Friday, November 30, 2012

Let's Talk!


Let’s Talk is a meme hosted by Smash Attack Reads and A Book Obsession.  

Let's Talk is a a great place to get personal and learn more about one another!  

Each week, a different question will be posted along with a place to link up your posts and visit other people’s responses. This meme is definitely meant to bring out conversation and meet new people. So, Let’s Talk!

Today's Question:  How much time do you think you spend on blogging each week, including commenting on other blogs, participating in events, Twitter/Facebook blog talk, etc? Do you have a time management system that works well for you? We’d love to know!

Answer: I actually spend a few hours per day on blogging each week, but I don't know how efficient I am, lol. I try to comment on people's blogs as much as I can, but of course, I still feel as if I don't comment as much as I'd like or as much as all the bloggers out there deserve.  On weekends I don't do as much because I try to take a break and try to do housework!

I do spend a lot of time on Twitter and actually, that's where I'll find links to reviews, articles and bookish events.  Then of course, I get sucked into other information which takes away from blogging.  I don't spend a lot of time on my FB blog page, except to post my latest reviews.  

I absolutely do NOT have a time management system.  I'm awful at time management.  Unfortunately because of my busy schedule in October, Super Storm Sandy, and then getting sick, I feel more behind than I ever have in blogging.  I'm hoping to do better soon and thinking of implementing a schedule.  We'll see how that works!



Stephen King Read-A-Long: Cycle of the Werewolf.




Today we're going to be discussing the second half of Cycle of the Werewolf: July through December.  Things seem to really heat up in the second half of this novella.  January through June seemed kind of like as if the story is setting itself up and July through December is when things reach their peak and culminate. 

Questions:
1. In July we are introduced to Marty and his family.  What do you think of them?

I really like Marty.  He does not complain or whine and I get the feeling he does not feel sorry for himself.  He seems to accept his lot in life a bit better than some of his family.  It is ironic that his father is an athletic coach.  He obviously doesn't know how to deal or relate to Marty and instead chooses to mask his discomfort and fear by being overly cheerful.  I really don't know what Kate's problem is.  She is so mean to him.  However, when she ran from his room crying after he fell I had a little more insight into her character.  I think that she resents Marty because she sees him as getting all the attention, yet I also think she is very fearful that something bad may happen to him.  I think this is her way of coping with having a brother who is disabled.  I loved his uncle Al.  He is the cool uncle that every kid wants.  I love how he treats Marty, with no reservations towards his disability, but just as the nephew he loves and bonds with.

2. What is special about the 4th of July?

As a child, I loved the 4th of July.  Well I loved watching fireworks more.  I think the tradition is what makes the night magical and for Marty, who perhaps needs a little more magic in his life than most people, it really hits home. 

3. At the end of the chapter, it says that "Marty Coslaw came to believe in his heart that it had been the best Fourth of all."  What are your comments?

Well, if I had been in Marty's situation it wouldn't have been the best Fourth for me!  I don't think I would have been able to think as quickly as Marty did.  I think for him, the night represented even more magic than the spectacle of fireworks and firecrackers.  Marty now knows that monsters are real.  How much more magical can you get than that?  Also, Marty shows incredible courage and cleverness.  He is the only one in Tarker Mills to has come face to face with the werewolf and survived.  No one else has survived.  Yet a 10 year old quadraplegic boy has.  Can you imagine how much confidence this has given Marty?

4. In August, Constable Neary has his own theory about werewolves.  What do you think about his theory?
"Now this guy, I think he's like that. I don't think he knows what he's doing when the moon gets full and he goes and kills somebody...In the sense of being an animal inside and looking perfecty normal outside...But if you mean, do I think there's a guy who sprouts hair and howls at the moon...no..."
I think that this is a realistic view of so called werewolves.  People and even the whole planet is effected by the moon.  The Constable believes that the moon and perhaps the perpetrator's mental instability are tied together to cause his inner monster to come out. 

