Hello October!

September sucked slightly less than August.  I was sick in some form or fashion for the majority of it, but I made some personal progress that makes me optimistic for October and the rest of the year.  This is much improved over the dread I had before.

The rest of the year is gonna be good.  I can just feel it. 

• I get to see my sister soon.  
• My projects in my classes are gonna be fun.  
• Curiously enough, I am really excited for Halloween.  I have an intense craving to carve pumpkins.  I have no idea what my costume should be.
• NaNoWriMo site relaunched, and I am really getting eager to write again! Here's my author profile on the site.
• It's the holidays! What's not to like! 

And now for other news and goal updates!

With my recent sickness and onset of the busy season for both work and school, I have decided to bow out of training for the Rock and Roll San Antonio Half Marathon.  I should have learned last year that training is just one thing too many on top of my other commitments.

I read a bunch of stuff. Mockingjay, Good Omens, and 13 Little Blue Envelopes were in the first part of the month.  Since then I've read a lot more: an additional nine makes the running tally 45.  Maybe this would be a good time to back off on the reading so that I can work on some other projects!

• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  The first of The Infernal Devices series, prequel to The Mortal Instruments series.  Shadowhunters gone steampunk!  Nice start to a new series.  I could see where twists were going to be, so it wasn't as much of a on-the-edge-of-your-chair read for me. 
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell Hamilton.  Second in the Anita Blake series, this one was more zombies, less vampires. I really like the Anita Blake character a lot, but don't know if I can continue to read the series. I might gag myself to death if I read anything else about vampire love.  It did contain some interesting asides about women working in male-dominated fields that make me think.
• Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce.  A reread of a great YA duet.
• Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund. Sequel to Rampant and another setup-for-the-third book.  Lots of information for plot and world building, but not really interesting on its own.  
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. A TON of teenage drama and angst.  Loved the included lyrics. Made me think about teenage sex as portrayed in YA books.  To do it or not to do it? To show it or not to show it?  Probably a difficult decision for each author for each book, and probably also a difficult pitch to publishers. 

I haven't made a lot of progress on paying off my debt this month, but I'm still at 80% there with only 75% of the year complete.  With vacations and holidays coming up, we'll see how that goes. I was able to refinance my mortgage so reduce the APR by 1.5% and monthly payment by $100.  Also, switching ISPs saves me another $25 a month. So hopefully that will help a bit.

Rebellion, Apocolypse, and Hostels

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the much awaited final book of the Hunger Games trilogy. The rebellion takes hold in the Districts and finally takes on the Capitol. I liked it, and liked how everything was wrapped up in the end.  It seemed like there was less character development in this one since Katniss spends a lot of the book being disoriented.  My perception might have been caused by keeping myself slightly detached from the book because that some of the imagery felt too close.  I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with Katniss's emotions as well as my own at that point.  Good book, though my favorite of the three is Hunger Games.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) and Terry Pratchett was an incredibly awesome read. Two of some of the best contemporary SF authors combining forces in this hysterical account of what might happen if you put the Apocalypse into the hands of human free will.  It was a really great read complete with really great moments of pointing and laughing at real life. This is a must-read for any current fans of either of the authors. If I got a chance for either of them to sign a book, I would make sure to bring this one. (I have the white cover.)  After I drop it in the bathtub, of course.

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) was my first time reading anything of hers.  She is fantastic to follow on Twitter, so I figured that I just had to read something of hers.  This follows seventeen year old Ginny as she wanders around Europe at the direction of letters given to her by her aunt.  This book touched on so many places in Europe that I really want to visit and only one that I have actually been to (London). From the little jokes I understood from the London events, I know I'm missing a lot more of the jokes in the other places. This futher solidifies my desire to do a very similar tour of my own.  I wonder if I would be able to leave technology behind me.  I wonder if MJ would be able to!!  On another note, does anyone know if there is any fan art of the tattoo Mari gives Ginny? Would love to see a representation of it.  I couldn't picture it well in my head.

Undoing Depression by Richard O'Connor

Depression causes brain damage, claims Richard O'Connor, author of Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You. Studies have shown that not only the brain produce less “happy” chemicals, but that it looses the ability to detect the presence of the “happy” chemicals. I'm paraphrasing significantly, but that's the bad news.

The good news is that many of the habits comprise the depressive's behaviors are learned through repetition and can be unlearned. Most of it revolves around paying attention to emotions and thoughts in order to gain control over them instead of being controlled by them. This is difficult for most depressives because those emotions and thoughts have been blocked or ignored. It is a defense mechanism for the depressive who is not ready to deal with them, but too often it goes on for a significant amount of time. Even when ignored or blocked, the emotions can still cause mood swings. Then the depressive says the mood “came out of the blue,” though he or she was just not aware of what the trigger was.

O'Connor argues that medication and therapy are still effective treatment options, but they have limitations. Studies on either have only proven that medication or therapy reduces the number of symptoms that together made a Major Depression Disorder (MDD) diagnosis over a three month period. There have not been any studies on the long term effectiveness of medication, but most people diagnosed with MDD stay on medication for “maintenance.”

A diagnosis of MDD is compared to that of heart disease. Once you have it, you have to change your lifestyle to reduce the risk of a recurrence. Most heart patients will get instructions on what needs to be adjusted in order to continue life after heart disease. People diagnosed with depression are not given that type of information. It just doesn't exist. O'Connor lays out some exercises that are meant to better equip the depressive for dealing with emotions and thoughts, and by extension, stress. A quarter of the American population is suffering from MDD at any given time, but still a stigma exists against the disorder. It is perceived as a character defect rather than a disease. Like heart disease, it is something you have to live with every day. Some days are more of a struggle than others. It has been most difficult to explain how daily life is affected to people who have not experienced it. That has been where I feel the stigma the most. And, for those in the opposite position, saying “Just Be Happy” is not encouraging.

