tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26635057403908062072024-03-05T03:13:19.788-05:00MissAdventureJourneys in fiction reading and writing.Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-63129755156298682242016-01-27T22:19:00.000-05:002016-01-27T22:19:24.800-05:00Best Books of 2015The theme of this year's list seems to be "Read 'Em and Weep." And, in fact, that's what I did. I read them late into the night, completely swept up in these magnificent, soul-shaking stories. Below are not synopses, really, but explanations of why I each of these books moved me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN78cZcZc4ISM3mIuhaVa5EK-eysfIHoxBicApj86BQqVkkNrCqnphEbO0vpKXojnypqPl9rDQPQ45cDkWd-AGsMGGBO4_S9A30YPKpVSnObkSyhpxgHzmct-SL3-ty7e1Rb5Vht7fkk/s1600/81TRTuHJSnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN78cZcZc4ISM3mIuhaVa5EK-eysfIHoxBicApj86BQqVkkNrCqnphEbO0vpKXojnypqPl9rDQPQ45cDkWd-AGsMGGBO4_S9A30YPKpVSnObkSyhpxgHzmct-SL3-ty7e1Rb5Vht7fkk/s200/81TRTuHJSnL.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<i>All The Light We Cannot See</i> by Anthony Doerr<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
Read If You: Want a book you can fully fall into (warning: tears may ensue)<br />
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This book won the Pulitzer, so really...how much more is there to say? Only that this is the book I want everyone--no, really, everyone--to read. It is the kind of book that picks your heart up and throws it at the wall, but in a good way. It is beautifully written and researched, full of gorgeous detail that brings the characters' lives into full, living focus. You fall in irreversible love with the two characters whose slow, wending way towards each other is as heart-warming as it is painful. This is the kind of story that haunts you long after you're read it. It's still haunting me now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61MlgX8LcOlkbxfzdeA5DzNeZ-KLPYTCcYuoMwQDQ18Ff0Jtjm4yeQsGH0NOCbuAd0Uxlci-YzkdXuzCVbodcF_K91Lfk943KJVYAMjrYo2ZiAavZqXz5m0Fk9_RUJ3z9bPg-rtDrzqI/s1600/51LKTQmvKxL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61MlgX8LcOlkbxfzdeA5DzNeZ-KLPYTCcYuoMwQDQ18Ff0Jtjm4yeQsGH0NOCbuAd0Uxlci-YzkdXuzCVbodcF_K91Lfk943KJVYAMjrYo2ZiAavZqXz5m0Fk9_RUJ3z9bPg-rtDrzqI/s200/51LKTQmvKxL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="132" /></a><i>Wolf By Wolf</i> by Ryan Graudin<br />
Genre: YA Alternate History<br />
Read If You: Want a totally engrossing story about hunting Hitler, and a badass heroine<br />
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I had the privilege of reading Wold by Wolf in its infancy, when it was still a wiley first draft. Even in that form, I knew that Ryan had a true beauty on her hands. This historical 'what-if?' story about what life might have been like if Hitler had won the war manages to be both heart-wrenching and amazingly fun. Once you start it, you won't want to put it down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRbZ6Nl7Ok7THxed96y33LNlMj-Y2JzvSuBcGMbvrJI0LRMnd5wlCR46yicWmmcHI5vd2H33LQ1WQ4zdWZgeNRPANTbswEt0viLtKY71zTbSvP-oDlVRAEJGNQHVBGSx77mwAVmiWjUw/s1600/Code-name-Verity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRbZ6Nl7Ok7THxed96y33LNlMj-Y2JzvSuBcGMbvrJI0LRMnd5wlCR46yicWmmcHI5vd2H33LQ1WQ4zdWZgeNRPANTbswEt0viLtKY71zTbSvP-oDlVRAEJGNQHVBGSx77mwAVmiWjUw/s200/Code-name-Verity.jpg" width="133" /></a><i>Code Name Verity</i> by Elizabeth Wein<br />
Genre: YA Historical Fiction<br />
Read If You: Want a heart-rending story of female friendship<br />
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This story of friendship and sacrifice during WWII is one of the most heart-wrenching things I've ever read. It made me sob in public. It also painted an amazing picture about two best friends in wartime; about how love and loyalty can sustain you in times of horror, and about the things that hold us together even when we should despair. The voice here sweeps you away with its clarity, beauty, and bone-deep truth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DZIRkYWA3L2DdTo0svCDoTMF8Hyf00-uuXz-DhWTMNSZYJX_s_q8oRtnAJz4Hw6lvB4_PT0QN8TxT56T5z9yw68s8l2_fjQGYzHWxuFtkPrEMXSUIHfD0Hl5K45g-F_LcGM7W1EtgzA/s1600/sun_375w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DZIRkYWA3L2DdTo0svCDoTMF8Hyf00-uuXz-DhWTMNSZYJX_s_q8oRtnAJz4Hw6lvB4_PT0QN8TxT56T5z9yw68s8l2_fjQGYzHWxuFtkPrEMXSUIHfD0Hl5K45g-F_LcGM7W1EtgzA/s200/sun_375w.jpg" width="131" /></a><i>I'll Give You The Sun</i> by Jandy Nelson<br />
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction<br />
Read If You: Are looking for something totally fresh, original, and moving<br />
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I don't remember what made me pick this book up--which is funny, as it's turned out to be one of the most memorable books I've read in a very long time. The narrative voice here is like nothing else I've ever encountered: quirky and unique and crazily eccentric, these characters are so very unique in how they see the world. Even so, their view feels so intimate and personal that it's one you can find your own way into. It's a story about loss, art, friendship, and family; it's so uniquely beautiful that I can't really describe what it's really about, so I'll leave it at that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oOCgxMxM9KA2wKmd7fXa1As6B_mQzY0_mMfuhZy-33mNUyhH0RXNlJCZqbDOneSnnuei2J7XVcPQDIH36Mu5oVCTdQv43DGBeMtVvzAzb_eYmCGxLcyEgWzIxz7v9VeN8DZ8wLXAhGo/s1600/9780765376459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oOCgxMxM9KA2wKmd7fXa1As6B_mQzY0_mMfuhZy-33mNUyhH0RXNlJCZqbDOneSnnuei2J7XVcPQDIH36Mu5oVCTdQv43DGBeMtVvzAzb_eYmCGxLcyEgWzIxz7v9VeN8DZ8wLXAhGo/s200/9780765376459.jpg" width="132" /></a><i>A Darker Shade of Magic</i> by V.E. Schwab<br />
Genre: YA Fantasy<br />
Read If You: Want some swashbuckling magical awesome in your life<br />
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I'm not an easy sell on fantasy. I am, however, very much obsessed with parallel universes. This book, which has our hero hopping between parallel Londons in a really badass reversible coat, has many things I enjoy immensely: courtly manners, takeover plots, and a girl who wants to be a pirate. It was such a surprisingly fun and engrossing read, particularly because they writing was so confident and so very good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_-F_Px_ZM5KEV1oAeYcvVpCuJFQj7Rqr9RjDX1vfkInULS0WY46jq2qTQqcr7LfIF10rPcPb8S91vuwC6A56Rfl1CXxHvDffjVq6maUjxUrbimB9beMabK9R1tugV3ftRcaZsETAOHU/s1600/51U7V2HmGcL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_-F_Px_ZM5KEV1oAeYcvVpCuJFQj7Rqr9RjDX1vfkInULS0WY46jq2qTQqcr7LfIF10rPcPb8S91vuwC6A56Rfl1CXxHvDffjVq6maUjxUrbimB9beMabK9R1tugV3ftRcaZsETAOHU/s200/51U7V2HmGcL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="132" /></a><i>Rooms</i> by Lauren Oliver<br />
Genre: Mystery/Ghost Story<br />
Read If You: Want a thoughtful ghost story that's more about family than ghosts<br />
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As we move from room to room in an old country house, the Oliver deftly takes us through its history, both past and present. She does an amazing job of mixing memory and action, making them seem hopelessly intertwined. This is a book that has several different stories and threads running through it that all, miraculously, end up weaving together to form a picture you didn't know was forming. I loved this book from beginning to end for its flawless execution and enjoyably flawed characters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DeHeKbshbRy4htAyjfoyiUgrZ63PZcjSQRPHK0I_GTa9WTSZscXKmWQ3jttjQvj_O-p-hxPpL3sy7v_gBkRrwlHEgxQqTtO2cnEuGc8ZPZlFkDKZC2niJUu_s-pP3101DoRDYnY98_k/s1600/22557272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DeHeKbshbRy4htAyjfoyiUgrZ63PZcjSQRPHK0I_GTa9WTSZscXKmWQ3jttjQvj_O-p-hxPpL3sy7v_gBkRrwlHEgxQqTtO2cnEuGc8ZPZlFkDKZC2niJUu_s-pP3101DoRDYnY98_k/s200/22557272.jpg" width="132" /></a><i>The Girl on the Train</i> by Paula Hawkins<br />
Genre: Mystery<br />
Read If You: Want to become very wary of strangers<br />
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In full disclosure, I listened to this book while on my honeymoon. I listened to it mostly in a tent, trying not to freak out every time a shadow passed across the thin sheet of nylon. This book has so many unenjoyable characters in it, and yet I found their story--and the taut weave of the mystery--totally compulsive and pleasantly unsettling. I love a good mystery, and this one kept me on the edge of my seat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrLwvmDxTVYmduKqn2C5s_NvoTVSNS7vrrkNS3bby1156SdQYBRPm1JsWrfPQLHBMhpmcXt_GL4pc3hs3Wox3shFAJI22YkXO_zPZvwJ5FKeRHKxcRy1PjtQHVmR7U7V0gyPbO3bZVUU/s1600/the+old+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrLwvmDxTVYmduKqn2C5s_NvoTVSNS7vrrkNS3bby1156SdQYBRPm1JsWrfPQLHBMhpmcXt_GL4pc3hs3Wox3shFAJI22YkXO_zPZvwJ5FKeRHKxcRy1PjtQHVmR7U7V0gyPbO3bZVUU/s200/the+old+way.jpg" width="130" /></a><i></i><br />
<i><i>The Old Ways </i>by Robert MacFarlane</i><br />
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Genre: Nonfiction, Travel/Nature<br />
Read If You: Liking beautiful writing and long hikes. A lot.<br />
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This book is, simply, about paths and way finding. In it, the writer takes us down many of the world's old paths and the people who keep them open. What I loved is how, when MacFarlane talks about nature and walking, he also talks about memory and history and roots, and about how landscape shapes us as much as we shape it. It is a book that will strike home for anyone who finds solace and inspiration in landscapes. His writing, too, blew me away, perhaps more than any other book this year: his writing is so beautiful that it makes you want to swim in it for a long, long time.<br />
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<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-72129963511692723832015-01-24T22:12:00.001-05:002015-01-24T22:12:43.026-05:00Best Books of 2014Resolutions for 2015: blog more! I've missed it. I'm Tumbling now, too. You can find me <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/missadventureporting">here</a>.<br />
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Before we tick over into February 2015, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to reflect on my Best Books of 2014.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_7Vtc96Z0Sdq9cNth1Z8RwOPfmsr5P7b2COBYrdLMQcvTwiUS2e_Co3VRXlqjOSDVpjYcnx3NdtZVHMAcjltvV_e7pZUfm8VGk_AC2qmn34YOIcApvaB2f_vHMwXCB7W3FEjI9K8rrs/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_7Vtc96Z0Sdq9cNth1Z8RwOPfmsr5P7b2COBYrdLMQcvTwiUS2e_Co3VRXlqjOSDVpjYcnx3NdtZVHMAcjltvV_e7pZUfm8VGk_AC2qmn34YOIcApvaB2f_vHMwXCB7W3FEjI9K8rrs/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><b>Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater</b><br />
<b>Genre: Young Adult</b><br />
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Here is the Shelfari synopsis (although if you haven't read any of the other books in the Shiver trilogy, it might not mean much): <i>Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole’s story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole’s darkest secret – his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel’s life. Can this sinner be saved?</i><br />