5. In October, while Marty is trick or treating, he discovers who the wolf is.  What are your thoughts on this chapter?

I think this chapter is so well done.  The revelation that Marty has upon seeing the Reverend with an eyepatch is a revelation.  He knew he wounded the creature's eye back in July with a firework and now here stands a person with an eyepatch.  One plus one.  On the other hand, the werewolf in his human form knows who Marty is, if we adhere to the theory that the man remembers what the wolf did.  The Reverand had no recollections at first, but now it seems he does and now he knows that Marty is a threat. 

6. Marty's notes to the Reverend: What do you think about them? 

I was quite shocked at first when Marty stated that the Reverend should kill himself.  I know in a way it is warranted, but to see a child write that kind of thing was unsettling.  But I have to remember that this werewolf is a killer. 

7. How do you feel about the Reverend's acceptance of his new status.

Reverend Lowe justifies his lot in life.  He does not want to die, so he succumbs to the belief that what has happened to him is the "Lord's will."  In turn, he justifies his own killings as the Lord's will as well.  Of course this is a cop out and an excuse using religious zeal not to take responsibility. 

8. December.  What do you think about this chapter?

I am amazed at Marty's bravery.  Again his cleverness comes through because he has signed his last note and he knows that if the Reverend is not the werewolf he would have told his father about Marty's notes.  The stakes have grown because know there is no doubt that Marty is a threat.  Once again his Uncle Al is an ally and believes in Marty enough to help him.  Marty hatches a trap with his uncle's help and they sit up to wait for the werewolf.  I thought it was interesting that at the stroke of midnight a time for endings and new beginnings the werewolf attacks and Marty prevails, ending the Wolf's terrifying reign. 

I would love to hear your thoughts!  Please make a post or add a comment below.

Thank you for joining me and Midnight Book Girl for our Stephen King Read-A-Long.  Hope you had fun!


Monday, November 26, 2012

Charla.

Title/Author: Charla by Alexander Beresford.

Genre: Horror.

Publisher: Black Bed Sheets Books.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character: Charla.

All in all: A creepy and unsettling read.

Synopsis: A mother. A daughter. A demon.... Charla kept her unsettling hatred towards her daughter Amelie a secret for so long, but over time it became harder for her to quench her morbid impulses without raising concerns. One lonely dawn, Charla ...divorced, pained, unhappy... ignited events which invoked a horrible demon to disrupt her twenty-five year old's picture perfect life. She put her terrifying scheme into action ... and the demon began its wave of hell. ~Goodreads.com.
My Thoughts:
I love when stories explore a screwed up relationship between moms and their children.  There are so many levels and layers to explore.  So when Darkeva recommended Charla I put it on my TBR pile right away. 

I think that Charla, the mom in this book is a fascinating character.  She is dark and selfish and hates her daughter Amelie, who she feels has had an extremely easy and priveledged life, which is in direct contrast to her harsh upbringing and past.  She does things to punish her daughter including pulling her hair when she's asleep to hitting on her fiance.  Finally, she conjures a demon to torment Amelie.  It's very heart wrenching when the person who is supposed to love and protect you the most is the one who causes the most damage. 

I enjoyed the scary aspects to this story and I think the horror will appeal to lovers of the genre.  The unsettling feelings that Amelie experiences to the sinister thoughts and deeds of Charla.  The demon that Charla conjures starts his (or mayber her) terror slowly and then as the story progresses so do the horrific events until the final culmination that is a dire warning to those who think they can really control outside forces.  I have to say, I really loved the ending. 

I was also surprised that the author was male because he wrote the female characters (especially Charla) with an honesty that came naturally.  This is an example of just writing the character without worrying about whether a female would really do A, B or C.  Charla is just Charla. 

I just had a few issues with the writing.  At times I could see the honed skills shining through and then at times I felt the story could have been more polished with just a few more scenes and dialogue re-visited.  However, this is a story that I really enjoyed and the creepy parts and dynamics between Charla and those in her life are fascinating. 

You can check out Darkeva's review of Charla HERE.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Witches on the Road Tonight.

Title/Author: Witches on the Road Tonight by Sheri Holman.

Genre: General Fiction.

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character: Cora and Willis Alley.

All in all: A quiet book that gets under your skin.

