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Bookish Book Lover Tag

Tracey Dyck 41 Comments

Good evening, fellow dragons, wyverns, griffins, and other mythical flying beasts!* I seem to have fallen into the bad habit of waiting until the final hours of the day to put up my weekly post. Really need to start writing these sooner.

*Not only are you questers, readers, friends, bloglings, etc., you are now also a motley crew of legendary creatures? I don’t even know. I just need something to call you. Dragon will do.

Anyway, on a day like today, a tag is the perfect rescue. Thanks to Deborah O’Carroll for passing this one along from her book blog, The Page Dreamer! (Pssst, go check it out! Her reviews always have this amazing way of making you want to read a book, and yet they don’t spoil it.)

The Rules

Use the banner.
Answer the questions.
Use lots of book covers.
Tag your bookish friends!
(I was going to provide links to Goodreads, but ran out of time. Sorry!)
1) What Book Are You Currently Reading?
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It’s a 1,006 page beast, but a very entertaining beast at that. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I am.

2) What’s The Last Book You Finished?
Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz (book three in the Alex Rider series). It was a definite improvement over the first two.

3) Favorite Book You Read This Year?

Illusionarium, A Snicker of Magic, Cinder, Knightley Academy, Howl’s Moving Castle, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. *deep breath* I can’t pick just one!

4) What Genre Have You Read Most This Year?
Without formally counting? Probably fantasy. (Did you even have to ask?)

5) What Genre Have You Read Least This Year?
Well, I won’t list the genres I haven’t read at all. Instead, I will tell you that I’ve read only one nonfiction, only two thrillers, and only two contemporaries. Also one sci-fi/fantasy crossover (aka Cinder) and one steampunk (aka Illusionarium).

6) What Genre Do You Want To Read More Of?
Steampunk!!! And always, always more fantasy.

7) How Many Books Have You Read This Year, And What’s Your Goal?
Heh, funny you should ask. I’ve read a measly sixteen out of the fifty-two book goal I made for myself. I was hoping to match last year, but at this rate . . . Okay, the year’s not over yet, so maybe I’ll catch up! Maybe. Possibly. We’ll see.

8) What’s The Last Book You Bought?
One of the local bookstores is closing down (sadness), but the one good thing about that is discounts. I walked out of there with four books the other day:

Moonblood and Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (now only Golden Daughter and the two novellas are missing from my collection)
Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet

Prophet by R.J. Larson

9) What Book Are You Saving Up To Buy Next?

There are several Bryan Davis books I don’t yet own, namely Reapers and Beyond the Gateway, along with the Tales of Starlight series.

Other than that, I don’t know. There’s a few gaps to fill in other series I’m collecting. Oh! Can’t forget A Branch of Silver, a Branch of Gold by Anne Elisabeth Stengl!


10) How Many Books Did You Check Out Last Library Visit?
Five, I think? It was–gasp!–back in March/April, and since then I’ve been reading books I have in the house already. But I’m missing the library, so I’ll have to make a trip again soon.

11) What’s A Book You Can’t Wait To Read?

ALL OF THEM. Well. Not true. I can’t wait to read Scarlet, The Dream Thieves, and The Shadow Lamp. Just to name three. Because you know how I can’t keep my answers to just one book.

12) What’s A Series You’d Recommend to Everyone?
Oh, toughie. The Chronicles of Narnia definitely. Classic, superb storytelling, and that profound quality that makes it enjoyable to both children and adults. Also Bryan Davis’s three connected series: Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Children of the Bard. Because everyone could use more dragons in their lives! And more importantly, the depth with which Bryan Davis pens his tales builds one’s faith.

13) Who’s An Author You’re Hoping Writes More?
All of my favorites ever. Oh, you wanted specifics? How many can I mention? All of them? No? Okay, some of them. Anne Elisabeth Stengl, to begin with. She just released ABOSABOG (doesn’t that look hilarious in acronym form? The first time I read it, I was like, “Who on earth is Abosabog? Sounds like a monster.”), but I’m itching for another Tales of Goldstone Wood installment. And Heather Dixon needs to write more. So does Sharon Cameron (right, Mary?!). I could keep going, but it also bears mentioning that numerous writer friends of mine NEED TO KEEP WRITING. And I would greatly enjoy it if they PUBLISHED those epic writings. Meaning I would screech and flail and cry happy tears and order five dozen copies of each book!

14) A Few Books Your Heart Adores?
Excuse me, what? A few? A few. You know what that word makes when you take off the F? Ew. How can I pick just a few books my heart adores? Nevertheless, I shall make a valiant attempt to answer this.

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. By my recollection, the first portal fantasy (or really, first true high fantasy) I ever read. It’s because of this book I have a fantasy addiction. Narnia’s creation scene especially whispered deep into my soul, and I think I carry an echo of that wonder with me.

