tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84271197597031110782024-02-07T07:57:55.038+00:00The JOY of BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-91253157142542004742016-02-21T22:46:00.002+00:002016-02-21T23:25:30.509+00:00Panther - David Owen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7hFI9M4Q6SHgrH9pxnGuuGzkypHWR-BYaytZS5vQS86kl-knHGi4AP7U_TdH940GrZbyQtVl0_YKK4f5Uky3snWPs2rOYrwO2zeRK1ZNxT2N7Uj_P0tUsjmy_GbF73TGpFV-hMcNuBc/s1600/pantherdavidowen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7hFI9M4Q6SHgrH9pxnGuuGzkypHWR-BYaytZS5vQS86kl-knHGi4AP7U_TdH940GrZbyQtVl0_YKK4f5Uky3snWPs2rOYrwO2zeRK1ZNxT2N7Uj_P0tUsjmy_GbF73TGpFV-hMcNuBc/s320/pantherdavidowen.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Title: Panther </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Author: David Owen</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Published: Corsair, Little, Brown; May 2015</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Genre: Contemporary YA</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>My rating: 4.5/5 </b><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">The blurb says:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">"Life isn't going terribly well for Derrick.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">He has become severely overweight, his only friend has turned on him, he is hopelessly in love with a girl way out of his league, and it's all because of his sister. Her depression - its grip on his family - is tearing his life apart.<br />When Derrick hears local news reports that a panther has been sighted roaming wild in his south London suburb, he resolves to capture the beast. Surely if he can find a way to trap this predator on his own turf, he can stop everything at home from spiralling towards disaster?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i><br /> WHAT I THOUGHT </i></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is not a book that looks beautifully and delicately at teenage depression, through rose-tinted glasses before tying it off with a nice, happy ending and a pretty pink ribbon. It's honest; often brutally so, and it's unforgiving. I know YA has a (highly undeserved *cough* Daily Mail *cough*) reputation for being miserable and morose and depressing (please see #happyYA if you don't know what I'm talking about) but it's done well, and in a way that its readers can relate to; and that's surely more important than filling some quota on happily-ever-after stories?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, Panther. The book tells the story of Derrick; whose sister is battling a crippling depression. Derrick, like many, cannot understand it; why can't she just snap out of it and get on with her life? All Derrick can see is that it has torn his family apart and he can't see a way to fix it. That is until the rumours of the panther roaming round town begin again; Derrick believes that if he finds and captures this panther, it will fix his sister and it will fix all of the messes her depression caused; his dad leaving, the loss of his best (and only) friend Tamoor, his own eating disorder, the unfortunate event at school that led to some very vicious bullying. He refuses to believe that there’s nothing to be done and he clings to the hope that he will bring her a reason to snap out of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Depression is not an easy subject to tackle; there's a reason it rarely gets a proper investigation in literature. And David Owen could have very easily got it wrong. But by writing it from Derrick's perspective rather than his sister Charlotte's, David made it even more gripping and even more relatable. While depression may not be something we all experience personally, it is something most people will see in others and it's difficult to grasp, it's difficult to put yourself in their shoes, as it were, and truly understand what they're going through unless you've been through it yourself. We get to watch as Derrick struggles, and ultimately fails, to grasp this and it culminates into a heartbreaking, brutal climax. Derrick is possibly sometimes a little difficult to read. The book in general is sometimes a little difficult to read; but that’s down to the subject really and nothing else. David tries to lighten the tone slightly but it’s not a subject that can be easily eased with levity. But I think that’s why this book is so brilliant – it’s not just thought-provoking, it forces you to think about depression in a way that I think a lot of people are scared to do. Derrick is selfish, and stubborn, and immensely close-minded at times, but that seems, to me, to be quite realistic. How else do you react? It is human nature to want to find something or someone to blame for your troubles so why not blame this uncooperative, unexplainable thing that has invaded your life? And I think that’s what makes this such a hard read, because it is these points so easy to understand and relate to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I would absolutely recommend this book. I value the honesty of David’s portrayal of teenage depression, a subject so often neglected. He didn’t write it with kid gloves on and he portrayed the way depression permeates everything it touches and how people struggle to deal with it without flowers and beauty but with a raw necessity. David has absolutely made his mark with this unflinching, unapologetic debut and I look forward to what he’ll bring in the future. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, make sure you follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/davidowenauthor">@davidowenauthor</a>; in my opinion, his tweets are mostly just daily musings but they're up there with Patrick Ness' and, to me, that's really saying something. Assuming you value my opinion at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-82224733496680543892016-02-10T23:16:00.001+00:002016-02-21T23:01:56.036+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 2: Weeks 3 & 4 [25th Jan-5th Feb]<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is<span style="font-family: inherit;"> super late<span style="font-family: inherit;">. I have no excuse. I'm sorry.</span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Publishing Project</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's kind of difficult to say where we are with our project, mostly because I'm not entirely sure what I'm allowed to say. All of our submissions have been read and the successful authors have been notified. The shortlisted works have been sent to our judges (who we've still not even finished announcing) and we're excited to hear their feedback! Kara is in the process of designing our cover and they're looking really great, I'm excited to see how they turn out. This is when we start crunching the numbers too, and that bit is possibly the least enjoyable as you can imagine. <b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sales, Marketing & Promotion</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Week 3 was on marketing theories and techniques by our own Daniel Boswell. We looked at the increasing direct-to-consumer nature of marketing books </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">now that publishers no longer rely so heavily on the high-street booksellers</span></span> and how this has changed the way we market. It's almost surprising the amount of theory behind marketing strategy: it is most definitely not as simple as just throwing together some posters for some train stations and posting about it on Twitter. There's almost a science behind it that begins at the beginning of the editorial stage.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Week 4 John Bond from Whitefox and Clare Somerville, the Deputy MD at Hachette Children's came in to discuss brand management with us. We learnt from John that the publishing industry still has a lot to learn when it comes to branding their books and their authors; it's all to clear that without the help of film, TV and, recently, YouTube, the publishing industry would not be where it is today because they cannot brand themselves. Clare on the other hand suggested that Children's publishing has got it right; there are a few key brands that drive the sales of the publishing industry using Rainbow Magic Fairy series as a case study. Through licence sales many brands in Children's publishing have grown exponentially.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Applied Creativity and Content</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Week 3 we had a really great session on metadata; yes, I'm being serious. Azar Hussain, the Head of Data at Faber & Faber came in to talk to us. In speedy 10 minute segments, Azar gave us a quick rundown of metadata in 4 parts. And he made it interesting! He showed us the importance of metadata and the importance of getting it right first time. Incorrect metadata can break a book's sales. Well considered metadata can greatly improve the visibility of a book and thus positively drive sales.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Week 4's session was on paper! Steve Holmen of Holmen Paper came in to speak to us about how paper is made and how it affects the final product. It's the tiny details; mere millimetres can greatly affect a books sales: if it's too thick and the book looks too cumbersome, a reader might not buy it; too white and it becomes too difficult to read. They're things that, as readers, we kind of don't really think about it, but the wrong decision by the publishers could change everything.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Children's Publishing</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Week three we had a fantastic session on diversity in Children's literature. It was really interesting to talk about and discuss the common assumptions when reading; more often than not, unless explicitly told otherwise (and even then, there are those who will chose to ignore it) we assume that the person we are reading about is white, straight, cis. Of course the black Hermione was mentioned, was it enough for J. K. Rowling to come out after and say well I never said she was white, or, in the position of power she was in as an author, should she have made it explicit. Juno Dawson, who has sort of become the poster girl for diversity in YA of late, says that children's literature is getting a bad reputation and it's doing far better than most adult genres in terms of presenting diverse characters. The only reason people think it isn't is because the big ones, the Divergents, the Twilights, the Hunger Games, they eclipse all of the diverse children's literature out there. We also spoke to Crystal Mahey-Morgan formally of PRH, now founder of <a href="http://www.ownit.london/">OWN IT! London </a>who shared her experiences as a WOC in the publishing industry. She also shared with us her own projects that tackle the lack of diversity in literature today.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, week 4's session was cancelled as Mel was ill; get well soon Mel!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-57735379343806854732016-02-02T21:45:00.000+00:002016-02-02T21:51:42.418+00:00Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase #1) - Rick Riordan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwSTiiSM-Op1K4m04nvTkZcnnzc0yVewiL2GR83c0FZVoSqa4uFQaRq98u0LrsMrnBltqyDgcBBDcmkxuMfbdOATWeebfGyWODtf8yB-XT83NMKDudysduH2EugfhLZ1Z5oEx1n7JNyE/s1600/magnuschaseswordsummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwSTiiSM-Op1K4m04nvTkZcnnzc0yVewiL2GR83c0FZVoSqa4uFQaRq98u0LrsMrnBltqyDgcBBDcmkxuMfbdOATWeebfGyWODtf8yB-XT83NMKDudysduH2EugfhLZ1Z5oEx1n7JNyE/s320/magnuschaseswordsummer.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">Title: Magnus Chase & the Sword of Summer</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Series: Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard (Book 1)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Author: Rick Riordan</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Published: Puffin; Oct 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: 3.5/5</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;">Amazon says: <b>"</b>My name is Magnus Chase. I'm orphaned and living rough on the streets of Boston. And things are about to get <i>much</i> worse.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">My
day started out normally enough. I was sleeping under a bridge when
some guy kicked me awake and said, 'They're after you.' Next thing I
know, I'm reunited with my obnoxious uncle, who casually informs me that
my long-lost father is a Norse god.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Nothing normal about
that. And it turns out the gods of Asgard are preparing for war.
