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.
What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. It was created by created by Jaime and Erin. Want to join the party? Go right ahead, and remember to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.
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.