Life And Other Things

I feel like I'm finally making a little bit of progress in life! I was contacted by a friend of a friend of my mom's who is a private practice counselor who was kind enough to offer me a little bit of advice on the job hunt, etc. The friend of my mom's sent him a copy of my resume and he said that he was very impressed by it...but where I may be running into a road block with not finding a job is that I don't mention anything about licensure on my resume. So after back and forth emails, I've now begun the licensure process for my LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)! So I can now put on my resume that I'm "license eligible" which will hopefully open up some more doors for me since employers will see that I am indeed working my way towards becoming licensed. He said that he would think that people could figure that out since I have clinical experience and a Masters in counseling, but you never know. He was also kind enough to offer me a little bit of work! It's not much and I'm still very much on the lookout for a job....and nothing's definite yet, but he said that he does see some adolescents and if I'm interested, we can get together for lunch when I get back from Texas and talk about me maybe seeing a couple of his clients on a very part time basis. This would probably be just 2 or 3 clients a month, but it would give me some practice and some supervision which would be great! Very nice man!

In other news, I'm trying to cut back on my coffee drinking....ok, trying to cut back on my coffee BUYING. Here's the deal: I worked at a coffee shop for 5 years which caused a very bad coffee addiction. The result is that I now only drink coffee shop coffee, which is expensive. I've got it down to two a day, and now I'm trying to get it down to one a day. I usually have an iced coffee in the morning from one coffee shop and an iced latte in the afternoon from another coffee shop. Cutting out the iced latte as it's a little more expensive. So for the second night in a row, I successfully turned my car around as I was headed towards the coffee shop and instead came home and drank a Coke Blak...which is really good by the way...it's a strangely delicious mix of Coke and Black Coffee....trust me on this one, it works.

Currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger on Carl's and many others recommendations and it really is a wonderful book. I was hooked immediately....like on page 1 immediately. What a fascinating book. I don't know if this is the best book in the world for me to read right now as it made me desperately miss Megan even more than I already do, but I can't resist it. I think it actually shows how wonderful of an author Niffenegger is that I could find Megan and myself in her pages. She captures the essence of love perfectly...that comfortableness in memories and that pain of being away from the person you love. But I'll be traveling to Megan in two weeks and I can't wait to just have some us time....so instead of wallowing in my own self pity while reading this book, I'm enjoying it for the wonderful story that it is :)

Speaking of wonderful stories (don't you love the random flow of this post) Orson Scott Card has published the latest issue of his online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show. For those who have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I'm slightly obsessed with this man. This is his online magazine of fiction...and it's only $2.50 an issue!! This issue is amazing! There is a brand new short story by Peter Beagle in it, a brand new interview with Peter Beagle, A new Ender short story by Orson Scott Card, and essay on Snape from Harry Potter by Orson Scott Card, and numerous other short stories by other great authors. I've bought every issue so far, and they are all amazing...worth so much more than $2.50...I guess that's the beauty of an online magazine...no printing costs!

I would also like to point you to Orson Scott Card's latest weekly review column. He reviews The Prestige and The Illusionist and I enjoyed his comments on both.

And one final thing and I swear I'll shut up for the night...this was just too cool. So, I'm at Border's last night looking for the new Stardust hardcover (which still isn't out) and I come across the coolest art book. It's The Art of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire! This book is incredible! No, I didn't buy it because the only copy they had was beat up, but they have all these great drawings by incredible artist and quite a few drawings by Charles Vess!!! I had no idea that Vess did any Song of Ice and Fire art. It was great to see some of the characters translated by an artist. There was a wonderful picture of Daenerys and a great one of Jon as well among so many others. 192 pages of art. I'll definitely be picking this one up soon.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Every now and then I come across a story that just brings a smile across my face, a story that is heart warming and classic. Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux is one of these stories. The complete title is The Tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. It's perfectly illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering.

DiCamillo opens her story with the following beautiful passage:

"The world is dark, and light is precious.
Come closer dear reader.
You must trust me.
I am telling you a story."

And she proceeds to do so. Despereaux Tilling is the only surving member of his mothers litter. His ears are too big, his body is too small, and he is very un-mouselike. Instead of munching on books, Despereaux would rather read them. He reads a fantasy tale of a night in shining armor who rescues a princess and falls in love and then meets his own princess...and he falls in love with her. But he socializes with her when he is not supposed to and is rejected by the other mice. Meanwhile, we meet a rat who loves the light when he should only love the dark of the dungeons, and we meet a young girl named Miggery Sow who has never been asked what she wants and has been rejected and abused by everyone she has known.

What DiCamillo has given to children and adults alike is a story of overcoming boundaries. This is a powerful book. It is a book of finding strength in times of hopelessness, of finding light when there is only darkness. She doesn't sugar coat the world for her young readers. She admits that there is evil in the world and she acknowledges that open faced. But she offers a beacon of hope to youth who can relate to those characters. She teaches us what empathy is in this book, and paints that picture of seeing a situation from a certain person's viewpoint well.

This was a beautiful book and highly entertaining. I was so happy to read a book that faced issues full force and handled them appropriately. As a counselor, I can see this book being used in a therapeutic way as well, and I'm sure it has been. I look forward to reading more of DiCamillo's work. There was an excerpt from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at the end of this book, and I think that may be the next book I read of hers.

This is the first book I read for the Newbery challenge and I agree 100% with the decision to give this book the Newbery award.

Hanging Out With The Dream King

If you need me, Me and Neil’ll be
Hanging out with the Dream King…
-Tori Amos, Tear In Your Hand

I’ve often felt that I should have the above quote made into a sign that I can hang on my door while I’m reading. My love affair with Neil Gaiman’s writing started about 10 years ago. I was a pseudo-depressed goth kid who dressed in all black and liked to burn patchouli incense in my room. On the recommendation of friend, I picked up a copy of Good Omens and fell in love with it instantly. I was familiar with Neil’s Sandman comics and the wonderful artistry that went along with it, but I was unaware that he had published a novel!

Good Omens had a theme of angels and devils at work after the birth of the Antichrist and the coming of the apocalypse; all done in the most humorous of fashions. What I loved about this book is that it was all set in the world around me. It was in my own backyard. Not literally, but it was in someone’s backyard. It’s a theme that travels through all of Neil’s works. It’s part of what makes his work special to me. Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Good Omens, and Coraline, all take place in our own towns and cities – places we travel every day.

Neil invites us to look for the fantastic in the world around us. Sure, we may not find a London Below quite like the one that Richard Mayhew finds….We may not go on quite the adventure that Shadow does in American Gods, but the fantastic awaits us in everyday life if we invite it to find us. I would love, for example, to travel the streets of London and visit London underground with a copy of Neverwhere. Or take a long road trip around America with a copy of American Gods. Gaiman has set up the experience…all we need is to suspend disbelief and a little imagination.

It is that invitation to the fantastic that I most admire about Neil Gaiman. Gaiman has a gift that I have not yet found in any other author. There’s a sense of magic in each project that he produces. That magic might be found in a house on a rock in America, or it may be found in a more mythical land such as Faerie, or even in the walls of a girl's bedroom where wolves have been hiding. That magic is always there in Neil's books. And it's portrayed so elegantly and in such a captivating way.