Apparently, if I can't find the sword my father lost two thousand years
ago, there will be doom. Doomsday, to be precise.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">A fire giant attacking the city?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Immortal warriors hacking each other to pieces?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Unkillable wolves with glowing eyes?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">It's all coming up.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">But first I'm going to die. This is the story of how my life goes downhill from there..."</span><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">WHAT I THOUGHT</span></span></i></b><br />
<br />
To start, no quotes for this one; I got an uncorrected bound proof copy from work so don't want to quote just in case. <br />
<br />
Anyway, let's get to it. So I'm a <b>huge</b> fan of Percy Jackson. As a booky ex-Classics student it's the perfect combination. When I heard that Rick Riordan was doing it all again with the Norse gods I couldn't have been more excited. Ever since the hints seen in Melvin Burgess' <i>Bloodtide </i>I've been quietly intrigued by Norse mythology but it's really not as well known as the Greek and Roman ones. I was excited to see what Rick Riordan would do with them. And, for the most part, Rick didn't let me down.<br />
<br />
The premise is pretty much the same, young boy finds out the hard way that he's a demigod, bound by a bleak and damning prophecy and must prove himself to his seemingly uninterested father-god. Maybe it's because I'm older and this book is slightly more gritty than the Percy Jackson books but I really quite enjoyed it. It's harder, and it's darker, and it seems to want to handle real issues far more that its predecessor series, and in a way that only Rick can in his mythical demigod universe. Magnus Chase has been living on the streets since the death of his mother two years previous. He's getting by as best he can until he hears that people are looking for him; his estranged uncle and cousin (the wonderfully familiar Annabeth Chase) seem really quite desperate to find him. Magnus, is not quite as desperate to find them. After a fatal (yes, fatal; no, that's not a spoiler, the first chapter is called "Good morning! You're going to die.") fight with Surt, Lord of the Fire Giants and ruler of Musspelheim, Magnus Chase sees his life set on a very different path.<br />
<br />
The story is good, the characters are great - way more diverse than in the Percy Jackson books, I felt. There are dwarves, elves, Valkyries galore, and of course the gods and goddesses. I'm almost glad Thor isn't Magnus' father, that would've felt quite
obvious and it gives readers a chance to explore some of the slightly
lesser known Norse gods. There are so many (9 to be exact) worlds to explore and Rick didn't hold back on any of them; they're all fully formed and realised, so easy to imagine with what has been provided on the page. Sure, at times, the names start getting confusing and merging into one, but it's OK because Rick, as always, has provided a super handy glossary at the back.<br />
<br />
Where this book struggles is in its categorisation. Rick's protagonists seem to steadily be getting older with each new series; Percy Jackson started aged 12, Carter Kane (Kane Chronicles) was 14. Magnus Chase is 16 years old, he's spent the last two years on the streets. He's a far grittier, far darker character, and yet Rick's writing style doesn't appear to have changed all that much. This is still marketed as a middle-grade, 9-12 book but I can't help but think that that has more to do with Rick's reputation as an MG author and less to do with the content of the book. YA is a somewhat undefinable genre at the minute so what most people tend to go by is the age of the protagonist; at 16 Magnus Chase sits firmly in the YA category. But Rick doesn't seem to have written him that way. I can't help but think that if Rick had put Percy Jackson behind him and written this as a YA novel from the beginning it could have been immensely better. As it was, Magnus suffered by being confined to MG writing; it's typically fun and light which is fine, but it has been written for the same audience as Percy Jackson and I just don't think it works as well.<br />
<br />
But that's probably just me, and I'd still absolutely recommend it. It's the perfect filler for Percy Jackson fans and it tackles Norse mythology in a way that I haven't seen done before. So thank you Rick Riordan for gifting the world with this series; I greatly look forward to the next book. <br />
<br />
Thanks for reading,<br />
Naomi Joy xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-59496223472041653602016-01-25T22:53:00.001+00:002016-02-02T20:18:33.587+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 2: Weeks 1 & 2 [11th-22nd Jan]<span style="font-family: inherit;">Possibly not the best start to my weekly round-ups of 2016 when I'm late with the first one! I'm going to blame it on the assignments; Author Management and Publishing Skills are now officially over. The assignments have been completed and handed in and the wait for my mark begins...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Term two has officially kicked off and thrown us right in the deep-end, here's my run-down of the first 2 weeks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Publishing Project</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publishing Project, our only year-long module kicked us off on Tuesday morning. If you've been following us on Twitter and Facebook, you'll see that we've extended our submissions by a week so that they now close Friday 29th January, and we've announced 5 out of 7 of our judges:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beatrice Masini - Italian translator of Harry Potter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlotte Eyre - Children's Editor at the Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">David Owen - author of YA novel Panther (a fantastic read that tackles teenage depression and those it affects)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Annalie Grainger - commissioning editor at Walker Books (who publishes Patrick Ness!!) and author of YA novel captive</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bryony Woods - literary agent at DKW Literary Agency (who represents David Owen)</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We've had quite a few submissions in and we're really excited to read what UCL students have to offer! We're also going to be building up our blog as the weeks go on in preparation for the release of the shortlist for the Bookseller's YA Book Prize!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sales, Marketing & Promotion</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first new module was Sales, Marketing and Promotion where each week we get to discover the wide and wondrous reach of Martin Neild's professional network. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We've heard about several (top-secret) up and coming marketing campaigns and what goes into the desi</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">gning of a marketing campaign. We've heard from both fiction and non-fiction marketing teams and it's very interesting to hear the different things that need to be considered for each book. It's amazing how much thought has to go into what, to the audience, seems so simple and easy; but I suppose that's the point. Each campaign is a gamble, and each on is a learning opportunity, and no two are the same. A job in sales and marketing would most definitely not be a boring one.</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Applied Creativity & Content</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This module is basically on production of the book. The stages from manuscript to print/ebook. The first week Will Hill came in to talk to us about typography and it was so interesting to see how important the typeface and font of a text is in book production. The wrong typeface can make reading really difficult and put a reader off. I think I've made it sound really dull but it was actually really interesting. That said, I still don't think I'm 100% clear on the difference between font and typeface...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our second ACC session was on pre-press. So this outlined for us the steps that must be taken before a book is printed. It turns out that there are minor details that can massively affect the ease and speed of productivity in this late stage of book creation; from file format (MS Word .docx = bad, Adobe .pdf = good), to colour format (CMYK is the way forward for printed books).</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Children's Publishing (aka Children's Publishing of JOY)</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is by far the most laid back and enjoyable of our new modules. This module is going to cover all kinds of children's publishing, from board and picture books to YA novels </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and everything in between. In our first session we took a trip to the Alice in Wonderland exhibition at the British Museum (everyone go before it ends, it's so much fun) to look at how many different versions and adaptations there have been over the years. When we got back to uni we had to, in groups, figure out how we would do a new adaptation; who would it be for, how would we present it, what made it different from what had already been done?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our second session was on the relationship between the author, the illustrator and the editor (though really, we shouldn't forget the agent who plays a key role in the relationship). In some cases, the editor and author will be the same person, though the dream for all publishing houses would be to find a dream team like Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. After discussing this, we were split into groups and given different images. We had to come up with a story and a target market for a story from our group's images. I can't give too much away but hold tight for The Forever Five (and the Sometimes Six) and their arch-nemesis Master Lightbulb. Coming soon to a bookshop near you; or, you know, never, but we can dream!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-85099662214072024222015-12-26T23:41:00.003+00:002015-12-26T23:41:35.256+00:00The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) - Patrick Rothfuss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOfzbaznkOB8TnmtRjTG5Yf3xl8xtoDhUaxiDYfdCsYuyo4w2dJ0kMQcjeaU3r3l1k8clsuNDrIyrp9xkMp_FY9rYrVxurU0nd0jrKOCj3YaV9Y7U8P-iMLGgbBjWtHmXUwHr-Or6KWo/s1600/thenameofthewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOfzbaznkOB8TnmtRjTG5Yf3xl8xtoDhUaxiDYfdCsYuyo4w2dJ0kMQcjeaU3r3l1k8clsuNDrIyrp9xkMp_FY9rYrVxurU0nd0jrKOCj3YaV9Y7U8P-iMLGgbBjWtHmXUwHr-Or6KWo/s320/thenameofthewind.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Title: The Name of The Wind</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Author: Patrick Rothfuss</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Published: Gollancz, Orion; June 2008</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Genre: Fantasy </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>My rating: 4/5</b> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The Blurb says: "'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me'"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>QUOTE</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: black;">"Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT I THOUGHT</span></i></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: black;">If it wasn't clear from that quote, Patrick Rothfuss really has a wonderful way with words. </span> </span><br />
<br />
It's obvious really; really quite simple. It is essentially the story of Kvothe, told by the man himself. Like I said, it's simple; but it is glorious and beautiful. The now unassuming and rather unimpressive innkeeper Kote finds his past life catching up with him; a life he tried desperately to put behind him. With the timely arrival of the great story-teller the Chronicler, Kote decides it's time to tell the story of the man he once was: Kvothe, the Kingkiller. I don't really want to say much more than that; though it may not seem like it, the blurb doesn't really give anything at all away so everything else feels like a spoiler!<br />
<br />
The characters are well crafted and intriguing. The young Kvothe is driven and motivated, awkward and naive. Rothfuss' short interludes in the story of young Kvothe kept me intrigued - what happens to Kvothe to make him deny his life of magic and intrigue and become Kote the innkeeper? As a love interest, I was relatively impartial to Denna for the majority of the book. She is most definitely a bitch, there's no doubt about it, but as much as Kvothe tries to apologise for it and excuse it, she very much remains unapologetic and you can't fault her for that. We learn about Denna as Kvothe does and I think, by the end, I was very much rooting for them. I loved Kvothe's school friends Sim and Wil; they sort of popped in and out and weren't around enough for my liking. Bast, close friend and tutee of our central character as innkeeper Kote, is a wonderfully mysterious Fae creature; we have yet to learn how he stumbled into Kvothe's life and why he was so willing to live his life in a mask with his master.<br />
<br />
The magic is wonderful. The majority of the magic we see is sympathy and appears to be relatively scientific. Then there's the magic that gives the book its name: <i>The Name of the Wind</i>. I've always, weirdly and with no real known origin, enjoyed the kind of magic that's associated with the naming of things. After a chance meeting with the alchemist Abenthy, who would become Kvothe's first teacher, Kvothe dedicates so much of his future to understanding Naming and finding out the name of the wind. After being inspired by his tutor Abenthy and the tales of the storyteller Skarpi, we follow Kvothe as he battles the streets of Tarbean and becomes one of the greatest, and youngest, students the University has ever seen.<br />
<br />
The world Rothfuss has created is well-formed with a well thought out history. It is infinitely clear that Rothfuss has spent an immense amount of time creating Kvothe's world both geographically and historically. Of course it needed to be for the sake of the story perhaps more so than in some other fantasy stories. Kvothe travels far and wide across his world and his motivation is heavily reliant on a well established history as he hunts down the Chandrian and explores the mythic, fantastical history of his world. What is good is that the story keeps moving. Rothfuss doesn't spend heaps of time just establishing his world and its history unless it's integral to the plot. Pat Rothfuss and his character Kote are masterful story-weavers. <br />
<br />
The only thing I will say is that it's quite a long book, and it feels like we've barely even scratched the surface of Kvothe's story. Of the things outlined in the blurb it feels like, 600+ pages down and we've failed to cover any of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not good, and you barely feel the length of it when you're reading, this book just had a lot of ground to cover and is very much the scene-setter. It's a really enjoyable scene-setter but not enough for 5 stars.<br />
<br />
