From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

Must add another book to the list of favorite reads--- Book Thief by Markus Zusak. If you have not read it, I suggest that you do :) It is one of those books that stays with you, and don't let the fact that it is marketed as a Teen/Young Adult novel put you off. It is beyond awesome, one of the best-written new novels out there. Death is the narrator and it is set in Germany during WWII, but it is in no way over-done, contrived or depressing, though there are sad scenes. It centers around death's observations of life in a small German village and more specifically, his observations of a young girl whose desperation and hunger to learn to read cause her to steal books....from a cemetery, from a book-burning, from the mayor's library. It is a heartwarming, touching and awe-inspiring look at a time when life could have ended for everyone. It is a story of survival and a story of the power of words.

As if I wasn't insane enough to get myself caught up in the November writing frenzy, NaNoWriMo---50,000 words in 30 days--- Now I've signed myself up for the sister program Script Frenzy---20,000-word or 100-page script in 30 days, which is set to begin April 1st. I've never written a stage or screenplay before, so it should be an interesting exercise in imagination. And because I want it to be fun, I've decided to use one of their generated plot ideas so I don't have to struggle with what to write. Try not to laugh too much at the plot, it is supposed to be fun, you know ;) So, without further ado, here it is: Screenplay: Devil Dread Bayou Main Characters (so far): Max Steiner, Elsa Hardcastle Plot: In a world where sleep must be paid for, a bike messenger with a death wish, plans to camp out in a haunted bayou. So, let's see what I make of it :) I'm hoping it will be a good way to relieve some stress, since I don't really care how it turns ou...

It's strange what you come to think about when life takes a sudden turn. It's also strange the stand you find yourself taking when the sudden turn came from an unexpected direction. I never realized until just a few days ago how much I had tied myself to my store. I never realized just how much of an impact certain changes would affect me. We are about to lose our General Manager, which opens the possibility of the current Assistant General Manager moving up and the added possibility of me moving into the Assistant General Manager position. I think I'm ready and I'm fully prepared, but doubts have set in about whether or not the higher powers that be will make the wise decision to move us up. No one thinks about there being politics in a bookstore, but we are a corporation first. By definition we are a business....a business to make money. As much as those of us who work in the store would love for it to be a paradise of the written word, a pleasant place with soft ...

I've been fleshing out the plot/character line-up for my newest project and I'm beginning to think that this story will become more psychologically dark than I originally anticipated--- not that it's a bad thing, it's just probably more than the teen genre will allow. I think the strongest dark element is my protagonist's young daughter being in possession of another child's soul and memories---a child who has been dead for five years, and whose soul is eager to rejoin her dead brother, even at the expense of another life. I never planned on the story skirting the edge of horror...I've never enjoyed being scared, but if this story decides to take over, I fear that's just where it is headed. To do the plot justice, I plan on amping up the research, everything from paranormal psychology to Jung's idea of collective consciousness. I'm a bit concerned about doing justice to everything I want to include and I'm also struggling with the number ...

Yes, I know I have a list of favorite books already in my profile, but I thought I'd add to the line-up: Most recently---- ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan --I don't know how the movie turned out and I really don't have plans to go and see it, but the book was really well done. As a warning though, most people I know (myself included) struggled with about the first 50 pages or so... almost to the point of putting the book down ----DON'T put it down. Fight through the first part because the book is totally worth it by the end. You will regret it if you don't keep reading. Not on previous list---- RUNNING WITH SCISSORS by Augusten Burroughs -- I'm not really sure why this one didn't make it on my original list, because it is so well-written and entertaining. It is definitely not for every reader, there are some intense and at times graphic scenes, but Burroughs is such an entertaining and descriptive writer that it is definitely worth trying. You almost look past...

Just saw the sneak preview of "The Kite Runner" with several of my book club buddies. And though some aspects of the book were missing in the cinema production, I definitely have to admit the movie was just as moving as the book itself. It is a definite "must-see"!!!! So, the overwhelming question of this night, as well as the book discussion night, was that of redemption. Is it always possible to redeem oneself? Or are some things completely unforgivable? The idea of something being completely unforgivable is so powerful and frankly it's also emotionally terrifying. I can in no way imagine (and plan on never HAVING to imagine) what living with such intense life-long guilt could do to a person. What lengths would you go to just to alleviate the guilt? Even living the rest of one's life for the sole purpose of making amends may not ever be enough for some things. Back to the movie or book :).... did Amir ever finally redeem himself for his silence? What a...

The holidays were supposed to be an exciting and warm time to share with friends and family. I've never understood how/why people find it necessary to go completely insane. Simple times with loved ones are all I crave and wish for during the holidays. I wish I could say that working at a bookstore that we might actually be immune to the insanity, but it isn't true. Even now, 3 full days after Christmas and we are still getting trashed. What ever happened to people having respect for property? What about home-training? Have we all forgotten how to raise our children to treat things/people with decency? I am constantly amazed at the total disregard for everything in our store. It's not that I'm crying in outrage for the mistreatment of corporate America, not at all. But, the whole attitude of "isn't it your job to clean up after me" is not only erroneous, but degrading. We are not paid to be your maid, in fact, we aren't paid anywhere near enough to ...