This book is a great resource & fantastic read for anyone interested in writing/publishing popular fiction. I participated in a year-long certific...moreThis book is a great resource & fantastic read for anyone interested in writing/publishing popular fiction. I participated in a year-long certification program taught by the author, James Thayer. The book is basically a crystalized version of Thayer's writing courses. I highly recommend the book, as well as the certificate program.(less)
I absolutely love Banana Yoshimoto for her novel writing. And, truth be told, when I grabbed a copy of Lizard at Half Price Books, I thought it was a...moreI absolutely love Banana Yoshimoto for her novel writing. And, truth be told, when I grabbed a copy of Lizard at Half Price Books, I thought it was a novel.
I got home, read the first story, believing it was a chapter in a novel. I got to the second story, and for a minute (or two or three) I was a little confused and disappointed. Not because the writing was bad (it's light and dark and brilliant!) But because I was expecting a novel.
When you are in the mood for a novel, it seems that only a novel will do. Well, I kept reading anyway, because the stories are facinating and beautiful, and I finished the whole book in one sitting. It was worth the momentary disappointment.
All of the stories have intertwining themes (life and death, supernatural, natural world), and Yoshimoto's writing just... floats. I love it.
I saw Mari's post about this one. He said it made him want to write, and I agree. He said it made writing look easy. Yup. It's true.
Good book. I recommend it for a rainy gray day, with a blanket and some tea, mmmm. Oh PNW. So gray. So, so gray.(less)
This pragmatic/cute book of Mom-to-be/Mom essays by Muffy Mead-Ferro is a fast read. I sat in a bookstore for an afternoon, and woosh: finished.
There...moreThis pragmatic/cute book of Mom-to-be/Mom essays by Muffy Mead-Ferro is a fast read. I sat in a bookstore for an afternoon, and woosh: finished.
There are a couple reminders I'll take away from the book: (1) You will never please everyone with your parenting style--don't try; please yourself & do what seems right for your family. Think.For.Yourself. (2) Marketing for kids stuff is MEANT to make you feel like a terrible parent--but you don't need all of that sh*t. ;) Making due with what you have is excellent for your sanity and for your kid(s)'s wellbeing and growth as creative and resourceful humans.
Oh, one more thing. Remember, remember: Kids love playing with/in/on boxes, and they love throwing stones into water. Remember your love of boxes? I still like throwing rocks into rivers... :)(less)
I liked this book fine. It was a good followup to the last book, but still, the two books seem like such filler in the series overall... We'll see if...moreI liked this book fine. It was a good followup to the last book, but still, the two books seem like such filler in the series overall... We'll see if that is the case. I have a feeling the storyline of Pillars of Creation and Naked Empire will be abandoned in the last three books of the series. ;)
**spoiler alert** For the sake of time, I will give 5 things I didn't like and 5 things I did like. Spelling will probably be terrible.
DISLIKED: * The...more**spoiler alert** For the sake of time, I will give 5 things I didn't like and 5 things I did like. Spelling will probably be terrible.
DISLIKED: * The main character of the SERIES is not introduced until around page 637. * Repetative language. There were certain words that really stood out to me because they were used too often in too short a time or were used in a way that was awkward/stood out: "moan" and "beautiful" (which is NOT descriptive) and "momentous" immediately come to mind. * How weak the character description/actions for Jajang are. I understand that Jennsen doesn't know he's the bad guy, but seriously, he's pretty displicable in all of the other books and it doesn't make sense to not give Jennsen more clues around this. * I didn't believe the "chase" scene in Adyndril... really, Jajang is that stupid? I'm not impressed with foolish villains. * The Scooby-Doo ending.
LIKED: * The story stood on its own (since it essentially adds nothing to the series as a whole) and was cleanly wrapped up at the end; related to that, there were a manageable number of characters/POVs so it was easy to keep track of what was going on. * Jennsen's POV was interesting in that her self perception and the perseption that others had of her were mismatch; Goodkind did a good job of showing this. On a related note, I think stunningly attractive characters who don't realize their attractiveness are endearing. * Goodkind left some questions unanswered until the very end and didn't leave us hanging about the missing goat. * Very little back story compared to the other books in the series. * Some good quotes that are philosophically relavant/interesting; continuation of the "freedom" theme from the last book in the series (Faith of the Fallen).(less)
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