Oh... wow. I just gorged myself on Nalini Singh. Seriously. I devoured her entire backlist. Damn those cats are sexy! I can't even get my thought is order to type up a review of any one specific book. Instead, I give you random thoughts about the sries:
- Her heroes are tough, loyal men dedicated to their pack. They are flawed, but not fatally so.
- The heroines are equally strong. These are no shrinking violets, but neither are they ball busters.
- Engaging political atmosphere. Ms. Singh has developed a complex world with all it's troubles and strife.
- Family is at the heart of everything. I love this. These are men who are driven by their connection to and need for family.
- Alpha with a capital A. Somehow, though, they are not jackasses.
- The characters from previous books don't fade away at the conclusion of their book. They play integral roles in subsequent novels.
- The women stand equally among the men. They don't lose their strength once the hero claims them for their own. These women are defined by their own personality and talents, not by the men they are mated to.
I could go on, but I shall leave it at that. Ms. Singh, you are now officially on my list. Auto buy, baby, auto buy!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
My inner geek rejoices
I will admit it. I have seen the new Star Treck movie twice already. I want to see it again. I have turned into a complete and utter fangirl. Squeee!!!
I have seen a good number of episodes from the original series, a handful of eps from Voyager (ugh) and Enterprise (way better than most people gave it credit for!) My most favorite of all the incarnations, though, has always been Next Generation. I have disticnt memories from childhood. Me and Dad had our TV night: Next Generation and Quantum Leap. What a perfect pairing! Networks just don't plan that way any more.
My love of Next Generation probably explains my glee at receiving this result:
Your results:
You are Deanna Troi
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz
I have seen a good number of episodes from the original series, a handful of eps from Voyager (ugh) and Enterprise (way better than most people gave it credit for!) My most favorite of all the incarnations, though, has always been Next Generation. I have disticnt memories from childhood. Me and Dad had our TV night: Next Generation and Quantum Leap. What a perfect pairing! Networks just don't plan that way any more.
My love of Next Generation probably explains my glee at receiving this result:
Your results:
You are Deanna Troi
| You are a caring and loving individual. You understand people's emotions and you are able to comfort and counsel them.  |
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pet peeves, what are yours?
My lovely ginger friend, Jen, recently posted about incorrectly used Spanish language phrases. Let's just say they really bother her. This got me thinking. What bugs me when I read? Well, most of my big pet peeves are not ones that you would find in a published novel (not unless the author was allowed to write unchecked by an editor.) Which words and phrases get under my skin and make me cringe?
"should of" - Just because we are lazy here in America and butcher the pronunciation does not mean the word "have" has suddenly morphed into "of."
"orientated" - It's oriented. Just... ugh.
What about you? Which words, phrases, or misspellings make you want to pull out your hair?
"should of" - Just because we are lazy here in America and butcher the pronunciation does not mean the word "have" has suddenly morphed into "of."
"orientated" - It's oriented. Just... ugh.
What about you? Which words, phrases, or misspellings make you want to pull out your hair?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Refractory period
No no, I'm not talking about the one a man needs after he has been... intimate. I am talking about a literary one.
Sometimes when I finish reading a book I am energized, ready to jump into the next book. This is especially the case if it is part of a series or a new-to-me author. This past weekend I read Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh. So fabulous! I immediately pulled Slave to Sensation out of my TBR pile. I've got about a third of the book left. I'm loving her heroes and the worlds she has built. I know I will be picking up the next book in the Psy-changeling series as soon as I finish. No down time. No recovery period. No refractory period.
Other times I finish a book and need a break. It could be because I have glutted myself on a particular genre. I could be completely stressed by RL stuff. Perhaps I read an author's entire backlist and just need to reset the brain. Occasionally, I read a book that is so good, so complex, that I need time to process it. I need a few days to savor the story, characters, and imagery. Unfortunately, there are the times when you read a book so bad that you just can't bring yourself to pick up another book. (Usually, though, a good book will cleanse away the foul taste of bad writing.)
Recovery time. A literary refractory period. Do you have one? When do you need a break?
Sometimes when I finish reading a book I am energized, ready to jump into the next book. This is especially the case if it is part of a series or a new-to-me author. This past weekend I read Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh. So fabulous! I immediately pulled Slave to Sensation out of my TBR pile. I've got about a third of the book left. I'm loving her heroes and the worlds she has built. I know I will be picking up the next book in the Psy-changeling series as soon as I finish. No down time. No recovery period. No refractory period.
