My heart palpitates as my finger hovers over the SEND button, my palm clammy with a sudden burst of perspiration. "This is it," flashes through my mind, and before I lose my nerve, I tap the screen. Expelling a heavy sigh from years of bent up disappointment, frustration, and whatever minuscule amount of hope remains, I lean back in my chair to relax my racing heart. I've only just sent the beginnings of my revisions for my manuscript to a friend for review. She read the first dreadful, ...
teen fiction
WOMS: The Glass Spare Duology & the Deceiver’s Heart
The Glass Spare & The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano This duology intrigued me simply because the magical power of the protagonist, Wil, was turning alive objects -- humans, plants, animals, etc. -- into gemstones. Kind of a bizarre concept, except DeStefano makes it work. That is what fascinated me. Unfortunately, that's the only thing which fascinated me. Sure, the plot is a bit predictable, but there's enough differences the reader stays entertained long enough to finish the books. ...
WOMS: Grishaverse
Let me start by explaining I'm going to begin referring to my "What's on my Shelf" posts as WOMS. Makes sense, right? And now your mouth isn't too full. As I catch up on these posts, I'm going to work backwards through what I've most recently read before recommitting to build my consistency, but this post is going to be the odd ball out. While I have recently read some of the books within Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, I read the first installment trilogy last summer. Here's hoping I ...
For the Love of Reading
How many times have you ever heard that to be a good writer you need to first be a good [avid] reader? I've lost count myself; I think it was this cliche which I gritted my teeth or rolled my eyes at the most. My annoyance or anyone else's, however, does not negate the truth behind this advice. It's a cliche for a reason. The greatest problem I had overcoming my agitation any time someone mentioned this to me was first admitting to myself I did not read anymore. Shocking, I know, but a ...
What’s on my Shelf: May-June
As promised last week, since June has ended, here are my latest book reviews. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker I’ll begin with this delightful beauty since I’ve literally just finished it. My first thoughts are of gratitude to Wecker for embracing two cultures which are so intimate to myself, I felt I was reading a personal, alternate history of familiar lives long parted from me. It made me proud to read a story about these two cultures I cherish. The way she captured ...
