Since this is my only unlocked post, and because it previously said. "Friends only, comment to be added." the journal rating meme rated my journal as elementary reading level. That irked me, and led me to write the following ridiculous rephrasing of "Friends only, comment to be added.":
Amicable individuals that have previously made my acquaintance are henceforth the only individuals allowed permission to view the musings and transcriptions of thoughts located at this particular congregation of my most personal thoughts. I request that you leave correspondence at this location should you desire to affiliate with aforementioned individuals.

 

My journal is now rated as High School reading level. See? Using superfluous wording does make you sound like a butt wipe more intelligent. At least the internet thinks so.




This has been a long time coming. Drop me a comment and tell me where I know you from (fandom, life, whatever) and we'll go from there 

thanks to bistyboo1974  for the lovely fo banner!</lj>

So, I didn't die. This may surprise some of you since I seemed to drop off of the face of the planet about four months ago! I'm here, though, and I'm BACK. Back to blogging, back to reading and commenting! Generally back. :)

I'll update in a day or two about the milestone that was my baby's first day of Kindergarten last Monday, but for now I just wanted to drop in and say HELLO. I CAN HAZ RETURN?

It's that time again. If you've been around long, you know that I do this every year. What I'm posting is the same thing I always post, so feel free to skip it if you've seen it before.

It's been six years today since my fist son was born. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly...it's felt like no time at all.

Every year I re-post the post I made to the forums I used to be a part of when we were TTC and then TTA. There are numerous typos, but I can't bring myself to change it. It is-errors and all- the recount of events that I wrote so shortly after they happened that I was still in the emotion of them. So much of what happened seems surreal to me now, almost like it happened to someone else, so I trust the me that was closer to the story to be the me that tells it.


( Click HERE to read )

I seriously CANNOT stop listening to the song snip at the end!

I will preface this by saying that I generally dislike short stories. You don't have enough time in so few words to latch onto the characters, the plot, AND the prose. Generally at least one of the three will suffer.

I'm happy to say, however, that this is not ALWAYS the case. There are a few incredibly gifted authors that manage to pull it off!

My favorite in this collection (not surprisingly) was the story penned by Cassandra Clare: The Mirror House.

This story is told in first person present tense, and that worked unbelievably well! (My list titled "Authors who Successfully Use Present Tense" is now a whopping TWO names long!!!) I'm not going to go too much into the plot of these stories, but I will say that if you liked Jace/Clary...this story has a little something in it for you. ;) The story itself was haunting and I LOVED the ending, but it is always so hard for me to decide if I enjoy the story or the prose better in works by Cassie. I love them both so much it's impossible to tell. The way she manipulates the English language, and the vivid, constant use of descriptive simile makes me green with author envy. This short story alone was well worth the price of the book!

"I try to read, but the words dance on the page like the sunlight dances over the pool water. This kind of weather makes everything dance."

Seriously. There are no words to describe my love.


Also really enjoyable was the story by Libba Bray (who, in case you were wondering, is the other author on that list titled "Authors who Successfully Use Present Tense")

This quote alone should make you want to read this story. "Dude," Baz whispered in my hear, his white-boy dreads tickling the side of my face. "Did the creepy old lady just say 'bump asses with evil?'"

It was really fun to read something so DIFFERENT from Libba. I'm in love with her Gemma Doyle trilogy, but it's nice to see that she can pull off something completely different as well! Such a talented lady!

I also loved Maureen Johnson's story. If you aren't following Maureen online, you really should be. As funny as her blogs are, this story read much the same way. It was such a refreshing read, and I couldn't put it down!

Claudia Gray and Sarah Mlynowski both wrote fun stories as well. All in all, this entire collection is well worth the read!

Seriously. Four cases at the highschool where my hubby works. FAIL.

No school. No Cinco de Mayo. No Springfest. Nothing.

Pandemic much?

If I die, you guys are going to have to fight over my book and music collections. ;)

Adam is taking part in "Road To Recovery" where a group of injured veterans are bicycling across the country. My hubby, Greg, was in charge of putting together one of their stops yesterday, and he wore his lime green and pink "cooler than a mullet" shirt. Adam LOVED it, and offered to buy it. Greg gave it to him and this morning at the conference Adam was wearing it!

One of the men on my Celebrity Do list is wearing a shirt that I laundered.