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There are those actors that we love because they are great at playing a certain type - a certain flavor that pervades every project they do. No matter which of their movies we watch, we know their are certain things we can expect and be entertained by. And then there are those actors who are chameleons, completely rearranging themselves with every new movie they take on. And then there are those actors we love because they've figured out how to do both of those things at once.<br />
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That is one of the reasons why I loved Maggie Stiefvater's "Sinner." It feels very much like her style, filled with witty jokes and troubled geniuses, but it's also riddled with sparkles and angst in the best kind of way. This is a story about damaged people trying to find out if they can help each other to be less damaged, but they do "damaged" in a way that is incredibly fun to take part in. As usual, Maggie makes her setting of Los Angeles feel like a living, breathing thing, and makes her characters vivid and complicated and wonderfully unique. Her writing, as per usual, is astounding. Also, it made me cry at two in the morning. It doesn't get much better than that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Vs8yHv-12UG_Wpr_m123O_XnqF2bvKjZkoYmdOUTPTPNNtbmJW9Yx1uEyuwMqV-FLP9VvGifbrjRvoa9yPPzWdyIRjvrwJOPaUdUfT3iBHmLFti8zvvYAvIKjX9YeJtcQsiTH5c0V8/s1600/17378508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Vs8yHv-12UG_Wpr_m123O_XnqF2bvKjZkoYmdOUTPTPNNtbmJW9Yx1uEyuwMqV-FLP9VvGifbrjRvoa9yPPzWdyIRjvrwJOPaUdUfT3iBHmLFti8zvvYAvIKjX9YeJtcQsiTH5c0V8/s1600/17378508.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><b>Blue Lily, Lily Blue </b><b>by Maggie Stiefvater</b><br />
<b>Genre: Young Adult</b><br />
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Here is the Shelfari synopsis: <i>The third installment in the mesmerizing series from the irrepressible, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater. Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.</i></div>
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Happy is the heart that gets to read TWO Stiefvater novels in one year! This dark, folkloric, mysterious series she's created could not be more different than Sinner. It is also maybe my favorite YA series I've ever read. The characters here are magnificent. It's not often in my adult life that I love characters so much, and feel I know them so well, that I get actively upset or excited about what happens to them. But she's created this vast cast of characters that leaps off the page, and I loved following them through this slow-burning third novel. I love that she has two male characters having a maybe-love story, but it's all simmering just under the surface. I love that she makes the impossible feel real. I love that she reinvents what ghosts are supposed to be like. I push this series on people more than anything else I've read these past few years. So if you haven't read it, YOU SHOULD DO SO RIGHT NOW. You're welcome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2f_t8XPp2jAbI4iVnOPsloPHQHy96o2X0PBp7gIyeKpxcb0Ie6u5ZEokf7kHsYG4kFaC2l_d-HBBgj98Cdm0jITe0mpcQiCsTrpF82kk1yzmhfFOe7GsecZFrIUuaSgsJg5J0EOxEkQ/s1600/17349222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2f_t8XPp2jAbI4iVnOPsloPHQHy96o2X0PBp7gIyeKpxcb0Ie6u5ZEokf7kHsYG4kFaC2l_d-HBBgj98Cdm0jITe0mpcQiCsTrpF82kk1yzmhfFOe7GsecZFrIUuaSgsJg5J0EOxEkQ/s1600/17349222.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><b>This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett</b><br />
<b>Genre: Nonfiction Collection </b><br />
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<i>This book is a collection of Ann Patchett's nonfiction essays, collected and revised from the many publications she's written for over the span of her career. The collection includes memoir, travel writing, a speech to a freshman college class, and span a host of topics, all of which delve into her personal life.</i><br />
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As I've gotten older, I have become more and more open - or perhaps just more and more aware - of how much good writing and fascinating stories live in the Nonfiction section. I've come to love reading true stories told well, but almost never do I find myself enthralled by a whole book full of them. That's what this collection did: it enthralled me, not just with its ability to draw me into someone else's life, but by the way Patchett deftly knew what small details were worth including and which ones needed to be left out. As a writer, every turn of the page brings some new amazement: she really nails the framing of each story, creating a world that you can, and want, to insert yourself into.<br />
One of my favorites is an essay about an RV trip with the man that would eventually be her husband, a trip that was both about exploring RV culture and whether or not her relationship with said man was going to work out. Most of the essay is really just about the experience of RV parks, of living in a small space, of nights spent with the window open, thinking about the twists and turns of life...nothing dramatic really happens. And yet, she manages to make it both an incredibly beautiful reflection on life on the move AND a reflection on relationships.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BZZUjZz0GgaC45lSuBZUonFvdrh8Uc7YQF7v2xE8vGNaMUcF3HpVG5d9ldRGiHw2ea-TQxAfQDtIk1EbUKJIPyXA2OBjXMxtn1khgAyQLkFEVltwC1eRafDjbQ82k5tlbOgLfTREnxs/s1600/monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BZZUjZz0GgaC45lSuBZUonFvdrh8Uc7YQF7v2xE8vGNaMUcF3HpVG5d9ldRGiHw2ea-TQxAfQDtIk1EbUKJIPyXA2OBjXMxtn1khgAyQLkFEVltwC1eRafDjbQ82k5tlbOgLfTREnxs/s1600/monster.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a><b>A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness</b><br />
<b>Genre: Children's Fiction</b><br />
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Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>This is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss. The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, "A Monster Calls" is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults. This book is jacketed.</i><br />
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Although I'm a fairly sensitive soul, I don't often find myself moved to tears while reading. I can count the number of books that have extracted tears from me on one hand. Well, I COULD count them using one hand, until I read this book. This is a book about a boy in the process of loving his mother: of having to come to terms with losing her, and then having to find the strength to let her go. But that wasn't what made me cry. What made me cry was the way Patrick Ness weaves the story with brutal honesty, but also with a searing compassion that makes it funny as well as sad. It made me cry the kind of tears that are weighted down with the knowledge of recognition: of knowing that this story you're sad about isn't yours, but it holds so much that has or could be yours. I was pulled in completely, and was shown something that my mind and heart continues to return to. It is the best kind of fairy tale: dark, twisted, and beautiful. The language here is lyrical and rhythmic. It manages to be both haunting and occasionally funny. It begs to be read out loud. Also, there are the illustrations. The idea of a book accompanied by pictures brings to mind the kind of children's book that adults aren't meant to read. But it certainly doesn't FEEL like a children's book when you flip through these particular illustrations. It feels more like a work of art. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaJwXiBwWqGQWZQMTbPb3qnT_5aV1dYS28yelm3SfS2kkVQO9Pd1c1ijQjCcfex3SIEvinWD7ELb9N0UW_C9ao0QohyTLMv6SI571s3_cMVCCWrjKOLOwr-qH2XhBpkkE6xnQ_T85Nzs/s1600/51-Pe0NKqRL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaJwXiBwWqGQWZQMTbPb3qnT_5aV1dYS28yelm3SfS2kkVQO9Pd1c1ijQjCcfex3SIEvinWD7ELb9N0UW_C9ao0QohyTLMv6SI571s3_cMVCCWrjKOLOwr-qH2XhBpkkE6xnQ_T85Nzs/s1600/51-Pe0NKqRL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a><b>The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls </b><br />
<b>Genre: Historical Fiction</b><br />
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Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farma world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country. Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turnera vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression</i><span style="background-color: #fffcf5; color: #0d0b0a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fffcf5; color: #0d0b0a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Every Christmas, my Dad gives me a pile of books. This was the first one that I grabbed off the pile in 2014, and it ended up being one of my favorites. It's atmospheric as hell. I felt myself being sucked in from the very first page by the two rich worlds the author created: the tangled Florida orange groves and stately house Thea grew up in, and the pine-wooded, mountainous North Carolina girls' camp she finds herself outcast to. Both settings were ones I found myself happy to get lost in for hours at a time, sucked in by the fascinating details and the deft way she made each place an important character in Thea's story. The story revolves around a mystery that takes its time revealing itself. We are given to understand, early on, that Thea gets sent away to camp because she's done something bad, very bad (which, for a girl in the 1920s, can safely be assumed to have to do with sexual misconduct). Instead of finding out about it all at once, the story takes us back and forth between her childhood memories and her present time at the camp, weaving the two together so that they blur beautifully, but never totally merge. I loved the finely-woven relationships: between twins, between girlfriends, between parent and child, between young girl and inappropriate lover. I loved the way this author told us volumes about these relationships without stating it explicitly, through hand gestures and things done unsaid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjLoD-f78B8mG5iyCpwpbGA15uO3VEuxptyLSnP78BYxZmLV7A0PgOT6xJUTFPAWtZL3RkZcQcgLXxxhyphenhyphen_Er1ONx08vdo3mwNRR7XRpNPIbRZDblOaVsjb6Zt4nsK71vZf9N6AkKGSNE/s1600/18196040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjLoD-f78B8mG5iyCpwpbGA15uO3VEuxptyLSnP78BYxZmLV7A0PgOT6xJUTFPAWtZL3RkZcQcgLXxxhyphenhyphen_Er1ONx08vdo3mwNRR7XRpNPIbRZDblOaVsjb6Zt4nsK71vZf9N6AkKGSNE/s1600/18196040.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><b>The Walled City by Ryan Graudin</b><br />
<b>Genre: Young Adult (Thriller)</b><br />
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<i>Synopsis from Shelfari: There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run. Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by crime lords and overrun by street gangs. Teens there traffic drugs or work in brothels--or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the clock to escape the Walled City itself.</i><br />
