Books and Reading

Well, National Novel Writing Month is over! Whew! I finished the 50K by writing random bits about my main character’s parents. It was drudgery, and I will delete it all as soon as I open the Jinnie Wishmaker file again, but for now–I’m READING! And watching movies! And doing all the other things I mostly gave up during November.

One of the most fun things that happened during this month’s NaNoWriMo is that the fiction editor from About.com ran an article I wrote as well as my pictures from our “Nano in Nature” event where some of us crazy novelists hiked to a waterfall to work on our books. I am pleased how the text and photo series turned out!

I just finished Higher Power of Lucky and I really did love it in the end. I also got through The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe (Emily is reading it and I wanted to see what she’d be in for since the whole Golden Compass controversy erupted via emails. I might take on the Golden Compass itself soon, but I’m not terribly interested in fantasy and Emily isn’t asking for it.) I’m about halfway through the first of the Children of the Lamp series and having fun seeing how PB Kerr has fleshed out the genie mythology in different ways than I did.

I’ll take December off from writing and hit the editing seriously in January. I’ve committed (and should be committed) to submitting the first 30 pages of Jinnie Wishmaker to my Novel-in-Progress critique group mid-January, and I’m not sure the first couple chapters move as speedily as they should. This is why I’m trying to work through as many kid books as I can. To learn!

I’ve opened up comments for this post, so if you want to suggest a kid’s book for me to read this month, do so! I can read one a day easily, and I’m making weekly sojourns to the library! Thank you!