2013: A Year in Reviews

I didn't do a lot of writing posts this year. But I did write up a review of each and every book I read in 2013, and I read a lot. Goodreads tells me it was 117 books, though I did cheat a little. Thirteen of those were The Human Division. The fact that I reviewed each and every installment has to count for something. I also won a reading challenge.

I think reviewing every single book has me reading a little differently, with more of an eye on technique and craft. I know formulating my thoughts about them has been helping me express myself better, though I do recognize they're not all masterpieces. At least you're getting your money's worth, right?

Last year, I recapped my favorites, and I enjoyed doing that. So, without further ado, below are my favorites of 2013. Please note that these are books I read in 2013, and many of them were published in previous years.

Favorite Debut: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. It was funny, poignant, and topical. I cared
what happened to the title characters, the world was populated by what felt like real human beings, and it didn't end the way I expected. I wouldn't have guessed this was this author's first novel; she has the craft, level of detail, and research down pat. I look forward to her next book, whatever it may be.

Favorite Series Conclusion: MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood. A lovely, satisfying wrap-up to a series I can see myself rereading happily, despite my ever-looming to-read pile. Atwood has a background in poetry, but the prose is never mired in overly flowery descriptions. She understands what words are for, and uses the right ones.

Favorite Post-Apocalyptic: Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon. I admit, I was skeptical about all the love it was getting in reviews when I started out. It seemed dated and depressing. But all that atmosphere was building to a lovely and perfect conclusion. I loved all that stalling for leading me to that beautiful ending.

Favorite Reread: 1984 by George Orwell. I revisited it for a book club, because we were going to discuss it in the context of Brave New World, and I hadn't read it since high school. I didn't expect to like it as much; I thought it was one of those books I'd outgrow. But the politics and notions struck me all the more, now that I'm more of a participant in how the world works. I think it helped, also, to have read Margaret Atwood's perspective on it last year in In Other Worlds.

Favorite Audio Performance: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde barely edges out Macbeth by William Shakespeare, but only because we're talking about the performance, not the quality of the story. Oscar Wilde wins out for style. If it were up against a Shakespeare comedy, it wouldn't have stood a chance. If you check both reviews, though, you'll see the common element that made them both such tough contenders.

Favorite YA: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Funny, revealing, universal yet illuminating. I wouldn't go so far as to make it required reading in schools, because that's how you make kids hate a book. But, I do think a lot of young people, especially misfits, artists, and ethnic minorities, might relate to the main character.

Favorite Fantasy: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. It was far better than it needed to be to hook me on the series. Personable, vulnerable gods and the best fantasy heroine I've ever read made this book positively addictive to me. This is one of those books that made me depressed I'd never write this well, then, when I got over it, determined to prove myself wrong.

Favorite Nonfiction: Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris. Thoroughly entertaining, often funny, and expands on what we, as readers, know about Sedaris and his family. It also answers a number of questions I've wondered while reading other stories of his.

Favorite Serial Fiction: Indexing by Seanan McGuire. It'll be released as an entire volume in late January, but, to get the full experience, you'll have to put it down for two weeks after every chapter. (No; read it however you like. I'm curious how it stands up as a whole work, actually, and would appreciate comments letting me know what you think, if you discover it that way.)

Favorite Short Book: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It's been getting all kinds of critical acclaim, but, in this case, it's justified. This nostalgic tale about long-forgotten magic is lovely and poetic and a delightful read. And, it's just barely longer than a novella, so it's not like you've wasted a lot of reading time if you're not as enchanted as I was.

Favorite Doorstopper: Under the Dome by Stephen King. It justifies all that narrative space, but, whoo! It's a lot to find yourself faced with when you're already three books behind on your reading goal for the year.The themes resonated with me quite a bit, and it was deeper than I expected from Stephen King.

Favorite Concept: Lexicon by Max Barry. Control of the world through a few well-chosen words. Sounds like writing, true, but not the way it's presented here. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book half as much as I did. And I don't pick up books with the expectation they'll be merely tolerable.

Favorite Kids' Book: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young. A delightful tall tale about time traveling dinosaurs, redecorating aliens, and a scatterbrained dad. Don't wait for an excuse to read it to a kid. Read it for yourself.

Favorite Classic: The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. An excellent book for those who like this kind of thing. Dostoyevky can be depressing, and rambling, and rather dark. That's what I like about his books. This one in particular manages to highlight some of the best parts of human nature, while condemning the worst. I didn't always understand character motivations, but I didn't care. The characters knew who they were and where they were going, and I wanted to follow them to see where they ended up.

Favorite Science Fiction: Redshirts by John Scalzi. A send-up of various science fiction tropes that serves as both homage and satire, which is a neat trick to pull. I still can't believe Scalzi did that*, and I'm a little mad he pulled it off so well.

Favorite Author remains Seanan McGuire. This year, in addition to numerous short stories published on her website, Seanan also published Midnight Blue-Light Special (InCryptid #2), Chimes at Midnight (October Daye #7), Parasite (writing as Mira Grant; first in a two-book series), Indexing (mentioned above), she had a story in The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination as well as several other anthologies, and she contributed to a Hugo-winning podcast. Just by sheer volume of my favorites of 2013, alone, she wins. But it's her consistency, her cheerful online presence, and her occasional posts about weighty, potentially controversial topics, that secures her the spot at the top of my author list for another year. The rest of her potential competition is running around in circles back at the start of the race.