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I'm going to shamelessly love on my critique partner Ryan here--which I don't feel bad doing, both because she's fabulous and because this book is, too. The Walled City is a beautiful read: breathlessly fast paced, but also rich with setting detail. I don't quite know how she made such a filthy, scary place enjoyable to spend hours in, but she did. Her three main characters, all of whom have their own point of view in the story, weave together beautifully to create a tapestry of what it might be like to live in such an unforgiving place. It's intense, but also thoughtful. It's a story of hardship, but also a story of hope. I dare you to put it down once you've gotten to the end of page one!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL5IdDlSz9bsvM3_q2Do_GtgHqvlW3ew5oXTEMyMO85vhpOtrm8K2t9QK797-3Fbu_CJkddtRtYqrDXosCAbjRQgy-Dl-PQLEaP-yXYz2gIpxwBouH0TWLPKUytiMtGCFRQNvNHdOrog/s1600/91ONkBR1EaL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL5IdDlSz9bsvM3_q2Do_GtgHqvlW3ew5oXTEMyMO85vhpOtrm8K2t9QK797-3Fbu_CJkddtRtYqrDXosCAbjRQgy-Dl-PQLEaP-yXYz2gIpxwBouH0TWLPKUytiMtGCFRQNvNHdOrog/s1600/91ONkBR1EaL.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><b>The Secret Place </b><b>by Tana French</b><br />
<b>Genre: Mystery</b><br />
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<i>The sensational new novel from one of the most talented crime writers alive” ( The Washington Post ) The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says: "I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM." Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squadand one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. The Secret Place,” a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.</i><br />
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I actually listened to this book in the car, and loved it so much that I then went out and bought the book so I could pick it to pieces for inspiration. This mystery about an Irish boarding school is magnificently well told. It's scary how well she captures the teenage voice--there are those that thing she made her teen characters too mean and image-focused, but I disagree. I think she captured nicely the intense cliquey-ness, the desperate need to belong and to be seen, that is the cornerstone of high school experience. She bounces seamlessly between the detectives, who both have something to prove on this case, and flashbacks from the girls' perspectives, revealing information just when you need it. Her writing, as always, is just beautiful to read, and her mystery was insanely well done: I had no idea who did it until the very end. If you're a mystery lover, this is a must-read.<br />
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-36624428607655292642014-03-29T16:55:00.000-04:002014-03-29T16:56:41.760-04:00Book Review: This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By : Ann Patchett<br />Genre: Nonfiction Essays<br /><br />A synopsis from Goodreads: "Blending literature and memoir, Ann Patchett, author of State of Wonder, Run, and Bel Canto, examines her deepest commitments—to writing, family, friends, dogs, books, and her husband—creating a resonant portrait of a life in This is the Story of a Happy Marriage....As she shares stories of the people, places, ideals, and art to which she has remained indelibly committed, Ann Patchett brings into focus the large experiences and small moments that have shaped her as a daughter, wife, and writer."<br /><br />As I've gotten older, I have become more and more open - or perhaps just more and more aware - of how much good writing and fascinating stories live in the Nonfiction section. I've come to love reading true stories told well, but almost never do I find myself enthralled by a whole book full of them. That's what this collection did: it enthralled me, not just with its ability to draw me into someone else's life, but by the way Patchett deftly knew what small details were worth including and which ones needed to be left out. As a writer, every turn of the page brings some new amazement: she really nails the framing of each story, creating a world that you can, and want, to insert yourself into.<br /><br /> These essays showcase the beauty and confidence you can find in any of Patchett's books, as well as a beautiful honesty. One of my favorites is an essay about an RV trip with the man that would eventually be her husband, a trip that was both about exploring RV culture and whether or not her relationship with said man was going to work out. Most of the essay is really just about the experience of RV parks, of living in a small space, of nights spent with the window open, thinking about the twists and turns of life...nothing dramatic really happens. And yet, she manages to make it both an incredibly beautiful reflection on life on the move AND a reflection on relationships.<br /><br /> It's difficult to pinpoint what is so wonderful about these essays, and exactly why they kept me up late at night. All I know is that I find myself continually returning to them, trying to figure out how she invents such beauty without inventing any of the facts. If you love good writing and you're interested in studying someone who knows how to write nonfiction like a champion, pick this up.Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-84151886556691545602014-03-07T09:00:00.000-05:002014-03-07T09:00:00.777-05:00Poetry Friday: "On Faith"I love it when a poem flies like an arrow into you, bringing something to life with words in a way you have never been able to.<br /><div>
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"On Faith"<br />by <a href="http://writersalmanac.org/author.php?auth_id=1964&elq=39deba95a6da4b57b09c811d9855b84d&elqCampaignId=5799">Cecilia Woloch</a><br /><br />How do people stay true to each other?<br />When I think of my parents all those years<br />in the unmade bed of their marriage, not ever<br />longing for anything else—or: no, they must<br />have longed; there must have been flickerings,<br />stray desires, nights she turned from him,<br />sleepless, and wept, nights he rose silently,<br />smoked in the dark, nights that nest of breath<br />and tangled limbs must have seemed<br />not enough. But it was. Or they just<br />held on. A gift, perhaps, I've tossed out,<br />having been always too willing to fly<br />to the next love, the next and the next, certain<br />nothing was really mine, certain nothing<br />would ever last. So faith hits me late, if at all;<br />faith that this latest love won't end, or ends<br />in the shapeless sleep of death. But faith is hard.<br />When he turns his back to me now, I think:<br />disappear. I think: not what I want. I think<br />of my mother lying awake in those arms<br />that could crush her. That could have. Did not.</div>
Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-74334587971498680192014-03-03T09:00:00.000-05:002014-03-03T09:00:03.838-05:00Book Review: A Monster Calls<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5owhJH9qUxPV4jLeMvKu-_vP-5ZAlIgf076QdBQuDm_VXE2hK8cozZ84IqsqFa-m37RCCvNcqG0bgpH3OwfRaPnsH8Qtj94WNOxeRUhzA7S7GmHzXir6H9Vydd8UPzZctgYktgkhKmY/s1600/monster.jpg" width="248" /></div>
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<i>A Monster </i><i>Calls </i>by Patrick Ness</div>
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Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd<br />Illustrated by Jim Kay<div>
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<i>Syopsis from Shelfari: "The monster</i> s<i>howed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth."</i></div>
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I loved this book for so many reasons. </div>
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First, because it made me cry. Although I'm a fairly sensitive soul, I don't often find myself moved to tears while reading. I can count the number of books that have extracted tears from me on one hand. Well, I COULD count them using one hand, until I read this book. This is a book about a boy in the process of loving his mother: of having to come to terms with losing her, and then having to find the strength to let her go. But that wasn't what made me cry. What made me cry was the way Patrick Ness weaves the story with brutal honesty, but also with a searing compassion that makes it funny as well as sad. It made me cry the kind of tears that are weighted down with the knowledge of recognition: of knowing that this story you're sad about isn't yours, but it holds so much that has or could be yours. I was pulled in completely, and was shown something that my mind and heart continues to return to. </div>
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Second, because it had the feel of the best kind of fairy tale: dark, twisted, and beautiful. The language here is lyrical and rhythmic. It manages to be both haunting and occasionally funny. It begs to be read out loud. </div>
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And third, there are the illustrations. The idea of a book accompanied by pictures brings to mind the kind of children's book that adults aren't meant to read. But it certainly doesn't FEEL like a children's book when you flip through these particular illustrations. It feels more like a work of art. These images are like a nightmare brought to life in ways that are both incredibly beautiful and a little disturbing. I have no idea what method the illustrator used to create these striking and textured images, but they literally took my breath away with every turn of the page. The monster reached out to me from the pages like things I've only encountered in dreams, the kind that feel both incredibly detailed and cloudy at the same time. This book reminded me of something that has continually pulled me towards work in illustrated publishing, but that I often ignore in fiction works: images can weave among the words, enhancing and giving them new life.</div>
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A beautiful, moving, one-of-a-kind read that I won't be forgetting in a hurry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8APwPbqefKjpLQ2Oe8XOLjcR4jjjdqov5fkSkmNC8cVL2nKAD8HWfHJczIc-sUR8coVDNcOiNnsWYNrnO__y_Ny-TAzEWqdcbv9L0E8arbPV_WK4semszOgP3jejmghcRW4xylOVm9k/s1600/8027778108_dfed19afd8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8APwPbqefKjpLQ2Oe8XOLjcR4jjjdqov5fkSkmNC8cVL2nKAD8HWfHJczIc-sUR8coVDNcOiNnsWYNrnO__y_Ny-TAzEWqdcbv9L0E8arbPV_WK4semszOgP3jejmghcRW4xylOVm9k/s1600/8027778108_dfed19afd8_o.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
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I first read this poem in college in my Poetry Writing class. Our professor, Dr. Paul, would have us do something he called "imitation poems:" we were tasked with choosing something (whether it be content, or rhythm, or line length, or mood) from the poet at hand and try to use it in our own work. I remember being struck by the way Snyder seamlessly blends memory with actuality, physical environment with emotional landscape. As I teach Gary Snyder to my high school students and have them complete their own imitations, I continue to be struck by it. Thanks, Dr. Paul.</center>
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<b>Siwashing it out once in Siuslaw Forest</b></center>
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<pre style="font-family: Buda, serif; text-align: center;"> by Gary Snyder</pre>
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I slept under rhododendron
All night blossoms fell
Shivering on a sheet of cardboard
Feet stuck in my pack
Hands deep in my pockets
Barely able to sleep.
I remembered when we were in school
Sleeping together in a big warm bed
We were the youngest lovers
When we broke up we were still nineteen.
Now our friends are married
You teach school back east
I don't mind living this way
Green hills the long blue beach
But sometimes sleeping in the open
I think back when I had you.
