Foxy Words

So while we're all furiously reading (we are, aren't we??) I thought I'd share a little something with you all. One of you has read this before but has not heard me read it. This is a poem I wrote several years ago. It's a popular one amongst those that have read my work. Feel free to offer comments. We're friends. If you want to share it, feel free. I don't share a lot of my writing (you understand.. it's like my diary really...) but this one I am okay with. I hope you like it. :)

A Confession; A Eulogy; A Plea

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Fleur's mettre à jour

I finally got two of the books I chose in the mail.  I decided to start with Tory's Tuesday.  So far, so good!  Is anyone else reading this one yet?  If you are, get over to the discussion page.  Yes, that's an order *she said in her best 'in charge' voice*.

I'm glad that you chicks are reading, AND enjoying, my picks!  Is it weird that I get nervous when I recommend a book?  I guess people won't always share my tastes but yeah.  That's the insecure me talking!

If you aren't reading any 'TLC' books yet, what are you reading?  I just finished a great book by CW Gortner entitled The Queen's Vow.  It's about Isabella of Castille and it was marvelous!!

Foxy Updates

So I'm behind in my reading. My time has mostly been taken up by other things. Those other things may or may not have fabulous smiles and great taste in women. Almost halfway through Idol Hands. Will work on getting more read soon. Also, will get up a page for the books you've mentioned you're planning to read. :D

So sorry for keeping anyone waiting :)

Thoughts from Ems

Okay! Here's a random roundup of thoughts from moi. :)

Firstly, I'm a little behind in reading. BUT NEVER FEAR! I'm a fast reader.

From Lynoth, I'm choosing On Basilisk Station since I've tried to read it before and failed. Not this time!
From Fleur, Havah looks fantastic and I'm super excited about it!
From my Foxy, Tory's Tuesday. I can't wait to discuss this one!
From the Austen among us, A Jane Austen Education. Men reading Emma??? I'm so in.
From Ponderiss, it was a tough choice. Blue Highways finally won out, for reasons which will become apparent in a moment.

The second English class I took at Uni was the required 102: Research and Academic Writing. Don't be fooled by the low class number; we had several papers due every week, culminating in a 10 page research paper that could NOT be on a topic anyone had written on before. Basically, if you could find a bunch of articles that talked specifically about your topic, you had to choose a new one. But I digress.

Our teacher was good, but he was young and trying to prove himself. (Degree envy, imho. He's the only faculty member without a PhD.) In week 7 of 8, he gave us a Works Cited assignment. Using very incomplete information on 10 resource materials, we had to put together a flawless Works Cited page. Furthermore, he threw out a challenge: no one has ever gotten 100% on the assignment.

Well, that's all you have to tell me! 10 hours of intensive research later, I turned in a paper that I knew was perfect. Flawless. Amazing. I couldn't WAIT to get it back.

92.

What???

Digging into the grading, I saw my problem. Our dear teacher included Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon for us to reference. After doing some research in the LOC, I had decided to list him as "Heat-Moon, William Least" just like the LOC had done. Well, my teacher wanted "Least Heat Moon, William," therefore marking me off 4 points for the name "mess-up" and 4 points for the resulting alphabetizing misorder. Why did he want it this way? Well, he "knows" William Least Heat Moon, and insisted that in his culture, everything but the first name is considered the last name.

To say I was furious was an understatement. Here I had poured hours of work into this assignment, and I lost 8 points for something that was not a mistake. Every library database used "Heat-Moon, William Least." I called our research librarian and asked for help, and they said it should be "Heat-Moon, William Least." Everywhere I looked, I saw that I WAS RIGHT. It's not fair to mark off a student because they follow convention, and don't know the author personally.

It was the first time I fought for a grade credit, and emails and emails later, I got my 8 points back. The teacher took it out on me on another assignment, but that's a story for another time.

All that said, it's time to read this book that caused so much turmoil for me. Here's hoping it's good! :)

So

I finished Havah, a most excellent read I might add!  Next up I think is Blue Highways, which the library has but is currently checked out.  Hopefully I'll get it in the next few days.

From Agent Austen! Books to check :)

1. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz: This is nonfiction but it is written by a MAN who became interested in Jane Austen while studying Literature at Yale. He writes about each of Austen's novels and about what he learned from them and what we can learn. It's a fascinating read!