Favorite Quote: "Once witches slip in, they're hard to get rid of." ~Cora Alley.

Synopsis:  As a child growing up in Depression-era rural Virginia, Eddie Alley’s quiet life is rooted in the rumors of his mother’s witchcraft. But when he's visited by a writer and glamorous photographer researching American folklore for the WPA, the spell of his mother’s unorthodox life is violently disrupted, and Eddie is inspired to pursue a future beyond the confines of his dead-end town.

He leaves for New York and becomes a television horror-movie presenter beloved for his kitschy comedy. Though expert at softening terror for his young fans, Eddie cannot escape the guilty secrets of his own childhood. When he opens his family’s door to a homeless teenager working as an intern at the TV station, the boy’s presence not only awakens something in Eddie, but also in his twelve-year-old daughter, Wallis, who has begun to feel a strange kinship to her notorious grandmother. As the ghost stories of one generation infiltrate the next, Wallis and Eddie grapple with the sins of the past to repair their misguided attempts at loyalty and redemption. ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts: "Of all the props I saved only the coffin remains."  This is the first line from Witches on the Road Tonight which made my mouth water in expectation.  Even before I opened the book it just gave off an aura of mystique and intrigue.  However, it was not quite the story I was anticipating even though it won me over by the end.

I was hoping for more magic, more witches, heck, more coffins from this book, but it was really a tale about a family and their hopes, fears and hurts.  More literary than supernatural Witches crept up on me slowly yet once it had me, it wouldn't let me go thanks to rich, mysterious characters with deep desires kept half hidden making me as a reader, puzzle over what was behind their thoughts and actions. The buildup is a bit slow, but needs to play its part and I'm thankful that I was patient enough to keep delving into the story.

There were supernatural elements to this book, yet after I read them I still wasn't sure if the author meant for the reader to take them literarally or metaphorically.  Were the magical parts just the mind of an unreliable narrator or is there really something to the mountain magic that the Alley family has passed on?  Is each reader to decide for themselves or could it be a bit of both?  Magic or  metaphor?  Unfortunately, not everyone was granted their wish and at times it broke my heart.  The longing, misunderstandings, jealousy and resentment is sharp and painful. 

The writing is beautiful.  The details of the character's lives made me feel as if I was there.  Descriptions of the mountains where Cora lived were especially picturesque and powerful.  Sometimes the prose is complex due to the character's thoughts, but I still felt connected to them, still felt like a witness to the story.  The folklore that is woven into the book gives an otherworldly feel to the narrative and at times an eerie background. 

I can't say I loved the ending, but for some reason wasn't dissatisfied by it either.  I think by the end I understood what had happened in each character's life to bring them to where they were.   I think there is more to be explored in this book, but I have yet to figure out what it is.  This is a book I will continue to contemplating as questions linger and haunt me. 

Other Editions:

 









Monday, November 19, 2012

Book Blogger Confessions-Giving Thanks (Monday, November 19, 2012).


Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that allows book bloggers to discuss issues unique to what we encounter in the blogging world. Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month we will post a question and invite you to answer, comment and discuss opinions and different views.

Please keep the dialogue courteous. No bashing!

If you would like to participate in this meme sign up below and please feel free to to grab the button to include in your post with a link to For What It's Worth Reviews or here at Midnyte Reader.

Question; Giving thanks: Is there a book that you are thankful you have read? Maybe it has changed your life in a small or even a large way, or made you see things in a different perspective.

Answer: A book that changed my life is Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.  I took an online class on Native American Spirituality and this is one of the books that we discussed.  Something odd happened while I was reading it.  It was as if the message of the book suddenly infused itself into me.  My teacher for this course, David Brandstein, often talked of the connection between all life and although I understood this concept, when I read Ceremony, it was as if the book showed it to me, with it's story and with it's message.
Other books that I am grateful for are several books by Charles de Lint. Before I found his books, I had imagined certain concepts, story lines of other magical worlds hiding in plain sight if only we could be open enough to see them. His books are all about that. When I started reading them I felt an overwhelming wonder that I had finally found an author who saw into my soul.  It's like he showed me what writing, imagination and inspiration can be like.  This might sound overdramatic, but it is very true.


