The Traitor In the Tunnel (The Agency #3) by Y.S. Lee

Book: The Traitor In the Tunnel (The Agency #3) by Y.S. Lee

Summary: Mary Quinn is once again on a case for The Agency, a secret organization of female spies in Victorian London.  This time, Mary is undercover as a maid in the Queen's household.  It is a simple job--lure out a theif--but, as always, things get more complicated.  There is a lady-in-waiting sneaking around the palace and using secret tunnels; James Easton has been contracted to repair weak security points in the public sewer systems; and the Crown Prince witnesses a murder at an opium den and the killer may be Mary's father.

Characters:  I like Mary.  She is nosy, smart, and her flaws make her seem real.  She is easy to root for and I can't wait to keep reading this series.  However, James Easton is the character that makes the book for me.  He's stubborn, obnoxious, and always on a high horse.  But he's perfect for Mary and fits well into her sleuthing life style.  The steamy makeout sessions in the drawing room have me convinced that one day I, too, must have a drawing room.

I love the other characters, too.  I loved meeting Mary's father--a dying opium addict, humiliated at the state of his life.  The characters we meet in the palace are all interesting and unique... I especially loved the Queen.  She was a minor character, but just had so much personality.  Mr. Jones, the newspaper man who complicates things in book two, makes another appearance.  I can't help but like him. 

Plot/Pacing/Structure: The book kept a steady pace and there weren't any moments where I wanted to put the book down.  A lot happened in this book and the mystery seemed to take a back seat, but I think Lee pulled it off well.  Mary and James figure out their relationship (in steamy drawing room scenes... sigh) and Mary investigates her father's crime while trying to come to terms with her Chinese parentage.  There was humor and romance and character growth and it all seemed perfectly balanced.

Also, the end.  Oh man... the end.  I could not have asked for a better ending.  Without resorting to a cliffhanger, it made me really excited to read more books in this series.  I seriously can't wait to see where Lee takes Mary after this.

Moments I Loved:  Have I mentioned the steamy makeouts in the drawing room?  There were many great moments, but the scenes between Mary and James are easily my favorite.

WTF Moments: Any scenes with the Prince.  They were great scenes (all the scenes were pretty great), but the Prince is pathetic and immature and I just wanted someone to slap him across the face and tell him to man up.

Overall:  I loved it.  I can't wait for the next book in the series.  Mary and James are one of my all time favorite literary couples and I love how much trouble they get in together.

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 373 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge and Historical for the Eclectic Reader.  Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

This Week's Best Writing Posts: 3/23-29

I think I'm getting sick, so short list this week:

7 Dialog Basics That Can Help Tighten Our Stories by Jody Hedlund

How To Button A Chapter by Mary Kole.

March Madness: All the Little Things by Vickie Motter.  If only for the excellent use of the phrase "man meat".

Lost In the Crowd: Working With Multiple Point of View Characters by Janice Hardy.  This isn't the type of post that would normally catch my eye.  However, I am about a third of the way through The Night Circus and it is so magical that for the first time I am attracted to the idea of writing a story with multiple points of view.

Awake: Season One, Episodes 3-4

Yes, I'm still in love with this series.  I've been working at 7am the last few weeks, which means waking up at 5.  Since I haven't been able to stay up for a 10pm show, I got a little behind, but now I've caught up and I can't wait for tonight's episode.  So, in case you haven't been watching... this is what you need to know:

Series premise: A cop drama following Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) after a car accident that results in his life literally splitting in two.  He has two realities--one where his wife survives and one where his son does.  He doesn't know which one is real and which is a dream, but he does know that clues in one will often solve cases in the other.

Episode 3: Britten must prove the innocence of a killer who has been behind bars for years if he hopes to save his kidnapped son in his other reality.  I loved it, because this show felt so real.  The son admits to his tennis coach that he feels guilty for wishing his dad had died instead of his mom and Michael must come to terms with the idea that he put an innocent man behind bars.  The characters are far from perfect, but their flaws are what make them so easy to like, relate to, and root for.

Episode 4: This episode was more subtle... and I loved it.  Each of Britten's two realities has a murder, but both crimes have the same witness.  In one reality, the girl has let the death of her sister ruin her, giving in to a life of drugs, poverty, and despair.  In the other, the girl has overcome her loss and is a successful investment banker.  Michael studies this girl in both worlds, desperate for a clue on how to save his son from the grief of losing his mother.

Both of these episodes reemphasize just how much I love Jason Isaacs.  Seriously, Michael Britten is not a nice man.  Even though he's not warm, he's not the jaded by the books cop battling some past trauma, either.  He is trying to be a good father, a good cop.  He is a full and original character struggling to balance his two lives.

I love watching Britten interact with his wife and his son.  For Britten, both are very much alive and so it is impossible for him to help his wife grieve or for him to really be there for his son.  The therapists each have a take on what is happening to Michael and watching him try to deal with the situation is my favorite part of the show.  Michael insists on both worlds (wouldn't we all?), but if he can't handle it, he'll lose both.  It's never a matter of choosing.  It's all or nothing for Michael and those are stakes I like.

So far there have been a few hints that there is a bigger game that Michael is a part of, but we haven't really dug in to why this is happening.  I'm looking forward to seeing where the writer's will take this show.

Waiting On Wednesday: Black Heart

Waiting On Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine, lets us book hoarding bloggers highlight a book we're excited for each week.  This is my third week participating and I'm already addicted.  This week I'm waiting on Black Heart by Holly Black.

