Bethany Larson

Tune In Tuesday: Josh Ritter . . . Again

November 22, 2011

It’s no secret that I have a major crush on Josh Ritter’s music. (And let’s be honest, Josh Ritter.)

The other day I was in a very Ritter kind of mood and headspace while I was writing (I cannot write when in silence. Silence distracts me.) and “Naked as a Window,” a song that I’ve heard probably a million times came on.

But for some reason, this time it seemed louder than all the other times. It’s a short song—not even a minute and a half long. But it is gorgeous. It’s simple and honest and heartbreaking, but heartwarming too.

It really did a number on me and I put the sucker on repeat for about two days. It’s a quiet little thing and it slips under the radar pretty easily. I’m glad it decided to scream at me.

BTW, in this video, “Naked as a Window” is used as the intro song to “Girl in the War” another of my fave Ritter songs. 🙂

Happy Tuesday!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks!

What I’m Writing: NaNoWriMo Week Three Update

November 19, 2011

This week in the wonderful world of writing-frenzy, I’m struggling a little.

I’m a few thousand words behind word count. I mean, not to the point that it’s going to be impossible to catch up, but still. I’m behind.

And it’s all because I think I’ve written my poor little characters into a corner that I am not a fan of, and I’m not quite sure how to get them out of it without GOING BACK and REVISING which are kind of the only NaNo-NoNos.

So. That.

And the only other way I can see getting the out of this stupid, pointy corner is to change the ending I’ve conceived of all along.

I am loath to do that.

When I started this, I had a very specific vision of the ending. It was going to be spectacular and breathtaking and leave my eventual-readers going “Oh!” But not in a cliffhanger-way. This was going to be in a “I-can’t-believe-she-did-that” kind of way. And I was all excited about it. The ending was what was really going to make this book different and leave every pub house IN THE WORLD clamoring to buy it up.*

And now I think I have to change it. Or go back and revise. Or something.

*headdesk*

So those are my writing woes for this week. Hopefully after going to brunch and getting day drunk and then seeing Breaking Dawn will give me some INSPIRATION. *grins*

And, for those of you who have any sort of interest in what my crazy draft-writing contains, here is your snippet for the week (Be warned! There are probs typos/word-choice issues. You may judge, just don’t judge too harshly.):

As I turned to go to the register, I ran into aperson. I still had my headphones in, so I mumbled an apology without lookingup and kept making my way to the front of store. But I realized I wasn’t goingvery far since the person I ran into had grabbed my hand, which was highlyweird. With my free hand I yanked the headphones out of my ears and whippedaround, trying all the while to free my enslaved hand.

“Um,please let go of . . . ” my words trailed off as my brain recognized the personI was looking at. Then I picked up again with, “You’ve got to be fuckingkidding me.” If there was ever any doubt I was a New Yorker through andthrough, it was all lost with that exclamation.

©Bethany Larson, 2011

*I do not know if this is going to happen as I am not any sort of oracle or psychic. If I were, this whole writing a book endeavor would probably be MUCH EASIER.

TGIF: Giving Bookish Thanks

November 18, 2011

Believe it or not, today is the Friday before Thanksgiving. I would reflect on where the time has gone, but that sounds depressing so I will SKIP it. Instead, I will write far too much about the question the lovely, fabulous, wonderful Ginger at GReadsBooks has posed this week:

Giving Thanks: Which books are you most thankful for receiving from other bloggers, friends, family members, or publishers?

Where She Went is the first ARC I received from a publisher. It surprised me in the mail, about six weeks after I’d started this blog. I was FLOORED that I’d received it because I didn’t request it (Hell, I didn’t even know how to request an ARC at that point) and because there’d been SO MUCH buzz surrounding it. I’m still just shocked that I got this and thoroughly confused as to how it came to me. But I loooooooved it and am so so so glad and honored that I received an ARC.

I was the first of my friends to jump on the Harry Potter train, but not without a lot of prodding and a good bit of boredom. I received this book from my grandmother the week that it was first released in the U.S. I was eleven and in that period where I did not want to read anything with a cartoon of a boy on the cover. I don’t even think I read the jacket copy. I just put it aside and continued to read my Magic Attic Club and Saddle Club and every other girly series that ended in “Club” books. But my grandma kept calling my mom and asking if I’d read the book yet. So, finally, after several conversations where my mom was like, “Bethany, just read the book so she’ll stop asking.” I sat down and read it. And I couldn’t stop. When I finished it, I immediately re-read it. So, yay for my grandma and her book-picking skillz! 🙂

So, this one is sort of abstract in that my introduction to John Green didn’t come in book-form. My super-awesome sister sent me an email one day that included this video with the message “OMG YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS.” So I watched and was like, “HOLY SHIZZBALLS THIS IS THE BEST.” So I started watching the Vlogbrothers videos from the beginning forward. I developed a huge huge huge crush on John Green and when I realized he writes books that are, you know, buyable I immediately sought out everything by him. And then I read the two books I could get my hands on at the time—Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines—in order of publication, so my first John Green book was LfA. And I fell in love. [I have a feeling I’ll tell more of this story during John Green Week, so I’ll go ahead and stop here.] But without my sister sending me that inaugural video, I probably would have never read these books.

I got Hourglass via my very first ARC tour, hosted by Heather at Fire and Ice (whom I am also thankful for for sending me The Name of the Star). From the first time I saw the stinkin’ cover for Hourglass, I KNEW this was a book for me. I was SO excited to get in on the ARC tour, and couldn’t wait until it showed up on my doorstep. Fittingly, it arrived while I was watching a Doctor Who marathon on BBC America. And it was literally love at first word for me. I was super sad that I had to send it to the next person because I wanted to keep the book and love it and pet it and kiss it and read it again. But! I couldn’t do that and I wanted others to have the opportunity to read it as well.

