Number 4

I couldn't put this book down.  I first heard about this book through Barnes & Noble (one of my dearest friends) while I was searching through the "coming soon" section.  The synopsis sounded like a book that I just absolutely had to have.  However, I still waited because cash flow is a bit on the low side and hardbacks are expensive.  Well, at least over time.  I kept thinking about this book and how much I though I would like to read it, and then I looked at the author.  As many of you probably know, I have a tendency to research every book I buy.  I don't want to invest in my own copy if it's not something I'll enjoy.  I found it very unfortunate that the author's parents would name him Pittacus Lore.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized it must be a pseudonym.  And what did I find out?  It is!  Not only is it a false name but the author is the person who wrote my books on how to write books.  That was the breaking point.  The next day I caved and bought the book.  From the very first page there was no disappointment to be had.  It kept me reading and it was seldom seen out of my hand (unless I was watching LOST).  If you are looking for an exciting young adult novel that has a new twist on superheroes pick this one up.

Life As We Knew It

Last night I finished Life As We Knew It.  And I must say it was pretty good.  The entire book is written through journal entries of the main character.  It think that's what made the book feel so real at times.  It almost felt like the story was happening to me instead of being fiction.  That could just be because in my sci-fi mind I'm always thinking of disasters in which I will have to live in a situation just like this one.  (Hopefully not as long.)  I would recommend picking this one up for a bit of entertaining reading.  While I'm not sure the actual catastrophe would actually ever happen, the stories about the people were excellent.

Resistance is Futile

I came out with this one too

This is the one I went in for

The other day I went into Barnes and Noble to pick up a book that I've been dying to read since I first heard about it through their website.  I walked through the door, gift card in my pocket and ready to make my purchase.  Of course I knew it wasn't going to be a quick trip like it should've been because my card only had $15 on it.  Enough to purchase one book.  But of course while I'm there I have to check out the other books for future purchase!  It's only logical that I scan all the books.  Well, as I walk through the door I notice that there is an older man sitting at a table with stacks of a book.  An author!  This doesn't happen very often.  What do I do?  I conveniently walk the other way.  For some reason I'm always hesitant to walk up to someone and discuss something that they've created.  My inferiority complex has always, always stopped me from getting to know people.  This man is a published author!  Of course I had a complex.  So I scanned the books on the other side of the store, found the book I came for, tried to catch the eye of a really cute guy scanning the books in the same section (yes, I said tried) and then moved on to the rest of the store.  All the while I'm sure I looked like an idiot because whenever I got close I was trying to see what the book was on the author's table to see if I knew him without him seeing me.  On top of it all I had this feeling that I should go talk to him and find out about his book.  If I were an author I would love it if someone came up to me and asked me about my book!  Even if they didn't buy it.  I walked up to the register and purchased the book I came for at 20% off!  I asked the girl at the register about the author at the table.  She said, "I think it's a biography or something like it.  He's really nice, you should go talk to him."  I knew that I should, but I was chicken.  In order to get out of the store I had to walk in front of his table.  He was handing out bookmarks that talked about his book.  He waved one at me and that's when I went over and talked to him.  I asked him to tell me about his book and he was, of course, more than happy to tell me about it.  He told me that he had the same dream three times where everyone asked him, "Have you finished it yet?"  "Finished what?" he asked.  It was a book that he was supposed to finish, and there it was sitting on his table.  He told me that he never planned to write a book, but he followed the inspiration of his dream and wrote the book.  How could I not support someone who followed a prompting?  So, $20 later I walked out of the store with an autographed copy of the book.  It's impossible to resist a creation after someone has told me about it.  As I was walking out, I noticed a woman setting up a table on the other side of the store.  A table of books.  I took one look at the cover, noticed it was something that I would probably like to read, and ran out of the store.  I couldn't afford to talk to another author!

Thank You Shannon!

Okay, so if any of you out there are writers I'm sure you have found yourself frustrated with those you love when you ask them to read your writing.  I know they mean well when they give criticism, but why is it that I find myself hurt when they do?  I mean, I asked for it!  Let me ask this, don't you find it just as hurtful and unhelpful when someone you love hands back your story and says, "yeah, it was good," and then they just continue on with life like your story meant nothing to them?  Well, it has the tendency to annoy me!  I want to know what they liked about it!  And if there was nothing good don't stand there and tell me that it was a piece of crap and then expect me to handle it well!  (not that anyone's ever said it quite that bluntly... well except for a journalism professor I had a couple of years ago, but that's another story.)  I stumbled on a blog post of one of my favorites today, Shannon Hale, and she had the perfect way of telling the loved one of a writer what to do and what not to do when asked to read a story.  I will be sharing it with my family because it explains a writer's need so well.  (Now I can only hope that they will read it and take it seriously.)  I hope you check it out!  You can click her name above for the link or you can click here.  Happy reading, writing and whatever else you do!