I keep a book of quotes; a book that I write down favorite passages in. When I’m reading Neil Gaiman books, I rarely transcribe passages into it. The reason being, I would literally copy the whole book! I felt this way most with American Gods. There was one passage in particular that gave me chills like no other ever has and I’d like to share it with you. It ends Chapter 5 of American Gods…the chapter where Shadow is in the House on the Rock:

“Shadow heard himself laugh, over the sound of music. He was happy. It was as if the last thirty-six hours had never happened, as if the last three years had not happened, as if his life had evaporated into the daydream of a small child, riding the carousel in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, on his first trip back to the States, a marathon journey by ship and by car, his mother standing there, watching him proudly, and himself sucking his melting Popsicle, holding on tightly, hoping the music would never stop, the carousel would never slow, the ride would never end. He was going around and around and around again…

Then the lights went out, and Shadow saw the gods.”

There’s magic in that passage and the scenes that follow it. There’s magic in many quotes of his.

Neil has collaborated with so many wonderful creative forces and through those collaborations has created amazing works of art. These include collaborations and inspirations with Dave McKean, Charles Vess, Terry Pratchett, Lisa Snellings-Clark, Tori Amos, Terri Windling, and a rumored collaboration now with Guillermo Del Toro to produce Death: The High Cost of Living into a motion picture!

Neil’s latest collaboration, and the original reason for this post, is with Michael Reaves, a writer for Star Trek: TNG and the author of the upcoming Star Wars: Death Star. The result of the collaboration is the new novel, Interworld. Interworld revisits Neil’s idea of duality in existence. It is the story of Joey Harker, a young boy who is particularly skilled at getting lost. He soon finds himself more lost than he’s ever been as he soon exists in more than one dimension…more than one world…and there are more than one versions of himself. Joey is a Walker, a person who is able to walk in and out of different planes of existence, and he's one of the best around, totally unbeknown to himself. He soon finds himself in worlds that are fascinating, new, and dangerous. There are forces out there though that could use a skilled Walker...it is the job of Interworld to keep these forces at bay and to keep the altiverse balanced. This is for sure the most Sci-fi of Gaiman's books and feels a little different than his books normally do. The story is told from a first person point of view which was also different…but I enjoyed it. Overall, I liked this book! It’s not my favorite Gaiman, it took awhile to get into, and I think the collaboration was a little strange; but once I finally got into it (about 100 pages in), it really grabbed me and kept hold! I think this may have been more of a Michael Reaves’ book due to the amount of sci-fi, though I’m not certain on that, so don't quote me. It's no American Gods or Neverwhere, but it's a fun read and it kept my interest. The cover art is wonderful and is done by James Jean. Oh...and I'd love to have a pet Hue!

Gaiman has proved himself to be quite a force in literature, comics, and now in cinema! I’m so happy for both him and Charles Vess for the upcoming release of the Stardust film and am extremely excited about the new illustrated hardback being released. Also on the way are Neil’s adaptation of Beowulf and in 2008 we will see Coraline brought to the screen. Interworld has also been optioned by Dreamworks animation to be made into a film. Neil has also done the English adaptation of Princess Mononoke and of course there was the beautiful collaboration between him and Dave McKean, Mirrormask in 2005.

Where the road will lead him in the future…who knows? But we can be sure the journey will be filled with beautiful words and realized dreams.

A Day Of New Things

Yes, today was a day of new things and those things actually did not include books! Can you believe it? They did however include poppets, a little blue one to be exact - and he (yes, I've decided that he is indeed a male) seems to be fitting right in and has paired up nicely with the others. He seems to be quite gloomy, but I'm starting to think that it may just be a scheme to get all of the little red lady poppets to come around and cheer him up...which they seem to be doing. This may lead to little baby purple poppets. There's an idea Lisa ;)

The other thing that I received in the mail today....well dammit, ok..it did include books! But not the kind you read, the kind you write in. My absolutely beautiful journal, created by Stormfilled made it all the way from the UK to my home here in New Orleans. I'm in love with this thing. I can't stop smelling it and flipping through the pages. Her books are made from some of the most high quality leather that I've seen, very soft and it's supposed to age and become even more soft as it does so. The inside has beautiful blue marbled end sheets with a ribbon bookmark, high quality paper, and my favorite part is the leather tie on the outside to keep it closed. If you're in the market for a journal I highly recommend her. These are literally the most beautiful books I've ever seen. Her website is Blackthorn Workshops and you can get more info on her books there. Amazing work!

Now I just don't know what to do with my new journal. My original plan was to write my NaNoWriMo novel in it, but that delusion has just about gone out of my head. Writing 50,000 words by hand in a month is just a tad ludicrous. My hands are hurting just thinking of typing 50,000 words in a month, much less hand writing them. So, ideas, suggestions? I don't want it to be just another journal...I want to do something special with this one. Maybe I'll save it for another Novel idea down the line when I decide to take longer than a month to write one. I was thinking of a new quotes journal, but that's boring. I have a normal notebook that I use for that. Or maybe I'll save it for the Asian and European tour that I'll never go on. Who knows....

I've had a pesky migraine all day which finally knocked me out at about 7:00. I then proceeded to sleep until 10:30 and am now wide awake. Who knows what time I'll finally go back to bed. I'll probably fall asleep as the sun comes up. Lets hope that's not the case. We have a full moon tonight and it's gorgeous. It's one of the brightest moons I've seen in a long time. The night is especially clear tonight which is strange for New Orleans...it's usually quite muggy, humid, smoggy, and cloudy. But not tonight. Migraine is gone now though...so I'll play in blog land for awhile. If I left short or cranky comments on anyones blog earlier, I apologize...it's the headaches fault...unless your name's tuffy...then it's my fault.

Good, Bad, And Just Plain Ugly

I had a couple of web wanderings that I wanted to share with everyone...

Lets start with the ugly, shall we. This just infuriated me, and I really shouldn't even be giving this idiot the attention that he/she is looking for, but I'd appreciate it if you would go chime in. This blogger decided to write a post insulting the Once Upon A Time Challenge and our wonderful host. Got my blood boiling and I had my own little comment to share. Carl's comment said it perfectly. I wish I had the gift of words that he does! What a moron...not you Carl, the idiot wrote the post :p

Here's the Good! I don't know if I should post this...it may insult the above blogger. Kim at Honeyed Words posted quite the cool recipe yesterday. She made sci-fi themed party food including Oozing Flying Saucers and Tentacle Creatures and Jell-O Blob Monsters! You must check out her post. I loved it! Her blog is great by the way if you don't already read it. She posts wonderful book reviews along with mouth-watering recipes. Very unique!

That's all I really have...today's been quite the quiet day....a day of reading and just sitting at home. No job still, no calls, no anything....the hunt continues!

Merry Christm...er Neil Day!!

