So what book am I waiting on?

As the final installment of the Dark Young Adult Blogfest, we're supposed to write about what dark YA book we are most looking forward to.

Because of the book I read last night, this question is eas-ay to answer.

Eve by Anna Carey is the most interesting dystopian fiction I've read in awhile, so even though it only came out a few months ago, I'm already anxiously awaiting the sequel. 

In the twelve short years in which America became New America following an overwhelming plague, the society that we all know changed irrevocably -- and not because America now has a king.

Orphaned girls like Eve, Pip, Ruby, and Arden were born in a world just like ours and have vague memories of places like Oregon and Arizona, but they grew up in a School where they take classes like the Dangers of Men and Boys. They've been told that when they Graduate, they will go on to learn trades and then live in the mythical City of Sand, where they will have four-poster beds and sip lemonade under umbrellas. Unfortunately, the reality of what happens to girls after they graduate becomes readily apparent to Arden and Eve, and they escape into the wild.

The thing I loved most about this book was the overwhelming sense of horror Carey created without delving into melodrama.  The very near future setting made it even that more troubling -- Eve and her friends play with wrinkled Finding Nemo cards, listen to Vogue on cassette tapes, and are still assigned to read The Great Gatsby in School. After escaping, they hide in abandoned houses and look at the photographs of people just like us on refrigerators.

I would not especially recommend Eve to younger readers because of some disturbing content.  Despite raising orphaned girls to fear men and boys as manipulative rapists, New American society is more misogynistic than any band of marauders the girls might fear beyond the walls of School. That being said, Eve offers a hopeful view of humanity as well, as Eve and Arden encounter (gasp!) some men and boys that not only want to help and befriend them, but are in need of the girls' help and friendship as well.

Go.  Read it.  And then I won't be alone in looking forward to the sequel.

Yes - THAT JUST HAPPENED

Ahoy there!

Back from Thanksgiving, attempting to finish NaNoWriMo with some semblance of respectability ("respectability" being 20,000 words. Question: Can I include legal writing in my count? Because if I can, I take it back, I finished ages ago. Although it is a very boring book.), and preparing for my pre-Christmas vacation this weekend.

Because I don't know about you all, but I need to get rejuvenatey before the holidays kick into high gear.

In short, not much to report.  I got some new books to read over the weekend (Eve, Shatter Me, Bad Taste in Boys, Domestic Violets, and Rage -- jealous? Maybe I'll share the love next month. 'Tis the season of giving and all that.) and made a new financial goal (no credit cards in aught-12!).

Meanwhile, something awesome happened.

Over at A Peek at Karen's World, my blog was nominated for something awesome! Along with some other awesome people!

So if you, like me, are having trouble focusing on this Any Given Day, head over there and explore the blog selection.  It's grand fun.

Now I'm off to see if I can sneak in an Angry Nap before heading off to get new tires. 

Sigh.  You really have to prepare mentally before dealing with sales people.

Ahhh, a return to a season of ingratitude

Last night as I was walking Spence, a stray kitten leaped out at me.  Of course I screamed as if it were an axe-wielding fiend and called for Diego (as a cat person) to come assess the situation.

It was cold last night in New Denver, and the kitten kept trying to go in the house with us, so I suspect it knew inside > outside, despite not having a collar or anyone concerned it was out-and-about at 11:30 pm.  I did not want a strange animal in my house, however, so Diego and I decided we'd leave a box with one of Spencer's old beds outside with some leftover turkey, puppy chow, and milk.  Hopefully one of these three things would appeal to the kitten's palate.

Of course, when we returned with our goodies, the kitten was gone, so we left a porch light on for it.  I felt guilty over my refusal to let it come inside when I had the chance, but Diego was convinced it would return.

And boy, did it ever.

This morning I woke up to find that the kitten had returned, eaten all the turkey and some milk, which it promptly threw up on my porch. Then pooped on my steps for good measure.

Thanks-Winning

Today I am grateful for:

A cozy house

An interesting job

An apparently infinite supply of patience for blowhards

Library cards

Pub trivia

Good friends

Good family

Crunchy leaves

Flight vouchers

&

Spencer Pie

What are you grateful for?  PS, Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday, which puts me in a splendid mood -- so don't worry, if you're thankful for Etsy or bejeweled headbands or estate tax reform, I won't judge you for this week and this week only.

Question:

If you were me, what would you post about today?

Pins and needles

Things are rough in Ru Land these days.

1. Have I ever mentioned that my "busy season" is November through March?  No?  Well, it is.  I find myself increasingly overwhelmed with everything I have to do.  And that's all we have to say about that, given my office's strict social networking policies.