So tell me, what books are you thankful for?





Thursday, November 15, 2012

Stephen King Read-A-Long: Cycle of the Werewolf

Today we're going to be discussing the first half of Cycle of the Werewolf: January through June.

Questions:
1. If you have the version that is illustrated, what do you think of it?  Do you think it enhances or detracts from the story?

2. What do you think of using the calender year and its full moons as the platform for the story?

3. "Love is like dying."  This is the last sentence in February when Stella Randolph is faced with the werewolf.  What are your thoughts on these metaphors? (Love, death, werewolves.)

4. King again uses Tarker's Mills as a kind of character.  Thoughts?

5. What do you think of King's use of character portrayal? Too much, too little?

6. What do you think of the Reverand's dream?

Answers:
1. I love using the months as the setting of the book.  I think it is clever and shows movement of time but growth of the story and people. 

2. I wasn't sure what to expect from it.  Sometimes illustrations can give a book a cheesy kind of feel, putting images in my mind that are different from what my imagination envisions.  However, I like the illustrations by Berni Wrightson.  I think they almost have a twisted Norman Rockwell feel to them giving another depth to the narrative. 

3. I thought Stella's death was interesting.  She replaces a man with the werewolf and love with death.  If being attacked by a werewolf is like being ravaged by a lover who brings out the beastly passions of them both, it seems Stella has finally found the passion she has been looking for.  There is much lore of how the werewolf represents the sexualness of men, the beast so to speak.  It is as if she embraces death and for her it is embracing love.  

4. Setting as character or perhaps as the impetus for the events that take place there, is a recurring theme in King's stories.  His readers have seen it again and again.  Perhaps with secrets in a town, people are afraid of outing an obvious secret (there is a werewolf in town) because then their own secrets and shame will come out. 

5. King is a master of character portrayal.  Sometimes his asides for his characters seem unnecessary to me, especially in his novels.  I think for this novella it works well because as we get to know the character and their life, we feel more for their deaths and become more afraid of the villain. 

6. Spoiler Alert: The Reverand's dream is foreshadowing.  He is as horrified of the wolf/werewolf as anyone in town.  The fact that he is actually the killer is also a horror.  Is he subconsciously afraid he will pollute his whole congregation or "flock?" Or perhaps the dream shows that this is what he wishes, or at least what the beast within wishes. 

What did you think of the book so far?  If you did not read it, feel free to weigh in anyway.

Join me November 30th to discuss the remainer of the novella July through December.

Remember that Midnight Book Girl is doing a Read-A-Long of Misery this month!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Title/Author: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

Narrated by: Paul Hecht.

Genre: Fantasy/Horror.

Publisher: Recorded Books.

Source: Library.

Favorite character: Charlie and Will Halloway.

All in all: Whimsical.

Favorite Quote: "Beware the Autumn People." ~Charlie Hollowell.

Synopsis: The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

The show is about to begin. ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts:
This was a lovely story to listen to in October.  The fantastical and spooky elements lent itself well as the leaves changed, swirled to the ground and the evenings grew chilly.  For me, the story was a lot about regret and coming to terms with it.  The boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nighshade regret that they aren't older and able to take thier imaginary adventures to a more real level.  Charles Halloway, Will's father, regrets his own aging and seems at times morose in his own mortality.  However, as the story progresses they both see how their circumstances should be accepted and played out naturally. 

The writing, setting and characters are fanciful and rich.  The whole scope of the story is delightful.  The creepy and eerie events work well within this dark and dangerous carnival creating a sinister tableau around the characters. 

Paul Hecht did a good job with the narration.  He was very conscious of who was speaking.  Fast and excited for the children, slow and deliberate for Charlie.  I really noticed and appreciated this differentiation.   It was also apparent that Mr. Hecht was enjoying reading this classic.