Last night I could not fall asleep. No, it was not because I kept thinking of all of the horrible things that the dentist was going to do to me this morning (which actually wasn't too bad), it was because of new Neil Gaiman books!! The long wait is over and I am now the proud owner of 2 (yes, only 2) brand new, hardcover, first edition, Neil Gaiman books.

The first is Interworld, a Young Adult novel written by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves and is apparently about a boy at war against himself in two different dimensions of reality. At least that is what I gather from the jacket flap. I may be totally wrong about that. We shall see.

The second book is M is for Magic and is a collection of short stories for children. Most of these have been published before, but it's a great collection and the cover is wonderful. I have another signed, numbered, limited edition of this book coming to me later from Subterranean Press!

A word to the wise. If you go to Barnes and Noble to buy these, don't freak out if you can't find them in the fantasy/sci-fi section. I found Interworld in the Teen section and M is for Magic in the Children's section. So I suggest you look there.

While in the children's section, I also picked up the last three books I need for the Newberry challenge. They are Bridge to Terabithia, The High Power of Lucky, and The Tale of Despereaux. All three look great and all are new to me except for Bridge which I read ages ago, so it might as well be new to me. So I now own all of the books for that challenge and can get started on it!

I couldn't find the new illustrated Stardust or the Stardust visual companion, but that's ok, because I couldn't afford them anyway! I spent enough money today as it is....thank God I signed up for B&N's members program when I had the money for that ;) But in other Stardust news, I'm happy to welcome Deslily to the Stardust ranks as she received her copy in the mail today...you're in for a treat! Also, Friends of English Magic (a wonderful site for Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and Charles Vess related news) has started a Stardust movie news blog! How cool. I suggest visiting it often ;)

The Letter, The Witch, & The Ring by John Bellairs

The Letter, The Witch, and The Ring is the final book in John Bellairs trilogy and was a great ending to this series for young adults. This series was first published in the 70's and I'm sure it's well known by many children's and young adult author's today.

The last book in the series turns it's focus from Lewis to Rose Rita, Lewis' best friend. Lewis has gone off to boy scout camp for the summer and Rose Rita is upset because she is left alone, without her friend. Rose Rita is also going through an identity crisis. She's 13 and finding that she's not like other girls. She'd rather dress like a boy and play sports. She's more about adventure and wants to go to boy scout camp with Lewis. Mrs. Zimmerman, Lewis' next door neighboor, picks up on Rose Rita's sadness and offers her an adventure for the summer.

Mrs. Zimmerman has received a letter from her recently deceased cousin. He has left her his farm in his will and along with the farm, he has left her a magic ring. Mrs. Zimmerman is an experienced witch and doesn't know if the ring truly exists but thinks it's in her best interest to go investigate. Her and Rose Rita embark on a summer adventure with many twists and turns in what is definitely the most suspenseful novel of the trilogy.

I really enjoyed this series. The books are witty, adventurous, gloomy, magical, and above all very human. Great for children. Bellairs did a great job examining real life issues in children and young adults. Lewis is a child dealing with the loss of both of his parents, being over weight, unpopular, and not your "typical male". Rose Rita is a tomboy, likes sports, hates dresses, and likes to hang out with boys. He addresses these issues perfectly and builds these characters as strong, bold, unique individuals that are empowered and brave. Two thumbs way up for John Bellairs!

Banned Books Challenge Completed

Well I've officially completed the Banned Books Challenge. Right down to the wire in true Chris form. I've really enjoyed this challenge. It's given me the opportunity to read quite a few books that I feel that I should've read ages ago and to revisit books that I have read ages ago and wanted to read again.

It's amazing how often books are challenged these days and the reasons why they are challenged are ridiculous. In challenging these books and in banning these books, we are telling our children not to think outside of the box. We're telling our children to hold a very narrow view of life and to shelter themselves from the reality of what life is. Everything is not candy coated in the real world and I think we do a very grave injustice to our children by banning books. So many wonderful life lessons and wonderful stories are being taken away from our children. How many kids never experienced Lewis Carroll's Wonderland? How many children never journeyed into Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time because of censors? It's a sad thing that these books are being held from children.

Not all of these books are children's books. I agree that not all are appropriate for children. But all have their place in the world. Kurt Vonnegut, Aldous Huxley, and Ray Bradbury had amazing things to say with their magnificent works, yet someone decided that their right to free speech should be banned. And in a way, the people who banned those books prove the importance of those books.

So I say that we make a special effort to embrace these books and cherish the stories that they tell. Here are the ones that I embraced during this challenge:

1. The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4. Grendel by John Gardner
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
6. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
7. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

The Figure In The Shadows by John Bellairs

The second book in John Bellairs trilogy, The Figure in the Shadows, delighted me as much as the first. This book follows our same characters as the first book: Lewis, his Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmerman, and adds Lewis' new best friend Rose Rita.

Lewis is still quite the unpopular kid at school as he was in the first book. He's still chunky, still no good at sports, and is still quite clumsy. He's getting picked on quite a bit at school. To try to cheer him up, his Uncle Jonathan goes through an old chest with Lewis and they root through all kinds of old treasures. Among them is an old "lucky coin." Mrs. Zimmerman declares that the coin has no magical value, but Lewis is not convinced and decides to wear the coin aware his neck. Things start to look better for Lewis, but with things looking better, a not so friendly side of Lewis appears (can we say "my precious"). A figure in the shadows also appears as do some haunting messages.

The illustrations by Mercer Mayer are great. I love Mayer's work and always have. His Little Critters books were some of my favorites when I was a little kid, so it was nice to see some of his work that was new to me.

The Figure in the Shadows is another delightfully creepy tale by John Bellairs and I'm so glad that chose to read this series! Next up is the Letter, The Witch, and the Ring...the final book in the trilogy. Just to remind everyone, you can get all 3 of these novels in one hardcover book called The Best of John Bellairs for $9.99. I'm reminding you because I think it's a great deal and I'm really enjoying them. Really quick reads and quite fun. Perfect for those looking for something for the R.I.P. challenge.

This is the last book on my list for the Banned Books Challenge. I think it's so silly that this book has been banned! My best guess for why it's been banned is for some minor cursing and religious reasons, and for witchcraft I'm sure. Whatever, I'll definitely be passing this book onto my kids one day way in the future. I would've loved these stories around 10 years old. They're great!

A Friendly Reminder of Impending Doom

So in the last couple of days I've applied for another 4 jobs. Two of these jobs are ones that I've really been hoping for. Well just a few minutes ago my phone rings and a number that I don't recognize shows up on caller ID. Immediately I go into panic mode and of course I don't answer the phone, letting it go to voicemail....I'll call back my future employer. I check the voicemail and alas, it is not my future employer...it is my dentist reminding me that I have to get a cavity filled at 8:00 tomorrow morning. How rude! I hate the dentist.... At least Neil Gaiman is kind enough to reward me with gifts for sitting through the torture of drilling in my mouth. I just hope that the kind people at the bookstore checkout do not wish to have a conversation with me as I will probably drool on the counter as my mouth will still be numbed with Novocaine...

