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Reading, Writing, Pondering: Big Life Themes, Literature, Contemporary/Historical Issues |
 Welcome to the 14th century, in a farflung outpost of the Holy Roman Empire, and a new Convent outpost of the terrrifically powerful Roman Catholic Church. Sound historically dull? Hopefully not so--for this is NOT an ordinary 14th Century Convent. Back after a six-year hiatus.... From NaNoWriMo historical Supernatural novels in Scotland, Michigan, South Alabama and historical horror in Standwood Station, GA-to the Phantom Northern Woods-to singlehandedly refighting the American Civil War-to exploring Social Justice and standing for First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution-we deal out horror, Supernatural, Historical, fantasy, mystery, and more. We do not fear outspokeness. And always, always, always, We Do History. Find it here. We write it. We read it. We hold strong opinions. We orate. Meanwhile, whether we're writing or just reading, we love to rave about books and authors right here!  |
| This week's haul of out-of-town Library reserves was a big one-27 books, including: horror-Sarah Rayne, House of the Lost (I am a total Sarah Rayne fanatic and one of my goals is to own all her books), Brian Keene's The Rising (and the others available by Mr. Keene are either in transit or newly on reserve (smile) Robert McCammon, Usher's Passing (for a reread) Stephen King, Salem's Lot (for a reread-reread The Complete Uncut The Stand a few weeks ago, watching part of the miniseries about every day, going to will myself to somehow read Desperation, and counting the days till November when his new "11/22/63" is released. Wish I could get his ebook, "Mile 81.") Mysteries: Susan Hill, The Shadows in the Street (latest, I believe, in the wonderful Simon Serrailler series) Karen Rose, Count to Ten (thriller) Karen Rose, I'm Watching You Andrew Taylor, The Lover of the Grave (who could resist that title? not me) Tom Fanklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (another interesting title) most recent 2 Sarah Graves "Home Repair is Homicide" Maine mystery series three of a Nancy Pickard series latest Nevada Barr in the Anna Pigeon series I posted this on Facebook at The Reader's Nook-Horror and Supernatural  |
I had stopped writing in June due to illness and health concerns, but today I've been feeling the compulsion to start back up. Around the end of May, while watching (again) the film "When A Stranger Calls Back," I conceived a plot twist based on the film, and expanding on the early part of it (the babysitter, the parents, specifically the missing children). Today I felt as if it had to be written  so I worked on it some today and will start writing in earnest tomorrow.Books read: 20-21 July: Val McDermid, Blue Genes (Kate Brannigan Series) 22 July: Sarah Langan, Audrey's Door 24 July: edited Marcia Talley, Mulitple Authors, Naked Came the Phoenix (a serial mystery) 24 July: Jonathan Maberry, Rot and Ruin 25 July: Jonathan Maberry, The Wolfman 25 July: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Gideon's Sword |
| 11 July: Jenna Black. Shadowspell, 11 July: Patricia Cornwell, At Risk 11 July: Patricia Cornwell, The Front 11 July: Val McDermid, The Distant Echo 13 July: Val McDermid, A Place of Execution 16 July: Dean Koontz, Dead Town/Frankenstein Book Five 17 July: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Fever Dream 19 July: Leon Festinger, et. al., When Prophecy Fails 19 July: Ian McDonald, Evolution's Shore 19 July: Val McDermid, A Darker Domain 19 July: Douglas Preston, Impact (Wyman Ford Book Three) 20 July: Douglas Preston, Blasphemy (Wyman Ford Book Two) |
| 1 July: finished Jonathan Maberry, The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger Series Book Three)** 1-2 July: read Alden Bell, The Reapers are the Angels* 2 July: Guillermo Del Torro and Chuck Hogan, The Strain (Book One)** 400 pp. (= 525 pp. today) 3-4 July: Justin Cronin, The Passage* 4-5 July: Val McDermid, The Grave Tattoo* 5-8 July: Stephen King, The Stand (The Complete and Uncut Edition, 1990)** 8 July: Daniel H. Wilson, Robopocalypse 8 July: C. L. Bevill, Bayou Moon 9 July: S.K. Epperson, The Moons of Summer 9-10 July: S. J. Bolton, Now You See Me** 10 July: David Wong, John Dies At the End Again, * denote Special Recommends. Note also, I seem to be on a post-apocalyptic theme; my next choice will be "Evolution's Shore," Ian McDonald. Will update Book Log probably on July 20. |
| June-Books Read Laura Lippman, Life Sentences (read Lippman's "I'd Know You Anywhere," "What the Dead Know," "Every Secret Thing" in May) S. K. Epperson, Green Lake** (read Epperson's "Borderland" in May) S. K. Epperson, The Neighborhood* S. K. Epperson, Brother Lowdown Chevy Stevens, Still Missing* Richard Laymon, The Woods Are Dark Val McDermid, Killing the Shadows ** S. K. Epperson, Nightmare Philip Reeve, "Fever Crumb"*** Helen Grant, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden *** Jonathan Maberry, "The Dragon Factory"** Jonathan Maberry, "The King of Plagues"** Asterisks indicate Special Recommends  |
| If you haven't read "Glimmerglass," please do. I usually avoid Faery novels, but this one is so well-written, fast-paced, with good insight into characterization. I couldn't put it down. This is "Faeriewalker" Book One-can't wait for the sequel. Author Jenna Black makes the Fae world seem real, and its crossover point at Avalon, England, fascinating. http://www.amazon.com/Glimmerglass-Faeriewalker-Book-Jenna-Black/dp/0312575939 Just finished David Robbins' "Spectre," an actually literate horror novel which takes pathways through, of all things, Tantric Buddhism and Satanism, adolescents, a single mom with five to raise, a retiring police detective, a grizzly washed-out cemetery caretaker, and much more. Fast-paced, gory, but well worth the read. Started Martin J. Smith's first novel, "Time Release," which spins out the Tylenol cyanide poisonings with a whole new view and emphasises the repressed memory controversy: are they real? are they implanted? Engaging plotting and characters make this one a winner, too. |
| I kept up with this blog on a daily basis. However, in late January Real Life pulled out the rug from under me-almost literally. Due to a household fall on Jan. 27, I had a hip fracture. On Feb. 15 I had a total hip replacement; and on Feb. 18, gall bladder surgery which also included the removal of 8 gall stones from my liver. THAT required some recuperation! Thankfully, my recovery has been swift and prompt, and I progressed from fearing I would never walk again, to using a walker, to using a cane (and often forgetting where I leave the cane ). The other good news is that on March 31, I began novelling again-picking up the novel on which I had written 21 chapters between March 21 and 31 2010, and had put aside to write a stage play for April 2010 Script Frenzy. So I've written daily since then and will be participating in the monthly Book in A Week Challenge again (beginning tomorrow, April 4) at www.book-in-a-week.com. It's a wonderful feeling to be writing-and reading-again!! |
| By Lennore Penmore, in Secrets of the Narrative Arts, 1892 (quoted as Chapter 35 epigram in Robin Paige, Death at Gallows Green: Novel writers are a devious lot. Just when the question seems resolved and the answers all known (or nearly all), a new difficulty is often introduced, startling the reader out of his complacency and throwing order into chaos once again." |
| Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. God enters by a private door into every individual. He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. |
| "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) |
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