So that's my 2013 in reading. How did yours fare?

I hope 2014 brings you some happy surprises, and many excellent books to read. Have a fun and safe New Year's.

* If you've read it, you know what that is. If you haven't, I'm not going to spoil the fun of finding out for yourself.

2012 in Review

2012 was a year. That's really the best thing I can say about it. Even just focusing on the blog, I had a major hiatus in September, and dropped back to a once-a-week posting schedule that I didn't even manage to meet every single week. I did keep up my reviews, and I met my reading goal, so there were 125 book reviews posted to this blog in 2012, plus commentaries on books I like and overall remarks about beginner mistakes I keep running into. My blog hits also increased; I was getting over 2500 hits per month, a couple of months, and I topped 3000 a couple of times. I was pretty pleased about that.

I thought I'd recap with the books I liked best, and then tell you about which posts drew the most traffic. Please note that these are the best books I read in 2012, not that were published this year.

Best Humor: This goes to Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, though just barely. I did really like American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson, which only loses because it snuck up on me and didn't have quite as many laugh-out-loud moments. Let's Pretend This Never Happened made me helpless with laughter by page 5.

Best Nonfiction: In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood made me think about my reading choices in a whole new way. I like books that expand my mind. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris was excellent, but not in Margaret Atwood's league.

Best Reread: This was a year for rereading books, apparently. I found comfort in seven old friends, but my favorite was The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. (For good measure, here's the review I wrote of it in 2011.) I guess it says something about me that this won out over Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Best Romance: Hands down, Ashes and Wine by Taryn Elliott. Heartfelt, warm, and unflinching. It's about finding love in the midst of grief, and you can only be forgiven for not picking it up if you don't have an ereader. I'm not just saying that because she's a friend.

Best Classic: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It seems like such a simple tale about childhood games and nostalgia, but it turns into a tale of loss and what it means to grow up, and it broke my heart. I liked the Jane Austen books I read this year, but none hit me quite so hard, emotionally, as Dandelion Wine.

Best Kids' Book: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente, no question. Honorable mention goes to A Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint, which was also excellent.

Best Serial Installment: I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood. Much as I enjoyed the InCryptid extras (No Place Like Home and One Hell of a Ride by Seanan McGuire), Margaret Atwood is hard to beat.

Best Latest in a Series: I was immensely pleased with Ashes of Honor, the latest in the Toby Daye books by Seanan McGuire. It made the wait worth it. Seriously, if you haven't started this series yet, you have until next September to catch up before the next one comes out.

Best Mystery: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. I just love these books. Which you might already know.

Best Book Club Book: Technically, I did a read-along for 11/22/63 by Stephen King, but that's close enough to a book club for my tastes.

Best Historical Fiction: Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia captures the feel of pulp novels, while delivering an excellent heroine and an engaging story. Loved it.

Best Series Conclusion: Blackout by Mira Grant. Wraps it up in a satisfying way I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. This series is full of surprises, and is required reading for zombie lovers.

Best Post-Apocalyptic: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. It's basically the same timeline as Oryx and Crake, but from a different perspective. And that perspective expands the world exponentially.

Best Mindf***: The Hollow City by Dan Wells. Told through the perspective of a man with schizophrenia, and not Hollywood schizophrenia. He hears voices, talks to people who aren't there, and suffers from delusions. That makes it hard to tell what's real and what isn't in the narrative, and yet it's obvious by the end what's really going on.

Best First in a Series: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire. So good, it made me declare I have a favorite author (that being the ever-entertaining Ms. McGuire). The book reads like the author was just having a blast writing it. I don't know if she was, but I haven't stopped telling people they should read it.

As for the posts that got the most traffic:

• Most people wanted to learn how to use hyphens. Or maybe just what they were; a lot of search queries were "-" or "what is a hyphen" or "what is a dash."
• Next, people wanted to know about being a pantster. The answer always seemed self-evident to me; you become a pantster by stumbling into this writing thing, and bumbling your way through it. Maybe they heeded my advice about trying to be organized. One can only hope.
• After that, people were interested to read about my new project. The one I abandoned. Moving on . . .
• I'm sure my interview with Seanan McGuire was helped along by the giveaway I attached to it, but still, I was happy with the post, and glad a lot of people read it.
• I have no idea why so many people were interested to read my review of Fluke by Christopher Moore.
• Nor can I explain the hits on Home Improvement: Undead Edition, except that the post seems like something of a magnet for spam.
• My post on parts 1—3 of 11/22/63 drew a lot of hits, most of whom were searching for information on the yellow card man. Understandable.
• My review of In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood actually spiked above my hyphen post hits for a couple of days, which was remarkable. None of the other posts on this list managed that.
• Lots and lots of people wanted to know how to write romance and sex. I hope my post helped.
• My post about the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones drew some interest. I hope some readers found a new series to love out of it.

And, that's the best I can wring out of 2012 for you. Everyone have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, and I'll see you in 2013.

Temporary Hiatus

There will be no new blog posts until I sort through some major personal issues/potential life changes. If you're dying for something to read, feel free to comb through my Best Of page, or my monthly wrap-ups:

January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012

I hope everyone is having an easier time of it than I am.

Recap for August 2012

Slight dip in blog hits this month, but that's okay. I'm still doing well for a writing/reviewing blog that's been around about a year.