GoodReads:  I usually list the GoodReads description, but it is a little spoilery for the series, so I will say this.  Black Heart is the third (and I believe final) book set in a world where the mob is organized around illegal magic.  Cassel is an anti-hero who grew up learning the art of the con and now spends his time trying to walk the fine line between right and wrong, himself and his family, and the law and the mob.

Why I'm Excited: I LOVE THE CURSE WORKER SERIES.  I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the cons, and I love the conflict.  Black always surprises me, always rivets me, and I fully expect this to be one of the best books I read all year.  I recommend this series to everybody and think it will appeal to teenage boys who don't want to read.  That is a WIN!!!!

I will admit my disappointment in the repackaging of the series.  I still love the original covers, but if these will get more people to read this series, then once again... win!  Black Heart Comes out April 3, 2012!

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

This is one of my all time favorite covers. I love it.  So much.  The story... I have no idea what I think.  Honestly.  This book makes me so thankful that I started doing structured reviews, because otherwise, I wouldn't know what to write.  Sometimes when a book leaves me unsettled and makes me think, it comes off as if I didn't like the book.  But I did like Sister's Red.  I think.  But, that is the reason why this post is the longest post I've done in a while.  Sorry. 

Book:  Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Narrators: Erin Moon, Michal Friedman, Suzanne Toren

Summary:  As a kid, Scarlett risked her life to protect her sister, Rosie, from a Fenris (werewolf).  She came out the fight alive, but scarred and missing an eye.  Now, at 16 and 18, the girls are so close they think they are two halves of the same heart and, with their woodsman friend, Silas, they relentlessly track down and kill the Fenris.  But Rosie doesn't love the hunt the way Scarlett does and when Rosie starts to fall in love with Silas, it feels like she is betraying her sister.  Meanwhile, Scarlett's obsession for killing the Fenris is growing even stronger.

Characters:  There were three main characters and I'm not sure how I feel about any of them.  Scarlett is the one I related to most.  She is strong, damaged, obsessive.  She feels like she only has two people in the whole world and she can't handle their changing relationship.  I liked her, she was easy to root for, but I felt like her obsession with the hunt was too much.  Not that it was unrealistic for her character, but no matter how many times she rationalized that what she does is right, I couldn't shake the feeling that, emotionally, she is very unhealthy.

This comes out in her relationship with Rosie.  I loved the sisters's bond, that they would give their lives for one another and constantly referred to the other as the other half of their own heart.  It was beautiful and deep and I never doubted their love.  BUT... Scarlett is selfish and because she sacrificed her face to save her sister, Rosie feels she owes her life to her sister.  She enables her sister to become obsessive about hunting and control the relationship.  The amount of guilt Rosie feels over taking a 30 minute oragami class is ridiculous.

Then there is Silas.  I had the most problems with him as a character.  He's a lot older than Rosie and I couldn't see what he saw in her.  I could see Rosie's crush develop, but I never really felt their bond or their love.  Honestly, I thought Silas was better suited for Scarlett.  My biggest problem with Silas was the scene between him and Scarlett after Scarlett finds out that Rosie and Silas are in love. 

Scarlett admits that she can never find love because she is scarred and wears an eyepatch.  He tells her he was in love with her first, for their entire lives, but that he realized she was in love with the hunt.  He kisses her to prove his point and it is the moment she realizes that she didn't feel anything, becuase Silas is right... the hunt is the only thing that matters to her. 

On one level, I liked this scene, but mostly... I felt like Silas was settling for Rosie because Scarlett was unavailable.  Rosie deserves better.  Then, there is the whole issue that he kissed his girlfriend's sister.  I think it would have hurt Rosie, no matter his reasons.  Finally, even though Rosie says at the end that Scarlett's love for the hunt is a passion, not a disease... I don't buy it.  Scarlett needs help and Silas, like Rosie, is just letting her be consumed by her rage and hatred.

Plot/Pacing/Structure: This is a character driven story, which surprised me.  The plot was there, but the focus was absolutely on the characters.  Because Sisters Red was focused more on character, the narrators (alternated between Rosie and Scarlet) would talk ad naseum about the plot points.  This was especially frustrating during the big reveal at the end, because I had guessed it at the beginning of the book.  In addition, the narrators both spoke very slowly, which drove me crazy.

Things at the end were set up well in the beginning, but the begging was soooo slooooow.  I stopped listening to it for weeks at a time and had a hard time getting back into it every time.  About a third of the way through things started to pick up and by the time I was two thirds of the way through, I wanted to keep listening.  I even skipped my LMFAO pandora station in favor of Sisters Red while I was working out one day.  It was a really emotional part of the book and I kept getting choked up, so I'm pretty sure that the person on the elliptical next to me thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Moments I Loved:  The moment Scarlet realized that she didn't want Rosie to become damaged and hunt-obsessed.  I had been waiting the entire book for this to happen.  Also, when Rosie came into her own, although it was tainted by her focus on becoming Scarlet.

WTF Moments: Unfortunately, my wtf moments are moments that pissed me off and took me out of the story instead of moments that creeped me out in a good way.  The kiss... the one I mentioned in Characters.  Seriously... wtf.  Also, the epilogue.  I hated it.  It made me sad and didn't seem to resolve anything further.  I would have been much more satisfied had it not been included at all, which is weird, because I usually love epilogues.