And these days I have TWO copies of Hourglass. *ponders what to do with the extra copy*

Alright, so that is my very long-winded post. I could go on and on about this. And I should probably take a moment to give a HUMUNGOUS thank you to Miss Ginger for sending me not only her ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but for also buying me a copy of Sloppy Firsts (which I have yet to read. I KNOW, I’m on it.) and for just being an all-around awesome blogger and friend and person.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous Thanksgiving!

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Waiting on Wednesday: Dreamless

November 16, 2011

Title: Dreamless (Starcrossed 2)

Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Release Date: May 29, 2012

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.—Goodreads

So, I saw Immortals this past weekend. While I had a grand ol’ time watching the gore and the shirtlessness and Henry Cavill’s awesome spear attacks and spin moves and The Chick who Played Athena’s Buffy-inspired Fan Kicks of Doom, I found myself wanting something . . . else.

And I found myself thinking about Starcrossed, a book about demigods I read earlier this year. And then I remembered that there is to be a sequel! So I took my happy little self over to the Goodreads website and lo and behold there is a cover and a description and release date for the sequel, Dreamless.

And it’s going to be all kinds of hellish with Miss Helen going off to Hades and chillin’ with those kids. And apparently one of them is a mysterious stranger. Interest = peaked.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Reactionary Reading: Shatter Me

November 15, 2011

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y’all! This week I’m publishing my notes on Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, a book that I LOVED reading.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here’s how it works:

I have gone through and redacted major spoiler information. (Yep, just like the government does.) If you’ve read the books, or if you don’t care about being spoiled, feel free to highlight the redacted portions so you can read the text. (It’s like a game! Sort of.) But there might still be minor spoilers involved. So if you’re the type that hates knowing things before you read, DO NOT PROCEED. And please keep in mind that this is all in good fun and are just my thoughts and opinions. Also, bad language abounds.

So without further ado, may I present my notes on Shatter Me.

Half sleeves, dark hair, and blue eyes?! THIS IS MY DREAM GUY. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS BOOK.

I’m really diggin’ the use of the strike through.

OMG and his name is Adam. Oh man. I hope he turns out to be a good guy and not a colossal asshole.

p. 23: “I realize for the first time that he’s not wearing a shirt.” HOW ARE YOU JUST NOW REALIZING THIS NAMELESS GIRL?!

p. 26: Lackadaisical! I LOVE the word lackadaisical! Also, the word ennui, which is the word right after lackadaisical. Holy Jesus, I love Tahereh Mafi.

This sentence is brilliant: “I hate the lackadaisical ennui of a sun too preoccupied with itself to notice the infinite hours we spend in its presence.”

OMG Tahereh Mafi is 23! I am so wasting my life.

p. 41: “There are fifteen thousand feelings of disbelief hole-punched in my heart.”

p. 48: ADAAAAAAAAM. Well. I still have hope.

p. 53: “There are wire cutters carving holes in my heart.”

Chapter Eleven is effing heartbreaking.

p. 73: “I hope I disappoint Warner in every possible way.” Get it girl.

Mafi has such a way with words. Her verbs! And metaphors! Good GOD this lady can write.

p. 121: I. Am. SOBBING.

p. 123: I love that all of her dresses have pockets. Pocket dresses are THE BEST.

p. 130-131: The evisceration of women who use child leases is INCREDIBLE.

I don’t really know how I feel about No-First-Name Warner. I mean, obvs he’s AWFUL, but there’s also something else going on. Or maybe I’m getting Stockholm Syndrome from this book.

BTW: Adam. Still swooning over that one.

p. 141: “I want to cripple his cockiness with the palm of my hand.” DOUBLE ENTENDRE FTW.

p. 148: Oh holy, yes.

p. 150: Oh hells bells. I bet Warner is going to deny that he gave Adam permission to dismantle the cameras/mics. Ohhh I’m so preemptively mad.

p. 156: “He squeezes me against his chest and I marvel at the power, the glory, the wonder in such a simple movement.”

p. 159: Aaaaaand I’m crying again.

p. 171: Wait. She can break through walls?!

p. 174-176: YES PLEASE.

“My fingers are tugging at the them of his wet clothes and his eyes widen for only a second before he rips the material off himself. He grabs my hands and lifts my arms above my head and pins me against the wall, kissing me until I’m sure I’m dreaming, drinking in my lips with his lips and he tastes like rain and sweet musk and I’m about to explode.“ O_O

Ok, now that she’s all with Adam, I’m now wary of him. I’m all kinds of concerned he’s not as great as I think he is and that Warner was actually trying to save her from him. Or something. But that’s obvs crazy right? RIGHT?!

p. 231: DEAR. GOD. The pants-melting.

p. 243: I love that she loves guns.

p. 266: ROAR.

p. 269: “He tastes like peppermint, smells like gardenias.” HE’S A DUDE. DUDES SHOULDN’T SMELL THAT WAY.

p. 296: Ok. For some reason I’m just NOW starting to wonder why some people can touch her and others can’t. When it was just Adam, I was like WHEEEE. And then when Warner could I was like, Well, ok, that sort of figures. BUT NOW. My brian is catching up or something because I’m like, “Wait. How does this work?!”

p. 302: WTF is going on?

The tonal shift has totally caught me off guard.

When’s Warner gonna show up again? Because I’m pretty positive he is NOT dead.

But if he is, awesome. . . . although. He was such a good villain.

p. 314: So . . . we’re now at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?

p. 316: Awe, I love Brendan.

p. 338: “I offer Adam a blank stare. He grins, “Try it on.” I stare differently.”

Hmm. That book was a whirlwind of THINGS. MANY MANY THINGS.