Tralala! Tralala! Tralala! Tralala! Rum Tum Tum Tiddle-um

Hello, friends! I've got three more reviews posted up at Compass Book Ratings.

The first is RIP VAN WINKLE AND THE PUMPKIN LANTERN.

While I wasn't 100% in love with this story, there were some elements I appreciated:  Namely, the heavily Christian undertone that you really don't find in a lot of books these days, and the really clever correlations the author made fairy tales and symbolism. It's a very simple read with some unexpectedly dark undertones, but overall engaging, and I quite liked Rip. He was a sweetheart of a character. I also liked the "plug" advocating big families. Since I come from one, I really liked that.

Next up, FEAR THE DROWNING DEEP.

I really wanted to love this one. Come on, that's a pretty sick cover! It's evocative, compelling, and plus, it deals with sea myths! What's not to love?!?... (Well, to be honest, the romance.) I'm not hugely into teen romance, especially what's being written these days. It's so very, very dramatic and touchy-feely. I like my romance to be the slow blooming kind, not the "girl-sees-boy-wow-hotness-must-have-yessssssssss!" This was, unfortunately, more of the latter. I don't really need to be reminded how attractive someone looks in this type of lighting, or with that kind of smile, or with this touch. Less is more, guys. Less is more. BUT, the last third of the book was pretty tight, and the ending had a fairly good climax (we got more plot and action, here, rather than thoughts of kissing, being kissed, wanting to be kissed, and so on and so forth). The last few chapters, I was flipping pages pretty quickly to make sure people survived. And the sea monsters used in this story were well done. There's a particularly gruesome sea serpent that was simply ugh, if you know what I mean. Simply UGH! :) If you are someone who is not turned off by teen romance, you might really, really like this book. I just personally have a prudish side that found the romantic content a bit overwhelming, and I likely wouldn't recommend it to my family, who are also not hugely into current teen romance. But, the writing is rather lovely, and the description of the island is excellent. If you've ever been to the ocean, you'll taste the salt and smell the wind and feel the sand.

Last, I've got THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA reviewed.

If you guys don't know how much I love Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books (The Queen's Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings) then I haven't gushed about them enough!!! Some of my sisters love The Queen of Attolia best. Me, my favourite is The King of Attolia, with The Queen a close second. I simply ADORE the main character, Eugenides. You do get more of him in The Queen's Thief (book one), since it's told entirely from his perspective, and he sort of slips into the background over the course of the books, with him barely making an appearance in A Conspiracy of Kings (which is probably why it's not my favourite book in the series). But in the King of Attolia, you get him from someone else's perspective, and he just gets incredibly more awesome. What I really admire about these books, other than their beautiful worldbuilding, is the fact that it's primarily about the three countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis, and their struggles to remain independent. That's clever. I've never seen a book where the countries themselves are almost characters. And I also am hugely amazed at the way Megan Whalen Turner can take a character that you rather despise and make you somehow fall in love with them (I'm referring to The Queen of Attolia here). It makes me desperately anxious to become a better writer when I read her books. (Oh and HOLLA! She is writing a fifth book called Thick As Thieves! The only drawback I can see to it is that it, like A Conspiracy of Kings, doesn't deal with Eugenides at ALL. That is a great sorrow, guys.) But here, in The Queen of Attolia, we get a perfect example of the slow blooming romances that I go for. Subtle romance, simple romance, that's so keenly beautiful and heart-stopping you sit back, marveling how much those perfectly phrased sentences can make you feel. So yeah. If you haven't read the Attolia books, what are waiting for? 

Go! Find them!

Buy them! Read them! :)

So, yep. There you go. Three new books for you to read. You're welcome.

What all did you do for Halloween? I had been idly contemplating an Edward Elric-esque costume...

...but since I am not the only person obsessed with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, another sister dressed up as him, so I went as my default old-fashioned witch. Maybe next year...? We shall see. :)

Also, I went to Front Sight directly after Halloween - me and three other sisters drove down to Pahrump November 3rd, participated in a four-day handgun class and a CCW class the day after, and came back home (albeit reluctantly) November 9th.  