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-16336244977423218882014-02-21T08:45:00.000-05:002014-02-25T07:11:50.176-05:00Poetry Friday: "The Act"<br /><br />I love how much this poem suggests without actually stating anything other than this: a flower is considered, then picked.<br /><br />"The Act" by William Carlos Williams<br /><br />There were the roses, in the rain.<br />Don’t cut them, I pleaded.<br />They won’t last, she said.<br />But they’re so beautiful<br />where they are.<br />Agh, we were all beautiful once, she said,<br />and cut them and gave them to me<br />in my hand.Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-81493948626589640452014-02-18T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-18T09:00:10.829-05:00Lighting A FireMy wonderful critique partner, <a href="http://ryangraudin.blogspot.com/">Ryan Graudin</a>, saw the launch of her debut novel, All That Glows, this past week! (It is so very good! Get yourself <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Glows-Ryan-Graudin/dp/0062187414">a copy</a>.)<br />
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While I wasn't able to head down South to party with her, I of course rushed out to buy a freshly minted copy (or two).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrXmHIMDUAcSXMbLITEgy4kNaYqlvpXLAeYN1I4FTKH8sN8UwvhTbMEvK8xfKq4_OwO35Fg_7dKZzoxuBoMDnrGnucoStZSwYkFSwLddQjq4R0Klr2k3TaKQ_SlwdYqifgenwaciNYMQ/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrXmHIMDUAcSXMbLITEgy4kNaYqlvpXLAeYN1I4FTKH8sN8UwvhTbMEvK8xfKq4_OwO35Fg_7dKZzoxuBoMDnrGnucoStZSwYkFSwLddQjq4R0Klr2k3TaKQ_SlwdYqifgenwaciNYMQ/s1600/photo-9.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanted to buy all the available copies, but figured <br />
that would make me greedy.</td></tr>
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This long-anticipated event has filled me with pride and warmth and all the good feelings. It has also lit a hot, hot fire under my posterior to finish my current WIP and get it out into the world. Anyone who's allowed me to chatter in their ear about my writing knows that finishing this WIP has been one of my biggest challenges in the past (wow, almost two) years. I wrote the first 65,000 words in four months - a new record for me - and then two jobs started happening, and moves and trips and crazy deadlines, and I started having to get up at 5AM just to carve out that little bit of extra time. It's been a molasses-slow crawl, even at the best of times.<br />
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It's not because I don't love this novel. In fact, I love this novel more than anything else I've ever written. It's the number of hours in a day. It's how cold it is at 5AM.<br />
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But I can feel that fire under me, burning away at my writerly skin. I'm so, so close to being finished.<br />
So I am making a proclamation.<br />
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I am 78,392 words into this novel. I have entered the portion of the story that I like to call the Everything Explodes period, where everything comes to a rather startling head. I am ALMOST THERE. And so, I have decided that I absolutely, positively must finish this book by my brother's birthday: March 15th. I started this book in the spring, it is set in the spring, and it will be finished before the first breath of spring.<br />
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And with that, I give you some writer's quotes I enjoy quite a lot.<br />
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<i>“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”</i><div>
<i>- Jack Kerouac<br /><br />"Don't sit down in the middle of the woods. If you're lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. And/or change the person. Change the tense. Change the opening page." - Margaret Atwood<br /><br />"The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter." - Neil Gaiman<br /><br />"Be without fear. This is impossible, but let the small fears drive your rewriting and set aside the large ones until they behave – then use them, maybe even write them. Too much fear and all you'll get is silence." - Al Kennedy</i><br /><br /><br /></div>
Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-7866959492208953662014-02-17T09:16:00.000-05:002014-02-17T09:16:14.070-05:00Book Review: The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbUwTuCKLELQ3_rT_H93W6e4-nndauV4r2gGZuCeONy639F5vC0t5dp-twAn1QJLP5NKKOCNcvWLH0EolzAEztFVG-EGbcKcAexqEyV7uQpZxXDRJTYOBI3IxQ0pfiC3DFVMd7qr4xL0/s1600/16158508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbUwTuCKLELQ3_rT_H93W6e4-nndauV4r2gGZuCeONy639F5vC0t5dp-twAn1QJLP5NKKOCNcvWLH0EolzAEztFVG-EGbcKcAexqEyV7uQpZxXDRJTYOBI3IxQ0pfiC3DFVMd7qr4xL0/s1600/16158508.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction (set in the South in the 1920s)<br />
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This is a beautifully rendered, atmospheric gem of a book about a young girl learning who she is without her family. There were many things that surprised and delighted me about it. But first, here's a synopsis from Shelfari:<br />
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"A lush, sexy, evocative debut novel of family secrets and girls’-school rituals, set in the 1930s South. It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm — a world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country. Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turner — a vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression — and the major debut of an important new writer."<div>
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What I loved about this book, in no particular order:</div>
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1.<b> It's atmospheric as hell.</b> I felt myself being sucked in from the very first page by the two rich worlds the author created: the tangled Florida orange groves and stately house Thea grew up in, and the pine-wooded, mountainous North Carolina girls' camp she finds herself outcast to. Both settings were ones I found myself happy to get lost in for hours at a time, sucked in by the fascinating details and the deft way she made each place an important character in Thea's story. This aspect of the writing reminded me very much of Charles Frazier's <i>Nightwoods</i> - the highest compliment a book can get, in my world.</div>
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2. <b>The story revolves around a mystery that takes its take revealing itself</b>. We are given to understand, early on, that Thea gets sent away to camp because she's done something bad, very bad (which, for a girl in the 1920s, can safely be assumed to have to do with sexual misconduct). Instead of finding out about it all at once, the story takes us back and forth between her childhood memories and her present time at the camp, weaving the two together so that they blur beautifully, but never totally merge.</div>
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3. <b>The heroine herself</b>. Thea felt to me like a real teenager: she's sometimes fragile, sometimes strong, often confused but also steadfast. She was full of all the contradictions that we all carry, but wrapped in the notion that she is defined by her family. I loved watching her slowly come to realize that there was both pain and real freedom in knowing that she is her own entity, separate from the people who 'own' her. She was not a wilting flower, and she was not afraid to make mistakes. </div>
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4. <b>The finely-woven relationships</b>: between twins, between girlfriends, between parent and child, between young girl and inappropriate lover. I loved the way this author told us volumes about these relationships without stating it explicitly, through hand gestures and things done unsaid.</div>
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And, of course, the writing itself: it is lyrical and lovely, does a wonderful job with dialogue, and generally feels as if it's been sewn together by a masterful hand.</div>
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It may be early to call this, but I'm going to go ahead and say it: this is going to be one of the most surprisingly magical and memorable reads of my year.</div>
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-50256111203907477502014-01-18T20:39:00.001-05:002014-01-19T23:18:07.062-05:00Best Books of 2013Before we get any further away from 2013, I've got to recap my favorite reads of the year. The general theme within my favorites can probably be summed up as: dark, lyrical, and full of everyday magic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3K5jzQz6oBgUjrsu6HhMzOKeNYpCsWAe-EdVgY1z2p-I0A-msB-vm21gqV6O8-TLsrNEgEUQDL6X0EaFKn6cUZJWI4Bmh941OtIfXctyunv97jHh624WtCHPWjk_o2_ZfmFTUAHuZzM/s1600/17347389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3K5jzQz6oBgUjrsu6HhMzOKeNYpCsWAe-EdVgY1z2p-I0A-msB-vm21gqV6O8-TLsrNEgEUQDL6X0EaFKn6cUZJWI4Bmh941OtIfXctyunv97jHh624WtCHPWjk_o2_ZfmFTUAHuZzM/s1600/17347389.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><b>The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater</b><br />
<i>YA Dark Speculative Fiction</i><br />
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Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart. Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.</i><br />
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This book, Part 2 in the four-part Raven Cycle, offers some of Maggie's strangest, most complex, and most accomplished storytelling yet. It strikes a perfect balance between all of my favorite things: a subtle, mostly unspoken, angst-ridden romance; complex characters that are both horrible and wonderful; a strong mystery and a world full of speculative elements built up in a way that makes it all feel very REAL. I enjoyed a whole host of things about this book, but here are some of the highlights:<br />
<ol>
<li><u>It is incredibly atmospheric.</u> You fall into her descriptions of teenage male bonds and of rich kid high school parties, and they all feel richly drawn and very true. She didn't shy away from painting her world in honest details: her characters swear. A lot, but not gratuitously. She talks about drugs, but they aren't some racy prop meant to prop up the drama. She makes a conscious choice not to shy away from the rougher edges of teenage (particularly wealthy teenage) life and problems, and her book is all the better for it. </li>
<li><u>It involves the ability to take things out of dreams.</u> There is a character who can take things out of his dreams. While this could easily become overdone, this author's deft touch makes it dark and tangible and pleasantly haunting. I've wanted for years to describe what it feels like to wake up from a dream and feel like it's followed you into waking--Maggie does it in ways I could never have imagined. </li>
<li><u>This book is beautifully written</u>. It is what I would like my writing to be when it grows up.</li>
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<b>Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff</b><br />
<i>YA Dark Speculative Fiction</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF99c12imD0ECM9gaspndzCau24acyCwKQekSTPUtIEqcLz7HXOKGDBjxJmcAvXBjrccvuvpRp_9sllfmcNXWDTCVuOS4ntuuOXQ8nwxBir6WN1LtRpz9ssUjjMVs4kbK_qm29L4Rkjs/s1600/tumblr_m60shzAfx31r0yglfo1_r2_1280.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF99c12imD0ECM9gaspndzCau24acyCwKQekSTPUtIEqcLz7HXOKGDBjxJmcAvXBjrccvuvpRp_9sllfmcNXWDTCVuOS4ntuuOXQ8nwxBir6WN1LtRpz9ssUjjMVs4kbK_qm29L4Rkjs/s1600/tumblr_m60shzAfx31r0yglfo1_r2_1280.gif" height="200" width="133" /></a>Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>A girl haunted by the troubled ghost of her best friend finds herself sucked into a darkly mesmerizing string of murders, in which a serial killer who leaves a paper-heart 'valentine' on his victims' bodies draws ever closer.</i><br />
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This book shares some of the same qualities as Maggie's <i>Dream Thieves</i>--it is dark, atmospheric, deals with taut issues of friendship and love, and delves into a well-drawn (but by no means overdone) love story. I love the way Brenna does the Seemingly Broken, Bad Boy with a Good Heart. As a love interest, Finny is endlessly fascinating. Brenna has a mastery of spare detail that makes his interactions with the main character feel both very true, and very real. Her characters are always complex, and not always lovable, but she finds ways of making you love them, even when they're a total mess. It's the murder mystery and the way she deals with ghosts that really intrigued me. I was drawn into this book from the very first page.<br />
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<b>The Night Circus </b>by Erin Morgenstern<br />