Overall:  I just don't know what to think about this book.  I got sucked in at the end, but it went slower than I would have preferred.  The characters were all very real and very flawed, but I had trouble really liking any of them.  The story was good and I was on the verge of tears at many points throughout the story, but the relationships between the characters left me feeling uneasy. 

Again, I just don't know how I feel about this book.  But I do want to read more by Jackson Pearce.  These were some of the most deeply rendered characters I have ever read and I appreciate that.  The cover for the second book in this series, Sweetly, is AMAZING and retells Hansel and Gretel.  But the third book's cover copy just blew me away (Fathomless... go read it!).  Not only is it about Silas's younger sister, but it is about mermaids.  Yeah.

Reading Challenges: This book doesn't count toward any challenges, but you can still track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Downton Abbey: Season Two, Episode Eight

Oh man. Best episode yet. I love this show. I just want to scream about my love for this show from rooftops, but I'll settle for my blog... I LOVE THIS SHOW. As always, this post will have spoilers.

Let's get out of the way what I didn't like. Gwen, the housemaid from season one, was awesome. I have disliked both her replacements. Ethel got herself knocked up and in this episode she refuses to give the child up to his aristocratic grandparents, who want to raise him with all the opportunities she could never provide him. I thought it was incredibly selfish. The second replacement housemaid, Jane, has had a bit of a romance with Lord Grantham, which I find out of character and just don't enjoy. She has resigned and I hope to never see her again.

Now on to the good stuff. Lady Sibyl announced her engagement to Branson to her family. At first they were resistant, especially her father. But Branson refused to be paid off and Sibyl truly loves him, so at the end, the family decided to make the best of it. The Dowager Countess is the one I thought would never forgive her, but she is the one most determined to make the best of it.

As for Mary and Matthew... oh man. Matthew and Lavinia's wedding is postponed when Spanish flu attacks Downton Abbey. But Lavinia sees Matthew and Mary kissing and breaks off their engagement just before dying. Matthew believes she died of a broken heart and tells Mary they are cursed and can't be together. At first, I thought killing Lavinia was the easy way out, but then I decided it adds an even richer layer of drama to keep Matthew and Mary apart. Plus Sir Richard is still in the picture and he will be a much harder adversary to get rid of if Matthew and Mary are to be together.

Also... Mr. Bates and Anna get married. They spend one night together in a proper room that Mary has arranged for them (I love Mary), before Bates is arrested for the murder of the late Mrs. Bates. I think that she killed herself and framed Bates, because she hates him that much, but there is no proof and with only one episode left, I can't wait to see how this is resolved. Have I mentioned that I love this show?

Downton Abbey, Season Two, Episode Seven

This show is one of my favorites. As always, there is lots of conflict and I have become invested in all of the characters, even those that are creating the conflict. As always… There will be spoilers. Lots and lots of horrible, wonderful spoilers.

Episode Six left us with the news that Mrs. Bates is dead. In Episode Seven, we find out that Mrs. Bates wasn't murdered, but committed suicide. However, all the evidence is starting to look like Bates killed her and made it look that way. Anna believes he is innocent and, as a viewer, I believe that Mrs. Bates is evil enough to set Bates up that way. But I am still not sure if Bates killed her or Mrs. Bates is using her suicide to screw him over once again. I can't wait to see how this resolves.

As everyone else adjusts quickly to life after the war, Lord Grantham becomes more depressed as he searches for a purpose for his life. His days are aimless and at one point, he comes on to the new housemaid...I hated this scene. It felt so out of character for him. He is a good man who loves his wife and I hope they leave that storyline alone in future episodes.

And since I’m sure you’re all curious about the scheming footman… Thomas's schemes have gotten bigger. In this episode, he spends all his money buying cooking supplies, because they are in high demand everywhere. He is devastated to learn that he was sold flour that was mixed with plaster dust and an assortment of equally useless products. He now has nothing, except debts and no idea what to do about it. I really enjoyed this story line, because I felt he got what was coming to him, but at the same time I was able to feel real sympathy for him. I also thought the scene where he destroys all of his products was beautifully acted.

Other moments worth mentioning: Matthew can walk! I adore Lavinia, but I so want Matthew to end up with Mary. It broke my heart when Lady Mary was mean to Carson, he adores her and has since she was a child. Ethel breaks into the house and ruins a luncheon with the dead major's parents. I seriously hope this plot line is done.

Because it is more important than the scheming footman moments, the Love Report: Lady Mary now realizes what a horrible person Sir Richard is, but is in too deep to get out of it. Besides, Matthew has recovered and decided to marry Lavinia as soon as he is well enough to walk down the aisle. I can't wait to see how this is resolved, but for the time being, the most important thing is that Lady Sybil said yes to Branson. They run away to elope, but Mary and Edith stop them and bring her home. I think it left Branson a bit broken hearted, but she does still intend to marry him, she is just going to tell her parents first and do it in the daylight.

Only two episodes left and knowing that I will get to the end is killing me a little bit.

Sundays In Bed With and Thoughts On the Hunger Games Movie

Sunday is my favorite gym day, but I'm showered and back in bed, ready to read as soon I post this.  Sundays In Bed With... is the brainchild of Kate aka Midnight Book Girl and I like it because it makes me feel normal for spending so much time in bed with a book.  This Sunday, I'm in bed with...

This has been on my TBR pile for a while, but Kate recently loved it and after reading one of her status updates on GoodReads, I had to move it to the top of the pile.  I'm one chapter in and already love it!

