Happy 2017

This blog has become a bit of a New Year's resolution of mine. I swear that I'm going to start blogging again, make a post or two, and then disappear off into the ether.

I'm not going to make a resolution this year.

I'm just going to start blogging again.

I'm neck-deep in revisions for an entirely new book that I love very much. I have two jobs and a third volunteer position. Last year my only post was about Hamilton and I have to say my obsession has not gone away in the intervening months. Although now I can say all the words to "Guns and Ships" without (mostly) getting tongue-tied. I'm not reading as much as I should be and really trying to work on that. I can say 2016 was a dumpster fire of a year but I have hope for 2017. Somewhere.

So how's life everyone? What have you been up to?

Hamilton

I'm back! I made a New Year's resolution last year to start blogging three times a week. Obviously, like many resolutions, it crashed and burned.

But a 2016 resolution is not why I'm here.

Hamilton is. If you haven't heard of it, it's a rap/hip hop Broadway musical about one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Sounds boring? Sounds weird? I thought so too.

Trust me.

I listened to the full cast recording three times in two days and my favorite songs countless times in between. I have plans to see it live in the eventual future.

Interested?

I have two recommendations:

Number 1: My favorite song and the one that actually got me into the musical in the first place

Number 2: From the beginning

What's Up Wednesday - January 28, 2015

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch.

What I'm Reading: 
I finished Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford last week. My review went up on Friday. I felt that it fell short of its potential. But now I'm reading Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I have to admit that I was a little sad when I read the summary and found out it focuses on Scarlet rather than Cinder but I'm quickly falling in love.

What I'm Writing: 
Nothing at the moment. I haven't started querying either. I'm swamped with work. It's not likely to get any better until next week so I think I'm going to forego the writing goal.

What Works for Me: 
Musical motivation. I've listened to Fall Out Boy's new album an almost embarrassing number of times since it was released, but I regret nothing. Sometimes music gets me pumped up (like Fall Out Boy) and sometimes it helps me to settle down and focus (like my all instrumental playlist on Pandora).

What Else I've Been Up to: 
Trying to get settled into a routine. The first few weeks of a semester are always the toughest scheduling wise because there's classes and work and lab time and somewhere in there sleep has to happen. Mine is starting to fall into place but I haven't quite gotten there yet. My Starbucks intake is also a little out of hand at the moment.

If anyone's out east, stay safe and warm. Have a great week, everyone!

What's New This Week - January 26

I'm Glad I Did

by Cynthia Weil

Goodreads

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and songwriting legend Cynthia Weil's extraordinary YA debut opens the secretive doors of the Brill Building-the hit factory that changed history. Part Mad Men, part Grace of my Heart, part murder mystery, I'm Glad I Did is a coming-of-age story at an unforgettable cultural tipping point: the summer of 1963.

JJ Greene, a gifted 16-year-old songwriter, defies her lawyer parents by secretly applying for a job in the famed Brill Building-the epicenter of songwriting for a new genre called rock-n-roll. But their warnings about the evils of the music industry prove far darker than she imagined when she finds herself at the heart of a cover-up that involves hidden identity, theft, and possibly murder.

Cut Me Free

by J.R. Johansson

Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Her little brother, Sam, wasn't as lucky. Now she's trying to begin the new life she always dreamed of for them, but never thought she'd have to experience alone. She's hired a techie-genius with a knack for forgery to remove the last ties to her old life. But while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees one day in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.

That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the messages. Threatening notes left in her apartment--without a trace of entry. And they’re addressed to Piper, her old name. As the messages grow in frequency, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead.

Love, Lucy

by April Lindner

Goodreads

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too.

The Boy on the Bridge Review

The Boy on the Bridge

by Natalie Standiford

Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia--a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she's been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?

As June approaches--when Laura must return to the United States--Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She's only nineteen and doesn't think she's ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn't she take it?

I was really excited about this book. Historical set in Russia? Falling in love while on study abroad? Bring it on.  

Overall, it wasn't what I hoped. The Russian setting was fascinating and beautifully used, making for an original concept. The characters are solid. Alexei and Laura's relationship is lovely. There's a range of American and Russian minor characters, some of them more developed than others. The voice falls flat and it just didn't grab me. There are points at which i felt like I was being told a story, and it pulled me out of it. The ending is more bitter than sweet. While it's relatively expected, it works well.

What's Up Wednesday - January 21, 2015

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch.

What I'm Reading: 

Still Boy on the Bridge. I'm a little less than halfway. I ordered a bunch of new books from B&N and they shipped today, though, so I'm going to have to finish it before they get here. 

What I'm Writing: 

Nothing at the moment. Working on getting Weredragon's synopsis down to a more acceptable length. My writing goal for the week is to get ten queries out there again.

What Works for Me: 

Sometimes it's not giving myself rewards. I've talked before about how I like to give myself a little break after I complete a task on my to do list. Sometimes that break is an episode of a TV show. Recently, though, I've had to quit doing that because I find myself spending more time watching Stargate or How I Met Your Mother than actually working. For now I just work through my to do list and then I get to have fun. 

What Else I'm Up to: 

I start both of my tutoring jobs this week--statistics within the psychology department--and I'm actually pretty excited about it. Hopefully it all goes well this semester.

Have a great week!

What's New This Week - January 19

Killing Time in Crystal City

by Chris Lynch

Goodreads

Crystal City called for him, and Kevin answered. And why wouldn’t he? His relationship with his father is broken—as is his arm. With barely anyone to miss him or care if he’s gone, it seemed like the perfect time for Kevin to run away to his estranged uncle and create an entirely new identity. New name. New attitude. New friends. Maybe even a new girl.

From the first moment of adventure, Kevin’s life takes a turn for the exciting. Making friends seems easy with his new persona, especially when a group of homeless beach bums instantly includes him in their crew. But do they like the real Kevin, or the guy he’s pretending to be? And will this new lifestyle help Kevin escape from the misery of his former life—or will it drag him right back into the reasons he left home?

 All Fall Down

by Ally Carter

Embassy Row #1

Goodreads

Grace can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay - in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

The Way We Bared Our Souls

by Willa Strayhorn

Goodreads

Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.

Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.

When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.

But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.

As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.