I wonder if he calls it Vera?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Partly because today is a major anniversary in my life - it's been five years to the day since Gryffin's adoption was finalized - and partly because of some other things that are going on right now. Perhaps it's because I was adopted myself and am also an adoptive mommy, but I have a very Whedonesque view of family. There is only one blood relative of mine that I know in the entire world, and I place very little stock in biological connections. But even more than that, it isn't the legal connections that mean family to me either.

Greg isn't my husband -my family- because we have a legally binding certificate that says so. Greg is my family because we love each other so much that we wanted that certificate. The love itself is what makes the family; what makes the marriage. Gryffin isn't my son because the courts filed paperwork changing his name and declaring it. Gryffin is my son because it is impossible for anyone to love a little boy any more than I love him. I'm his mommy because he loves me. We belong together. Conversely, Peyton isn't mine because he grew inside of me. He is mine for the same reason that Gryff is: because I love him. Having a child does NOT make you a mother. Loving and caring for your child does. Mothering, Family...those are ACTIVE things. Choices.

We talk a lot to Gryff about his adoption story, and about how we came together (God sent me to you!) but sometimes it strikes me just how miraculous it really is that in a world as big as ours, we can make our way to the people that become our family. How despite the odds and the miles and the exact orchestration of thousands of tiny little circumstances that must perfectly align to bring us together, we still end up finding the people that mean the most to us. It baffles me. Gryffin's birthmother's path was dictated by so many small choices. Those that led her to get pregnant, those that led her to place, those that led her to choose us. Ours as well. Choices to not try IVF. Choices to initiate the adoption process despite the financial struggle of it, and to go ahead with it despite our youth. If ANY of us had made a single different decision, the connection wouldn't have been made, but that's just what I'm saying. We always find those that we are meant to love.

The ways we find them are often funny and obscure in hindsight. Choosing to meet up with an old friend who introduces us to a new one. Letting your roommate talk you into going out despite your exhaustion and saying yes when that cute guy that's been catching your eye all night asks you to dance. Joining a message board and being ridiculous about a book and a band that mean more to you than most people could possibly understand. Walking down to the pond to dip your feet in the pond on a hot august day when you thought you might melt. The people that mean the very most to me have found me in some pretty simple and pretty obscure ways. So today I'm feeling nostalgic a bit. I have a wonderful, wonderful family made up of relatives and friends. People that I choose to love, and that I am blessed to have love me in return. It makes me optimistic, because you never know what small (or large) choice you may make today that will direct the path of your life to intersect with someone you want to join you for the rest of your journey.

So it seems that 2009 is "The Year of the ARC" around here. Two of the books that I was most eager to have in my grubby little hands (which both are set to release on the same day, March 24th 2009, my husband's birthday) I managed to swing ARCs of in contests held by their authors. Pretty cool, right? I thought so, too. The first book as you know because I haven't shut up about it was CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare. *read THAT spoiler review HERE*

The second book was STARGAZER by Claudia Gray. I will preface this review by saying that I loved EVERNIGHT. I really, really loved it. The characters, the plot, the worldbuilding, the twists, and very most of all, the emotional connect.

As much as I loved EVERNIGHT, STARGAZER was even better!

The book opens at the start of the new school year, months after Bianca and Lucas are separated. The author does a great job of the time progression, both the initial one, and during the several scenes of the book where we fast forward a month or more. You never have that feeling that a narrator is standing over your shoulder booming out "two months later." The transitions are seamless, and really progress the story and help to advance the plot and make the struggles more believable.

The relationships between the characters get more complex and convoluted, and we learn more about the pasts of a few key people. I really enjoyed the exploration of the ties that bind the characters, as well as the non-preachy statement that the plot makes about perceptions and the dangers of moral absolutism. Themes of identity and growth are also touched on, and are handled well in a way that will resonate with younger and more mature readers alike.

But the most important thing about any book is the characters. If you don't connect to them and care about what happens to them, then it doesn't matter how brilliant the plot is. If you don't love and hate them, then it's all in vain. I was absolutely absorbed in the story of Bianca and Lucas and (everyone's favorite vampire) Balthazar. They're written in a way that makes them real, that makes them jump off of the page. Every time I was forced to put this book down for any length of time I found that my mind was still with them. You care about these characters. They matter. I was so sad to read the final page and realize that it will be awhile before I can find out what will happen to them next!

The end of the book left my dying for more. Seriously. The wait is going to be painful.

