The Week in Review (or Why I Sort of Reverted Back Into a Hermit This Week)

After a strong run of blogging, I have fallen prey to two weeks of intense work stuff and preparing (feverishly) to go to NEW YORK (screaming inside-in a good way) next week. But in between freaking out and scrambling around the store, I did find a few books to read, and some tv to watch.

I won't bore you with descriptions of all the chocolates/chocolate treats I made [for work] this week, or maybe . . . nah, I'll get distracted if I start with chocolate.

What I read/started reading (all pictures and links are from Goodreads):

The Whispering Skull (Lockwood and Co. #2) by Jonathan Stroud

I read the first one of these as an ARC, and then was bummed to find out it was a series, and that I had to wait for the next one. They are borderline MG/YA ghost hunting/paranormal mysteries that are surprisingly well written. (Why surprisingly? Look at the cover).

The first one was creepier (so far), but I love the ghost hunting team of the mysterious Lockwood, the talented ghost-sensitive Lucy, and the smart but hardly personable George.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

I picked this up randomly, and it is fascinating so far. As the regulars at the store where I work are mainly seniors, this book is one they have been buzzing about. Gawande tackles tough topics with wisdom and good sense, and he isn't afraid to call people out. That being said, this book isn't ranty, but gentle. He looks at both sides of the medicine debate, as well as end of life care, in an easy to follow fashion.

Expiration Day by Willam Campbell Powell

A great premise: People on earth are no longer fertile, so a tech company bio-engineered robots to act/think/look like kids to stop riots. The catch is that these robots have an "expiration day," after their eighteenth year.

I am still only about a third into this. It is a little boring for me, and skews middle grade in the characters/depth, but the plot is interesting enough to keep me going.

Link

Link

As for these two: I just started The Darkest Minds, so all I can say is that the writing draws me in. I finished The Intergalactic Adventures of Queen Bea, but I am still digesting it, and plan on writing a full review.

In the non-reading, non-work world (small part), I managed to get ten pages of writing logged, which is really good for two weeks of crazy. My current project (post-apoc parody/adventure) is still going strong, and I have very good feelings about it. But I have to be careful, and nurse that enthusiasm to the end of the book.

Pippin is cautiously optimistic for me.

When I wasn't writing, I was finally able to catch up with/finish The Flash Season 1, which was excellent. That finale . . .

^Me, seriously impressed by the finale.

Sacrifice, emotions, courage, bad decisions, *so many emotions,* consequences Time Travel, paradoxes, black holes . . . but no spoilers here, you'll have to watch it yourself. However, I have been really impressed with Flash overall, (especially since it is on CW!), and you should definitely check it out if you're into superheroes. 

In that same vein, I finally got around to watching the Legends of Tomorrow trailer (CW spinoff of both Arrow and The Flash) and it looks epic, and cheesy, and epically cheesy. AND RORY WILLIAMS IS A TIME LORD. I am not kidding (hence the all caps).

Okay, so maybe he's Rip Hunter, time traveller (but we all know what that really means). But it is still Arthur Darvill in a cool coat playing mentor to a strange group of heroes (there is time travel!). I am in. Unfortunately, it doesn't premiere until next year. But it is up there with Captain America: Civil War and Agent Carter Season 2 for me (excitement level).

You can't fool me, Rory. 

I still have to catch up on Arrow S3 (more than halfway through). It has had its ups and downs, but I still am really enjoying it.

I must say that DC has thrown the gauntlet for the superhero shows. I still haven't watched MARVEL and Netflix's Daredevil (high on my to-watch list), but I have heard a lot of good things. In my opinion, MARVEL still wins in movies, but DC is ahead in television (at least for now).

So that was a fraction of my week. How about you? Did you find any interesting books? Did you start any new ones. Do you watch superhero shows, or are you 100% done with superheroes in general. If you are a Whovian, what do you think about Arthur Darvill's newest role, and will you watch Legends of Tomorrow?

I am off to BEA next week, so my blogging will probably be nil, but I'll be back after that (hopefully with pictures and adventures!) with books and thoughts to share.

Cheers!