I love the relationship between Will and Charlie.  Charlie found marriage and fatherhood a bit later in life and so appears to have a different relationship with his son than an active young man who can play baseball and chase a child around.  However, I think it is more Charlie's perception of himself that has kept this father and son at a respectful distance from each other.  The love and adoration is still there and apparent as each fiercely protects the other.  What's more important is the Will trusts his father and Charlie believes in his son and therefore, they are able to beat evil. 

My only complaint I have with Something Wicked... is my complaint with Bradbury's writing as a whole and that is that sometimes I feel it's a bit...much.  Kind of like gilding the lily at times and also the meandering of thoughts and philosophical ideas that the characters or narrative indulges in.  However, Bradbury's imagination is so enchanting that it is quite easy to overlook this and immerse yourself in his voice.  It's almost as if his stories pulls you back into a time when things were seemingly slower and sweeter and forces you to step into the story and immerse yourself. 

Despite any feelings that anyone may have regarding flaws in Something Wicked This Way Comes, it is a classic and has much to say about the nature of human fears of growing old, of being left behind, of losing something.  It is an important piece of fiction in subject matter, style and for me contributes a slice of "Americana" to the literary world.



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Stacking The Shelves (11/11/12)



Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews to celebrate books you've received.  Please check out how to join this fun meme HERE.

Last Monday I visited my friend who is a librarian to see if her branch had any copies of Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.  She told me that our County's library system only had two copies and there are 14 holds on them.  Yikes.  So on Tuesday I morning while running some errands I dash to the bookstore.  I don't see it on the shelves.  Finally I ask and yes, their computer shows they have it in, but there are none out.  Yikes!  So finally, the salesperson checks in the back and lo and behold...


Then of course, I was checking out some other books.  Seconds Away sounded really good, but I can't read a series or trilogy out of order so I had to buy the first book by Harlan Coben as well.  



I'm hunkering down in bed this morning reading Days of Blood.  I had asked my husband to bring me home a "pretty" donut from Dunkin' Donuts and he brought home a whole box.  Looks like it's donuts for breakfast lunch and dinner today!



Did you get anything this week?


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

What's going on?


So there I was, minding my own business and enjoying October when Hurricane Sandy hit.

I thought it was kind of weird that we had two super storms two years in a row to totally ruin Halloween in our area.  I felt really bad for all the kids.   Seriously, I think I would have had a meltdown if I had to miss trick or treating two years in a row.   (And yes, I know it's more serious than that.  I feel horrible for the people who are suffering, okay?  So let's get that straight right off the bat.)

Luckily now that I'm an adult I'm able to do a lot of other cool stuff during October.  I went to Disney, visited a few haunted houses and even worked in my friend's Haunted House, Ghoulie Manor in Taunton, MA. On Halloween, I was able to get to a friend's house (The Corn House of Horrors) in Cornwall on Hudson, NY.  They are in their sixth year of putting on a Halloween extravaganza.  If you are in either of these areas next October, please stop by!
Cast members at Mickey's Halloween Party.

Me & my friends at The Haunted Mansion.



Scaring up some fun at Ghoulie Manor
People are scared of clowns.  Oh yes.

Although losing power did enable me to read a little more than usual, I still have to catch up on writing a few reviews.  I listened to Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, read Charla by Alexander Beresford, Witches on the Road Tonight by Sheri Holan and I'm presently listening to Blood Red Road by Moira Young.  So stay tuned for those reviews.  I also did get to ComicCon and I owe a re-cap that as well.  I thought Halloween Hootenanny went well and I still have post some announcement winners.  Thank you everyone who stopped by!

This past Sunday evening while I was watching The Walking Dead, I realized I wasn't feeling well.  I didn't know if I was just achy from cleaning like a Banshee when the power came back on in anticipation of other people coming to take refuge or if I was really getting sick.  Being feverish and watching The Walking Dead resulted in some scary nightmares.  But off to work I went and soon realized...yeah, I'm sick.   I'm hanging out at home hopped up on cough medicine and Advil,  trying to read and crossing my fingers that the nor'easter that is expected in my area tonight won't cause any further havoc.

So, THANK YOU for your patience while I try to catch up on actual book blogging, 'cause after all that's what this blog is about.  I hope you'll stick with me as I get back on track.