STARGAZER has firmly sealed the EVERNIGHT books in my list of favorite series. Highly recommended to everyone. These books are suspenseful and fun and romantic and wistful all at the same time. I can't wait to get my hands on the third book in this series!

This is rip-your-hair-out hard to do.

1. City of Glass ~ Cassandra Clare
2. Twilight ~ Stephenie Meyer
3. One Foot in the Grave ~ Jeaniene Frost
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ J.K.Rowling
5. Paper Towns ~ John Green

First of all, I'm so behind on LJ it's not even funny. I'm going to catch up on commenting soon, I promise! In recent WHOA THIS IS SUCH A GOOD BOOK YEAR NEWS!: I won an autographed copy of a Kelley Armstrong book! WHEE! Now, onto more book related nerdiness. Here's a list of the upcoming releases I'm looking forward to. I know I forgot some, there are just TOO many to count. Also, Pride is coming out TOMORROW? Is that right? Cause if so, I am a very happy Marcy, and feel the need to spend the night rereading Stray and Rogue. For serious. Also, I already got and read two of the books on this list, but they are both excellent *cough*CityofGlassismyfavoritebookever*cough* so I've included them anyway! If you see any that I forgot, lemme know!

I'm striking the books as I obtain them. ;)
( SQUEEWORTHY UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES )

Several of my favorites are up for awards, here: Cassandra Clare, Jeaniene Frost, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, Ilona Andrews, Holly Black, Melissa Marr....and more!  GO VOTE PEEPS!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

So my girls andreaeducator  and musicalmolls  just got back from Rockboat. (FINALLY! *glomps her friends*)

There was general sadness that I couldn't go, because seriously like ALMOST ALL OF MY FAVORITE BANDS WERE THERE! So what did my exceptionally amazing friends do? This:
( IN WHICH THERE ARE SWOONY MUSCIAN BOYS )</div>

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"Wristwatches were an anachronism in Nineteenth Century."

If anyone can tell me what book that comes from...you get a MAJOR cookie!
HINT: When you read it, you will think I typo'd. I didn't. The way that sentence is phrased is actually a clue as to the book, if, of course, you've read it. ;)

( THIS SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE )</div></div></div>

Someone asked me this in the comments of one of my other posts, and I thought it would be a fun post to itself. :)

So, here's the deal. One Dozen Books. If the books are a series, just list your favorite book in that series, not all of them. Try not to cheat...I know this is difficult! I'm tagging ALL OF YOU because you know you want to do this! ;)
( In No Particular Order (other than being visually pleasing) )

It goes without saying that I am a lover of books. Stories, characters, and delicious prose...well...these are things that I throw myself into. My shelves are filled with countless books that i have read and loved, stories that I have enjoyed reading.
I have never enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed this one. Never.

( CLICK ME ~ I'M SPOILER FREE )

Title: Without
Author: marcyjo 
Fandom: The Mortal Instruments
Characters: Simon
Prompt: Without
Word Count: 567
Rating: T
Summary: Simon muses over happily never afters
Warnings: Angsty Simon? ^_^
Disclaimer: Don't own it. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

( Without )

 

 

Title: Relax
Author: marcyjo 
Fandom: The Mortal Instruments
Characters: Alec/Magnus
Prompt: Relax
Word Count: 1,040
Rating: T
Summary: Magnus helps Alec unwind
Warnings: Nada.
Disclaimer: Characters not mine. :) No copyright infringement intended

( Follow Me to Relax )

(I apologize in advance that there are probably several of these going up tonight...I need to get em all up before I read COG!)

The Thoughts

1. Thirteen Reasons Why ~ Jay Asher ~ 01/02/2009
I've had this book on my TBR list for awhile now, but for some reason, I always ended up grabbing something else at the bookstore. xjustadoreher  just read it and left it  a good review, so I felt compelled to grab it this afternoon. I'm very, very glad that I did. You know from the outset that this is not a story with a happy ending. No one is going to be able to save Hannah from herself. In the end, she's going to die, so the book is very much a "journey" rather than a "destination" storytelling. It's one hell of a journey.

I really like the fact that the writing is so disjointed. The jumps from the spoken narrative of the audiotapes to Clay's thoughts to what is happening around him while he listens is jarring. It makes it slightly unsettling to read, which adds to the overall effect of the book. From the very first page a seed of knotted discomfort begins to sprout in your chest, and every single tape that Clay listens to, it blooms a little higher in your throat and puts roots a little deeper in your stomach. I like the gimmick of the pause and play symbols to indicate the status of tape playing.

