Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

So now that NaNoWriMo is over, I'm able to do a Teaser Tuesday again!  Hooray!
This week the Teaser is from Towers of Midnight (again - sorry!  I haven't been able to read much!).  However, I'm going to cheat a little bit - this is not a random quote.  It's also a little longer than two sentences.  But I came across it and thought it was great, so I'm going to use it for the Teaser this week!

The Tease:
""But son," Bryne said, leaning forward. "A man is more than one drive, one goal.  No woman wants that in a man.  It seems to me that men who spend time making something of themselves - rather than professing their devotion - are the ones who get somewhere.  Both with women, and with life itself."  Bryne rubbed his chin.  "So, if I have advice for you, it's this: Find out who you would be without Egwene, and then figure out how to fit her into that.""  - Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

What's your Tease?

My NaNoWriMo Word Cloud

November is almost over, people!  And I'm so far behind on my novel, it's not even funny.  But I hope to get caught up this weekend!

In the meantime, I found this kool website, http://www.wordle.net/, where you can paste in a chunk of text and it creates a "word cloud" from the most common words.  So of course I had to play with it!  Here's my word cloud, based on the first 31,000 words of my NaNoWriMo novel:

Pretty kool, eh?!

Ok, so back to writing - I'll be back soon with a review of Blameless, by Gail Carriger, and some thoughts on Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson.

19,000 more words to go - Wish me luck!

Kids Need To Read

One of my favorite actors, Nathan Fillion, (Firefly, Serenity, Castle) is co-founder (with author PJ Haarsma) of Kids Need To Read, a charitable non-profit foundation which was founded in 2008.

According to their mission statement: 
"Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children."

There are several ways to help this worthy cause:
1. You can make a donation directly to the organization.
2. You can also purchase merchandise from their cafepress.com store!  They have some great merchandise, and if given as gifts, helps to spread the word!
3. John Ottinger III (from Grasping for the Wind) is even going to donate the proceeds from his ads and Amazon affiliate links!  Way to go, John!

 So please check out the Kids Need to Read website, and if you can help, great!  If you can't help them with a donation or a purchase, I promise NOT to look at you with my judging eyes, but only if you help spread the word about this totally awesome charity!

Also check out Grasping for the Wind (which is where I found out about Kids Need to Read) - It's a pretty awesome blog, full of all kinds of book-tastic deliciousness!

Bits 'n Pieces

So, I've been crazy busy the last few weeks and haven't had time to post much. Sorry, y'all!  I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year, and then was sick for the first six days of the month and didn't do any writing at all - So now I'm totally behind on my word count.  But I'm slllloooowwwwlllyyyyy catching up.  Yay, me!

I'm sure everyone has already seen this, because it seems to be everywhere online today, but Entertainment Weekly is doing an "Exclusive First Look" including 10 photos of various characters, of HBO's Game of Thrones, (based on George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series), which is currently filming in Europe, and will air sometime in 2011!!  The sets and costumes look amazing, so check them out.

Ryan Britt posted an article on Tor.com, about the new BBC Sherlock Holmes mini-series (currently running on PBS Masterpiece Mystery), and discusses why he considers it science fiction.  I've been watching the series (Thank goodness for Tivo!) and have thoroughly enjoyed seeing Holmes and Watson enter the 21st century and perform their special brand of sleuthing in a modern setting.

I'm also trying to read Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson when I can, interspersed with small portions of Blameless, by Gail Carriger.  Totally enjoying both, but need more time!!

What's keeping you busy?  Leave a comment and let me know what you've been up to!!

Teaser Tuesday - Towers of Midnight

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!


The Tease:
"Even something the Creator had designed to be eternal could be unraveled using the Dark One's energies.  It bespoke an eternal truth - something as close to being sacred as Graendal was willing to accept.  Whatever the Creator could build, the Dark One could destroy." - Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson.

What's your Tease?