Here are a few videos of what we've been doing at home after Sandy.  (My voice is very scratchy and hoarse, so I don't really sound like that.)  My friends staying with me for BEA can get a peek of where they will rest their heads.  But hands off my books!

Bedroom closet project.


Guest room project.


Frig post Sandy.


Downstairs.


Downstairs (2).

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Top Ten Tuesdays - Authors I would like to see as President of the United States



Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  Please check out her blog for rules and to join in.  This week is a freebie so I thought it would be fitting to list the Top Ten authors I would like to see as President of the United States.  There are a lot of authors that aren't on this list, but not because I would't want to see them in The White House, but only because I don't think they'd want the job at all!

1. Charles de Lint.  If you've read any of his books, you would know that Mr. de Lint is very Zen.  I think he would be a calm president and make sensible decisions.  Then he and his wife Marianne would give a free concert on The White House lawn.

2. Judy Blume.  Come on, she's dealt with every issue under the sun.  You think she couldn't fix our economy?

3. Clive Barker.  Just to shake things up a little.

4. Neil Gaiman.  So what if he wasn't born here!  I think the U.S. would have the highest literacy rate in the world if he was in office.

5. J.K. Rowling.  Another Brit, but anyone who envisioned the epic world of Harry Potter and defeated the evil Voldemort would have the imagination to think outside of the box and lead this country into a bright future.

6. Maureen Johnson.  I'm ashamed to admit that I've only read one of her books, but I've seen her speak several times and all of you who follow her on Twitter,  I don't need any more reasons do I?  She knows what she's talking about! Her quotes and sound bites alone would reinvigorate the newspaper business.  Plus, she would call out anyone who pissed her off.  Trust me I've seen her do it.

7. Gillian Flynn.  She understands human nature and the deep darkness behind people's behavior.  I think The Oval Office staff would just shape up.  There would be no shenanigans in Ms. Flynn's term.

8. Toni Morrison.  Bam!

9.  Jackie Collins.  Just for some drama.

10. Stephen King.  Of course.  Did you think he wouldn't make this list?  I think he would be a very private President and would walk around The White House in a robe and slippers.  He would make naysayers villains in his books and they would get their comeuppance.  Joe Hill would be the Vice President and I think he would be the one to talk at Press Conferences.  He would somehow solve our tax issues with comics and Star Wars.

Honorable mention since he is no longer with us: Dr. Seuss.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. 

25 Cent Words - Guest Post by Benjamin Kane Ethridge


Some great “25 cent” words
By Benjamin Kane Ethridge

It’s difficult sometimes to consider the use of a large, unknown word in your writing. Most writers, I suspect, love words, just as mechanics must love tools. Especially the right tools. The problem, inevitably boils down to what readers desire, or what a publisher may believe they do. To say you have to “dumb down” your writing is offensive. Not everybody has large vocabularies, after all, and yet, wouldn’t it just be nice to use some of these words, no tells, no gimmes, no indicators, just throw them into your prose and see what happens? I’m of the opinion that if it’s not explicitly necessary for a reader to know the meaning of a word, you should be able to use a little archaic flare now and then.
So many wonderful words are never said or written, it’s hard to choose which to showcase. Here’s a list of some I’ve always liked (for varying reasons).

Anagnorisis
noun [a-nag-nȯr-É™-sÉ™s] : the point in the plot especially of a tragedy at which the protagonist recognizes his or her or some other character's true identity or discovers the true nature of his or her own situation.
Sentence:
Suffering from an anagnorisis, somebody’s mouth dropped and they uttered, “Bruce Wayne is Batman???”

Callipygian
adjective [kal-uh-pij-ee-uhn] : having well-shaped buttocks.
Sentence:
Check out those callipygian baboons up in the trees! Blue moons all around! Wowser!

Parsimonious
adjective [pahr-suh-moh-nee-uhs] : frugal or stingy.
Sentence:
The parsimonious king had no clue why the starving commoners incited a revolt.

Nidificate
verb [nid-uh-fi-keyt] : to build a nest.
Sentence:
In all those cartoons I never saw the Road Runner nidificate. Not even once.