Other times I finish a book and need a break. It could be because I have glutted myself on a particular genre. I could be completely stressed by RL stuff. Perhaps I read an author's entire backlist and just need to reset the brain. Occasionally, I read a book that is so good, so complex, that I need time to process it. I need a few days to savor the story, characters, and imagery. Unfortunately, there are the times when you read a book so bad that you just can't bring yourself to pick up another book. (Usually, though, a good book will cleanse away the foul taste of bad writing.)
Recovery time. A literary refractory period. Do you have one? When do you need a break?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Tropes, why they work... or don't
In every genre there are those plot devices or character achetypes that always seem to aboud. These tropes can shape the genre or shape the stereotypes that non-readers hold about the genre. This can be good and bad. Obvisouly, if the trope weren't successful it would not continue to pop up over and over again.
For us romance readers, these recurring elements (Alpha heroes, mistaken identity, fake engagements, plucky virgin heroines) are often what keep us reading. Who doesn't love to read about a brooding Alpha hero with a mysterious secret who is unable to control the strong emotions he feels for the fiesty "on the shelf" (28 y/o) spinster? We love it, but we know the genre chock full of tropes. Secret baby? Character with fatal illness that can be cured by the supernatural love interest? Unrequited love? Friends to lovers? Enemies to lovers?
Good authors know how to take these standard elements and present them in a fresh way, or can twist them about, turning it on it's head. They give us the tropes with a twist. These are the authors who make us excited to read more. It is unfortunate, though, that for every author who does this, there are coutless other who continue down the same old worn paths. The rut in the road made by all the previous authors must be pretty damn deep.
Recently I read a fantasy novel from a series where the whole point is to twist around the expected tropes. While the writing was average, the story kept me going. (The same way amazing writing can keep you reading an overdone plotline.) Mercedes Lackey has created the 700 Kingdoms, where The Tradition helps shape the ways of it's people. There are those people who will fulfill the Cinderella tradition, there are the siblings lost in the woods tradition, good benvolent ruler and evil advisor traditions. The Tradition pushes people along their destined path. However, Ms. Lackey's characters defy tradition or turn it upside down. The Cinderella characters's prince is a toddler? No problem, she becomes a Fairy Godmother. In One Good Knight, she combines numerous fairy tale traditions, dicing and slipcing them as she went along, to create an interesting storyline. The adventure and how the characters overcame the obstacles set in their way by enemies and The Tradition kept me turing pages. While there was a bit of a romance, it is important to romance readers to remember this is a Fantasy novel. The romance player 3rd or 4th fiddle to everything else. As I said, not the best writing I have read by the author, but a fun twist on those tropes we all know so well.
For us romance readers, these recurring elements (Alpha heroes, mistaken identity, fake engagements, plucky virgin heroines) are often what keep us reading. Who doesn't love to read about a brooding Alpha hero with a mysterious secret who is unable to control the strong emotions he feels for the fiesty "on the shelf" (28 y/o) spinster? We love it, but we know the genre chock full of tropes. Secret baby? Character with fatal illness that can be cured by the supernatural love interest? Unrequited love? Friends to lovers? Enemies to lovers?
Good authors know how to take these standard elements and present them in a fresh way, or can twist them about, turning it on it's head. They give us the tropes with a twist. These are the authors who make us excited to read more. It is unfortunate, though, that for every author who does this, there are coutless other who continue down the same old worn paths. The rut in the road made by all the previous authors must be pretty damn deep.
Recently I read a fantasy novel from a series where the whole point is to twist around the expected tropes. While the writing was average, the story kept me going. (The same way amazing writing can keep you reading an overdone plotline.) Mercedes Lackey has created the 700 Kingdoms, where The Tradition helps shape the ways of it's people. There are those people who will fulfill the Cinderella tradition, there are the siblings lost in the woods tradition, good benvolent ruler and evil advisor traditions. The Tradition pushes people along their destined path. However, Ms. Lackey's characters defy tradition or turn it upside down. The Cinderella characters's prince is a toddler? No problem, she becomes a Fairy Godmother. In One Good Knight, she combines numerous fairy tale traditions, dicing and slipcing them as she went along, to create an interesting storyline. The adventure and how the characters overcame the obstacles set in their way by enemies and The Tradition kept me turing pages. While there was a bit of a romance, it is important to romance readers to remember this is a Fantasy novel. The romance player 3rd or 4th fiddle to everything else. As I said, not the best writing I have read by the author, but a fun twist on those tropes we all know so well.What books or authors have taken the expected and turned them into the unexpected? Who has managed to write a story using a tired plot line, but through spectacular writing turned it into a page turner?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
YA and Children's reading lists... long overdue
Not having Internet access at home really sucks!!! ARRRGHHHH!!!
