Friday Wishlist: How About Some More Time

Today I want to tell you about how much I wish for more reading time. Over the holidays I consumed books at an alarming rate and enjoyed every moment of it, but then the kids head back to school and life gets back to normal. Leaving me to cope with the withdrawals of my drug.

More time--that's what I need. More time to read that pile that's forever amassing on my dresser. More time to consume that list of books I have inside of my head.

I once read a book where one of the characters had hidden himself away in a home in the middle of nowhere (hermit style) and just read the books that covered everyone of his walls. Wouldn't that be nice?

My mom told me recently that she couldn't imagine being confined to a bed for a long period of time because she would get bored. Not me, I'd just read until my eyes bled and my head throbbed.

So my wishlist for today is time to read the books I already have:

Arabian Nights
Soulless
Horizon
The Curse of the Chalion
The Towers of Midnight

I don't dare add to my list today... because my list is much to long as it stands.




What do you want to read? Link up with us and share those books!


Books in this post:
Arabian Nights by (who did write Arabian Nights?)
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Sharing Knife: Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan

The Maze Runner

I just finished the book 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner and I gotta tell you, I was pretty impressed.

A friend of mine said that the plot--a maze that the protagonist has to get out of--was pretty used up, but I honestly have never read one. Of course, I'm just starting to delve into this whole darker side of speculative fiction, so I may not be the best judge of these things.

The one drawback of the writing style is that Dashner uses the word 'curious' (or variants of it) a lot. It's kind of like Robert Jordan's fascination with eyes (please tell me I'm not the only one whose ever noticed that).

So, what song did I choose to go with the Maze Runner?

Well... let me back up a bit and tell you more about this book. Let's see if I can do it in three sentences, just for fun:

Boy wakes up in a new place with no memory beyond his name, Thomas. After only a day Thomas starts to make some connections--one, he's in a maze with a bunch of other boys and two, he's pretty sure he recognizes everything and three. Within a week of his arrival, things start going down hill fast and it becomes apparent that Thomas is some sort of catalyst.

Did I do a good job?

Snippet from the book, you say? Well, alright:

   "Out there's the Maze." Alby jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, then paused. Thomas stared in that direction, through the gap in the walls that served as an exit from the Glade. The corridors out there looked much the same as the ones he'd seen from the window by the East Door early that morning. This thought gave him a chill, made him wonder if a Griever might come charging toward them at any minute. He took a step backward before realizing what he was doing. Calm down, he chided himself, embarrassed.
   Alby continued. "Two years, I've been here. Ain't none been here longer. The few before me are already dead." Thomas felt his eyes widen, his heart quicken. "Two years we've tried to solve this thing, no luck. Shuckin' walls move out there at night just as much as these here doors. Mappin' it out ain't easy, ain't easy nohow."

Now I'll tell you what song I picked.

Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. I couldn't stop thinking of how well it fit, not just the words, but the entire tone of the song. The story is about these kids who have no clue who they are, and all they really want is to figure out how to get out and home. Their memories are wiped clean, their lives are completely empty. They become, essentially, nothings. No history and no foreseeable future. Bring Me To Life... just worked.

"I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought without a voice without a soul
Don't let me die here
There must be something more
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I’ve become"

The book is the first in a trilogy--the second of which (The Scorch Trials) comes out October 12, 2010. I am excited to see it out, hopefully my library will pick it up soon after that so I won't have to buy both books... because, really, who wants to own the second book in a series without the first?

Books: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
           The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Other noted Authors: Robert Jordan

Music: Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

The Way of Kings: Friday Wish-List

I've had a very hard time finding out anything about this book and after digging around for awhile I finally had to admit to myself that the reason I want to read this book is because I love the author.

When Brandon Sanderson's first book Elantris showed up in the Science Fiction Book Club I hesitated buying it. I'd had some pretty bad experiences buying books from SFBC and I didn't want to end up forking out another $20 for a lousy book. The problem was I was pretty desperate for a new book. So I bought it. I instantly realized the sheer power of Sanderson's writing.

Elantris was Sanderson's first published novel and I have followed his work ever since. When it was announced that he would be finishing The Wheel of Time Series, I was among the nerdy fans on his website that cried out in joy.

Fast forward three years and what you find is that Brandon Sanderson has become the best new fantasy writer in a decade.

So when a new book comes out with his name printed across the cover I'll admit I'm pretty indiscriminate of the content.