I also want to post some thoughts on the Hunger Games.  I probably have enough for a full review post, but I enjoyed the movie and I really don't want to dissect it too much, because I want to continue to enjoy it when I see it again. So, thoughts...

1.  The change with the mockingjay pin didn't bother me at all.  In fact, I liked it better.  Sorry.
2.  Kato was hot.
3.  The dogs at the end were TERRIFYING.  I am so glad they cut out the whole eye thing.  I don't think I could have handled it.
4. The friend I saw it with hadn't read the book and was confused about the berries. That seemed to be the only thing she couldn't follow.
5. Seneca Crane was likeable and sympathetic.   He had a great beard.  The final scene with the berries... omg, yes!
6. President Snow is exactly how I like my bad guys.  Quiet and pleasant, but absolutely terrifying.
7. I liked how they strengthened the love triangle.  It added some of the tension we lost, because we obviously can't be in Katniss's head during the movie.  I loved the actor who played Gale, and Josh Hutcherson made Peeta a little stronger than he came off in the book.  I loved them both!
8. Was it just me or did Katniss have more romantic chemistry with Cinna than with either Gale or Peeta.  Also, where do I buy gold eyeliner.  I must have it.
9. The Capitol was beautiful.
10. I loved seeing how the games were put together and Caesar Flickerman.... inspired!
11. Loved the fire costumes!

Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

The 9th and final book in this series comes out soon and, to prepare, The Romo and I are rereading the whole series.  Well, The Romo decided to and I'm just copying.  I love this series.

Book: Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Summary:  Sabrina and Daphne Grimm spent the year and a half after their parents's disappearance sneaking out of horrible foster homes.  So they would be excited about moving to Ferry Port Landing to live with a woman claiming to be their grandmother if it weren't for the fact that their grandmother is dead.  But when they discover the woman is telling the truth, they learn that their parents lied about a whole lot more than their grandmother's death.

The Brother's Grimm weren't storytellers, they were historians and Ferry Port Landing is the home to many of the worlds most famous EverAfters (fairy tale creatures if you don't want to be PC).  Now Sabrina and Daphne must learn to navigate this new world of magic and legends, especially if they are to stand a chance of rescuing the grandmother they have come to love.

Characters: Sabrina and Daphne are real kids and easy to relate to and root for.  Sometimes obnoxious, they are also funny, adventurous, and trying their best to hide the pain of losing their parents.  The characters they meet in Ferry Port Landing are a bit more eccentric, but a lot of fun.  Granny Relda serves the girls neon colored foods and her house is filled with books.  Puck is the young trickster king who enjoys annoying Sabrina a little too much.  Prince Mayor Charming is arrogant and selfish, but fascinating.  I love reading how Buckley reimagines each EverAfter we meet.

Plot/Pacing/Structure: The story moved quickly and always kept my attention.  I enjoyed the mystery that was resolved in the book, even though I knew how it would end.  The series mystery was sprinkled in just enough to get me interested, without being overwhelming for a first book.  There was lots of action, but the reimagining of familiar EverAfters kept my interest no matter what else was happening in the book.

Moments I Loved:  To avoid spoilers, I'll be vauge, but just know I'm about to be vague if you don't want to risk it.  At the end of the book, the sisters must team up with someone who is definitely not an ally in order to defeat a common enemy.  I LOVE moments like this and it was handled really well in this book.

Puck.  Everything with Puck. Puck, Puck, Puck.  He is my favorite character and when he announced he was moving in to Granny Relda's house... priceless.


WTF Moments: Puck can shape shift and he turns himself into a fly.  Totally in line with his character, but... gross!

Overall: I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first time I read it.  It is fun and has such a fresh take on fairy-tales.  Since I've read the eight books that are already out, I enjoyed some moments more, because I knew many of the big reveals that come later in the series.  .

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 284 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge, Support Your Local Library, and Read Me Baby One More Time.  Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

This Week's Best Writing Posts: 3/16-3/22

There were soooo many posts that I loved this week...

What Would You Do If You Had To Give Up Writing? by Adam Heine.... This post makes a really good point.

The Top Three Things You've Learned by Beth Revis.  Revis collects 3 lines of advice from a few authors who debuted in 2011.

Andrew Stanton Part 6: "The Clues To A Good Story" (TED Talk) by Scott Myers.  It is no secret that I love structure... but people don't get that I love ANY structure.  This  is a reminder that storytelling has guidelines and you need to figure out what works.

Stuff On Sundays: Literally by ShellyRae Cusbert.  A hilarious guide to common grammar mistakes.

March Madness: Are You A Victim of the Duh Factor? by Vickie Motter.

FAQs: Four and the Names We Choose by Veronica Roth.  She forgot Gatsby, but the post is intriguing enough that I'll forgive her.  SPOILERS FOR DIVERGENT in this post!

Do You Know the Two Ingredients in A Perfect Ending? by K.M. Weiland.  Inevitability and Unexpectedness, obviously, but she also tells you how to achieve both.

The Literary Tour Guide: How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Setting? by Janice Hardy.  I think this is what I am weakest at, so this post was great because it walks you through exactly how to effectively incorporate setting description.

Downton Abbey: Season Two, Episode Six

I still want to blog about each episode of Awake, because I'm loving it. I'm going to catch up this weekend, so for now, I will continue with my Downton Abbey commentary. As always... there will be spoilers.