After reading this book, I wrote a short story, “She's Always Right,” roughly themed on depression. I have gotten it to a point where I can submit it to an upcoming competition. I want to thank my readers and editors for their help and advice: JD, Beth, Brittany, JT, and Amanda. It wouldn't be in its current form without you.

Recent Reads: Twenties Girl and Beastly

Sophie Kinsella is the writer of the popular book Confessions of a Shopaholic, another book I really loved. Twenties Girl follows Lara as she is haunted by her great aunt Sadie who convinces her to find a necklace of high personal value.  In the process, Lara discovers much more about her deceased relative and about herself than she originally bargained for.

In Twenties Girl, Kinsella uses the same tone of a twenty-something woman that I really identified with in Shopaholic.  It made the book real and personable for me.  I'm pretty sure I'm the target demographic, so maybe it won't work as well for others.

It was a really good read - some fluff that I knocked out in a weekend.  I wasn't expecting the warm fuzzies after finishing it.  All the twenties gadgets and products used by women of the era to accomplish the unique style were quite intriguing.  Once Lara got over her complaining, her drive was quite admirable.

I would recommend this book to any woman who likes contemporary adult fiction. Try reading it while indulging in a bubble bath!

Beastly by Alex Flinn is a modern retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, set in New York City and told from the Beast's perspective.  This young adult novel is another fast and easy read.

The plot is a given, so the book shows the Beast's metamorphosis as he deals with his infliction.  The Beast acquires the library that impresses the girl during his grieving process.  He spends hours a day reading in or watching passersby from the top floor of an isolated abode. Some of the titles that are mentioned feel more like name dropping than actual allusions - The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, etcetera, ad nauseum.  Roses become an obsession for the Beast to the point that he builds his own greenhouse so that he can have fresh flowers even in the winter.  Overall, a good read, but it immediately went into my "to donate" pile.

This retelling is being picked up for a film to release in March of next year.  It is set up for a new teen heart-throb to take center stage,  Alex Pettyfer.  In my opinion, Alex is much better looking and deserves the idealizing to come more than Robert Pattinson.  Mary-Kate Olsen stars as the witch, her first feature film since 2004.  Neil Patrick Harris also has a starring role as a blind live-in tutor.  The movie is on my radar and while I don't think I'll be knocking down the doors of a theater with screaming pre-teens, I will probably sneak into a late show.

My Reading List Has Been Pirated!

My reading list has been pirated by none other than the cunning Brittany (@BLandgrebe).  She so sneakily planted sleeper agents on my bookshelf that came out and attacked me during a lull in my reading.  I can hear her evil laugh now. Perhaps we have similar tastes in fiction, but my pirated reading list has actually benefited me.  I probably wouldn't have picked up either of these books on my own, but now will probably sing their praises to anyone who asks.

Lois Lowry's The Giver was cleverly disguised as a Christmas present.  It took me six months to pick it up and now I can't believe I didn't read it sooner.  It wasn't a grade school reading list item for me like it was for a lot of others I know.  I don't think I would have understood it much when I was younger.  I'm not sure if I really understand it now.  It's the first utopia/dystopia I've read in a long time.  It did start some trains of thought like: differences between people should be recognized and celebrated; the appropriateness of a governing body's interference into the lives of individuals; the benefit of unsheltered experience and pain.   It was a really quick read and very well written.  It's definitely going to remain on my shelf for a long time to come.

The next book, also cleverly disguised as a gift, came later in the spring: Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.  When I first received it my reaction was closer to, "Killer unicorns? Um, sure."  Then after finally opening the book and immediately getting into it my reaction was more, "Dude! Killer unicorns!!!" It followed what I call "The Harry Potter Format" wherein a tween/teen discovers a hidden talent, gets sent to a special school to develop said talent, then uses the talent to save the world.  In this case, a bunch of teenage virgin girls get sent to a convent in Rome to learn how to hunt unicorns.  My favorite part was probably the incorporation of Roman mythology and history into the back story.  It got a bit angsty with the pack of hormonal teenage girls at each others throats, but the story line was riveting.  There were some threads that were left unresolved, but there are more books planned in the series, the next of which comes out in September.

The piracy is expected to continue with Shiver by Maggie Steivater, currently on my to-be-read shelf. 

In other unrelated news, does anyone know how to ninja-proof a house?

Sunday News Edition

I have a few pieces of news, none of which merit their own blog post.  So here's the digest version of everything.

• I just passed 200 miles run in 2010!  The goal for the year is 500, so I'm behind.  But for taking a six week break, I think I'm still in an okay position.  It'll take me about 15 miles per week for the rest of the year to meet the goal, which is still very doable.  It's even more doable when you factor in my training plan for the 2010 Rock'N'Roll San Antonio Half Marathon.  The 15-week plan ranges between 16 and 28 mile weeks.

• First week of the 2010 RnRSA plan I believe I must call a success. I ran most of the plan, even after the hiatus. Only running 12 miles of the 16 makes me feel a bit disappointed, but it's the most miles per week I've completed since April.  Coming out the other end with no injuries has to be counted as an accomplishment. Here's to next week!  May it be filled with 17 miles including a quality speed interval day.

• My eyes are paid off! My expensive self-splurge this year was on LASIK surgery, which has been pretty awesome.  Sometimes when my eyes are dry, I can't help the feeling of wanting to take out my contacts.  However, I have gotten over the habit of groping my bedside table for my glasses in the morning.  I think I'll appreciate this more in the years to come.  But for now, I will appreciate that I have no bills for it!  So I've taken care of 80% of my pay-down-debt goal with only 60% of the year gone by. 

• I'm behind in my movie watching.  Here's the rundown of ones I've seen recently. Loved the A-Team.  In my opinion, a better series remake than Get Smart or StarTrek. Karate Kid was okay, but my favorite part was the credits for the photography and the Justin Bieber/Jaden Smith song.  Inception was freaking awesome, as everyone should know by now.  The Sorcerer's Apprentice was cute, but not as good as I was hoping.  Despicable Me was very funny, but the trailers were misleading. The dude laughed a lot more than I did.