<i>Adult Speculative Historical Fiction</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4koanwkr6AiCgXIeHwpFTdNHbNhIs6IP90bwY7Q9Td7UX-aDY1TBOtuDSRL0s8fccbCcexmP0FwZx70tfoDoBPqudidVJSIW46kY1DGMLjWMPX63Ldu-fNkJOr4MJAfKzH-MRFt5kjE/s1600/The+Night+Circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4koanwkr6AiCgXIeHwpFTdNHbNhIs6IP90bwY7Q9Td7UX-aDY1TBOtuDSRL0s8fccbCcexmP0FwZx70tfoDoBPqudidVJSIW46kY1DGMLjWMPX63Ldu-fNkJOr4MJAfKzH-MRFt5kjE/s1600/The+Night+Circus.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a>Synopsis from Shelfari:<i> The circus arrives at night, without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stand awestruck as a tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and gaze in wonderment at an illusionist performing impossible feats of magic.</i> <i>Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is underway - a contest between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in "a game," in which each must use their powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.</i><br />
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I can't quite describe how deeply and immediately I loved this strange and beautiful book. She creates an incredibly unique and richly-drawn world in <i>The Night Circus</i>: I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not yearning to be amongst the crowd experiencing all the wonders it holds. The book features many characters and side stories, but they all end up being woven together beautifully, in ways that make you feel as if you're reading the work of someone who TRULY knows what they are doing. I particularly liked the slow burn of the love story between two young magicians brought up to be rivals, but who fall in love through the magic they create: whose tricks meant to thwart the competition actually turn into a kind of magical love letter, written in a language only they can truly understand. This book feels like the product of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> marrying Lev Grossman's <i>The Magician</i>, and then holding hands with <i>Jonathan Strange & </i><i>Mr. Norrell</i>. This book created the kind of awe and absorption that reminded me why I love to read.<br />
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<b>All That Glows by Ryan Graudin</b><br />
<i>YA Speculative, History-tinged Fiction</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCdR8ogzTjmaEjsHzHxq0rzNhPLwfMy0m4Lrcqy1OcatRSThZNdZBB5ZDH7n4d3lAqPWrFxnVkCNrwlU0_ffzF5XiqqY_R6qYjiqw8dXkmejl2dNdUaK9ld7Vny-2Oukvb14FdmF4MGg/s1600/all+that+glows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCdR8ogzTjmaEjsHzHxq0rzNhPLwfMy0m4Lrcqy1OcatRSThZNdZBB5ZDH7n4d3lAqPWrFxnVkCNrwlU0_ffzF5XiqqY_R6qYjiqw8dXkmejl2dNdUaK9ld7Vny-2Oukvb14FdmF4MGg/s1600/all+that+glows.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>Intense and electric, this is the ultimate tale of forbidden love. Emrys, a spirited and charismatic Faery Guard of the British monarchy, is sent to London to guard Richard, the bad-boy prince of England, from assassins and paparazzi. Despite her status as a guard of the royals, Emrys struggles with her feelings as she tries to not fall in love with the charming prince. But when an ancient Fae murders the king, Richard’s father, and starts attacking the other royals, Emrys must risk everything to hunt through London’s magical dark side in order to protect her charge—and the boy she loves.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f3BTo7RJTCfUfugh9jaltxP0ghVpiH94N3r8N2s17u118Bh_4Nx0isV0x8FsFVEMyveXD-upfHaVYOrElvoxfRnSdl7s6tCpjqdZvsONEtypI9SmwduKiDJ2MYpFslDEPw_JF2uDfrc/s1600/9780743273565_custom-s6-c30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
While this book by my fabulous critique partner <a href="http://ryangraudin.blogspot.com/">Ryan Graudin</a> doesn't officially come out until Feb. 11, I'm excited to call it one of my favorite books of this year! <i>All That Glows</i> is a YA Historical Fantasy that tells the story of a modern-day prince guarded by the young fairy who has to protect him from all of the forces that threaten his life, and the powerful pull that threatens her heart. I've read this story several times over the course of its budding life and have remained sucked in by how atmospheric her descriptions of both London and the fairy world. She makes you feel like you're there, walking the darkened streets of London. Even in scenes of violence and darkness, she makes you want to step into the pages and be there with her characters. She deftly weaves bits of Arthurian legend into the trials of a modern-day prince, giving readers a window into what it might be like to be a royal, and crafting a beautifully-drawn fairy world that exists parallel to it. The strength and beauty of Ryan's writing definitely make her a writer to watch!<br />
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<b>The Great Gatsby</b><br />
<i>Literary Fiction</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f3BTo7RJTCfUfugh9jaltxP0ghVpiH94N3r8N2s17u118Bh_4Nx0isV0x8FsFVEMyveXD-upfHaVYOrElvoxfRnSdl7s6tCpjqdZvsONEtypI9SmwduKiDJ2MYpFslDEPw_JF2uDfrc/s1600/9780743273565_custom-s6-c30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f3BTo7RJTCfUfugh9jaltxP0ghVpiH94N3r8N2s17u118Bh_4Nx0isV0x8FsFVEMyveXD-upfHaVYOrElvoxfRnSdl7s6tCpjqdZvsONEtypI9SmwduKiDJ2MYpFslDEPw_JF2uDfrc/s1600/9780743273565_custom-s6-c30.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
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Synopsis from Shelfari: <i>The exemplary novel of the Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, The Great Gatsby (1925), stands as the supreme achievement of his career. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties in West Egg, Long Island, at a time when The New York Times remarked, "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s that resonates with the power of myth. A novel of lyrical beauty yet brutal realism, of magic, romance and mysticism, The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i>While this isn't the first time I read <i>Gatsby</i>, it was the first time I had the privilege to teach it. From the day I first introduced them to the America of the 1920s to the day we held a dramatic reading of the 'hotel scene' in our classroom, I got to watch my students collectively fall in love with Fitzgerald's novel in a way I've never seen students do before. It reminded me what I've always loved about this beautiful novel: the powerful, stunning sweep of the language, the magnetic pull of its opulent, devastating world, and the subtle exploration of what it means to try to something lost and to define your life by your love for someone else. This is the ultimate exploration of the American Dream and whether it exists in life, or only in our country's imagination. If I had to read one book every year for the rest of my life, I think this would probably be it.<br />
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-49493156571628128722013-12-20T20:46:00.001-05:002014-03-02T17:55:12.242-05:00Poetry Friday, New Years Edition: "The Journey"<div>
<i>The Journey</i></div>
by <a href="http://writersalmanac.org/author.php?auth_id=1234&elq=6688ee243854421ebafad9800074f007&elqCampaignId=4630">Mary Oliver</a><br />
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One day you finally knew <br />
what you had to do, and began, <br />
though the voices around you <br />
kept shouting <br />
their bad advice—<br />
though the whole house <br />
began to tremble <br />
and you felt the old tug <br />
at your ankles. <br />
"Mend my life!" <br />
each voice cried. <br />
But you didn't stop. <br />
You knew what you had to do, <br />
though the wind pried <br />
with its stiff fingers <br />
at the very foundations, <br />
though their melancholy <br />
was terrible. <br />
It was already late <br />
enough, and a wild night, <br />
and the road full of fallen <br />
branches and stones. <br />
But little by little, <br />
as you left their voices behind, <br />
the stars began to burn <br />
through the sheets of clouds, <br />
and there was a new voice <br />
which you slowly <br />
recognized as your own, <br />
that kept you company <br />
as you strode deeper and deeper <br />
into the world <br />
determined to do <br />
the only thing you could do—<br />
determined to save<br />
the only life you could save.Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-73611791241866828462013-11-30T10:13:00.000-05:002013-11-30T10:13:38.991-05:00ThankfulNovember's always been one of my favorite months, because it's filled with opportunities to reflect, celebrate, and be thankful.<br />
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I'm thankful for my students, who make me laugh, make me think, and make me feel like I hold a valuable place in the world.<br />
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I'm thankful for my work. This year, I've gotten to achieve some fairly substantial dreams: I've done work for National Geographic, and I've gotten to craft my own creative writing class. I am thankful for the trust those around me have had about my ability to do these things well. I work very hard, but I'm fortunate that so much of my work allows me to share my passion, and to fill my life with it.<br />
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I'm thankful for my writing, which inspires me to get up before the sun, and stay up long after it's gone to bed, exploring and dreaming and discovering. I'm thankful for the way my writing allows me to better understand myself and my world. I'm thankful for my critique partner, <a href="http://ryangraudin.blogspot.com/">Ryan Graudin</a>, whose encouragement, kind words, and "done yet?" emails help me remember how important my writing is to me, and how much I want to continue to pursue it.<br />
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I'm thankful for my friends, who keep me sane in the midst of my crazy work schedule, who make me laugh and feel seen, known, and celebrated. Even when they're far away from me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHwT9vdybsHjiBhdbYJ7Hu-Gmd9LLefnvoawXGNUKGWkbyhbOYzsp2FnrRf-iCk5R4AiLZzElSU1raAO9AJ4pj5wslKFhGbEMPFn3gOE8Yy2YrntS9X1OgrmKjOiJapwt5RGT5UoMO5U/s1600/IMG_2288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHwT9vdybsHjiBhdbYJ7Hu-Gmd9LLefnvoawXGNUKGWkbyhbOYzsp2FnrRf-iCk5R4AiLZzElSU1raAO9AJ4pj5wslKFhGbEMPFn3gOE8Yy2YrntS9X1OgrmKjOiJapwt5RGT5UoMO5U/s200/IMG_2288.JPG" width="200" /></a> This Thanksgiving, I feel very thankful for my family. I feel thankful for the fact that, even though my brother and I are very different, we can still find joy in doing crazy things (like jumping out of a plane) together. I'm thankful for the fact that he's the ONLY boy who's ever been unembarrassed to dance with me around the kitchen. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to sit around a crowded table and soak in the eccentric, outspoken crazy of my family members.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42Dd4Qj7dmGITmSWFbtoDTlUZLhykdueaEu1TazZs-JFe_30Fa16wVBFDcGq_AqXG9v1wZMZrTcUsURxoKaADQd_ftncB_PLkInnSiToJmTRUXIYK7GjjzeVYBFDy3TWQNdRiX9K4O3U/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42Dd4Qj7dmGITmSWFbtoDTlUZLhykdueaEu1TazZs-JFe_30Fa16wVBFDcGq_AqXG9v1wZMZrTcUsURxoKaADQd_ftncB_PLkInnSiToJmTRUXIYK7GjjzeVYBFDy3TWQNdRiX9K4O3U/s200/IMG_2280.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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And - because I don't think we do this enough - I am thankful for myself: my resilience, my courage, and my continued desire to be open to the world and passionate about it, even when I'm tired and depleted and unsure.Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-67339375949483791022013-11-09T16:45:00.000-05:002014-03-02T17:55:45.124-05:00Two Poetry Fridays: "Because I could not stop for Death" and "Detail of the Woods"I love this first poem because it reminds me of my current novel-in-progress. I love the second poem because I just went for a run through autumn woods and wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that everyone should have a place, and it shouldn't be within someone else.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>"Because I could not Stop for Death" </b><br />
by Emily Dickinson<br />
(try singing it to the tune of Amazing Grace. Cool, right?)<br />
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Because I could not stop for Death,<br />
He kindly stopped for me;<br />
The carriage held but just ourselves<br />
And Immortality.<br />
<br />
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,<br />
And I had put away<br />
My labor, and my leisure too,<br />
For his civility.<br />
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We passed the school, where children strove<br />
At recess, in the ring;<br />
We passed the fields of gazing grain,<br />
We passed the setting sun.<br />
<br />
Or rather, he passed us;<br />
The dews grew quivering and chill,<br />
For only gossamer my gown,<br />
My tippet only tulle.<br />
<br />
We paused before a house that seemed<br />
A swelling of the ground;<br />
The roof was scarcely visible,<br />
The cornice but a mound.<br />
<br />
Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each<br />
Feels shorter than the day<br />
I first surmised the horses' heads<br />
Were toward eternity.<br />
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<b>"Detail of the Woods"</b><br />
by Richard Siken <br />
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I looked at all the trees and didn't know what to do.<br />
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A box made out of leaves.
What else was in the woods? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A heart, closing. Nevertheless.
