Megan Chance's Blog, page 38
May 18, 2012
Interview
Here's the link to a short interview I did at the King County Library's Literary Lions Gala in March. It was short and sweet and fun. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqjS97Hqo4o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqjS97Hqo4o
May 5, 2012
Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini TaylorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A great story. It was (at last!) different without being gratuitously so, with a cool and unusual setting (Prague), well layered, and emotionally satisfying. Karou is a kick-ass heroine with a secret even she doesn't know, and she's also vulnerable and clever. Akiva is a fascinating love interest/antagonist, with a great depth of his own. The conflict in the story feels well-thought out, and the world-building is stellar. I'm really looking forward to the next installment.
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May 2, 2012
Book Review: Imposture
Imposture by Benjamin MarkovitsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a 4.5 star book for me. I really really liked it. I'd read Markovits before and liked him very much. This book is not just about imposture but about self-delusion. It's beautifully written, entirely character-driven, and a very thoughtful meditation on failure and vanity and expectation. The characters are beautifully drawn, with an overlaying aura of melancholy that reminded me of Henry James. I think this will have to go on my favorites shelf.
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April 20, 2012
Blog Radio Interview
This last Tuesday, I did a blog radio talk with Bill Kenower from Author Magazine. Bill's always fascinating to talk with; he's a great interviewer who asks probing questions and has a lot to add to the conversation himself. I had a great time, and the interview is available here for anyone who wants to listen. We're not exactly solving the riddles of the universe, but sometimes we come pretty close.
April 16, 2012
Book Review: The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove by Henry JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So this one falls on the upside of three for me, close to four but not quite there. Call it 3 1/2 to 3 3/4. I'm giving it a four, but ...
In the introduction, it says that James referred to his late style as sub-aqueous--that seems pretty apt to me, though I think it more like swimming through jello--you gain a hold only to realize you're sinking fast. I'm a fast reader, which is a detriment when it comes to James because EVERY WORD MATTERS, which is frankly exhausting. However, the characterizations in this book are fantastic. Kate Croy and Merton Densher are two of the best characters I've read: their fatal flaws--what makes them themselves--force them into actions that have terrible consequences for them emotionally. Milly Theale, however, was a cipher to me. People kept saying how "stupendous" she was, and it wasn't just one person, so I had to imagine it must be true, but I never saw it. She hardly says a word throughout. Milly was at her most stupendous at the end, when her actions can be interpreted in several different lights. I always find moral ambiguity fascinating, and there's a ton of it here if you can get past the circular, drowning writing style.
Though I enjoyed the introduction (and when did it become the style, btw, for introductions to tell one the ENTIRE story? I always save them to read for last because clearly they don't want to wait for me to discover what happens on my own--the very reason I read a story), the footnotes and asterisks in this edition are sometimes laughable. Try this one, for example: Following the sentence "But this imagination--the fancy of a possible link with the remarkable young thing from New York--had mustered courage: had perched, on the instant, at the clearest lookout it could find, and might be said to have remained there till, only a few months later it* had caught, in surprise and joy, the unmistakeable flash of a signal." The asterisk footnote says: "The 'it' refers to Mrs. Stinghams' imagination."
No. Really. This is not the only footnote like this. I found them mostly amusing but unnecessary and sometimes actively annoying.
The characters--James's strength always--completely captivate. But ... there are often too many notes.
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April 13, 2012
Everything Groovy
Now at last, the new cover for A Season in Eden makes its debut right here:
So that's it on the new covers for now--at least until I decide they should be changed again.
For all of you who were waiting for my pithy and illuminating thoughts about my experience at Comic Con, here it is in a nutshell: Interesting.
I'm a geek from way back--I mean, I saw Star Wars 35 times at theaters (paying for it, no less. This was before VCRs or DVDs, I hate to admit. As my daughter said to me: Did you have refrigerators?). I used to read comic books and I've obsessed about Batman. I've been known to read a bit of fan fiction now and then. I read every one of Doc Jensen's columns at Entertainment Weekly obsessing about the philosophy of Lost. These people at Comic Con have nothing on me. And actually, that was the fun part. People in costumes and people completely geeking out in true fanboy-and-girl fashion at the thought of meeting their cult heroes, my daughter included. I mean, I felt sort of at home. While my daughter was busy worrying that I was somehow going to embarrass her beyond all comprehension or recovery (doing what, I wonder? Sprouting wings and prophesizing the coming Rapture? Hey, I refrained from wearing my Frodo Lives hat--what more does she want?), I was busy taking in the scenery. A few Katnisses, stormtroopers, Darth Vaders, Pokeman figures and wizards, one HitGirl, a bunch of people wearing Firefly hats, a couple of Jedi knights and a pirate or two. There were a lot of booths selling comic books and many people who seem to feel that deodorant is merely advisory (so THIS is what the 19th Century smelled like!), but the most lingering and overwhelming impression I had was of lines. Long, long, long lines of people waiting to pay $40 for an autograph or more for a photograph with their favorite star (I tell you, I am in the wrong business). My legs were so sore and tired by the end of it I could barely stand. But it was fun and fascinating, and I'd love to go to one of the bigger ones someday.