• I had to abandon the re-read of a book I loved in high school: The Spellsong Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.  Twenty pages in and it had all of the writing sins now shunned in recently published books.  The ones that irked me the most were his paragraphs of laundry-list descriptions and flip-flopping verb tenses.  Pairing that with the high fantasy genre, it just felt snooty.  Alas, there goes a fond memory of a childhood read.

• Douglas Adams' sequel to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, was another excellent book.  This particular book had more commentary than narrative, and the time-travel aspect got a bit confusing, but I still very much enjoyed it. His writing style is fantastic, putting character-driven narrative next to laugh-out-loud, snarky, satirical social commentary.  I don't know of any other writer who has achieved both or done it with such a light heart.  My favorite part is the mathematical proof of why there the universe has a population of zero.  Oh, "and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination."

I think it's been a good week, though not very productive.

Holly Black Double Header

I've been following Holly Black (@hollyblack) on Twitter for a while, but hadn't actually read any of her books! I figured this should be remedied sooner rather than later.

"When Cassel Sharpe discovers that his older brothers have used him to carry out their criminal schemes and then stolen his memories, he figures out a way to turn their evil machinations against them."  - Copyright Summary

White Cat was a great read.  I was surprised by the turn of events all the way to the end.  The magic system created for this world is unique, particularly in the toll it takes on those able to use it, called curse workers. .  Using magic causes a "blowback" to the caster so that using magic to kill someone means something of the caster dies as well.   I loved how Black weaved different explanations for historical or political events: presidential assassinations, mob machinations, and legislation.  The wrap-up at the end of the novel was so bittersweet, it was almost heartbreaking.  I had one question that wasn't answered to my satisfaction, but I expect that it will turn out to be an unexpected twist sometime later in the series.

"Sixteen-year-old Kaye, who has been visited by fairies since childhood, discovers that she herself is a magical faerie creature with a special destiny." - Copyright Summary

In Tithe, Black weaves a faerie world into modern New Jersey. It focused a lot on the evil side of faerie tales, feeding off tales of stealing human babies and causing deaths in the name of avoiding boredom. This is another faerie world full of very angsty teens and very slow faerie politics.  I didn't get into this one as much as I was expecting to.   I didn't particularly care for any of the characters and got annoyed by all the teen emotions flying around.  For me, there was a deus ex machina moment at the end when the two faerie courts meet and Kaye figures it out all the sudden.  I would probably only recommend this to anyone who is a hardcore Wicked Lovely fan since it has a very similar feel.

I am definitely going to pick up another Curse Workers book if Black comes up with a sequel, but probably won't touch the two follow-up faerie books.  I do highly recommend following Black on Twitter though!

May Book Review Mash-Up

Okay, so I'm still catching up on blogging. Sorry for such a hiatus!

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison.  This is the newest of the Rachel Morgan series where Rachel is targeted by several groups who have determined her unique background is a threat to the status quo.  Really, Jenks is the star of this book.  He's my favorite in the series, though I identify a lot with Rachel.  I think this is starting so solidify my favorite genre to read as paranormal romance.   Again, Harrison kept me riveted until the end and I'm looking forward to the next iteration of the series.

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell Hamilton. The Anita Blake series has been pretty popular over the last few years, so I decided to try it.  I gave it a good shot, but I'm still really tired of vampires.  Anita Blake is reanimator by trade, meaning she raises people from the dead as zombies, to let them complete the unfinished business left when they died.  But when a bachelorette party forces her to work for vampires she has to investigate a series of vampire murders in order to save her friend.  Hamilton focuses on the fear aspect of the vampire phenomenon, preferring disassociation from them rather than joining them.  Hamilton did a good job with the mystery and investigation, something that I'm never good at.  I never figure it out until all the cards are shown at the end. I enjoyed this particular book, but I probably won't read the rest of the series.

The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson. I found Pettersson in the Unbound anthology I reviewed a couple posts ago. It is so unique that the characters are zodiac based comic book heroes.  This was the first book of the series that follows Joanna Archer as she discovers her part in this world.  Pettersson creates a very strong female main character who I totally identified with.  She also delves into the strength in beauty itself, particularly in Barbie-type women that hit on some prejudices I know I have had in the past.  It was a very well done book and I plan on reading more in the series.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  This is the sequel to Hunger Games where Katniss has to deal with the political and emotional fallout from her victory in the Hunger Games.  I didn't get into this book as much as I did the first one. It was much slower, spanning a lot more time than the original.  It really felt like it was a lot of prep work and drama to set up the next book where the revolution really will take place.  I didn't really care as much about the characters or the drama.  I might read the next one just to find out what happens but I'm not on the edge of my seat for it like I was after the Hunger Games.

Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove.  This I actually picked up at my sister's suggestion.  It's actually by the wife of the guy who wrote the workouts for New Rules of Lifting for Women.  There were two unique things about Cosgrove's plan.  The first was actually planning your workouts around your menstruation cycle so that you don't attempt to do your hardest workouts during the week you feel the worst.  She recommended to use a PMS week as the week to change your routine, but not expect to peak at all that week.  The other was the most vague nutrition plan I've ever seen in a fitness/health book.  It only really offered the now-standard advice: lots of water, no processed food, and a lot of fruits and vegetables.  It has no numbers based planning of metabolic rates, how much you burn in a workout, etc.  I've done three workouts on this plan so far, lining it up with when my company kicks off its internal weight loss challenge.  Here's wishing me luck!

April Book Mash-Up

Again, April was way hectic.  I get some reading done, so here are the mini-reviews for those books.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This was recommended by Amanda and Brittany.  I devoured this one almost nonstop, or as nonstop as I can get with my current schedule.  It reminded me a lot of Lord of the Flies since it involved kids in the wilderness having to deal with very adult issues.  But any other similarities or differences may be lost on me since I hated the book in high school and didn't even finish it.  It also reminded me a lot of the huge amount of reality competition shows that currently make up the TV schedules.  It had a beautiful ending, one that could forever let the reader wonder what happens next or be a launching into a sequel. 

