Saturday, December 5, 2015

Embarkation

Ahoy!  Avast!  Thar she blows!  And all that other pirate-y speak that indicates a long-awaited appearance.  The Bookaneer is back. 

The fall semester is nearly ended, and I find myself with *actual seconds* of free time.  Hmm, what to do, what to do?   It's as if I can't function without knowing in the back of my mind that I have a mountain of papers to grade.  So, what better use of free time than to spend it planing how to fill up said free time?

I have a new writing project in the works (two, actually), and finally believe that I may actually have some time to sit down and plan them out properly.  One is a steampunk YA novel, and the other, a category-style romance.  Yes, yes, night and day.  But then again, why not be contrary?  The best (or at least most interesting) writers are the most versatile writers.  It's like the difference between Channing Tatum and Christian Bale.  The one trick pony vs. the all-around star.  (Gasp!  What?  Channing Tatum's performance in Magic Mike XXL was Oscar-worthy!  Mmhm.  Ok.)  Now, by no means am I claiming that my writing talents in any way compare to Christian Bale's acting chops, nor am I claiming to have a fraction of his talent, but I do believe that the more things I try and expose myself to, the better writer I will be.  It's all about experience and imagination, and seeing everything as an opportunity.  So, sword-weilding debutantes and history teachers with killer abs, it is.  *Rubs hands together in anticipation*

On a completely different, yet still related note, the hubby and I leave in a week for New Orleans and a cruise of the Western Caribbean.  We'll start out with the cruise (looking forward to seeing the Mayan ruins and wandering around Cozumel - the history buff in me can barely contain her excitement), and then end with a couple days in NO.  Neither of us have ever been the Big Easy, but I've always wanted to go.  The moody, shady mystery of the city tickles my writerly sensibilities and inspires my nonsensical desire to believe in ghosts and vampires.  I'm hoping to come back with notes upon notes and photos aplenty to be able to use in future projects.  As I said, experience and imagination.

Cheers.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Neverwhere

As I just had the honor of finishing my first Gaiman novel, today is review day!  Though I have always known about Neil Gaiman, for some reason I have never settled down with one of his books.  I saw the film adaptations of Stardust and Coraline and considered them to be wonderful, fantastical fairy tales.  He was always on my To Read list, but had never made it to the top.  The other day a friend and I were discussing putting together a bibliography of fairy tales for adult readers, and Gaiman's name came up.  This conversation prompted my decision to finally read one of his books.  I started Neverwhere.

(Blurb taken from www.Goodreads.com) Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.
Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: Neverwhere.


To begin, I loved the book.  Gaiman's writing style is very original in that it is so conversational.  He writes like people talk - interruptions, misspeaks, stammers, and everything.  There is nothing pompous about it, nothing intimidating.  It makes his writing very easy to read.  I also liked the fact that Gaiman has the ability to talk about nonsensical things, like people who can speak to/understand rats, and the fact that there is a whole second, subterranean London, and have it seem completely believable.  A second London subway system no one knows about?  Sure, Nail Gaiman, why not?  I totally believe you.

I also love Gaiman's characters.  They are delightfully quirky, believably flawed, and sometimes perfectly wretched and annoying.  Richard Mayhew, the protagonist in this novel, is an ordinary man thrust into an extraordinary world.  And he remains an ordinary man throughout the course of the novel.  He does not magically become gorgeous and brave, or super-smart and irresistible - he begins as, and ever is, Richard Mayhew.  I loved this.  To me, it goes against all the cliches in books today about ordinary people first transforming into something extraordinary, and then doing something wonderful.  Not so here.  Here, Richard accomplishes great things, but they happen either with the help of those around him, or completely by accident. The supporting cast is a dirty rainbow of London Below urchins who utterly charm.  My personal favorite was the Marquis de Carabas.  He is unpredictable and moody and brave and slightly shady.  And that's all I'll say about that, because I don't want to give anything away.  But each and every character in the book plays an important part, each has its purpose. 

To say that my first foray into the world of Neil Gaiman was a success would be an understatement.  To make matters more wonderful, when I finished the print version of the book, I got it on CD and listened to it.  The version I had was narrated by Gaiman himself, and his voice reading his words added a whole new level of magicalness.  If you are reading this and prefer to listen to your books, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you get the version read by Neil Gaiman.  And for everyone else, give this book a try; if you like moody adventure stories with a bit of murder, a bit of magic, a bit of bravery, and a bit of darkness you won't be disappointed. 


Friday, July 10, 2015

The Dreaded "Next Book" Scenario

Have you ever finished a book and gone into your local book store in frantic search of the next book in the series only to  find that your local bookstore doesn't carry the book you need?  Nooooooooo!  What to do, what to do?

But this brings to light an interesting observation: THIS is the reason trilogies are suddenly so popular.  Because if an author writes a successful first installment, he (or she) is guaranteed sales for his second and third book.  It's genius, really.  Built-in fan base, and he really only needs to write one good book - the second and third books of the trilogy could be complete rubbish, and they'd still sell, just because readers, as a general rule, want to know how things end. For better or worse.  So, those of you out there considering writing a stand-alone title, rethink your decision.  Cash in on that idea and stretch it out over three books.  Four, even.

Incidentally, the "have you ever" scenario was me yesterday.  I finished Laini Taylor's Days of Blood & Starlight in the wee hours of the morning, and HAD to know how the story ended.  I rushed to the local book store on my lunch hour the next day, ready to grab it off the shelf only to have my soul crushed when I found out the store didn't have it.  "We can order it for you, though. It'll take about a week to get here."  No thank you.  I'll be dead from curiosity by then. (Thank the godstars for Amazon Prime.)

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Ahoy, Mateys!

Well, here it is - the inaugural post.  It won't be anything earth-shattering or life-altering, just a general hello, and invitation to check in with me now and again.



The Bookaneer will feature book reviews and recommendations, upcoming releases, tales from library and campus life as I navigate life in my dual-role as librarian and college instructor (those of you who think working in a library sounds boring are in for a treat!), and the occasional guest post from colleagues.  You will find tidbits of professional information, threads of humor, and not a little bit of sarcasm woven together to create a colorful representation of the world of The Bookaneer.

So welcome - enjoy - and check back often!