No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty

Chris Baty is the founder of National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo, which I've decided to try out this year. In preparation for doing so, I decided to read his book, No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. That's exactly what NaNoWriMo is for those who are wondering: It's 30 days of non-stop novel writing madness. It starts on November 1st and ends on midnight, November 30th, with a goal of 50,000 words.

This book is excellent! I've been looking for a great book on writing and this one is superb. Though it's superb for a 30 day writing process...don't know if it's the right book for your typical novel writer, though it does have some great universal tips. This book is basically a guide for NaNoWriMo from someone who's obviously been through the process since he invented it. The first section of the book focuses on what you should expect, what you need to prepare yourself, selecting the right notebooks, selecting the right locations to write, selecting the right time to write, plot, characters, and basically how to survive during the process. The second section of the book is a week by week account of the writing process and you are supposed to read each chapter at the beginning of each week of the writing process (I obviously jumped ahead). The final section deals with what to do when the process is over and gives tips on rewrites, possibilities of publishing, etc.

I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it informative, but it was a fun read. Baty has a great writing style and totally entertained me. The book was right around 50,000 words so that the reader gets an idea of what a 50,000 word book looks like. Throughout the book there are quotes from past "winners" of NaNoWriMo so you're constantly getting input from others who have gone through the process and it sounds like a great experience.

Baty's main point here is that anyone can do NaNoWriMo and anyone can write a book. It just takes determination. The thing he stressed over and over again was "quantity not quality." Remember that the goal is 50,000 words in 30 days and that you're writing a rough draft. So just focus on getting to 50,000 words and rewrite later. There were 2 quotes that I loved referring to that idea. The first comes from Ernest Hemingway: "The first draft of anything is shit." The second came from the author, Chris Baty: "you should lower the bar from 'best seller' to 'would not make someone vomit.'" See guys, the expectations really aren't that high.

Great book for anyone looking for a little bit of motivation in the area of writing. I was considering participating in NaNoWriMo before, and I think that this book just about sealed the deal for me. Warning: you guys will be needed for support in November...clear the calendar ;)

The House With A Clock In It's Walls by John Bellairs

What a great little book. The House with a Clock in it's Walls is the first book in a trilogy written by John Bellairs. They are all collected in a book I'm reading called "The Best of John Bellairs" but I decided to review them individually. I'm reading the second book in the trilogy, The Figure in the Shadows, for the Banned Book Challenge.

The House with a Clock in It's Walls is about a young boy named Lewis who's parents have died recently and has now gone to live with his uncle Jonathan. His uncle Jonathan is this wonderfully strange man who lives in a wonderfully strange mansion with a wonderfully strange neighbor by the name of Mrs. Zimmerman. Lewis soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman both dabble in magic...he also learns of a clock buried in the walls of the mansion, and of his uncle's strange obsession with clocks.

Lewis is also going through a rough adjustment process. He's in a new town with new relatives and is trying to make friends. But he's a little chubby kid who's horrible at sports. When one of the popular boys at school shows an interest in him, he does everything he can to keep him as a friend. He goes as far as jumping into aspects of magic and necromancy that he knows nothing about. In doing so, Lewis may have awakened something that can't be put back to rest.

I really enjoyed this first book in the trilogy that was illustrated perfectly by Edward Gorey. This would be a perfect selection for anyone looking for something for the R.I.P. challenge. This book is a hardcover book that contains 3 full novels for $9.99 so it's a great deal. I found my copy at Barnes and Noble and you can click on the link above to get it through their website. The first novel is illustrated by Gorey, the second by Mercer Mayer, and the third by Richard Egielski, who I'm not familiar with.

Really Entertaining SPAM

So at least the SPAM Emails are getting to be entertaining these days. For some reason, I decided to actually read this one because of the person's name before deleting it and it was truly entertaining. Sounds like someone that we could make a Sunday night TV movie for. Enjoy:

Dear ,
My name is Aminat Kilongo ,only daughter of Mr and Mrs Joseph Kilongo ,i want someone like you to help me out after i had pray and fast then believes that you are a good person and that i can stay with you for the rest of my life ,am 22 years old lady .My late dad is a wealthy and successful business man before he died and my mum died when i was a baby,am the only child in the family.Before the death of my dad,he called me secretly in the private hospital where he was admitted and inform me to run away from his house because of his blood brother,who is my uncle.It was on that day,my dad reveilled to me that,it was his brother who poisoned him to this level.

Inshort,he seriously warn me to keep this money secretly because he know that,it was because of all his wealth and properties,his brother decided to kill him so that he can inherit all this properties as i am a girl, My dad disclose to me that traditionally,i don't suppose to get any of his properties because i am a girl.He said soonest,i am going to marry to another family but due to his brother wickedness and greedy,he did not disclose to him about this money (us$10.5 million united state dollars ) in the bank and he seriously advise me to transfer this total money to oversea account for my investment,where i will start my new life and finish my education.Because of this reason,i am soliciting your assistance for the claim and transfer to your bank account for the business.

Sincerely speaking,i am ready to give you 20% of this total money for your assistance and with extral 1% for your expenses on phone call, please u reply me now if really serious to help me out so that i can tells you more about my intention.

Anyway,you can not understand anything now because it is a long story ,please i will be waitting for your urgent response .

Best Rgeards .
AMINAT .

Mutant Tomatoes, New Arrivals, & Web Wanderings

While picking tomatoes today we came across this very strange little pair. Close examination of the photo to the left will reveal what appears to be a pair of tomato siamese twins in the upper left corner. Scientists have yet to confirm what may have led to this genetic manipulation or if extra terrestrials may have been involved in this truly bizarre occurrence.

Three of the (alongwithsevenotherbooks) (see previous post) arrived today...yay! They were:

1. Folk of the Fringe by Orson Scott Card
2. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
3. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

And now, some Web Wanderings!:

First, on a serious note, Carl has written a truly touching memorial on a wonderful and inspiring person, photographer, and friend of his who passed away a year ago. She was Jenn See from Following My Fish. His post is full of absolutely amazing photographs that were taken by her. They truly took my breath away. My favorite was the third down (Antique mirror in window). Simple picture, but something just amazing about it. It captivated me as I'm sure Jennifer did to so many people. Other favorites were the set of pictures that go from Flower in Sunlight to A Rock on a Table. Follow the links in Carl's post. They'll take you to wonderful places.

Charles Vess has wonderful news for us Stardust fans. He has pictures of the brand new Stardust hardcover illustrated book with an "addition 50 pages of material" along with pictures of The Stardust Visual Companion. AND it looks like both will be out next week! Which means that I will be VERY broke next week seeing as Interworld and M is for Magic also come out next week. But what has two thumbs and loves Neil Gaiman and will be very happy next week? This guy!

This one definitely gets the blue ribbon for funniest thing of the week. Scott has posted the shortest, funniest video in the world on his In the What? blog. If I were not so lazy, I'd just post the video here, but just click the link and go see it on his blog. I agree with him and suggest watching it about 5 times for maximum effect. It's only 4 seconds long.