The Runner's Rule Book by Mark Remy.  This was an awesome read.  It timed it really well, as this is what I used to kill the hour and a half I was at the Austin Cap10K starting line waiting to go.  Remy is one of the daily bloggers on RunnersWorld.com and one that I try to read every day.  His humor is perfectly suited to these short quips.  It was a really quick read and it made me want to go out and run, but to make sure I took the time to enjoy it when I did.

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr.  This is the fourth book of the Wicked Lovely series.  This book features Ani, a half-faery, half-human of the Dark Court and Devlin of the High Court.  It featured characters previously introduced in Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity.  It was really interesting to go back and reread Ink Exchange and see the seeds Marr planted in the earlier books that came to fruition in the later books.  It speaks of master of the plan for the Wicked Lovely world, almost like Harry Potter, but a much smaller scale. The only thing that bothered me was the more omniscient point of view.  I was used to Marr's style switching between a couple characters alternating at chapter delineations.  But this was further away from the characters and switched mid chapter.  It was harder to follow.  I'm starting to get over this series.  If it had an indefinite end, I'd probably quit reading at this point.  As there is just one more planned, Darkest Mercy, I will probably finish out the series.

Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels.  So I was contemplating changing up my workout routine.  I get the spam email from JillianMichaels.com, one of which advertising this book.  This is the first book of hers that I picked up.  I haven't followed Biggest Loser in order to know her methodology.  I was disappointed that this book didn't include more of the explanation behind the plan.  It didn't allow for the reader to apply the lessons for themselves, particularly in the diet plans.  This book is meant for people who want to get "ripped" in thirty days.  Its style was close to a "shut up and do what I say because I know what I'm talking about."  The particular exercises she uses are very specific to her, ones I've never heard of before. I'm sure that this book will give results to those that stick to the plan.  But this isn't the plan for me.  I am not going to follow blindly.

Unbound.  This was an anthology of short stories: Ley Line Drifter by Kim Harrison.  Harrison is author of the Hollows series which I loved and plowed through all of the books available last fall.  This short story stars one of the major characters, a pixy named Jenks as he takes an investigation on without his employer, Rachel Morgan.  He is his usual comedic self, complete with his hilarious swearing that I catch myself saying in my head.  It was a great short read and complements the rest of the Hollows world well.  Reckoning by Jeaniene Frost.  I wasn't familiar with this author.  It's about a vampire, Bones, who hunts down two ghouls who are committing gruesome murders in NOLA during Mardi Gras.  Eh, wasn't very impressed. Dark Matters by Vicki Pettersson.  Also an author I've never heard of before.  I absolutely loved the idea behind this world.  Superheroes and supervillians exist in isolation and work to keep humans unaware of their existence.  Comic books actually are the documentation of politics and current events in their world.  The characters in this were great, and I definitely want to read more from here. The Dead, the Damned, and the Forgotten by Jocelyn Drake.  This story made me suddenly VERY over vampire stories.  I really didn't get into it very much and found it too like all the other vampire worlds out there.  Two Lives by Melissa Marr.  Marr is another of the headliners on this anthology that made me buy the book.  This story is about a young glaestig (a particular species of fairies) named Eavan who is trying to prevent a drug dealer from enslaving young women.  This story had no ties whatsoever to the Wicked Lovely stories.  It was a good story, but again I'm getting a little tired of Marr.  Overall, it was a good quick read and I'm glad it introduced me to Jocelyn Drake, but otherwise not fantastic.


I am still working my way through Wicked, but I am finding I enjoy reading on my nook or iPhone. It's really portable and convenient.  The books that I have in hard copy are gathering dust on my shelves, but the eBooks I go through really quickly.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Born to Run is a nonfiction story about a few elite ultrarunners and a tribe of Mexican natives called Talahumara.  The narrator takes you on a journey of discovery of the engineering of the human body, the evolution of the running industry, and ultrarunning.

The Tarahumara, named the "Running People" in their own language, live in the intense environment of the most remote regions of the Sierra Madres.  They are an isolated culture, one where the economy runs exclusively on the trading of acts of kindness and corn beer.  They are the most peaceful people on earth, even when duelling drug cartels prey on travelers in the area.  The Running People are also the worlds fastest ultrarunners, but you'll never see them.

Ultrarunning refers to distances longer than a marthon, usually found in distances of 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers, or 100 miles.  Not only is the distance itself grueling, but the events are usually held in the most difficult of climates, like the extreme heat of Death Valley, or at high altitude, extremely mountainous regions, or on an all-terrain trail.   Hallucination, severe dehydration, and severe injury are not uncommon.

After reading this book, I wish I was hardcore enough to do that.  It's hard enough for me to wrap my head around a ten mile run, much less a marathon or more. 

It was interesting to see the narrative images of some of the modern ultrarunners like Scott Jurek and  Barefoot Ted.   The group of elites that went on this trip to race with the Tarahumara in their homeland call themselves "Mas Locos" after the event.  You would have to be crazy in order to run 50 miles in that environment.  But they are all very unique individuals and the author shows their personality quirks delightfully.

There is a great deal of science in this book that is very interesting to prove two points: that the modern running show actually causes more problems than it prevents, and why the human is better suited to endurance running than any other animal.  Anthropologists and biological locomotion experts looked at animals like rabbits, deer, and cheetahs who can only breathe once per stride.  Humans are not limited in their breathing patterns to their running cadence, but most stick to a 2 steps to 1 breath cycle.  They also spent some time on how standing upright is actually a benefit over being a quadruped.  Humans can cool down quicker through the evaporation of sweat on our hairless skin rather than being dependent on losing heat through our mouths like dogs.   It was quite an interesting look at human evolution. 

