2012 was a pretty big year for me as a writer. I completed my third manuscript, World Maker, in January then in July found an agent willing to represent it. I spent more time critiquing in 2012 than I have in any year not in graduate school. I wish I could get a higher "books read" count, but I continue to struggle to find time to write, let alone read. Still, this year's books gave me the instruction, inspiration, and entertainment I needed. You'll notice that a large percentage of these titles are YA, and that's because YA is what I'm working on writing. Several other titles are non-fiction and research for another manuscript.
As usual, this is a list only of books I finished (and therefore enjoyed), so I would recommend any of them.
1. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson 2. Matched by Allie Condie 3. Faithful by Janet Fox 4. Hold Still by Nina LaCour 5. Dartmouth College: An Architechtural Tour by Scott Meacham 6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis 7. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr 8. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin 9. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan 10. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor 11. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 12. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray 13. Topsfield by Elizabeth Dinan and John Dinan 14. Topsfield Fair by David H. Fletcher 15. The Naked Quaker by Diane Rappaport 16. Among Others by Jo Walton 17. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 18. If I Stay by Gayle Forman 19. Legend by Marie Lu 20. First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones 21. Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay 22. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness 23. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness 24. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness 25. The Book of the Night by Pearl North 26. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 27. Divergent by Veronica Roth 28. The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo
This year's reading list seems incomplete. I might have finished a book or two more that didn't get recorded, but this year brought a lot of distractions that justify my small reading list (and possible lapses in record keeping), not the least of which is the fact that I lived in temporary accommodations for the first two months and spent the next nine doing renovations/repairs on my new house. My little sis got married, and my husband, son, and I went to Alaska and various other places. The biggest thing to take away from my reading, however, has been my writing. I don't have regrets about this since I wrote 55,000 words in a little over three months. Before that I rewrote a manuscript and had several requests on submission for the full. I should have my new manuscript ready for submission in the spring.
I also started several novels I just couldn't get into enough to finish, and they don't appear here.
Most of these books are middle grade and young adult. This is partly because I took a class in middle grade lit and because I'm writing a young adult novel. I think the book that affected me most on this list is Thirteen Reasons Why. Although for the beauty of the writing, I enjoyed March best.
Goodbye 2011. You were a good, though busy, year.
To those who stumble across this post . . . Happy 2012!
1) Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer by Jeff VanderMeer 2) Popular Fiction: The Logistics and Practices of a Literary Field by Ken Gelder 3) The Cambridge Companion to Children's Literature edited by M.D. Grenby and Andrea Immel 4) The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (reread) 5) H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) by Mark Walden 6) The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil 7) Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis 8) Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko 9) Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick 10) Indigo Blue by Cathy Cassidy 11) One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeline L'Engle, and Orson Scott Card by Marek Oziewicz 12) World Shaker by Richard Harland 13) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 14) The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip 15) March by Geraldine Brooks 16) The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman 17) The Boy From Ilysies by Pearl North 18) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 19) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 20) City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare 21) City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Some day I plan to use this journal as more than a repository of read books titles. My silence is the result of my attempt at a writing career while raising a young son (and of selling and buying a new home in this very difficult housing market). I have precious little spare time (don't we all?), and I choose to use it to work on my novel. This past year I completed the re-draft of my novel #2 into a YA story. Soon I hope to complete the rewrite of the rewrite and get queries out into the world. Then I have to get back to the family history project.
Here are the books I read in 2010. I took two classes through Seton Hill University as part of the MFA program, and about half of these titles were required reading (Teaching Popular Fiction and Readings in Young Adult Literature).
1. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe 2. A Practical Guide to Teaching Adults Technical Subjects by Henry Morse 3. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: Ancient Greece and Rome edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark 4. Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder 5. Plot by Ansen Dibell 6. The Writing Workshop Notebook by Alan Ziegler 7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore 8. Libyrinth by Pearl North 9. The Writing Class by Jincy Willett 11. Mastering the Techniques of Teaching by Joseph Lowman 12. Released Into Language by Wendy Bishop 13. Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 14. The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark 15. Four Dragons (A Stargate SG-1 Novel) by Diana Dru Botsford 16. Wicked Lovely (re-read) by Melissa Marr 17. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 18. Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis 19. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson 20. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 21. Paper Towns by John Green 22. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 23. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger 24. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose 25. How Fiction Works by James Wood 26. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 27. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 28. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 29. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 30. In the Woods by Tana French 31. Fire by Kristin Cashore
A hearty Hoo-Ray! for Diana Botsford, my friend and critique partner, on the success of Four Dragons! As I write this, she is on a journey to Antarctica to do research for the sequel. :)
Almost half of the above books are YA titles, some of which I read for class, but others of which I read for research/pleasure. It was a very difficult decision for me to rewrite my second novel for a YA audience because the original draft contained two points of view, one of which was of a forty-two-year-old man. Now the entire story is in the POV of the sixteen-year-old girl. I think the change has made the story stronger, but I was very afraid I'd have to give up a lot of what I was trying to do in my adult version. I must, must say that reading Kristin Cashore's Graceling was a valuable experience in this regard. Although I don't exactly write like Ms. Cashore, I feel that what she accomplished in her novel is enough like what I want to do that I have permission to write my YA novel as I like. So, thanks, Kristin Cashore.
