Today I'll be reviewing Raven a graphic novel about a Teen Titan character. She seems like a fitting character for celebrating October.
It's a video. I had edited it with my earbuds and only realized how quiet it is. I'm sorry about that and my sputtering around for words. I'm trying to work on speaking more clearly, and apparently, I need to be louder for the video too. So yeah, I'm definitely taking notes for improvement. XD
Hello, book spooks! Welcome to the first day of Book Spooktacular!
Skye from Ink Castles and I are collaborating to bring you autumn content, bookish and otherwise. Here's the schedule.
Today, we offer you a link up about your favorite autumn things. It'll be open until October 31st. The rules are simple: make your own post with your answers to the questions and sign the link with the url to your post so we can call read it and love it!
Yes, weird things are happening on this blog [look, we're all mad here. get with it or get out . . . while you still can]. Since I don't see a need to review a book that's been published for some time and written by a well-known author, I thought I'd give you a sort of aesthetic/tribute.
Whatever this is, it's something you make up as you go along because that's what I'm doing.
[all quotes are from the book, obviously]
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
rushing about for ordinary things | in ordinary ways | shoved along the fast crowd | fast as the London tube | ordinary mistakes | London keeps moving | until a door tumbles open
"It was a city in which the very old and the awkwardly new jostled each other, not uncomfortably, but without respect."
"London grew into something huge and contradictory. It was a good place, and a fine city, but there is a price to be paid for all good places, and a price that all good places have to pay."
"but no one lived in the City now. It was a cold and cheerless place of offices, of people who worked in the day and went home to somewhere else at night."
ordinary life's overwhelming | if London Above's too much | try London Below | it's a scream
and always eat your breakfast | it makes impossible things more digestible
"As a child, Richard had had nightmares in which he simply wasn't there, in which, no matter how much noise he made, no matter what he did, nobody ever noticed him at all. He began to feel like that now, as people pushed in front of him."
"His feet hurt, and his eyes stung, and he knew that soon enough he would wake up from today and a proper Monday, a sensible Monday, a decent, honest Monday would begin."
"His life so far, he decided, had prepared him perfectly for a job in Securities, for shopping at the supermarket, for watching football on the telly at the weekends, for turning on a heater if he got cold. It had magnificently failed to prepare him for a life as an un-person on the roofs and in the sewers of London, for a life in the cold and the wet and the dark."
"It was then that Richard began to laugh; he couldn't help himself. There was hysteria in there, certainly, but there was also the exhaustion of someone who had managed, somehow, to believe several dozen impossible things in the last twenty-four hours, without ever getting a proper breakfast. His laughter echoed down the tunnels."
times and spaces in mixed places | mind the rats of the underworld | the forgotten and lost | collected together | Welcome to the Floating Market
"'Lovely fresh dreams. First-class nightmares. We got 'em. Get yer lovely nightmares here.'"
"A man in armour beat a small drum, and chanted as he did so, 'Lost Property. Roll up, roll up, and see for yourself. Lost property. None of your found muck here. Everything guaranteed properly lost.'"
"Richard began to understand darkness: darkness as something solid and real, so much more than a simple absence of light. He felt it touch his skin, questing, moving, exploring: gilding through his mind. It slipped into his lungs, behind his eyes, into his mouth . . ."
"It felt not so much as if the lights were being turned down, but as if the darkness were being turned up. Richard blinked, and opened his eyes on nothing -- nothing but darkness, complete and utter."
"'What's happening?' whispered Richard.
"'Darkness is happening.'"
each tube station a world to itself | where are you going | don't get lost | Croup and Vandemar on your heels | prowling close | what's this about angels? | find the key | death too close | don't get lost
They wore black suits, which were slightly greasy, slightly frayed, and even Richard, who counted himself among the sartorially dyslexic, felt there was something odd about the cut of the coats."
"It was too consistent, too steady and inexorable a walk to be considered as a stroll: Death walks like Mr Vandemar."
"'Crows. Family corvidae. Collective noun,' intoned Mr Croup, relishing the sounds of the word: 'a murder.'"
"'What,' asked Mr Croup, 'do you want?'
"'What, asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, 'does anyone want?'
"Richard did not believe in angels. He never had believed in angels. He was damned if he was going to start now. Still, it was much easier not to believe in something when it was not actually looking directly at you, and saying your name."
"Door folded her arms, and stood taller, putting her head back raising her pointed chin. She looked less like a ragged street-pixie; more like someone used to getting her own way."