Now that I got that off my chest, I present to you my completely incomplete list of books for children and young adults. I know I am leaving a ton of great books off the lists. I know there are hundreds of wonderful stroies I have yet to read. So far, this is what I've got:
Young Adult Books Shannon Says You Should Read
A Separate Peace (John Knowles)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
The Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury)
Wild Magic (Tamora Pierce)
Beauty (Robin McKinley)
His Dark Materials Trilogy (Philip Pullman)
The Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix)
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? (Blume)
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Children's Books Everyone Should Have on Their Shelves (IMHO)
The Witches (Dahl)
Matilda (Dahl)
The Harry Potter series (Rowling)
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell)
The Cay (Taylor)
Artemis Fowl (Colfer)
The Bridge to Terabithia (Paterson)
The Little Princess (Burnett)
Bunicula (Howe)
Because of Winn Dixie (DiCamillo)
Ella Enchanted (Levine)
So what am I missing? What needs to be added? Which books did you love as a kid, or love for your kids?
Now that I got that off my chest, I present to you my completely incomplete list of books for children and young adults. I know I am leaving a ton of great books off the lists. I know there are hundreds of wonderful stroies I have yet to read. So far, this is what I've got:
Young Adult Books Shannon Says You Should Read
A Separate Peace (John Knowles)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
The Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury)
Wild Magic (Tamora Pierce)
Beauty (Robin McKinley)
His Dark Materials Trilogy (Philip Pullman)
The Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix)
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? (Blume)
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Children's Books Everyone Should Have on Their Shelves (IMHO)
The Witches (Dahl)
Matilda (Dahl)
The Harry Potter series (Rowling)
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell)
The Cay (Taylor)
Artemis Fowl (Colfer)
The Bridge to Terabithia (Paterson)
The Little Princess (Burnett)
Bunicula (Howe)
Because of Winn Dixie (DiCamillo)
Ella Enchanted (Levine)
So what am I missing? What needs to be added? Which books did you love as a kid, or love for your kids?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Trying something new
Real life strikes again. Real life in the form of Internet crapping out at home (for two weeks!), grades, parent-teacher conferences, and (for the first time in nine years) a college class. Yes, that’s right. I am not only a teacher, I am now a student.
This past week I attended the first class for the course “Teaching Young Adult Literature.” How cool is that? A class to learn how to teach a genre of literature that I love. I was very excited when I first signed up for the class. I am a little leery after meeting the professor. She seems rather... rigid. And painfully perky. A strange combination, to be sure. I am keeping an open mind, though.
A couple nights ago I started reading the one and only text book for the class. I was not looking forward to this. All of my worst college memories center around trying to slog through poorly written, dry, boring academic writing. I decided to set myself a realistic goal: one chapter (38 pages.) Well, color me startled, I found it rather interesting. The book covers the definition of “young adult” and “young adult literature”, and tracks the history of the genre up through the mid-90's. The first chapter covered the genre definition and the “birth” of Young Adult literature (pre-1960.) Tomorrow I will read at least one chapter, perhaps two. Still manageable without being overwhelming or painful. By Monday I need to start on my homework assignment. Yup, I have to do homework. It’s so weird!
I’m looking forward to reading the actual Young Adult novels on our list. There are five all told, only one of which I have even heard of (The Book Thief.) This could be a great opportunity to add to my list of must-read books for young adults.
What list of must-read Young Adult literature, you ask? Why, the one I plan to share tomorrow, of course!
This past week I attended the first class for the course “Teaching Young Adult Literature.” How cool is that? A class to learn how to teach a genre of literature that I love. I was very excited when I first signed up for the class. I am a little leery after meeting the professor. She seems rather... rigid. And painfully perky. A strange combination, to be sure. I am keeping an open mind, though.
A couple nights ago I started reading the one and only text book for the class. I was not looking forward to this. All of my worst college memories center around trying to slog through poorly written, dry, boring academic writing. I decided to set myself a realistic goal: one chapter (38 pages.) Well, color me startled, I found it rather interesting. The book covers the definition of “young adult” and “young adult literature”, and tracks the history of the genre up through the mid-90's. The first chapter covered the genre definition and the “birth” of Young Adult literature (pre-1960.) Tomorrow I will read at least one chapter, perhaps two. Still manageable without being overwhelming or painful. By Monday I need to start on my homework assignment. Yup, I have to do homework. It’s so weird!
I’m looking forward to reading the actual Young Adult novels on our list. There are five all told, only one of which I have even heard of (The Book Thief.) This could be a great opportunity to add to my list of must-read books for young adults.
What list of must-read Young Adult literature, you ask? Why, the one I plan to share tomorrow, of course!
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