I picked up an Audible Gold account this month, because I'm running out of audio books the library system has that I want to listen to. Also, there are audio books I want to own, and the account makes them more affordable.

Book Reviews
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (YA humor/adventure; 4/5 stars; audio)—Wahoo Cray and his crazy father go into the Everglades with a "reality" wildlife show host. Hijinks ensue. Hiaasen seems to hit his stride with the YA elements in this one.

Persuasion by Jane Austen (Classic romantic lit; 5/5 stars; audio)—Anne Elliot verges on the edge of spinsterhood because she took her well-meaning friend's advice and rejected the only man she ever loved. He comes back into her life. Jane Austen's final published novel, at least in her lifetime, and it's a delightful read, especially for Jane Austen fans. I read this and several other Austen novels as part of a reading event.

No Need to Ask by Margo Candela (short romance; 4/5 stars; ebook)—Read this in May, but didn't get around to reviewing it until just now, after it was re-released with a pretty new cover. Jillian Winters is a set designer for a hit show, but feels stuck in a rut. Then she meets Ethan Marshall, who hires her to decorate his loft, and who she falls for, hard. From what I've read of Candela, her stuff is good if you don't like explicit sex scenes.

An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy with fae; 5/5 stars; October Daye #3; audio)—A reread to hold me over until the next book comes out in September. Toby Daye tracks down the Firstborn who kidnaps children from their beds to use in his Hunt. Decidedly dark, with several visible influences throughout.

Home Improvement: Undead Edition edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (urban fantasy anthology; 3/5 stars)—Picked this up because I like some of the authors. Liked their stories, for the most part, but found an awful lot of them lacking in quality. Overall unimpressed.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (classic romantic fiction; 4/5 stars; audio)—The Dashwood sisters have moved down in the world, but they make the most of their new cottage home, and its handsome (and rich) locals. My opinion of the book's quality may have been colored by a narrator I didn't like.

Death Masks by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy detective wizard; Dresden Files #5; 2/5 stars; audio)—I only listen for James Marsters' voice, and even that's wearing thin. In this installment, Harry evangelizes to a holy warrior, fights a duel, watches other people slice up demons, and recovers a stolen Shroud of Turin. If I detected any hint of character growth or changing his mind about the sexism, I might warm to these. I'm not going to gross myself out, in the meantime.

The Hollow City by Dan Wells (psychological mind screw/science fiction; 5/5 stars)—Michael Shipman has schizophrenia, but all he sees may not be hallucination. Excellently crafted in a way that makes it clear what's real and what isn't, even when what's real is implausible.

No Dress Required by Cari Quinn (romance; 4/5 stars; ebook)—Noelle and Jake are alone together on New Year's Eve, and ready to see if their not-platonic feelings should be consummated. A fun, light read, it cleansed my reading palate after the last two.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (classic romantic fiction; 5/5 stars; audio)—Fanny Price goes to live with her rich cousins, where she's looked down on and treated like a servant, until the charismatic Henry Crawford falls in love with her. Her protection against his charm is that she's already in love with someone else. A lot of elements in this appear in modern rom-coms.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen (epistolary novel published posthumously; 4/5 stars; audio)—Lady Susan Vernon is selfish, vain, and manipulative, and the only relief at the end is that she doesn't ruin everyone's lives. An excellent study in perspective in Austen.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (urban fantasy with werewolves; Mercedes Thompson #1; 3/5 stars)—Mercy Thompson helps out a werewolf who's new to the whole shifting thing, and winds up hip-deep in it. The writing isn't excellent, but I can see glimmers of potential, so I'll keep reading.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Victorian horror; 4/5 stars; audio)—An incredibly quick read, and worth it to get at the original story. Lots of differences between this and the version that's survived in pop culture.
Most Popular Posts in August
The first two most popular are the hyphen post and my 11/22/63 readalong post, neither of which were posted in August. Moving right along . . .

The Importance of Good Grammar explains why the rules are important to learn, which was recently substantiated in an article in the Harvard Business Review. Even if you're not a writer, you need to learn how to grammar.

A Pantster on Top Ten Tuesday lists the ten posts that give you the fullest picture of who I am. Considering I shy away from making this a personal blog, it was an easy list to compile. The hard part was picking which ones to weed out.

Good Stuff: Seanan McGuire's Toby Daye Series is borne of an impatience to read the next October Daye book, and it discusses why I love the series as much as I do, and why I think you should give it a try.

Throwing Out the Rules gives you permission to ignore everything I've written about the craft of writing on this blog, and just write. Helpful for those who feel overwhelmed by all the things they're trying to remember, and who just want to write a freakin' story, okay?

Bending Tropes discusses one of my narrative kinks, and how to accomplish it. I give some examples of tropes, and ways I've seen them subverted that I liked.

Setting Your Story talks about the pitfalls with using a real place, and with making up your own. Both have their pros and cons, and I can't tell you which you want to use. I can give you information about how to choose, though.

Speaking of choices, Editing vs. Rewriting explains why you don't want to toss out your whole story just because you have to make a few changes, and I tell you how I approach rewrites, when I do them.

Honorable Mention

I also wanted to point out that I did a guest post for Roof Beam Reader's Austen in August event, about using Jane Austen's dialogue to teach you how to write it more effectively. I've already mentioned it once before, but it bears repeating. I do like how it came out, and I get a warm fuzzy every time I look at all the nice comments.