The book goes on to claim that the modern running shoe is to blame for modern running injuries.  More people are suffering running injuries, but we have the most advanced running shoes ever.  Or at least the most expensive.  They are designed to insulate the feet from rough terrain, reduce natural motion, and decrease impact to your legs.  The theory is that by doing all that, they prevent the brain from receiving information from the feet.  This results in poor running form, which is the cause of all the common running problems: runner's knee, planar fascilitis, pulled tendons, etc.  I use motion control shoes, but it's because the theory is that the greater amount of sole will lessen the impact caused by my weight.  It's a standard rule for overweight runners.  The only issue I complain of is from intermittent lower back pain which usually works itself out with stretching. 

The sources listed in this book are only part of a larger set of information that is fueling a barefoot running movement among the running community. I normally walk around in rather supportless flats most of the time. I actually went to try on a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, one of the go-to names of the movement.  I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to wear them because I have webbed toes.  The first knuckle of my second and third toes are joined.  (I never knew anyone else other than my family who had this, but I discovered today that two of my coworkers have the same thing! Weird coincidence!)  My first impression is that I had the intense desire to wiggle my toes all the time.  And go dancing. It's interesting that you don't break in the shoes to your feet, you break in your feet to the shoes.  My toes feel a little sore from being spread apart for so many hours, but I'm looking forward to trying to get used to them in time to be able to wear them for a day during my Orlando trip.

This book did a great job of making a narrative out of ultrarunning events, anthropology, and sociology.  It makes me want to run twenty miles barefoot when I've never done anything like it.  The Mas Locos have some great photos from their run in the Sierra Madres.  Be sure to check them out! (This one of Jenn Shelton is my favorite of the bunch. She was the wild child.  Can you tell?)

Angel Time by Anne Rice

I finally finished Angel Time by Anne Rice.  This book is the first in her new Songs of the Seraphim series, focusing on the intervention of angels into the human world.  Angel Time follows Toby O'Dare, a professional assassin who is offered a chance at redemption.  It is a Christian historical novel that looks into Jewish-Christian relations in Europe in the Middle Ages. 

This is my first time to read Anne Rice, Christian fiction, or a historical novel.  I'm thinking that it's just not my thing which is why I really contemplating abandoning it.  The book is written from mostly Toby's point of view, with a short stint from the angel Malchiah's point of view.  The whole middle was mostly listening to other characters relate previous events.  I was only intrigued by the first few and final few chapters where the main character was actually doing something.  Maybe I'm too used to fantasy books where the main character is actively slaying dragons or some such. 

For me, this book was a snooze-fest. I really wanted to like Anne Rice, but Angel Time just didn't do it for me.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I don't remember how I came across Stardust, but I know I was attracted first to the movie, then to the book.  I am notorious for picking up random "B" movies from the local movie rental establishment, especially bad sci-fi/fantasy.  I don't even remember this movie coming out in theaters in 2007.  Either way, it was a random pick off the wall for a movie rental sometime last year.  I immediately loved it.

In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.  - from neilgaiman.com.

The movie was great. Great story with adventure, excitement, and a melt-your-heart love story.  Great cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, I adore Claire Danes, and I think that's what attracted me to this movie first. (I absolutely adored Stage Beauty.) The male lead Charlie Cox also did a great job.  As soon as I saw the DVD in the previewed pile for less than ten bucks (my requirements for adding movies to my already ridiculous collection), it was mine.

After that, I discovered Neil Gaiman as an author.  I read Neverwhere last fall, which I picked up because the cover cited Stardust.  It is only now that I managed to finish Stardust the novel, and it is even better than the movie. 


The ending is different than that of the movie, which I understand why the movie people changed it for a more dramatic culminating point.  I loved the sword fight scene at the end of the movie, but the real ending has so much more finesse.  It's so subtle, you don't even see it coming, but it doesn't hit you like a slap in the face, more like a brand-new pillow cased in Egyptian cotton.  It lets you know that all is right with the world, there are unseen forces pulling strings behind the scenes, but the good guys get rewarded in the end.

His style is different than what I remembered about Neverwhere.  In this book, his voice is fairly whimsical, mainly accomplished through asides about miscellaneous creatures in the land of Faerie.  He uses third omniscient to jump between characters, and it is amazing how much you can tell about a person without having to know their thoughts.  As a novice writer, after reading this I realize much I rely on being able to know the character's thoughts in order to advance a story.

I highly recommend the movie, but even more so the book.  Your life will be enriched by it.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I went into Leviathan knowing only that Amanda really likes Scott Westerfeld and that it was steampunk, facts reiterated any time either Westerfeld or steampunk came up in conversation and Amanda was within earshot.  I was not at all disappointed.  I should understand by know that she has very good taste.  Leviathan was a quick read and very entertaining along the way.

Aleksander of Austria is on the run after his parents are murdered.  Deryn disguises herself as a boy (“Dylan”) to get into Britain’s Air Service.  As the Great War spreads across continental Europe, both Alek and Dylan have to face unforeseen challenges and make new alliances in order to survive.

This is a really well done book.  The conflicts build almost naturally.  The characters think and act like real people. The world is complete.  The words are clear and concise; not too little to make it believable, not too much to make it boring.  I have a feeling that this is the case with all of Westerfeld’s works, as it feels so natural.  It’s a style of writing I can definitely see myself aspiring to. I’ll need to get Amanda’s recommendation of what of his to read next. (Hint, hint.)

I was amazed as to the amount of thought that must have gone into the physics and engineering of this world.   The major forces in the world are divided into “Clankers” and “Darwinists.”  Clankers get the name from their machine-based military.  Darwinists use animal-based genetically engineered life forms as their weapons of mass destruction.   The physical details of the action scenes made it real to me. 

It was also interesting is that Westerfeld tweaked details of actual history in order to get this alternate universe.  Why does that remind me of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?  

Mad Tea Party

So this weekend I got to go to Alamo Drafthouse's Mad Tea Party!  This was one of their special events complete with a special three-course menu.  

The party included a showing of Alice In Wonderland.  Both of the Drafthouse venues in town had this special, but I opted for the non-3D version of the film. I'm not a huge fan of watching films in 3D.  I have enough problems with astigmatism without movies playing with my depth perception.