R

Top 10 Authors I'd Like to Meet (Top 10 Tuesday)

It's that time of the week again: Top 10 Tuesday with The Broke and The Bookish. This week's theme is Top 10 Authors you want to meet. 

Seeing as I live in the backend of nowhere, I haven't met a lot of big time or international authors. On the other hand, I have a bunch of Michigan author meetings. Regardless, most of the authors I really want to meet are dead, which is slightly more backend of nowhere than West Michigan.

Well duh

I'm still waiting on the TARDIS, so while the Doctor is off saving the universe, I'll just content myself with a list of living authors I want to meet.
 If any of you have read previous top 10s of mine, you can probably name at least two of them. So I'll start with one that is not Neil Gaiman or Robin McKinley (though their inclusion is inevitable):

1. Matthew Pearl

If you can't actually time travel, there are a few authors that make you feel like you can. Matthew Pearl is one of them. I love his historical fiction. I'm reading The Last Bookaneer right now and it's really good. I am so impressed with his ability to incorporate historical figures and events into his story without changing or contradicting them. The Dante Club is my favorite.

2. Erik Larson

Larson is Pearl's nonfiction equivalent. Erik Larson writes about history like it's a first-rate thriller, weaving events together in a way that only a master of research and words can do. With my keen interest in the past, I love any book that makes you feel there, and Larson's books always do. I would love to learn about all of the things he's researched for his books. (My favorite is Devil in the White City)

3. J. K. Rowling

Do I have to explain? Is there a reader/writer out there who wouldn't like to pick Rowling's brain? Frankly, I'd like to know more about her rejection letters, some of the responses she got from publishers, and why she kept plugging on. I know she's under a lot of popular pressure now that she's crazy famous, and it would be interesting to know if she ever misses anonymity.

This is an awesome Zelda cosplay, btw

Naturally, my favorite is Harry Potter.

4. Marissa Meyer

When I randomly picked up Cinder (confession, it was the cover) and saw that it was a cyborg Cinderella, it was a rare insta-buy moment for me. I hadn't heard anything about it, but you can't get more up my alley than a cyborg, fairytales, and space combo. The anime influences were a bonus. I'd like to meet Marissa because we like a lot of the same things, and she seems like such a cool person, so open and fun. I'm not sure which one of the Lunar Chronicles I like best, but I am very excited about Winter, and I can't wait to see what Meyer comes up with next.

5. Neil Gaiman

Awesome picture credit here

I envy every one of you that lives in a major city, because you've probably had a chance to meet Neil Gaiman. Honestly, I'd rather have tea and chat with him than most authors. He is fabulous on the radio, so funny and engaging. I love his novels, and I would be honored to "talk shop" with him. But I'd settle for just meeting him and telling him what an impact his words have had on me (I'm sure that gets old, but what can you do?).

6. Jonathan Maberry

This picture is epic

Jonathan Maberry convinced me to read not one, but 5+ zombie novels. I liked every one of them. That was a major accomplishment. The mixture of action, thrills, philosophy, humor, heart, and wonderful characters in his novels got me (even though I don't care for zombies). I would like to hear more about why Maberry likes zombies (who knows, he might convince me?), his thoughts on real-world Bushido and samurai history, and I'm not sure if I want to thank him or curse him for Tom Imura.* 

7. Robin McKinley

Even if you are a very casual Robin McKinley reader, I dare you to not enjoy her blog. She is a fabulous writer, and her wry sense of humor is in full force on her blog. 

As for her novels, there isn't much I haven't already said: I love them. They are lifelong favorites, and I'd love to tell her that in person. My favorite is still The Hero and the Crown, although Chalice is a close second.

8. Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke, of course, wrote one of my all-time favorite novels, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. If no one has convinced you to read it, then read this lovely BBC article and reconsider. Susanna Clarke is funny and smart, well read, loves magicians, and is very interested in history. Why wouldn't I want to meet her?

For more of his work click here

9. D. M. Cornish

Though he is currently in between projects (I think), I love the layered world of Cornish's Monster Blood Tattoo series.