The death of the heir presumptive on the Titanic in the very first episode introduced the new heir, Matthew, who we have all grown to love. This episode did something I never expected. A soldier with disfiguring burns on his face arrives at Downton claiming to be Patrick, the presumed dead heir, who has lived in Canada with amnesia for the past six years. Edith believes him, but everyone else doubts him, if only because they have come to love Patrick. My hate for Edith is only matched by my love for Matthew, so obviously, I want this man to be a con artist.

In the love department, Sibyl is thinking about Branson's proposal and even though he claims he can wait forever for her answer... I cannot! She needs to hurry up and marry the fool, because he is wonderful! Lady Edith, as I mentioned, is hopefully on her way to soul-crushing heartbreak, while Lady Mary is preparing to wed Sir Richard. Last episode, she told him about her lover, Mr. Pamuk, and he used his power to keep her secret. However, this episode, he has shown his true hand... he will not hesitate to use the knowledge as leverage to gain the upper hand in their marriage.

In other news, I'm bored with Ethel and her baby. It just stopped being interesting, although if I'm honest, it is probably because I never liked Ethel, so I never cared about what happened to her. Luckily, not a great deal of time is spent on this and the episode ended with a killer cliffhanger. Mrs. Bates is found dead at the end of the episode. As Mr. Bates returned from London with a cut on his face, the question has to be asked... did he kill his wife? And if he did... will Anna still love him?

ROW80 and Giveaway Winner

My first giveaway ended on Monday night and the winner is: Cayce.  I've sent her the audible download code for BZRK by Michael Grant.  Thank you to everyone who entered!

Today is the last check in for ROW80, the writing challenge I've been doing.  These were my goals for the round:
Finish the first draft of the YA novel
Finish the second draft of the current screenplay
Rewrite the Werewolf short story
Write two new short stories
Come up with names for all of these projects (because they are all untitled) and the mermaid one, too.
Break the next screenplay.

I finished most of my goals.  As I said previously, I have both short stories planned out, but was swept up by a new idea for a middle grade novel that I am currently working on (and loving).  I'm not thrilled with the screenplay rewrite and I never sat down with a beat sheet and stack of notecards to plan out a new screenplay, although I have three screenplay ideas that I love (all with amazing titles that I also love).
For the most part, I am really happy with the progress I've made.  I have so many things that I want to work on and I expect the hardest part of round 2 will be deciding which projects to focus on.  I'm still doing my best to create balance in my life, but I'm not burnt out and I'm looking forward to challenging myself even more in the next few months.  All I know for sure is that there will be a lot of rewriting.

Waiting On Wednesday: The List

Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine, has become my new favorite book meme.  Part of it is because I like owning books as much as I like reading books and the rest is that it is fun to be excited about new books.


This week, I'm excited about The List by Siobhan Vivian.

GoodReads Description:  An intense look at the rules of high school attraction—and the price that’s paid for them. 

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up. 

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

Why I'm Excited: I like contemporary stand alone novels and think this one sounds great.  But mostly, I love the cover and love this author interview about the cover.


The List comes out April 1... the same week as I Hunt Killers AND Black Heart (next week's WOW), so if I completely disappear the first week in April... that's why.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that combines lists and books... I'm a convert.  This week everyone is making lists of the books they are looking forward to reading this spring.

I'm going to split my list in two... top five new releases I'm excited for and top five books I've been meaning to get to.  Covers link to GoodReads.

Top Ten Spring TBR - New Releases

    

   

Top Ten Spring TBR - From the piles

      

   

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Ally Carter is one of those authors that I know I'm going to like her books, so I pre-order without reading the cover copy and don't think about it again.  So, it was an unexpected surprise when Out of Sight, Out of Time showed up at my door on Tuesday.
Book:  Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Summary:  As a senior at a secret school for spies, Cammie Morgan should be preparing for her first real mission after school.  But she's already been on plenty of real missions, especially the one last summer that she can't remember.  Her mother warns her that she may not want to remember, but Cammie has to piece her summer together if she wants answers to her father's disappearance and why a secret society started chasing her.


Characters: I've loved Cammie and her friends since book one, but this book seemed to go deeper into all of them.  Cammie left and each character had a unique but deep reaction to it.  Seeing them deal with Cammie's absence and her return is the most intimate we've been with these characers so far.  I loved it. 

We see the bad guys through Cammie's eyes, so they do come across as purely evil, but it fits the tone of the books and Carter still has fun with it.  The big bad guy in this series... is Cammie's boyfriend's mom.  And there are always shocking betrayals and double agents.  I do get the feeling that the bad guys are actually real people, but we only see one side of them, because that is how Cammie needs to see them in order to be able to function.

Plot/Pacing/Structure:  The plot was constantly moving forward without ever losing me or making me feel overwhelmed.  Impressive in a book where there is a huge mystery the characters are trying to solve.  I also really appreciated that the book had its own plot with beginning, middle, and end, even though the large focus of this book is on the series plot.


Moments I Loved:  I loved the scene where Cammie is reunited with her best friends.  It could have easily been a simple scene that brought the main character back and reestablished her in the world we're used to, but Carter chose to introduce tension between Cammie and everyone she cares about.  This added emotional layer is explored throughout the book and is what made it my favorite in the series so far.

Along the same lines, I loved the scene where Bex and Cammie are in the woods near Joe Solomon's cabin.  There had been a rift between them since Cammie's return and this scene emphasized that the rift was not there becuase they had grown apart while Cammie was gone, but because of how much they care about each other.