On Stephanie's blog, I found my new calling in life...UC Riverside is looking for a new curator for the world's largest library of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books. The library houses first editions of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein among others. There is also talk about the first ever doctoral program in science fiction studies!!! How cool is that?! Read more about it on Stephanie's blog.

And finally, Darla D. posted a link to this really cool little portfolio of photos of books arranged in very clever ways. Check it out. I loved them!

Happily Ever After...A Challenge Completed

It's time to bid farewell to the Once Upon A Time Challenge. It's been such a wonderful experience and I'm truly going to miss this one. As I've mentioned on other blogs, this has been so much more than just a book challenge to me. I've met so many other wonderful bloggers out there and it's been great to see others exposed to the genre of literature that I've loved for so long. It's been a great journey and I got much more reading out of it than I expected! I was worried about fitting in the 5 books that I chose and ended up reading 12. Here's the list:

1. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
2. Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card
3. Moonheart by Charles de Lint
4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
5. The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde
6. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
7. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
8. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
9. Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
10. Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason
11. Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
12. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

And once again, a HUGE thank you to Carl for hosting this amazing challenge. No one else could've made it quite the experience that Carl did, offering us such wonderful incentives to read along the way, whetting our appetite with all kinds of knowledge and links, and inspiring us along the way to pick up a pen and to try our hand at writing our own stories. It's been great. Now on to the RIP challenge! Well not quite yet....

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Two nights ago, I closed the final pages of A Midsummer Night's Dream and declared an end to my journey through the Once Upon A Time challenge...But then thunder rumbled outside my window and the rains came...and John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things called to me. So I made myself a cup of tea and began the journey through this amazing book with the following opening passage:

"Once upon a time - for that is how all stories should begin - there was a boy who lost his mother."

This passage, while it may seem a bit dreary, really sets the tone for the novel. It is first and foremost, a book of tales...a "once upon a time" story. It is also a coming of age story, represented well by the picture of a boy losing his mother, a boy losing that childlike innocence.

David is our main character and is very close with his mother. They share a love of books, a love of reading, a love of fables and tales. When his mother becomes ill and dies, David feels that he is somewhat responsible for it because of his failure to be there for her as much as he should have or to perform his ritualistic compulsions that he has created as much as he should have. Shortly after his mother's death, there are new additions to the family. In the midst of all of this, the Germans are attacking near David's home in the middle of World War II.

Books are now beginning to whisper to David. At first they are subtle voices, just faint whispers or coughs, but soon distinct voices are heard and one clear voice is that of his mother's. Following that voice one night, David finds himself in the middle of an air raid from a German plane and when he lifts his head, it is in a world unknown to him. Here is the world that he has read about in every book on his shelves. It is beautiful and sinister. Danger creeps around each corner and strange things lurk in shadows. It is the a land of fairy tales, but not the fairy tales of Mother Goose....these are the tales where modern tales get their origins. Not quite so cheery.

He continues to hear his mother's voice and learns that he must make a journey to the king's castle where he can find The Book of Lost Things which will hold the key to his mother and his return home. Along the way there are adventures galore as we watch David grow from a child to a young man in this beautiful and terrifying tale.

This is one of the most imaginative books I have read. The language is beautiful and I love the way that he has weaved classic tales into his own work and has made them his own - painting them in a new light while preserving the original perfectly. I've never read anything by Connolly, but I will certainly be picking up more of his books after this one. The last few pages of this book were quite emotional. I had goosebumps while reading them and haven't had such an emotional response to a book in ages. This is a book of grief and loss. Of acceptance, of guilt, of experience, humility, growth, strength, bravery, and wisdom.

This book was truly an engrossing and inspiring experience and the shocker of the year so far. Not in that the story itself had a shocking plot...it was just much more powerful than what I expected. I was blown away. I think that this one should be on everyone's reading list. I don't usually rate books, but if I did, this one would definitely earn a 5/5 plus some.

Other Reviews:

Melody

The Appeal Of Going Back To School...

I went to UNO today to talk to the head of the Counseling PhD program. A very nostalgic feeling came over me being back on that campus. I got my bachelors in psychology at UNO and I have so many great memories from my college days at that school. Nothing has changed. The campus looks exactly the same and feels exactly the same except for parts of it still being closed since Katrina. I'd love to be back there as a student.

The meeting went well. I'm less anxious than I was before. The thing that worried me most was that a big part of the application leads you to believe that you need experience as a counselor in the field before you can apply as a PhD student, but the lady I met with told me that they do have a few students go straight through into the PhD program from a Master's program and encouraged me to apply. She also said that the majority of the students in the PhD program work either full time or at least part time, so I wouldn't feel so guilty about putting off working...I could actually make money while going to school. She did recommend that in the last year or two that students typically don't work while focusing solely on their dissertation. Basically she told me not to be discouraged by my lack of "real world" experience...that they look at the individual as a whole and consider everything...they assess how the individual will fit into their program to see if he or she will be a good fit with their values. So I feel good about it and I think I will apply for the spring. She told me about the interview process and if I make it that far, I promise you their will be a nervous breakdown at that point :p But hopefully I can hold it together for the interview itself if and when I even get to that point.

I'm glad I met with her...it really sounds like something that I want to pursue. I'll continue to think on it before I make my final decision, but as of now, I'm leaning towards applying for the spring...and of course, still looking for a job....what a fun process that has been :/

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

What a wonderful closing to the Once Upon A Time challenge. When I opened the first pages of this play, a smile came across my face as I rediscovered the beauty of Shakespeare's language. I hadn't read any of his work in years. A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my favorites of his and is a piece of literature that just exudes magic.

When I think of Shakespeare, I think of his use of language and his gift with words. I forget how skilled he was at coming up with fantastic stories and characters though. What a wonderful comedy this was! Who else could come up with the queen of the fairies falling in love with a mortal with an asses face! Genius! I would've loved to see his plays performed for the first time on stage. That must have been a fantastic experience.

So many classic moments in this play. Puck is one of my favorite dramatic characters ever created, and his line "Lord, what fools these mortals be" is one of my favorite lines. It sums up my feelings on life at times. If we were to step back and look at certain situations, surely they would seem almost comical at times. One of my favorite scenes in this play is when Demetrius awakes after being "anointed" by Puck and has joined Lysander in falling in love with Helena and Helena responds with "O spite! O hell! I see you are all bent to set against me for your merriment." It gave me a good laugh.

Like I said before, a perfect, magical wrap up to a perfect, magical challenge. I've enjoyed this experience and with two days left, I think I'll still be able to fit in John Connoly's The Book of Lost Things!

And one more thing. Like I haven't plugged it enough, BUT...if you enjoyed this play, may I highly recommend Orson Scott Card's Magic Street which is a fantastic urban fantasy where you will find some of these same fantastic characters in a modern setting including Puck and Titania. Signed copies can be found on his website for $8.99.

