Fall Releases I'm Looking Forward To

I thought today I'd share the four new releases coming up I'm most looking foreword to. These next few months are going to be very exciting. :D

The Sword of Summer: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . . (Taken from Goodreads.)

While Riordan's last batch of books, the spin-off series of Percy Jackson, were less than cool, this looks like it's going to be really awesome.

The Forever Man: W.A.R.P. #3

Riley, an orphan boy living in Victorian London, has achieved his dream of becoming a renowned magician, the Great Savano. He owes much of his success to Chevie, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who traveled from the future in a time pod and helped him defeat his murderous master, Albert Garrick. But it is difficult for Riley to enjoy his new life, for he has always believed in his heart of hearts that Garrick will someday, somehow, return to seek vengeance.

Chevie has assured Riley on numerous occasions that Garrick was sucked into a temporal wormhole, never to emerge. The full nature of the wormhole has never been understood, however, and just as a human body will reject an unsuitable transplant, the wormhole eventually spat him out. By the time Garrick makes it back to Victorian London, he has been planning his revenge on Riley for half a century. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and when the assassin decides to include Chevie in his retaliation, the three are tossed once more into the wormhole with no idea where-or when-they will end up. (Taken from Goodreads.)

I have absolutely loved Colfer's books, especially his WARP series, and cannot wait to crack open the pages of book 3. Especially since it looks like he's bringing back one of the best villains ever.

The Speed of Darkness: Chronoptika #4

I haven't actually read the 2nd and 3rd book in this series (because my library doesn't have them), so I haven't even read the description of this one. The first book turned out to be breathtaking, and so I, in planning to read the next two, found out that the fourth was due to be released early 2016.

Mission Hurricane: The 39 Clues: Doublecrossed

Last book of the 39 Clues. Possibly the very last that will ever come out. I have really enjoyed these books and will be very sad to see them end. But I suppose you can only stretch a series so far...

What new releases are you looking forward to? Any suggestions for me?

Have a lovely afternoon,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Infinity Dreams Award

Good morning, everyone! I've been awarded by Megan over at Montana Farm Girl for the Infinity Dreams award. Thanks, Megan!


Rules:

Thank and link to the blogger who tagged you

Answer the 11 questions

Nominate several bloggers and ask them 11 questions

Megan's questions:

- Favorite summer activity? 
Hm... I'd have to say soccer or Frisbee or swimming. Don't make me narrow it down more than that. ;)

- What is your favorite activity / sport for any time of the year?
Haha, soccer and Frisbee again. I love sports in general.

- How many animals do you own?
Our family owns two dogs, a cow and soon some puppies (one of our dogs is pregnant :D .)

- How many siblings do you have?
Five. Two brothers and three sisters.

- What is your favorite color?
Oh dear. I guess I'm not very decisive today, because I'd have to say blue, green or black. And I really love burgundy/coffee hues. I hate to just choose one.

- What is your favorite kind of animal?
Panda bear. Always has been. :) I love large cats like panthers and lynx's, too, though. 

- Favorite season?
Autumn.

- Favorite books?
That's a very hard question to answer! I'd have to say The Ascendance Trilogy (It. Was. Amazing.), Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Fablehaven books, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Swamp Rat, and Around the World in Eighty Days. 

- Favorite movies?
Another hard one! Let's see... The Return of the King, the Bourne movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, any Hitchcock film, The Proposal, and Tv shows like Psych, Merlin, Heroes and Monk.

- What do you do in your free time?
Read, write, make music videos, create disasters, play pranks, and go on ATV rides. I also watch a lot of movies. :)

- What is your dream career?
Dream career is being a published writer. It's probably been that since I was ten or so. ;D

Alright, I nominate:
Johanna at Writers Who Need To Talk To Other Writers
Elsie at Keep Calm and Beethoven On
Heather at Sometimes I'm a Story


And here are my questions:

-What is the busiest day of your life that you can remember?
-Where is the farthest you have ever been from home?
-Do you have a dream so big you might call it an "Infinity Dream"?
-Are you a polka-dots or stripes kind of person?
-If you could change your entire name, what name would you choose?
-What is the closest you have ever come to a near-death experience?
-What is your favorite song?
-What is your favorite food?
-How long can you hold your breath?
-If you could, would your rather be an Olympic swimmer or gymnast?
-What is your dream vacation?