You wouldn't BELIEVE how attached you can get to a shooting range, guys!

I want to do a more in-depth blog post about Front Sight, so I'm not going to say too much about it here. But omigosh, FUN! It is very satisfying to know how to handle a handgun. For reals.

Oh, and I saw Doctor Strange on Friday. Wow magic! Such sorcery.

And that's it for me. It's almost Thanksgiving, guys! If I don't manage to blog before then, hope it's a good one.

God bless!

Cat

Tralala! Tralala! Tralala! Tralala! Rum Tum Tum Tiddle-um

Hello, friends! I've got three more reviews posted up at Compass Book Ratings.

The first is RIP VAN WINKLE AND THE PUMPKIN LANTERN.

While I wasn't 100% in love with this story, there were some elements I appreciated:  Namely, the heavily Christian undertone that you really don't find in a lot of books these days, and the really clever correlations the author made fairy tales and symbolism. It's a very simple read with some unexpectedly dark undertones, but overall engaging, and I quite liked Rip. He was a sweetheart of a character. I also liked the "plug" advocating big families. Since I come from one, I really liked that.

Next up, FEAR THE DROWNING DEEP.

I really wanted to love this one. Come on, that's a pretty sick cover! It's evocative, compelling, and plus, it deals with sea myths! What's not to love?!?... (Well, to be honest, the romance.) I'm not hugely into teen romance, especially what's being written these days. It's so very, very dramatic and touchy-feely. I like my romance to be the slow blooming kind, not the "girl-sees-boy-wow-hotness-must-have-yessssssssss!" This was, unfortunately, more of the latter. I don't really need to be reminded how attractive someone looks in this type of lighting, or with that kind of smile, or with this touch. Less is more, guys. Less is more. BUT, the last third of the book was pretty tight, and the ending had a fairly good climax (we got more plot and action, here, rather than thoughts of kissing, being kissed, wanting to be kissed, and so on and so forth). The last few chapters, I was flipping pages pretty quickly to make sure people survived. And the sea monsters used in this story were well done. There's a particularly gruesome sea serpent that was simply ugh, if you know what I mean. Simply UGH! :) If you are into teen romance, you might really, really like this book! Go for it! The writing is rather lovely, and the description of the island is excellent. If you've ever been to the ocean, you'll taste the salt and smell the wind and feel the sand.

Last, I've got THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA reviewed.

If you guys don't know how much I love Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books (The Queen's Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings) then I haven't gushed about them enough!!! Some of my sisters love The Queen of Attolia best. Me, my favourite is The King of Attolia, with The Queen a close second. I simply ADORE the main character, Eugenides. You do get more of him in The Queen's Thief (book one), since it's told entirely from his perspective, and he sort of slips into the background over the course of the books, with him barely making an appearance in A Conspiracy of Kings (which is probably why it's not my favourite book in the series). But in the King of Attolia, you get him from someone else's perspective, and he just gets incredibly more awesome. What I really admire about these books, other than their beautiful worldbuilding, is the fact that it's primarily about the three countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis, and their struggles to remain independent. That's clever. I've never seen a book where the countries themselves are almost characters. And I also am hugely amazed at the way Megan Whalen Turner can take a character that you rather despise and make you somehow fall in love with them (I'm referring to The Queen of Attolia here). It makes me desperately anxious to become a better writer when I read her books. (Oh and HOLLA! She is writing a fifth book called Thick As Thieves! The only drawback I can see to it is that it, like A Conspiracy of Kings, doesn't deal with Eugenides at ALL. That is a great sorrow, guys.) But here, in The Queen of Attolia, we get a perfect example of the slow blooming romances that I go for. Subtle romance, simple romance, that's so keenly beautiful and heart-stopping you sit back, marveling how much those perfectly phrased sentences can make you feel. So yeah. If you haven't read the Attolia books, what are waiting for? 

Go! Find them!

Buy them! Read them! :)

So, yep. There you go. Three new books for you to read. You're welcome.

