Books Read and to Read

Two books read for end of May/ beginning of June! Lately, that's a record for me.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima. It was recommended by a friend. I enjoyed reading this book, which is obvious since it was around 500 pages long, and I finished it. Although, just as a warning, there is a lot of kissing in this book! Overall, her voice in this book attracted me because it reminds me of a story I want to write someday--3rd person, medieval fantasy, multiple points of view (not exceeding 3 or 4) aimed at a slightly younger readership than the high fantasy of Brandon Sanderson and Tad Williams. Often as I read, though, my critical writing wheels are at work, looking for what's good and what could be improved. I noticed that often Chima will give historical details in large chunks. These often pulled me out of the character's point of view. As I've started reading the second book, The Exiled Queen, I've looked at these closer and saw how they flow into a character's point of view. My question: can these historical references be linked even more to the character's thoughts so that I am not pulled out of their point of view quite as much?

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I finally read it! It's been on my reading list for a couple of years. We read it for our VISTA book club. The characters in this book blew my mind away--they were so young yet geniuses. And, though I wondered how they could be so smart, I never disbelieved that they were. Or disbelieved what they did. I was a little disappointed because as I neared the finale of the story, I began to remember conversations that I'd overheard of people discussing Ender's Game, and I began to suspect what was happening. The one thing that bothered me a little in his style was how he downloaded information through conversations. These little kids talked for half a page without interruption in paragraph or by other characters. The effect of it was a lot of telling without showing. Which ingrained itself in my mind even more when I heard a quote by Card recently about not doing this very thing when you write. Mostly I noticed it at the beginning of the book.

Recently, I attended the WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers) Conference for the second time. Today I bought a couple of books that I'm excited to read! One I am excited for is Wolves, Boys, & Other things that might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler. As I was getting books signed by various authors, I saw her and thought "She looks very familar". After Emily Wing Smith signed a book for me, I stepped over and talked to Kris. She had been Alane Ferguson's assistant when I attended her class two years ago. I remembered her story, and that she was working on one to get it published. It was fun to see her and get to talk to her. And now I have her book!