Parchment Paths

Today I braved the icy sidewalks and even icier wind to visit my favorite ice cream shop, Ballyhoo.   Because why go to McDonald's for a mint shake when you can support a local business and listen to 1950's music at the same time? Plus, the owner is incredibly nice and the mint, Paddy Shakes have real leprechaun bits! (though I cannot verify the validity of that claim, I just know the shake was lovely!) The place was also decked out for the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day, which I loved!  It cheered up the freezing winter day considerably.

A seventeen year old girl is injured in an attack and is brought back to life by robotics and computers implanted in her brain, the point it so make her a "Super Soldier".  She is enhanced mentally and physically but her emotions are dulled and her memories gone.  However, she has twinges of emotion, something the machines are supposed to suppress. With the help of a young girl and a doctor, she begins to explore her past and she begins to seek to redefine her future. This is the first in a series by Julia Crane and is a    great, quick read that leaves you ready for the next book in the series. While, I liked the happy conclusion it seemed too easy, and slightly unrealistic due to how quickly it is accomplished. However, it's still a good book, dealing with what human nature really is and if it can or should be suppressed in order to be what is considered a better being. 

I hadn't realized how much I adored reading till I got back in the habit of reading everyday.  I also didn't realize how much I missed it. Using Goodreads to keep track, I have read eight book of various genres and lengths.  Though to be honest I began the annotated version of The Hobbit in December and finished it in January.  I'm not sure why I stopped reading as much as I used to, but I'm glad I've gotten back to it. As I've said in a past post, it makes writing so much easier and better. 

I loved the scrapbook inspired layout of this book, though at first it was rather confusing, as I wasn't sure what to read first, but after I developed a system it wasn't confusing at all. The book is written partly in Shakespeare's voice and partly in the narrators. There are small cards, letters, pictures, scattered through out with tidbits on history and his plays. It's a wonderful book for anyone who loves Shakespeare or even just the time period in which he lived.

There's not much going on with me right now. I have a book waiting at an agent's and am looking into submitting some of my short stories to online magazines. I just need to read over the guidelines and brush up the stories.  I've been working on my own fiction writing and haven't done much for the one freelancing site I write for though I do have some posts to be published. The important thing is to keep writing. I've fallen drastically behind on my journal but I hope to rectify that very soon.  I've also been reading quite a bit and having a great time.I think it's important to keep reading because it is studying the styles and habits of other authors, even if it's "what not to do" lesson!

This was an odd Agatha Christie book. Rather than solving a murder or even murders it dealt with international intrigue in the form of a spy ring, The Big Four, though there were plenty of murders involved. While it wasn't a terrible read it did not have the same tone of any of her books. In fact I became annoyed rather than transfixed with the multiple times Hasting and Poriot found themselves in the clutches of the The Big Four, being knocked out, only to awaken with headaches, but free of their enemies. It seemed rather redundant after the first two times.  Another redundant theme was that of clues being gathered via death bed confessions. Still, the far fetched, James Bond feel of the book is a bit fun, if not up to the standard of her usual books and one of the few that the movie version was better. In the BBC movie, the whole Big Four was a farce fabricated by a disturbed man to cover his own crimes and win back a...

A few days ago my father and I continued a tradition we began when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released into theatres. We have gone to see the Hobbit movies every year as part of his Christmas present.  Now, this is not a movie review, rather my sentiments toward a story that has been a major part of my life. I was first introduced to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a toddler when my father would read The Hobbit to my brother and I. Later on we watched and re watched the animated version of not just The Hobbit but The Lord of The Rings as well. I loved the stories then and began reading the books in fifth or sixth grade.  I remember being quite taken with Legolas, his bravery, his kindness, and his willingness to befriend a dwarf when other elves scorned them. I highlighted most of Aragorn's and Sam's speeches and copied many quotes into my diary. I admired Bilbo and the dwarves for facing the dragon and Bard for finishing the dragon off.  In truth, I loved...