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!
Dec 03, 2007 @ 16:03:36
Holes! You must read Holes!
Dec 04, 2007 @ 08:37:19
I don’t read kids books anymore, but I remember liking all the Choose Your Own Adventure books. Not much help. Yeah.
Dec 05, 2007 @ 01:29:38
I loved Holes!
And I think I have a Choose Your Own Adventure or two lying around somewhere. I read those as a girl, but I would cheat, starting at a good ending (because sometimes you died or became a rat or something awful) and going backwards to the beginning.
Dec 05, 2007 @ 20:58:57
I really recommend The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau. It’s a trilogy (Ember is the second book, but it was the first one written). One of the main things I like about it is that it features a female lead character, which is so lacking in literature. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Dec 16, 2007 @ 02:45:30
Yay, comments! I’m a bit late, but.
I recommend: the Bartimaeus trilogy (fantasy and probably longer than a day to read each one, but also the best fantasy trilogy I’ve ever read).
I am so glad you ended up liking Lucky in the end. 😀
Dec 17, 2007 @ 11:11:42
I’m reading The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson aloud to my kids, and we’re really enjoying it. It’s a Newberry Honor book. We’re also enjoying reading A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote and illustrated by Beth Peck.
Dec 17, 2007 @ 18:41:06
I am sooo headed to the library to hunt down some of these!
Dec 26, 2007 @ 09:46:39
Deanna,
Take a look at my book “John Fastramp and the Dakota 3000 Challenge.” It is aimed at children in grades three through six. It is also read to younger children as bedtime stories.
Happy holidays.
Jason Alter
http://www.johnfastramp.com