What all did you do for Halloween? I had been idly contemplating an Edward Elric-esque costume...

...but since I am not the only person obsessed with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, another sister dressed up as him, so I went as my default old-fashioned witch. Maybe next year...? We shall see. :)

Also, I went to Front Sight directly after Halloween - me and three other sisters drove down to Pahrump November 3rd, participated in a four-day handgun class and a CCW class the day after, and came back home (albeit reluctantly) November 9th.  

You wouldn't BELIEVE how attached you can get to a shooting range, guys!

I want to do a more in-depth blog post about Front Sight, so I'm not going to say too much about it here. But omigosh, FUN! It is very satisfying to know how to handle a handgun. For reals.

Oh, and I saw Doctor Strange on Friday. Wow magic! Such sorcery.

And that's it for me. It's almost Thanksgiving, guys! If I don't manage to blog before then, hope it's a good one.

God bless!

Cat

Blink and You'll Miss It

Happy New Year!

Oh wait, that was five months ago.

Oh well. So, how is everybody doing? Good? Great? Less than stellar? Freakin' Fantastic?

Me, I'm doing well. Spring is coming (bouncebouncebounce) and I adore spring! I want to plant flowers and go for rambling walks through the forest (I'm in Tahoe, so I can do that) and I want to go swimming and have picnics in the mountains and just immerse myself in the weather.

(Yes, I am a fairy, why do you ask? Or a unicorn. It really depends on the day. And the magic.)

Some good things happened this month(s). I went to Barnes and Noble middle of March and spent hours there browsing, which I haven't done in ages. I found the last few seasons of a couple TV shows for a real cheap price and BOUGHT them. I got Ally Carter's book, SEE HOW THEY RUN. (Ally Carter, FYI, is fab. She writes so well and I adore her!) I got coffee and a croissant from the B&N coffee shop, because it was freaking B&N and I was going to ENJOY MYSELF! So there. (Yes, the coffee and croissant were delicious. I have no regrets.)

Then, about a week ago, I received Josh Groban's STAGES LIVE from two adorable sisters when they went to Barnes and Noble (without me, I might add. I had to work, which was RUDE! but the STAGES DVD was a nice consolation prize) and we had an enjoyable evening where we watched Il Volo's WE ARE LOVE concert, followed by Josh Groban's STAGES concert. (Guilty confession: I could watch videos of people singing all day. Unfortunately, I don't get paid to do that. Sigh.) Both Il Volo (consisting of the three adorable Italians, Piero, Gianluca, and Ignazio) and Josh Groban (consisting of himself) are TONS of fun to watch. They are funny, awesome singers, and they give a great show. (Next up, movie/musical binge night, featuring Il Volo in LIVE FROM POMPEII and Josh Groban in AWAKE LIVE.)

Also, I checked out books from the library and they didn't all suck! That was such a surprise for me. Usually I check out so many books, and I go skimskimskim, and then I return all those books to the library, feeling melancholy and sad that there wasn't a single book I liked. This time, out of the six or seven I checked out, I actually liked three or four of them! Surprising, yes? (Funny how most of my good things have to do with books, bookstores and libraries. Shhh, no one mention how many books I have in that closet... or under that bed... or in that house... or on those bookshelves.)

OH! Another good thing that happened - I discovered the remake TV series of Hawaii Five-0, which I LOVE! (and it got renewed for a season 7, which I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT!!!! So, my good stuff doesn't revolve ENTIRELY around books, I guess. I like TV shows, too.) It was a good time for me to find H50, 'cause all my other shows were burning and crashing and dying. So I decided, I don't care if Hawaii Five-0 sounds like a silly show, it's recommended for me on Netflix and I shall watch it. And I did. And I was like, Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang Daniel! (And Steve. Oh m' gosh, Steve! You are a sweet, sad puppy and I love you.) So, I was hooked and watched the five seasons streaming on Netflix in 3-1/2 weeks or less. I swear it was at least three weeks. Treskie seems to believe it was two. I don't think I watched them THAT quickly.