Everyone, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, whether you're at Dragon*Con, Worldcon, PAX, or hanging out on your couch catching up on some reading. I'll see you in September.

A Pantster on Top Ten Tuesday

I decided, on the spur of the moment, to participate in The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday. Being a pantster, when else would I decide to participate? I'd glanced at topics before, but struggled to come up with more than two or three responses, which makes for a weak top 10. I feel like I'm cheating a bit, because my blog isn't exclusively reviews. Ah, well.

The topic is, Top Ten Posts I Think Give You the Best Glimpse of Me

1. Plotting by the Seat of Your Pants explains the blog title better than any of my earlier posts on the topic. I write by the seat of my pants, and that post explains why that's my approach, in the face of lots of writers who'll tell you an outline is necessary.

2. Turning Negatives Into Positives wrapped up an impromptu series about my weak points as a writer. So, not only can you read about the things that get in my way, you can read the links to see how I deal with them.

3. Rules to Review by lists the standards I hold myself to with my reviews, and therefore what people can expect from them. It's a short list, but I've been consistent on those points.

4. Reading for Pleasure is my reaction to being told there are books that are good for me, and that I should, therefore, read. If it's not fun, I won't read it. There are books that are both good for you and a pleasant read (precisely why I'm taking part in Roof Beam Reader's Austen in August event), but talking about literary value isn't how you talk me into reading a book.

5. Bad Grammar Makes Me [Sic] discusses how I feel about grammar, and why I post about grammar mistakes or how to properly punctuate. I'm no Grammar Girl, but I don't think there's such a thing as overdoing information about how to use grammar correctly on the internet.

6. Narrative Kinks lists the things in stories that turn me on. If I see those elements in a story, movie, or TV show, I'm apt to love it, unless it does one of the other things very, very badly.

7. Care and Feeding of Authors is a how-to guide on approaching authors to spend time with them without leaving them with a bad impression of you. The post leads into the stories of the times I had dinner with Peter S. Beagle and Seanan McGuire. I love telling those stories. I get so warm and fuzzy thinking about them.

8. Perpetual Rewrites reveals how I got into a particular habit I have, and why it's made it easier to edit earlier drafts. It's a story of a younger, less intrepid pantster.

9. Learning to Write discusses the ways a young writer-in-training can learn how to be better. I talk about how I think college actually got in my way, and less expensive alternatives.

10. Insurmountable Obstacles to Writing is generally about recognizing when you're in over your head, but it reveals a major problem I struggle with. I have a manageable form of depression, but I have to watch for the signs and prioritize, sometimes. That's the most personal entry in my entire blog.

There. In ten posts, I think that's the most complete picture you'll have of me. Now you don't have to read the other 303 posts. (Though, feel free to poke around, and let me know if there's something you'd like to see me post about, or if there's a post label that would make some things easier to find.)

Recap for July 2012

My blog hits continue to grow. Here in the anniversary month of my blog, I just fell short of 3,000 hits. I know a lot of you will chuckle and think, How cute, but for me, it's an accomplishment.

Onto the recap:

Book Reviews
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (3/5 stars; humorous memoir)—A writer for The Office (American edition) writes about what brought her to her current status. Has its moments in Kaling's self-deprecating, often ironic humor, but lacks a narrative thread or theme to tie it together.

Ashes and Wine by Taryn Elliott (5/5 stars; romance with tragic elements)—That the author is in my writing group has nothing to do with my high rating. She earned all five of those stars with a heart-wrenching tale of love in a time of loss.

The Ultimate David Sedaris Audio Collection by David Sedaris (4/5 stars; humorous memoir; audio)—I reviewed all of the books within the collection separately, because they're a bit much, taken as a whole. Those individual links are all within the above review. David Sedaris is a gay man with OCD, and he recounts vignettes of his life with a darkly humorous twist. Mostly, the laugh is on him. The entire set can be overwhelming for a newbie like me, but I do recommend the various parts.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (2/5 stars; magical realism; read as part of Twitter's #1book140)—Self-involved high school student goes to an institute of higher learning devoted to magic. Wastes it. Too bogged down in literary trappings to let the wondrous parts of the story breathe.

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead (4/5 stars; urban fantasy)—Succubus Georgina Kincaid lives in Seattle, meets her favorite author, longs for a normal relationship, and looks into the deaths of local supernaturals, who aren't supposed to be able to die. Surprisingly deep, and very readable.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (4/5 stars; feminist literary fiction; audio)—Iris Chase Griffen recounts her early life, in a story within a story with a story framework. Lovely and touching, yet not my favorite Atwood book.

Fighting Gravity by Leah Petersen (3/5 stars; science fiction M/M romance; received a review copy)—This debut novel shows a lot of promise, but leaves too many questions I felt could've been answered, and grammar editing was shoddy. Interested in seeing what's next for this author.

Aesop's Fables (4/5 stars; classic in the Greek sense of the word)—I'd never read all of the fables, so paging through a collection whenever I was between projects was fun. Surprising how relevant some of the lessons still are.

Most Popular Posts in July
Grammar: Hyphen Use continued to draw a lot of people to my blog.

A post on why I read audio books drew a few readers my way.

Grammar Peeves: Filler was about filler words that waste time in the narrative, and apparently a lot of people wanted to know more.

My progress post that discussed my new project had more than a few curious readers.

Grammar Peeves: Homonyms discussed how words that sound alike can trip up any author, and I included a list, as well as a suggestion of how to deal with them.

