I Read: High Heat

High Heat by Richard Castle

(part of the Nikki Heat series - based from the ABC series Castle)

This will be short - I'm still missing the show Castle, and I'm still trying to finish the series of books that went along with it. It's been far too long that these books have been sitting on my shelf, and as I read them I remember how they weren't quite as satisfying as watching the show, even if I can imagine the actors from the show playing the characters in the book that they're supposedly based on. 

The story behind this book is good - I enjoy the angle, but like all the Richard Castle novels, I feel like the writing is somewhat lacking. That could be because Castle was supposed to be a pulpy, super popular writer, or it could just be the invisible writer behind the fictional character's style. I choose to think it's a choice by the invisible writer to make the writing not as good. I haven't picked up the invisible author's actual work, and I don't intend to. I want to imagine that he's actually better than Richard Castle. 

I Write: Mysteries & Thrillers (NaNoWriMo & continuing education)

It is of course November 1, and that means NaNoWriMo starts today.  Coincidentally and very fortunately, I am also taking another continuing education course in pursuit of my Creative Writing certificate titled Mysteries & Thrillers. 

Mysteries and Thrillers have never been a genre that I thought I was interested in writing about, but only one week in I have all of these ideas bustling around in my head and I'm very, very excited about it. I'm including my first assignment below as it also pertains to my NaNoWriMo project because really, if I have ideas for class, and it's Nov. 1 why shouldn't I use the ideas for both things!?  Right?  RIGHT?!?

I Read: The Meaning of Mariah

The Meaning of Mariah by Mariah Carey and Michaela Angela Davis 

Mariah Carey has always been a bit intriguing - she's been a media darling, and media trash. At times it seemed like she really knew how to work the system, to get the publicity, and at times it really looked like she was getting blown away by it all. 

I picked up this book to see how much truth I could glean between her own story and my exiting perspective. Above all else, I think I learned that she's never really been anything but herself. And she's not really apologetic for anything, nor should she necessarily be. 

I Read: Sanditon

 Sanditon by Jane Austen

This is an unfinished work by Jane Austen. I started reading because PBS was showing a mini-series and I was interested to see what had inspired it. Now that I'm completed it, I'm intrigued and wish I could know where Austen was planning to go with it. 

It's a typical Jane Austen style novel, and I'm sure she was making social commentary on the women and their lives, or the way that life was conducted. But with only 12 chapters completed, it's hard to know exactly what that was. The characters are many in this work, and I did find myself very much more attached to some than others. Some didn't seem to have much point at all. 

The estimate is that what is available is about 1/5 of the completed novel as Austen would have written it. I'm not sure that another 4x this much would have enlightened me much further, but I would have loved the opportunity to know where she was taking this story. 

I haven't completely read much of Austen's work to this point. I used to get very tied up in the language and her use of the larger and more foreign words in older style English. But I have come to an appreciation of that language at this point, and will try to read at least one of Austen's work per year from here forward. 

#70-2020

I Read: Dear Martin

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

I don't really even know where to start talking about Dear Martin. It's poignant, especially currently, but it's not hard to read, which makes it easier to spend time thinking about. 

The fact that there's no shock to the events of this book, that I read it just taking it as if it was completely logical pains me. The world should not work the way it does in this book.  But I can't deny that it does. I may not be the target audience, nor do I relate personally to any of the events in the book, but it's very clear that this is based in truth. 

I Read: Wild Storm

 Wild Storm by Richard Castle

I realized recently that while I was lamenting the loss of the show Castle, I still had several of the novels based on the work of the character on my shelf to read. So I thought what better time to read them! (I could also re-watch the show, the DVDs might exist on my shelf too.)

Honestly, I've always kind of felt the books were a bit lacking. Especially the Derrick Storm ones. But that could be because I'm less attached to that character - it isn't based on anyone from the show, just on Richard Castle's back catalogue when we join the show. There isn't anything about Storm that really made me excited to read about him, but the books aren't bad either. 

I Read: The Lost Book of the White

The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

Second in the Eldest Curses series

I have a weird connection to Cassandra Clare novels. They're definitely not written for someone of my age, but I still love them. There's something about the characters that makes mort of them either incredibly endearing or relatably dislikeable. And since I am entirely a reader who is fascinated by character-driven stories, that's perfect for me. 

The stories themselves, are not always the best they could be, but based on the character creation they don't seem completely far-fetched. Like I said, even the characters who I don't end up liking that much or I don't understand, I still enjoy the way they're written. Which is why I buy each book almost as soon as it's out. Sometimes even pre-ordered. I like getting books the day they're released. Occasionally I even manage to get them before the official release date, which is always a treat.