I would definitely recommend this to all fantasy fans. It involves a very different method of world creation than any of the fantasy I've read and Rothfuss does it beautifully. I'm going to hold off reading the second book though, at least until there's a release date for the third book. <i>The Wise Man's Fear </i>is 1000 pages long I don't think I'll be able to revisit it for some time like I normally do when there's a long break in the publications of installments so I think it's best to wait. All I ask is that we find out more about Bast in <i>The Wise Man's Fear</i>. He was my favourite.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading,<br />
Naomi Joy xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-27945703909067480802015-12-24T16:10:00.000+00:002016-01-24T18:39:18.696+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Weeks 10 & 11 [7th-18th Dec]So there's no excuse, I just fully forgot to do my weekly round-up for last week and this week's, for no other reason than sheer laziness, is horrendously late.<br />
<br />
Publishing Skills<br />
Week 10s Publishing Skills class on Nielsen BookScan unfortunately didn't go to plan. Due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances the website could not be accessed on the university network so we didn't get to spend any time on BookScan but it was great to have Annie in again and she helped us as best she could without access to the website.<br />
In our final Publishing Skills session we had Helen Youngs in from Inspired Selection - a recruitment consultancy for the publishing industry. She helped us understand how to best market ourselves in our CVs and cover letters; an invaluable skill for all of us.<br />
<br />
Publishing Project<br />
We had an information meeting on the 8th to check out the interest and answer any questions people may have had. It was better attended than we had hoped and helped us to iron out a few kinks and understand what we hadn't quite made clear enough. It at least showed us that our marketing is somewhat working though and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we get our first submission soon! In our final Pub Project session we each gave presentations on how our projects were coming along and any stumbling blocks we'd hit along the way. It was really great hearing from all of the other groups and I'm super excited to see how everyone gets on.<br />
<br />
Author Management<br />
In our penultimate session we had a great team in from Unbound - a crowdfunded publishing company. The team contained 2 UCL Publishing alumni which was exciting; it's always good to see the successes of former students. We looked at how important it is to find new ways to publish and work with authors if the "traditional" publishing industry hopes to remain competitive in this new, digital industry.<br />
Our final Author Management session was a space to ask any questions we had about anything we felt needed covering further. We also got a couple more ideas of what we could do for our assessment for this module: an author tool-kit.<br />
<br />
Theories of the Book<br />
Week 10: In this session we had special guests Prof. Alexis Weedon and Claudio Pires Franco come in and talk to us about cross-media publishing and the changing "book" in the digital age. They brought in several examples of books that had crossed media boundaries - partnering apps, QR codes that unlocked new material. <br />
Week 11: we sort of lead this session. In the groups from our projects we lead small presentations each on a different arena of publishing. From women's presses to self-publishing; pamphleteering to zines; we got a quick yet thorough run through of many, vastly differing sectors of the publishing industry.<br />
The assignment for this was handed in on Friday so this module is officially finished!<br />
<br />
I think it's safe to say we're all looking forward to the coming weeks off, even if we are going to be spending a lot of it working on the assignments for Publishing Skills and Author Management.<br />
The weekly updates will be cooling off over the Christmas holidays (because really, my life is not all that interesting that you'd want weekly updates of my down-time).<br />
Happy Christmas from me and, as always, thanks for reading!<br />
Naomi Joy xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-81590606220306787702015-12-07T22:43:00.000+00:002016-01-24T18:39:10.760+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 9 [30th Nov-4th Dec]We revisited InDesign in Publishing Skills on Tuesday morning. While last time we learnt how to add content to the book, this time around we worked our way through the intricacies of cover design. Marita gave us everything necessary to work through her step-by-step guide to make a cover for a book published by her publishing house: Norvik Press. Once we'd completed that, in the spirit of Christmas, we made some Christmas themed poster designs for our favourite books this year. All in the name of education of course! I would show a picture of my design but I decided to take more of a consultant role on this one rather than create my own as I was not quite feeling the Christmas spirit just yet (yes, I know, bah, humbug!)<br />
Next week: Nielsen BookScan revisited.<br />
<br />
Publishing Project this week was a hub of productivity. We now have a website! Ish...it is still "under construction" but it's live while we fill it up so that everyone can access all the information they need to send their awesome YA short stories to us! Check it out <a href="http://www.uclpublishersprizeya.wordpress.com/">here</a>! We have also made a video (of sorts) which is linked to both the vlogging part of our Publishing Skills, and our Publishing Project topic. We're preparing for our Information Meeting on 8th December where we hope to meet a few of the writers interested in entering our competition and answer any questions they might have. I can't say anything just yet but we already have some great judges lined up and more brilliant judges and prizes in the pipeline. It's all getting very exciting!<br />
<br />
The Author Management session on Thursday morning was on literary agents. We saw the history of the literary agent and investigated the various roles of a literary agent in the publishing industry at present. We looked at contracts from another perspective: the one between an author and his/her agent. We saw the breakdown of commission from each of the different rights up for grabs; from simple things like hardback, paperback, and ebook, to subsidiary rights like radio/TV, reprints, and translatio. Special guest Matthew Hamilton gave us a great insight into the life of a literary agent from his first hand experience as long time agent at Aitken Alexander. <br />
Next week's focus: 'New ways of working with authors, or why not DIY?' with special guest Dan Kiernan of Unbound.<br />
<br />
In Theories of the Book on Thursday afternoon we had a session on Globalisation given by one of our lecturers Daniel Boswell (contrary to what I said last week). He got us thinking about what globalisation means and if/how it can be applied to the publishing industry. While it has resulted in greater trade across borders, it has also resulted in a homogenisation in the books that are published, particularly in the Anglo-American book industries. It also cannot be ignored the lack of translated works that are making headway in our book industry - we very much expect our books to be snatched up and translated in other countries but, for whatever reason, we do not seem to consider works written in other languages a hot enough commodity that they are worth seeking out for translation.<br />
Next week: 'The 'Book' in the Digital Age' with Mel.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-40100654995116980142015-11-30T23:25:00.000+00:002016-01-24T18:39:01.546+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 8 [23rd- 27th Nov]Tuesday morning's Publishing Skills lecture was on vlogging; something most of us were really quite hesitant about. With YouTubers flooding the book charts at the minute - greeted with joy by their fans and cynicism by booksellers and publishers alike - it is becoming more and more important for publishers to make sure they're making the most of this particular form of social media. Nick Coveney (part of the team that brought Alfie Deyes <i>The Pointless Book 1 & 2</i> into the world) enthusiastically attempted to win us over to the side of the YouTubers with a mix of fun facts and plenty of emojis. Personally, I'm maybe slightly less cynical about it all, but I'll still be glad for every week they're not number one in the charts!<br />
Next week: further InDesign training with Marita Fraser<br />
<br />
Tuesday afternoon is probably what made this week slightly stressful. Having decided that we would open our submissions on 30th November, we gave ourselves very little time to get on top of all of the marketing and social media. Tuesday afternoon's session, and the rest of the week really, became a manic stress pot as we designed a temporary logo (drawn by me, very glad to say that that has now been removed from the internet) and a full set of official profile pictures and banners to plaster our social media platforms with (designed by the awesomely talented Kara Dekko). At the time of writing submissions are now open so we're looking forward to getting our first submissions while we continue to work hard on getting our hands on the best prizes and judges to make this the best UCL Publishers' Prize yet!<br />
If you fancy keeping up with how things are going follow us on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/UCLPubPrizeYA">@UCLPubPrizeYA</a>) or like our Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/UCLPublishersPrizeYA/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
In Thursday morning's Author Management session we discussed Rights Management with the dynamic duo of Diane Spivey and Lynette Owen from Little, Brown and Pearson respectively. They were able to give us an insight into both the fiction and the non-fiction side of rights and permissions and the importance and methods of rights selling. This includes territorial rights as well as serial, TV & Film, and translation etc.<br />
Next week: Literary Agents with Matthew Hamilton (from Aitken Alexander)<br />
<br />
Theories of the Book on Thursday afternoon was, once again, a hugely interactive session. After a short information segment on the Literary Citizenship movement Sam asked us to create a literary citizen-ship full of things we could do to make us better literary citizens. Us being us, and therefore nerds, we decided to forego the standard pirate ship idea - oh no, much too simple. Instead we went for a spaceship; and not just any spaceship but the Starship Enterprise (check it out below, shoutout to Kate for the unmistakable drawing!). Noticing how tired we all were, Sam followed by giving us an abridged and punny version of her talk "Star Texts: The Next Generation" (get it?!) - about classics and canon texts and who it is who decides which texts fall into these categories.<br />
Next week: Globalisation and the Book with our own Melanie Ramdarshan-Bold<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dlr_lC_0Nfr5YmOHyzOmjEF8uQE7QmFFUdbZtZbxo3NEPwnY96IM_Lk5eoyruLm9MtOIuzX5w0Cn8nGTrkRx8V11VGO3gBw5p5cpmrsNIvyrTxkRcoUzw8hd7i39Nw9r7v25FEX_0nk/s1600/IMG_4819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dlr_lC_0Nfr5YmOHyzOmjEF8uQE7QmFFUdbZtZbxo3NEPwnY96IM_Lk5eoyruLm9MtOIuzX5w0Cn8nGTrkRx8V11VGO3gBw5p5cpmrsNIvyrTxkRcoUzw8hd7i39Nw9r7v25FEX_0nk/s320/IMG_4819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-7856117071861882292015-11-25T23:35:00.001+00:002016-01-24T18:38:53.981+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Weeks 6 & 7 [9th-20th Nov]<span style="font-family: inherit;">As you know, Week 6 was Reading Week. It was the week we handed in our first assignment, a case study analysing of the social media and online presence of a given publishing house for the Publishing Contexts module we had at the beginning of term. I promise, it was far more interesting to research than it sounds!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A super exciting thing happened during reading week though: we found out what we're doing for our Publishing Project. We are doing a spin off version of the well established UCL Publishers' Prize; a short story competition to all current UCL students, both part- and full-time, with the shortlist to be turned into a physical book. Our version will focus on YA fiction and we're all so excited to get started!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Week 7 [16th-20th Nov]</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday morning's Publishing Skills session was on data and search skills with Dr Merlin Fox from the Royal Society of Chemistry. He told us all about metadata and ONIX and XML; essentially all the techie information that goes into what you get in a search engine or online store like Amazon. He also told us about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It sounds dull perhaps but he made it as interesting as possible. Towards the end of the session we talked about piracy and its implications for publishers and authors outside of just sales figures. I find piracy a really interesting topic and its one that doesn't really get addressed all that much with regards to the book industry so was very glad to have a discussion from Dr Fox.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: Vlogging with Nick Coveney. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I've mentioned we finally know what we're doing for our Publishing Project, so Tuesday afternoon was mostly about making sure everyone was on the same page in terms of what we hoped to achieve with the Prize and coordinating with the other half of the UCL Publishers' Prize; figuring out how interrelated we wanted to present ourselves, and what we could share between us. We're all really excited to take on this new Publishers' Prize and hope we can do it justice!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Management Thursday morning was on contracts, an entirely unavoidable aspect of publishing. Mal talked us through the contract from the point of view of the publisher, what they hoped to get out of a contract, what absolutely needed to be addressed in all contracts and how we really have to be careful what we say because verbal contracts definitely count. Then we heard from Sarah Baxter from the Society of Authors who talked us through how the SoA helps authors to negotiate a contract that best suits them and advises them on what to look out for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: Rights Management with Diane Spivey (Little, Brown) and Lynette Owen (Pearson). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Theories of the Book was run by Sam that afternoon with the help of Dr Alison Searle from the University of Sydney on scholarly editing. Sam let us in on her love for all things Le Morte D'Arthur and told us the riveting and suspenseful story of the race for the lost manuscript (look this up, it's an action-packed race involving motorbikes and trains). After this, Alison showed us the trials of scholarly editing by allowing us to attempt (emphasis on the word attempt) to transcribe a handwritten letter written by a really rather sassy woman from the 1800 who refused to sign the letter with her name she figured it was about time her reader recognised her handwriting!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: The Literature Industry with our very own Samantha Rayner. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a great first week back after Reading Week, necessary as everyone (but me, it's not December yet) counts down the days to Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-3375543197131854882015-11-09T20:23:00.002+00:002016-01-24T18:38:44.163+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 5 [2nd-6th Nov]<span style="font-family: inherit;">We're almost half way through already! This week was our last week before Reading Week (in which I will be doing my utmost best to get on top of all of the work we've been set in the first half of term. Though this was our last week before a fun (read: stressful) week off, our lectures did not let up.