I love the fact that, in the end, we know next to nothing about Clay, yet we still feel inexorably tied to him. Details are unimportant in light of the emotional revelations. The main thing we know about him at all is the way that others view him, more appropriately, we know the way Hannah views the way others view him. It's a very John Green type of commentary which pulls me back to LFA and PT, that we can never really know another person, we can never be that person.  All we have is perception, and perception is a very flawed and dangerous thing. Parts of this story aspired to John Green like genius. They didn't quite reach it for me (but honestly, I doubt anyone could ever equal John), but there were moments that came very close. This book made you think, and it made you feel. It was an eye opening statement about selfishness and self-absorption, as well as thoughtless actions. Hannah herself admitted that what she was doing was selfish, and that she was just giving up. They say we are all the hero of our own story, but Hannah's story proves that sometimes there is no hero. Sometimes there's just a lot of people stumbling around in the dark.  I highly recommend this book.

2. Blue is for Nightmares ~ Laurie Faria Stolarz 01/02/2009
Not bad. Not one of my favorites either. I guessed at the ending pretty early in the story and it seemed like it took a long time to get there. I could have done without all the in depth description of what every detail symbolized in all of the rituals, but when there was action, it was well written. I know several people who really like the series, so I'm likely to keep going with it, keeping in mind that BIFN was her first book.

3. Wondrous Strange ~ Lesley Livingston 01/10/2009
handyhunter  has read this yet...this is *so* a book for her. This is very in keeping with the Girls Who Do Things genre, and the protagonist of the story is a very take charge kind of girl. By the time I finished reading it, it was pretty clear that Katsa is this generations Aerin.

Katsa is a superb heroine, and I absolutely adore Po and Bitterblue and Raffin. I'm always a character reader, and I was completely enthralled by this cast. So much so that I read all 480 pages in one sitting. Much, much love! I laughed and I cried. I cheered.

There were consequences. There was a realistic ending. There was extremely poignant prose.

I cannot wait to to read the two companion books, Fire, and Bitterblue!

6. The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb ~ 01/26/2009
This book was not what I was expecting. I do love Laura's style. It has a dry lyricalness to it. Even the emotionally intense scenes come across as calm and completely static. I can't decide if I really like that, or if it sort of bothers me. Its the same way with her ACSOL. I really really like it, though I have trouble pinpointing exactly WHY. Calder is a lovely character though, and it was an interesting take on the myth and story.

7. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong 01/28/2009
I think having read the women of the otherworld weries made this book better for me, because I knew what was gong on before the characters did. I adored this book! I cannot wait for the sequel! Hurry up sequel, hurry up!

8. Evernight by Claudia Gray 01/31/2009
I curled up in bed last night with the intention of reading a chapter or so and then going to sleep, but I didn't stop reading until I'd turned the final page.

The author "got" me. One of the reveals I saw coming before it happened, but the other caught me off guard, which I love.

Also, Garrett Hedlund is totally my Lucas. jsyk. ;)

9. Stray by Rachel Vincent 02/02/2009
This was a reread because Pride just came out, and I wanted to brush up on my Werecats before I dove into the new one! SO GOOD! I absolutely love this series, Rachel Vincent FTW. Marc is YUMMY! Also, I'm amused that this was book #9 last year, and book #9 this year. Tehee

10. Rogue by Rachel Vincent 02/04/2009
This was another reread so that I can read Pride and remember all of the nuances! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO FREAKING MUCH! I FORGOT ABOUT THE HEARTFAIL...<3

11. Pride by Rachel Vincent 02/11/2009
EASILY my favorite in the series! I won't lie, I cried like a baby. I can't WAIT for Prey!  This past week we went to a book signing of Rachel's, and she was charming and nice and I won a coverflat for the next book, which makes me ridiculously exciting. Absolutely on the favorite author list!

12. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 02/11/2009
This was adorable. I loved it.

13. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 02/19/2009
This was good. LONG but good.

14. Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith 02/20/2009
oh, HAI! This author totally lived up to the potential of this plotline. It was SO MUCH FUN. I pwns Tantalize so hard. I'm ready for book 3!

15. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner 02/24/2009
I'd been aching to read this book, because every review I've read said that it was fantastic. It was, in fact, fantastic. I LOVE the characters. I love the things that are hinted at but never fully explained. This book was nothing less than a joy to read!