Review - Changeless: The Parasol Protectorate: Book the Second

The Parasol Protectorate, by Gail Carriger
1. Soulless, 10.19.2010, * * * *
2. Changeless, 11.02.2010, * * * *
3. Blameless

Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Alexia Maccon, is busy getting on with her new life as a happily married woman, and her new job as the muhjah, the third member of the Queen's top secret Shadow Council.  But when the Queen's armies, who have been recalled from India, arrive in London, Alexia inherits two new problems: a regiment of supernatural werewolf soldiers camping on her lawn, and a mysterious "ailment" that humanizes all vampires and werewolves in London, and exorcises all ghosts from their homes.  When her husband suddenly announces that he must leave at once for his native Scotland, (and refuses to tell her why), Alexia is concerned, but when the area of the "affliction" leaves London and begins traveling northward as well, Alexia decides she must do something at once!

Floating aboard a dirigible has always been one of her fondest wishes, but the reality is not quite up to her standards - bad food, poisoners, and secret attacks threaten her life and those of her traveling companions.  But upon arriving at Kingair Castle in Scotland she realizes that things are not likely to get better.  The "affliction" has arrived, no one knows why, what, or where it is, the pack can't change into their wolf forms and haven't been able to for months, and there's a whole leadership issue to be resolved - not to mention, who keeps searching Alexia's room and shooting at her?  Of course, Alexia considers all this to be merely par for the course, and she'll get around to solving everything after she has a decent tea - if she feels like it, that is!

Again, another smashing success, full of surprises and mysteries, and even a reappearance of those darn brass octopuses - what could they mean?!  4 out of 5 stars, and I can't wait to get started on Blameless: Book the Third!

But it will have to wait, as I'm currently reading Towers of Midnight, which may take me awhile!  Until then, why don't you leave a comment below and tell my what you are reading this week?

Review - Soulless: The Parasol Protectorate: Book the First

The Parasol Protectorate, by Gail Carriger
1. Soulless, 10.19.2010, * * * *
2. Changeless
3. Blameless

Alexia Tarabotti is one of the most fascinating characters that I have come across since first discovering Amelia Peabody several years ago.  She's a straight to the point, no-nonsense kind of girl.  This may have something to do with the fact that she's a spinster, far too old to be good marriage material.  Add to that, her father was Italian.  Oh, and plus that, she a preternatural - meaning she has no soul.

Set in an alternate earth where vampires and werewolves are an accepted part of London's high society, Alexia is a true oddity.  Very few know about her unique abilities, and her intense interests in science and technology are frowned upon by her family as being unladylike.  When a vampire attacks her at a private ball, she is both shocked and outraged at his behavior, which goes against all common decency and social etiquette.  Somehow he doesn't seem to know the rules, and she accidentally kills him.  Lord Maccon, from the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, arrives to investigate, and suddenly Alexia finds herself involved in the investigation.  Someone is making vampires and werewolves disappear, new vampires keep appearing with no one to claim them, and Alexia and her trusted parasol must get to the bottom of the mystery before time runs out for both her, and the werewolf who loves her.

I adore the slightly steampunk-ish setting of this novel, and Alexia herself is a riot.  Opinionated and not afraid to speak her mind or get her hands dirty, she's always right in the thick of things.  The romance part of the story was ok, but the best part was the mystery itself.  I give Soulless 4 stars, and would definitely recommend it!

Teaser Tuesday - Changeless

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!


The Tease:
"Resisting the terrible pushing sensation, Lady Maccon strode into the room and picked up a piece of the mummy's discarded bandage, pointing to the image depicted on it.  An ankh, broken in half." -- Changeless, Book 2 of The Parasol Protectorate, by Gail Carriger.

What's your Tease?

Bits 'n Pieces

Just a few little things:

Towers of Midnight will be released November 2nd, 2010 - That's tomorrow, people!!  Hooray!!  I am so looking forward to this book - I can't even tell you!

If you haven't seen the book trailer, go check it out, it's awesome!!

I decided last week that I wanted to participate in National Novel Writing Month.  This will possibly cut into my reading and posting time a little, but hopefully not too much.  Wish me luck!
 
Also, AMC's The Walking Dead premiered last night, and it was freaking awesome! Did anyone else watch it?  I totally loved it, and the first episode ended with such an amazing cliffhanger, I don't know how I'll make it until next Sunday night.  I think it's great that it's not really a Zombie show, but instead a show about people who just happen to be trying to survive in a world filled with Zombies.  Ultimately, it's all about the characters, and the people, their choices, and what they are willing to do to survive in this new world they've been thrust into.
What did you think?