I'm skipping over a link for my giveaway, because that ended a month ago. All of the winners should've received their books by now.

I posted about how many characters a story may need, and how to deal with a surplus. That was posted in June, but people didn't discover it until July, evidently.

My review of 11/22/63 went up way back in January, but that's still generating interest. Search inquiries ask about "The Murder Place," the yellow card man, or references to It or Christine. I'm glad people are finding my post, because I do mention those things, if not in the review, then in my posts about the readalong I participated in that month.

Editing: Where to Start is the beginning of a sometimes series, and the fact that it did fairly well in hits encourages me to continue.

My post on fanfic did pretty well for itself.

And I told some secrets about how writers research things to make their writing more real, which several of you wanted to know about.

Next month: more posts on editing, some Austen in August posts (event hosted by Roof Beam Reader), and your regularly-scheduled blathering. Hope your August is awesome, pantsters!

Recap for June 2012

I broke 10,000 page views this month. For a blog that's approaching its first anniversary in mid-July, I'm pretty pleased.

Without further ado, here's your recap for this month:

Book Reviews
Blackout by Mira Grant (5/5 stars; dystopian zombie conspiracy thriller; book 3 in the Newsflesh trilogy)—The final book in the Newsflesh series wraps up the conflict quite satisfyingly, with a few surprises on the way. I highly recommend you finish this series if you liked Feed. That I recognized one of the characters in her awesome real-life counterpart didn't hurt my rating one bit.

Fangland by John Marks (3/5 stars; horror; audio)—A modern update of Dracula that sets most of the action in the NY offices of a fictional Dateline equivalent. If you liked Dracula (the original book by Bram Stoker, not merely the concept), you're likely to enjoy this, but, if you didn't, you're likely to feel bogged down by the shallow narrative.

Variant by Robison Wells (3/5 stars; YA; audio)—An orphaned boy goes to a private school where there are no teachers, and the students are locked in. Probably more enjoyable if you're still in school.

Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (4/5 stars; humorous historical fiction)—Christopher Moore breaks form to write about Paris and post-Impressionists and the color blue. He's still Christopher Moore, so we wind up with a tale that's funny and irreverent and quite entertaining.

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (3/5 stars; urban fantasy mystery with fairies; book 4 of The Dresden Files; audio)—I'm listening to these because I like James Marsters telling me a story. I find the content lacking. And sexist. Bleah.

Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder (4/5 stars; urban fantasy; book 1 of Jessie Shimmer series)—Young woman learning magic has to retrieve her boyfriend from a hell dimension, with a lot of opposition from a powerful and well-connected magic user. Oddly paced, but enjoyable and often funny.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (5/5 stars; gothic mystery; read years ago and reviewed from memory)—Lovely and textured book about a young man drawn into a world of intrigue and mystery when he rescues a book from Barcelona's Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Highly recommended for anyone who loves books (which should be most of you).

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (5/5 stars; geeky mystery; reread)—Mystery set during a small science fiction convention. Author Appin Dungannon is insufferable, but who would want him dead? Often hilarious, though some science fiction fans may take offense at some of the characterizations.

Most Popular Posts in June

My post on hyphen use continues to garner a shocking amount of traffic. Makes me wonder what other elements of grammar people really need explained.

My giveaway, as part of the Pay It Forward giveaway hop, is still going on until June 30. Luckily, many people have checked out the post, and entered for a free book. I'm looking forward to picking the winners.

In my post on insurmountable obstacles, I talked specifically about how my depression affects my ability to write. Other writers may have other things they absolutely can't get around, and that's okay. Just make sure writing is still a priority, when you can make the time.

Writing female characters is a challenge for some writers, so I hope some of them take my advice to heart. I'm tired of reading poorly-written women.

I posted about semicolons, my favorite mark of punctuation. Not so exciting, but then, neither are hyphens.

My May recap scored pretty well for June, which is why I'm going to keep doing recap posts.

I needed something to brighten my blog, so I posted about why I like the Flavia de Luce mysteries (of which the first is available through my giveaway).

I'd written a lot about what to do about weaknesses, but one mustn't neglect one's strengths. So I posted some tips.

I posted just the other day about how to tell if you have enough characters, and what to do with them if you feel they're going to waste.

In a tie for tenth place for the month, we have my post on writing dialect, and another on how different writers are at different levels in their writing skill.

Next month, I anticipate a post about the evils of filling space and passing time in your manuscript, and a lot of other topics I come up with at the last minute. Feel free to drop me suggestions in the comments. I'll also consider suggestions of books to review, but bear in mind that I only review books I wanted to read in the first place.

I also adopted a kitten this month. His name is Tybalt.
Yes, he's named after a character in a book.

Recap for May 2012

This month, I signed up to participate in a giveaway hop (you won't see anything more about it until 6/23), I drove to Tennessee and back where I picked up the Tennessee Death Plague, and I moved to a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday updating schedule.

Here are the specifics:

Book Reviews
Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich (4/5 stars; nonfiction investigative; audio book)—The author of Nickel and Dimed takes on corporate America, and never gets past the job hunt. One of the books contributing to the political climate that's produced the Occupy movement.

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (4/5 stars; debut urban fantasy detective; reread; audio)—Introduces half-fae detective Toby Daye, who has to figure out a friend's killer before the curse her friend laid before dying takes Toby's life. It's a debut, but it's clear why this is the author who would become my favorite.

