Short stories and the Journal of Mystic Arts

Posted on August 29, 2008 by janicu

Via things mean a lot – I found out that there is a free online short story in Holly Black's Tithe/ Valiant/ Ironside universe called "Going Ironside". It's very short and bittersweet, from the point of view of an exiled faerie, hitting hard times in the city. I didn't know about it so thought I would link to it here.

The website the short story is on is the Journal of Mystic Arts (aka JoMA) which is an online magazine having it's final issue after many years:

JoMA is sponsored by the Endicott Studio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to literary, visual, and performance arts inspired by myth, folklore, fairy tales, and the oral storytelling tradition.

Endicott & JoMA have been online since 1997. JoMA's last issue is the Summer '08 issue, but our extensive archives of 10+ years of mythic arts material will remain online as an on-going source of mythic arts information & resources.

Founded in 1987, the Endicott Studio is directed by Terri Windling & Midori Snyder.

Other stories by familiar (to me) authors I wanted to point out:

"Silver and Gold" by Emma Bull

“The Tale of the Mountain King and His Sky Bride” by O. R. Melling

Some Poems:

"Bone Mother" by Holly Black

"The Step-sister's Story" by Emma Bull

"Boys and Girls Together" by Neil Gaiman

"Instructions" by Neil Gaiman

Ok there is so much more by Neil Gaiman and Jane Yolen and Charles de Lint and Terri Windling and Delia Sherman and others. Worth spending some time there if you haven't been.

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Giveaway

Posted on June 28, 2008 by janicu

calico_reaction over on livejournal is having another giveaway. Winner gets to choose one of the following 6 books (links are to her reviews of each):

1) Daniel Abraham: A Shadow in Summer
2) David Anthony Durham: Acacia
3) Guy Gavriel Kay: Ysabel
4) Ellen Kushner: The Privilege of the Sword
5) Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora
6) C.E. Murphy: Urban Shaman

So go here if you want to enter. I also rec her blog, she always writes thoughful book reviews.

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Goodreads

Posted on June 24, 2008 by janicu

Ok, I had a goodreads account for a while but there was nothing in it. I just put all the books I had in my paperbackswap lists in there so now it has the books read in the past 2 and a half years and the up to date TBR. Vox lets me put a goodreads widget on my sidebar but LJ does not. Oh well.

http://a7.vox-data.com/6a00cd96f8411f4cd500fa9681f92f0003-html

Cut down my TBR by ten in the past couple of days – I just took out some books I didn't think I was ever going to read.

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Other book blogs/ Weekly Geeks #1

Posted on April 27, 2008 by janicu

Who reads this thing? Like two people? I can't really tell the numbers on my blog – the statcounters aren't really accurate I think. And I read a LOT of blogs through google reader (52 and growing) or on my LJ friends pages, which are things that don't show up in counters.

I was thinking about this because a few of the book blogs I read are participating in a book blogging challenge called "weekly geeks", where each week there is a theme like – finish the books you borrowed from the library etc etc. I'm joining but I'm worried that blogging challenges distract from actually reading, and I already have a lot of distractions what with those things called "life" and "work" and "wedding" (ug) and all. On top of that I prefer seeing a book blog with more book reviews than posts answering a challenge. I think it looks weird to see a book blog where over 50% of the posts are answers to the weekly btt question.

I'll tentatively start and see how it goes – apparently I don't have to do it every week anyway (well I do the booking through thursday thing maybe once every month or less). Interacting with other book bloggers seems like a good idea…Oh, and I learned about this through Marg at Reading Adventures.

The first week is Discover New Blogs week – post about the new blogs you visited who are part of this "Weekly Geeks" challenge.

On the list I discovered:

The Written Word – seems to have tastes I agree with and an interest in Jane Austen. Looks like a popular blog too. She also has an awesome post about design and architecture and weird bookshelves which I loved. I want to post about those unusual bookshelves here too.

Em's bookshelf – lots of reviews and of what look like fun books I'd read. Looks like a lot of books in the YA genre, which I'm sort of getting too old for, but still like to peer at anyway, just in case.

Girl Walks into a Bookstore – A lot more historically based books than I read, so interesting to see recommendations in that area.

Valentina's room – Again more YA than I read currently, but interesting to read what's new and out now. I like Shannon Hale and she posted a review of a Hale book I hadn't read yet. Must resist because of TBR pile..

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Links and TV series

Posted on February 1, 2008 by janicu

Twenty things you didn't know about Science Fiction from the Discover Magazine website.

and

Is everyone else watching the Complete Jane Austen on PBS? I've been watching for the past couple of weeks and enjoying myself, except I wish they were all longer. I want them to be ALL miniseries and not just an hour and a half. So far they've shown Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. Next is Miss Austen Regrets, and then three weeks of Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version of which I own on DVD and have watched like 5 times). The only one that's in more than one part, and long, and I've seen it! Oh well. Meanwhile, I'm amused PBS has a "The Men of Austen" page where viewers can vote on the men is the most suitable mate. OF COURSE Mr. Darcy is winning.