Absorbefacient
adjective [ab-sawr-buh-fey-shuhnt, -zawr-] :  causing absorption.
Sentence:
Like a vengeful, lingering ghost, the absorbefacient carpet locked in all the years of Rex’s bladder failings.

Cryptocrystalline
adjective [krip-toh-kris-tl-in, -ahyn] : having a microscopic crystalline structure.
Sentence:
My diamond is more cryptocrystalline than your diamond.

Nucleophilically
adverb  [nü-klÄ“-É™-fi-lik, nyü] :  having an affinity for atomic nuclei
Sentence:
The nucleophilically inclined physicist was an absolute smashing success at the dance club.

Sphygmomanometrically
adverb [sfig-mÉ™-man-É™-me-trik-le] obtained with a sphygmomanometer, which is a an instrument for measuring arterial blood pressure
Sentence:
“Doctor! That nurse is trying to sphygmomanometrically murder me!”

Superacknowledgement
noun [soo-per- ak-nol-ij-muhnt]
Note: I cannot find a definition for this word, and yet I’ve heard it before and found many websites that use the word as though it exists. The jury’s out on this one, but that won’t stop me.
Sentence:
She didn’t want him to fix her problem, but she did telepathically request a superacknowledgement to address her feelings.

Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious
adjective [EEL-loh-goh-FOO-shee-oh-hip-PAH-poh-kuh-NU-ree-us] : dubious  good, perhaps very good.
Sentence:
The original Star Wars script had Han Solo saying, “I’ve got an eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious feeling about this.”
It came off as too wishy-washy, so George Lucas revised the line. Not for the better, if you ask me.





About the Author: Benjamin Kane Ethridge is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novel BLACK & ORANGE (Bad Moon Books, 2010). For his master's thesis he wrote, "Causes of Unease: The Rhetoric of Horror Fiction and Film." Available in an ivory tower near you. Benjamin lives in Southern California with his wife and two creatures who possess stunning resemblances to human children. When he isn't writing, reading, videogaming, Benjamin's defending California's waterways and sewers from pollution.



Monday, November 5, 2012

Book Blogger Confessions - Book Blogging and Politics (Monday, November 5, 2012)


Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that allows book bloggers to discuss issues unique to what we encounter in the blogging world. Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month we will post a question and invite you to answer, comment and discuss opinions and different views.

Please keep the dialogue courteous. No bashing!

If you would like to participate in this meme sign up below and please feel free to to grab the button to include in your post with a link to For What It's Worth Reviews or here at Midnyte Reader.

Question - Should bloggers & authors discuss politics? Does that turn you off to a blogger or an authors books if they tweet/post about their political positions or do you appreciate their passionate point of view?

Answer - Politics is a very volatile subject and so are the issues that underlie them (same sex marriage, abortion, health care, taxes) and it's difficult not to get passionate and sensitive at times.   Ironically, most of the bloggers and authors I follow and are friends with have similar views and if they don't, I don't really know about it, probably because it's just not something we discuss.   

Frankly, I don't enjoy talking about politics or even thinking about it (although I know I have to somewhat).  I just don't feel intelligent enough to wade through all the chaff and b.s. to decipher what a politician/party/statement really means and what they plan to do.  Even if they do make promises I'm pretty dubious as well.  And since we're being honest, I just don't find the subject of politics as interesting or invigorating as the subject of books or authors or stories.  

I don't really mind when a blogger or author tweets/posts about their political positions unless they are just trying to shove it down my throat.  Sometimes I do feel that people are kind of shouting on Twitter, especially if they repeat something ad nauseum.   

That being said, if bloggers and authors wish to discuss politics that is fine, but if you want to discuss politics with me, you'll probably just get short concise opinions until someone changes the subject.

What do you think about politics within the book blogging world?  Too controversial to discuss or do you enjoy the debate?  Let me know, this is one time I would enjoy hearing about politics!



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Stephen King Read-a-Long: Cycle of the Werewolf




This month while Kate from Midnight Book Girl is hosting a read a long of Misery by Stephen King, I will be hosting a read-a-long of Cycle of the Werewolf by Mr. King.