Hope anyone wandering onto this page has a happy and productive 2011!
Although a year ago, I couldn't say goodbye to 2008 fast enough, I'm sad to see 2009 go. It was a good year for me because my son was born, and with him came all of the special times only a new family member can bring. He has been the welcome focus of most of my attention, and my husband and I are lucky to have him in our lives.
2009 also saw the engagement of my youngest sister to a man my whole family loves, so another big positive.
Sadly, however, 2009 meant saying goodbye to some special people in my life. Among others, I lost an aunt to illness and an uncle to a sudden heart attack. Their passing has committed me further to a family history project I've undertaken. The result will be a book of biographies of every member of my family tree descended from my great-grandmother and great-grandfather, immigrants from Greece (that's more than 90 people). I have learned a great deal about my family by working on this project, whether it's those who died before I was born, those who I see every year at special gatherings, or those I see every day. I would recommend the experience to anyone.
2010 should be another good year. The plan is to spend more time with the baby boy and get back to work on the writing. So as the last word on 2009, here is my reading list.
1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling 2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 4. Storm Front by Jim Butcher 5. Nighttime Parenting by William Sears, M.D. 6. Your Child at Play: Birth to One Year by Marilyn Segal, Ph.D. 7. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter 8. On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam 9. On Becoming Baby Wise Book Two by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam 10. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville 11. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson 12. Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn 13. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link 14. Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett 15. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 16. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 17. Halting State by Charles Stross 18. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown 19. Breathless by Jessica Warman 20. The White Garden: A Novel of Virginia Woolf by Stephanie Barron 21. Magic Treehouse #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne 22. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre 23. Old Man's War by John Scalzi 24. The Patriot Witch by C.C. Finlay 25. Outcasts United by Warren St. John
I enjoyed all of these books. My reading time was limited this year, so I really had to like a book to finish it. I do, however, have to make two notes: The Baby Wise books came highly recommended to me, but I almost threw them away. It's not that they contained bad information, but the authors and editors, especially of the second book, should be ashamed of the number of sloppy grammatical and typographical errors---often several on a page, and rarely a clean page at all. The text was so unprofessionally prepared that I had a hard time taking the given advice seriously. Alternatively, my final read of the year, Outcasts United, is one of the most wonderful and professional books I've ever read. It's about a refugee soccer team in Georgia, and the author is objective enough to make everyone's point of view feel valid, whether they support the coming of refugees to small-town white America or not. It's a very inspiring story, teaches a lot about walking in another's shoes, and I wish it would be put on high school reading lists.
Happy New Year! I'm not too sad to say goodbye to 2008, although the year did make possible the soon-to-be birth of our baby boy this January. 2008 also saw the marriage of my sister to a wonderful man. My husband and I are blessed with family and friends to love, and their health and happiness continues to be a blessing. Thank you and happy 2009 to all who touch our lives.
My reading list, small as it is, for 2008: 1. Shakespeare: The World As a Stage by Bill Bryson 2. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell 3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 4. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon 5. Dishonorable Intentions by Katherine Ivy 6. Dear Author: Letters of Hope edited by Joan F. Kaywell 7. Avalon High (YA) by Meg Cabot 8. The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell 9. Speak (YA) by Laurie Halse Anderson 10. Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell 11. The Truth About Forever (YA) by Sarah Dessen 12. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay 13. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 14. Breaking Dawn (YA) by Stephenie Meyer 15. The Beautiful Magnificent by Domenic Smith 16. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore 17. What to Expect When You're Expecting by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, and Sandee Hathaway 18. Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan 19. The Official Lamaze Guide by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries 20. One For Sorrow by Christopher Barzak 21. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 22. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown 23. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
As usual, I started other books along the way, but the above is the list of those I finished. Therefore I liked them all and would recommend them. As an English teacher, I really enjoyed Bryson's Shakespeare book, and would probably name it my favorite on the list.