I love the pre-show entertainment that  Drafthouse has. Did you know that Disney's Alice in Wonderland was its third feature length film?  And how could the introduction to this movie be complete without a clip from Edward Scissorhands? They got in a tribute to Tim Burton with Nightmare Before Christmas.  I was most surprised by the inclusion of some clips from an old TV version of Alice in Wonderland.  We had this on VHS recorded from when it originally aired when I was growing up.  The recollection of Through the Looking Glass is solely from that version.  I would love to watch it again, but haven't been able to find it anywhere.

First course was a Shrimp Ceviche in cucmber cups with champagne.  This was my favorite course.  They were the perfect little bite-size noshes.  The cucumber cups were star-shaped.  I wished the theater had more light in it so I could tell how they cut the cucumber into that shape.  But alas, it shall remain a mystery.  The ceviche had a good spice in it; it tasted like sour cream, cayenne, and paprika.  I am definitely a champagne fan.  I didn't used to be, but now I like having champagne to celebrate the everyday.  The Wycliff was a brut, which I prefer.  It had only a little bit of sweetness, with a bit of an apple taste.  I doubled up and got a small bottle of Korbel Brut to sip through the rest of the film.

The second course was a Eggs Benedict with honey-cured ham on sourdough with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.  The poached eggs were good, and the ham was tasty, but my sourdough was all sorts of soggy.  I absolutely despise soggy bread.  It's one of the few textures I can't deal with.  The green onion butter that came on top was okay, but not fantastic.  I was impressed by the KJ Chardonnay.  I normally veer away from both "brand name" wines and chardonnay.  I don't particularly like sweet wines, and most of the chardonnays I've had are too sweet for me.  This one had more of a citrus flavor and paired nicely with what I ate of the Eggs Benedict.

The third course was an apple tea cake with Earl Grey tea.   I love hot tea.  I've mostly had green tea lately, so it was nice to have a black tea for a change.  The Earl Grey was nice, though I normally like it stronger.  I probably have let it steep for longer.  You needed the tea to eat the tea cake.  It was muffin-shaped, but a bit on the dry side.  It was like an under-sweetened individual-sized apple coffee cake.  Okay, but not great.

The movie however was a great remake of the classic tale that most people know but hardly ever have read.  My version of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland had oodles of footnotes.  The book shows why using contemporary slang and obscure politics are not a good idea.  It sounds like nonsense now, but every one of the nonsense words had solid definition.  I liked how they kept some of the great details from the book though: for example, the chess board, the pots flying around in the kitchen, and the queen screaming for her tarts. hey gave the story more a direct conflict - the White Queen versus the Red Queen.  It made it a bit more accessible to modern audiences.

The cast was perfect.  Johnny Depp, of course, who really excels at the oddball characters.  I liked his "mad" spells a whole lot.  His elocution of the Jabberwocky soliloquy was perfect.  Again, loved Anne Hathaway.  The White Queen's floaty-arm movements cracked me up.  I recognized Alan Rickman's voice as the caterpillar immediately.  Mia Wasikowska was lovely as Alice.  She looks so much like a young Gweneth Paltrow, another of my fave actresses.

Wonderland is obviously one of those places where you have to have a vast variety of colors.  So many movies use the absence of color as a statement, but here I think the intense and varied presence of color was an equally powerful thing.  It's used more often in fantastical movies, like in Peter Pan, but why isn't it used in more modern settings?  As I look around my desk right now I am see (my lack of a cohesive interior decorating scheme and ) lots of varied hues and shades of color. 

Just a random thought to leave you "curiouser and curiouser."

Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead

For Amanda’s birthday, Brittany and I took her out to dinner and to see a stage performance of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead.  I oh-so-cunningly got to pay for the theater tickets and dessert, much to Amanda’s chagrin.  It definitely was a birthday of WIN!  Check out her recollection of the evening here!

We went to Paesano’s in the Quarry where Amanda got a Seared Tuna, Brittany got the Lobster Linguine, and I got Coriander-Crusted Salmon and we shared the Grand Marnier Souffle.  The bread selection was more varied than the Paesano’s on 1604 since they have a bakery on location in the Quarry.  The Grand Marnier soufflé was very nice - not super sweet, but sufficiently indulgent. All of the dishes were fantastic, per usual.

The play was at the Sterling Houston Theater in the Blue Star Arts complex downtown.  It was my first time to this theater and my second time to the Blue Star district at all.  I definitely want to go back again, perhaps to try out the Blue Star Brewery or Casbeers.  The theater itself was small, probably seating no more than a hundred people on small risers facing a floor stage.  We got seats on the second row stage right side.  We were really close to the stage and they were great seats.

I remember seeing the original Tom Stoppard movie (on VHS) in high school after we studied Hamlet.  My mom, as a statistics teacher, likes to quote the opening coin-flipping scene in some of her lessons. But other than that, I barely remembered the content of Hamlet, much less Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead.  

The San Antonio Shakespeare Company put on a really well done performance.  The actors did a really great job and the staging was great.  The title pair confuse their names, so I will refer to Guildenstern as the talkative one and Rosencrantz as the oblivious one.  My favorite performance was Guildenstern’s, and I got to shake his hand after the show.  It was hard to follow along with the Guil’s logic, but that’s kind of the point.  He talks himself in circles.  I was still really impressed by Rosencrantz.  I loved the small mannerisms Ros used instead of words to portray the character.  Alfred, the token transvestite, was also a great addition to the cast.  I was originally put off by Hamlet, thought his “insanity” was overdone, especially with the crazy-eyes he used.  After reading Hamlet, now I think it was a good choice.   We went from laughing with and at the cast at the beginning to at the edge of our seats at the end.  I felt attached to the characters, so their death made me tear up a little.  Truly a great performance.