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We kicked off Tuesday morning's Publishing Skills lecture with every Publishing student's worst nightmare: finance. Fortunately our guest speaker Richard Balkwill from Copytrain did a top job of making it as understandable as possible and not horrendously confusing us for 3 hours. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday afternoon was pitch time for our Publishing Projects. I think we were all quite pleased with the way it went and are very excited to find out which one of our pitches was successful.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Management on Thursday morning was on copyright and intellectual property. Once Mal and Rachel had given us an overview, Richard Mollet, lobbyist and CEO of the Publishers' Association, gave us a really interesting look at the importance and future of copyright in the digital age. Richard kept us all interested and made the subject - which had the potential to be ridiculously overwhelming and confusing to us novices - really accessible. With the rise of digital media, copyright laws and the need for revisions are becoming more and more important, so we were all very grateful to learn about it all from such a capable speaker.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday afternoon was a great end to the week with a super interactive session with Mel on the evolution of authorship. Using what we'd learnt from our readings of Foucault and Barthes' works on the author, we had a mock debate with one half of the class arguing that the author is a collaborator while the other argued that the author is an original genius. I was on the side that argued that the author is an original genius and we took the stance that while an author's idea may not be entirely his own (a truly original idea is near impossible) every time he puts pen to paper - or finger to keyboard - he creates an original piece that only he could write. Unfortunately it was not the winning argument, though I would say that was more down to our sub-standard debating skills rather than an inadequate argument.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So as I've said we're at our reading week now so I won't be posting an update. Once I've done all my work I may be able to get a review up after I've (hopefully successfully) squeezed Patrick Rothfuss' <i>The Name of the Wind </i>in around my work.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-2497103535222332162015-11-01T22:52:00.000+00:002016-01-24T18:38:35.771+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 4 [26th-30th Oct]<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week in Publishing Skills we looked at copyediting and proofreading practices. We looked at the differences between these roles, and how they have changed with the publishing industry as many publishing houses look to freelancers to fulfil these jobs rather than keep someone in-house. With the help of Wendy Toole, a freelance academic copyeditor and proofreader herself, we not only learnt about the intricacies involved in the job but also got to practice all of the weird and wonderful symbols used by proofreaders to edit and alter work; something we'll be expected to get to grips with if editorial is the route we're hoping to head down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're interested in finding out more head over to the Society for Editors and Proofreaders' website: <a href="http://www.sfep.org.uk/">www.sfep.org.uk</a> where you'll find more information and training options.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: Publishing Finance with g<span style="background-color: white;">uest speaker Richard Balkwill (</span><span style="background-color: white;">Proprietor</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="at">at </span><span style="background-color: white;">Copytrain and c</span><span style="background-color: white;">onsultant and trainer</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="at">at </span><span style="background-color: white;">The Publishing Training Centre)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In our Publishing Project session this week we had our last opportunity to finalise our ideas ahead of our pitch on 3rd November; it was quite an intense three hours that involved a lot of back and forth, a lot of ideas being thrown around and a lot of repeating ourselves as we all sort of lost track of what we were working towards. In the end though, we've come up with two ideas that all seven of us are really excited to pitch next week! So by my next weekly round up I might just be able to give you a bit more than a hint about what we're looking to do for this module this year.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Management this week was on commissioning; what editors are looking for and how they go about commissioning it when they find it. As many of us are still holding on to the editorial dream it was something we're all very excited about. We had tw<span style="font-family: inherit;">o guest speakers in this week both from trade but while Hannah Main (Picador) covered the fiction side, Ingrid O'Connell (Sidgwick and Jackson</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">) gave us a really interesting insight into the non-fiction side of trade. Ingrid's coverage was a really new take on it as it was the first time we've really had someone share their experiences in the editorial side of trade non-fiction publishing. Now, non-fiction has never really been something I've been interested in - so far I've been very fiction-focused - but Ingrid's experiences sounded so exciting and really gave me something to think about.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Next week: Intellectual Property and Copyright with guest speaker Richard Mollet (Publishers' Association)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Theories of the Book was on the history of reading/social spaces. Though was a tad less intense than last week, it was a highly interactive session with Dr Shafquat Towheed and Dr Danielle Fuller who guided us through a discussion on the differences in reading spaces and habits in the 18th century compared to now. It was a very interesting and enlightening discussion that drew on more of our not at all creepy observations (read: stalking) of readers on public transport, in pubs, cafes and various other places. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Next week: The Evolution of Authorship</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-60814082532601832932015-10-27T23:09:00.000+00:002015-10-27T23:09:54.398+00:00The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsyAtzzkcOMUYYrdzSo73KAYcx6oE7fWxf4JRxBgmsO9SJg5PiJxS4tHjxPL5Lsa6z9p6NePJMeRj3RUUkpteTaQeMgLsQpJmH5-RXlETUpQEhe-idtoW39yUGyBlQaBupfMcMA8oVaw/s1600/IMG_0661+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsyAtzzkcOMUYYrdzSo73KAYcx6oE7fWxf4JRxBgmsO9SJg5PiJxS4tHjxPL5Lsa6z9p6NePJMeRj3RUUkpteTaQeMgLsQpJmH5-RXlETUpQEhe-idtoW39yUGyBlQaBupfMcMA8oVaw/s320/IMG_0661+%25281%2529.jpg" width="207" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Title: The Rest of Us Just Live Here</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Author: Patrick Ness</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Published: Walker Books, August 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Genre: YA, Social Issues, Sci-Fi</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">My rating: 5/5 </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Amazon says </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 22.4px;">Award-winning writer Patrick Ness's bold and irreverent novel powerfully asks what if you weren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you were like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend might just be the God of mountain lions...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;">”</span></span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><b>QUOTE</b></span></i></span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;">“</span>Look, some more stuff happens that evening...but nothing so important that I have to go on about it. Just remember, please, most of that stuff is in the past. It isn't the story I want to tell. At all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You needed to know it, but for the rest of this, I'm choosing my own story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because if you can't do that, you might as well just give up.<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;">”</span></span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><b>WHAT I THOUGHT</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MY FIRST FIVE STAR REVIEW!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me start by saying that the <i>Chaos Walking </i>series firmly positioned Patrick Ness as, without a shadow of a doubt, one of my favourite authors; <i>The Knife of Never Letting Go </i>is the first book I recommend in any conversation about books. <i>The Rest of Us</i> absolutely in no way let me down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is essentially somewhat of a satire of YA paranormal romance/sci-fi novels. Each chapter begins with a brief, maybe 100 word, update on whats going on with the <span style="background-color: white;">“</span>indie kids<span style="background-color: white;">” (one of whom is called Satchel, which never stops being funny)</span>. These update</span>s tell the kind of story you'd see in a book/film like <i>I Am Number Four</i> or some other paranormal romance novel. The so-called <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;">“</span>indie kids<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.3333px;">”</span> are the protagonists of those sorts of stories who must figure out a way to save the day; the kids to whom the aliens show themselves, with whom they share a life-altering love, and against whom they wage a war that threatens the world. The protagonists of our story, however, are just the kids who live in the town; who see all of these things happening but have enough to deal with in their day-to-day lives without having to deal with the vampires, the aliens, and the Gods who decide to take a trip down to earth during their senior year. They are us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think I'd assumed that this book was for a younger audience; judging by the blurb alone it could be. But these characters are complex and beautiful and tackling some very grown up issues. The book is written in the first person (often risky, but it works here) from the perspective of Mikey; a 17 year old boy battling crippling anxiety and OCD. We meet his best friend Jared, an openly gay demigod who goes by his middle name as he tries to come to terms with everything that comes with being a gay demigod (he is the grandson of the Goddess of Cats!); his older sister Mel, a recovering anorexic; and Henna, mixed race missionaries' daughter and t</span>he object of Mikey's somewhat unrequited love (a love that, at times, verges on an ugly kind of obsession and temporarily turns Mikey into a bit of a dick)<span style="font-family: inherit;">. They have their baggage, both individually and together, but my goodness do they provide each other with an almost enviable support system. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's the kind of concept that had the potential to really not work; very few writers could have pulled it off. In its concept there is very little action in this book; it actively chooses to tell the story of the people with somewhat ordinary lives rather than the ones to whom the action happens. If you're waiting for the story to get going, it won't. That is not the point. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is not a Sci-Fi book about an alien invasion; it is a book about friendship, both its ups and its downs and all of the hiccups in between. It's about loyalty, and love, and family, and the kinds of struggles that need to be addressed more often, particularly in books both for and about young people. It all just happens to go on while some creatures from another world decide to visit Earth for some light invasion. You cannot read this book and not see yourself in one of the characters; or see you and your friends in the relationships Patrick Ness so beautifully and delicately portrays. You cannot read this book and not see the comment being made: the adults in this book brush aside the strange goings on among the young people in the town in much the same way that they tend to brush aside the pressures and struggles of young people as inconsequential. </span>It required wit and humour and a heavy dose of sensitivity and I think Patrick Ness just about got that right.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrMFC-NSxord8fyrCVm5Cx4JB3xwZerfd_xEGU2AvUpnistfQxki9mmLpAILOugVCRKbI_uGxxVdfmiFpqQajl3mXP5_pnzJKotwTmb-AEmbax8hhB3LKdKaQHpUGEPR0FjA67UT1jhA/s1600/IMG_0657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrMFC-NSxord8fyrCVm5Cx4JB3xwZerfd_xEGU2AvUpnistfQxki9mmLpAILOugVCRKbI_uGxxVdfmiFpqQajl3mXP5_pnzJKotwTmb-AEmbax8hhB3LKdKaQHpUGEPR0FjA67UT1jhA/s320/IMG_0657.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It cannot go unsaid that this is a <i>gorgeous </i>book. I'd had every intention of waiting for it to come out in paperback before I saw it in Waterstones with its yellow spayed edges and artsy cover design and I couldn't risk the paperback copy not being as stunning. It also includes a print version of the cover exclusive to Waterstones which is pretty cool. I absolutely encourage you, if you're going to read this book (which you definitely should) please, please, please don't get the ebook version. I know it's cheaper and less cumbersome but I promise that you will not regret buying a hard copy. It is a book lover's dream!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As you can probably tell, I would absolutely, most definitely recommend this book to everyone of any age. Honestly the only bad thing I could say about it is that he maybe skims over Mel's anorexia a bit too often - it feels like a bigger comment should've been made on it. But our narrator Mikey sets out that this isn't the story he wishes to dwell on so can I really be annoyed? I'm going to go with no. I'm sure there are people who'd disagree but I believe this book deserves my first 5/5!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-13720992915554201252015-10-25T19:49:00.003+00:002015-10-25T19:49:53.934+00:00Half A King (Shattered Sea #1) - Joe Abercrombie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94-RSYgctMZ9bi1gU6US19alU2fsfkJLX4zVtc5CIliUenyZWiivk6D6wCn6lQJXLS9xLX4_1lXluM5Sv53x6fq1TEVTptxMjFjxxmQ84eQnwrEcCO7F4ZAXGdHlUWZKEL4LbVvOM24c/s1600/half-a-king-uk-mmpb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94-RSYgctMZ9bi1gU6US19alU2fsfkJLX4zVtc5CIliUenyZWiivk6D6wCn6lQJXLS9xLX4_1lXluM5Sv53x6fq1TEVTptxMjFjxxmQ84eQnwrEcCO7F4ZAXGdHlUWZKEL4LbVvOM24c/s320/half-a-king-uk-mmpb.jpg" width="209" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Title: Half A King</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Author: Joe Abercrombie</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Publisher: Harper Voyager, paperback January 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Genre: YA Fantasy</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">My Rating: 4/5</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">The blurb says: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“</span><span style="color: #666666;">Betrayed by his family and left for dead, Prince Yarvi, reluctant heir to a divided kingdom, has vowed to reclaim a throne he never wanted.