Recommended Reading - May

Well, May was a very good month for books!

The three Standouts below are either Young Adult or Middle Grade novels. Now, before those of you who don't read YA or MG stop reading, please just don't! These three books have such wonderful crossover appeal that I bet you'll find something to like in at least one of them.     

*****

Books Read in May:  8

Total Books Read in 2013:  34

Standouts

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch - YA - This book is one of my favorite books of 2013. It is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, and its complex story of love is heartrending and joyous. You will root for sisters Carey and Jenessa, and also for the people who come to love them. Carey is a true heroine, a contemporary Katniss Everdeen. This story will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

*****

Doll Bones by Holly Black - MG - This was the first novel I'd read by this author but it won't be my last. On one level, this is a quest story with a creep factor kids will love. On another, it's about the bittersweet ache of growing up and believing you have to leave behind certain things, like playing and imagination. And, while to some degree, this is true, you don't have to abandon them totally. This is a sweet and spooky story with a cast of lovable and complex characters.

*****

In the After by Demitria Lunetta - YA - I was hooked right from the novel's creepy, suspenseful start. Nice twists keep the tension high throughout. It's got great characters, and the relationship between Amy and "Baby" add a deeper layer to this survival/dystopian story. It sort of reminds me of the TV show, The Walking Dead...but without the zombies. (You'll just have to read the book to understand that weird comparison!)

I received an ARC of this through a Harper Collins giveaway.
The novel will be available June 25, 2013.    

*****

Did you read anything this month that blew you away? Do you regularly read YA and/or MG? Have you read any of these or do you plan to?

Got Health?

When I saw Alex Cavanaugh and friends were hosting a Get Healthy Bloghop, my first thought was that it wasn't something I should sign up for. I mean, come on - I'm no health nut or exercise guru. I am the crying, wheezing, sweaty lump in the road that the real athletes have to run around on the way to the finish line.

But the whole point of the bloghop is to share something we've done that has affected our health in a positive way. And you know what? I can actually do that! 

Over the last year, I've lost a chunk of weight and one of the reasons for this is portion control. Yes, I know, ho-hum, boring. That's what I thought, too. What difference does an extra spoonful - or a second helping of potatoes, another bowl of pasta, a third slice of pizza - make? Once in awhile - not much. But when that becomes your usual way of eating, it makes a big difference in more ways than one. Learning about and focusing on portions really opened my eyes to how much more food I really was eating. Cutting back was hard at first, but I got used to it, and it's now pretty much my default.  

One other tip that worked for me - not so much with losing weight but just feeling better - was cutting out soda. Every once in awhile, I'll have some Classic Coca Cola - I enjoy it with certain foods and I occasionally "treat" myself - but for the most part, I've replaced soda with water and unsweetened iced teas - black, green or other flavors with no added sugars. And, like with the portion control, it was hard at first but I got used to it...and feel better for it.  

I'm looking forward to visiting the other participants in the Get Healthy Bloghop, and I'd love to hear more tips from you all here in the comments. 

The Lovely Liebster Award

One of my new blogging buddies, Kate over at My Next Life, nominated me for a Liebster Award back in April. Thank you, Kate!

** Also, Kate is running a "Win a Banner" contest! Deadline is June 6th, so hurry over and check out all the details. **

Since I've received the Liebster before, I'm going to be a rebel and instead of listing facts about myself, I'm just going to answer Kate's fun questions.... 

1) If you were an animal, what would you be? You know how they say that after awhile, people and their pets start to look alike? Yeah, well, put a pair of glasses on Mrs. Larry and....

2) What is your favorite book of all time? It's a weird tie - The Stand by Stephen King and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. 

3) What's your biggest fear? The zombie apocalypse. I mean, seriously, have you seen me run?

4) If you could have any talent (that you don't already have), what would it be? Hmm, there are so many.... I'd go with cooking or playing an instrument.  

5) If you could invite three famous people (alive or dead) to dinner, who would you choose? I wouldn't subject anyone to my cooking. See my answer to #4.

6) If you had a time machine, where would you go first? The first thing that popped into my head was pioneer times, like maybe to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home. I have no idea why, since I would last about as long there as I would during the zombie apocalypse. 