Well, thank for reading, y'all! Alons-y!
~Willa

The Writing Lifestyle

I've found myself realizing more and more lately that I don't think like a normal person anymore.

Writing has started shaping my entire life. It's been heading that direction since I was as young as ten, but I guess I didn't know it until now. Everything I do in my day-to-day lifestyle revolves around my writing.

I'm not thinking ahead to college because all I picture myself doing in a few years is writing. How I get through doing schoolwork is thinking about how I can use this knowledge for my writing. Every morning I wake up, I wonder how much writing I'm going to get done. When my mom asks me what I'm going to do today, I have to stop and think of something besides writing I had been planning to do. It's actually a little scary to think about how unconsciously writing controls my life. I don't even really have the normal "teenage girl" thoughts of something like who I'm going to marry or what kind of house I want to live in when I get older. All I can think is, Oh, look, it's a new day. Guess I'm gonna write.

Is this unhealthy? It's either passion or a mental disorder. Probably both. Do you guys ever feel this way?

Everything around me is fuel for the writing fire. Literally almost every thought that crosses my mind about something usually turns into "how can I use this in a story?" Recently, I was playing soccer with some friends, and accidentally got a black eye from someone's elbow in the wrong place at the wrong time. And, seriously, I was kind of happy, because now I knew how to describe the pain of being hit extremely hard in the face. Great, right?

But something I have to remind myself every single day so I don't get sidetracked is to follow up the question of "How can I use this in my story?" with "And how will this glorify God?" 

I want that question to fuel me with as much passion as my writing. And it's hard. Because I've become so ingrained with the writing mindset, it's hard to fit anything else into my head with it. But it's a very necessary thought. It's an important thought. It is THE most important thought, actually. 

As I've realized how much my life revolves around my writing, I've realized how much more I need it to revolve around that question. How can I glorify God? Because that has to come before everything else. And more than anything it has to come before my writing.

I'm not sure where this post was heading. Hopefully my ramblings made at least a little sense.

How has writing shaped your life? Do you ever have to take a step back and reevaluate?

Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Have a lovely day!
~The Scribbler in the Attic

Why To Stop Reading A Book

Hey! Look at this! A second post up in less than a week! (I'm praying I keep it that way. ;P)

Okay, so I thought I would write down some reasons why I have STOPPED reading a book. Yes, you read that right. Stopped. Even when I'm halfway through, and as an avid reader it kills my little OCD heart to not completely finish a book, I have decided to walk away from some. 

If you're above the age of 12 and have starting branching out into more uncharted reading waters, then you probably know what I'm talking about. Here are some reasons why I stop reading books:

Language:

I have grown old enough that language does not bother me as much as it might have before, even large amounts of it. But there have come points in several books where the language was simply overwhelming and making the book completely unenjoyable. Most secular authors probably don't realize how distracting it is, or, if they do, they don't care. They assume everyone talks like this. But curse words can act like an attention-magnet. Instead of carrying the story, the characters, and the characters' speech forward, when they're used, they suck all of the attention away from the sentence to fixate on that one word. 

Adult Scenes:

I've stopped trying with YA novels. Anything remotely romantic-related turns out to be all romance. When that happens, the authors usually feel the need to spell out every detail, something I personally do not care to read. You can have adult-content without describing every detail of that. Imagine how much more appropriate books would be if that were the case. But since authors assume you DO want to read all about it, they do write it.

Now, I can overlook those two things usually, IF it has at least one, sometimes two (depending on how bad the language and content is) of the following:

Good/Interesting Characters:

There have actually been few books--nowadays, at any rate--where the characters are compelling and interesting and deep enough to make me want to keep reading. I tried to get into The Raven Boys Trilogy, finding the characters well done, but ultimately not interesting enough to carry the weight of the boring/weird plot, the amount of language, and the complete lack of any sort of moral values. (Now, I know by using this as an example, I've possibly opened a can of worms. I know that the Raven Boys is a pretty big deal for some people, but, sorry, this is my opinion.) 

