First, thank you. I started this blog back in April for the A-Z challenge and figured it would be a minor miracle if I kept it through the summer. Lo and behold, here I am. There is so much yet to learn and many more mistakes to make, but if you're reading this, it means you decided to come along for the ride. So I thank you.
Second, this will be my last post before the holidays. I have a few days to get my act together before I leave and when I return, I am sequestering myself and finishing my NaNo story. I might have a blog in there somewhere, but I'll be back in business for certain after the New Year. It's okay to cry. :)
Oh! Speaking of crying (sorry, this is a TOTAL tangent), I had my first writerly moment the other day: I cried while writing a scene.
Has that ever happened to you before? I wasn't sure if I should walk away from something that so clearly upset me, or if I should mine those tears and emotions for literary gold. I stayed in the "cry zone" for about 10 minutes before I had to end the scene. It was strange and amazing and somehow reassuring all at the same time.
Back to the holidays...
I hit the road on Thursday for an 11-hour road trip down to southern Illinois. This year's trek will be quite enjoyable with my stash of audio books. Check 'em out!
- Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld
- Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
- Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
- Feed, M.T. Anderson
Any recommendations of other amazing audio books? Please let me know as I'm always looking for more, though I prefer books that are no longer than ~7 hrs. The librarian told me Friday that the new Stephen King audio book had something like 35 discs. Seriously? Who will listen to that? Um, no thank you. 7-8 hrs is my limit before I tune out and stop caring.
Happy holidays, blogging world.
I wish you happy family memories, safe travels, and smiles.
See you in 2012.
I'm listening to the entire Harry Potter series on audio and I LOVE IT. Jim Dale is such an amazing narrator. I've heard the Beauty Queens audio is awesome...Libba Bray reads it. Same with Bossypants by Tina Fey.
ReplyDeleteI don't listen to audio books nearly enough! I'm glad to know that Thirteen Reason's Why is on audio - I think I'll try that one out. Nothing like listening to a good book to make the cleaning around the house go faster. Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteSound like you are ready to roll on your trip. Never cried will writing a scene, although one of my book's scenes causes some people to cry. That close enough?
ReplyDeleteHave a Merry Christmas!
"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." -- by I forgot, but it was one of those big shot writer types. :)
ReplyDeleteI've cried writing scenes. And I've cried after reading scenes (did I really write that crap?). LOL.
That photo is a crack up. Quick everyone look at the bookshelf!
Merry Christmas. Enjoy your writing time.
Yay audiobooks! They can turn any chore into something to look forward to. :)
ReplyDeleteOf those four I've only read Leviathan (on paper), but it sounds like a good assortment.
Some others I've really enjoyed (you may have read some of these already):
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (even tho I didn't like Twilight much)
Nation by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Stephen Fry)
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
White Cat by Holly Black
Ooh, I hope audio Leviathan is as good as reading it is. I loved that book. Heard a lot of good about The Graveyard Book, too, so I second Seabrooke's suggestion!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the holidays, and safe travels! :)
Okay, I'm glad you mentioned your family's far-off glances. The first thing I thought when I saw that pic was, "What are they looking at?" :)
ReplyDeleteI have gotten emotional writing scenes, but so far haven't cried. Kudos to you for writing through that!
I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks but my niece tells me that "Along for the Ride" by Sarah Dessen was pretty amazing.
Have a safe trip and an awesome holiday.
Yay! See you in 2012 (literally! Squee!)
ReplyDeleteI've read both Leviathan and Feed, both were good, though i luuurved leviathan (i spelled this worng like 5 times, even though i had spelled it right up above. WTF is up with that?)
Have a fun road trip!
Hey lady, I've started an audiobook review on Fridays. Check 'em out, though you've got some great suggestions here, too!
ReplyDeleteI've totally cried while writing. Sometimes, it's just too emptional.
Jessica--thanks for the HP suggestions. I love the books so much, I don't know why I haven't thought of the audio versions!
ReplyDeleteKimberly--Here's hoping it makes the road trip go quicker as well!
Alex--Happy holidays to you, too!
LG--Ohhh, I like the quote! And yes, I've likely cried after reading my crap, but this time, it was pure emotion, baby! :)
Seabrooke--Thanks for the suggestions! Last Xmas I listened to The Graveyard Book and thought it was fascinating! I have to check out the others. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks, Claudie! You, too! Since I haven't read the book, I'll just have to assume the audio version will come in just a hair behind the actual reading experience. But I won't lie, I'm eager to have someone read for me!
Ade--I know, my dad was funny like that. But I love the innocence. Neither my brother or I were old enough to be jaded and think, "This is stupid."
Sarah--Man, I've heard SO MANY rave reviews about Leviathan. I'm glad I'm finally getting around to it. I'll tell you ALL about it on the 8th. :)
Juliana--Will do, thanks! I will tell you I was most impressed with Kristin Cashore's Graceling audiobook. It says on the back that there are age appropriate voices and music. It feels like more of an ensemble than one person reading. However, it was too long; 12 hrs, I think. I passed. For now.
Great choice of books for a road trip - except how does the audio version of Leviathan include the great illustrations in that book???? They added so much fun and detail to the story!
ReplyDeleteI love quirky old photos like that. It was my mom who always cut off the heads though!
I am so behind on this, but I LOVED Vampire Academy #1 (they switched narrators after boo) and Jesse Eisenberg doing White Cat.
ReplyDelete