get a tiny, dumpling-shaped, derpy pony?
You ride it into battle anyway!
To the Sea by Cale Atkinson
Tim is a small boy who no one notices. Sam is a whale who has lost his way. the whole book is in shades of blue and orange, which sounds either garish, or like an Auburn fan’s dream come true. The colors work really, really well, and the overall style is adorable!
The story is about the power of friendship. One of the refrains is “You never let your friend down.”
Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy and Rosiland Beardshaw
Dog has a large blue suitcase that is filled with everything he needs. There’s no room in his life for anything else until he meets Mouse one day. Then he realizes that maybe he’s missing something after all. It’s a sweet book. The illustrations don’t blow me away, but they’re still very nice. (I think most things would have trouble following Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth and To the Sea.)
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
This book got a Caldecott Honor medal in 2012. I like it much better than Klassen’s later works (This is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back.)
The basic story is about a little girl who finds a box full of colorful yarn. She uses it to brighten up her very monochrome village. A fashionable aristocrat wants the box, and resorts to unscrupulous means when the girl refuses to sell. However, because he’s a cold-hearted snake (to reach back to my musical roots) the box won’t work for him.
The illustrations are subtle and beautiful. And, of course, as a knitter, it appeals to me greatly.
Medusa's Library 