In addition to writing a fantasy series with a rich world and fascinating characters, D. M. Cornish can draw. The series ( a bit like Oliver Twist with monster hunters and the moors of a Bronte novel) is completely illustrated by Cornish. Which is awesome.

10. Megan Whalen Turner

I don't really know much about Megan Whalen Turner besides the basics. What I do know is that she wrote one of my favorite series in the history of the world: The Queen's Thief series. I love her characters, her writing style, and again, her love of history. I'd like to sit down and get all the details on the series, the characters, and her inspiration. 

So that's all for this week. Did you have any of the same authors, or have you met any of them? Which authors would you like to meet and why?

Cheers!

Footnotes:

*

Doctor Who and My First Book Signing

A year ago, my lovely sister-in-law (follow her wonderful blog Freckles and Fireflies here*) Erin told me about an interesting post on her Facebook wall: someone was looking for Christian writers who also happened to love Doctor Who. Doctor Who is, of course, the amazing and quirky BBC sci-fi show that has been going strong for over 50 years (!). Since I fit into this very specific category, Erin passed on some contact info, and I wrote an essay.

And then, I basically forgot about it until the beginning of this year, when I got an email announcing the book launch party was scheduled for March 26th,** in Lancaster, PA.

The FB event poster.

Well, I live in West Michigan, which puts Lancaster at about 10 hours away. I thought, "Maybe next time," but then things worked out, I rented a car, and managed to make my very first book signing, as an author! This is a big milestone (after all, it's what I'd like to do for the rest of my life!), and I had a blast on my whirlwind drive to the east. My only regret was that I didn't have more time to sightsee or spend with the lovely people I met (or to take a detour down to Baltimore and go exploring!).

My drive from Ann Arbor (where I stopped for an ABA meeting) was pretty uneventful, even dull, but I had forgotten how lovely southeast Pennsylvania was. The mountains aren't huge here, but they are blue and hazy, and get The Hobbit's "Misty Mountains" song adequately stuck in your head.***

Maybe it's just me, but I'll take any bit of the mountains I can get

Anyhow, I also got to drive through tunnels. WHEEEEEEEE! (I honestly love them). After the fun of the tunnels, I had to stop and take a pretty picture of the backdrop:

It's hard to capture the size/scale from a parking lot, but what can you do. It's still pretty though.

So, anyway, after miles of driving (and lots of BBC news), I finally pulled into a drizzly Lancaster. I met my host Tom Becker (check out his cool ministry here), and then made myself at home.
I spent the next day exploring Lancaster with my friend Claire and her precious son, John. I sort of forgot (for real) that my phone has a camera until too late. As it was, I only got a few pics of historic, downtown Lancaster before it was time to go to the book signing. Here are few of the cool pictures I did take:

The Shippen House

That door though . . .

After the wandering, we ate a fabulous dinner and walked to the signing.The book signing was at an amazing old bank turned performance venue, the Lancaster Trust

Image taken from DiscoverLancaster.com

The talk was by Gregory Thornbury, president of Kings College in New York (and one of the book editors), and it was fantastic! From the fifth commandment to the Doctor's genesis, Mr. Thornbury was enthusiastic, varied, and a great speaker. He might have gotten me into Doctor Who if I wasn't already.

After the talk was the most exciting part: the book signing! At the store where I work, I've handled my fair share of these, from setting up to selling an author's books, but this was my first time on the other side of the table. It felt amazing, and I can't wait to do it again. Though the book has fourteen essays, there were only a handful of us in attendance, but it was still great. That's me in the center with the book (yellow leggings!).

The book is full of fascinating essays on everything from Prayer to Temptation to the Sanctity of Life (mine!), explored through Doctor Who. It's called Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who, and it's published through Square Halo books. You can read more about it here. You can also check out their cool blog Christianity and Doctor Who.

I am now an officially published author. How is that for a weekend?

Footnotes:

*Erin is a funny, talented writer. Follow her.

**March 26th, 2015 was a significant date because (drumroll) it was 10 years ago that day that the 9th Doctor and the reboot catapulted the show into the 21st century.

***I think that song is one thing book people, movie people, and people who had their dad sing it to them in a made-up tune all agreed on. Every version I've heard sounds a lot like this.