WTF Moments: The moment when a traitor is discovered... wtf in a wonderful, that-did-not-just-happen, kind of way.  Although there were quite a few twists and reveals that I loved.


Overall:  The books have always been plot heavy, but in Out of Sight, Out of Time Carter took her characters places I didn't expect.  As I said, this is the best of the series so far and I can't wait to read more.


Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 294 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge.  Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

ROW80 and Sundays In Bed With

ROW80: 

I'd like to say that I was super productive this week... but I wasn't.  I didn't work on my WIP as much as I wanted to, but I did a lot of work on a synopsis for another project.  I hate synopsis... I also read a lot, which was refreshing after travelling so much, so I feel energized and inspired and whatnot for the upcoming week.  Part of me still feels like I'm just making excuses.


SUNDAY'S IN BED WITH...

Right now I am in the middle of two books.  The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives is a middle grade novel that I loved the first time I read it.  I am attempting to reread the whole series for the upcoming release of the final book.  The Agency: The Traitor in the Tunnel is the third book in a mystery series set in Victorian London.  It just came out and I'm excited because so far it is just as smart and fun and amazing as the first two.

My bed (and entire room really) is a disaster right now, so I had to do a close up.  But you can see my totally adorable Tinkerbell pillowcase and Hello Kitty dressed as a rock.  Just behind the pillow you can see the very bottoms of a couple of tbr piles...  I think I'll be more productive in my writing if I organize my life, so maybe next week I'll make my bed and give you a real picture.

Also, my giveaway is still open.  Enter to win an audiobook download from Audible.com... you don't have to follow the blog to enter, but followers do get extra entries.  It closes tomorrow, MONDAY, March 19 at 11:59pm.

Downton Abbey, Season Two, Episode Five

This post is short, because once again, I had a hard time taking too much time between episodes.  In episode five, we see characters coming together to fight a common enemy and class lines disappearing more and more.  As always, this review will have spoilers.

O'Brien tries to stir up trouble for Bates by writing to Mrs. Bates, but when she realizes that Mrs. Bates is threatening to ruin Mary and her family's reputation, she switches sides.  O'Brien may not like Bates, but some things are more important.


Thomas cares about William when he's dying and is annoyed he can't be transfered to Downton, because their hospital is for officers only.  But the Dowager Countess steps in, gets Thomas transferred, and talks the minister into allowing William to be married to Daisy on his deathbed.  Maggie Smithh is seriously amazing.

Branson and Sibyl come close to something.  The war is making that invisible boundary that separates them disappear... sort of.  Mary is forced to tell Sir Richard about her scandalous past and he thinks the fact that she has taken a lover puts them on more equal footing (it totally doesn't... I love Mary).

In things that annoyed me, Edith continues to be a good person, which feels out of character.  I never saw her change and I still don't like her.  The pregnant housemaid, Ethel, has a baby and the officer/father wants nothing to do with her.  She's poor and barely scraping by.  I hate her character and this story line.

Then, because I can't talk about this episode without talking about it... Matthew loses the use of his legs and his ability to, erm, produce an heir.  He tells Lavinia to leave him.  He believes he can not marry any woman. This creates some serious drama.  I love Matthew!

This Week's Best Writing Posts 3/9-3/15

I was behind on my reader, so some of these are older than a week, but they were too good to pass up.

Story Junkie by Keirsten White.  Loved her account of why she writes.

Being Evil: Plotting from the Antagonist's Perspective by Janice Hardy.  Love this.  Love this, love this, love this.

"Yawsuhh, I'ze gwine gogitzome skrimps teat." I would never write this by John Ramsey Miller .Thank you.  I hate reading dialect.

In the beginning by Elena Johnson.  By now, you should know how much I adore structure.

Stuck In A Creative Funk? Try These 12 Tips by Jeff Goins.

Questions For Your Beta Readers by Jodi Renner.  I might actually start using this when I read other people's stuff.  It's such a great guide.  (Another good one this week, along the same lines is by Carly Watters.)
Anatomy of A First Draft by Dianne K. Salerni.  I'm including this solely for the dead possum analogy.

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

I read this book at the suggestion of Kim from On The Wings of Books, who raved about it when I met her and Kate (aka midnight book girl)  to disucss BEA. (Did I tell you I was going?  And how excited I am?  Tell me if you're going!)  I wasn't really interested in reading this book until I read her review.  Then I immediately downloaded it on my kindle.  Luckily, when I finally got to read it a few weeks later, I was not disappointed.

Book: Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Summary: When Hartley breaks into her cheating boyfriend's room to confront him, she finds the dead body of the girl he was sleeping with instead.  All the clues point to Josh, her jerk of a boyfriend, but Hartley doesn't believe he's the killer and she sets out to prove it.

Characters:  I. Loved. These. Characters.  Hartley is real and funny.  She's headstrong, but will admit she is scared when she finds herself in bad situations.  She is easy to relate to and her voice is unique and drew me in.  I would absolutely agree with the assessment that she is a teenage Stephanie Plum.  She solves the mystery through sheer force of will.

The other characters were just as great.  Josh... was a jerk, but not one dimensional.  Chase was perfect.  Sexy bad boy who is smart enough to run the school paper and be a hacker?  Yes, please.  Hartley's best friend, Sam, has just as much personality as Hartley and I generally found her adorable.  Even Hartley's mom is an interesting character.  There is not one character who bored or annoyed me (as a character).