Starflower and Shadowhand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Yes, that’s two from the same series (the whole of which is dear to my heart), but those two in particular struck a chord.

The Bones of Makaidos by Bryan Davis. That ending is the most perfect one I have ever, ever read. And it was, at the time (before he added another four books), the culmination of the adventures, joys, and heartbreaks of the characters packed into one giant book.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Probably doesn’t need explanation. It made me think, laugh, and inwardly cry.

The Ale Boy’s Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet. It came into my life just when I needed it, and was part of what got me through a difficult time.
And . . . I’d better stop now before I list a hundred books.

15) What Series’s Coming Conclusion Makes You Sad?
I don’t know when Tales of Goldstone Wood will end, but that will be a very sad day indeed. I don’t even want to think about it. #denial

16) What Books Are On Your Wish-List?
See question #9. Plus all of these . . .
Lord of the Rings (no, I don’t actually own them yet) by JRR Tolkien
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Books 2-5 in the Bright Empires series by Stephen Lawhead
Maybe all the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Maybe the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Books 2 and 3 in The Solitary Tales by Travis Thrasher
Books 2-4 in the River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren
The Calling by Rachelle Dekker
Books 1 and 4 in the Auralia Thread by Jeffrey Overstreet
Books 8-10 in Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
Golden Daughter by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
The entire Dreamhouse Kings series by Robert Liparulo
And that’s not even all of them. When I find a series I love, I must collect them all. I must have them, own them, display them. Consequently I am running out of bookshelf space at an alarming rate.
Well, this has been great fun! Thanks again to Deborah for tagging me! And now I shall tag the following fellow bookdragons: Sarah / Blue / Emily / Skye / Annie / Tori / Anna / and Savannah, whose blog is private. (Deborah has all the questions in a nice copy-and-pastable list included in her post.)
How about YOU? Any of the bajillion books here spark your interest? Any you’ve read before and loved? Which books does your heart adore?

P.S. The nominations are pouring in for the 2016 Silmarillion Awards! We’d love for you to participate and make this event even more epic, so be sure to nominate and second all your favorite fantasy characters/items before July 1st. (Which means June 30th is the last day the nominations will be open.) I can hardly wait to see who will win in each category!

EDIT: It means July 1st is the last day the nominations will be open, actually. Sorry I told you wrong.

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777 Writing Challenge Strikes Again

Tracey Dyck 26 Comments
[source]

Deborah O’Carroll long ago (back in September 2015–yikes!) tagged me for the 777 Writing Challenge. And I’m finally getting around to participating. Some of you might be scratching your heads and thinking, “Wait, didn’t Tracey already do the 777? Like, twice?”

You are correct. The first time can be found here, the second time here. I just realized that Deborah was the one who tagged me the first time, too–and that it was my very first tag ever. All the warm, fuzzy memories . . .

Anyway. The rules are as follows:

The 777 challenge requires you go to Page 7 of your work-in-progress, scroll down to Line 7 and share the next 7 lines in a blog post. Once you have done this, you can tag 7 other bloggers to do the same with their work-in-progress.

Buuut it’s fun to play around with the rules. I’m changing lines to paragraphs, and rather than isolating paragraph seven of page seven, I’ll give you a couple paragraphs of context as well. Just because I’m sweet like that.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that this snippet is coming from book 2, The Prophet’s Key. None of this is edited, so you get behold the raw, uncut glory (or mess) before I take a chisel to it. In this scene, Josiah is supposed to be waiting while his family has a meeting with his psychiatrist, Dr. Teagan. You see, the events of the first book have had big ramifications on the home lives of the protagonists. Particularly Josiah’s.
Everyone thinks he’s schizophrenic with delusions of grandeur, let’s just put it that way.
Anyway, Josiah is listening in to this family meeting from outside Dr. Teagan’s office.

~*~
“I just want my son back,” Dad snapped. “If that means giving him his meds myself, I’ll do it.”
An image of Dad forcing his jaws open and shaking a pill bottle down his throat ramped up Josiah’s inner heat to boiling.
“Monitor him, yes, but don’t antagonize him. Patients fare best when home life is stable. If he refuses to take the pills, we may consider switching him to a daily injection.”
Josiah gripped the doorknob, then paused. What would it help to barge in? To protest? Resisting would only worsen the situation.
He spun on his heel and marched down the hallway and out the front door. A blast of early summer heat washed over him. Though the very thought rankled him down to his bones, the solution was clear: play along.



~*~

In keeping with my generous (ahem, lazy) method of leaving this particular tag open, I am again saying that if you want it, take it! Share your 777 snippet on your blog, here in the comments, whatever floats your boat. Or even just share a snippet of your work-in-progress, all tag rules aside. Give me all the yummy words!

p.s. On an unrelated note, keep an eye out for a very special bloggy happening coming later this month! It involves fantasy novels, an Oscar Awards sort of idea, and YOUR participation!