The Throne of Glass is another example I could use. The language I could take, the occasional adult content I could take, but I couldn't stand Celaena after the second book in the series. She wouldn't stop whining. While the first book kept me interested, and the second book I read for the romance, there was nothing left for me to gain from Celaena's character after that. She was all dried up. And, by taking away the intrigue of the plot of the previous books and the other, more interesting characters, I found that she had been just as whiny and annoying throughout whole series.

Intriguing Plot:

The plot is supposed to be what keeps you reading. You can get away with stupid characters and badly written prose if you have an exceptionally amazing plot. Now "exceptionally amazing" varies due to peoples different tastes. I read a book a while back about the idea that souls are used again and again, but in different bodies throughout time, and boy who could remember his "past lives." He was in love with a girl he kept meeting during those various lives who couldn't remember. (By the way, I DO NOT recommend this book.) The writing style was fairly good, if vague, but otherwise is was an awful book. The only thing that kept me reading was the plot. I wanted to know how it ended. I wouldn't say it was an "exceptionally amazing" plot, but it was intriguing enough that I overlooked all the flaws.

Good Writing Style:

The City of Bones is a good example for this one. It was one of the few books I've read that I read solely for the writing style of the author, and nothing else. I picked it up, intending to enjoy it because I had heard good things about it. Instead, I found the characters dry and devoid of any real standards or morals, the plot predictable, slow, and typical, and the language distracting. I kept reading it doggedly, because I decided that even if it ended terribly, the author was a good writer and I maybe I could pick up on how she did it. 

Enders Game is an amazing book. Great plot, well developed characters, and nicely done writing, but after reading it, I felt like I needed to take a shower. There was a lot language. But, ultimately, it was worth the language for everything else the book gave me. I gained more than I lost. Faerie Wars on the other hand, I put down because it wasn't worth my time. While there wasn't a whole lot of language, the characters, the plot, and the writing were nothing spectacular, there was nothing I could gain as a writer or as a person, and I eventually just decided to put it down. There are better books out there for me to spend my time on.

The older I've gotten, the more books I've put down. One, because I've started to realize that time is precious and I need to use my reading time to its fullest extent. And secondly, because, as I branch out into stranger territories in search of new and exciting things to read, the more flak I have to wade through to get the really good stuff. 

Do you stop reading many books? Do you have a hard time like I do not finishing something simply for the sake of finishing? What makes you stop reading? What makes you keep reading?

Have a lovely afternoon,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

April Reading List \\ The Book of Time Adventures in Samarkand Gate

Hey! Long time no post. It's been an absolutely crazy few weeks, which is why my monthly book review(s) post is late. I combined both March and April's lists because I didn't read much either month. 

Wordsmithy 

by Douglas Wilson

A short book about writing and the writing lifestyle. I really enjoyed it (especially Douglas Wilson's humor. One of my favorite jokes ever is in this book :D ), and it is among the top of the list of books that have impacted my writing the most. He's down to earth, not afraid to tell aspiring writers they're doing it wrong, and uses that to make you motivated. It is also definitely the kind of book that you would get more out of reading it two or three times. I indubitably will. 5 stars. 

The Time Fetch 

by Amy Herrick

I WANT A SEQUEL NOW. Ahhhh. I loved this book so much. It left my heart feeling squeezed and sore and perfectly drooling for more. It's got time travel, fairy tales, magic, school drama and creepy villains--but that's not why I loved it. Actually, the plot was a little wonky, and the pacing odd. But as I was saying--I loved it for the characters. Edward, the main character, was awesome. I found a really original kind of spirit in him that really stuck with me. Feenix, second main character, was very cool, and not the typical "bad girl" or "good girl". She was unique, and a perfect foil to Eddie. I heard a rumor Amy Herrick may be working on a sequel and I REALLY REALLY HOPE THAT'S TRUE. 4 1/2 stars, only because the pacing was a little off, and Edward was a devout atheist, which was annoying (but also added to his character. It's complicated...)
(There were a few instances of taking the Lord's Name in vain, that was it.)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

Pure awesomesauce in 200 pages. This is one of the few classics I really enjoyed reading. I'm not usually one for just fiction--but this was an exquisite pleasure to read. And it's not just because I relate to Tom, living out in the country. :) Both fast paced and laid back, absolutely worth every minute. 5 stars, definitely! (They do take the Lord's Name in vain several times, and there is a scary murder involved.)