Afterward I did manage to get through Hamlet.  Hamlet really is a player, in both the actor and a**hole sense of the word, though it is explained as his way of dealing with his father’s death.  The only person he’s even honest around is Horatio.  To everyone else he presents a different face.  Hamlet is funniest when he’s with Polonius, Ophelia’s father.  He wordsmiths circles around Polonius using completely sound logic that sounds insane.  He sends Ophelia long letters but is a jerk to her face, part of what drives her to instability and suicide.  Ros and Guil get called in by the King and Queen to try to find out what’s bothering Hamlet.  Hamlet finds out and becomes insincere and evasive with Ros and Guil in an effort to thwart the King’s desires.     

Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead flips Hamlet so that the minor characters become major and vice versa.  The action follows Ros and Guil as they get called to Denmark to help the King and Queen to discover why Hamlet is acting so weird. They do everything they are asked to do, but still end up dead at the end.  

I only read an analytical summary of the play rather than reading the original, but it was really eye opening.  Death is a huge theme in the play, in particular the inability to accurately portray death onstage.  Guil ends up deciding that death is failing to reappear, so at the end Ros and Guil disappear off the stage instead of dying onstage like the players.  Fate versus chance is also a major theme, first shown in the unlikely coin toss at the beginning.  Is it chance that Ros gets over a hundred “heads” in a row, or is it fate?

Tom Stoppard did a fantastic job with Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead and the end result is a play I wouldn’t mind analyzing in detail.  I think I would do well to never have to read Hamlet again.  I’ll be looking at San Antonio Shakespeare Company to see what else they put on in the future.  And I’ll definitely try to get down to the Blue Star Arts district soon.  This just proves that San Antonio really is arts-friendly, you just have to know where to find it!

The Demonica Series by Larissa Ione

Okay.  I admit it.  I read romance.

This was probably the first series I knowingly read that can be classified under the romance genre.  Larissa Ione's Demonica Series (Pleasure Unbound, Desire Unchained, Passion Unleashed, Ecstasy Unveiled) in particular is also paranormal, so it lines up with the fact that I normally gravitate toward fantasy fiction.  I struggled with if I should review this in such a public forum, but then the lovely Amanda reminded me that romance is a very popular genre and widely read.   Backing up her insight is the fact that the most recent in the series, Ecstasy Unveiled, was on the USA Today and NY Times best seller lists for the three weeks following its release at the end of January. (I couldn't find it on the lists for week of 2/25: USA Today, NY Times.)  This was my favorite cover of the four.

The series follows a set of brothers who are Seminus demons.  This particular breed of demon strives to procreate through incredible charm, "f- me pheromones," and individualized talents meant to ensure impregnation.  Each book of the four follows one of the brothers in his struggles to find a mate to stave of the insanity that follows a stage of development that occurs at the 100 year old mark.  They have to balance keeping their close brotherly bond, saving the world, and getting their respective girl. 

Each book bounces around between several points of view for some of the key players in Ione's world, though stays primarily with one particular brother and his mate.  I loved that all of the women portrayed in the series are fiesty and incredibly capable.  They were strong women that held their own ground, even in the presence of  "f- me pheromones."  All the brothers have their particular hangups, but they all appear to fall in love with the heroines really quickly.  I'm assuming this is a device that is normal for romance writing since I don't have another reference for comparison.  It just felt quicker than the fantasy I usually read.

The "good parts" were incredibly graphic and occurred every few pages, but suited my tastes just fine.  I don't have any formulated thoughts on what such scenes should or shouldn't be or include.  So for my taste, I can enjoy the artistic fade out as well as the nitty gritty sweat fests.  I don't think I could read this type of book exclusively, but maybe every once in a while for a quickie (pun intended).  The story line between the "good parts" in the first two books was somewhat forgettable.  in the third and fourth books, I breezed right through the "good parts" to continue on with the story.  It might be that I read the series out of order (2, 3, 1, 4) but it felt like Ione just got better at putting all the different story threads together.  Seeing Ione develop the story and her talent over the course of the series helped me see the difference between an okay story and a enthralling one which I hope to help me in my writing.


Tattoos comprised a major theme central to the definition of the Seminus breed.  It makes me think about getting a tattoo again.  Torture and BDSM were also common themes.  I took it as something you would expect demons in romance novels to do.  There had to be a "bad" influence there somewhere, right?

Reason #2 to love my nook: Don't have to worry about the embarrasing covers when reading in public!  So I'm still a little embarrassed by the romance covers and wouldn't want to read one of the paperbacks on a subway or anything.

I also just realized that Kim Harrison's Hollows series (that I loved) also counts as a paranormal romance by virtue of the fact that it has some genre awards.  The "good parts" in the Hollows are much less graphic than the ones in Demonica, and Hollows has usually only one scene to that effect.  So maybe I need to read more in this category in order to figure out what is normal and what isn't for the genre.  I might even take my Naiads story and try my hand at writing some romance.  If my main character is a water nymph, then it goes without saying, right?

So I renounce my previous thoughts that romance is something less than other genres.  Now I need to go apologize to my mom for making fun of her for reading romance.

He's Just Not That Into You

This book has been recommended to me by both my sisters.   Sometimes my sisters are much smarter than me.  But since I've seen the Sex and the City episode that was the launchpad for the concept, as well as watched the movie that came out last year, I thought I knew what it was talking about.  Because my smarter sister told me to, I read the book. 

This was the first book I read on my nook.  It worked really well in the gym.  I read most of it while completing my long run this morning.  Not having to hold the pages down while running was nice.  Being able to increase the text size was very cool.  Usually I had to pick which book had the bigger font and most space between lines of text.  Loving it.

The major topics from the book were shown really well in the film adaptation: guys who don't make the first move, guys who don't call, guys who don't want to jump you, guys who cheat, etc.  The film writers did a good job showing how those scenarios would look in real life. Ginnifer Goodwin is just so darn cute.  She and Justin Long did a great job with their roles.

But you were really hoping for insight on how the magical understanding gained from this book helped me to quit settling for guys who weren't good enough for me. 