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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – a Christmasy tag

Tracey Dyck 19 Comments

Deborah O’Carroll from The Road of a Writer is spreading Christmas cheer by doling out this Christmasy Tag. Thanks, Deb! This is a nice excuse to chat about seasonal wonderfulness.

Rules
Post the picture on your blog. (Neither Deb nor I have any clue what picture this means.)
Answer the questions.
Tag up to 12 bloggers.
Make up 10 questions for other bloggers.

What is your favourite Christmas treat?
Gingersnaps and mandarin oranges and chocolate everything and nuts and eggnog and peppermint and (gasp) have you ever tried a chai white hot chocolate? You must.

Are there any special traditions that your family has to celebrate Christmas?
Yes.

How do you normally celebrate Christmas?
This is very much like the above question, which is why I’m properly answering here. On Christmas morning, my mom makes apple scones. We put a candle in each one and sing happy birthday to Jesus (a tradition we’ve been doing since I was a wee child). Then we take our long, leisurely time unwrapping gifts, all of which is videotaped for posterity. On Boxing Day, we often spend the afternoon building Lego, since all six of us receive sets for Christmas. (Yes, even my parents!)

Do you enjoy getting presents for your friends and family? Do you buy your gifts or go the homemade route?
Of course I do! Some people are harder to shop for than others, but ultimately I love picking out thoughtful gifts. I usually go the store-bought route, because I don’t consider my crafting skills to be . . . er, skilled enough to produce good presents.

Is it cold where you live? Have you ever had a white Christmas?

This sort of question I find endlessly amusing. Because yes, it is cold where I live (though it’s been unseasonably mild up until this week, during which eight inches of snow fell on us). I’ve never not had a white Christmas!

What’s on your Christmas list this year?
BOOKS. As always. Also boring, practical, un-Christmasy things like black socks and a back-up hard drive for my laptop. Music and movies are always on the list, too.

What’s your favourite Christmas song?
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is probably my top favorite carol. A modern song that I fell in love with is Hillsong’s We Have a Savior. Michael W. Smith’s It’s a Wonderful Christmas is a beautiful orchestral album, and I also love Chris Tomlin’s Glory in the Highest album. (And I’ll admit that the Oakridge Boys’ Christmas Carol gets me singing every year.)

What is your favourite Christmas memory?
I have too many to recount! As Deborah said in her post, they all kind of blend together. I suppose all my favorite memories revolve around family.

What does your Christmas tree look like?

My parents give my siblings and me a new ornament every year. As you can see, the collection has grown. It kind of looks like a Christmas toy shop exploded on our tree.






What are you reading in December? (Anything festive?)
Currently A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker. It’s not exactly festive, but . . . it does occur during Jesus’ life on Earth. Does that count?

Are you an organised little elf or are you still shopping/preparing on Christmas Eve?
I am a semi-organized little elf who let the mild weather trick her into thinking Christmas was a long way off. Then the snow came, and the calendar shrieked at me in panic. (Okay, it hasn’t been all that bad. I just have a couple odds and ends to finish up.)

How early do you start to get into the Christmas spirit?
December 1st. No earlier. Usually no later. The tree goes up in the first week of December, and out comes the holiday music. I myself didn’t really ‘feel’ Christmasy for the first week or two. But now I feel like a child again, absolutely giddy with anticipation.

Do you make any Christmas crafts? Decorations? Send physical Christmas cards?
Depends on the year. As I said earlier, my crafting skills are not quite prepared for much gift-creating. Though if I took the time (and money to purchase supplies), I think I’d have fun with it.

What’s the menu for Christmas Day?!
Apple scones for breakfast, which I already mentioned. Lunch is late and consists of all manner of snacks. Supper this year will be at my grandma’s. Who knows what scrumptiousness she’ll conjure?

What makes it FEEL like Christmas for you? (Weather, specific tradition, food, smell, person, etc.?)
I definitely had a hard time getting into the Christmas mood before the snow hit, shallow as that sounds. Decorating the tree, singing carols at church, driving around town and seeing all the beautiful lights . . . I don’t know, it’s a combination of a lot of things. Mostly it’s the cozy feeling of family, nestled in the warm living room on Christmas Day, laughing and enjoying each other while pristine snow blankets the world outside.

Do you have relatives coming? Excited? Nervous?
For Christmas itself, no, nobody’s coming. After Christmas, yes. The family continues to expand as cousins grow up and get married, so lassoing everyone into the same spot for Christmas is no longer simple. I’m excited about getting time off to spend with family.

What famous Christmas character do you most identify with? (Scrooge, Elf, Tiny Tim, the Grinch, Santa, etc.)
Um . . . none of them?