The Book of Time (Book of Time #1)

by Guillaume Prevost 

I picked this up at McKay's for $2. I started the book not at all impressed. It sounded like it was written for eight year olds. But the longer I read, the less rocky it got, and the author's voice finally settled in my head. It was still gut-churchingly juvenile (the dude used at least three exclamation marks in a single paragraph. No kidding.) but the story grew more and more intriguing, and I was starting to like the main character, Sam. Sam's father disappeared two weeks ago, and no one seems overly concerned. One day, Sam goes into their basement and finds a secret wall hiding a strange stone beyond. Next to the stone is a strange coin with a hole in the middle. Oddly enough, it fits exactly into a crevice in the stone. Instantly, Sam is thrown back in time, and, consequently, thrust head-first into a hunt for his father that involves monks, World-War I, mummies and Dracula. By the end of the book, I was intensely invested and immediately went and bought the sequel on Amazon. 3 1/2 stars, for various reasons, but still a very fun/short read. (They do take the Lord's name in vain a few times, and there is a minor curse word once or twice. Also, talk about drugs.)

The Gate of Days (Book of Time #2)

by Guillaume Prevost

Just as good as the first, if not better. This time, Sam has to battle Chicago mobsters, neanderthals and medieval soldiers while trying to discover the meaning behind the strange horn-and-sun symbol that has been following him through his time travels. It was a great follow-up to the first one, much better written, and Sam finally smartened up. 4 stars. (Again, a few minor curse words and taking the Lord's name in vain. Also more drug talk and descriptions of different kinds of medieval torture.)

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy #1)

by Jonathan Stroud

I was not expecting much, so I was really surprised when I ended up absolutely loving this. I picked the series up on a whim, without any previous research, from the library. The titles caught my eye, and I decided to try them out. The writing is surprisingly well done, the author has a very extensive vocabulary, and it brings a high level of class. His character, a dijinn called Bartimaues is a witty, snappy demon summoned by a young magician, Nathaniel, to help him take revenge on a powerful magician who humiliated him two years ago. 
Despite the vengeance agenda of the book, I really liked it, and the plot. The characters were the best part, though, especially Nathaniel. He's original, he's got depth. A twelve-year-old cross between a psychopath, a mastermind, an awkward teenager and, in the end, a hero. He's selfish and insufferable and annoying, but in a surprisingly un-annoying way. I give it 4 1/2 stars. (There is two or three minor curse words, a few instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and some rather... uh, shall we say, colorful sentences now and then.)
--And just a side note, I am extremely annoyed at the people who say that this series steals from Harry Potter. The only resemblance between the two is that the conflict revolves around magicians in England. The similarities end there. 

Have any of y'all read these? Let me know what you thought of them if you did.

I've been finding many more good books lately, which is very nice. If you have any suggestions, I'm always open! I love getting recommendations. 

Tiredly-Because-It's-Eleven-Thirty-At-Night,
~The Scribbler in the Attic

Death For A Single Soul || Passion Week

So, with this being Passion Week and Easter Sunday coming up, I've been thinking a lot about Christ's death, and along with that, all of the allegories in literature that have depicted this. Almost all stories have this element, and in fact, I can't think of many books I've read that don't.

But Aslan's death from the Chronicles of Narnia has been on my mind the most. I had an interesting train of thought about it this evening, and thought I would share, as I am currently plum out of blog post ideas.

We read in the Bible how Jesus came to earth, lived a painful and sorrowful life as a man, that one day he would be given up to be sacrificed for our sins. We hear all the time how Christ died to save "all sinners". But something I observed about Aslan's death in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: He didn't die to save all the creatures of Narnia. At the time they didn't need saving. The only one who had sinned, the only one who had betrayed Aslan, was Edmund. And yet, Aslan died. We all know how the story ends: Aslan comes back to life. But when he traded his life for Edmund's, it gave the appearance of defeat, of surrender, of basically handing the victory over to the White Witch, all for the sake of one boy. One traitor.