Then came a week off--which I have not taken for longer than I care to remember--just to prepare for Passover and Easter, which happened to be ONE day apart this year. So I no sooner recover from gorging on Matzo ball soup and Gefilte fish and macarons with salted caramel filling (okay, mostly those), then I have to turn around and gorge on ham, deviled eggs, coconut cake, frosted jello (a midwestern specialty, attendant at every family reunion and potluck), and Cadbury mini eggs (okay, mostly those). It may take me a year to recover. I don't mind it when the two celebrations are at least a week apart. But this year was seriously overdoing it. I will be taking up my complaints with the lunar calendar--please give me at least seven years before I have to endure such a thing again.
And now ... reading Henry James' The Wings of the Dove, which has curiously escaped my reading list before now. So far, I'm finding it much like Portrait of a Lady, alternately like swimming through half-set jello (obviously a recurring theme today) and fascinating. We'll see how it turns out, but some of these characterizations are completely stunning once one gets past his "late period" style, which I'm not totally a fan of. I am finding it interesting that one of my favorite of James' works is one that wasn't at all popular when he wrote it: The Bostonians. I wonder what that means, if anything. Recently, I very much enjoyed The Aspern Papers and The Turn of the Screw, and Italian Hours, which isn't a novel but a travel guide, and I was feeling very confident in my ability to approach a longer work of his again, which just shows you how foolish I can be. I'll let you know.
Next week I'll begin working on the edit for the newest book, which is tentatively scheduled to be published in early December of this year, and in the meantime, I've started something new which I'm really, really enjoying. There's still plenty of time for it to fall apart completely (which, believe me, it will), but just now I'm possessed with that feeling I always have when embarking upon a new project: hopeful and passionate, which are always good things to feel, particularly with the coming of spring--which I'm also just now starting to feel in my little corner of the world.
And oh ... Game of Thrones ... how breathless you leave me...
So that's it on the new covers for now--at least until I decide they should be changed again.
For all of you who were waiting for my pithy and illuminating thoughts about my experience at Comic Con, here it is in a nutshell: Interesting.
I'm a geek from way back--I mean, I saw Star Wars 35 times at theaters (paying for it, no less. This was before VCRs or DVDs, I hate to admit. As my daughter said to me: Did you have refrigerators?). I used to read comic books and I've obsessed about Batman. I've been known to read a bit of fan fiction now and then. I read every one of Doc Jensen's columns at Entertainment Weekly obsessing about the philosophy of Lost. These people at Comic Con have nothing on me. And actually, that was the fun part. People in costumes and people completely geeking out in true fanboy-and-girl fashion at the thought of meeting their cult heroes, my daughter included. I mean, I felt sort of at home. While my daughter was busy worrying that I was somehow going to embarrass her beyond all comprehension or recovery (doing what, I wonder? Sprouting wings and prophesizing the coming Rapture? Hey, I refrained from wearing my Frodo Lives hat--what more does she want?), I was busy taking in the scenery. A few Katnisses, stormtroopers, Darth Vaders, Pokeman figures and wizards, one HitGirl, a bunch of people wearing Firefly hats, a couple of Jedi knights and a pirate or two. There were a lot of booths selling comic books and many people who seem to feel that deodorant is merely advisory (so THIS is what the 19th Century smelled like!), but the most lingering and overwhelming impression I had was of lines. Long, long, long lines of people waiting to pay $40 for an autograph or more for a photograph with their favorite star (I tell you, I am in the wrong business). My legs were so sore and tired by the end of it I could barely stand. But it was fun and fascinating, and I'd love to go to one of the bigger ones someday.
Then came a week off--which I have not taken for longer than I care to remember--just to prepare for Passover and Easter, which happened to be ONE day apart this year. So I no sooner recover from gorging on Matzo ball soup and Gefilte fish and macarons with salted caramel filling (okay, mostly those), then I have to turn around and gorge on ham, deviled eggs, coconut cake, frosted jello (a midwestern specialty, attendant at every family reunion and potluck), and Cadbury mini eggs (okay, mostly those). It may take me a year to recover. I don't mind it when the two celebrations are at least a week apart. But this year was seriously overdoing it. I will be taking up my complaints with the lunar calendar--please give me at least seven years before I have to endure such a thing again.