2. On Writing by Stephen King. This is also nonfiction but I think a must for anyone who wants to be a writer or who likes writing. He has some great anecdotes and tips about the writing process.

3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This is Austen parodying the Gothic Romance and it's both hilarious and romantic and incredibly witty! I wasn't sure I'd like it, but I devoured the novel over Christmas break.

We should discuss

What are we going to do about "spoilers" - since we're all reading different books at different paces?

My thought is that we should all just be aware that we ARE reading different things, and that spoilers might happen.  Maybe have a thread for each book, started by the chick who recommended it?  And then if you wander into that thread, well, you knew what you might find.

This is JUST a rough thought, and if anyone has a better one I'm totally open to it.

What I'm Pondering...

My choices, so far...

From Lynoth - On Basilisk Station by David Weber

From FleurDuMar - Havah by Tosca Lee

From MsWoodHouse - The Passage by Justin Cronin

From Fox - Tory's Tuesday by Linda Kay Silva

Ponder These

The Wild (An "Oprah" book...sorry)
Cheryl Strayed

I chose this book because I recently read it during a trying time, when it resonated.

"A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe “and built her back up again."

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State “and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise. But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone."


Blue Highways: A Journey into America
William Least Heat-Moon

I chose this book because life is a journey, is it not?

"Hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, Blue Highways is an unforgettable journey along our nation's backroads. William Least Heat-Moon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about "those little towns that get on the map-if they get on at all-only because some cartographer has a blank space to fill: Remote, Oregon; Simplicity, Virginia; New Freedom, Pennsylvania; New Hope, Tennessee; Why, Arizona; Whynot, Mississippi." His adventures, his discoveries, and his recollections of the extraordinary people he encountered along the way amount to a revelation of the true American experience."


Demolished Man
Alfred Bester

I chose this book because I found it, discarded and unloved.

"In the year 2301, guns are only museum pieces and benign telepaths sweep the minds of the populace to detect crimes before they happen. In 2301 murder is virtually impossible, but one man is about to change that...Ben Reich, a psychopathic business magnate, has devised the ultimate scheme to eliminate the competition and destroy the order of his society. The Demolished Man is a masterpiece of imaginative suspense, set in a superbly imagined world in which everything has changed except the ancient instinct for murder."

 * All descriptions are from Amazon

Foxy Summer Recommendations

My summer reading list consists of romance, intrigue, and fantasy. In that order. Aren’t you lucky?? :)

 

Tory’s Tuesday

Linda Kay Silva

 

This is the story of two Jewish grrls that get separated during the Holocaust. One, a seamstress, is put to work in a factory while the other must endure public life (and potential death). But during all this time, their love never fails.

This is perhaps one of my all-time favourites. It’s a VERY short book (184 pages). I managed to read it in ONE sitting. It was that good, y’all. I literally couldn’t put it down. I made dinner with this book in my hand. *most serious look EVAR* >.>

Tory's Tuesday on Goodreads

Tory's Tuesday on Librarything

 

Self-Made Man

Norah Vincent

 

One day an investigative reporter wondered what it would be like to be male. So she decided to be male for a while and find out. She went into drag and lived as a man for 18 months. She applied for jobs in various industries to see if the interview was different. She joined men’s only leagues. She went to strip clubs. She even dated women. After 18 months, she had a nervous breakdown and an identity crisis. But the writing she did during that time and her reflection afterward changed the way I think of men forever. It was literally an epiphany.

This is a non-fiction book. The last third of it describe her reflections upon the discoveries she’s made and the experiences she’s had. This literally is a woman stepping into a man’s shoes for a while. Incredible work.

Self-Made Man on Goodreads

Self-Made Man on Librarything

 

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss

This is the story of a man. Or is it? The book begins before the man starts telling his story. The story itself is not unusual for fantasy novels. It has all the main themes. But the approach is unique. This is an epic fantasy. It’s book one of what will be a 6 book series.

Kvothe is the main character with intriguing, shadowy enemies that you never really understand (in the first book). He also has a very mysterious, unique grrl that he’s seemingly fallen for. Their romance is perhaps one of the biggest attractions for me. I’ve not read anything quite like it before. Hungry for more. :]

The Name of the Wind on Goodreads

The Name of the Wind on Librarything

Summer Selections

The Cellist of Sarajevo: A lovely story of the role music can play in the lives of people- even people whose lives are torn apart by war. Told from differing viewpoints, the story of humanity's struggle to regain normalcy in the face of death flows as smoothly as music itself.