And it reminded me all over again, that it would have been exactly like that with Jesus had I been the only one He needed to save. Jesus would have lived, suffered, been crucified and gone through hell even if it was only for single soul. And I think that fact, that knowledge, is one of the most beautiful things about the saving grace of God and His sacrifice for us. He loves us so much, he was willing not to just die for all of us, but for each and every one of us individually.

So, yes. Those are just some thoughts that have been floating around my head lately. Thanks for reading. :)

How has your Passion Week been? 

Sincerely,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

First Hellos and Final Goals

Here is my first hello to all of you in 2015!

It's a new year, and like every new year it comes with changes and decisions. I've made some choices I hope you all will like for this blog. There are some things I wish I had done better with my life in 2014, and there are some things that I know I will fail at in 2015. But, thankfully, the beauty of failure is you learn from it.

Starting now, I've decided to do away with "Monday Musings" and "Writer's Wednesday" and "Photography Friday". The rigid schedule and cheesy alliterations just weren't working for me.

I would love for you all to give me suggestions for ways I could improve my blog and my posts! Please comment with any ideas you may have.

Last year, about this time, I told you all that my new year's resolution was to not use any emoticons on this blog.

As you probably can all see, I failed miserably. :P

I have nothing at all against emoticons. In fact, I think they are super cute and funny. But my reason for trying to not use them was because I wanted my writing to be such that I didn't need to use smiley-faces to maybe bring some serious subject I was talking about back into a happy mood, or a sad-face to convey disappointment, when I could very easily just take a few more minutes to be more thoughtful with my words and how they are put together. 

This year, I have no such restrictions. Hah, I'm probably going to use a hundred emoticons a sentence now that I have free range.  But I will also be trying just as hard, if not more, to be more thoughtful in my rhetoric.

Anyways, here's a sketchy outline for the way I'm hoping to do things on Scribblings this next year:

In terms of photography…

In case you were worried, I'm not giving up photography. Just because Photography Friday is defenestrated, doesn't mean my camera has been chucked out with it. There will definitely be photo shoots and more "selfie series" pictures. I love photography and am not planning on quitting any time soon.

Speaking of scribblings…

I have not yet made a plan for what I'm doing with This Name and Moment. What I had planned on being just a short, short book spliced into small chapters to give to you guys, has turned into an explosion of new plots and characters in my head. I would really love to take it to a new height, but at the same time I need to be focusing on several of my other writing goals. So, in other words, I've haven't got a concrete plan. If you're still interested in reading This Name and Moment please comment and tell me! I would really appreciate it. :-)

But, now that I'm not concentrating all of my fuel on This Name and Moment, I can be posting more poems and short stories and stuff. Which I'm super excited about. :D :D :D

Did somebody mention books??

Instead of doing an individual review for one or two books, I got the idea to just post a list of all of the  books I read that month, with short descriptions and my ratings. Also, if you guys can think of any books you would highly recommend, I would love to hear about them! One of my unofficial goals this year is to read a lot more, and for that, I need lots of suggestions! :-)

Well, there you have it. All my incredibly sloppy plans for this incredibly sloppy blog who does not deserve all of you amazing people. :-)

Haaaaaappppyyy 200000000001555555555!!!!!!!!!

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Conclusions&Christmas&Coming Agains

Hello, everyone!

Well, my "treasure hunting" month is officially over for this blog. I had a lot of fun doing the various posts. Even though I didn't have the time to do all the ones I wanted, I still had a great time sharing my NaNoWriMo aspirations with you all.

Thank you for all your support! Stay tuned this next month for Christmas photography shoots. :) I don't believe I'll be able to get together This Name and Moment's next segment until the new year. (Anyone else get a shiver when they say 'new year'? ;D)

Hope you all have a great Monday!

~The Scribbler in the Attic

(P.s. I think I'll keep my map header up for a while. I like it a lot. :D :D :D )

Monday Musings \\ Treasure Hunting: What I Read

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson

This probably wouldn't "officially" be shelved with the treasure hunting genre, but it involves the theory of Chinese and Phoenician discoveries of America, and that's good enough for me. 

