The Girdle of Melian

...one during which I write! Two scenes down, at 1000 words each. *pom poms waving* And now back to reality, er, agent hunting for the completed MS. Of course, a Great Weekend would be one during which I both wrote and mailed query letters...

I've surfaced just long enough from my Harry Potter re-reads (these books are so well written and follow so well both YA and fantasy/fairy tale traditions that I may do an editorial/review post on them, simply to rave about how brilliant they are) in order to note a few other lists and events: Jen 's hosting another writing marathon over at the Forum, which I sorely need to get my rear in gear. I've submitted one more query, but haven't finished revisions based on the May exercise and need to add some more scenes to my small pile of snippets for the new novel. I'm still referring to it as 1492 ; based on past experience I'll need at least 10 or 20 more scenes to be able to come up with a title... Anne and May talk about everyone's favourite reading room ! And Janet asks , also at the Forum, about the first 15 books that come to mind: "Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen...

The James Joyce Centre in Dublin that I visited seven years ago. James Joyce reading .

Two blog posts within a short time frame of each other have prompted me to disclose what I think is the most boring book in existence. Snail's Tales reviews François Jacob's autobiography, calling it tedious and depressing, and Anne and May ask, when do you give up on a book? I try hard not to start books I know I'm not going to like. This is especially difficult when you're an avid reader and everyone loves to give you books, not always from your wishlist. Sometimes, however, it works out in serendipitous ways - I almost, almost , didn't start Outlander because I thought it would be a fluffy, new book (I don't often read books that have just been published, most of my reading list is pre-1950). And then I nearly dropped it when I got to the middle of chapter one, which talked about how rationing had been lifted in 1945 England (!). Now I realise that this was a gross copy editor mistake, and nothing to do with the strength of the book. If I hadn't contin...

Thao's holding a giveaway of Linda Gerber's Death by Denim . Enter here ! The Bookshelf Meme is from Thao too : 1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going. 2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair , so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers. The book that’s been on your shelves the longest Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, Aesop's fables (in Turkish), stories from Hans Christian Andersen and tales from the brothers Grimm. A book that reminds you of something specific in your life There's probably others but one that comes to mind is Let’s Meet on Platform 8 by Carole Matthews - I received a free copy when I bought a magazine while travelling through the UK and read it throughout my vacation. A book you acquired in some interesting way Well, since I always buy books while travelling, and mail order books all the time, many of them have come from different places. The Jerusalem Bible from Australia, the Penguin Romantic Poets (can't find a lin...

Which one should I read next?