I leave you with Puck's famous last words:

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumbered here,
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck,
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long-
Else the Puck a liar call.
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

A Few Thoughts On Books, Movies, And Vacation

I knew it had to come sooner or later...the first book of the year that I couldn't stand. It was Grendel by John Gardner. I really wanted to like this book. I read it for the Banned Books Challenge and I'm not going to do a review of it because I really couldn't do it justice. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what half of the book was about because it couldn't hold my attention. My mind would wander and I couldn't be bothered to go back and see what I missed. The writing came off as pretentious to me and I should've known I wouldn't like it when I saw that the New York Times said that it was an "Extraordinary Achievement." Not that I always disagree with the New York Times, but I picture rich literary people at snobby parties talking about the "cleverness" of this book. Just not my cup of tea. It grabbed me during a couple of passages, particularly at the end, but it wasn't enough to save the whole experience. Ah well, it happens.

I've found myself craving more George R.R. Martin the past couple of days which is a really good sign. I really enjoyed A Game of Thrones, and the more it sinks in, the better it was. So last night I ordered A Clash of Kings (alongwithsevenotherbooks), the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and I just can't wait to read it! I'm so glad that I decided to start this series and I was so very pleasantly surprised by it. Highly recommend that one to anyone who's a fan of fantasy or really just a fan of a good character driven story.

Movies...I watched Sin City with my little brother for the first time today and it was incredible! I don't know why I waited so long to see this one. Definitely a one of a kind experience. It's filmed like no movie I've ever seen before and it's a treat for the eyes...but then again, isn't any movie with Jessica Alba. OK...that was lame. But seriously, the use (or lack of use) of color in the movie was great and Frank Miller's story was just incredible. I'm going to have to pick up the graphic novels. According to IMDB, Sin City 2 is in pre-production and Johnny Depp is rumored to be in this one. Can't wait. They even have Sin City 3 listed on IMDB, so fans of the original may have quite a few treats coming.

I also rented The Queen which I may start tonight, but seeing as it's already 12:30 in the morning, I may just save that one for tomorrow. I've heard that Helen Mirren did an outstanding job in this movie and I've been wanting to see this one, so I'll let you know how it was.

I'm also a big fan of horror movies and this usually includes the really bad ones as well, but Pulse was just too bad...even for me. I rented this one last week and it was just so stupid. It was the one where a computer virus kills people. So stupid, don't waste your time. Not a single part that even remotely creeped me out, the story had so many holes that it wasn't funny, and the acting was God awful. Just no.

And finally, the next vacation of the year is being planned. Since Katrina, I've been going to see Megan about 4 or 5 times a year. This year, I haven't been to see her once yet! I was there for New Years Eve, so that kinda counts and we went to Mexico together, but I haven't been to Texas. So I think I'm making the trip up there on July 16th or 17th and am coming back on the 22nd. I always have such a great time when I'm up there with her and it'll be nice to spend the time together doing the things we love to do...the little things I miss like getting coffee, shopping at Target, going to the bookstore, going to dinner...all that jazz. And I get to see Buddy and the rest of her family. I miss everyone there! Can't wait!

Lots of Neil Gaiman News!

I'm sure that if you're a fan, you've heard most if not all of this already, but there's a whole bunch of Neil news lately!

Nymeth and Carl informed me in the comments section of my Beowulf review that Beowulf has already been filmed and is being released in November of this year! From Carl: "It is being done by the same people who did Polar Express on that form of animation is supposed to be miles more impressive than it was when they did P.E." Here's the official website.

Neil Gaiman also announced on his blog yesterday that Dreamworks Animation has officially optioned Interworld and it will be made into a movie! Yay!

Interworld will also be released on June 26th (just a few more days!) as will his short story collection M is for Magic. At the end of a post from today, Neil has given us links to the first couple of chapters of the audio version of Interworld.

And last but not least, a big congratulations to Neil Gaiman for picking up two Locus Awards: the first for "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" in the Best Short Story category and the second for Fragile Things in the Best Collection category!

A Toast To Fathers...

Here in the U.S. it's Father's Day. My Dad and I have a relationship that can be a little stressful at times and as a counselor it can be very irritating and frustrating. But there are also things that I wouldn't change for the world. Try as we may, it seems that it's almost inevitable that as we age, we start to see parts of our parents in ourselves. As I grow older, I see more and more of my dad in myself, but it's the things that I really enjoy about him that I see.

The first thing I've started to notice is that I have the beginning stages of laughter lines around my eyes (yikes!). My dad has lots of these, and I see them as a badge of honor. No one laughs and smiles like my dad. He finds humor in anything and is always able to bring a smile to the faces of people around him.

I've gained his love of music. This is also one of the things that can frustrate me sometimes about dad. Give him a few drinks and it's time to pull out the Beatles albums and lecture Chris! But he's passed down that love of music and because of him, I too have become a music snob.

He loves to cook and entertain and I enjoy doing the same. Don't all dads! At any given time I can go over to my dad's and be guaranteed to have a delicious gourmet meal. He's taught me some wonderful tricks of the trade and instilled in me that New Orleans love of cooking.

More than anything, I've inherited his love of people. My dad just enjoys being around other people and putting smiles on other peoples faces and I enjoy the same. He's completely unselfish in this manner and will truly go out of his way to make sure that other people are happy.

There's so much that needs work with Dad, but there's so much potential there too! I guess that's why I get so upset when he doesn't live up to that potential. I see all of these wonderful qualities listed above and see all the wonderful things that he's capable of and I want nothing but the best for him. I know he can achieve it and I wish him all the best.

Just thought of one more that I get from him more than anything...his Y'at accent! Here's what a Y'at accent is: For those from New Orleans or the south, you probably know. We here in New Orleans have a tendency to butcher the English language and use contractions way more often than we should (i.e. y'all). The term "yat" comes from the phrase "Where y'at?" This is a way of greeting people in New Orleans. It's sort of a "How are you?" thing. Like "Where are you in life?" or "Where Y'at?" Hence, the origin of the "yat accent". So now if you ever here someone say "he has a yat accent" you know what they're talking about.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there! To Carl and to all the husbands of the Mommy bloggers out there!

Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney

Here's another one I can add to the "books I never read in school but should have" pile. I would've enjoyed reading this book in a classroom setting. Particularly in college. Beowulf was a wonderful experience made even more enjoyable by Seamus Heaney's mastery of the English language.

Beowulf is a 3,182 line epic poem written "sometime towards the end of the first millennium A.D." It is the story of Beowulf, a hero called upon to rid a city from a monster named Grendel who is descended from Cain of biblical reference. The poem follows Beowulf through his battles, ceremonies, and his remaining days.

The translation here is phenomenal and I enjoyed Heaney's use of language as much as I enjoyed the story. This passage for example, painted a delightfully creepy image for me of the place leading to where Grendel's mother lived:

A few miles from here
a frost-stiffened wood waits and keeps watch
above a mere; the overhanging bank
is a maze of tree-roots mirrored in its surface.
At night there, something uncanny happens:
the water burns. And the mere bottom
has never been sounded by the sons of men.
On its bank, the heather-stepper halts:
the hart in flight from pursuing hounds
will turn to face them with firm-set horns
and die in the wood rather than dive
beneath its surface. That is no good place.