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself - all with only one good hand. Born a weakling in the eyes of a hard, cold world, he cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so has sharpened his mind to a deadly edge.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast, he finds they can help him more than any noble could. Even so, Yarvi's path may end as it began - in twists, traps and tragedy..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">WHAT I THOUGHT</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The crippled prince Yarvi has forever been the outcast. The youngest son of King Uthrik of Gettland, Yarvi has known he will never be the king his father was; he is, after all, half a man. At the death of his father and brother, Yarvi is forced to turn his back on the life as a minister he had hoped to lead and claim a throne he had never wished to sit upon. To gain some respect from a people who want him no more than he wants to lead them Yarvi swears an oath that will prove to be far harder to keep than anyone could have expected. The young prince finds himself betrayed at every turn. With a handful of loyal allies, Yarvi finds himself fighting for a life he never wanted, all in the name of an oath.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Joe Abercrombie did well for himself (and I suppose Harper Voyager had a lot to do with it) with puff from George R.R. Martin (<i>Game of Thrones</i>) on the front, and Robin Hobb (<i>Fool's Assassin</i>, the <i>Farseer </i>trilogy), Patrick Rothfuss (<i>The Name of the Wind</i>), and Derek Landy (<i>Skullduggery Pleasant</i>) on the back. But while this is his first outing into YA fiction, Abercrombie has already established himself as a 'grimdark' fantasy writer with his <i>First Law</i> trilogy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite the fact that it took me an almost embarrassingly long time to read this book, I really enjoyed it. It's dark, but with well-timed light notes (coming from Rulf and Jaud, in particular). The characters all fit well with the world created around them; a familiar world - there are, to me, many similarities to the Viking world - but suitably 'other'. Abercrombie doesn't spend too much time describing the world and the history of it; it is all very much incorporated into the story and inferred by his characters. The religion, like many in fantasy, is polytheistic, a Tall God for the Sea, the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, War, and Peace and four-hundred small gods for everything in between. And, of course, a god of Death, who guards and guides the dead through the Last Door. The fight-scenes cannot go without a mention because, not only were they well-written they actually really intrigued me. WARNING: They are graphic! I found myself pulling all sorts of faces at my book on my morning commute. At one point I'm sure I gagged slightly on the train. But they are graphic in a way that brings to mind the likes of <i>300 </i>or the <i>Spartacus </i>TV show (although I gave up on the latter quite swiftly because my eyes began to hurt from all of the rolling they were doing)<i> </i>- they are written in a very graphic novel film adaptation kind of style; you can almost imagine the blood sprays and the well-timed slow motion as you read. That may have just been me, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The characters are well-formed and follow easily; they never do anything that seems out of character. You get to watch Yarvi really grow during the course of the book after facing setback after setback and betrayal after betrayal. You first meet Nothing you're almost waiting to discover what it is he can do that made everyone on the ship fear him so. Then when you do about half way through the book you think he's surprised you as much as he can. But Abercrombie is not at all finished with Nothing yet (that twist! 5/5 for that twist!). The Golden Queen Laithlin is a queen to rival Cersei Lannister; my only criticism is that we really didn't see enough of her! I can only hope she features more in the next book: <i>Half the World</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From the extract at the back of <i>Half a King</i> the second book in the <i>Shattered Sea</i> series, <i>Half the </i><i>World</i> doesn't directly pick up from where this one left off. Which is exciting as it introduces new characters but is probably for the best seeing as I have at least 5 other books lined up to be read before I can revisit this series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall I would definitely recommend this book. Abercrombie's decision to try his hand at YA was definitely a good one, and it was tremendously well-executed. Please don't be put off by the fact that this is YA; if you're new to fantasy it is the perfect introduction and if you're looking for something a bit smaller to carry around on the train than Abercrombie's 700+ page adult tomes without leaving the complex world that is fantasy fiction look no further. That said, his adult books have definitely been added to my wish list; they may just have to be in ebook form for ease of transport.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-20967823148993436282015-10-25T18:02:00.001+00:002016-01-24T18:37:56.843+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 3 [19th-23rd Oct]<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week was our first week with all four of our modules with Samantha back from her illness (hooray!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday morning was Publishing Skills again and this time we were looking at Adobe InDesign. Marita Fraser, co-creator of Framed Horizons - Norvik Press' first student-led publication - came in to guide us through it. For most of us this was our first time using this programme though, fortunately, a lot of the basics were relatively familiar from the, now horrendously expensive Microsoft Publisher and the various programmes used in school ICT and D&T classes that you thought you'd never need again. Marita made available to us the first few pages of a translation of <i>Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden, Vol 1 </i>published by Norvik Press. With this and the cover designed by Norvik Press, in order to test what we had learnt, we were asked to assemble an 8 page "book". It was a very interesting session and a programme that will no doubt come in handy for our Publishing Projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: Copyediting and Proofreading with guest speaker Wendy Toole from the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had our second Publishing Project session in the afternoon and we (finally!) had a real opportunity to speak to our group and figure out why we were put in a group together. While, for the most part, I do not suggest placing people in groups based solely on the results of some really very odd online personality tests, it seemed to work this time around. We are still fine-tuning our ideas and I don't know how much I'm allowed to give away but I can tell you this: it involves fairytales and legends and some (hopefully) gorgeous illustrations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday morning we had our second Author Management lecture with Mal, Rachel and special guest Hannah MacDonald from <a href="http://www.septemberpublishing.org/">September Publishing</a> on the role of the editor and how it has changed and continues to change in the digital age and as the channels between author and reader have become so prevalent. We were given an insight into what it is that editors are looking for (a difficult thing to really define) and what is involved in a structural edit. A very interesting lecture for those of us still interested in the editorial side of the industry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: "Commissioning: Show Me The Money" with guest speakers Francesca Main (Picador fiction) and Ingrid O'Connell (Sidgwick and Jackson non-fiction).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the afternoon we had our first Theories of the Book lecture; the only properly academic module we have. With Samantha back from her illness she took us on a whistle-stop tour through the history of the book from the Diamond Sutra - the first printed book to present day. Once I got over the fact that I wasn't going to get a chance to rehash my knowledge of Homer and the oral tradition and literature in Ancient Rome I became aware of just how much I didn't know about the history of the book. Sam made what was a hefty load of information really interesting and exciting and has, I think, given us a lot to think about when it comes to ideas for our dissertations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week: History of Reading/Social Reading with guest speakers Dr Shafquat Towheed (Open University, Director of 'The Reading Experience Database, 1450-1945') and Dr Danielle Fuller (Birmingham University, Reader in Canadian Studies and Cultures of Reading).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-70996316105902202922015-10-20T21:28:00.000+01:002016-01-24T18:37:41.326+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 2 [12th-16th Oct]So begins our first real week; "real week" meaning a 2-day week (joy of joys for those of us who came from Arts and Hums backgrounds and are only used to being in for 12 hours a week!). With Publishing Contexts over and done with, bar the assignment, we start our Publishing Skills, Publishing Project, Author Management and Theories of the Book modules.<br />
<br />
We kicked things off Tuesday morning with the Publishing Skills, where we were introduced to the Nielson BookScan; a database that will become a key tool in our futures in the publishing industry. It allows the user to do something as simple as see both the volume and cost of sales of a particular book, and also identify sales patterns in a particular genre, or of a particular author. When it comes to identifying which books will do well at the commissioning stage, Nielson BookScan would allow us to track the trends and sales figures of similar books and help us to figure out how well a manuscript might do.<br />
<br />
Tuesday afternoon we had our first Publishing Project and we (finally!) got to find out our groups. But not before a revealing session with the wonderful Anna Faherty of the Wellcome Collection on CREATIVITY. We started the session with a question on how we'd rate ourselves in terms of creativity in a scale of 1 to 10. It was only myself and one other who rated ourselves under 5 on the scale. It was decided that we merely hadn't found our sparring partners; we had not found the ideas creator to our ideas developers. Which is a nice thought.<br />
<br />
So the Publishing Project module feels a little familiar to me. In my second year of the Classical Civilisation degree at UoN we had our Independent Second Year Project. Our brief: create anything on anything from the ancient world. Broad, that's for sure. Our brief, essentially, for the Publishing Project: publish something. A physical book, a digital book, whatever! And do this in a group of people you have never worked with before. So on the back of a series of personality tests, our lecturers put us into our Publishing Project groups and it all seemed a little daunting. As someone who rated themselves as below 5 in terms of creativity, I was (and still am) very worried about what I'd be able to bring to the table. Anna gave us little time to dwell on this as she quickly got us breaking down the ideas process and the process of creativity. Particularly at the beginning, the majority of us found ourselves constantly having to reign ourselves in as we got ahead of ourselves trying to figure out the feasibility of our ideas and trying to figure out how they worked. It was actually a surprisingly enjoyable session considering I fear this kind of creativity to my core.<br />
<br />
After taking Wednesday as a day to relax, and maybe some of us do the reading for Thursday, we arrived Thursday morning (to yet another basement) for our first Author Management lecture with Rachel Calder and Mal Peachey. This lecture gives an insight into everything at the author level from copyright to what authors feel they do and don't need from publishers. Seeing how authors are (obviously) immensely key in the publishing process it is important for us, as future publishers and particularly for me who is considering the literary agent route, to understand how we can best benefit our authors.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, our lecturer for Theories of the Book came down with the flu so we weren't able to start this module this week so updates on this one to come next week!<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading,<br />
Naomi Joy xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-67201104496280570252015-10-16T15:05:00.001+01:002015-10-16T15:05:03.723+01:00UCLPub2015 An Exploration of the Reading Room and Blackwell's at the Wellcome Collection: where curiosity comes to thrive.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: #666666;">“A
physical book is like eating a great meal in a beautiful restaurant with a
fantastic view; an e-book is like eating that same meal from a takeout box on
your lap in the basement”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span style="color: #666666;">[i]</span></a></span></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_edn1" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_iIshai1YLa8XHbDlQ72bt6lmotEGpOB4j_MuWaoJCfr7Fz3qi0eJh14t07Ss6CydMpxak6lWxjtldWYCoAJs1xVKOY-A974PiWxHIJnx6L7MPGIe7Q2AifQ0mkIR6K7M4eEQ7YlXsg/s1600/IMG_4563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_iIshai1YLa8XHbDlQ72bt6lmotEGpOB4j_MuWaoJCfr7Fz3qi0eJh14t07Ss6CydMpxak6lWxjtldWYCoAJs1xVKOY-A974PiWxHIJnx6L7MPGIe7Q2AifQ0mkIR6K7M4eEQ7YlXsg/s320/IMG_4563.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If this is the case, then reading a physical book in the Wellcome
Reading Room is like eating a gorgeous meal in a quirky little teashop at the
top of the Eiffel Tower. It is a perfect hybrid of living room, museum,
exhibition, and library. You’ll find prints of teeth-pulling beside bookshelves
in an alcove boasting straightjackets and the kind of books that require you to
wear gloves in order to touch and explore them. All of this in a space that
encourages you to feel comfortable on their staircase lined with large
cushions, or on one of the sofas, or at one of the reading tables. From
sculptures and paintings to a dress that illustrates a stage of early embryonic
development; from medical implements and contraptions to a splice of a real
human body; this space is so much more than just a Reading Room, it is a place
to let your imagination run as wild and uninhibited as it can and an
opportunity to delve into the mind of the cat that Curiosity killed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U1ArXonkvXRrLHIDBnWwO_vM2lM44PyT8E926kPhdPcG9eaEQu3VpOsw1l42gb4lWaDRUv2Gjzs0ILXKklsoU_eKhL5p8V6vm2m5j8aewLTpzvhS0Zl5_iCIbBBkiTM-R4MthAxA3nM/s1600/IMG_7455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U1ArXonkvXRrLHIDBnWwO_vM2lM44PyT8E926kPhdPcG9eaEQu3VpOsw1l42gb4lWaDRUv2Gjzs0ILXKklsoU_eKhL5p8V6vm2m5j8aewLTpzvhS0Zl5_iCIbBBkiTM-R4MthAxA3nM/s320/IMG_7455.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The reading room at the Wellcome Library succeeds in making those who
enter feel both at home and like they’ve entered a place that demands their
respect. The Wellcome Collection is ‘the free destination for the incurably
curious’<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.