Then I did have some crappy things happen. Like, I didn't make it to confession last Sunday, which means it will be four weeks before I can actually go. To quote Captain Haddock, "You don't know what that means." You feel soured with life. You feel mean and small. Kind of like Gollum. Sort of thin. Stretched. Like butter scraped over too much bread.

Then, I have gotten a couple more agent rejections. I know it's just business, but still. You feel unhappy getting those rejections. Kind of small. Sad-like. (I believe in you, Dragon! One day, your story will be told, and not just to my sisters and my writing group. I promise!)

Last, and most depressing of all, the fourth book in a series I have adored since book one, and which I have been waiting to be released since I finished book three in April last year, ended up making two of the best main characters gay. Since one was a Catholic (and honestly, freakin' HAWT), I was pretty upset that happened, and I'm thankful I didn't end up reading book four. (My sister Treskie did that for me, and when she told me, I went into a grieving state which I'm still not quite over.) I think the thing about this book that makes me so depressed is that, from the beginning, there is this quintet consisting of four boys and one girl, and they are nothing BUT friends. There is a slight romance between the girl and one of the boys, which later transforms into a deeper romance between the same girl and a DIFFERENT boy, but the the boys themselves are like a foursome of brothers. There was nothing romantic in there at all. So to see the author (whom I have loved and adored for the past five years, and now feel utterly betrayed by) obeying the trend of the world and writing two of the boys as gay (when they are both honestly too manly and moral to do that) infuriated me. I was like, "What's wrong with just being friends? What's wrong with just being BROS?! Don't people like bros anymore!?" (Note to self: Write story about BROS. Emphasize the BRO-ness. Steve and Danny bro-style.)

So, that upset me. Depressed me. Made me cry. Utter lamentations. Rewrite the book in my head. Turn to Diana Wynne-Jones for comfort. (I can always count on her to make me feel better!)

Anyhoozle, that's what's been going on for me. Tonight, as it is May the Fourth, Treskie, Panda and I are going to watch The Force Awakens. Pandy has not seen it (Shhhhhhh, don't tell her about the really shocking thing that happens!) and as it was the one Star Wars movie I liked perhaps as much as A New Hope, I'm excited to rewatch it.

May the Fourth be With You!!

Cheers!

Le Cat

2015: A Summary

This was a tag from Bella back in the beginning of January, which I'm not finally getting to. (Congratulate me, friend! Two blog posts in March!) It was supposed to be a New Year's Tag, but since I'm so late, it's going to be a "2015: A Summary" tag. So whatever.


1. What was the single best thing that happened last year?

Um, let's see. Honestly, probably going to Carmel and visiting a couple of the missions. That was such a wonderful and epic trip. My older sister and I went for three days and it was just really lovely. Plus, the ocean was gorgeous! (I think I might love the ocean.)

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

I had a two-day jury summons, waiting while the judge and attorneys tried to decide on jurors.

3. What was the most memorable thing?

Christmas. Christmas was definitely the most memorable thing about last year.

4. What did you get really, really excited about?

'Kay, I was able to go to this thing called WordWave, where I got to meet an agent from Fuse Literary. That was really cool and exciting and SO helpful for my query and synopsis.

I was also excited to hear that Prison Break is getting a new season. YAY! :-)

5. What song/album will always remind you of 2015?
Josh Groban's STAGES CD. Especially "What I Did For Love" and "Dulcinea."

6. How did you spend your Christmas?
Epicly! (Epically?) We had Midnight Mass privately up near where we live, and we got some pretty awesome snow Christmas Eve, so we had these huge soft drifts everywhere, and there was a full moon that night, so I wished on it.
Christmas is always glorious in our house. We light the Christ Candle first thing and sing Joy to the World, and put Baby Jesus in the manger. My dad always gets a fire going and makes sausage rolls and puts down a pot of coffee, and we open stockings and eat food and drink mimosa and/or orange juice and coffee and pass out gifts and get really, really loud. We had a lot of people over that day, too. We have a friend who moved to Tahoe from Wyoming, and her brothers came for dinner, which was our traditional gnocchi and ham. We also had a snowball fight later that night, and it was pretty freakishly cold out there, which probably wasn't good for all of us with our wicked chest colds. We were all:

 7. What was a hardest thing you to face in 2015?

I don't even know. Maybe... That one time... Or perhaps... Nope, I got nuthin'.