2. I'm roughly 10,000 words into my NaNo project.  In case you're wondering, that puts me roughly 15,000 words behind.  No, I'm not giving up yet.  I have every reason to believe that I am capable of writing a boatload this weekend, but I am dreading the thought because sometime last week, I started to hate everything. My plot.  My secondary characters.  Even poor little main character--and she hasn't done anything to me!

For further explanation, refer to point 1.

3. I'm waiting on some maybe-good, most-likely bad news.  And the waiting is putting me in a seriously bad mood.

4. When I'm in a bad mood, I don't really take it out on others.  Mostly I just start talking faster, ordering things on the Internet I can't afford (riding boots, you will soon be mine), and focusing on unrelated projects.  This week's unrelated project: THANKSGIVING! 

(Side note: How wacky is it when your parents get divorced, amiright? 

Don't worry, this isn't going to become the Adult Children of Divorce Chronicles.  Gah, "ACOD."  What a horrid acronym.)

So for obvious reasons, my dad no longer has things like serving dishes, cake platters, salad tongs, and tablecloths, so I've been ordering some online as well as picking out Thanksgiving Day recipes. That is actually really fun, does anyone have any recommendations?  Personally I never saw the point in a gravy boat, but I could be persuaded otherwise.  See above, re: ordering things on the Internet I can't afford.

5. I need some snow tires. Why didn't I buy any back in October, when snow flurries were not an oh-so-guaranteed part of my life? And when I wasn't saving up for a new computer?

Oh beautiful new iMac, our time together has once again been postponed.  I really need to be able to drive around New Denver this winter without creating mass chaos.  Maybe I will get you for my birthday instead of Christmas?

Also, why did I go to H&M this week when I need money in my iMac/snow tires/kitchen remodel fund?  Because in my anxiety I'm substituting financial stability for cozy sweaters, that's why.

PS, how weird is it that I have a healthy retirement fund, no credit card or student loan debt, and a house -- and yet I'm terrible at saving money for a rainy day fund?  Rainy days just happen so often, y'all. And when you look at it that way, THANK GOODNESS for the H&M sweaters, otherwise I'd be soaked and cold on top of broke.

6. On an up-note: The article I wrote last spring was finally published, hurray!  I'd link you to it, but (a) it's lawyerly and you'll most likely find it boring, and (b) it would lead right back to real me, which as previously mentioned is a problem for my future employment.

Anyone else want to share a piece of their own crazy?  Just remember, things get bad for all of us sometimes, but we should count our many blessings: at least we're not pregnant with vampire babies.

The tragedy of high expectations

Do you all ever hear about a really hyped up book, get super stoked to read it, and then find yourself underwhelmed?

("I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever be just 'whelmed'?"/"I think you can in Europe."  NAME THAT MOVIE.)

That happened awhile ago, and thanks to the Blog Rule that you never, ever rip on a book on the blogosphere (unless it's like The Grapes of Wrath or something and Steinbeck is too old, dead, rich, and not on the Internet enough to get his feelings hurt) if you want to someday exchange your mere Writey Pants for a Ballgown or Tuxedo of Author Awesome, I'm not going to say which one.  (Thanks, Paranoia Penguins!)

But, gosh, that book had such promise.  I tore through the first half, completely engrossed, and then somewhere in the middle I started thinking ...

Is this really happening?  

Did ____________  (character name) really just ___________ (action) with ___________ (character name) without so much as ________________  (action) first?  Son of a ______________ (expletive).

I can see the ending coming from a mile away.  Is it really ...?  Yup, it is.


There's going to be a sequel, right?  Because this is a lot of back story.  And I mean A LOT.  We're setting up the sequel here, right?


Why did so many people recommend this to me?  Did they not finish it?


Am I off-base? Am I the only one who thinks this went off the rails at the 2/3 mark?

IF EVERYONE LOVES IT, WHO WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT IT WITH ME??

Am I being too harsh?  I mean, I did absolutely love the beginning.  Am I really moderately satisfied, but just disappointed that the level of awesome was not maintained, and mistaking that feeling for irritation? 


Was the bar just set too high from the get-go?

The problem is, now that I'm looking back on it, a lot of those things don't bother me anymore.  I mostly just remember how awesome the first half was and that, yes I didn't love the ending--but I don't think I actually hated the ending.  I just didn't like it.  And with a book that hyped, I expected total  adoration from cover-to-cover. 

This happens to me all the time with movies, but rarely with a book--probably because books don't get as much hype as movies period, unless their titles kind of sound like Larry Cotter or Shirl with the Wagon Igloo.  (For the record, Shirl also disappointed me.)

Anyone else in the same boat (with a book they may or may not choose to name specifically)?