The Passage: This was recommended to me by another LitChick, but I have to recommend it anyway! One of the most wonderfully written books I've read in years, the best way I can sum it up is I Am Legend on a MASSIVE scale.An evil virus is destroying and altering all life, and the only hope for humanity is to find out what it is an how to stop it. Honestly, a book I couldn't put down. Plus, there's a sequel and a movie in the works.

Medium Raw: Another masterpiece by the incredible Anthony Bourdain, this book takes on the way that we treat and handle food. From the grocery store butcher and home cook, to the five star restaurants, Bourdain discusses how important it is to source food ethically, treat it responsibly, and cook it simply. Of course, there's a healthy glimpse into the world of haute cuisine, which makes Bourdain's books mesmerizing.

Okay, those are my picks. Bon appereading! ;)

Read these books - or face my wrath

Idol Hands by Cynthia Hill

Want to read a debut novel that will leave you absolutely stunned with your jaw on the floor, sputtering like an idiot in a padded cell?  Cool!  Look no further than Idol Hands by Cynthia Hill!  It’s the story of an unhappy wife with a jerk of a husband who, after seeing her ex-boyfriend on the television, leaves Canada for the States and goes on a journey/adventure to find him.  What happens will leave you speechless, trust me.  It’s written in diary form which I really enjoyed – it gave the author to really give Tara a voice and gives the reader great insight into her character.  I really can’t wait until more of my friends read it – I need a few discussion buddies. 

The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot

In the past, I’ve found some books on medieval history boring and dry.  Not so for Sophie Perinot’s debut novel, The Sister Queens.  It was full of vivid descriptions, well- rounded and multi-dimensional characters and best of all, wonderfully researched down to the smallest detail.  What more can you ask for in HistFic?  Anyway, it’s about four 13^th century sisters from Provence – it mainly focuses on the two eldest, Marguerite and Eleanor.  Most of the chapters in the book begin with one of the sister writing a letter to the other.  I loved this aspect.  It kept me intrigued and gave me real insight into their relationships. 

Havah by Tosca Lee

I really love Biblical Fiction as long as it’s not preachy.  Havah by Tosca Lee tells the story of Eve, the garden and life after the garden.  It is, perhaps, the most beautifully written book I’ve read in my entire life.  Whether you believe in God/the Bible/creation/whatever, this book will appeal to anyone who loves to read great books.  Tosca spun a gorgeous web of words that I became happily stuck in.  When I can’t bear to put a book down, when it makes me cry and makes me think – yups, that’s a great book. 

Summer Reading List

Well look at us, all official and stuff!

My three:

Daggerspell - Katharine Kerr

First in a series, this book delves far back into the past of never-was and tells the tragic tale of an idiot prince, setting the stage for hundreds of years of mishap, adventure, and love.  Not a comedic book, it does have its  moments of humor and wit.  Somewhat Celtic in feel, the world is nevertheless all its own, as is its magic system.

King's Dragon - Kate Elliott

Also first in a series, this book is a complex adventure with plenty of political overtones and enough magic to keep someone like me happy lol.  Although I've only read it once, it's definitely on my must-do-this-again list.

On Basilisk Station - David Weber

Ok, so I hate stand-alone books lol.  This is yet another first in a series, and you get the privilege of meeting Honor Harrington, quite possibly my favorite female character in fiction.  Oh, and Nimitz, the coolest cat ever.  Set in space, as all the Honorverse books are, this tale introduces Honor's worlds in a way that makes you wonder if they really are "somewhere out there".

Summer Project!

So here we are. June 1st! It’s that time. Let’s get our minds and books together to share in our mutual reading addiction! YAY!

So here’s the plan:

3 books from each Lit Chick. When you submit the books, add in a brief description and maybe a few sentences on why it’s an awesome book that we should be reading. Then try and read at least ONE book from each Lit Chick! And then the second best part (the BEST best part is of course reading the books), DISCUSSING the books! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!

Let’s get this reading party started! woot!! XD