If you were to start a new Christmas tradition, what would it be?

Goodness. Way to put me on the spot here. I love the traditions my family currently has, and can’t think of anything more to add!

What Christmas movies do you like to watch this time of year or what’s your favorite?

Unlike some people, there’s no set movie that comes out every single year. It could be Rise of the Guardians, a Christmas-related VeggieTales movie, Miracle on 34th Street, or any new film we find under the tree.

Look, Jack Frost left his signature on my front window last year!

What’s your favorite Christmasy book or book with a favorite Christmasy part?
I love, love, LOVE Max Lucado’s The Crippled Lamb. It’s a touching story about an outcast lamb who ends up getting to keep baby Jesus’ warm.

I tag . . .
Cassia @ Dimensions of My Universe
Sarah @ Ink and Paper Tall Ship
Emily @ Ink, Inc.
Jack @ However Improbable
Amy @ Little Moon Elephant
And whoever wants to add a little Christmas fun to their blog! Go on. You know you want to snag it.

Questions to use (because I haven’t the time to create new ones today):

  • What is your favourite Christmas treat?
  • Are there any special traditions that your family has to celebrate Christmas?
  • How do you normally celebrate Christmas?
  • Do you enjoy getting presents for your friends and family? Do you buy your gifts or go the homemade route?
  • Is it cold where you live? Have you ever had a white Christmas?
  • What’s on your Christmas list this year?
  • What’s your favourite Christmas song?
  • What is your favourite Christmas memory?
  • What does your Christmas Tree look like?
  • What are you reading in December? (Anything festive?)
  • Are you an organised little elf or are you still shopping/preparing on Christmas Eve?
  • How early do you start to get into the Christmas spirit?
  • Do you make any Christmas crafts? Decorations? Send physical Christmas cards?
  • What’s the menu for Christmas Day?!
  • What makes it FEEL like Christmas for you? (Weather, specific tradition, food, smell, person, etc.?)
  • Do you have relatives coming? Excited? Nervous?
  • What famous Christmas character do you most identify with? (Scrooge, Elf, Tiny Tim, the Grinch, Santa, etc.)
  • If you were to start a new Christmas tradition, what would it be?
  • What Christmas movies do you like to watch this time of year or what’s your favorite?
  • What’s your favorite Christmasy book or book with a favorite Christmasy part?

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    One Lovely Blog Award

    Tracey Dyck 18 Comments

    Emily, thou art a blog-saver. I slept in till midmorning today (hallelujah; after this week, I sorely needed it) and realized, “Um, I don’t have a post for today.” Between my previous entry raising support for the Children of the Bard audiobooks and today, my brain has had about zero space for blogging. And then I sit down to scrounge something up for you faithful questers, and lo and behold, Emily has nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award! Many thanks.

    So. Seems simple enough. Seven facts about me. Nominate fifteen bloggers (. . . which may shrivel down to a smaller number). Here we go.

    1. I live with siblings who love to quote things, mainly movies. My brother especially has a filing cabinet for a brain. He must have hundreds of quotes stored in there, complete with voice impersonations. Alas, I do not have this ability. So it gave me great joy recently to be able to say, in the accent of Scarlet Witch (from Avengers: Age of Ultron):

    “Ve vait for two days for Stark to kill us.”
    When my brother admitted that was pretty good, I enthusiastically repeated myself throughout the day, much to his growing annoyance.
    2. Speaking of Marvel, this trailer makes me flail like a hungry octopus. Deb’s fangirl post preeeeetty much sums it all up.
    3. As a wee child, I loved pineapple. Until another little girl, a guest in our home, loudly declared her distaste for pineapple on her pizza. From that point on, I hated it. It took me all the way to my teenage years to rediscover my love for pineapple, both on its own and on pizza.
    4. This:
     
    5. One of the best things about my job is the casual dress code. I get to wear jeans to work!
     
    6. My absolute favorite band from about age eleven to fifteen or sixteen was pureNRG.
     

    I bought all their albums and basically didn’t listen to anything else; three of their posters graced my wall; and I went to one of their concerts. I’ve since outgrown them, but every now and then I listen to some of their music just for nostalgia’s sake.

     
    7. While we’re on the topic of my childhood . . . I had this big stuffed dog named Casey. During my early elementary years, before I started being homeschooled, I would put her on the living room couch and instruct my mom to leave her there all day. Otherwise she’d be too lonely! She had to be with people! Toys have feelings, you know. (Toy Story convinced me of this.)
     
     
    I nominate . . .
    Jenelle Leanne @ jenelleschmidt.com (Not sure if you do tags, but here it is if you want it.)
     
    So not exactly fifteen, but if anyone else out there wants to snag it, consider yourself nominated! Thanks again, Emily!
     
    I’ll be back on Monday with the November edition of Subplots and Storylines.
     
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