still AWOL
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've been very, very braindead. I'll be back soon. I promise.
(very short) book reviews
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
...by Douglas AdamsI don't know why I own this book. I think someone gave it to me when I was about nine, and I reread it when I had the flu. It makes for a good I'm-stuck-in-bed-and-don't-have-anything-to-do read. Other than that, I can't recommend it. Most of the novel fit in very well with my hallucinations, and I enjoyed it when I was reading it, but I don't think I would now. There's something about being feverish that doesn't make you the best judge of literature.
***
The Whispering Mountain
...by Joan Aiken
Someone definitely gave me this one, maybe a year ago, and it's on my bookshelf because I never turn down a book. It's a fairly good YA fantasy, but nothing more than that. The characters are generally believable, the plot is okay, and the writing passable. It was the sort of book that I read just to see what happens in the end, and then the ending disappointed me. Oh well.
***
City of the Beasts, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, Forest of the Pygmies
...by Isabel Allende
Fairly good YA fiction. I love the characters to death, I love the writing, and they make up for me not loving the plot(s). They're okay, and interesting to read about, but just not quite my thing. But the characters... I could go on and on about how much I love Alex, but I won't. Suffice it to say that I read all three books in one day and had to be dragged out of the second one for lunch.
***
Speak
...by Laurie Halse Anderson
I really have a sore spot for this book, because I can really, really relate to the protagonist, Mel, and because I love the commentary on high school. I've probably read this book five times, and it's never disappointed me. A lot of other books fade after a couple of readings, but Speak is always just a little bit darker and funnier than I remember it being.
***
Pebble in the Sky
...by Isaac Asimov
Not my favorite of Asimov's, but still good. I love the concept, the theme, the voice, the writing... I just felt like the ending was too predictable, too forced, and it didn't have that twist that I expect from Asimov. It's still a very good book, just not quite up to some of his other works.
***
The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories
...by Isaac Asimov
I love his robot stories. All of them. Unfortunately, I'm of the opinion that short stories are like one chocolate chip. you get a teeny taste of the characters and the setting, and then it's over. Despite that opinion, I love all the stories in this book. They were the first robot stories I ever read, and they're definitely some of the best.
claustrophilia
Have I mentioned that I have claustrophilia, the liking of small, enclosed spaces? They feel safe.
IHMAWTD
I hate myself and want to die... And possibly kill off all my characters too.
Welcome, Layli, to the second week of NaNoWriMo. If me and my characters all come out of this week intact, I get a chocolate bar, and they get a short break from the emotional havoc I've been wreaking in their lives.
I might not keep the second part of my promise. We'll see.
That made me feel a little better.
...
I am not Brynne. I am not Fast Like a Freak. I also have other things to do. Which is why I have only written 22389 words in the past week.
However, yesterday I read Beowulf in its entirety, write 4000 words, did my Chinese homework, did my English quiz, started Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov, forgot to blog, did half of my math problems for next week and did laundry.
November is a dreary month. And it's pouring rain again.
cake-in-a-mug, otherwise known as 5 minute personal chocolate cake
Ingredients:
- 1 coffee mug
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- dash of vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions:
- add dry ingredients to mug, mix well
- add egg, mix well
- add milk, oil, and vanilla, mix well
- add chocolate chips, mix well (optional)
- put mug in microwave, set timer for 3 minutes
- after one minute, notice that cake has risen over top of mug, take mug out of microwave, inspect despite danger of cake falling
- put mug back into microwave, resume cooking
- eat, lamenting over fact that cake fell a little
I personally like it without chocolate chips, and I add more than a dash of vanilla.
yay!
It's five minutes to four, and I have gotten everything that I want done today done!
Write at least 1667 words on new novel. Check.
Finish journalism assignment. Check.
Do laundry. Check.
Clean my room. Check.
Read a bit. Check.
I've even done a couple of non-essential things like add a pretty web badge to my blog proclaiming my participation in NaNoWriMo. And now that I've told people (gasp), I have to finish.
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