Plot/Pacing/Structure: It was a very fast read that moved along quickly.  Every time I sat down to read a chapter, I would read five without realizing it.  The book hooked me and kept me reading.  There were some red herrings, as there are in all good mysteries, and plenty of dangerous situations, but the characters are what made the book for me.

Moments I loved: My favorite moment of the whole book is when Hartley decides to search Chase's room.  He comes home early, so she hides under his bed.  Then he starts to change.  It sounds stupid, but it is hilarious.  I promise.

WTF moments: The grief councelor was HILARIOUS, but the big reveal was kind of... really?  It was ridiculous in a way that fit the story, but I had kind of hoped for more.

Overall: I can't wait to read the next book in this series.  I love the characters, I love the voice.  It was fun and I'm pretty sure it will end up on my list of go-to books for when I'm having a bad day.

Reading Challenges: 303 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge and 2012 e-book reading challenge.  Track my progress on my 2012 Challenges Page.

ROW 80 Check In

Quick check in, because I want to stay accountable.  My work life exploded in February...arguably in a good way... and I am still trying to get back on track and write every day.  I've been using this as an excuse the last couple of weeks, but I did write about 1000 words since my last update and am excited to write more.

I'm pleased with how much I accomplished this round, even with the craziness of the last month.  I'm hoping to kill it over the next few weeks.  The end of the round on the 22nd is a definitive date to motivate me.  That is about a week and I have the new goal of 10,000 words toward my current WIP (the one that came out of nowhere).  I've got a long list of things I'd like to do in Round Two, but am still deciding what I want to prioritize. 

Waiting On Wednesday: I Hunt Killers

Another meme I see all the time, hosted by Breaking the Spine, but have not participated in before.  But I had to, because I'm way too excited about this book...

Release: April 3, 2012

Good Reads Description: The dark thriller, described as Dexter meets The Silence of the Lambs for teens, tells of a boy who uses his killer instinct, inherited from his serial killer father, to help solve a series of murders.


Why I'm excited: I love dark, scary books and Lyga proved with Boy Toy that he is an excellent story teller.  I also LOVE his blog.  Can't wait to read this.

Downton Abbey, Season Two, Episodes Three and Four

This will be a combined post, because I couldn't stop long enough to blog about episode three on it's own.  I'll hit the highlights, because there is a lot going on in each episode.  (And, in case it isn't obvious, I watched these back to back and drafted these posts.)  As always, there will be spoilers in this review.

In episode three, everyone is adjusting to Downton Abbey becoming a convalescent home.  This is perfect for Sibyl, who can now do her nursing work at home, but it is Ethel who really shines.  I don't like her, but she seems to find purpose caring for the soldiers and that makes her a lot less grating.  Isobel and Cora compete to run things, with Cora ultimately winning.  She is a pleasant person, but she proves herself to be just as formidable as both Isobel and the Dowager Countesss.

I guess we can go ahead and name the new housemaid.  I haven't referred to her by name, because I don't like her, but her name is Ethel.  She's obnoxious and always trying to get ahead, but she's not very smart about it.  She's a shameless flirt and at the end of Episode four, she announces she's pregnant.  This is the only time I have ever rolled my eyes during this show.  Ethel had been fired and it was obvious that nobody liked her.  I don't understand why she would return to Downton for help.  I must admit that this will give us some good drama during the rest of the season.

Mary and Matthew continue to win my heart in each episode.  I love that Matthew's fiance is so wonderful, though.  Having a horrible girl in the way of the perfect romance is a cliche I am glad the show avoided.  It's funny, because Mary and Matthew aren't together, although they each want to be, and Daisy and William are engaged, although Daisy didn't mean to say yes.

The show explores a lot of the fallout of the war, as well.  Branson gives us a very different view from the "fight for your King" mentality generally held by the other characters and Mrs. Bird starts a soup kitchen for wounded soldiers who are no longer able to work.

Because, I am really excited to go watch Episode Five, I am going to say that Branson and Lady Sibyl are flirting quite dangerously... something I love.  I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Sundays In Bed With...

So Kate over at Midnight Book Girl is starting a new thing and since I love reading in bed (and basically doing anything in bed... I like being comfortable!), I am participating.

This is not my bed and it's not made, but it's fluffy and comfy and look... there is my kindle that makes me look classy even when I'm reading Deadly Cool, which is not what I would call classy, but certainly in the realm of awesome.

Also, I'm really annoyed about losing that hour.

Awake: Season One, Episode Two

If you haven't seen Awake, it is a show about a cop who wakes up with two realities after a car accident.  In one, his wife has survived and in the other, his son.  Both realities have different cases, different partners, and different therapists, but they interact in surprising ways.  Both Jason Isaac's character and the audience has no idea which reality is real and which is a dream.  Visually, they are separated by color tint... the wife's reality is red, the son's is blue.

Episode two builds more on the premise that pulled me in, but also delivered a great episode.  At the end of the day it is a very unconventional procedural.  This episode spent more time on the red/wife's reality case, complete with investigation and dramatic confession when they bring the killer in at the end.  Much of the case is solved because of clues gathered in the blue/son's reality, but the case in that second reality goes unsolved.  At first I was annoyed, but the end... oh man.  It explains why the case is unsolved and gives us some nice juicy clues for the series storyline.

The second episode felt even stronger than the first and it still has so much potential to build on.  I love procedurals in general, but Awake is special.  The big mysteries intrigue me and I love all the characters.  I don't think I've ever seen a better cast.  Jason Isaacs has been one of my favorite actor's for a long time.  He usually plays a villain and I love rooting for him as the hero.