A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (4/5 stars; urban fantasy detective; reread; audio)—Second installment of Toby Daye's story. She's been ordered by her liege to investigate why he can't seem to get hold of his niece. Becomes a tightly-plotted locked-door mystery with a twist I didn't see coming the first time I read it.

Naked in Death by J. D. Robb (2/5 stars; near-future detective/romance/thriller)—Nora Roberts' incredibly popular alter ego's first installment about detective Eve Dallas, who lives in the year 2058. Lots of people love this series, so the fact that I won't touch it again puts me in the minority.

Write More Good: An Absolutely Phony Guide by The Bureau Chiefs (4/5 stars; humor)—A funny twitter feed about grammar standards in journalism in changing times expands into a very readable fake AP guide. Better to read if you have a journalism background, but the jokes aren't too far over the rest of our heads.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (2/5 stars; contemporary; audio)—I usually like Hannah's books, so I'll forgive that her pairing of the atrocities of war with white whine only trivializes the war story. This time.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (4/5 stars; YA alternate history with steampunk elements; audio)—A well-paced adventure about teenagers in an alternate-history WWI. Ends on a cliffhanger.

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris (2/5 stars; paranormal mystery; audio)—With this installment of the Harper Connelly stories, I give up. Not-related-by-blood incest doesn't have to be gross, but in this book, it is.

Little, Big by John Crowley (2/5 stars; classic magical realism)—Was probably revolutionary in its day, but reads like a dusty old relic when compared with modern fast-paced urban fantasy. Too in love with its language to bother illuminating the reader.

Fed by Mira Grant (4/5 stars; alternate ending to dystopian horror novel; available online for free)—The alternate ending to Feed; clears up any notion you might have that Feed needed a different ending. No, the real ending was better. Yikes.

Most Popular Posts in May

Grammar: Hyphen Use was, predictably enough, how to correctly use hyphens. It's probably the most boring post I wrote all month, but apparently it proved useful to several dozen people.

I expected Writing About Rape to take the #1 slot. I guess I'm not that interesting a ranter. Ah, well. I'm still glad I wrote it. I feel better.

My Review of Let's Pretend This Never Happened is still pulling in a decent number of hits. Considering how well the book is selling (and that my husband and I have a waiting list for our copy), I'm unsurprised.

Lots of people want to know what happens next on So You Want to Be a Pantster. Either that, or they Googled for pictures of butts.

My April Recap post drew a number of views. Wait, more than a pet peeve post? Hunh.

Pet Peeves: Too Stupid to Live came in next on the list, so not a lot of people know about the dialogue I hold with books I don't like.

Theme vs. Message tackled the difference between having an idea in mind as you write, and beating the reader over the head with it. One of those is advisable, the other not. Guess which is which?

I wrote about the Unexpected Benefits of Pessimism as a writer. It's certainly come in handy for me.

I posted about how you can Read Backwards for your detail-level pass of edits. I tried it out before I went telling anyone it was useful. It works really well.

My post about Reading Comprehension and the fact that some readers have none was in direct reference to a comment thread I'd been reading. Not that I mentioned that in the post.

Last, my Grammar Peeve about Dangling Modifiers seems to have proved useful to a few people. At least, I hope so, because I'm tired of reading them.

It was hot last weekend. Poor, fluffy Risu.
This has nothing to do with the post. I just think she's cute.

Recap for April 2012

I've been recapping my blog at the end of every month, and it's useful for me, so I continue.

Book Reviews
Uncross Your Heart by Taryn Elliott (4/5 stars; debut romance, ebook only) — The book that showed me I don't hate all romance, just some of the tropes. Very enjoyable read, sizzling sexual tension. But maybe I'm biased; this is someone from my writing group.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (4/5 stars; steampunkish Victorian urban fantasy; audio book) — Much-hyped debut novel doesn't quite live up to the gushing praise, but manages to entertain with a well-crafted tale that shows it's a debut. Looking forward to this author's next few books, to see if she improves.

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones (4/5 stars; YA urban fantasy with fae and magicians; audio book) — Magic dabbler inherits his grandfather's house and a load of responsibility he doesn't understand, but he soon has a young helper in sorting it out.

In the Blood by Nancy A. Collins (4/5 stars; Sonja Blue #2; horror/urban fantasy before it was a genre) — Sonja Blue, returns to face off against the monster who made her what she is. Less bleak and confusing than #1, though Sonja is still the rare modern vampire who's scary.

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber (3/5 stars; fairy tale spoof) — Humorous take on fairy tales loses something with an adult audience. Doesn't help that I've never been a fan of Thurber's.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (3/5 stars; futuristic science fiction heavy on the 1980s nostalgia; audio book) — Another overhyped debut, this time banking on 1980s and gaming nostalgia. Best thing about this was the narration by Wil Wheaton for the audio book.

No Place Like Home by Seanan McGuire (5/5 stars; InCryptid-related short story; Wild West monster hunting family) — Our first look inside the Price family home, an origin story, and a chance for the Aeslin mice to have a say in the plot. So much to recommend this quick tale, which is still free on the author's website.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah (4/5 stars; contemporary fiction with a romance flavor) — A woman questioning everything about her life goes back to her hometown, and finds what she needs. But can she keep it?