"Door paused on the stage, wondering how to make the guards let Richard go. She went over to the microphone, went up on tiptoes, and she screamed, as loud as she possibly could, into the public-address system. She had a remarkable scream: it could, with no artificial assistance, go through your head like a new power drill with a bone-saw attachment. And amplified . . . It was simply unearthly."
you want to go home | do you know where home is | above or below
"'I'm fine,' lied Richard bravely, to no one in particular."
"But the most important thing for you to understand is this: all things want to open. You must feel that need, and use it."
"and, somewhere in her heart, she lets it be what it wants to be. There is a loud click, and the padlock opens."
Hello, dragon nerds. This post is brought to you by my inborn tendency to be late, to everything. If I'm cursed with lateness, I might as well make it productive somehow and turn it into a blog post. Not only am I late to normal stuff, but I'm also late to new book releases and book fandoms, etc. So here are some books I want to read but haven't yet.
Also, this post is inspired by C. G. Drew's post which you should definitely read because Paper Fury will knock your socks off.
The Lost Hero
by Rick Riordan
I've had this one on my shelf forever. It's even on the "special" shelf. But any time I finish a book, I forget to pick this one up next?
I know everyone whines that there's less Percy in it, so I'm expecting that. Ok, really, I just want more Nico.
Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Apparently, the cast for Six of Crows has been announced, and I'm just staring at the ceiling and twiddling the pages of The Raven Cycle my thumbs. I love the whole premise of this duology and want to consume it posthaste. But I also want to consume other books posthaste? And I can only have so many over for tea at once, ok? The March Hare doesn't have that much space.
Whenever I mention wanting to read this, my friend, Emly, gives me her angry face and nearly yells, "YES YOU DO, doofus!"
I've not read anything by Leigh Bardugo yet. And now Ninth House is out and booking itself around instagram. Dragon nerds, it looks delicious. What am I doing with my life?
Good Omens
by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Yet another one that my friend makes frowny faces at me for not reading it. She wants me to watch the TV adaption with her. I want to watch it too, but book first. Priorities, you know?
my friend:
Morning Star
by Pierce Brown
It took me half a millennium 6 months to read Golden Son. For some reason, I do this thing where anything that I really love, I make it last. I want to read it, but reading it makes me too nervous and excited. So then I just want to think about it. But then thinking about it makes me want to read it, and the vicious cycle continues into infinity.
So Morning Star might take me, oh, half an era to finish?
Prose Edda
Yes, yes, this book sticks out on the list, but I love mythology and Medieval sagas, ok? I've read bits of the Prose Edda, but I want to read it in full. But again, there's only so much room at the tea table.
If We Were Villains
by M. L. Rio
I've heard so many wonderful, non-specific things about this book. I don't actually want to know the plot. All the dark academic vibes is enough to make me want to read it.
Actually, the title is enough. I would pick this up based on the title. But have I yet??
All of V E Schwab's books
[minus Vicious]
I love Vicious. I want to reread it, but I also have not read and yet have been dying to read all of her other books. Vengeful of course, but also A Darker Shade of Magic. This Savage Song! City of Ghosts. The lists is unending because she's such a prolific writer.
And I know I'll love them, but I procrastinate all the books I know I'll love. I don't know why. Maybe loving things disturbs me?
We'll stop here before the list grows any longer.
What books do you want to read but just haven't yet?
The first time I read you, I had no idea what you were about. I didn't bother with your back cover. People had been raving about you, so I decided to see what you were like for myself.
It was autumn. Near Thanksgiving, or maybe it was Thanksgiving. Some details are hazy while others are distinct. My family and I were cleaning up after a very large lunch. Everybody buzzed with hype and excitement over something. Which generally meant a lot of teasing was being doled out as dishes were washed and leftovers stuffed in the frig. People drifted into the living area still jabbing jokes at each other.
I grabbed you. And excitement and eccentricity grabbed me. I noticed a sizable cardboard box in the corner. I need some signal to my family that I didn't want to be disturbed. So I jumped in the box, prayed no one would speak to me, and opened your cover.
"Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she'd been told that she would kill her true love."
Your first line. And as much as it is not the type of line to enchant me, I was enchanted from that point lost in you. I transcended to an in-between plane that existed solely for the collision of reality and unreality, the creation of dreams and stories.
....
Years later
two moves later
a slummy community college and university later
an I-actually-have-friends-now later
many autumns later
It was autumn again.
I wanted to revisit you and, this time, share you with some friends. You gave me the courage to do something I'd otherwise never do: I asked my friends to read you along with me. I'm a slow reader and so usually avoid buddy reads. I love to enjoy a book, especially you, at my own pace. I don't want to feel like there's a competition to finish you. Pressure should not be applied to books.