This is a novella and won't take long to get through.  However, since I lost my power and  I'm not sure when I'll be able to find a spot with electricity again, I'm going to set a tentative date for November 15th to discuss the first half of the book.

The book's chapters are by months and although I'm sitting in a Barnes and Noble right now, they don't have a copy of COTWW, but I think the book starts in January  So, we'll discuss January through June.  If you have any discussion questions please feel free to e-mail them to me and I will include them.




Authors After Dark 2013 Mini-Challenges.


Welcome to the AAD 2013 Mini Challenge page.

Become more involved in the Authors After Dark 2013 Reading Challenge and host a mini-challenge.  It can be a scavenger hunt, a title sentence game, a mini-meme, a short story contest...use your imagination!.
 

RULES:

•The Mini Challenge must pertain to the Authors After Dark 2013 Savannah Conference.

•You do NOT have to be signed up for the Authors After Dark 2013 Savannah Reading Challenge to host a Mini-Challenge.

•Create a post for your AAD 2013 Reading Challenge mini-challenge. 

•Grab the button below to link back to this page.

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•Feel free to create your own button for your specific mini-challenge, but please use Midnyte Reader's mini-challenge button above to put in your post so others can click on it and be led back to this page for more information.

Sign up on the Mister Linky below using the url to your Mini-Challenge post.  Please do not just link to your blog.

Authors After Dark 2013 Reading Challenge


Welcome to the Authors After Dark 2013 Reading Challenge and Sign up Page.


The goal of this challenge is to let readers, whether you are going to AAD 2013 in Savannah or not, get better acquainted with some of the authors who will be attending this event.

Sometimes I go to conferences that feature authors who I am unfamiliar with. Then, when I read their books later I want to kick myself for not reading their work sooner, so I could have talked to them about their stories, gotten a book signed or just gushed properly.

Stella Price, the organizer of Authors After Dark was kind enough to give me the green light to host the challenge again this year and Robin from RLD Design, the AAD website designer provided the button.  Thank you Stella and Robin!

To find out more about Authors After Dark 2013 visit their website!

To sign up for the Challenge please read the following carefully:


GUIDELINES:
•This Challenge will run from now, November 1, 2012 through August 18, 2013, the last day of the AAD 2013 Conference.

•Furthermore, if you have read any books since the end of AAD 2012 NOLA (August 13, 2012), they will count retroactively and you can add them to the 2013 Challenge.

•You can join at anytime during the year.

•Anyone can participate (not just book bloggers). If you don't have a blog: You can link to Goodreads, Amazon, Shelfari, etc. Added 12/6/12: The easiest way may be to make a seperate shelf for this Challenge or a post.  Links back to the Challenge are appreciated and will help others if they would like more information.

•If you are using Facebook for this challenge, please write a post (you can just use a few sentences) about the Challenge. Added 12/6/2012: Links back to the Challenge are appreciated and will help others if they would like more information.  When you review a book or short story, please do not write a sentence or two.  Please write a full review, even if it is just a few few paragraphs.  


TO SIGN UP:
•Write a post about this challenge on your blog with a link back to this post.

•Include a list of the AAD 2013 books you hope to read in anticipation of the Savannah Conference. You can check out the authors on the AAD 2013 website HERE. Please note that your list is not written in stone! You can change it at anytime.

•Grab the button and add it to your post or sidebar.


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•Sign up on Mr. Linky below. Please make sure your sign up link goes to your 2013 AAD Reading Challenge post, or your list on Goodreads, Facebook, etc.  Please do not just link to your blog.  (If you link to your main blog page, unfortunately it will be deleted.) 

  
My Book Goals for this Challenge:

~Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
~Darkest Edge of Dawn, The by Kelly Gay
~Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
~Hour of Dust and Ashes, The by Kelly Gay
~Shadows Before The Sun by Kelly Gay
~Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
~Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge
~Undead And Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson


Sign up for the Challenge below!





To post a review for the Challenge click HERE




Please note that I am simply attending AAD 2013 and am not affiliated with the event, nor am I receiving any compensation for hosting this challenge.



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