7) If calories didn't count, what would you eat today? The cheesiest, creamiest, richest mac and cheese I could find.

8) What book do you wish you'd written? So many for so many different reasons. First one that came to mind? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

9) What antagonist do you most relate to? I'm going to go with the one in my current WiP which will scare the Hell out of anyone who has read some of those pages. She scares me to death but there's something about her that makes me want to write her story.  

10) If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be? The day my husband proposed. It is such a sweet, funny, romantic memory that even just thinking about it makes me smile. 

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Pretty much where I do now, only closer to the water. Or some place closer to water. And I'd split my time between there and a villa in the Italian countryside. 

I know a lot of you already received the Liebster so I'm not going to pass it on, but I would love it if you'd answer any or all of Kate's questions in the comments. Come on, I can't be the only one who wants to eat magically calorie free mac and cheese before the zombies arrive.... 

Book Notes and Writing News from Around the Web

Here are some notes and news I thought you all might be interested in....

*****

Khaled Hosseini's new novel, And the Mountains Echoed, comes out May 21st. I have no idea how he's going to top The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, but if anyone can do it, he can.

I absolutely loved Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt so I am counting the days until May 28th when her second novel, Looking for Me, comes out.

And June brings both the heat and the chills with two creepy novels  - Joyland by Stephen King and Always Watching by Chevy Stevens (whose novel, Still Missing, continues to haunt me years later!)

*****

Want a hilarious look at the writing and/or cleaning process? Check out Nathan Bransford's post, "How to Do Your Chores in 12 Easy Steps."       

*****

Two great posts on Writer UnBoxed - 

"Clawing Our Way Back to the Creative Center" by Robin LaFevers talks about having to disconnect from the real world in order to connect to her writing.

"The New Era of Self-Publishing" by Allison Winn Scotch is a great post about how she, a traditionally published author, is considering self publishing her next novel. The discussion that follows  in the comments of her post is civil and thoughtful.

*****

This actually has nothing to do with writing but since it's on author Joshilyn Jackson's blog, I'm counting it. Besides, it totally cracked me up - "The Third Piece of Unsolicited Advice Drops." 

*****

Looking forward to any - or all - of those novels? Going to check out any of the links? Is there anything you've come across lately that you'd like to share in the comments? 

Home Work - Every Day Fiction

If you're looking for a nice, sweet Mother's Day story, you won't find it in "Home Work" up at Every Day Fiction. No, it's not about zombies or giant spiders (although, that's not a bad idea. Maybe next time....) 

It's about a girl with a heartbreaking homework assignment, a homeless woman who wears a sombrero, and the moment you learn to let go of what you so desperately wish you had in order to make room for what you might need. 

I hope you enjoy reading about Page and "Betty" as much as I enjoyed writing about them.  

The Mother of All Days

I don't have children - unless you count the tortoises and, really, we all know who's keeping an eye on whom - but I'm very excited for Mother's Day this Sunday, May 12th because my story, "Home Work," will be up over at Every Day Fiction (EDF)!    

Since we have some new friends here at TSR who might not be familiar with EDF, here's a little more information - 

For writers:  it's a great market for flash fiction. They're open to pretty much all genres. The editors provide excellent constructive criticism, regardless of whether or not they accept your story. The readers vote and comment, giving the writer instant feedback. There's also an opportunity for your story to be included in an anthology, made into a podcast and, well...just go ahead and check out the Submission Guidelines for all the details. 

For readers:  you can sign up and get a story delivered to your inbox every day. You never know what genre it will be, so it's always a bit of a surprise, but I've read some great writers at EDF who I might never have stumbled across otherwise.  

Check out May's Table of Contents for all the upcoming stories - including mine! - and also to see what the editors are looking for during the next few months.  

Brotherly Love - One Forty Fiction

When my sister and I were kids, and we'd argue or tease each other, one of the adults would say, "Sisterly love in action." Yeah, well that was nothing compared to what happens in my Twitter story, "Brotherly Love" up at One Forty Fiction. 

Hmm, maybe my sister should read it to see how much worse it could've been....