If I had read this book in 2004 when it came out, I think it would have changed a lot of the really stupid things I did as a single lady then through 2008.  I threw myself at a lot of guys who just weren't into me and I took it really hard every time.  At the time, I probably could have benefited from the information, but I don't know if I could have really used it effectively.  I heard the immortal phrases, "Wow you're really awesome. Why are you still single?"  and "That guy isn't good enough for you," and their variations way too much for comfort.  I was also very confused as to what kind of guy would actually be good enough for me.  "Good enough" was one of my hated phrases at the time.

Now though, I'm in a different place.  It's too personal to relate to in this forum, but some of the topics hit too close to home.  And that kind of sucks, because I have the same wants and fears as the book's target demographic.  Who am I kidding... I AM the target demographic.

Overall, the book was well done.  They did a good job targeting the feel and pace of the book to Sex and the City viewers.  It had the same quirky story examples, humor to soften emotional subjects, and a healthy dose of sex. 

I really hope I'm the exception and not the rule....

Chalice by Robin McKinley

The demense is in unstable times, only having just survived seven years of disrule at the hand of the late Master. Mirasol comes to the position of Chalice during these trying times. A new Master comes to the Willowlands, the younger brother of the previous Master. A priest of Fire has never returned to live among humans before. The land speaks to Mirasol of its pain. But what can she do to heal the land when she doesn't even know how to be Chalice yet?

This is the first Robin McKinley book I've read. She wrote one of the pep talks for NaNoWriMo in November. I was excited that Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce were writing pep talks, but others who loved those two ladies' work also were really excited about McKinley's contribution. So, she went on my list of books to read.

McKinley is more noted for her two young adult books based on the Beauty and the Beast story and her adult vampire book Sunshine. I picked up this book and Blue Sword when I was at a NaNoWriMo write-in and these were the ones that the store had stocked at the time. So perhaps it wasn't the best first exposure to the author.

My first reaction to the story is that it was slow moving and heavily descriptive. But then, when your main character wields her powers through honey, crisp action scenes probably wouldn't fit too well. Most of the "action" in the book comes from the range of emotion the heroine experiences. She is a quiet and isolated woman, so dwelling in her emotion would be normal for that type of person. A small complaint: sometimes I had to reread passages when it went back and forth between flashbacks and present.

McKinley connects the people to their demense through something called "landsense" which is heavier with some families than with others. Both Chalice and Master have a deep connection to their homeland, which is one of the biggest drivers to their actions. After seeing Avatar, it feels a little like an environmentalist theme of trying to heal the plants and animals around them. So that made me roll my eyes a little bit.

One thing that bothers me personally is the definition of people by what they do: Chalice, Master, Talisman, Clearseer, for example. Once they take the named position, they are no longer the person they were. There is a lot to being called to a specific purpose and feeling a duty to perform in the position. But I've never felt so confident in my life's work to want to be defined wholly by my employment. But then again, it's young adult and high fantasy, so what are you supposed to do?

I did love how there are different honeys for different purposes. I love how different honey tastes depending on where and what kind of flowers it comes from. Current favorites are local wildflower and clover honey. It's amazing the character it adds to the foods you add it to. I'm currently stealing my sister's breakfast: oatmeal with blueberries, cinnamon, and honey. I love the way even a little honey adds an earthiness to the oatmeal and how the blueberries make it taste bright. Sigh. Your basic squeezy-bear honey just doesn't do it for me anymore.

Overall impression of the book is that there isn't a whole lot of action. So if that's your thing, you probably won't enjoy it. A worthwhile read, but not something I'll permanently keep on my shelf.

Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire

Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat, and French Women for All Season, relates the experience she gained as a senior executive for Veuve Cliquot to young women starting out on their careers.   It's a mouthful of a title, but it was a good read. This is most likely because I am a poster child for the target demographic: twenty something female employed in an office environment.  I didn't learn anything knew, but instead finally understood business sayings that those of us in the corporate world have come to live every day.

One example is the old adage, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have."  Guilliano spins it a little differently, calling women to "be their own brand."  As a senior executive for a luxury goods company, she became a visual indication of the business.  She was expected to physically represent her company at all times, whether jet-setting to overseas meetings or picking up weekly groceries.  For people who haven't made it to the corner office yet, the idea is to present the best possible form of yourself at all times.

I likened her pitch to a concept I see recommended to writers, published or unpublished: get yourself an platform.  You need a following to help you market yourself.  When you do any amount of face-to-face business interactions, your physical appearance is part of your platform.  It has to match with what you're pitching with your words, spoken or written.

Another phrase I heard over and over again was the about the "80/20 Rule."  The rule states that 20% of your workforce is responsible for 80% of your results.  I hadn't understood it quite that way, but looking back I can see it applicable in context.  It puts a spin on some of my past experiences on the job that makes me want to face-palm.

Overall, the concepts were repeats from a myriad of venues over the course of my career thus far: meetings with my management, corporate training, and the common catch phrases floating in the office ventilation system.  Guilliano's style makes it feel like a mentor whispering industry secrets in your ear over a glass of wine. I would recommend this book to other up and coming twenty-something women who are in the first stages of their career.

Anyone want to borrow it?

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

The first book in the Beka Cooper series brings fans of Tamora Pierce back to the world of Tortall. This book is set prior to Pierce's other Tortall series. It is written in a journal format from the eyes of Rebekah (Beka) Cooper as she goes through training to be a police officer, or “Dog,” for the Lower City district of Corus. Beka has interesting talents as being able to talk to ghosts and dust devils. She uses these informants and others to discover who is responsible for the murder of her friend's child.

The journal format put me off at first since I was so used to Pierce's prose, but it faded into the background as I got further into the story. I enjoyed seeing how Beka grows out of some of her isolation and shyness. Watching her making friends and challenging her fears of speaking in public was a delight.  Beka is a notable addition to Pierce's many strong female characters. 

Overall I liked the book, but not as much as I enjoyed others by Pierce. If I was to recommend a Pierce book to someone who had not read one of hers before, it would be Trickters's Choice, and not Terrier.

P.S. This is my first book review!  Please leave me comments below!