November 2011
23 posts
Independence Day
We are celebrating 45 years of Independence today. It occurred to me that since the beginning of the blog there haven’t been any posts on Barbadian authors. I know it’s a bit early for New year resolutions, but I promise to pay closer attention to local authors and to Caribbean writers in general.
So I wanted take the chance to name some of the books I should have read, and intend to...
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TSS: Things I'm Excited About
After our blogging crash at the start of the semester, all the bloggy mojo is back! This is so exciting because I love having the energy left over to talk and post and stalk other blogs. We’ve refreshed the blog and I’m having a lot of fun sneaking in bits of code wrestling between assignments. And now there are all these great events happening in December. It’s awesome!
The...
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Weekend Cooking: Iced Coffee
This was supposed to be last weeks Weekend Cooking post, but I ran out of time in the day, which is kind of the whole point of me needing coffee… I hate coffee. It makes me jittery and uncomfortable and it tastes funny but, Kwame looooooves coffee and with the end of the semester looming (at two different schools!) I am oh so tired. Coffee was needed and so a...
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For Our Followers
Hi Guys! Google made an announcement yesterday which is going to affect the way you follow us a smidge: no more GFC for non blogger blogs come March (here’s the article). Only about a third of our followers are though GFC but I just wanted to make sure that you guys can have another way to follow that works for you. If you follow us via GFC you can move over and follow us through:
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Blood Rights: Kristen Painter
Blood Rights tells the story of a world humans live side-by-side with vampires… and don’t know it. While they go about their daily lives, they are protected by an age-old covenant that all vampires, as well as the few humans that serve them, must abide by. But there are some who would see this covenant broken, so that vampires can reign supreme, and to do it all they need is one...
Guest Post: Irene Woodbury, More Deleted Scenes…...
Stop! Have you read part one? Because this probably won’t make much sense without out it rattling around in your brain… Back? Ok, lets move on:
Further along, Wendy describes awards night itself.
It was the same crazy cycle over and over. After months of shopping,
fittings, alterations, and stylist tantrums, awards night would finally arrive. My boss would sometimes get us tickets...
Guest Post: Irene Woodbury, Deleted Scenes...
At 175,000 words, my novel, “A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis,” was too long. I needed to cut at least 36,000 words before an agent or publisher would consider taking it on. Removing large portions of the book you’ve been working on for four years is daunting, and a little depressing, but someone had to do it—and I would rather be that someone than a total stranger.
Some of the lost...
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TSS: Books I Loved So Much...
…That I couldn’t review them.
I hate when this happens. I find a book that sounds interesting (or more likely, have it thrust upon me by the book blogging community), read it and then fall head over heels. And then I can’t talk about it. It has become apparent that when I become emotionally involved with a story, I can’t figure out any other way to describe it that...
Happy Birthday to Us!
Yeah… that’d be us. Well the blog anyway! This time last year, at around this time, in a fit of boredom and disatisfaction, I started BaffledBooks over on wordpress.com. It was one of the best things I’ve ever thought to do and blogging and the blogging community have now become some of the most important things in my life. Even better, I got the boy (Kwame) and...
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Announcement: Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012!
This is a challenge that has been passed around a bit. In 2012, BaffledBooks 2.0 will be taking over hosting the Speculative Fiction Challenge which was created by Carolyn at Book Chick City and then passed on to Amanda at Floor to Ceiling Books. It’s found it 2012 home here with us and I’m so, so excited!
I (Lisa, by the way) am doing my thesis on Science Fiction as a thought...
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Good Girls Don't: Victoria Dahl
When I saw Good Girls Don’t on NetGalley (thank you for being awesome by the way!) I scrolled past it, dismissing it as another girly romance that I wouldn’t really enjoy. Then I saw a review… and another… and another. All saying the same thing: Good Girls Don’t is fun and interesting and worth giving a shot. I’m here to pass on this message. While Good Girls Don’t is most certainty a girly book...
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Debut Author Challenge 2012: The List
While I hurriedly announced my intention to participate in the Debut Author Challenge again in 2012, I completely forgot to make a list of books that I would like to read! After much inspection of everyone else’s lists, this is what I’ve come up with:
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Tempest by Julie Cross
Love...
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You Only Live Once: Chris Wade (Audiobook)
“Besides, stationery is my first love, and I don’t have time for a second. Goodbye.”
I remember earlier this year, last semester, when I should have been writing a paper; I stayed up until some ridiculous hour in the morning listening to Rik Mayall bring Chris Wade’s writing to life. It was Cutie and the Sofaguard, and I had never encountered anything quite like it...
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The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood
Disclaimer: I went into reading The Handmaid’s Tale and having NO idea what was going on. I hadn’t even read the back cover. I think that the story was much better for me being lost and would recommend that (if you haven’t read it yet) you do the same. So if you want to know how it was/if you should bother: YES. AWESOME times a million. Go read it… right now. And then come...
Challenge Time
I can’t believe that it’s this time of year again but… here are a couple of my 2012 goals. I’m loving the 2011 Debut Author Challenge and, while I have kind of forgotten to keep track of which books I’ve read, I have most definitely surpassed my goal of 12 (I was at 24 last time I looked in July). It’s going to be fun to do my 2011 round up and there are SO many...
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Terry Pratchett: Snuff
Terry Pratchett is, for me, an author with a lot to live up to. Both my parents have (or had) sets of his earlier books and after running out of reading material one vacation, I snuck one into my room to try. I had already dabbled with Good Omens which he wrote with Neil Gaiman; this book was amazing. And my first solo Pratchett (Mort) didn’t disappoint. I’ve been trying to read my...
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L: Just My Type: A book about fonts
It’s one of those sluggish, can’t be bothered to think days here in Lisa’s head. I was just going to leave this draft open until I could be bothered to start writing when I randomly discovered that it is National Non Fiction day! I’m unable to ignore such serendipitous coincidences and so for my NNF post we have the review of the book I’ve been slowly nomming for...
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My First Steifvater! The Scorpio Races
Stiefvater is one of those YA authors that every one always seems to be falling into pieces over. The Linger/Shiver/Forever vibe just didn’t appeal to me. I have issues with werewolves (as in, I don’t like ‘em) and while I have them lying around, I have yet to drag myself to read them (I’ll probably end up loving them, of course).
The Scorpio Races was a BEA score, one I...