Everyone needs a place. It shouldn't be inside of someone else. </div>
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I kept my mind on the moon. Cold moon, long nights moon. </div>
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<br /></div>
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From the landscape: a sense of scale. </div>
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From the dead: a sense of scale. </div>
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I turned my back on the story. A sense of superiority. </div>
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Everything casts a shadow. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Your body told me in a dream it's never been afraid of anything.</div>
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-59693589796330892762013-10-29T20:30:00.002-04:002013-10-29T20:30:57.502-04:0011 Tips for Finding the Writerly ZoneNanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) is meant to be a time when you throw caution to the wind and try to write 50,000 words in four weeks. That's maybe in the realm of possibility if you've got a bucketload of time and an endless supply of Reese's pumpkins. But I don't have either one of those things. I believe that, even if I DID, one month just isn't enough to produce a quality first draft. Nanowrimo stands as a great motivator, though. For me, it's become about finding new ways to write effectively in the time I can manage to carve out.<br />
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I've found that the key to writing effectively with limited time is the ability to get into the Writerly Zone quickly, and stay there for as long as you can. It's hard to get into that zone, though, when you're working long, demanding hours; it's hard to get into that zone when you're tired or unsure about where your story is heading. But here's a thing I've discovered: the longer you let a project linger, the more likely it becomes that you'll lose your flow, your motivation, and your sense of why you started writing the thing in the first place.<br />
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Here are some of the tricks for finding, and maintaining, the Writerly Zone:<br />
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1. <b>Set up goals for each writing session ahead of time. </b>When you sit down at your computer, you don't want to waste precious time staring at that ugly, blinking cursor, scratching your head over what you want to write. Create a road map--or at least a few road signs--for what you want to accomplish in the hour you have at your disposal. Set a concrete goal, whether it be reaching a particular word count or reaching the end of a scene. Just remember that writing to a certain word count doesn't work well for everyone, so set a goal that keeps you motivated.<br />
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2. <b>Carve out at least an hour of writing time </b>(90 minutes would be better). You need enough time to allow your mind to unwind and put itself back in the world you're creating. Energy experts suggest that working in 90-minute bursts seem to be a productive time block: long enough to get things done, not so long that your eyes start to burn.<br />
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2. <b>Don't write for TOO long. </b>This sounds silly, probably, but sometimes you need to call it. I've found that when I start to hit a wall (and I mean REALLY hit it, hard enough to crunch metal), it's better to stop than to keep going. Try to end your writing time before you run out of things to say; spend those last few minutes planning for the next session.<br />
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3. <b>Don't be afraid to think small.</b> The key to achieving any goal is to make it achievable. It's like training for a race: the only way you're going to get to the end is if you focus on what's right in front of you instead of what kind of pizza you're going to order after it's done. It's easy to be intimidated by the thought of writing a novel - but there are other options for flexing your creative muscle this month. Try writing scenes or short stories; write a new story every day. That way, you're not investing in any one story for longer than you'd like, but you're giving yourself room to learn and grow.<br />
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4. <b>Carve out the time, then make it a ritual. </b>We are creatures of habit, aren't we? We like to sleep in our own beds, with particular pillows, and a particular book in our hands. When that routine's interrupted, it's often harder to get to sleep. It's the same with writing. Try to write at the same time every day; condition yourself to write under certain conditions; make it into a ritual that contains the same things every time you sit down. That ritual will let your brain, and your creative muse, know when it's time to get serious.<br />
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5. <b>Did someone say "ritual"?</b> Here's one of my best secrets for getting in the Zone in 60 seconds or less, no matter where I am: I put on my headphones and queue up a playlist I've compiled particularly for writing. That playlist is usually filled with songs that evoke the mood I'm trying to create. Once I start writing, that music fades into a pleasant background that shuts out any outside distractions.<br />
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6. <b>Stop making excuses! </b>No, you don't need to do laundry right now. You don't need to text your mom. You know why? Because it's writing time, and that time is sacred. Don't let other people's opinions stop you from committing to that sacred time. There will always be that little voice somewhere inside you saying that this thing you're doing is a waste of time. There will always be someone in your life who thinks that same. Ignore those voices, because they don't matter. Give yourself permission to take your writing seriously. <br />
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7.<b> Limit and block distractions. </b>Seriously, guys: don't think you can have five tabs open while you write. You KNOW you're going to click to them. Don't try to write in a crowded room full of friends. Cut out as many distractions and draws on your time as you can. Put your phone in a drawer; shut the door to your room. Let people know you're taking an hour and you'd appreciate that it be uninterrupted. What are you doing checking Facebook?! It'll still be there in an hour. I promise.<br />
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8. <b>Keep a writing journal at the ready. </b>Inspiration comes at unexpected times. Or, if you're me, inconvenient times. Like when you're driving. Or when you're mowing the lawn. Or doing something that demands attention, sharp objects, and fine motor skills. Having a journal with you allows you to capture any stray lightning bolts of inspiration before they float away. It also encourages you to write down those small, interesting moments in any day that feed the writerly soul. You'd be amazed how many inspiring things are lurking in that overheard conversation in the grocery store or the sounds emanating from the locker room.<br />
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9. <b>Decluttering and Reminding. </b>Clear off your desk. The less cluttered it is, the less cluttered you'll feel when you sit down at it. Post some encouraging sticky notes on your desktop. Whatever you think you'll need in those moments when you start to doubt or your mind starts to wander.<br />
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10. <b>Give yourself permission to suck</b> (well, at least to not look back). Remember that you're writing a draft - not a finished masterpiece. That comes later. If you're stuck, allow yourself to move on, knowing that you'll come back to it.<br />
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11.<b> Have a mantra. </b>Something you do when you're starting to feel as if you're the worst writer of all time. Recognize the challenges inherent in writing into the unknown. Writing takes work, and sometimes it's incredibly hard. Recognize that some days won't feel as productive as others. But ALSO recognize that every time you sit down to write, you are learning something. No writing time is ever wasted.<br />
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Happy Almost November! Now go forth and write.<br />
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<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-29432303977476854472013-10-18T14:24:00.003-04:002014-03-02T17:56:04.125-05:00First Poetry Friday: "Sharks' Teeth"Teaching Creative Writing in an endlessly inspiring task. Pushing my students out of their comfort zones, and asking them to look closely at poetry to figure out how it ticks, gives me the opportunity to discover new poems and poets that I come to love.<br />
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In the past few months, I've LOVED having the opportunity to sink back into poetry and share my passion for it with my students. So now, I'm going to share some of those poems with you.<br />
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Welcome to Poetry Fridays.<br />
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I discovered Kay Ryan's award-winning book while browsing idly in Northshire Bookstore. I picked it up because I loved the cover. I bought it because I kept snapping photos of every page, entranced by the beauty in her spare language and wonderfully crafted rhythms.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
"Sharks' Teeth"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
by Kay Ryan</div>
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Everything contains some </div>
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silence. Noise gets</div>
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its zest from the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
small shark's-tooth</div>
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shaped fragments</div>
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of rest angled</div>
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in it. An hour </div>
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of city holds maybe </div>
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a minute of these </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
remnants of a time </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
when silence reigned, </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
compact and dangerous </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
as a shark. Sometimes </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a bit of a tail </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
or fin can still </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
be sensed in parks.</div>
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<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/31343">Source</a>: Poetry (April 2004).</div>
Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-64287089041063649172013-09-15T10:03:00.000-04:002013-09-15T10:03:31.027-04:00Introducing...(#2)This post is a little late, but I couldn't resist the desire to crow about this little baby, on which I had the privilege of working:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Sba9w3zo47vVfD749dQcBlwqFQpE1IaJpsFIYXAkDuKFw5xzO4DyOZ-ZHwL9ndcvw7STycJOzCu76fHObzddpxwgtjOUFnDYdz4IavEgbvfSrIbHSTOv-E22ZxQee4IpgKcOZyUvVA4/s1600/100+secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Sba9w3zo47vVfD749dQcBlwqFQpE1IaJpsFIYXAkDuKFw5xzO4DyOZ-ZHwL9ndcvw7STycJOzCu76fHObzddpxwgtjOUFnDYdz4IavEgbvfSrIbHSTOv-E22ZxQee4IpgKcOZyUvVA4/s320/100+secrets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This magazine, out now, contains 100 unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations from around the world, many of which are places that few tourists know to go (my favorite: Coomera Falls in Australia's Gold Coast Hinterland). Each location is accompanied by useful information about what makes the place worth visiting, and how you can get yourself there. This magazine is for people who love being adventurers rather than tourists; for those who want to experience the unique and untrodden. I loved working on this project, and I hope you'll love it, too!Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-63946735561944774162013-07-02T22:41:00.001-04:002013-07-02T22:41:44.857-04:00Book Review: The Night CircusI've discovered that the first week of a teacher's summer break can be a restless, wily thing. I'm so used to having one million things to do that both body and mind had forgotten how to cope with relaxation time. Every time I sat down, I felt guilty. Surely I should be DOING something. I couldn't even write, my mind was so fractured. It seemed to want to run around, trying to cover as much ground as it could.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TfHYoNrRbZpnObZR1eAVaZdq4N36oa53FwTXQXSmdb3h1Ga_IfUK42oTcwb6WsvQMwtt2Tn1nf-zAWfI4YXPvH4Y5019Jk7b-dn7giES1b_VWBLcW9yHXhAC6wxgDZEOJyINGLuX0U8/s608/night+circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TfHYoNrRbZpnObZR1eAVaZdq4N36oa53FwTXQXSmdb3h1Ga_IfUK42oTcwb6WsvQMwtt2Tn1nf-zAWfI4YXPvH4Y5019Jk7b-dn7giES1b_VWBLcW9yHXhAC6wxgDZEOJyINGLuX0U8/s320/night+circus.jpg" width="210" /></a>Now, it's not that I'm complaining. It's just that my beginning-of-summer frame of mind made it difficult for me to find the right book to read. I needed something smart and articulate and emotionally weighty, but also something that would grip my mind and hold onto it.<br />