But I really wanted them to get to know you too. And they seemed eager for the same.
I didn't have a cardboard box this time.
On the back deck after the sun had settled behind the treetops, I took you to the hammock. The sky was cloudless and very blue. Bugs and birds hummed from the rustling trees. The wind was cool. I was alone at home. And I started you again.
"It was freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrived."
Your way of wording things is both subtle and abrupt. Sometimes you throw me in, crashing and rolling with no time to orient myself. And other times you ease me slowly down into a setting, a concept, a character, so slow I'm not sure what I'm seeing. I just know that I like it.
The way you describe your characters, touching each one, you caress them even as the story imprisons them in clawed clutches. They are both awful and wonderful. Tangibly real.
The sense of adventure you capture is contagious. I feel like I have half a Raven Cycle in me. I have the friends. The ones Blue longs for. With telepathic looks, uproarious shenanigans, thought-provoking conversations. But we're in need of a Glendower. Some quest to dash off to, a destination for my Kia Soul to take us.
And about that, your cars.
Your cars are characters themselves. The Pig, for all its quirks and faults, is so loved and cherished. It keeps going and going, even when it shouldn't. And when it can go no longer, nobody can blame it. It gives its all. The BMW is featured less in you, but it's there hovering in the back, ever-present, ever lurking. Ever grinning, sly and sharp. Like Ronan, whose POV is not featured in you either.
I've read you and The Dream Thieves, and I didn't remember where one of you ends and the next begins. So as I entered your climax, I was anxious to know how much would fit in the last 40 pages. How can so much happen in 40 pages? I had forgotten many things. But some details stick in my mind so vividly, they might as well be real.
Like
the Lynch vs Lynch parking lot fight
Adam's not shy quietness
the single white flower, to Blue, from Adam, can I still call?
Ronan and Chainsaw
Adam, eternally and obliviously elegant
Persephone, childlike and small and frocked with frills
"So many things survived here without really living."
Chapter 15
Calla and Ronan
"When Gansey was polite, it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away."
Noah petting Blue's hair
Adam's zero tolerance for pity
"'Maura,' Calla said, 'that was very rude.' Then she added, 'I liked it.'"
Ronan's ramp to the moon
MURDERED--Noah Czerny
the dreaming tree and Adam
trees speak Latin
TREES
boat shoes -_-
the fight in the Parrish front yard
the Transformer in the Fruit Loops box
"I sacrifice myself."--Adam Parrish
The things I didn't remember were just as wonderful and dreadful.
Like
how many people inhabit 300 Fox Way
"Tell me why we're negotiating with terrorist?"--Ronan Lynch
how observant Adam is
Blue thinking about manta rays and tyrant pygmies
"Am I invited?"--Adam Parrish
the impression of Gansey's journal
Ronan teaching Adam to drive a stick shift
Gansey doesn't believe in coincidences
the page of cups
"Safe as life."--Gansey
Gansey vs a wasp
"Don't throw it away."--Noah Czerny
Ronan's hatred for cellphones
Adam's fear of flying
Gansey as his mother's birthday present
"I'm always straight."--Ronan Lynch
Gansey cannot throw punches . . .
REMEMBERED--Ronan Lynch
Adam's left ear
"Excelsior"--Gansey
Noah, vaguely pleased to know things nobody else does
"to go home, to go home, to go home"
Ronan at the library??
Adam and Whelk
"Can we go home? This place is so creepy."--Noah Czerny
You inspire me to embrace both the awfulness and beauty of life. You make me think about time, how it works, how it doesn't work, how it could work. Most importantly, you made me realize how much happier I am now.
When I first read you, you were an ethereal fairytale, something unattainable, especially for someone sitting in a cardboard box. Now, I see you differently. Maybe I don't search high and low for dead Welsh kings or find myself in time-bending, Latin-speaking forests. But in you, I recognize my friends, our conspiracy of raven girls. You remind me that I haven't always had them and how amazing and different my life is with them in it. We recognize each others' strengths and faults, the lies we each tell ourselves. And we encourage each other to grow. We battle those lies together, taking up arms for our comrades. We're patience with our shortcomings. We wait for the other to "get it" and cover their back in the meantime. Because no matter what happens, we won't be taken away from each other. Our will to stay together is stronger than anything that would attempt to separate us.
In the end, you return home. I love the significance of that.
I'm mildly hyper today. It might've been the extra cup of coffee. But none can truly tell.
I reread The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I've decided to read the whole series, and a friend or two have joined in the fun. It's great introducing them to one of my favorite books and discussing it in detail as we go along. Actually, my friend, Emly, is like Gansey in personality. She's just as dramatic and pretentious as he is. She likes things for the aesthetic. And she collects weird people who don't fit anywhere else. The best part is I get to have a wonderful time teasing her about it all.