This is my husband's list: 1. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville 2. Neuromancer by William Gibson 3. Count Zero by William Gibson 4. Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson 5. Shakespeare: The World As a Stage by Bill Bryson 6. The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose 7. Rash (YA) by Pete Hautman 8. Echo (YA) by Kate Morgenroth 9. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon 10. Anthem by Ayn Rand 11. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell 12. The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell 13. Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell 14. Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell 15. Deadline (YA) by Chris Crutcher 16. Godless (YA) by Pete Hautman 17. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 18. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson 19. I Am the Messenger (YA) by Markus Zusak 20. Russka by Edward Rutherford 21. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore 22. Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan 23. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card 24. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore 25. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 26. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Had I known what the powers-that-be had planned for me this year, I might not have tackled a project as big as the literary festival. Now that the culminating event is over, I can say unequivocally that I'm glad I did tackle the project. After a busy weekend (the festival and my sister's wedding shower, at my house) I am indulging myself in a moment alone to breathe--at the computer.
Let me say that young adult authors Pete Hautman, Nancy Werlin, Kate Morgenroth, and Alan Gratz are some of the nicest, most obliging, and talented people I've had the pleasure of knowing. We brought them in from around the country to visit our high school on Friday. They spent the day engaged in small group book talks and writer talks with about 100 high school and middle school students who had signed up back in September by buying two books (Hautman's Rash, Werlin's The Rules of Survival, Morgenroth's Echo, or Gratz's Samurai Shortstop). Friday night they took the stage in our auditorium and performed readings from their works. Afterward we had a question and answer session and then a book signing.
What pleased me most was the reception the project received. Last year, when we began planning, I had a very enthusiastic group of students and teachers eager to form a committee. We started a book club, partnered for reading projects with our elementary school, held a creative writing and poetry contest, held a read-a-thon, and much more. I have experienced the satisfaction of seeing over 100 young people come together over their love of books, reading, and writing. When the whole festival was over Friday, my committee of students, who had been faced with defeat throughout much of the year while we struggled to find funding, felt a genuine pride in what they had accomplished, and I had other students bounce up to me during the book signing to ask when they could sign up to be on next year's committee.
Teenagers do read books. Lots of them read. Lots of them love to read.
I wish I were going to be at my job next year just for the pleasure of building on this year's fun.
Thank you Pete, Nancy, Kate, and Alan. You made one of my final teaching moments very special.
I figure I should post my reading list from last year because doing so will help me feel more like a writer, if that makes any sense. Compared to the reading lists other people have shared with me, this one's a little paltry, but it's the best I could do. Since I usually won't pick up a book unless it's been highly recommended by someone I trust, and since I won't finish a book (and hence, won't put it on this list) if I'm not enjoying it, I can say I enjoyed and would recommend all the books listed below. I think my favorite (besides To the Lighthouse, which is the best book ever written) is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.
Roughly in order: 1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 2. Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress 3. Endymion by Dan Simmons 4. The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons 5. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (re-read, which I do every year) 6. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein (re-read) 7. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 9. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin 10. Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz 11. Echo by Kate Morgenroth 12. Rash by Pete Hautman 13. Burndive by Karin Lowachee 14. Cagebird by Karin Lowachee 15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (re-read) by J.K. Rowling 16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 17. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay 18. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 19. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 20. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer 21. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente 22. World Without End by Ken Follett 23. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (re-read) 24. Deadline by Chris Crutcher
My husband's list looks a little different . . . 1. The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman 2. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3. Sagittarius is Bleeding by Peter David 4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 5. Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut 6. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 7. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 8. Ilium by Dan Simmons 9. Olympus by Dan Simmons 10. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (re-read) by J.K. Rowling 13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 14. Coyote Rising by Allen Steele 15. Coyote Frontier by Allen Steele 16. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 17. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 18. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson 19. The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan 20. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
That's it. Happy New Year to anyone who stumbles across this post. :)
Okay, it's been a bit since I wrote in this journal, but I really want to take a moment to give my congratulations to the good people who graduated this January from the Writing Popular Fiction Program. I'm very proud of you and very sorry I didn't get a chance to hear your thesis presentations. From what I hear, the presentations were wonderful. Best of luck with all your writing dreams!
I have been enjoying the daunting task of starting all over again with my second novel. Skill-wise, it's much easier to write a second novel than a first. Inspiration-wise, just as tough!
My primary goal these past months has been a teaching one--get my students to read. I am so sad when I hear them (high school seniors) say they used to love reading when they were little but now either hate reading or choose to make no time for it. The administration at our high school has taken the stance that the only literature worth studying is literature from the "canon." We are not being allowed to develop courses that count for English credit if they contain such "trashy" or "easy" books as those in the science fiction, fantasy, or children's genres. I am very disappointed that such curricular decisions are not left to the teachers who have to implement them.
So I've resorted to the "outside reading." Although I've always encouraged outside reading with a generous extra credit policy (one to ten points added to their term average for reading a book, keeping a journal, and writing an essay), this year I'm assigning fewer books from the school's British Literature syllabus and allowing students to replace these classics with books of their choice. The first semester of this year was the first big experiment.
