Thursday, June 09, 2005

Summer Reading 2005

Unfortunately, my summer job doesn't allow for much summer reading. However, I got (too many) books out from the library the other day and thought that I'd compile a sort of list as a goal. Writers must be readers, after all.

A Clash of Kings (George R. R. Martin) - I love the characters in this seriers, the plot, the world, everything. I gave up this book last summer after getting frustrated with some of his choices. This story is so compelling, though, I really want to know what happens. So I'm giving it a second try.

Angela's Ashes - I don't know much about this book besides it's won a Pulitzer, is set in Ireland, and the people of Limerick don't like it because it makes them look bad.

Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief - Saw it on the shelf and just had to get it. If stealing weren't illegal and wrong, you'd better believe I'd be a jewel thief.

Memoirs of a Geisha - My sister really liked this book. I think it should be really interesting, learning about the culture and some of its darker sides.

The Wizard of Earthsea - I really wanted to try Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series, but they didn't have this book at the library. I got her Earthsea short story collection, though.

The Handmaid's Tale - I haven't heard much about this either, but it sounds dark and compelling. A book to read on my way to becoming a well-read individual.

The Hours - I'd like to read either the novelization of the movie, the book it was mostely based on (if there is one; I'm not too sure on my details about the movie), or something else by Virgina Wolfe.

I doubt I'll get through all those, but just in case, here are some other books I'm interested in:

Catch 22
451 degrees
Paradise Lost
Age of Innocence
The Soung and the Fury
Clarisse
Brave New World
The War of the Worlds
Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Atlas Shrugged

And let's not forget all those good books just sitting there on the library shelves, undiscovered. Everyone should delve into a little bit of summer reading. Nothing improves the mind like a good book.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

All the new colors...

I'm trying to give the blog a little make over. It's sticky; I'm not too saavy with the code. I'm making some progress though. I've learned how to completely manipulate the sidebar.

Speaking of the sidebar, I'd like to point out a few new links. My sister's blog, Diotima, is gone because the site no longer exists. That's ok; you can get more of the opinionated old Butler girl (soon to be Nardo girl, eek!) in this month's issue of First Things. I have to find myself a copy sometime here soon.

I've added two e-zines to the bar. These, my friends, are the way of the future. Nothing beats print magazines, having the feel and smell of stories, but the appeal of most e-zines is that they're free. I've been frequenting Deep Magic for a few years now. They are the top e-zine of fantasy and science fiction. Amazing quality. I've contributed a few stories of my own in the past, and just recently I've become one of their copy editors. It's exciting to be involved in this e-zine. They've recently made the upgrade to a paying magazine, so while you can still download the current issue for free, to get the past three years of DM goodness, you need to become a subscriber. There are also many other benefits to becoming a subscriber, and Deep Magic is more than worth it.

The other one listed is an up and coming e-zine that I was lucky to get into as an assistant editor while it was still young and growing (it still is young and growing). This is a great place for beginning authors. It is a quality fantasy, science fiction, and "more" e-zine with many different genres to submit to. Bill Snodgrass has the site looking great, and we're working on ways to improve the features of the e-zine every day.

Both e-zines have some amazing opportunties, for readers and writers alike, and I highly recommend them.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Starting over

Let's get this party started again...