And now ... reading Henry James' The Wings of the Dove, which has curiously escaped my reading list before now. So far, I'm finding it much like Portrait of a Lady, alternately like swimming through half-set jello (obviously a recurring theme today) and fascinating. We'll see how it turns out, but some of these characterizations are completely stunning once one gets past his "late period" style, which I'm not totally a fan of. I am finding it interesting that one of my favorite of James' works is one that wasn't at all popular when he wrote it: The Bostonians. I wonder what that means, if anything. Recently, I very much enjoyed The Aspern Papers and The Turn of the Screw, and Italian Hours, which isn't a novel but a travel guide, and I was feeling very confident in my ability to approach a longer work of his again, which just shows you how foolish I can be. I'll let you know.
Next week I'll begin working on the edit for the newest book, which is tentatively scheduled to be published in early December of this year, and in the meantime, I've started something new which I'm really, really enjoying. There's still plenty of time for it to fall apart completely (which, believe me, it will), but just now I'm possessed with that feeling I always have when embarking upon a new project: hopeful and passionate, which are always good things to feel, particularly with the coming of spring--which I'm also just now starting to feel in my little corner of the world.
And oh ... Game of Thrones ... how breathless you leave me...
March 26, 2012
New cover AGAIN
Okay, in the interest of trying everyone's patience, there's a new cover for the ebook of A Candle in the Dark AND a new one coming for A Season in Eden too, though that one is not up yet. Here's the new cover:
I think it's very pretty.
I'm currently reading The Seance by John Harwood, which I'm finding very interesting. I also finished the second in the Chemical Garden YA series by Lauren DiStefano called Fever. I like this series--it's another dystopian world, which I've said before (and will say again) that I'm growing really tired of, but this is an interesting world with some political implications about medicine and ethics. It's also pretty bleak, especially for girls. DiStefano is a good writer who makes you really feel what the main character is feeling, though that character has spent two books now being fairly helpless, and I'd like to see her take up a cudgel.
I've also read Michelle Lovric's Carnivale, which is an older book. I've always liked Lovric; I think she's a writer with a lovely style and vision. I think I would have liked this one better if I hadn't just read Casanova's memoirs and Byron's letters, because what she's really doing is retelling their stories through the eyes of a woman who is mistress to both of them. So it felt very redundant to me. But if you haven't had any exposure to those writings, then I would think the story would be pretty enlightening. Both Byron and Casanova were fascinating men, and well worth reading about. Histories within histories...
Next week, I'm attending my first Comic Con with my youngest daughter, who's chomping at the bit to go. It should be interesting.
Easter AND Passover coming up--both celebrated in our house, and this year only separated by a day. I'm weary just thinking of it...
I think it's very pretty.
I'm currently reading The Seance by John Harwood, which I'm finding very interesting. I also finished the second in the Chemical Garden YA series by Lauren DiStefano called Fever. I like this series--it's another dystopian world, which I've said before (and will say again) that I'm growing really tired of, but this is an interesting world with some political implications about medicine and ethics. It's also pretty bleak, especially for girls. DiStefano is a good writer who makes you really feel what the main character is feeling, though that character has spent two books now being fairly helpless, and I'd like to see her take up a cudgel.
I've also read Michelle Lovric's Carnivale, which is an older book. I've always liked Lovric; I think she's a writer with a lovely style and vision. I think I would have liked this one better if I hadn't just read Casanova's memoirs and Byron's letters, because what she's really doing is retelling their stories through the eyes of a woman who is mistress to both of them. So it felt very redundant to me. But if you haven't had any exposure to those writings, then I would think the story would be pretty enlightening. Both Byron and Casanova were fascinating men, and well worth reading about. Histories within histories...
Next week, I'm attending my first Comic Con with my youngest daughter, who's chomping at the bit to go. It should be interesting.
Easter AND Passover coming up--both celebrated in our house, and this year only separated by a day. I'm weary just thinking of it...
March 4, 2012
Checking In
Finally, things are winding down a little bit and I'm back to reading fiction (can you hear me breathe a sigh of relief?). I expect to finish this leg of editing the new manuscript by the end of this week (though there will be more to come once I get my editorial notes) and I've got a bit more research to do, but I think in a few weeks I'll begin organizing my notes and doing some brainstorming for the upcoming book.
Reading fiction is not only one of my greatest pleasures, but it's also a way to refill the well. Even if an idea doesn't come directly from reading someone else's work, I'm constantly riffing off the things I've learned from a story or the way it's told. It's good, soulful work that has the plus of not being work at all.
