Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Reading

What a rollicking good read this was. Scumble is the companion book to Savvy.

Ledger Kale's savvy busts things apart. You'll have to read the book to know how he learns to control it, with his cousins giving him lessons. Ingrid Law can spin a tall tale, but her savvy has got to be picking the best names for her characters: Fedora, Rocket, Marisol, and who can forget Mibs?

Here's our cat Savvy (the kid who named her is herself named after a book character). I like this picture even though it's fuzzy because she looks like she's glowing, kind of like Rocket in Scumble.


Other books that I enjoyed:
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North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley -- this one is not just about a girl struggling with a port-wine stain. It had so many layers. I loved all the mapping metaphors used throughout. I especially enjoyed the family relationships, the unexpected plot twists. It's beautifully written. My only criticism is that the characters often started their conversations with: "God." This might be realistic, but it grated on my eyes and ears. Why? If characters start every sentence with the f* word, would we use it as writers?
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Writing a Book that makes a Difference by Philip Gerard -- My pet projects are all important books. I want to make a difference in this world. Why else would I write? Oh, yes, I write for money and experience, but ultimately it's to bring a voice to the voiceless. Make a difference.
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Quit Your Day Job: How to Sleep Late, Do What You Enjoy, and Make a Ton of Money as a Writer by Jim Denney -- Isn't that the greatest title? I saw it on Kristi Holl's blog. And I've made some changes to my writing life and boy golly, I'm going to be a career novelist.
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After a month of being neurotic, I've finally settled down to my novel revision. Happy reading and writing, folks.
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5 comments:

Write2ignite said...

Happy writing, indeed! I like the sounds of the book from Kristi's site. I need to get back to reading her blog. She is full of great info!

hugs,
Donna

Bish Denham said...

I really enjoyed Savvy, so no doubt I'd enjoy Scumble as well. All the others look good too!

Vijaya said...

Donna, the writing books I got from Kristi's blog -- that's the one blog you don't want to skip because she has such a great mix of inspiration and craft.

Bish, I know you love tall tales, and all I can say is that if you loved Savvy, you'll love Scumble. The funny thing is that it's not just the same old stuff. That's the beauty of Ingrid Law. Same premise, but a completely different story. She's got the best characters.

Mary Witzl said...

Savvy sounds great, and what a gorgeous cat! I've heard such good things about Ingrid Law, and if I don't put a dent in my reading list pretty soon, I don't know what I'll do. I think my Christmas list will have to be ONLY books, but that is not a hardship!

We tell our girls to reserve 'God' for really important utterances. They don't pay us much attention, but maybe some day it will hit home.

Vijaya said...

A boxful of books is always a great Christmas present, Mary. I hope you get some of Ingrid Law. She is fabulous.