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (4/5 stars; political and cultural satire; audio book) — A young terrorist infiltrates middle America and reports back on his mission status via status updates that are in turns hilarious and gross.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner (3/5 stars; chick lit with a mystery plot; audio book) — A bored stay-at-home mom investigates her neighbor's untimely demise. A book with a fun narrator dwindles to an unsatisfying conclusion.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (5/5 stars; hilarious blogger's memoir) — The Bloggess's book is even funnier than I expected, and also more poignant. And congratulations are in order for the book's debut at #1 on the NYT Nonfiction bestsellers.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich (2/5 stars; urban fantasy rehash of the Stephanie Plum series) — This was so hackneyed and derivative that I've sworn off anything Evanovich has written.

Tithe by Holly Black (3/5 stars; YA urban fantasy with fairies) — Well-paced tale about a girl discovering her ties to Faerie keeps the reader at arm's length by never giving insight into the characters or explaining anything.

Most Popular Posts in April

Good Stuff: The Chrestomanci Series generated a ton of links from a right-leaning political site. I have no idea, but I'll take the blog hits.

Apparently a lot of people found my Miscellania and Potentially Useful Links useful.

Lots of people wanted to know more about my Pet Peeve of Infodumping, which was what I disliked so much about Ready Player One.

My Grammar Peeve: Comma Splices drew some readers. I was going to make that sentence into a comma splice, but the idea made my teeth hurt.

My general post on Reading for Pleasure was about why I choose the books I do, and to heck with anyone who wants to dictate what I should read. I've been out of school for years, thankyouverymuch.

Speaking of school, I outline whether I think it's useful in Learning to Write, and some alternatives to spending tens of thousands of dollars and four years of your life.

I have a Pet Peeve of Low Stakes in the books I read, and I discuss that in some depth.

I also have a Pet Peeve of Clichés, and I discuss why to avoid them.

The most useful link of the month is also toward the bottom of the page hits, but I'm going to repost it here, anyway. Lots of writers have trouble Naming Characters, and so I offer some resources.

That about wraps it up. I'll see everyone in May*.

*As in tomorrow, yes. There will be a post expounding on theme.

Recap for March 2012

I've been doing a run-down of my month in posts at the end of every month, and no one's complained, so it continues. This is the last post of March, barring any reviews that populate from my Goodreads.

Book Reviews
Piratica by Tanith Lee (3/5 stars; YA adventure) — Spunky teenage girl sets off to become a lady pirate. More enjoyable for younger readers, doubtless.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (5/5 stars; audio book; Flavia de Luce #4; mystery) — Flavia has a film crew descending on Buckshaw. Murder happens relatively late in the narrative, which speeds the pacing considerably, and Flavia is always delightful. This is a good example of a series that isn't stuck in a rut.

The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson (3/5 stars; Nerds in Love #2; romance) — Entertaining but predictable romance tale. Interesting twist in having a beta male love interest, but on the repetitive side. 

Just Like That by Margo Candela (4/5 stars; romance; novella length) — I got a copy for review, but would've bought it, anyway, if I knew how much I'd like it. Details left to the imagination in this short-but-sweet romance with a compelling protagonist.

The Wind-Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (3/5 stars; audio book; dystopian science fiction) — Much-loved SF novel with intriguing premise winds up feeling emotionally disconnected and overly complicated to me.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier (4/5 stars; YA) — The ultimate unreliable narrator tells about the mystery surrounding a classmate's death.

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich (3/5 stars; audio book; Stephanie Plum #17; humor mystery/romance/thriller thingy) — The next-to-most-recent of the Stephanie Plum books. Adds nothing new, though the ending is creative.

A Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint, illustrated by Charles Vess (5/5 stars; picture book) — Thoroughly delightful tale about a girl saved from a snakebite by being turned into a cat. Then she has to figure out how to turn back. Almost wish I had kids of my own to read this to.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (5/5 stars; audio book; classic SF/fantasy) — A science fiction master at his peak tells of a man traveling back in time to let go of those he's lost to move forward emotionally. Read a radio play version.

A Moose and a Lobster Walk into a Bar by John McDonald (4/5 stars; humorous essays) — A Maine native relates tales and views from his home state. More entertaining if you've lived there.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (4/5 stars; YA) — A rough start turns around to become one of the most touching and emotionally honest books I've read in recent memory. This is how character development should look. 

Most Popular Posts in March

My interview with Seanan McGuire from February continued to garner lots of view. I'm unsurprised.

Turning Negatives into Positives became something of a theme in March, and that post contains links to all of my posts that fit the theme.

It would seem people like to read my departures from negativity, because people flocked to Good Stuff: Castle. Or maybe it's just Nathan Fillion's magnetism.

My progress post on my current project, where I hold myself accountable for failing to budget time to write this month, garnered quite a bit of interest. I'm proud to report that tonight I put my butt in the chair and tapped out the scene I'd been dreading.

And apparently people wanted to learn how to suspend disbelief (or they wanted to read about Hunger Games, to which I allude in the post).

See you in April! Have an excellent weekend!

February 2012 recap

Just as I did for January, I'm going to devote an entry to what you might have missed over the last month.