Their Reading Room is no different; it is not there for people to find a copy of
the latest bestseller or the Man Booker Prize winner; it is, in their own
words,</span><span style="color: #010101; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> ‘designed to encourage you to indulge your curiosity and
explore more than ever before’<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #010101; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[iii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> It is
organised by theme rather than genre, and being part of the Wellcome Library,
they are all somehow based around medicine. So you’ll find sections on themes such as pain,
breath, body, and face. In these sections the books range from medical
textbooks to YA fiction; for instance, in the pain section you’ll find a copy
of John Green’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fault in Our Stars</i>
on the same shelf as C.S. Lewis’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Problem of Pain </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Illustrated
History of Torture</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may stumble
across a book like Scott Westerfeld’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uglies</i>
and wonder what on earth a YA book like that is doing in this place at all but,
in a moment, realise it has just as much right to be there as the 20<sup>th</sup>
century dental station that, honestly, looks like an instrument of torture. It
was so painstakingly curated and so thoroughly researched it deserves and
demands awe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">It, rather wonderfully, encourages you to interact with your fellow
curious souls by asking you to leave a message in the book you’ve picked up for
the next reader. Whether that message be a smart quip about the book or simply message
support to a fellow book lover, this reflection of community in a group of people renowned for being introvert adds to this feeling of home. It is such a beautiful
and unexpected idea for a space like this; a space far more relaxed and welcoming than any library. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYP03A8XTZ4V8wpXUiuyD11sjZrAIlCCrrjOZe725yY3lgeUvz6T_1QulG6yTY-rWufax8amxhJZ0Vafn0bmJp_4KVmteQltx7KipInUVFT3ektfnWM8bj07HLeNSnPYSkwZElyYAL-I/s1600/IMG_7008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYP03A8XTZ4V8wpXUiuyD11sjZrAIlCCrrjOZe725yY3lgeUvz6T_1QulG6yTY-rWufax8amxhJZ0Vafn0bmJp_4KVmteQltx7KipInUVFT3ektfnWM8bj07HLeNSnPYSkwZElyYAL-I/s320/IMG_7008.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Found in a book on physiognomy. Book readers are punny.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">My surprise did not stop there. Having only ever experienced Blackwell’s on my university campus in Nottingham I had assumed that it was an academic book
shop, only stocking fiction that was part of a curriculum. So imagine my shock
when I walk towards the Blackwell’s in the Wellcome Collection and my eyes
immediately fall upon <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Superhero Comic
Kit </i>– an interactive book designed to help you with your comic drawing
skills. I'd wager that that's not a book to be found on many curriculums. But then again, I
also wouldn’t expect to find <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Encyclopaedia of Unusual Sex Practices </i>on many either. Much like the
Reading Room, this Blackwell’s is organised by theme rather than genre. And in
a feat of possible genius, you don’t even have to go far before you can start
reading your newly purchased books because the Blackwell’s near seamlessly
flows into Blackwell’s café. Who could deny themselves the enticing smell of those new
books as they mingle with the smell of freshly baked goods and a steaming cup
of English Breakfast tea? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">So go along to the reading room, pick your theme, and read a book you
wouldn’t find anywhere else. Then lounge smugly on the beanbag lined staircase, because Curiosity would not dare take you in a place that feels so much like
home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev2ev8LxLDwBXNv7NUbCp-xns_P3aNyMr4JaxGG9cgnJiKNAPGvJRuijSH2N_0Urb07WB9kN7MDhzDOL0AoA1dQ3Equknwy3mqYYU8p0UBxygG_X0O5xtWmoMi3i__j0mZPgVSXpIlsc/s1600/e969d13d7fefde66fbafcb5c00a631f2_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev2ev8LxLDwBXNv7NUbCp-xns_P3aNyMr4JaxGG9cgnJiKNAPGvJRuijSH2N_0Urb07WB9kN7MDhzDOL0AoA1dQ3Equknwy3mqYYU8p0UBxygG_X0O5xtWmoMi3i__j0mZPgVSXpIlsc/s400/e969d13d7fefde66fbafcb5c00a631f2_L.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben Gilbert / Welcome Trust <br /><a href="http://www.iconeye.com/architecture/news/item/11509-wellcome-collection-reading-room">http://www.iconeye.com/architecture/news/item/11509-wellcome-collection-reading-room</a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Accessed </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">16</span><sup style="text-align: start;">th </sup><span style="font-family: inherit;">October 2015)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="all" /></span>
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Adam Sternbergh “Why the printed
book will last another 500 years” available at <a href="http://lithub.com/why-the-printed-book-will-last-another-500-years/">http://lithub.com/why-the-printed-book-will-last-another-500-years/</a>
(Accessed 15<sup>th</sup> October 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Wellcome Trust (n.d.) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wellcome Collection </i>Available at </span><a href="http://wellcomecollection.org/"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://wellcomecollection.org/</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (Accessed 14<sup>th</sup> October 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8427119759703111078#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[iii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Wellcome Trust (n.d.) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wellcome Collection: Reading Room</i>
Available at </span><a href="http://wellcomecollection.org/readingroom"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://wellcomecollection.org/readingroom</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (Accessed </span></span>14<sup>th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> October 2015)</span></div>
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-33497352244895004852015-10-12T23:16:00.001+01:002015-12-26T22:49:19.194+00:00Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhManlPhClgIfpicwULjCguHWxEVPhVH6Kgw5YuJD92pYy3bVGUdYcRyR0RQIPWV88hXQUTPnrZZoXfUA3MR_0GbdUJFkGEcAm-YyjACMLNO-VOD_3I-rU8CDadH3uRgnwtZhc6ADlvLKE/s1600/warbreaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhManlPhClgIfpicwULjCguHWxEVPhVH6Kgw5YuJD92pYy3bVGUdYcRyR0RQIPWV88hXQUTPnrZZoXfUA3MR_0GbdUJFkGEcAm-YyjACMLNO-VOD_3I-rU8CDadH3uRgnwtZhc6ADlvLKE/s320/warbreaker.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Title: Warbreaker</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author: Brandon Sanderson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Published: Gollancz, Dec 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genre: Fantasy</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My rating: 4.5/5</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
T<span style="color: #666666;">he Blurb says: "WARBREAKER is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, a lesser god, and an immortal trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br />
Theirs is a world in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a panteon in Hallandren's capital city. A world transformed by BioChromatic magic, a power based on an essence known as <i>breath</i>. Using magic is arduous: breath can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br />
But the rewards are great: by using <i>breath</i> and drawing upon the colour in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be performed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><br />
Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is a master of what Tolkien called 'secondary creation,' the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><b>WHAT I THOUGHT</b></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
So I went to my best book buddy who is a major massive fantasy fan and asked her for the best books in my introduction to the genre. Her response: anything by Brandon Sanderson; he is the one true king of fantasy. Armed with this knowledge I took a trip to Waterstones. I hadn't read any reviews before choosing WARBREAKER, it was just the only standalone my local Waterstones had in at the time and I wasn't ready to commit myself to a series on my first outing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
This was my first real, proper, grown up fantasy book and I really don't know what I was expecting. I kind of hated the blurb; I wasn't a fan of the tone of it and it didn't at all do the book justice. It was an intricately crafted world, so wonderfully thought through and whole. The idea of a religion with physical gods who can be visited and petitioned is, to me, a novel one and provides an interesting comment on the question of faith in our world. The magic is so different to anything I've read before and a really interesting premise - <i>breath </i>can not only give life to inanimate objects and heighten your senses, it is the very sustenance of their gods. It is a magic so powerful their own God King cannot be trusted to wield it without sanction. It is impeccably well thought through and testament to this is the <i>Ars Arcanum</i> at the back of the book; it is a complex system and rather than detract from the story in order to explain it, there is a breakdown at the back of how it works.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
As far as the characters go, they were all wonderfully wrought. Vivenna was, unfortunately, a product of her circumstances and I really wasn't a fan but you cannot fault Sanderson's consistency. She is the consequence of a sheltered upbringing; having been brought up to marry the God King, she was educated in her duties and her religion, she was very much raised in a culture of us vs. them and she struggled to shake these teachings when she travelled to Hallendren. Siri on the other hand was not raised with the burden of this duty and her freedom and naïveté ended up being to her advantage. The mercenaries Denth and Tonk Fah give a stellar performance and I found myself being drawn in by their wit and, what appears to be, their harrowing honesty. Vasher is so beautifully mysterious he is a stark contrast to the apparent openness of the mercenaries. Lightsong as a character was constantly questioning the religion for which he was a deity; an interesting comment on religion in our world. Siri's interactions with the God King are always short lived and I found myself racing through the sections just so I could see more of them. The God King himself shatters all possible expectations of one with that name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
I found myself very much involved in the story. With most books, I feel really smart and crafty when I figure out when someone's not who they think they are before the book does; but with this I really didn't want to (although, if I'd been smart (which I was not), the blurb kind of gives a little of that away). I wanted to be surprised. I didn't want to miss anything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
I've given this book 4.5/5 and that's mostly because I'm always very hesitant to give anything top marks. I have next to nothing bad to say about this book. I can't really even hold it against him that I didn't like Vivenna because everything about her was so necessary to the story and entirely consistent with her character. I also can't begrudge him the brevity and haste of Siri and the God King's arch because the book is already 656 pages long! Perhaps it's because the Amazon reviews suggested that this was not Sanderson's best and if this is true, I should reserve my 5/5 rating. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
WARBREAKER is an expertly crafted story in a world of a very different kind of magic with unexpected twists and captivating characters. I really understand how Sanderson got his reputation. Standalone books feel so rare these days that I actually just really enjoyed having a full story arch in one book. This is definitely one I'd recommend, I can't think of a better way to have introduced myself to the genre.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Next on my Brandon Sanderson list: the MISTBORN <span style="font-family: inherit;">series</span>. I'm excited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Thanks for reading and feel free to comment, I'd love to hear your views :)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.8px;">Naomi Joy x</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-27371591824507738192015-10-12T16:41:00.000+01:002015-10-13T00:03:49.961+01:00Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTsc2Uo9lopPVXUkM-bQCAHtHj-ZbRGp832DAjUJP_9leDGR8EozgAP9hafFHf_4h6aTgcYkAxevXiwfWtTARbRX9xmTTRpj6lxR16Z9XVYVOPmST5sT47g935FIINu-XnZ0zY7BFQ0g/s1600/angelfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTsc2Uo9lopPVXUkM-bQCAHtHj-ZbRGp832DAjUJP_9leDGR8EozgAP9hafFHf_4h6aTgcYkAxevXiwfWtTARbRX9xmTTRpj6lxR16Z9XVYVOPmST5sT47g935FIINu-XnZ0zY7BFQ0g/s1600/angelfall.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1398009107009_1453" style="border: 0px none; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Book: Angelfall</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Author: Susan Ee</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Published: Skyscape, August 2012</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Genre: YA Dystopia/Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b>Rating: 3.5/5</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: #444444;">Amazon says "It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister, Penryn, will do anything to get her back.</span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1398009107009_1493" style="border: 0px none; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1398009107009_1491" style="border: 0px none; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1398009107009_1513" style="border: 0px none; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister, and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<h2 style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>WHAT I THOUGHT:</i></span></h2>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Finally! A YA novel with a female lead who has more on her mind than boys! Yayy!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Such a refreshingly welcome and necessary debut novel.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I will disclose now that I have already read the second book <i>World After</i> but I'm going to do my best not to let that cloud my review of this one because, as I feel was the case for most readers, the second book was a significant drop in quality from what was truly a fantastic debut from Susan Ee.