But what is The Way of Kings about? Even Sanderson struggles to describe it:

The book started its life many years ago being about a young man who made a good decision. I wrote the entire book that way before realizing I’d done it wrong. So I started over from scratch and had him take the other fork, the more difficult fork. The fork that cast him into some of the worst imaginable circumstances, ground him against the stones of a world where there is no soil or sand on the ground.

My goal: to prove to myself, and to him, that the ‘good’ decision was not actually the best one. The Way Of Kings is his story, though he shares the space with several others. They’ll get their own books later in the series.

Intrigued yet?

It's all I needed. In fact, it's more than I needed and I feel like Christmas will be here on August 31st.

But if it's not enough for you, don't worry! Tor.com has a little something-something to wet your palette.

It's actually a BIG something-something....  You can read the prologue and first three chapters here and listen to chapters four through six here.

So, what are you waiting for!? Go... go... discover one of my favorite writers of all time.

Then come back and tell me what you think.

Books: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson,
           The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson,
           The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan

Blogger Interview: Cannwin

I have to tell you that I've had this idea in my head for awhile but this week seemed like a good time to post it since I'm up to my ears in responsibilities. So I'm going to interview myself!

Has reading a book ever changed your life?

I have had several books that have had an affect on the course of my life, but I can't say that I've ever had one that actually changed my life. Well, I could list a few life changing religious books.

Do you prefer to read fiction or nonfiction? Explain your choice.

I used to be solely devoted to fiction, but in recent years I have come to really discover and love the memoir. Life stories definitely have an emotional tug for me. I am moved by the trials and struggles that actual people have to deal with and I love knowing that despite the odds actual people can overcome anything.

Some of my favorites are A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, West With the Night by Beryl Markham, Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

Has reading a book ever made you cry? Which one and why?

Yes... I'm wondering who hasn't. There was this one book called Petersburg by Emily Hanlon. I read it when I was 19 and first out on my own. I was absolutely riveted by the plot line and could barely put the book down. Then one night at work the most unbelievable thing happened in the plot and I threw the book down in shock. It took me a good month or two before I picked it up and finished it.

Another, more recent book is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, the end of that book made me sob.

How many books do you read each year?

Depends on the year. When my husband was in Iraq I read the entire Wheel of Time series in one year, that's 12 books. Plus the Harry Potter series. He actually wrote me a letter that said, "I see we're becoming the major financiers of Waldenbook."

Books kept me sane that year.

Have you ever written (or started to write) a book?

::blush:: Yes. Two. One on my own and the other for NaNoWriMo, they are the first two in a series I intend to finish sometime in my life. The series is called 'The GodWrought.'

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?

The Great and Random Ramblings of Cannwin. Hahaha.

If you could pick a book you’ve read to make into a movie, which one would you choose?

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, but it would have to be on the caliber of Lord of the Rings or I would never go see it.

What was your favorite book as a child and why?

The Case of the Vanishing Boy by Alexander Key. I literally read that book until it fell apart.

Which character in a book best describes who you are?

I like to fancy myself as an Eowyn type.

What’s your favorite kind of music?

I don't think I have a favorite, I listen to whatever catches my fancy.

Who’s your favorite singer or band?

I have always adored Jewel. (Does that date me?)

What’s your favorite album?

The Hope Floats soundtrack. It's the best album EVER.

What’s your favorite song?

If You're Not the One by Daniel Bedingfield.

Do you like to sing karaoke?

Not on my life.

Are you a good dancer?

Probably not, but I'd like to think I am.

Do you like musicals? (movies or theater)

Yes. I adore Les Miserables and Fiddler on the Roof and Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady and...

Has a song ever made you cry?

I can't listen to the We Were Soldiers soundtrack, it makes me physically ill. I love the music, but it has a practical PTSD affect on my system. It dates back to my husband being in Iraq.

Do you have any questions for us, the bloggers?

Books: A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
           West With the Night by Beryl Markham
           Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
           Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
           Petersburg by Emily Hanlon
           City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
           The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
           Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
           Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
           Case of the Vanishing Boy by Alexander Key
           The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

Music: Hope Floats Soundtrack
           If You're Not the One by Daniel Bedingfield
           We Were Soldiers Soundtrack
           Les Miserables Soundtrack
           Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack
           Fiddler on the Roof Soundtrack
           My Fair Lady Soundtrack