Follow Friday

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. LINKY TOOLS IS BACK! I paid for the subscription - finally so now you can add the links to your own post!!! To add the code to your own post click on GET THE CODE here under the list of names.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: Today’s Question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share.

Sneaking some reading time at work while boss is at lunch!

I haven't participated in FF for some time but love seeing everyone and what they are reading!



Wednesday Writing - Nano Time!

So Wednesday is my official writing update day. I have so many story projects going on and I need a push to get some done. So I will be trying to post each Wednesday about how my writing adventures are going (and I may need a swift kick in the pants by you guys sometimes).

Current Active Project:

The New Old Home - 6,529 words

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery, but what would you do with that money? That is the question presented to Natalie, when she is at the lowest point in her life, she is presented with an opportunity to make any normal person's dreams come true, but all those winnings can't give her what she wants most.

Other Works in Progress:

Princess Bs - 32,131 words

A story about a woman, recently divorced and returned to her home town to figure out what is next. She encounters an old friend and spends a weekend with him and his daughters. Feelings that are long since buried are rising up again, but are her recent loss and his current life going to stand in the way of their happily ever after?

Tamlyn Marie's Grace - 12,072 words

Think Cinderella only with a matchmaker ;)

 

The Last Mountains - 15,352

A equine shapeshifting family is being hunted to near extinction and the young new leader must go against all her lessons and approach the elite council for aide. Will they help her? How will she keep her family's traditions and values alive, let alone her herd?

Night Rider - 17,229

Alice is a recent high school graduate who is a very accomplished competitive rider in Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, and Western/Rodeo. Her parents had arranged for her to attend a private college on the east coast geared specifically to equine professions. However, Alice wants to focus on her studies in English Literature. When she arrives at the college she hides her riding abilities, but can she keep her talent and love of horses hidden?

Other Ideas Plotting:

Bloodsoar's Story

A pegasus struggles through life, ejected from the herd, near capture by humans.

The Assassin's Assassin

A student learns what the school is really teaching and sets out to destroy those who support the program.

 

 

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You see that?! Check out that word count for yesterday! I think that is the best start I have ever had, now if only I can keep up the pace and get a couple of thousand each day, I might actually make it!!

 

 

So I want to hear what you guys listen to while you are writing. I know some people need complete silence but I like to have music playing, kind of like the score of a movie, it creates emotions and paints pictures for me.  I generally try to make a soundtrack to each of the books I work on to evoke the needed emotions.

 

I am still working on my soundtrack to New Old Home but I will list some of the albums I have pulled from so far. . .

 

Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack

Lord of the Dance Soundtrack

Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse musical scores

Braveheart Soundtracks

Josh Gracin

Darryl Worley

Rigoletto Soundtrack

The Black Ghosts

Guns and Roses

Alicia Keyes

Night Castle - Transiberian Orchestra

 

So there is a little teaser for you of what I use to set the mood for my writing. As you can see I love using soundtracks and musical scores from movies because they are mostly instrumental, but sometimes you need words to the songs to work with too.

 

So lets here your song lists!

Top Ten Emotional Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
Don't forget to add your link and visit other Top Ten lists!

 

 

So again I don't participate in Top Ten Tuesday often but what a great list?! The top ten books that we had strong emotions over.  What a great way to find new powerful books to read?!

 

My Top Ten:

1.  Rhiannon's Ride Trilogy by Kate Forsyth - was on my last top ten list but it made me feel so many emotions, including anger at my poor hubby

 

2. Fire by Kristin Cashore - I got very emotionally involved with Fire in this one, I felt her anguish and confusion and a whole other mess of emotions.

 

3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - had my heart racing through almost the whole book, too bad the next two didn't live up to those same expectations.

 

4. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - how could this book not make it on my list, it made me cry tears of joy and sorrow.

 

5. Dewey the Small Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron - another book that made me cry, thank goodness I listened to it on CD otherwise I wouldn't have been able to read the words.

 

6. If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman - just wow, so much emotion packed into these two books.

 

7. Pegasus by Robin McKinley - with such strong world building and character building its near impossible not to go through the emotions.

 

8. Divergent by Veronica Roth - another heart hammering book!

 

Hmm I can't seem to think of two more but I am sure they are out there, but these are the few that stand out the most in my mind.  So how about you? What books made you feel strong emotions?

Poetry Pause: A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

I am working in the poetry section of my own 2011 Reading Challenge. I had planned on posting the poems for you to join me in reflecting on them; however, I am not entirely certain on the copyright laws regarding some of the poets we will read. So to be on the safe side I decided to try to link you to the poem I will be reading.

Another option, if you are looking to purchase a book of poetry, I suggest Half Hours with the Best Poets (Barnes & Noble or Amazon)

This is a fantastic collection of poems, nearly all of my top poems are in this one book!

So the next poem is

A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

The title link with take you to the poem

I do love Poe's writing and poems but in my opinion this one doesn't earn a top spot. This poem definitely evokes some powerful emotions as it talks about the end of a dream in symbolism of the end of ones life. The imagery of one standing on the shore with grains of sand slipping through their fingers no matter how hard you try  to hang onto them is beautiful and yet heartbreaking. It seems as though looking back on your life as you near the end, all the bad things disappear and you remember the beautiful times that made your life just like a dream you don't want to end. A very beautiful and powerful poem but not my favorite.

With that we conclude our Poetry Pause sections for the 2011 Challenge. I may continue to take a pause every once in a while to share another poem with you but it wont be a constant. Hope you enjoyed this brief poetry time!

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

What I Read Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

 

The Dragon Who Loved Me by G.A. Aiken

Taste Me by Tamara Hogan

Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmondy

Divergent by Veronica Roth (review will be posted after book club meets)

 

Currently Reading:

Sabriel by Garth Nix - PB - on page 231 of 496

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke - PB - on page 18 of 348

A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin - on my Nook, page 20 of 1439

 

Next Books to be Read:

Catundra by Stephen Cosgrove - Childrens/Bedtime stories

Holes by Lewis Sachar - Middle Reader/ 2011 Challenge

A Dream Within A Dream by Poe - Poetry/ 2011 Challenge

 

 

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So reading will slow way down this month as I put my energy into finally winning Nanowrimo! I am going to try to finish Sabriel tonight while passing out candy, kind of an appropriate Halloween book don't you think? I will try to get the Bedtime Stories going again since they are easy reads and maybe when I need a break finish reading the Middle Reader Challenge.

 

Review of Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmondy

Synopsis: "In a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse, life is harsh. And for Elspeth Gordie, it is also dangerous. That's because Elspeth has a secret: she is a Misfit, born with mysterious mental abilities that she must keep hidden under threat of death. And her worries only multiply when she is exiled to the mountain compound known as Obernewtyn, where—for all her talents—Elspeth may finally and truly be out of her depth. Then she learns she’s not the only one concealing secrets at Obernewtyn."

My Review: This one was okay, didn't really suck me in or connect me with the characters. I think that this book was a lot of world building, background information and planning. It didn't really get good or exciting until the last 2 or 3 chapters. I am sure that now all the ground work is done the rest of the series will pick up pace, but this was a little too much info dump in one book with not enough excitement or action. The characters didn't jump out at me, they all seemed average even though they had misfit skills. I didn't feel bad when bad things happened or happy when good things happened. I did start to like Rushton towards the end, so hopefully the characters develop more of a personality in the next book.        

My Rating: Unfortunately I have to give this one a rating of Two Paws. It didn't capture my interested, but I will continue the series since it comes so highly recommended by a fellow book blogger ;)