The story follows Tom as he is accidentally pulled into an underground river and has to find a way out of the subterranean world. N.D. Wilson yet again spins an amazing, fun, and quirky story that I will definitely read again.

Treasure Hunters by James Patterson

This is as juvenile as juvenile fiction can get. My nine year old brother would be able to breeze through it, but I picked it up anyways. Half of the book is illustrations. I really enjoyed it, though. 

The four kids (twins Bick and Beck, 14-year old Storm and "Tail-spin" Tommy), and coincidentally "Kidd" siblings, have grown up their whole lives treasure hunting with their parents. But when their parents are kidnapped, they must travel the globe to find them again--along with some treasure. 

Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti

This was such a good book! It's a non-fiction account of the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911. I read it to get some background on art theft, as well as art history, and this fit the bill perfectly. I learned a little about the beginnings of forensic sciences, as well as the history behind stolen masterpiece. 

(On a parental guide note, it does have some adult-themes and some language.)

The 39 Clues by... A Lot Of Different People

I haven't actually finished this series completely (so if you've read it, don't spoil anything!), but I don't have to to give a shining review. The plot and characters are so well done by the various authors who write in the series, and I couldn't give a higher recommendation if you're looking for treasure hunting books to read.

Amy and Dan Cahill are given a choice: Two million dollars or the first clue to a treasure hunt that could either kill them, or lead them to the ultimate prize. A prize that would make them the two most powerful people in the world. Along the way, they have to battle relatives, sharks, Russian spies, and *shudder* museum curators. 

(Language note: They do take the Lord's name in vain several times.)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Do I need to give an explanation for why I read this? It's the treasure hunting novel of all treasure hunting novels. As well as one of the worlds most famous classics. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

Being the 2nd installment of The Mysterious Benedict Society series by T.L. Stewart this is a fun story about Reynie Muldoon and his friends Sticky, Constance, and Kate. Four orphans who are recruited to help save the world, in this sequel they must set off on a journey that takes them across the globe to save their friends. 

I read this one a while ago, but enjoyed it a lot. The characters are so unique, and Stewart's writing is so well done. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the kids disobeyed their guardians, who were only looking out for their own good, even if it was to do the right thing.

The Century Quartet by P.D. Baccalario

I literally just finished the last book in this series half an hour ago. It. Was. So. Good. A very unconventional treasure hunting story, but refreshing in its premise.

At a hotel in Rome, four kids, Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, Sheng from Shanghai, and Elettra, the hotel owner's daughter, come together, apparently by chance on New Year's, and soon find out that they were all born on the same day: Febuary 29th. Their destinies become entwined as they are all pulled into a mystery involving a briefcase which contains clues leading to ancient mystical artifacts, given to them by a man who is murdered the very next day. 

Character development was really one of the highlights of these for me. Harvey and Sheng especially. The last book was perfectly done. I loved these so much, and was so happy to have picked them up when I was wandering the library, at a loss as to what to get. And just when I needed some good treasure hunting books!

(There is some mild cursing in here, teenagers kissing, and complete contradiction with the Creation account, but it had a relatively good message, and it didn't push the contradiction in your face, so it didn't really bother me or ruin the story.)

Well, I hope you guys now have some new material for your reading lists. Have a great day!
~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Treasure Hunting: What I Watched

Nine days into NaNoWriMo and I'm only four thousand words behind! I think I'm doing pretty good!... yeah....

Well, I thought I would share with you guys what movies I watched to get into the mood of treasure hunting. Here goes:



The Mummy (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor)
Loved them! Brendan Fraser plays a gun slinging-American thrown into the whirlwind of the 20th century rush for Egyptian artifacts along with the beautiful librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her brother, Jonathan.

National Treasure (duh!)
Pure awesomeness.

The Librarian (Quest for the Spear, Return to King Solomon's Mines, Curse of the Judas Chalice)
Flynn Carsen is a student at a university one minute and the next is hired as the Librarian of a top-secret part of the Metropolitan Public Library, where they house some of the worlds most ancient and magical artifacts.
So. Horribly. Cheesy. I loved them!!! (And the fact that I used three exclamation marks at the end of that sentence further attests to it, because I am not a fan of using several exclamation marks at the end of a sentence.)
Anyways. Yes. These were great. Except for the last one. It was really terrible, but I still enjoyed it.