This version was nice because it also included the entire text written in it's original old-English. Not that I could read or understand any of it, but it was nice to be able to make out the couple of word origins that I could. It also has little notes in the margin to explain some things that may not always be so obvious to the reader. Very pleasurable experience here.

What made me even more excited was that as I was reading this, I continually reminded myself that Neil Gaiman has written a screenplay for Beowulf. No word on when and if the film will be filmed and/or released, but no doubt that would be an amazing thing.

I'm glad that I read this one and am looking forward to Grendel by John Gardner next which is the story through the monster's eyes. Should be interesting!

A Day Of Reading and Reflection

I've felt very "blah" today. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not the greatest either. It made for some good reading as I'm nearly done Beowulf in preparation for reading Grendel for the Banned Book Challenge. Beowulf's great and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend Seamus Heaney's translation of it. Full review coming later.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge is officially completed, though I still plan on fitting in a reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream and maybe John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things if there's time. I'll miss this challenge a lot. I read fantasy throughout the year, so it's not the genre I'll miss, but it's the amount of discussion on fantasy literature that I'll miss. Though I know there are so many great fantasy bloggers out there ;)

So aside from reading, today's been a day of self reflection. Where I am now, where I've been in the past, where I'm going in the future. I'm happy with where I am now. I don't think I was fully aware of that because I never really took the time to just sit and think on it, but I am. I've achieved many of my goals but feel short changed sometimes because there's no immediate result aka I don't have a job right now. I'm surrounded by people who love me and I have a great support system in place and I appreciate that. I forget to focus on the positive sometimes and get wrapped up in the negative and sometimes take others down in that negativity. That's got to end. Negativity is hard to avoid and easy to get caught up in, but I've got to learn to fight it. No point in dwelling on things. Focus on the future. And that's what I'm doing. I've scheduled an appointment to meet with the head of the PhD program in Counseling at UNO next week. I'm really excited, though as I look at the application, I don't know how great my chances are at getting into the program. That's basically why I want to meet with her. She sounds really nice and sounded interested in meeting with me, so that should be good. Also applied for a slew of new jobs today, so keep your fingers crossed!

OK, off to finish Beowulf! Til next time....

A Quick Post Of Links

Lisa Snellings-Clark is about to re-open the gallery via eBay for the Summer Solstice sale. In preparation, there are goodies up already. Red poppets, more Little Pink Poppets that are amazing (I own one and you should too), and get ready for this.....Blue Poppets!! I'm so excited about Blue Poppets. Blue is my favorite color and I really have always wanted a blue poppet. See, it doesn't take much to make me happy...really...not much at all... There are also stuffed poppets being made and you can see them on this post of her blog.

Megan (yes, my Megan) is fairly new to the blogging community, so I'm sending you all her way. She's written a review for the new Jeff Buckley album. Yes, even though he has passed there are still new Jeff Buckley albums. This one sounds great and if you're a fan, I recommend checking out her review. I'll be picking this one up.

And finally, Scott has a great new book blog named Booky Ooky and he's reviewed a set of books that look incredible. I need to get these. They are the Griffin and Sabine & Morning Star Trilogies. Check out his review for an excellent description of the series and for a fun blog to read.

A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

How do I describe A Game of Thrones? Simply put, it is a journey - and a remarkable one at that. This is my first adventure into high fantasy aside from Tolkien, whom I consider to be almost a genre of his own. I was so very pleasantly surprised with Martin's writing and story telling ability.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book at first and it almost became a "did not finish" about 200 pages into it. But when it picks up, it really picks up. I can see how this is almost expected with the beginning of a high fantasy tale. There's so much to set up! A Game of Thrones is the story of exactly what the title is. It is the story of numerous families playing "a game" or battling for the throne. But the story is so much more than just that. Martin's strong point is his character development.

The chapters are each titled after a character in the book and center around that character while drawing in other characters and connecting story lines. Martin tackles epic scenes, beautiful landscapes, fierce battles, politics and relationships all with a mastery of storytelling. The further I got into the book, the more I attached myself to the individual characters. Where at the beginning I was invested in two or three character, I was invested in nearly all of them by the end of the book. My favorite of his characters may be Jon, the bastard child of Lord Eddard Stark and Daenerys, the wife of Khal Drogo. Quite remarkable characters and a beautiful story.

So much more than just a fantasy tale. What we get here is true human drama and everything involved with it - death, pain, happiness, sorrow, betrayal, love, lust, jealousy and all of those other emotions. I will definitely be picking up book number two in the series, A Clash of Kings.

While not really related to the story line, I enjoyed Martin's description of how dragons came to be and I'd like to share it with you:

"Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand-thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. That is why dragons breathe flame. One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return."

It's Getting REAL Bad...And Disappointments

Chris did a bad, bad thing...not really. I went to Barnes and Noble. I did good though. I only bought three books and didn't spend a lot of money at all. The sign that it's getting bad though is that I'm buying books that I've already read and own! I bought another copy of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys because this one just looked so cool and it has a built in blue silk bookmark and it was only $5.98! I had to have it :p

I picked up Jasper Fforde's The Big Over Easy off the bargain table as well. I've been wanting to read this one for awhile too. It is an investigation into the murder of Humpty Dumpty and is the first book in his Nursery Crimes series. I know a lot of people who were disappointed by this book, but I had a friend who loved it, so I'll give it a try.

Finally, I picked up Stephen King's new book, Blaze which is written by his "alter-ego" Richard Bachman. Should be interesting. Sounds like typical King. I usually enjoy his books. Plus I had a coupon from B&N in my email for this one, so it was pretty cheap as well.

Now, the reason for me going to Barnes and Noble to begin with was because Amazon told me that today was the day when the new, hardcover, Charles Vess illustrated version of Neil Gaiman's Stardust was going to come out. So of course, I hardly got any sleep last night. It was like Christmas eve to me. Did it come out today...NO! I had this big post plan where there was going to be pictures of the book with poppets looking up and Handel's Messiah playing in the background while your computer radiated a yellow glow and Yvaine would fall from the sky and plant a kiss on you (or for you ladies, Tristran would stumble through the door and fall into your lap and plant a kiss on you) and all would be well in the world. But I'm sorry kind readers, none of that can happen, because the book is not available today.

I leave you with two other things that upset me. Darla D. wrote a post yesterday about the banning of a summer library program for children that sounded amazing. Read about it here. Made me very upset. Stephanie wrote a post today about this horrible article that once again visited the debate of book bloggers vs. "professional" book reviewers. Read that one here. Also upset me.

Good day to all of you!

And right as I was about to hit "Publish Post", all these came in the mail :D This was the under $30 pile I mentioned last week!

Enough With The Relaxing Already

Never thought I'd say those words, but frankly, I've had enough of sitting on my butt doing a whole lot of nothing. Though I must say that I've enjoyed getting in all of this reading lately. That's been nice. I need a job! Regardless of whether or not I choose to go into a PhD program, I still need to work as the earliest I would start the PhD program would be January.