8. What were the best movies you saw in 2015?

Antman, Age of Ultron, and The Scorch Trials, because Marvel, because AVENGERS, and obviously because Dylan O'Brien. 

9.What were the best books you read in 2015?
What Came From The Stars by Gary Schmidt; The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski.

10. Was there any awesome/fun TV show you discovered in 2015?

I was briefly hooked on Person Of Interest, then a female character was introduced who sort of usurped my boys, Reese and Finch, and I later discovered she was having a relationship with another female and I lost interest. I restarted 24, though. (Still adore Jack.)

11. Did you discover any new musicals?

Yes! Finding Neverland, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.

12. Did you write any new books?
I am mostly revising books I've already written - namely, DragonFire and Fulcrum. I had been kicking around an idea concerning nightmares, and that one has really taken off this month. I've been actively writing it a few hours each night. I'm pretty excited about it. :-)

13. Did you make any new friends?

14. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

15. Is there some change you will have to go through in 2016?
Gosh, I hope not. Well, I'd like to move. But otherwise... Gosh, I hope not.

16. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

Pinterest.

17. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Life is hard, but trust in God. Worry gives you insomnia.

18. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"He will always hate me / No matter what I say / And there is no mistaking the love is gone."
(This is actually a man's song, so I had to change the "she" in the original lyrics to "he".)

19. What are five things you want to do in 2016?
a.) Land an agent. (That makes me sound like I'm hooking a fish. Sorry, agents!)
b.) Buy a piano and start composing music again.
c.) Go to one of the two SCBWI Annual Conferences in either LA or New York (though since I didn't get tax returns this year, that's probably not going to happen this year).
d.) Get a better job.
e.) Move.

20. Describe 2015 in your own words.

Truly, not the best year I've ever had. It had it's ups and downs, and I was mostly very worried and stressed during it. I concentrated on trying to be a bit more trusting and take it one day at a time. I sometimes felt like I was doing good with that, but then someone would say, "Are you okay? You seem sad," and I so I guess I wasn't being as brave as I'd thought I was being.

2015 did have some epic moments - Carmel and WordWave and Christmas were three incredible highlights to the year and I want to go back to check out more of the missions in the very near future. That's a definite To-Do. I also got myself submitting to agents, which is an A+ for me in regards to my courage. (Submitting to agents is scary!)

However, I seem to have grown more antisocial. The best thing in my life is going to my little home and being alone, with no people other than my sisters. And Netflix. (Seriously, guys. NETFLIX.)

So that was my last year.

And this was my relationship with last year

HERE'S TO A BETTER THIS YEAR!!! :-) 

God bless. 

The Cat

A Parody

Phantom and Front Sight and Edged-Weapons Training;

POTO

Winter Soldier

Jekyll and Hyde.

Eugenides complaining.

Anthony Warlow in Jekyll and Hyde

Anthony Warlow, the way that he sings -

These are a few of my favorite things.

Visiting B&N, going to Scheels;

Donna and Bucky - FANS get this! :-)

Awesome place

Looking for knives, testing how each one feels...

Avatar, Crossing Lines, 24 too.

Team Avatar

Team Crossing Lines

Team Jack Bauer

I can make Pinkie Pie.

How about you?

Emailing agents for representation...

LOL

Going on Pinterest to ease agitation.

All the things. I will pin. All. The things!

Polishing queries and drawing a king...

These are a few of my interesting things.

Matthew Murdock! The Winchesters!

Daredevil

THE Hug

Grimm makes me feel sad. :'(

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

I simply put on something Josh Groban sings,

and then I don't feel so bad!

GOD BLESS!

~Cat

Possessed LOLcat