Book reviews
Daily Life in Medieval Europe by Jeffrey L. Singman (4/5 stars, reread) — nonfiction; covers what life looked like for the people living in Medieval Europe. Excellent resource for writers of semi-realistic fantasy or historical fiction.
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts (4/5 stars, reread) — YA, contemporary fantasy; girl who has minor powers and creeps people out is in danger of her secret being found out, so she tracks down more kids like her. Read this first when I was the same age as the title character.
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (5/5 stars, audio, second book in the MaddAdam trilogy) — post-apocalyptic literary fiction; two women who survive the global pandemic reflect on what life used to be, while adjusting to a new world. Continues Oryx and Crake by all of two scenes.
Heroes at Odds by Moira J. Moore (4/5 stars, book 6 in the Heroes series) — humorous fantasy; Lee finds out she was betrothed before she became a Shield, magic users go head-to-head, and Taro's home is threatened again. This is the last one that will be available in paperback, much to my disappointment. The author will make the final installment available online.
Feed by Mira Grant (4/5 stars, reread, readalong) — post-apocalyptic horror/political thriller; bloggers follow a Presidential campaign in a world very much changed by a zombie apocalypse. The second part of the readalong is here.
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3/5 stars, audio, book 3 in the Dresden Files) — detective noir urban fantasy; Harry Dresden contends with ghosts, a possessive fairy godmother, and vampires in what many fans say is a turning point of the series. I'm still only listening because I like how James Marsters reads them.
Map of Time by Félix J. Palma (3/5 stars, book club selection) — steampunk time travel; wins the award for most misleading jacket blurb in my recent memory, as the jacket blurb events don't show up until the last third. The other two parts are about a man who loses the love of his life to Jack the Ripper and goes back in time to save her, and a future savior of mankind who isn't all he seems, and who mires himself in further lies.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (2/5 stars, audio) — YA post-apocalyptic horror; a girl born after the zombie apocalypse pouts her way through woods infested with zombies. Pardon me, "unconsecrated." Possibly a decent read spoiled by a terrible narrator.
Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich (2/5 stars, Stephanie Plum between the numbers, audio) — humor/mystery; not a lot to distinguish this installment of the Stephanie Plum series where she meets a wannabe leprechaun and rescues Grandma Mazur from a small-time gangster.
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire (5/5 stars, InCryptid #1, release date 3/6/12) — humorous urban fantasy; Verity Price wants a chance to pursue her dream of a career of ballroom dancing before her family calling as a cryptozoologist takes over. Can't recommend this highly enough, which is why I'm giving away 5 copies of it.

Most Popular Posts in February
Interview with Seanan McGuire, by a long shot. Likely helped by the giveaway and the fact that Seanan McGuire is awesome.

Writing romance and sex, in honor of Valentine's Day. 

Stuff and things, with some random bullet points. This indicates the seat-of-the-pants approach is working for me.

Another progress post, where I discuss my progress on SWANoWriMo, my writing group's answer to the fact that our lives are too hectic to write 50k in November.

Narrative kinks, because nothing gets people's attention like handcuffs. Not as controversial as it sounds; it's about what I like to see in stories I read or movies I watch.

January 2012 recap

I mentioned that I might do a recap post, and no one howled in protest, so here it is. January 2012, in review:

Book reviews
Road Rage by Richard Matheson, Stephen King, and Joe Hill (3/5 stars, read on audio) — thriller/horror; two novellas about terror on the highway
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines (4/5 stars) — fantasy; another take on fairy tales that has the heroines heading out to rescue the prince
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn (4/5 stars, read on audio) — urban fantasy; a young woman inherits a legacy of protecting objects of lore
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore (4/5 stars, read on audio) — humor/urban fantasy/weird; a whale researcher gets in way over his head, but gets his answer
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris (Harper Connelly #2)(3/5 stars, read on audio) — horror/mystery; a woman with the ability to locate the dead finds a grave with two bodies buried in it
11/22/63 by Stephen King (5/5 stars, read as part of a readalong) — time travel thriller; a man finds a portal to 1958, and goes through to prevent the assassination of JFK
Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins (4/5 stars) — horror/urban fantasy; invokes the root of vampires-as-monster, while establishing the whole vampire hunter genre so prevalent today
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay (Dexter #4)(4/5 stars, read on audio) — horror/mystery/thriller; serial killer killer Dexter is nearly unmasked
Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (3/5 stars, read on audio) — humor/mystery; Stephanie Plum plays matchmaker
Also, because people keep reading these reviews:
Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood (3/5 stars, read on audio) — literary fiction; two women and a husband deal with the aftermath of the wife's lover's suicide
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson (Alcatraz #2)(4/5 stars) — YA/urban fantasy/humor/weird; Alcatraz goes to the Library of Alexandria hunting a clue about his father

Most popular posts in January
Readalong post #1, covering parts 1 - 3 of 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Antici-, where I build suspense for my stories about taking authors to dinner by talking about building suspense. Raise your hand if you figured that out before I told you.
Libraries, about the closest I can get to Heaven without dying
Responding to reviews, about the Writer's Big Mistake and the steps I vow to take if and when it becomes relevant to me
Rules to review by, about the standards I hold my book reviews to
Dinner with a fantasy writing icon, about the time I nearly giggle-shrieked aloud in a very crowded place
Writing by the seat of your pants, being one of my oldest posts, still gets a decent rate of hits. Apparently people still want to know what the heck a pantster is.
Bad grammar makes me [sic], about how one grows up to be a member of the grammar police

Coming next month: a readalong of Feed by Mira Grant (I've already read it, and will be sharing my second-time-around observations), SWANoWriMo, more book reviews, and a post about repetition, foreshadowing, or repetition.