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<i>The Night Circus</i> gave me all of that. In fact, it gave me more. I was fairly bowled over by this beautiful, surprising novel. It was so many of the things I love in a story: lyrical and a little eccentric, with a captivating voice and a lot of stop-and-write-it-down worthy one liners. It also has love and travel and magic, a combination I'm bound to get excited about.<br />
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At its heart, <i>The Night Circus</i> is about a grand competition constructed by two long-time rival magicians who have different opinions about how magic should be done. It is based in our world (circa 1890), but also creates its own world within the confines of an strange and beautiful circus created as a backdrop for the game. As the magicians' two players grow older and the circus they've helped create becomes more complex, they fall in a love that wreaks all kinds of beautiful havoc on everyone involved. The story spans so many lives and years, weaving together a multitude of narrative threads in a way that is riveting, and which feels effortless. Not only that, but the author uses second person in a really interesting way: she makes the reader a part of the circus by putting them within it.<br />
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Another thing I love about this novel is the way she makes her setting a character. The circus almost jumps off of the page, so tangible and lovely that I slowed down my reading so I couldn't delay finishing it.<br />
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This book isn't like anything I've ever read. But if I had to draw comparisons, I'd say it had me thinking of <i>Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange</i>, with a sprinkling of <i>Jane Austen </i>and the same magical allure as <i>Harry Potter</i>, although it was very different than all of those.<br />
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This is one of those books that's next to impossible to describe, really, other than to say it's one of the best books I've read in a while.<br />
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<i>Music I'm Writing To:</i> "Lifeforms" by Daughter<br />
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<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-56817128466186464292013-06-22T14:31:00.003-04:002013-06-22T14:31:43.485-04:00School Is Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
School is finally, officially out for summer, and I finally have time to relax and reflect on what a crazy year it's been. My body hasn't quite figured out it's summer yet: I still wake up early, tense and ready to get 1,000 things done. I feel guilty sitting down for ten minutes to have coffee without doing anything else at the same time. So my primary goal for the summer is to let myself unwind, reflect, and just BE sometimes. I miss what it feels like to let my mind wander!</div>
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Other goals include: revising my novel, reading for fun, getting back in shape, cooking, adventuring, learning how to use InDesign (properly)...and, you know, writing more interesting and cohesive blog posts. </div>
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Despite my appalling lack of knowledge about design software, it did manage to make this 'favorite quote' collage for my 11th graders. Recognize any of these literary gems?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEtI9Rz1RxyGzFp5BE0Vn8EUzq74_YXqBJWxy7RSZOrSy6-4mDG1l15mVqvdub642fi4zA8EQSw8x_9vcHxpNJE6gfRyjKvtUXpC_FX2OvxmiRXsk5XI_mYyNeP3-5pPUEGye1giyjCg/s1600/11TH+QUOTES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEtI9Rz1RxyGzFp5BE0Vn8EUzq74_YXqBJWxy7RSZOrSy6-4mDG1l15mVqvdub642fi4zA8EQSw8x_9vcHxpNJE6gfRyjKvtUXpC_FX2OvxmiRXsk5XI_mYyNeP3-5pPUEGye1giyjCg/s640/11TH+QUOTES.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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Despite its intensity, I've had an incredible last nine months: now I'm ready to take some nice, deep breaths. Here's to The Summer of Freedom!</div>
<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-46432874164180511442013-05-11T12:01:00.001-04:002013-07-02T22:52:45.965-04:00Introducing......that Secret Thing I've been working on since September, and which I finally get to brag about:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNB6xDni-2SkQW8uaCtJETyo0-ywpVDar_jZiNWIcORYbi5dnJ6DpWhwYch00Xwqw87Daw9DvTZTTPJ_6UAEFRxAQk7uX1-wv9cy_AT8heB8Dcubm9IBcoHrT8_1LA4TbI-AR4wOEdu4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNB6xDni-2SkQW8uaCtJETyo0-ywpVDar_jZiNWIcORYbi5dnJ6DpWhwYch00Xwqw87Daw9DvTZTTPJ_6UAEFRxAQk7uX1-wv9cy_AT8heB8Dcubm9IBcoHrT8_1LA4TbI-AR4wOEdu4/s640/photo.JPG" width="475" /></a></div>
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<br />
This year, I have had the fortunate privilege of working as project editor on two special editions of National Geographic. Like many adventurous, book-loving kids before me, I long dreamed of working for Nat Geo. And now I can say that, after months of late nights and hard work, that vision is a dream realized.<br />
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I'm very proud of the finished product, created and crafted by a wonderful editorial team from whom I learned so much. It is a compilation of 100 of the world's most beautiful places, from the tourmaline waters of the Great Barrier Reef and the jagged cliffs of Ireland to the sun-drenched walls of the Grand Canyon and the glistening ice sheets of Antarctica. This book is an inspiration for avid travelers, and makes a wonderful present for kids with wanderlust or adults with an affinity for beautiful photos. They are available at bookstores and most newsstands and retailers (I've found them at Barnes & Noble, CVS, and many grocery stores). You can also purchase one <a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/magazines/national-geographic-magazine/national-geographic-the-world's-most-beautiful-places-special-issue">here</a>.<br />
<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-7135537093043449262013-04-05T21:07:00.001-04:002013-04-05T21:07:15.159-04:00Ode To StudentsI have the kind of job where I often get the chance to think, "Wow. I'm really interested in what this student wrote."<br />
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Where I sometimes get to think, "Wow. I'm really proud of what this student has ended up writing."<br />
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And then there are those very rare moments when I get to think, "Wow. I wish I had <i>written</i> what this student wrote."<br />
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Sometimes, I am lucky enough to read a piece of student writing that leaves me with a true sense of wonder. How can someone so young say something so simply, so beautifully? Usually it is in moments when they are writing unselfconsciously, as in an email written late at night, or in the writing journals I have them keep. It was in one such journal that I came across this sentence:<br />
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<i>English is the study of poorly defined questions.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I find myself...lingeringly troubled by this statement. Not because I think this student was knocking his English class, but because of those two descriptors: "poorly defined." As if to ask a question without a rigid shape, and without an easy answer, is something not quite to be trusted. As if by making a question blurry, it loses some of its potency; loses some of its importance.<br />
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Here's what I have to say about poorly defined questions (which, I warn you, is probably going to be a little obtuse):<br />
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They ask you not to calculate, but to explore. Not to find some right answer--the what--but the WHY. Why do things fall apart? Why do things hold together?<br />
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I understand why these questions are troubling. Poorly defined questions are steps into a dark tunnel, not knowing what you'll find there; they are expeditions that could lead you anywhere, or everywhere, or nowhere. They can make you feel like you're throwing yourself off a cliff with no means to claw your way back up. But they are also about making connections between different ideas, different threads, different moments in a piece of literature, and using them to find a larger possible truth. Why do things fall apart in <i>Lord of the Flies</i>? There are many reasons, and they all lead back to the question of whether we, as humans, are inherently good. Whether compassion and empathy can withstand the blunt force of the need to survive and to control. Are there clear answers to these questions? Are there easy answers? No. But might they lead us to conclusions that matter? I think so.<br />
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For me, poorly defined English aren't about answers. They are about the means by which you seek those answers--intellectually and otherwise--and what you might discover along the way. I love asking these questions in my classes because I learn about my students through the answers they give. I can ask a room of students, "What is the American Dream?" and they can answer in one of so many different ways, all of which can be both right and wrong. All of which will give me some insight into what interests my students, and what drives them, and what matters to them, which ends up being what matters to all of us.<br />
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What do I love about poorly defined questions? That essentially they are all asking about the same thing: about what it is to be alive in the world. And those questions will always result in different answers, and the same answers.<br />
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<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-38976881149509158642013-03-06T16:20:00.004-05:002013-03-06T16:20:57.025-05:00Photo Collection: Playing with Shadows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few days ago, I walked through the woods on one of those rare winter afternoons where the sun is actually out and your soul starts to peek out from behind its woolen blanket. I found myself thinking about my writing, as I often do: about how stories need both light and dark--points of contrast and contradiction, of both soft lines and sharp edges--in order to capture my full attention. I don't know that I came to any conclusions about how to make that happen in my own story, but I did end up with some pretty pictures.</div>
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<br />Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-10079991964647995092013-02-05T21:55:00.001-05:002013-02-05T21:55:27.679-05:00Why I Didn't Watch Even One Second of The Superbowl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijRFkA4tq8zoAVIlKBBhSCYtIjeRZLfx2CeyQklSEd58h2qjOUUBuElEiAXhiTKuJ-iJSohYAOahn52f8XgiUAes2XerzJaGM6bDF_gh5eebQyQi6lKxNfWy5gap84N-kLBF4nB3zw0c/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijRFkA4tq8zoAVIlKBBhSCYtIjeRZLfx2CeyQklSEd58h2qjOUUBuElEiAXhiTKuJ-iJSohYAOahn52f8XgiUAes2XerzJaGM6bDF_gh5eebQyQi6lKxNfWy5gap84N-kLBF4nB3zw0c/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="239" /></a>Over the course of the past week, I realized something important about setting goals. I can't say that this realization was completely new to me: it's something I've understood for a while now, but haven't been able to really internalize in a meaningful and actionable way.<br />
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Every day, I make imposing TO DO lists. And every day, my to-do listing essentially sets me up for failure. Because my lists generally look like this one to the left.<br />
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This list represents the things that I feel I need to do in a given day, or cluster of days. Most of the things on this list are not five minute activities; they are complicated and involved.<br />
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There are a couple of things to note here. First, that this list sets up completely ridiculous expectations for a given day, at the end of which I will inevitably feel like I've failed. This list does not catalogue the inordinate numbers of things I need to do that I don't feel the need to write down. Before starting in on my to-do list, I have to teach a full day, eat, sleep, converse with colleagues, respond to email, attempt to inspire students to enjoy critical thinking and reading (and sometimes juggling and sonnet writing), get up and stretch, and maybe even exercise (if I get very lucky). Even if I had a full day at home in the quiet, sipping coffee at my desk, I don't know that this list is actionable. Even if I had two personal <strike>slaves</strike> personal assistants to help me, I don't think I could pull it off.<br />
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Second, its' important to note what tasks have remained unchecked. Which ones, you ask?<br />
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The personal ones: my writing and personal health goals. The ones that are really important to me.<br />
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Not to say that work-related goals aren't important to me. They really are. But are they always and forever the most IMPORTANT goals, the ones that should always get top billing? I'm not convinced.<br />
