Daily Archives: September 30, 2008

What I Read This September

Shakespeare’s Spy by Gary Blackwood
Shakespeare’s Scribe by Gary Blackwood
Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts
Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride by Helen Halstead
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Dingo by Charles de Lint
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky

Let’s see, what did I say about them over the month…

I finished Anathem last night, a brilliant philosophical story that reminded me a lot of the discussions we used to have after classes at the Liberal Arts College. And on Saturday I read the entirety of Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride, a book I obtained for review through MiniBookExpo. Best Austen sequel I’ve ever read.

Finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last night. Would have been life-changing had I not just read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

I might be the only person I know of, or at least within three degrees of separation, who geeked out in absolute excitement over receiving my secondhand copy of the out-of-print Women Musicians of Venice: Musical Foundations, 1525-1855. Gods bless Jane Baldauf-Berdes for writing exactly the book that I needed, fifteen years before I knew that I did. I devoured Scott Westerfeld’s Peeps and Last Days in an afternoon and evening, and will cheerfully lend them out to anyone looking for a decent and believable vampire story for teens. Ceri lent me her copy of Charles de Lint’s Dingo, which I also read in an hour and a half. I also finished Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma this weekend, and it was excellent. I looked for The Botany of Desire in the bookstore Sunday morning but of course it wasn’t in stock; if I’d wanted In Defense of Food I could have had one of twenty-three hardcover copies, but I wanted Botany. I don’t try to be difficult, really.

Orchestrated Update

New words today: 2,317
Total word count, Orchestrated: 16,963

Oh, the best friend is concerned about the protagonist and is willing to call her on it. So she does have something to do other than be useful post-first crisis. Who’d have known?

I like it when characters do things I didn’t plan for them to do. Helps develop depth that I can mine later.