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I really enjoyed the idea and premise of the novel - different from the vampires and werewolves that overstayed their welcome a bit but still guaranteed an audience with that market - and Ee's telling of the story was quite striking. Raffe's struggle with his duty as an Archangel is clear and troubling and a little bit beautiful in an equally dark way. Penryn is *finally* the young female protagonist whose love interest really wasn't her main focus. Unwilling to let Raffe (who I really would love to meet) distract her, she is so focussed on her mission to save her sister. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">[I realise I keep suggesting Ee's Penryn is the only strong female lead in YA lit and I'm aware that thats not true. Moira Young's Saba in her </span><i>Dustlands </i><span style="background-color: white;">trilogy (which I will review as I reread in preparation for the final instalment) is one example but after reading so many YA dystopian novels in which the female lead has failed to wow me I have really been beginning to lose hope that it would ever change. That's perhaps a little depressing and over the top but you understand.]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The interactions between Pen and Raffe are for the most part awkward enough to be quite convincing while at other times are maybe a little bit cringey. Their chemistry is actually quite sweet and the ending leaves you hopeful of her future if not a little distressed at how the rest of it turns out.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">As always with these sort of books there are a few issues within the imagined world. Only six weeks are supposed to have passed since the angel apocalypse but the world seems to have descended into anarchy and relatively quickly ordered itself. The rebel army especially managed to gather together people, resources and tactics. Pen's schizophrenic mother comes and goes as she becomes convenient and necessary for the story and there's very little explanation of her beyond that. This is unfortunate because to be quite honest I feel Pen's mother could make a really interesting character with her unpredictable and often dangerous nature and I would really have liked more of an exploration of the relationship between Pen and her mother.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Really these are minor gripes that do not detract from the story whatsoever. Overall I think it is a fantastic debut from Ee and I definitely recommend!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Thanks for reading and feel free to comment :)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.8px;">Naomi Joy x</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-7047277782628700442015-10-12T15:54:00.000+01:002015-10-13T00:04:50.047+01:00Coming Up<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to (possibly very slowly) do a little catch up of some of the books I read over the summer. This will include, though not necessarily in this order:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2OnSL-ZheGaBguH48a2cTvXU5ATUOubeaLHtpeGSQwkN_nnZ5PbAoVryF7HrHy66p8YhYUYVV-Io7PW4mlrW1funJAeBjbZQGpxVI25ionbzl4YUVjJvmPN_ZdazXsY8C1tXLrruLt0/s1600/IMG_4515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2OnSL-ZheGaBguH48a2cTvXU5ATUOubeaLHtpeGSQwkN_nnZ5PbAoVryF7HrHy66p8YhYUYVV-Io7PW4mlrW1funJAeBjbZQGpxVI25ionbzl4YUVjJvmPN_ZdazXsY8C1tXLrruLt0/s320/IMG_4515.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cassandra Clare <i>The Mortal Instruments </i>(6 books)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah J. Maas </span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>Throne of Glass </i>series (4 books, so far...)</span></li>
<li><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Court of Thorns and Roses </span></i></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maggie Stiefvater <i>The Raven Cycle </i>(3 books, so far)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark Lawrence <i>Prince of Thorns</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brandon Sanderson <i>Warbreaker</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jill Mansell <i>Three Amazing Things About You</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paul Hoffman <i>The Left Hand of God</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVKvM0r6z77qIk7nk6NjuDx1Q9xRKy_-xn1VHIlFCy-UIn0N926UuToOIm8F5UuorWgAPa2dVyK5zkNI3HUUP8rGyglu8VlbI-sR18InWwrk90Yck-kEAWSUvkOxDTj422C6cT-KzF4Y/s1600/IMG_4517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVKvM0r6z77qIk7nk6NjuDx1Q9xRKy_-xn1VHIlFCy-UIn0N926UuToOIm8F5UuorWgAPa2dVyK5zkNI3HUUP8rGyglu8VlbI-sR18InWwrk90Yck-kEAWSUvkOxDTj422C6cT-KzF4Y/s320/IMG_4517.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm currently reading Joe Abercrombie's <i>Half a King </i>so I'm hoping to get a review for that up in the next couple of weeks. Today as part of my homework I had to spend a considerable amount of time in my local Waterstones. Obviously, that meant I came away with some new books (yay!) because it would've been rude otherwise, wouldn't it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So also to come:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick Ness <i>The Rest of Us Just Live Here</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brandon Sanderson <i>The Final Empire (Mistborn Book I)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick Rothfuss <i>The Name of the Wind</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then on my wishlist</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jojo Moyes <i>After You </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Andrew Michael Hurley <i>The Loney</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Louise O'Neill <i>Asking For It</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rick Riordan <i>Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So be patient with me, they're coming, I promise.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-13632627302046250152015-10-12T11:58:00.001+01:002015-10-14T12:19:09.678+01:00UCLPub2015 We are LITERARY BLOOMSBURY<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bloomsbury is well known for being a hub of publishing and literary activity, and not just because of the publishing house of the same name (that was forced, I apologise). From specialist bookshops like the AA Bookshop (that's Architectural Association not Alcoholics Anonymous) to the powerhouse of Waterstones Gower Street; from niche publishers like Penelope Books, to both indie and big name trade at Faber & Faber and the Bloomsbury Group, Bloomsbury really does have it all.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To the uninitiated however, when walking around the area there's actually very little obvious evidence of this. The blue plaques are for architects, economists, the founder of Pakistan, and, of course, the mistress of Prince Frederick Duke of York.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2VZp0cXjSS_Xh49D8JzYI3hLGknznY2FmvMf-IuV8YZcI2JgRmvmR8_dX110dhZ5ic-WV-KYaII1YIfwxuC4rXYVtJlJKWv1S28GEKymJquwIs2iiPpYVB80ZHt6cUFn5lxV03ceqTI/s1600/mary-anne-plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2VZp0cXjSS_Xh49D8JzYI3hLGknznY2FmvMf-IuV8YZcI2JgRmvmR8_dX110dhZ5ic-WV-KYaII1YIfwxuC4rXYVtJlJKWv1S28GEKymJquwIs2iiPpYVB80ZHt6cUFn5lxV03ceqTI/s320/mary-anne-plaque.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The places that make Bloomsbury thrive as a hub of literary culture are often only known by those who are interested in knowing about them. You have to know that they are there to truly appreciate them. You could walk straight past the University of London Senate House and never know that it was the inspiration for George Orwell's Ministry of Truth. The British Library is an intimidating creature to even the most bookish of worms and the beauty of the Charles Dickens Museum lies in the fact that it looks just like any other house.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is, of course, the labyrinthine treasure-trove that is the Gower Street Waterstones. When charged with our #literaryme task in our first week it was, without hesitation, the first stop for the majority of us publishing students. It is our siren call; we cannot walk past without entering, and when we inevitably step through those glimmering doors, leaving, particularly without having made a purchase, requires an iron will. And perhaps also a heart of stone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is our love of books that brought us all to UCL, and thus to Bloomsbury. We, this new year of students to the masters course, have brought with us a our love of books and writing and publishing from all over the world, hoping to one day leave our mark in this literary community. We are the new generation of literary Bloomsbury. We are the future publishers, editors, designers, authors, and illustrators of the industry and we begin our journey in this hub of literary history with the hope that it's creativity and culture might rub off on us in our future careers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You never know, maybe one of us will give UCLU's The Library the same reputation George Orwell gave The Fitzroy Tavern. That's the dream, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe-NUHLB8RErllOQdEzoGqBWoQVp8IoQ9DdSjbMa81Nv3ychT1eqQFNesm4KoWsDPAdCMyahGciw2MnKCzNBpUTkbZvaLeMZcK2Js104aqSgFZ0XbGdlwKcHHQ3SO_C7RGBR5W08_CuI/s1600/IMG_4485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe-NUHLB8RErllOQdEzoGqBWoQVp8IoQ9DdSjbMa81Nv3ychT1eqQFNesm4KoWsDPAdCMyahGciw2MnKCzNBpUTkbZvaLeMZcK2Js104aqSgFZ0XbGdlwKcHHQ3SO_C7RGBR5W08_CuI/s320/IMG_4485.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can continue to shove us into the dark basements of the various buildings of University College London but you will not break our spirit. That is, unless you force us to dissect our beloved again. That one may not go down so well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-2054754688952898182015-10-12T00:39:00.001+01:002016-01-24T18:37:30.137+00:00UCLPub2015 - Term 1: Week 1 [5th-9th Oct]<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyMuwMzCRcsYod4KcckD50BfLHRquoix4Sagy6VdqPn-gbkiI1J6_qeyFQTQ2IpI69etDvbJA-ZXdxiLnuCskvFtidUDSdWHd6xJ_0H03bS5SL7wuaavF412MTIvTquoOnMzjsaLGRe8/s1600/IMG_4456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyMuwMzCRcsYod4KcckD50BfLHRquoix4Sagy6VdqPn-gbkiI1J6_qeyFQTQ2IpI69etDvbJA-ZXdxiLnuCskvFtidUDSdWHd6xJ_0H03bS5SL7wuaavF412MTIvTquoOnMzjsaLGRe8/s320/IMG_4456.jpg" width="240" /></a>So I suppose this is technically week two but induction week doesn't really count in my books. There's nothing interesting about me getting horrendously lost on more occasions than I would care to admit. This week we thundered through our intensive one week Publishing Contexts module (yes, that's right. A whole module in 5 days). The aim of this module was basically to get us all on the same level as far as our knowledge of the publishing process goes and also to open our eyes to the fact that editorial is most definitely not the only or even the most exciting part of that process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The week was a tiring one and as it wore on, out came the backpacks as we all chose to forsake style for practicality; and out, in force, were the travel mugs - all of us so very unpracticed at enduring a full week. Looking good for the future, I'd say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll take this day by day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Monday. Being the first day, we covered the basics: the main areas of publishing, the main departments, the key players, and even touched on production - something that was new to the majority of us. We learnt about the new, more audience-focused publishing model than that of the pre-digital age. We were then asked to do a short presentation in groups of ten on a publishing house. We had thirty minutes to prepare a five minute presentation in which all ten of us had to speak. Suffice it to say, no group managed to stay within the tim constraints. I like to think <a href="http://nosycrow.com/">Nosy Crow</a> would have loved our enthusiasm. The day gave us a broad, and yet thorough overview of the industry; the basics that would allow us to delve more deeply into it in the course of the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRlqidft__XmJqxJWnCGO0YWigHQGPiENllgoT5qgz7uOIpr1S2aEEXTKI5lXwMoXyk9PjwqQ73FMnE13lG1GAsHxvwJog0LuTR-B8kftjPuqDGAH3cVb9A_63Raz2sR7P0LwoAUCZ54/s1600/IMG_4459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRlqidft__XmJqxJWnCGO0YWigHQGPiENllgoT5qgz7uOIpr1S2aEEXTKI5lXwMoXyk9PjwqQ73FMnE13lG1GAsHxvwJog0LuTR-B8kftjPuqDGAH3cVb9A_63Raz2sR7P0LwoAUCZ54/s320/IMG_4459.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Tuesday we were lucky enough to be shown the ropes by none other than Sam Missingham, Head of Audience Development at HarperCollins. She informed us of the importance of hustling, and knowing how to market ourselves and encouraged us to get involved as much as possible both online and in person. She gave us an insight into some of the exciting projects she has been involved in during her time at HarperCollins and after her time was up, when the dreaded "how many of you want to go into editorial?" question came up, far fewer hands shot up than they did in induction week. In the second half of our morning session we heard from Mal who, I have to say, was far more doom-and-gloom than anyone else we heard from this week. I'm sure he burst a few editorial bubbles when he informed them of the average pay of an editorial assistant. Literary agent Rachel had a slightly more upbeat take on things and basically gave us a prep session to her Author Management module, one I'm definitely looking forward to. In the afternoon we heard from editors from publishing houses across the board; <a href="http://www.tworoadsbooks.com/">Two Roads</a> (trade), Oxford University Press (academic), and <a href="http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/">ICE publishing</a> (educational). They gave us an honest account of some of the challenges they faced and also what it was that made their jobs so enjoyable and many heads and hearts turned back to editorial.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUsgLhZ1fcs7mSJGbboWeHoodmpG6q7mfNQHsL4fJCOeUoabh22d_4GxuEsiuxTL50cqhTdk2Rk8GVeQDcATDSRhRqQYWvfK9-cNMdJKQYb1fFtUAXKvDF4YNE5rGOwXrqqXOWdCSCxs/s1600/IMG_4457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUsgLhZ1fcs7mSJGbboWeHoodmpG6q7mfNQHsL4fJCOeUoabh22d_4GxuEsiuxTL50cqhTdk2Rk8GVeQDcATDSRhRqQYWvfK9-cNMdJKQYb1fFtUAXKvDF4YNE5rGOwXrqqXOWdCSCxs/s320/IMG_4457.