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My students are often lamenting the fact that they are given so much work and that what's expected of them isn't reasonable. They're right: it isn't reasonable to expect that they can give their very best to every class and every assignment on every given day. We only have so many hours in the day and so many iotas of concentration to contribute. That means you have to pick and choose where and how you expend your energy. It's about making choices about what your priorities are going to be. It's also about knowing that you can't do it all. You can try, but you can't. At least you can't do it all <i>well</i> - and isn't that what we're striving for? Sometimes you have to ease off in certain aspects of your life in order to live the life you really want. It isn't an easy thing to do sometimes, but the alternative is feeling like you're always failing.<br />
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Which is why, instead of watching the Superbowl, I worked on revising my novel. Because I have a big goal of revising this novel in the next six weeks, and watching football isn't going to get me there.<br />
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Music I'm Writing To: Ben Howard, "Under The Same Sun"</div>
Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-85794067709335479702013-01-19T16:08:00.001-05:002013-01-19T16:08:29.014-05:00Top 5 Books of 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHPj9_3O4Tc7DALVtc-mjASmLPHCDX0O2CWJsHwSPP4sU8oFXDQVTl5VA59p69c0uXIp6t3Rr5f_OiGSY7PLfkgHY3IZI82yXw4xYtNNuVNZjO38i1NHYnXaVhQF0u6g3sD-2-GlpR2U/s1600/space_between.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHPj9_3O4Tc7DALVtc-mjASmLPHCDX0O2CWJsHwSPP4sU8oFXDQVTl5VA59p69c0uXIp6t3Rr5f_OiGSY7PLfkgHY3IZI82yXw4xYtNNuVNZjO38i1NHYnXaVhQF0u6g3sD-2-GlpR2U/s200/space_between.png" width="133" /></a><b>The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff</b><br />
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Why I Loved It: Because it was dark and magical, but sparingly so. The narrative voice was sharp and subtle, deftly crafted in a way that pulled me in completely without getting in its own way. I'm not sure if that will make sense to anyone but me, but that's how this book read for me. I'm not always a lover of stories about angels and demons, but this one felt fresh and accessible: this was less about religious exploration and more about what it is to be an outsider in your own life. I also happen to LOVE books that utilize dramatic irony well, especially when it comes to two love interests heading towards each other and NOT EVEN knowing it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVp0c334Or2clMWdR8tFmUifcoZ4OkR9A7o3NhPEjHNBFikQd6ubKJV4Hz4pSXYp0jjdOxdXLB9TFk9V4J6wSXsY7LV-CldQSHwYZMUqdp05xfEuHj5Sfy5yCLhajIfvEj2X644helOg/s1600/raven+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVp0c334Or2clMWdR8tFmUifcoZ4OkR9A7o3NhPEjHNBFikQd6ubKJV4Hz4pSXYp0jjdOxdXLB9TFk9V4J6wSXsY7LV-CldQSHwYZMUqdp05xfEuHj5Sfy5yCLhajIfvEj2X644helOg/s200/raven+boys.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater</b><br />
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction<br />
Why I Loved It: I love this author so, so much that I find it difficult to imagine disliking anything she writes. In fact, I love her so much that I read this book for the second time over Christmas, and loved it even more than I had the first time. Maggie's writing is so distinctive, and so beautifully and lyrically crafted. Her characters in this book felt incredibly real, exhibiting tragic flaws and beautiful vulnerabilities that made them a pleasure to follow around even when they were pissing me off. The premise (I don't want to spoil it--just read the prologue, would you?) is one of the most unique I've come across in a while. It has all of the crucial ingredients that make me fall in love with a book: great writing, a compelling voice, dark edges, unique characters, and angst. It it has real twists and mysteries, too. I was sad both times when I turned the last page.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdue_r3sJE71POOM5vg_misgLAJ38CI8EoeZtMN7kCdG67uyYO9F_63Tw8ByVV1ZWBYuonF3p0Z5OZIf-nnnHW9MK1AQTSn2QJGsgYs0U6QaVZXFhefj15NJLDMDVg7fvaXKE0Kj6UY0/s1600/Nightwoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdue_r3sJE71POOM5vg_misgLAJ38CI8EoeZtMN7kCdG67uyYO9F_63Tw8ByVV1ZWBYuonF3p0Z5OZIf-nnnHW9MK1AQTSn2QJGsgYs0U6QaVZXFhefj15NJLDMDVg7fvaXKE0Kj6UY0/s200/Nightwoods.jpg" width="130" /></a><b>Nightwoods by Charles Frazier</b><br />
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction<br />
Why I Loved It: I was afraid that, after Cold Mountain, I could never love another book of his as much. To my surprise, though, this book worked a kind of spell on me. It has all of Frazier's characteristic hallmarks of style: a lush, detailed setting, a calm and beautiful voice, and an atmospheric pull that makes it incredibly satisfying to read slowly and savor. He deals with issues of abuse and brokenness in a way that is beautiful, but never gratuitous. It isn't often that I read a book that makes me believe in literary magic, but this one certainly did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRAi5Co0bFLOY6gVcPkpZX6urk-NquPmq4qZjOXsnWblEXOFeHabjPD9L15sKpR2db7kxouwPy6ezgs8KJ0V04lNQFmsLrWd7scH2A7wDE_XpcsYnM1qwEMgOq5aagI4tUaoaurqFnrc/s1600/the+book+thief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRAi5Co0bFLOY6gVcPkpZX6urk-NquPmq4qZjOXsnWblEXOFeHabjPD9L15sKpR2db7kxouwPy6ezgs8KJ0V04lNQFmsLrWd7scH2A7wDE_XpcsYnM1qwEMgOq5aagI4tUaoaurqFnrc/s200/the+book+thief.jpg" width="129" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><b><b>The Book Thief by Markus Zusak</b></b></b></div>
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Genre: I'm stumped...let's say YA Historical Fiction with a speculative twist?<br />
Why I Loved It: I had the pleasure of finishing this book while sitting on a bench in Switzerland. I also had the pleasure to teach this book to 9th graders, and watching them fall in love with the strange and devastating world of this story. I don't know that I have ever read something so carefully--or uniquely--crafted. You fall in love with the characters and the place they inhabit, and you can't look away from them even when horrible things are happening in their lives. It creates a commentary around the Holocaust that feels new, and devastating, and also filled with hope. I feel lucky to have had the change to read it so closely and talk about it with my students.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qejEz17KAGkYwF7iMI2OisrAlhuBxyTdglczNGM8LLyfd_G6Ds6GhVM3lU8gEveoPXQs_jY9H3c_JqTYMqHkN4aX0qsNfjvd4Gq25HYhcy6dUu23WXDtvu1naTsZrjqLXWo4Xr-HOuU/s1600/nick+and+norah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qejEz17KAGkYwF7iMI2OisrAlhuBxyTdglczNGM8LLyfd_G6Ds6GhVM3lU8gEveoPXQs_jY9H3c_JqTYMqHkN4aX0qsNfjvd4Gq25HYhcy6dUu23WXDtvu1naTsZrjqLXWo4Xr-HOuU/s200/nick+and+norah.jpg" width="129" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><b><b>Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist </b>by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn</b></b></div>
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Genre: YA Contemporary<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Why I Loved It: This short novel felt so incredibly stylized--the way teens talked and moved and felt--while managing, at the same time, to feel incredibly real. I loved following the two characters around as they stumbled their way through their feelings. I read most of this book out loud to a friend as we drove through the South, which brought home what an incredible job these writers did at creating two very distinct voices for their characters that still managed to meld and flow together. </span><br />
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-61849766609142525712012-12-31T11:11:00.001-05:002012-12-31T11:12:57.982-05:00Casting Back at 2012 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I like naming things: while nothing is ever easily categorized, I like to think in terms of titles. For me, 2012 has been the Year of Unexpected Opportunities. There were so many changes and challenges, but all of them pushed me to grow and to appreciate what I've learned and discovered.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUka1BJOmtmplYU6kfpxVp6cvoXxsoPUIbQZLcr-PDERDIf6TRi54QMFS50BKigUgia2DYU4z9SD1mA_c-koNbzH1MF8TxsHN227Gkh1FtANInX6Fch0Z8nncNXa2lqNucZOxYC_WZJRo/s1600/86558373-7B52-451A-B191-365CDE6B3D9C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUka1BJOmtmplYU6kfpxVp6cvoXxsoPUIbQZLcr-PDERDIf6TRi54QMFS50BKigUgia2DYU4z9SD1mA_c-koNbzH1MF8TxsHN227Gkh1FtANInX6Fch0Z8nncNXa2lqNucZOxYC_WZJRo/s200/86558373-7B52-451A-B191-365CDE6B3D9C.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my soulmate ladyfriend in downtown D.C. (love you, Lynds!)<br />
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I spent quality time with people I love, and spent more time with family than I have since I left for Australia in 2007.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhs_kSdPLhxwfOMLiVauiU9a5LIJAKdUE-S_V5as05VtNfOSO8fy4jnsFMx1mSVvPuIwOLvrdNvfNqDl6019BwYT1qaqybgZ_KdJKQ1LUQy_7YgfUnttSd7CiPK2VWiC96WOXosNAueY/s1600/96E93F43-4448-40E8-A434-C03FAED95EAE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhs_kSdPLhxwfOMLiVauiU9a5LIJAKdUE-S_V5as05VtNfOSO8fy4jnsFMx1mSVvPuIwOLvrdNvfNqDl6019BwYT1qaqybgZ_KdJKQ1LUQy_7YgfUnttSd7CiPK2VWiC96WOXosNAueY/s320/96E93F43-4448-40E8-A434-C03FAED95EAE.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Me and my partner in crime in Savannah.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I started a new job teaching high school, essentially for the first time. I've had the chance to make vocab crowns, to have fervent discussions about literature, and to make speeches about adventure.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsexqV-wgE_8xB2PhtoDa9TREe35eAzeRccMfoCnjKfPQdtFRSbKjmgfnVnyWH815_veQJx3B7kkuFtnk3EF48yDvV2f-SwOx7y7YrcArVjrursNqlkzh79n0MTo6JtyCF4wLhNyGjSw/s1600/5A4C9A94-9544-4996-8C02-DADEEBFA8688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsexqV-wgE_8xB2PhtoDa9TREe35eAzeRccMfoCnjKfPQdtFRSbKjmgfnVnyWH815_veQJx3B7kkuFtnk3EF48yDvV2f-SwOx7y7YrcArVjrursNqlkzh79n0MTo6JtyCF4wLhNyGjSw/s320/5A4C9A94-9544-4996-8C02-DADEEBFA8688.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Romeo, Romeo...who is he again?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHy8dc2uZRfs33jmtPVL00T7WC3TKWf3ow-Oan7uTzSVgEg-dAOH_IheP2oNCxKhTYv8phuLg-doT74l7pTUmwy3SEhX__PYe0aen4yOmB1Cf5kwtrhM8k6vpFvoa8nL02ZC-ocrquvk/s1600/IMG_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHy8dc2uZRfs33jmtPVL00T7WC3TKWf3ow-Oan7uTzSVgEg-dAOH_IheP2oNCxKhTYv8phuLg-doT74l7pTUmwy3SEhX__PYe0aen4yOmB1Cf5kwtrhM8k6vpFvoa8nL02ZC-ocrquvk/s200/IMG_0916.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspiration comes in many forms...</td></tr>
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I started shopping a novel around to agents for the first time, and continue to be amazed and challenged by that experience. I finished a novel I'm really excited to revise and get ready to send out into the world.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4gc1ofcewbyjpnrBgVU54haNkbM5z7wXit4iYPF11rFxqijdH0H_6spKFBcVuEY89wcAm3zlAxDeNxt9lDl9tAmqY8OhrTYq2QL_dg0gei0ogrkGDBjLuhwVAfQcvuDK1nVQC6E_xmo/s1600/393DBB0B-54A4-46B3-AD15-DAD30AAE0719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4gc1ofcewbyjpnrBgVU54haNkbM5z7wXit4iYPF11rFxqijdH0H_6spKFBcVuEY89wcAm3zlAxDeNxt9lDl9tAmqY8OhrTYq2QL_dg0gei0ogrkGDBjLuhwVAfQcvuDK1nVQC6E_xmo/s320/393DBB0B-54A4-46B3-AD15-DAD30AAE0719.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where I wrote a lot of Novel #3. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQtkAmodAW0rDRsJJ-1k5IJ_KQx37ScqJUd2ju7YYP6JN355-62_9pe05NtkAyqvN8iovQOzOcrI_4Uyx3mU7TWU8VIyXvwKIyttRN8Fd0czUEePxaTDR-cW02nUh0KqE8fPmuQp5xVA/s1600/IMG_4504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQtkAmodAW0rDRsJJ-1k5IJ_KQx37ScqJUd2ju7YYP6JN355-62_9pe05NtkAyqvN8iovQOzOcrI_4Uyx3mU7TWU8VIyXvwKIyttRN8Fd0czUEePxaTDR-cW02nUh0KqE8fPmuQp5xVA/s320/IMG_4504.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I travelled to places I'd been before with people who mean the world to me, and loved them all over again. I travelled to new places, and fell in love with them, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6iIR3EEAzJzIFB-YUPpNh_Q6a8j1SiRzLmzq3AqR2DQQRM2dP-sRHemDhTAQ-mVOysm5hjXZNbfmaGatyKGAIFm3hIY9FJ4l47ZJKvgKDEyMfMuag4l-JadqFC9VTe1A1DR2RBBidCA/s1600/IMG_0641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6iIR3EEAzJzIFB-YUPpNh_Q6a8j1SiRzLmzq3AqR2DQQRM2dP-sRHemDhTAQ-mVOysm5hjXZNbfmaGatyKGAIFm3hIY9FJ4l47ZJKvgKDEyMfMuag4l-JadqFC9VTe1A1DR2RBBidCA/s320/IMG_0641.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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It's been an interesting year full of surprises. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2013 might hold!</div>
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Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2663505740390806207.post-50910790984424343802012-12-26T13:57:00.000-05:002012-12-26T13:57:00.662-05:00Warm Bodies Trailer (aka Thing That Excites Me Greatly)It's coming in February! That's not very far away! I just hope they've done this book (one of my favorites from 2011), some kind of justice.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x3ErWNBX9Rc" width="560"></iframe>Kate Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11742061849904519583noreply@blogger.com1