IT’S 2014! And you’d think for once, just this once, I would’t be able to complain about the year going fast. But we are EIGHT DAYS INTO JANUARY and if you’re not scared by that then I’m jealous of your disregard for our fragile mortality.
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What I’m Reading
Getting back into the swing of things slowly, continuing my read of THE 5TH WAVE. It’s a really well-crafted book, but it’s not hooking me. I think I’m getting a bit burnt out on YA, I’ll need to start varying up my genres more.
I finished STORM FRONT (Book #1 in THE DRESDEN FILES) and urgh. It was TERRIBLE. I’ve been tempted to do a post discussion just how problematic the first half of this book was (the second half was more focused) but I’m conscious that a lot of people really love this series. Hmmm. We’ll see where the mood takes me.
UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder isn’t my usual type of novel, but it was doing fantastically well and it’s by a fellow member of the Absolute Write forums so I had to check it up. If you’re at all curious about the (18+ only) New Adult genre, this is a good book to start with. New Adult isn’t really my thing but I’m very certain Unteachable is the finest NA novel currently out there, and it goes a fantastic job of both meeting and defying genre expectations.
I’m also reading a few comic books. LOKI was decent, pretty art and an decent storyline, but what’s really grabbed my attention is YOUNG AVENGERS: STYLE > SUBSTANCE. Its got a lot of that slightly hipster attitude and meta humor that you see in Hawkeye, and it plays with it to great affect. It’s also the start of a new series of YOUNG AVENGERS comics so it’s a great jump-in point.
My goal is to shift from books to my beta reading backlog, though issues with my old Kindle make that easier said than done…
What I’m Writing
I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, writing bits and pieces in an unfocused ‘warm up’. But this week my plan is to pull attention back to the BROKEN THINGS revision, with a middle grade plotbunny on the side for when I need a break from revising.
Easier said than down when I’m battling the heavy-eyed, foggy-headed flu demons, mind you…
What Inspires Me
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
THIS SHOW. OH MY GOD. THIS SHOW.
I’ve been meaning to watch it for a long time but I was so unprepared for its majesty. Within the first episode the first five minutes I was hooked by the deft way they introduced characters and told you so much about them with very little time or dialogue.
Nobody told me there would be PUNS in this show. Nobody told me there would be any humor at all. I was expecting it to be a super serious space drama and it is, in the best way, but it’s also funny and sweet.
If you’re a writer, this show is worth watching just for the lessons you’ll learn about characterization and pacing. It’s an almost flawless show.
(Weird side note: I’ve concluded that Russell Brand is the closest thing we have to a real life version of Battlestar Galactica’s Gaius.)
What Else I’ve Been Up To
I got hit by Wintervitus, the usual malady of flu-like bugs that circles around like a vulture at this time of year. It started out as a chest cough but, coupled with a heavy dose of sleep deprivation, flu symptom are imminent.
That’s not even mentioning the incident last night where a dog owner let this off-lead dog race towards ours and I got dragged to the ground because my own thought we were about to get attacked. I have bruises everywhere and I feel so old.
Just noticed as I went to type “I will need to get YA of you some time!… that well… YA… maybe that’s only amusing to me but I’m basically asleep right now.
I’m not going to say I had to read this comments a few times to make heads or tails of it, love, but…
Mind you I’m currently on Twitter making lame jokes about YA dystopias all being about the flu, so, yeah.
I enjoyed The 5th Wave, but I didn’t think it quite lived up to all the hype. A really good book, but the romance didn’t grab me and I kind of saw the twists coming (maybe it’s a sign that I read too much!) Most people seemed to love it, though! I’m still going to read Storm Front, but I’ll keep my expectations low! (I’ve heard it gets better later in the series, but I usually don’t commit to a series if I don’t like the first book – we’ll see how that turns out!).
Hope you feel better soon! The Wintervitus is no fun. :(
Thank you! I really hate being ill, grumble grumble.
I liked the 5th wave but it isn’t one of my favorite books I’ve read lately. I didn’t get hooked until the whole book caught up with the present day. My husband loves Battlestar Gallactica. I’ve seen bits and pieces. I should watch the whole thing.
You definitely should! It’s fantastic.
I hope you feel better soon! At least while your waylaid on the couch feeling miserable you can watch lots of Battlestar Gallactica.
Haha, I’ve been doing a lot of that (even though I should be writing!)
Terrible that you’re sick, and I sure hope you feel better soon! I love Battlestar Galactica so much. My husband and I just (finally) finished the whole series this past year and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. There is so much to love about that show. I might just have to schedule a re-watch sometime in the near future. Feel better!
Thank you! It is *so good*, I feel bad about not watching it sooner as well.
haha, Battlestar Galactica will always remind me of Dwight from The Office. I enjoyed Unteachable and thought it was very well written. Good luck with your Broken Things revisions!
Thank you Prerna!
Haha, I’m enjoying a nice cuppa right now :) I love that last gif, holy moly that was me today. I’ve never even considered watching Battlestar Galactiga (or whatever it’s called…I’m too lazy to spell today) but you kinda convinced me…kinda…
I use that GIF far too often, hehe. It’s me most evenings.
I’m among those who really enjoyed THE 5TH WAVE; but there have been other books people have loved that I wasn’t so enamored with. At least if you can pinpoint why the book’s not hooking you, that will be educational for your own writing. That’s what I try to do, anyway.
I hope you recover from your winter maladies soon, Emma. There are stories to be written… and some have your name on them. :)
Thank you Colin!
Time out from YA always works for me. I spend time in SF, horror, thrillers or crime novels and then I change back to a YA. Genre burnout is sometime I try to avoid. I’m definitely steering clear of dystopians for a while.
Feel better soon!
Thank you! Luckily I’ve got plenty of non-YA waiting in my to-read pile. Some very well-reviewed grown-up fantasy novels are calling my name…
I adore Battlestar Galactica it’s such a great show – enjoy.
I’ve been seeing au teachable mentioned a lot. I need to check it out.
Feel better.
If you enjoy New Adult or adults-only romance novel then I can’t recommend UNTEACHABLE enough. I’m cautious of recommending it too highly around here because a lot of blog readers don’t care for smut but it’s a fantastically well-crafted, well-marketed novel.
I’m sorry you got sick :(
I’ve yet to experience being burnt out on YA though. There’s so many sub-genres that I can just usually switch it up (from scifi/fantasy to contemporary to historical to horror, etc) but I know some people do get burnt out. I have 5th Wave but haven’t read it yet. It hasn’t really grabbed my attention.
Thanks Kim! It took me… god, six years to get YA burnout so the genre definitely has a lot of mileage.