Yay!
I fully expect to finish the continuity-smoothing today and tomorrow, then some extremely tedious polishing over the weekend and I bet I can send it back to my agent on Monday. Yay again! That was surprisingly fast considering that the changes involved completely rewriting chapters five and six and substantially re-writing chapter seven — and that I had any number of dog shows on the weekends for this whole re-write period.
(Kenya has won Winners 4 times this fall, in case you’re interested, and is now up to seven points, including one major, so she’s officially halfway to her championship. Last weekend this glamorous German import beat her on Saturday, but Kenya turned around and won on Sunday, so that was satisfying. Speaking perfectly objectively, the other girl has the more glamorous head and shows better, but Kenya definitely has the better croup and tailset, so it comes down to what the judge cares about and whether Kenya shows halfway decently. One more show weekend this year! It would be FABULOUS if she got her other major!)
Okay, so already making plans for what to take off the top of the TBR pile on Saturday! Or Sunday! Or, hey, Monday at the very latest! I might even take off all of Thanksgiving week before getting back to work; doesn’t that sound perfectly justifiable?
I like to take two days minimum to read a book, because I just enjoy it more if I stretch it out a little, so that limits the number I can expect to get through in one week. Right now I’m planning on:
Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn — Sharon has told me about the mixed reader responses this one has gotten, and I’m really looking forward to reading it and seeing what *my* response it, so it’s definitely first in line.
The Serpent Sea and The Siren Depths by Martha Wells — I *really* loved The Cloud Roads and was just waiting for the third book to come out before diving back into this beautiful, evocative world.
But then what?
Do I want to read The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun, by Jemisen? They’re supposed to be SO GOOD. Am I in the mood for a complex new world and books that are REALLY GOOD? Maybe I’d rather put those off and read —
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen? The first book I read of hers, The Peach Keeper, was a lovely little gem of magical realism, sweet without being saccharine, easy to fall into and impossible not to love. I instantly bought this one, and maybe a contemporary-ish magical realism story is just what I’ll want after Martha Wells’ baroque fantasy world?
If I have time, I wouldn’t mind picking up The Raven Boys by Stiefvater. I haven’t read any summaries or reviews of it, so I have no idea what to expect from it, except quality.
Ah, choices, choices! Anticipating a great week next week! Luckily I already have a good supply of fabulous chocolate.
Congratus to Kenya for her wins. And to Rachel for finishing.
Peronally, for reading, I’d take the Sarah A. Allen. After you suggested THE PEACH KEEPER, I tried it, liked it and read something else (her first, title escapes, but it’s about the special cook in TPK, clumsier, but still very readable). She strikes me as good to read for relaxation and enjoyment – what a friend of mine calls a ‘hot chocolate of a book.’
I found out about the Book Smugglers from you, so you may already have read these books: “Fly by Night” and “Fly Trap”, both by Frances Hardinge. They are every bit as good as the reviews suggest.
Okay, I’m adding those Hardinge titles to my wish list RIGHT NOW.