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wednesday was production day with <a href="http://www.bic.org.uk/">BIC</a>; a hands-on day that literally broke down the production process of books for us. In the morning we learnt about operations and inventory management; the importance of keeping on top of your stock count. We also learnt about some of the procedures when publishing embargo titles - the super high-profile ones like Harry Potter have to have special measure to make sure no early copies find their way out of the warehouses. In the afternoon I was heartbroken to hear we were to take a scalpel to some Rick Riordan (The <i>Percy Jackson</i>, <i>Heroes of Olympus</i>, and <i>Magnus Chase </i>series') and Derek Landy (<i>Skulduggery Pleasant</i>) books seeing how they would definitely still make it into my top authors. I was less heartbroken that scalpels were taken to Jeremy Clarkson's "book" as well. We did this so we could go through the physical elements of the book and the production processes that go into making the things we hold so dear. We also got to have a look at some uncut prints of books which was actually pretty cool as you can see in the pictures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday was marketing and rights day with our very own Martin Nield and some of his friends from Hachette. We learnt about the different sales strategies required depending on the retailer, and how marketing has had to change with the new digital era. The rights section of the day put into perspective the global nature of the industry; it is not at all about keeping your head above the sea of contracts I had thought it to be - it's all about the global potential of the book and involves a hell of a lot of travel, an exciting prospect for many. At the end of this day, that question was asked again: "who wants to go into editorial?" and so very few put the hands up, though by this point, I really couldn't be sure if this was actually the case or whether people were no just too scared to be honest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I0KMyUahhRk0cDvRipo1_RoQfwWPb0xIOqOClzPhRWPVKnaXjHJs6PcWgc1XP5e-04pfrBY0Uey-_eJrdvNVrtfxs-rguYyqaYh3LX6Rezwa8ukdJqZ3SBRHLJ1opXcEkkMv7Je2qhs/s1600/FullSizeRender_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I0KMyUahhRk0cDvRipo1_RoQfwWPb0xIOqOClzPhRWPVKnaXjHJs6PcWgc1XP5e-04pfrBY0Uey-_eJrdvNVrtfxs-rguYyqaYh3LX6Rezwa8ukdJqZ3SBRHLJ1opXcEkkMv7Je2qhs/s320/FullSizeRender_Fotor.jpg" width="266" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Friday most of us were just happy to get out of the basements we'd been consigned to for the rest of the week. We spent the morning at Faber & Faber where we heard from Helen, a success story as a Faber employee and alum from last year's MA programme. She helped us to put into perspective what it was we were doing there and was living proof that we had made the right decision. We learnt all about the SYP and the president of the Publishers Association and MD of Penguin General Joanna Prior helped us to consolidate what we had learnt from the week with some examples of books that she had helped publish and the marketing strategies involved in publishing them. We also heard from Jacks Thomas, the enigmatic woman behind the London Book Fair and <a href="http://www.londonbookandscreenweek.co.uk/">London Book and Screen Week</a> for what was a really interesting insight into what goes into organising such large scale events. In the afternoon we went to the Wellcome Collection with Anna Faherty where we got to see IRL <i>Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management</i> (as seen on GBBO 2015) and explore the wonder that is their reading room, a room I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">think we will all be visiting with worrying frequency.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, while an exhausting week, it was also one of the best weeks I've had for a long time and has really excited us all for the coming year. And while I think the speakers succeed in turning many of my classmates away from editorial, they didn't quite succeed in converting me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-70734521580904086472015-10-07T22:14:00.001+01:002015-10-13T00:05:54.163+01:00New Beginnings #UCLPub2015<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been ridiculously quiet for around about 10 months now which is a bit of an embarrassment but, for a couple of reasons, that might be about to change. And I plan to actually stick to that this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've just started my Publishing MA at UCL (how exciting is that?) and things have really started changing even though the course only really started this week! I'm going to actually try to keep this blog going; giving updates on what I'm learning and all the new experiences that this step has brought into my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now obviously, being on a Publishing degree course, book blogs are pretty unremarkable; everyone who's anyone has a book blog. However, it has been made clear to us that having a social media presence and getting comfortable portraying ourselves on various forms of it are KEY TO OUR FUTURE! (the capitals made it more ominous, I feel).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So here I am, attempting to actually keep up a blog. Fingers crossed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Hope you enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy x</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-63663255662665776822015-01-06T01:18:00.001+00:002015-10-13T00:06:13.315+01:00Wool (Silo Saga 1) by Hugh Howey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsF4g-SMTdbXqXOa2bDb2-8fqofeGW1K1mv5byLwBz0ub5-kSJkCPCq8AyaHhrED9HPLFGnXkdCzJ3hX-6GVuXv3MXYKq38cS41nGM4TkghHkz3XrsOg24wEczMa9MVI34y5g5IG8AZ_Q/s1600/Wool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsF4g-SMTdbXqXOa2bDb2-8fqofeGW1K1mv5byLwBz0ub5-kSJkCPCq8AyaHhrED9HPLFGnXkdCzJ3hX-6GVuXv3MXYKq38cS41nGM4TkghHkz3XrsOg24wEczMa9MVI34y5g5IG8AZ_Q/s1600/Wool.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Book: Wool</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Author: Hugh Howey</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Published: Arrow, April 2013</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopia</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><b>My rating: 4.5/5</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Amazon says: "In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Inside, men and women live in an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">To live, you must follow rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><b>WHAT I THOUGHT:</b></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was by far the best book I read all summer (I started writing this post a long time ago as you can see).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Confusingly, this book has been billed as the "science fiction version of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i>". This is not at all down the to content. The book was originally self-published as a short story, only expanded on after great interest from readers. That, I promise, is where the similarities end.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It seems <i>Wool </i>has a penchant for being wrongly compared to other books. My copy had a review by the Sunday Times on the front claiming that this was "The next <i>Hunger Games</i>" but that really doesn't do it justice and I feel is a misleading statement in terms of the target audience. Much as I loved <i>The Hunger Games </i>this book is similar in the same way that it is similar to every dystopian novel: it depicts a really rather morbid and morose dystopian future. <i>THG </i>is a YA book and no offence to Suzanne Collins (I've read the series numerous times) but it is written in that way. From the first page I knew I was going to love <i>Wool</i>; the first line hooked me but it also told me the audience was going to be somewhat different to <i>THG</i>: "The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death; he could hear them squealing as only happy children do.". It was just dark enough, just intriguing enough for me to really want to read on. It was, in no way, aimed at the same audience as <i>THG</i>. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The book is so well written, I read it in just 2 days I was so gripped by Jules' story and the history behind the silos. As with most dystopian novels the question lies: how did they get to this point? We know what it used to be like but what happened to send everyone underground? The question remains through most of the book and it keeps you reading, keeps you wanting more. The beginning is perhaps a little slow but there's a story building and you know it's worth sticking around for. Jules' arrival and the subsequent collapse of Silo Eighteen turn it around and the pace of the book quickens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The characters are engaging. Jahns and Marnes are older characters for this sort of genre but it works well, they are well-rounded and well-built characters. Jules injects a little youth and pace to the story. She is a headstrong but likeable female protagonist for a change and I quite liked the fact that she didn't have a love interest for a lot of the book (Lukas wasn't an entirely necessary character addition and wasn't as developed as a character as many of the others but I understand that perhaps it would help Jules from going insane with only Solo for company).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Overall I thought this was a fantastic read. Wonderfully crafted, it is a well-written, gripping novel with a unique and yet familiar concept. I would highly recommend it, it is definitely well worth a read. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy xx</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-61170809826225394612014-11-03T18:15:00.000+00:002015-10-13T00:06:23.102+01:00The Circle by Dave Eggers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg74cZKjmxpqe_z3CuX0KSJ0Dn326pVW54ASCDVZYf3e_yVHYXnY2OgSjALbe6xkhRASlVvqbjkKH74cG26X-o1pXLUS_T6GeZSOik__lR_szUu3azNdkRsuMy7lDNJfXu-AkKo5Jag0/s1600/i.1.dave-eggers-the-circle-book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg74cZKjmxpqe_z3CuX0KSJ0Dn326pVW54ASCDVZYf3e_yVHYXnY2OgSjALbe6xkhRASlVvqbjkKH74cG26X-o1pXLUS_T6GeZSOik__lR_szUu3azNdkRsuMy7lDNJfXu-AkKo5Jag0/s1600/i.1.dave-eggers-the-circle-book.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Title: The Circle</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Author: Dave Eggers</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Published: Penguin Books, 2014</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Genre: Sci-Fi</span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">My rating: 2.5/5</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">The Circle runs everything - all your internet activity in one easy, safe and visible place. No wonder it is now the world's most powerful and influential company. So when Mae Holland lands a job at it's glittering California campus, she knows she's made it. But the more her ideals and ambitions become aligned with those of the Circle the closer she comes to discovering a sinister truth at the heart of an organisation seeking to remake the world in its image...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><b>WHAT I THOUGHT:</b></i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the reviews emblazoned on and inside the book remark on how unputdownable this book was. Unfortunately, I can't help but think that this was partly down the the fact the there were NO CHAPTERS making it difficult to find a place to stop. I've never found chapters to be such a pivotal part of a book before but I found the pace of this book a little hard to get along with without the break up.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of chapters Eggers has divided the book into 3 (though there are no hints that this will happen until you hit book 2 over halfway though and book 3 with about 10 pages to go) and I think it's best if I tackle this review book by book.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Book I</span></u></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book started strongly. Mae, our protagonist, and her life are just about lacking enough to be believable and relatable and she becomes a rather interesting character. You explore the Circle with her and discover as she does. Francis at this point is an intriguing possibility, not at all the kind of guy you expect your protagonist to end up with but good enough for now. Then, as if just on cue, in walks Kalden; a man suitably mysterious and exciting. The book as a whole is praised for it's chilling plausibility and Book I makes this praise seem rather suitable. Companies like Google and PayPal are now seemingly inescapable when it comes to internet activity so an overarching, far-reaching company that owns and oversees all internet activity is a very strong premise for a book and there were so many more routes that Eggers could have gone down to keep his book plausible and gripping.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Book II</span></u></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Mae goes "transparent" things, I feel, start to go downhill. We take leaps and bounds toward implausibility and Eggers loses the strongest thing he had going for him and his book. Mae becomes rather a dislikable human being in her over-eagerness to accept the Circle into every aspect of her life. She becomes almost entirely incapable of individual thought and her character becomes depressingly one-dimensional. I became almost entirely uninterested in Mae's story and I found I only carried on reading in the hope that maybe things might turn around.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Book III</span></u></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's little to say about book III as it is rather short. Book II ends and you are hopeful that Mae has found a tiny scrap of integrity within herself but unfortunately all faith is lost in Mae and with it all the progress and headway Eggers made in Book I.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My greatest issue with this book is the fact that it relies far to much on people's ability to lose their cynicism and, as a cynic myself, I find this very difficult to find plausible. While it has been shown that there are people who will latch on to any new craze I wonder if as few people would question this kind of organisation encroaching on every single aspect of their lives, implanting chips into their children and peeking in on every moment of their day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is nothing if not thought-provoking I will give Eggers that. It is a very interesting premise and while I feel he failed to exploit it as well as was possible I do believe that the route he took could spark some very interesting debate about privacy and the right to anonymity. Despite the negative tone of this review, on the whole I would recommend this book to anyone after something different and thought-provoking as it really is a great idea for a book but it is definitely not one I will be revisiting myself.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading and feel free to comment :)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy xx</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427119759703111078.post-88100416132456332062014-11-03T17:51:00.003+00:002015-10-13T00:06:35.774+01:00Just a quick apology<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I've been very quiet of late for no real reason really but that's all set to change *fingers crossed*. I'll do my best to post at least once a month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to upload a few reviews of books that I read over the summer and then <i>hopefully </i>over the next few months I'll do a bit better at posting on a relatively regular basis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry again,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomi Joy :) x</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130658729332314042noreply@blogger.com0