Sahara
I watched this one a while ago, but still thought it worth mentioning. I didn't enjoy it much, and it definitely had some iffy parts. The combination of a funny sidekick, explosions, and a lots of gold was really the only thing that kept me interested, but I have several friends who think it's a great movie. So maybe some of y'all will like it. :)

Indiana Jones
Of course, I could never embark on a treasure hunting novel without watching the most classic treasure hunter in movie history. I only got to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Kingdom of the Diamond Skull, but they were both a lot of fun.


If anyone has any recommendations for treasure hunting movies, I would love to hear them in the comments!

Sayonara,
~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ The Mad Scramble

And so it begins...

Confession time: I've never actually done NaNoWriMo before.

Definition time: To those of you who are not familiar with what NaNoWriMo is and are having a hard time pronouncing it, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers write a 50,000 word novel between Nov. 1st and the 30th. 

Introduction time: For my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, I've decided to begin a story I've been sitting on for a while now about treasure hunters. I am suuuuuupeeer excited--so excited, in fact, that I've decided to make it the theme of my blog post for the next month.

What I've got planned:

Monday Musings will now be lists of things that I've read/watched and listened to for research purposes, or random things that have been helping me cope with the fact that every day you have to write at least 1,667 words to get 50,000 in by the end of the month. 

Writers Wednesdays I will be sharing with you what I've learned so far about the treasure-hunting genre and what's helped me get into the swing of writing a treasure hunting story.

Photography Friday is probably what I'm most excited about. I'll be taking a break from my "Selfie Series" and doing more treasure-hunter-themed shoots. CANNOT WAIT! :D 

Anyways, just wanted to give you a heads-up for what's in store. I can't wait to get started!

So, grab your ice cream, Oreos, hot tea and bunny slippers and get writing!

Over and out,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ The Burning Sky - Book Review

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Premise: Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.
Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.

Language: The occasional mild-to-medium curse words.

Content: Magical powers, torture, murder, insane people, lying, and boy-girl innuendo.

Stars: 3.8 or around there. Just not quite a 4.

I found this book really refreshing because its secret society of wizards was set in 18th-century England.

I was all set to hate this book because I got it off of our eLibrary digital without really looking it up much. The cover hooked me and the reviews on goodreads sounded fine, and I was really bored, so I thought I'd at least give it a try. Safe to say, it was hard to put it down.

Despite the sound of its premise, it's actually only halfway a YA romance. With most YA romances I've read (which isn't a lot) the main girl is usually a washed-up cry baby for most of the book, or she has horrible values, or…well, the list could on for a while.

Iolanthe was none of these. She was smart, sassy, refused to fall for the boy right away, strong, level-headed, and had very believable problems with bravery and selfishness. She was a reluctant hero, but a well done reluctant hero.

Titus, however, was what made this book. He. Was. Awesome. And not just because he was a prince.

There was a lot standing in his way, and he had a lot of problems at the beginning of the book, but Sherry Thomas did a wonderful job of actually giving him character development. Titus was both ruthless and gentle, strong and weak, with wit, self-deception, and good looks thrown in there.

The badguy also was a huge player in making me like this book. The "Inquisitor" as she is called, is not your usual blend of insane, puffed-up, needlessly-killing-stupid-henchmen-when-she's-angry villain.

In conclusion, this book isn't exactly on the "original premises shelf," but the characters themselves were very original, vibrant and enjoyable, and the different plot elements twisted into a story that kept my computer running long into the night. Just for the boy-girl innuendo, though, I would recommend it to 15+. 

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Awkward & Awesome

I don't usually (never, actually) post Awkward&Awesomes, but apparently I had a very awkward week (okay, it was awesome too), and thought it might make a good post.

Yeah... I'm going to regret this. :P

Awkward:

• Running all the way down to your guest house in the your beat up truck to use the bathroom there, because at your own house your little brother is throwing up in the one and your sister is doing a health cleanse in the other.

• Going to a new gyro restaurant and not understanding the menu, so you just order soda. Then you see what your family got to eat and decide that's what you want, so you have to go and order again, and the employees there are literally hiding their smiles of amusement because you were stressing out so bad over it, and then you're mortified the rest of the meal.