Also: I don't know if I've ranted about this before – but I was recommended the North and South miniseries (not the one about the Civil War, the one based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell) at Lights, Camera, History! (a very nice blog by the way), and that series is fantastic. Go watch if you like Jane Austen movies.

AND I'm now watching Lark Rise to Candleford. Also recommended by Lights, Camera, History. It has Dawn French from the Vicar of Dibley in it. That is enough for me.

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Some interesting links

Posted on December 11, 2007 by janicu

Just a few links to thinks from other book blogs that I saw today and thought were interesting.

On online reviews:

A link to sfsignal – "How have online book reviews affected the publishing world?" – different opinions from the sf community. I noticed a lot of comments along the lines of "blog reviews aren't as in depth and professional as offline reviews". I'm thinking – isn't that sort of the point? Anyway… I shall make interested murmurs. This book blog is definitely not professional.

Results of the "Ethics in book reviewing survey". Looks like I agree with the majority of these results. "76.5 percent think it's never ethical to review a book without reading the whole thing." – I'm ok with reviewing and saying "I could not finish" and saying why.

On series:

http://a4.vox-data.com/6a00cd96f8411f4cd500e398c6fa840005-html

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books contributor Sarah is on romancenovel.tv explaining why some series drive her crazy. I think she explains it better than I have been able to when I get into my series/pet peeves rants. I hope this embedding thingy worked.

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The League of Reluctant Adults

Posted on September 22, 2007 by janicu

There's a new blog/website (about a week old or so) started by a group of urban fantasy authors with an irreverent view of things, call the League of Reluctant Adults. This week the posts are about humor in urban fantasy. Yup, not that much humor to be found in in urban fantasy but looks like there's going to be. They discuss. Each author has books I'm either waiting to read or books I read and enjoyed (Ilona Andrews' Magic Bites). Also, probably because this is opening week, each author is giving away something to do with their books as well. Here are their posts about humor. Well worth checking out:

1. Anton Strout (author of Dead to Me)

2. Stacia Kane/December Quinn (author of Personal Demons)

3. Mark Henry (author of Happy Hour of the Damned)

4. Ilona Andrews (author of Magic Bites)

5. Jill Myles (author of Sex Starved)

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random book potpourri

Posted on June 23, 2007 by janicu

There is a poll on Mindy L. Klasky's livejournal about what gets readers to pick up a book. If you have a livejournal, go fill it out. Personally it doesn't take much to get me to read a book.. first the book has to look interesting to me, but strongest thing is definitely word of mouth. If someone who's opinion I tend to agree with likes it I will go look for it, so I think friends, book reviews, blogs fall under that. Otherwise – looking at the book – if I like the cover and the blurb, and look and like the first couple of pages – I buy it.

OK, I don't know who reads this, but I had a question – has anyone here ever sent their books to an author to get it autographed? There are certain authors I'd totally love to have sign my books, but I feel quite fangirly to send my books to them in the mail. Weird or no?

I'm thinking about this because this new author Jeaniene Frost was offering free cover flats of her debut novel "Halfway to the Grave" (looks like a paranormal fantasy about a vampire killer) on her livejournal, and I feel ok asking for one. falalala.

I also totally sent money to Kim Harrison just for her burning bunny pin and a toe tag thingy. And I was quite excited when I got them (yes, such fangrl behavior).

So I can do that, but I feel shy about sending books over to be autographed. Eh, I should get over it, huh.

TBR was holding at 100…now at 101. Why do I do this to myself? Remember when it was at 92? Damn.

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Graphic novel of Farseer Trilogy

Posted on June 22, 2007 by janicu

Assassins-Apprentice-port

Oh my god, I wish I knew french!!! There is going to be a "a French graphic adaptation of Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy. The comic books will be produced by Soleil." – this news from Pat's fantasy hotlist.

I loved the Farseer trilogy. I own the Liveship trilogy and the Tawny man trilogy. But, I've been told NOT to read Tawny man until I've read the Liveship trilogy because they are somewhat related. Unfortunately I seem to have an aversion to the characters in Liveship and its taking me YEARS (since.. oh when they came out?) to read it. So far I've read halfway through book 2 and stopped. Now I can't remember most of the story and have to start again. Meanwhile I'm dying to read Tawny man.. sigh. One day I will prevail. But probably when my TBR is down to something like 50.. so in a year or two? Meanwhile I've started reading the Soldier son trilogy (finished book 1, will pick up book 2).

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Yes.. Come to the dark side…

Posted on June 20, 2007 by janicu

J is a big reader, but is in Law school, and supposed to be studying - to the point she disabled her Internet between certain hours of the day, and I think she turned off her cable. Yes, very hardcore actions in order to stay focused. But.. the siren call of being able to rant about books is too strong and she has just created her very own book blog on vox! She was in the middle of posting a rant apparently but her time on the Internet was up for the day.

On one hand I feel evil, on the other I want to hear her rants because when J rants it's pretty amusing. So don't flunk out, because then I will feel guilty. But really, this was her idea and not mine so I shouldn't feel guilty. I really am innocent. Truely.

Her blog in its infant stages of life is here.

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