[Apparently, my personality is like Adam's, so it's all fair. I get teased too.]
Currently, we're on The Dream Thieves. I'm loving it more than I did the first time. I haven't read the next two books though, so that'll be uncharted territory.
Another thing, The Manuscript Doctor [the editing company where I intern] has their new website up! Go check it out! It's beautiful. And I got to write a blogpost. It's about sequels and Golden Son by Pierce Brown [because when I'm not telling people about The Raven Cycle, I'm screeching like a pterodactyl about Red Rising].
Dragon nerds, October shall bring exciting things to you very soon. Emly Holmes, Skye Hoffert from Ink Calamities, and I will be hosting an autumn blog tour! We're calling it The Book Spooktacular [and I'm definitely calling you all book spooks instead of dragon nerds]. There'll be lists, aesthetics, stories, and maybe even a link up. I am excite!
I've also been hiking lately. The trees and rocks are wonderful. And I've always enjoyed reading outdoors.
Other than that, I've been questioning everything in my life. [What else is new?] I'm looking for a second job, but businesses always take forever to look through the job applications they've collected. So I'm trying to be patient [yeah, right]. I'm also reassessing where I currently live and if it's possible to change that. I'm living in this odd in-between phase. I was hoping it would be over by now, but apparently, it's having too good a time rollicking through my life to leave.
How have you been? Anything exciting happening for you?
sleeping in without intention, slow morning, some praying, some stretching, a bath with peppermint oil, what makes you worth it, what makes others worth it, all the ways you're incompetent, over aware, but you know there's grace for the things you mess up, so lets move forward, try to shake them away, don't let them cling, be ok with today
your blue felt boots, a jumble of bracelets, black collared shirt, ripped jeans, mascara on dark, in the car, thoughts driving hard and relaxed, wait for coffee, sit and read, thin fingers, long wrists, laugh a little, feel the pages flipping through your fingertips, mark your favorite spot, glimpses through the window at the damp world, feel the autumn coming, creeping into your veins, it's a wonder, so move forward, shake the past away, don't let the doubts cling
back home, 7 pm coffee, breath in the rain drenched air, it's coming, autumn is coming, you can live today, it's ok, get lost in what makes you feel alive, research, writing, stories running wild, archetypes, liminal existence, books like gatekeepers, delve into worlds unknown, sleepless tonight
So do you remember that WIP I mentioned a few posts back? I thought I'd share with you a bit of the process of writing Zuezak.
Here's the introduction post in case you're unfamiliar with the characters' names and the general plot.
[also, the excerpts are straight from the draft, unedited]
What was the most challenging part to write?
The scenes between King Harbald and Zuezak. Harbald's abusively targeted Zuezak throughout Zuezak's whole life. But whenever I write their scenes together, Harbald comes off as a weak, petty villain.
He doesn't seem half as manipulative and clever. When Harbald's with anyone else, he appears as powerful and dangerous as I want him to be. But for some reason I can't write him true when he's with Zuezak, and that's a significant character dynamic in the plot.
What was the easiest part to write?
Action scenes, including any scene with the gargans, tend to be pretty easy. Usually, I don't have to pre-visualize them. They come as I write, and I type fast, so I usually keep up with what's going on in the scene as it happens. Slower scenes or dialogue heavy scenes are hit or miss, but I always love writing action scenes [of course, that doesn't mean they're any good XD].
Also writing in Damon's POV is much easier than I had anticipated. After I got over an initial struggle with capturing him on the page, he was a breeze to write.
What sort of music did you listen to while writing it?
I don't usually like listening to lyrics when I write, but I do like listening to anything instrumental. During the first half of this draft, I often listened to Ralph Vaughan Williams' A London Symphony, but during the latter half, my go-to was usually anything by Sleep Dealer, usually Imminence. Other times I just find something atmospheric at ambientmixer.com.
Where did you get stuck the most?
I procrastinated writing the ending for nearly a month. I don't know why. It's not like it would just go away if I pretended it wasn't there.
And honestly, I didn't know where to end it. I basically wrote "The End" and gave up. Half the scenes in the ending, I don't even like. I get the feeling I over-wrote the ending while missing so many points that need resolution. Endings are my weakest spot. So hopefully, I can find something that works after rereading it for revisions.
What was the most fun to write?
Action scenes. I think that's partly why they're so easy. I have a lot of fun writing them. And I like how they usually manifest as I type.