I do have a job and I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here. I've been a PCA (Personal Care Attendant) for the past 5 or 6 years...lost count there. I love my job, but it's time for me to move on. I work with a family of 3 people with disabilities. 2 guys and a girl who have a VERY rare musculoskeletal degenerative disorder that is called mucolipidosis type IV (4). They all use wheelchairs, are considered profoundly mentally retarded (though I beg to differ in some respects), and are all balls of joy. They live with their mother and father and their father has Multiple Sclerosis which is not related to their disability. They are one of the reasons I chose my profession. Their family has become part of my family and I've become part of their's. I'll never be separated from them, but I will have to throw in the hat soon as far as working for them. I'll miss seeing them every week. I've never seen a stronger, more positive family in all my life. I'll have to post pictures of the gang one day! So any way, I still do have a little money coming in, but I only work with them 2 days a week now as I've cut down my hours over the years to make time for more advanced schooling.

Lately I just apply away for jobs but don't hear anything back. I've applied for a bunch of jobs at Children's Hospital. Today I applied for one as a counselor working with families of children undergoing dialysis. We'll see if we hear anything back from that. I like down time every now and then, but I need things to be happening in my life...I need action, movement, progression.

Ah well, for now I'll try to enjoy the down time while I have it. I got two new books in the mail today. One is the Dabel Brothers' graphic novel adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Red Prophet. Red Prophet is the second book in OSC's Tales of Alvin Maker series and it's my favorite in the series. I am totally loving the graphic novel, though I don't know if just anybody would love it. I think you may have to read the book to be a fan, though I may be wrong. This is actually a hardcover collection of the first 6 comic books in the series which is being done by Marvel. So this is Volume 1 of the hardcover series. Looking forward to the rest of them! Also included in the back is a brand new Enderverse story in comic form called Gold Bug. Haven't gotten to it yet, but I'm always up for a new Ender story.

The other book is No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty who is the founder of National Novel Writing Month. I read the first few pages online and it looked like a good little book for some tips on writing, so I picked it up. I've decided that I'm going to give NaNoWriMo a try this November. What have I got to lose?

On a final note, I just saw an advertisement for the DVD release of Bridge to Terebithia and they make it look like this magical, feel good movie of the year. Now I didn't see the movie, but I'm guessing that's not very accurate, though I'm sure that it's a great movie from what I heard and I definitely want to see it....when are these people going to get a clue. I'm so sick of people advertising movies so incorrectly. Perfect example is M. Knight Shyamalan's movies. I remember when The Village came out, they advertised it as this scare the hell out of you horror movie, and it wasn't! Now, I still loved it, but most people hated it and it got horrible reviews.....because people didn't get the movie that they thought they were paying to see. They did the same thing with Lady in the Water, though that one may have gone over a little bit better, I don't really remember. The point is....that trick doesn't work. It just pisses people off. Geesh...

Rainy Days And Mondays

Don't always get me down. How's that for a clever title for a post. Oh brother :p There's something that I just love about the rumble of thunder on a summer afternoon. It's the most relaxing sound in the world. Especially when I can enjoy it at home underneath the patio with a book. I love the rain. I always have. I'm one of those strange people who love thunderstorms. I know there's plenty of you out there like me. I just find the rain to be very relaxing and the power of nature just never ceases to amaze me. I also have a strange fascination with hurricane season which is now upon us. I certainly don't love hurricane's after what I've been through with Katrina, but I'm fascinated by them. When there's one out there, I'm constantly glued to the weather channel. I know for a fact I'm not alone in this one...Jroy, represent!

So anyway, that's exactly what I'm doing this afternoon...enjoying a book with the sound of thunder in the background. I'm STILL reading A Game of Thrones though it's going much quicker now and I'm reading about 100 pages a day. It's much more gripping towards the end. I've never taken this long to read a book! I started on May 18th and took about a 15 day break from it. Then I'd only read 2 or 3 chapters at a time because it just wasn't catching me. Now it's got me and I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully it keeps me in it's clutches. I really hope to finish these 2 challenges this month. I think I'll manage...I hope!

One other quick thing. I wanted to point everyone in the direction of Endicott's site. There are 3 new Terri Windling prints available and they are beautiful! I think I'm going to be picking up 2 of them for myself and possibly a third as a Christmas gift. Very early shopping! The first one that I want is "From the Shadows." It's a beautiful print and features lyrics from Tori Amos' song "Girl" from my favorite album of hers, Little Earthquakes. The other print is just stunning and is entitled "Coyote Woman." The money goes to support Endicott and two children's charities and all prints are signed by Terri Windling.

I Must Be Out Of My Mind

So I'm thinking that I'm a little bit crazy. Due to the total lack of jobs down here in the mental health area, I'm seriously considering going BACK to school again...this time for the big one....the PhD. I figure, what the hell...I went this far in school, why not finish it and be Dr. Howard. UNO has a PhD program in Counseling Psychology and I can do an emphasis in counseling children which is where my interest lies. This is all of course assuming that I actually get into the program. I don't know if this is a stupid idea or not. There's pros and cons...I just don't know what to do. My ultimate goal has always been to go into private practice mental health counseling...my own private practice that is. In order for me to do that right now, I would have to work in the field for at least 2 years while being supervised and pay for weekly supervision to get my licensure. The other route I could take would be to go for my doctorate and have all the requirements completed when I graduate. I'd just take the National Counselor Exam when I finish and I'd then have my licensure and my PhD. Another pro is that all of the interships for the PhD program are PAID internships which make a HUGE difference. I just feel like I need to be out of school! I know I'm not old...I'm not saying that I am, but at 26 I feel like it's time that I need to start getting into the real world. I don't want to still be in school at 30...which is where I'll be if I start this program. That's the big con for me. Stress, stress, stress. Can't life be easy and just figure itself out. Eh, what would be the fun in that.

Rises The Night by Colleen Gleason

Prepare yourself for one of the best rides of the year with this book. Rises The Night, the second novel in Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles series is phenomenal! I hate to say that I was surprised by this book, because that typically has a negative connotation, but this book was even better than the first...and I loved the first!

Everything is grander in this book. The scenery is more epic, the battles are bigger, the passion is more intense, the bites are bloodier, the plots are more complex, and the emotions are heavy. This book had my heart pounding at times and Colleen goes places that you think are off limits. This book really becomes a suspense/thriller at times.

I'm hooked on this series and I'm thrilled that we're promised three more books. I'm just upset that now we have to wait until February for The Bleeding Dusk, the third installment.

Rises the Night takes place a year after the events of The Rest Falls Away. An ancient evil has been discovered and brings our heroine to the city of Rome in the early 19th century where she once again must use her skills as a Venator, a vampire killer, to protect humanity. Sebastian fans will be pleased with this book as he gets much more time in the pages of this one.

As I said before about The Rest Falls Away, Rises the Night is one of the best books I've read this year. So much fun and a ride that anyone can enjoy. I'm hooked on this series and don't want to see it end any time soon. Colleen Gleason is a fresh voice in the horror genre (I'd rather call it horror than paranormal romance as a guy ;) and one that I look forward to reading for a long time to come. Extremely well written, always surprising, heart stopping at times, and always suspenseful. Give me more!