Partly, the whole replacement idea troubles me because I love classic British books and find them very valuable, but my experience has been that these stories, especially the ones with difficult language, do not encourage reluctant readers to pick up the habit, and most of my students, even the college-bound ones, are reluctant readers. I think I'm doing the right thing, though, because today, two days into a new semester, a week since I last saw any of my students from semester one, I had a student write me an email saying she had never in her life enjoyed reading until this year. Although we are in semester two and I don't teach this student anymore, she came to my room today to borrow a book from me and has set a goal of reading one book every two weeks until the end of the school year. Then, at the end of the day, another former student unexpectedly asked me if she could borrow another of my books. And yet another student, one who read nothing for me first term except his replacement book (Ender's Game) and so is repeating the course, chose to read Ender's Shadow because he enjoyed reading Ender's Game so much. (A few other much-loved books students chose were The Secret Life of Bees, My Sister's Keeper, The Lovely Bones, and books by Dan Brown.)
Our department has been allowed to teach two new courses as electives (not for English credit) this year--Speculative Fiction (that's mine!) and Film and Literature. Since I've only had my Speculative Fiction students for two days, I can't comment on the quality of their reading or writing, but I can say that of all the classes I've taught in thirteen years, I have never had a group of students so excited to be in my classroom. The woman who taught Film and Literature in the first semester reported that her students said they worked harder in her class than any other and enjoyed it more than any other. They studied, among other things, Heart of Darkness, The Shining, and The Cider House Rules.
I respect the position of people who believe in the canon. I believe in the canon. My Advanced Placement students read almost exclusively from the canon. I only wish our administration could have spent the semester in a classroom, my classroom, to see what a difference it makes to a student's lifetime reading habit to be engaged by a book of their choice.
It's been almost a month since I last posted. I've been doing a bit of writer-type stuff.
Most exciting was the trip to Radio City Music Hall to see Stephen King, John Irving and J.K. Rowling on August 1st. (That was the day it was something like 150 degrees in NYC.) The authors chose great pieces: Stephen King read the story about the blueberry pie-eating contest, John Irving read the opening of A Prayer for Owen Meany, and J.K. Rowling read the scene where Harry and Dumbledore witness the first meeting of Tom Riddle and Dumbledore. The audience was full of all ages (the kids supporting J.K. Rowling let their voices be heard), and it seemed there was an equal amount of love for the three authors. It was fun to hear the authors answer audience questions at the end. I don't think J.K. Rowling will kill Harry. If she does, she may just cease to be my hero.
As for my own quest to do a reading someday at Radio City, I've gone back to the thesis novel. Some agent interest, some family persistence (When do I finally get to read your book?), and my own inability to leave things undone have finally sent me back to Prosorinos to make the improvements I couldn't finish in time last fall. I've shortened the prologue, added small details throughout the first five chapters, and am reworking the final two chapters. So far I'm happy with the results.
I can't wait to get back to the second novel. My goal is to finish chapter two by September 1st for my critique date.
And I have to revise lesson plans and create syllabi before school starts up again on August 30th. In addition to British Literature, I'll be teaching an elective on speculative fiction. This morning I was doing a little internet research and came upon this website:
It's boston.com's list of the top 50 tv scifi shows of all time. There are a couple of good shows (in my opinion) that could/should have made the list, but it was interesting to see what they picked.
Such a busy time of year! I find when my schedule's packed, my writing ideas come fast and furious, even if it is a bit harder to find the time to write about them. :)
It's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy plotting and planning the new novel. Thanks for the positive response and excellent criticism I received from digitalred93 and devilwrites to my prologue and chapter one. Your efforts and insights have helped to keep me inspired during this critical stage.
What do you do when you want to read a book, but the calendar tells you that you need to skip to the answers at the end? Along with my novel planning, I've been doing some reading of a highly acclaimed science fiction story. Finished volume two this morning, and I've been thinking--I don't really like it when a novel's story doesn't finish by the end of the novel (especially if I don't know this ahead of time). This particular story's first book has no ending at all, and I invested a considerable amount of time reading it (I'm a slow reader, and the book is complex). I had to go out and get the second book right away so I would know what happens to the characters, and this morning I was frustrated to discover that although I found out about the characters, I will have to read two more books in order to get answers to the really interesting questions raised. I have to go back to teaching in a month, and I have a couple of other books I have to read by summer's end (not to mention my own writing and critiquing to do), and reading the last two complex books now is impossible. If I'd known I'd have to read all four books, I may not have picked up the first one. At the same time, the first two books are SO EXCELLENT that I would have missed a fabulous chance to learn about writing from a very skilled author. I should be happy there are two more volumes to take pleasure in, but I really just want to know the answers because the back-to-school clock is counting down.
Speaking of the clock, I've gone over my LJ time limit. :) Back to plotting and planning.
complacent
determined