Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

Chicklish posted my review of Dark Matter on the website today.  It's a haunting story that played on my mind long after I'd finished it. The perfect read for those long autumnal nights.

Tips for Starting a Novel

Getting a novel off the ground is hard work, even if you love your idea.  We've all been there, and many of us have already finished at least one story so why is it so difficult to get going?

I don't about you, but I always find that advice from other authors helps to motivate at this stage. Fellow writers understand where you're at, and sometimes it only takes few shared words of wisdom to help break through the procrastination barrier.  I thought it might be useful if I summarised some of my favourite motivational posts here for people to check out. I find these invaluable. Hope you do too!

First, some no-nonsense talk from the high priestess of dedication herself, Maggie Stiefvater  - The Giant Butt-Kicking How to Write a Novel Post.

I was going to chose one post on motivation from the fab writers over at YA Highway, but they were all so fantastic that I've included a link to the whole selection.

Janice Hardy has tons of great advice about writing on her blog, but this post about plotting and outlining summarises some key points that could get you out of a thought hole.

Finally, if you're at the beginning of a new book and would like to be part of a writing challenge, head over to Emma Michaels' Project to Published Challenge which started yesterday.

I'm always on the lookout for new hints and tips so if you have a post or a recommendation that you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Team Peeta

I've just pre-ordered Mockingjay because I can't bear the thought of finding out what happens to Katniss, Peeta and Gale before reading the book.  I've already had a sneaky peek at the Amazon.com website, but luckily everyone seems to be respecting Suzanne Collins' wishes and keeping schtum.  Most of the comments appear to be speculative - how's it all going to pan out? Who will Katniss end up with? Will one of them die? Personally, I hope there's a massive twist that no one guesses. Suzanne Collins is more than up to the challenge and I reckon she'll surprise everyone.

As for the love-interest though - I make no secret of the fact that I'm siding with Peeta - at the moment.  So far, he's demonstrated deep love and devotion towards Katniss. He's kind, brave, considerate. Yes- she has a long-standing bond with Gale, but he's never been tested in the same way. We've seen Peeta make sacrifices. So definitely, Peeta - for the moment, but I reserve my final judgement until next week.

Friday Blog Hop

It's been a while since I did the blog hop so I thought I'd join in again this week.



Click on Parajunkee.com if you'd like to add your name to list and remember to leave a comment here if you've stopped by on the hop!

Mockingjay Competition

Don't know about you, but I'm majorly excited about the upcoming release of Mockingjay. I loved The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and am desperate to know what's going to happen to Katniss. Luckily there's not much longer to wait and if you enter the competition over at Beth's blog, you might be one of the enviable people who gets to read the book before it's released. She's giving away a copy of the novel and a covetable Mockingjay pin.  Get over there!

One Day - David Nicholls

'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.' He smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.' 15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

I always follow-through on recommendations, especially if they come from several sources so I had to read One Day.  The story is Hornby-esque in it's appeal - a structured romance, often thwarted, sometimes consumated. There's banter a-plenty, with lots of tragic material to offset the sarcasm. But Nicholls' real gift is his ability to capture the thoughts of the middle-class everyman, describing the grey area that lies between hope and reality as the main characters play out their lives.

Although I didn't love the novel, I had to remind myself that it wasn't real once I'd finished it. The protagonists were full-bodied, and their experiences were believable, but I wonder if it was this overwhelming sense of realism that prevented me from fully enjoying the experience.  I felt as if I'd been there, done it.  I wanted a revelation, and instead, I found mundanity. There's no doubt that Nicholls is a talented writer, but I'm hoping that he can reach beyond the normal next time.

Reading Heaven

Three packets of Werthers Originals, five cream teas and four walks (much needed) later and I'm back in Derbyshire.  Aldeburgh was everything that we'd hoped for - magnificent skies, delicious fooderies - even sunshine! It felt as if time had been stretched so far that we managed to fit in loads of adventures and still had time to put our feet up.

I managed to devour three books and have nearly finished the fourth. The pattern slightly deviated from my planned list after I decided to buy One Day by David Nicholls from the Aldeburgh Bookshop on the strength of several recommendations from friends. I also couldn't resist picking up a copy of Fludd by Hilary Mantel from the second-hand bookshop at Sutton Hoo. I'll be posting reviews on the website over the next few weeks, and two (Dark Matter and Dark Life) will be published on Chicklish in September.

Holiday Reading

I'm still planning to read all the books I listed earlier this summer, but I haven't managed to buy them all yet. In fact, the only one that I have finished is Tall Story, which I reviewed for Chicklish (loved it btw!).

So, due to a number of reasons - I have a completely different selection for my holiday - all equally as interesting:

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (supplied by Chicklish)
Dark Life by Kat Falls (supplied by Chicklish)
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Wondrous Reads giveaway)
The Lost City of Z by David Grann (bought)

I doubt I'll get through more than this in a week. If I add another to the pile, it will have to be A Web of Air by Philip Reeve. I'll be posting reviews for all of these, either on this site or on Chicklish.