I'm hooked.  I love this show.  People better start and keep watching it, because if it gets cancelled, I'll probably be too upset to watch any new shows for a long time.

This is the the trailer I saw for this episode, but it is actually for both episodes two and three:

This Week's Best Writing Posts: 3/2-3/8

I caught up on my reader, only to fall behind again, but these are the posts I loved this week... a few may get pushed to next week when I finally get caught up.

Truth: How Gray Can Characters Get?  vlog by Natalie Whipple.  I. Love. Gray. Characters.

Overwriting and why it's bad to write more than you need to make the same point by Ken Levine.  A great post at one of my favorite blogs.

Black List Word Clouds by Scott Meyers.  I just found this fascinating.  Also loved the "Definitive List of Cliched Dialogue".  Both are worth a read.

NEWS FLASH: There are no shortcuts to success by John Gilstrap.  My favorite part was when he points out that Charlaine Harris and Jeffrey Deaver both exploded when they published book twenty.

And a little something extra, because two of my favorite things in life are laughing and Downton Abbey.

Starters by Lissa Price

I saw a handful of posts about Starters in my Reader feed and the premise really intrigued me.  When I saw the book listed at NetGalley, I had to request it and I'm really glad I did.  Starters comes out next week (March 12, 2012) and you should check it out if it isn't already on your radar.


Book:  Starters by Lissa Price


Summary: Biological warfare has wiped out all adults (as they were the last to be vaccinated) creating a society in which the haves and have nots are also mostly divided by age.  Minors without a grandparent have very few options, the best of which is to scavenge on the streets in order to avoid the work camps. But Callie thinks Prime Destinations will give her better choices.  They are willing to pay her a lot of money in order to allow Enders (the elderly) to rent her youthful body.  But she soon finds out that Prime Destinations has bigger plans and she doesn't have much time if she decides they are worth fighting.


Characters:  Callie has strong motivations.  It is always clear why she makes every decision and I found it easy to root for her because her primary motivation is saving her seven-year old brother.  For the most part, characters avoid cliches and create interesting situations for Callie.  For example, Callie is forced to accept and respect her romantic rival, because the girl is helping to care for her brother while Callie works for Prime Destinations.  Moments like these forced perspective on Callie.

I loved the relationships Callie developed with the Enders.  Helena, Lauren, and Madison are so very different, but I enjoyed watching each of them develop throughout the story. Some of the villains seemed a bit one dimensional, but the ones that mattered, like Senator Harrison and The Old Man, were flushed out.


Plot/Pacing/Structure:  The book jumps right into things, but I was quickly able to find my bearings.  Callie goes on quite a journey and I sometimes struggled to keep up with her.  There is so much going on (and so much body switching) that I am still trying to piece some things together.  The end felt rushed and tied together, so while it was exciting and I enjoyed it, I also wanted more.


Moments I loved: There were a number of small details that were absolutely perfect in establishing the world.  For example, Callie mentions a cosmetic surgery - rib removal - in passing... it totally creeped me out (in a good way), while also telling me a lot about the world and characters in the scene.  I absolutely loved these moments.


WTF Moments: Because there is a lot of body switching in the story, there was at least one plot line that weirded me out... unfortunately, I don't want to say more than that, because it would be a spoiler and this story is way to fun to spoil.  I'm trying to wait to reserve judgement until the second book.  For now, I'll say this: Part of me felt like I should have seen the twist coming, but all of me is shocked by Callie's reaction to the situation.


Overall:  I'm getting a little bored with dystopians, but Starters is an enjoyable and unique story.  I'll absolutely be keeping an eye out for Enders.


Reading Challenges: 368 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge, e-book reading challenge.

ROW80 Check In

I stopped checking in regularly, which might be the reason my productivity dropped, but I also had a handful of new demands on my time.  I've finally sorted things out and should be back to writing regularly.  But before I get to my goals, I wanted to say thank you to Medeia Sharif.  I just won her giveaway of a signed copy of Bewitching by Alex Flinn.  She's actually the blogger who introduced me to the ROW80 challenge, so I think it's fitting to post this in my current update.

This round I wanted to:
Finish the first draft of the YA novel
Finish the second draft of the current screenplay
Rewrite the Werewolf short story
Write two new short stories
Come up with names for all of these projects (because they are all untitled) and the mermaid one, too.
Break the next screenplay.

About a month ago, I had a shiny new idea that wouldn't go away with characters who were real and awesome and wouldn't shut up.  The  short stories are all planned out and one is half written, but I decided to go with the SNI, instead.  I love it and now that I'm getting my schedule under control, I can't wait to keep working on it.

So the two short stories will be a goal pushed to next round, but I am still hoping to sit down and break the next screenplay out on cards.  I actually have three ideas that I really want to board, but I will be ecstatic if I get to one before the end of the round.

Overall, even with the last month's limited productivity, I feel really good about where I am and where I am going.  I can't wait to figure out my goals for the next round.  It blows my mind that we are almost done with round one.  Thanks again to Medeia for her giveaway and introducing to me to ROW80

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Covers

I've been meaning to participate in Top Ten Tuesday since I first saw it.  I mean, seriously, who can resist making a good list?  I'm going to keep today's list simple... covers only.

Some of these are probably on the list because they are my favorite books, but it's hard to really separate a cover from the story once you fall in love.  All images should link to the appropriate GoodReads page.

Top Ten Book Covers