I've also managed to do a couple other "feeding the well" sorts of things these last weeks. Seeing movies, for one, catching up on television shows for another, and spending time with family and friends. In that vein, I've got a couple of things to recommend:
I've joined the Downton Abbey craze late, which meant that I ended up watching all of season one in about two days, and most of season two in another two days. Though there's a melodramatic/soap operaish aspect to Downton that I sometimes find disconcerting, I'm certainly never one to turn away from a good melodrama. I've really enjoyed it--more for the atmosphere and dialogue I think than anything. I've also been watching HBO's Luck, which is starting to really grow on me. My husband is a horse-racing fanatic, and we've owned racehorses, so the milieu is familiar. Even so, it's made me look at things I thought I aways knew in a different way.
As far as movies go: I've seen The Artist, which I thought just okay, though I did think Jean DuJardin deserved his Oscar. He had a hard job and he pulled it off beautifully, with charm and charisma. In fact, I thought many of the Oscar contenders this year were just okay--I didn't see The Help, which I think probably deserved to win. My favorite movies this year were The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--I thought both Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig were amazing in it, and The Debt, with Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain--the present day story in that film was flawed, but the past story was just compelling and fascinating. It was a film I didn't expect to love, and yet I did.
The following two entries are for books I've read recently: I've joined Goodreads, so I'll be posting the reviews I do there over here as well. If you're on Goodreads, feel free to join me.
Now ... back to feeding the well.
Reading fiction is not only one of my greatest pleasures, but it's also a way to refill the well. Even if an idea doesn't come directly from reading someone else's work, I'm constantly riffing off the things I've learned from a story or the way it's told. It's good, soulful work that has the plus of not being work at all.
I've also managed to do a couple other "feeding the well" sorts of things these last weeks. Seeing movies, for one, catching up on television shows for another, and spending time with family and friends. In that vein, I've got a couple of things to recommend:
I've joined the Downton Abbey craze late, which meant that I ended up watching all of season one in about two days, and most of season two in another two days. Though there's a melodramatic/soap operaish aspect to Downton that I sometimes find disconcerting, I'm certainly never one to turn away from a good melodrama. I've really enjoyed it--more for the atmosphere and dialogue I think than anything. I've also been watching HBO's Luck, which is starting to really grow on me. My husband is a horse-racing fanatic, and we've owned racehorses, so the milieu is familiar. Even so, it's made me look at things I thought I aways knew in a different way.
As far as movies go: I've seen The Artist, which I thought just okay, though I did think Jean DuJardin deserved his Oscar. He had a hard job and he pulled it off beautifully, with charm and charisma. In fact, I thought many of the Oscar contenders this year were just okay--I didn't see The Help, which I think probably deserved to win. My favorite movies this year were The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--I thought both Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig were amazing in it, and The Debt, with Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain--the present day story in that film was flawed, but the past story was just compelling and fascinating. It was a film I didn't expect to love, and yet I did.
The following two entries are for books I've read recently: I've joined Goodreads, so I'll be posting the reviews I do there over here as well. If you're on Goodreads, feel free to join me.
Now ... back to feeding the well.
The Night Circus
The Night Circus by Erin MorgensternMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If there was a 3 1/2 rating, I'd probably give it to this book, though it's not quite a four. I thought the writing was beautiful (though I have to admit to a certain fatigue with present-tense), and fantastical--and it has the plus of being a great idea. As many of the quotes say, reading this book is like stepping into a dream. Unfortunately, like many dreams, I don't think the book will stay with me. It reminded me of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell--a book I liked much better. The Night Circus has that same sort of feel: it's magical, beautiful, and alluring. However, it's also without real danger or tension, and it's somewhat emotionally inert. I didn't find it boring, however, but I also didn't think much about it when I wasn't reading it, and it wasn't strong enough to knock the book I'd read before (The Sea Wall) from my head. I found the love story not quite compelling enough, and some characters--particularly Celia--were such ciphers I didn't care what happened to them at all. Having said all that, it was an interesting work and I'm glad I read it. I will probably read her next book, assuming there is one.
View all my reviews
February 27, 2012
The Sea Wall
The Sea Wall by Marguerite DurasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've never read Duras before, though I really like the movie "The Lover," which I've seen about a billion times, which is based on her novel (I haven't read that one yet, but it's on my TBR pile). Though it's got a very French sensibility (bleak, nihilistic and materialistic) I actually really liked The Sea Wall, which is set in 1920s French Indochina. I thought the imagery was fantastic, and the characterizations fascinating. It flung me deeply into that time period and place, and the characters weren't always likeable, but they were understandable. The book is really about how hope sustains, and what happens when it's taken away. It was compelling and sad and bittersweet.
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