• An entire lunch conversation centered around your dad guessing what obscure decoration your sister bought at Michaels, and him actually getting it right. (It was a giant Kelly-green clothespin.)

• Taking outfit pictures of your sister outside a cigar shop.

• Having to write an introductory speech for your speech class and realizing 70% of your life is spent reading books and watching movies and then geeking out about them.

• Writing an email chain back-and-forth in all caps and it feels like someone's been screaming in your ears for hours, so you walk around deaf the rest of the day for no good reason whatsoever.

• When your hair is so long that when you try to flip it over your shoulder at the dinner table, it falls in your food.

• Your family thinking you're goth when you wear a black T-shirts two days in a row.

• Your family buying a sauna and transporting it to your house via mattresses, quilts and a pig trailer behind your big white passenger van.

Awesome:

• This exchange at breakfast:

Emma: "Daniel (our neighbor) didn't get my pun yesterday about him spraying me with the bottle so often putting a damper on our friendship."
Daddy: "He totally mist that pun."
Emma: "Haha, yeah. And then I told him it was okay, it cooled things off.  And he said, 'Well, that's awkward.' And I'm like, 'Dude, I'm trying to make a pun here.'"
Me: "He should have just gone with the flow."
Daddy: "Stream of consciousness."
Me: "You were in too deep."
Emma (laughing hard): "This is why I love you guys."

• Getting a booth at a local fair to sell my jewelry.

• The first of the leaves turning red.

• Finishing writing the first half of your book... (!)

• Spotify. I did not know the extent of music streaming awesomeness until I got it.

• Starting school and not falling behind within in the first week. And not hating it. If it weren't for all the other stuff I have to get done in a very short amount of time, I would actually be enjoying it. My mom let me make my own schedule this year, and so now I get an hour of reading and an hour writing a day. :D :D :D

• Leather jackets. ATV's. Wide open fields. Good friends. And chicken-pot-pie.

What was awesome/awkward about your week? Seriously share, I love hearing from you guys! :)

Word,
~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo - Book Review

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

Premise: Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds -- the real world and Foo, a place created at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.

Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?

Language: None.

Content: Talking about killing people, parental abuse, and stealing a car.

Stars: 2

I'll start with my positive thoughts, what little I have of them…

For one, the cover is awesome. But,  as they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. And certainly not this book.

The characters are new and unique, with good dynamics. I really loved how awful Leven Thumps relatives are to him. Of course, it sounds like the Harry Potter situation all over again , but Lev's aunt and uncle are the complete opposite kind of awful. They're messy and lazy and live in a gross house. I know it sounds awful of me to like that they're abusive to him, but it adds a good layer to the story.

Winter was very cool--wait, okay, seriously, no pun intended. She leaves a bad family situation, but learns to have confidence in herself, despite being told her whole life that she's nothing. Her back story, what there was of it, was intriguing.

Now, for what I didn't like:

Basically everything. Leven was selfish, way too weak-minded, and whiny. I'm all for the hero-underetsimates-himself-but-then-discovers-self-confidence-and-becomes-super-awesome. With Leven, the author just took it over the top and almost the entire book was nothing but Leven's friends trying to convince him that he isn't worthless and can save Foo. Suck it up and try anyways, dude.

The dialogue was cheesy, the jokes fell through, the writing itself was nauseatingly  bad, and the pacing lurched. It was excruciatingly boring, and the only thing that kept me reading was the action and the tiny little part of me that really wanted to like this book.

I'm not saying that the action was good, however. In fact, it was some of the worst action I've ever read. Not well described and too bizarre. It had no structure, no rise-and-fall, no order. Of course, action isn't supposed to be "organized" but it shouldn't feel like something that was just plopped into the story and made to fit.

But the thing I probably could stand the least about this book was the bad guy, Sabine. Cheesy, poorly conceived, and horrific--I mean truly horrific--dialogue.  If you're going to build an antagonist up to be something as powerful and cruel as Sabine, you better deliver.

My conclusion--this book looked very charming at first, but I'm not planning on reading the rest of the series.

Laters,

~The Scribbler in the Attic