I also like a lot of scenes with Damon in them. While I do enjoy a good broody character like Zuezak, Damon's far more expressive and animated. I'm rereading the draft now. Zuezak is awesome to read, but Damon is more fun to write.
I also loved any kind of interaction between Zuezak and Damon. That's probably while this story morphed into a brother story. I like their relationship and how their differences complement each other well. They also tease each other immensely, like any good, faithful sibling would.
What I didn't expect to enjoy writing was Damon and his father's relationship. I expected their interactions to be difficult and Zuezak and Harbald's easy. But it was the complete opposite. From the first scene I wrote between Damon and Harbald, their dynamic was so easy. They have this sort of competitiveness that borders on jovial and merciless. It's Harbald's way to challenge and push Damon to prepare him for kingship. But despite how ruthless Harbald is and how often he makes sure he wins, he's really proud of his son despite their differences. It's fun to write because they each operate with different motives and methods, but they have the same level of cunning and intellect.
_____
Father’s
eyes held that subdued rage. It was a look only Damon ever received and that very
rarely. It wasn’t quite rage, yes, rage that someone had defied him, but pride
rose over it. it was the look of a chessman who’d long been playing half asleep
to finally awaken for an opponent worth his attention and revel in the
challenge of crushing him.
_____
What particular snacks did you like to eat while writing it?
Usually gummy bears and Dots. I like lining them up on my laptop, between the keyboard and the screen. The only thing is that they do leave this residue behind.
My dad noticed it once: "what is all over your laptop??"
me: "that is the residue of gummy bear butts"
dad: ????
me:
What parts or aspects are you still uncertain about?
Other than the things I've already mentioned, I'm afraid Cassandra's character development falls flat. I don't know a lot about her personality, so I don't think she seems well-rounded on the page. But she's important to the plot [and I like her], so I'll probably interview her the way I interviewed Damon.
And I'm wondering if the Seeker needs to be more involved in the plot. His backstory and identity are uncertain in the beginning, and I only reveal what needs to be said. Which isn't much because he works with Zuezak, and Zuezak doesn't pry. So very little personal information is revealed about him. Since the Seeker doesn't like poking his head in other people's business, or them his, he just keeps to himself. He seems docile almost laconic, but he's really very powerful and authoritative if he needs to be. The other characters have moments when they realize they've come to view him like a house cat when in reality he's a tiger. I like it that way, but I'm wondering if the story is calling for more of him.
What's your favorite way to take a break from writing?
I like going for a walk and stretching. Physical activity really helps, and it's good for brainstorming. Or I'll listen to a podcast while walking [Writing Excuses is a really good one]. But I injured my foot midway into through the draft, so after that happened, I usually watched Criminal Minds or read a book, like Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.
[when the all characters are confused or mortally wounded, and you dump them for a published book]
[#badwriterparent]
What needs more research?
I want to give the story a certain flavor with the cathedral's architecture as well as the palace's. I was originally wanting Gothic architecture, but then I realized, I don't know what distinguishes Gothic architecture from other forms of architecture. In fact, I know next to nothing about architecture at all.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379850549804502189/
So I'll probably broaden my research a bit to see if that's really what I want, or if what I have in mind is something else.
Also, I don't think I've read many books that incorporate both a magic system and a soft science system, so I want to pick up a few to see how they do it.
[any recs?]
What's your favorite part?
Damon and Zuezak regularly send messages to each other when they can't find the other. So it's fun seeing them poke and tease each other in them.
_____
Zuezak,
You ungrateful brat! Off working in your shop with
never a hello to your brother who thinks that you could be lying dead in some
alley at the hands of another “mugging”? Well! I’m sorry I’m not worth your
time.
Tea. Now.
Your neglected relation, Damon
Ps—ok, fine, I still love you.
Zuezak rolled his eyes.
“What is it?” Marki asked.
“Oh, nothing. I’ve been summoned by the drama
queen is all.” He stuffed the message in his pocket.
_____
There's a few rooftop scenes that I really like too.
I also like certain places when the other characters do discover aspects of the Seeker's character. Usually it's a very human part of him, like his coffee addiction.
_____
Tyke looked back at them from where he now stood
with Lileth over the small cauldron. “Do you really drink all this coffee by
yourself!?”
The Seeker finally looked up and seemed strangely
. . . abashed, was it?
Lileth then stirred the cauldron, and the aroma
wafted toward them. That was definitely coffee.
“Um, I had a vision you were coming.” It was nearly
a question instead of a statement. “I made extra for all.”
Tyke tried to whisper which was impossible for
Tyke. “He does drink all this
himself!”
_____
Do you have any fixed routine for writing or studying?