16. Fade by Lisa McMann 02/25/2009
Excellent sequel. I love this series, and I love this author. Brilliant storytelling and very original premise!

17. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan 02/26/2009
This book was so freaking adorable. So cute. So sweet. Much love. The thought of David and John Green cowriting a book together makes my little fangirly heart go a patter.

18. Stargazer by Claudia Gray 03/04/2009
As much as I loved EVERNIGHT, STARGAZER was even better!

The book opens at the start of the new school year, months after Bianca and Lucas are separated. The author does a great job of the time progression, both the initial one, and during the several scenes of the book where we fast forward a month or more. You never have that feeling that a narrator is standing over your shoulder booming out "two months later." The transitions are seamless, and really progress the story and help to advance the plot and make the struggles more believable.

The relationships between the characters get more complex and convoluted, and we learn more about the pasts of a few key people. I really enjoyed the exploration of the ties that bind the characters, as well as the non-preachy statement that the plot makes about perceptions and the dangers of moral absolutism. Themes of identity and growth are also touched on, and are handled well in a way that will resonate with younger and more mature readers alike.

But the most important thing about any book is the characters. If you don't connect to them and care about what happens to them, then it doesn't matter how brilliant the plot is. If you don't love and hate them, then it's all in vain. I was absolutely absorbed in the story of Bianca and Lucas and (everyone's favorite vampire) Balthazar. They're written in a way that makes them real, that makes them jump off of the page. Every time I was forced to put this book down for any length of time I found that my mind was still with them. You care about these characters. They matter. I was so sad to read the final page and realize that it will be awhile before I can find out what will happen to them next!

The end of the book left my dying for more. Seriously. The wait is going to be painful.

STARGAZER has firmly sealed the EVERNIGHT books in my list of favorite series. Highly recommended to everyone. These books are suspenseful and fun and romantic and wistful all at the same time. I can't wait to get my hands on the third book in this series!

19. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan ~ 03/15/2009
I've been itching to get my hands on this book for months, and I had very high expectations for it from the early reviews and synopsis that I found.

I wasn't prepared to be as blown away by this story as I am.

The story, the characters, the themes, the prose. All of it...beautiful.
I never thought it would be possible to describe a story that contains zombies that way, but it is. Beautiful, and stunning, and absolutely heartbreaking. It would be a lie to say that some...more I've been itching to get my hands on this book for months, and I had very high expectations for it from the early reviews and synopsis that I found.

I wasn't prepared to be as blown away by this story as I am.

The story, the characters, the themes, the prose. All of it...beautiful.
I never thought it would be possible to describe a story that contains zombies that way, but it is. Beautiful, and stunning, and absolutely heartbreaking. It would be a lie to say that some parts of this book made me cry, because the truth of it is that some parts made me sob.

The fences and the Unconsecrated are perfect symbols, and can be taken very personally. This is one of those books that gets under your skin and stays with you for days. It makes you want to believe in the ocean, too.

I absolutely can't wait to read the sequel, and anything else this fantastic new author pens!

20. Vacations from Hell 05/27/2009
I will preface this by saying that I generally dislike short stories. You don't have enough time in so few words to latch onto the characters, the plot, AND the prose. Generally at least one of the three will suffer.

I'm happy to say, however, that this is not ALWAYS the case. There are a few incredibly gifted authors that manage to pull it off!

My favorite in this collection (not surprisingly) was the story penned by Cassandra Clare: The Mirror House.

This story is told in first person present tense, and that worked unbelievably well! (My list titled "Authors who Successfully Use Present Tense" is now a whopping TWO names long!!!) I'm not going to go too much into the plot of these stories, but I will say that if you liked Jace/Clary...this story has a little something in it for you. ;) The story itself was haunting and I LOVED the ending, but it is always so hard for me to decide if I enjoy the story or the prose better in works by Cassie. I love them both so much it's impossible to tell. The way she manipulates the English language, and the vivid, constant use of descriptive simile makes me green with author envy. This short story alone was well worth the price of the book!

"I try to read, but the words dance on the page like the sunlight dances over the pool water. This kind of weather makes everything dance."

Seriously. There are no words to describe my love.


Also really enjoyable was the story by Libba Bray (who, in case you were wondering, is the other author on that list titled "Authors who Successfully Use Present Tense")

This quote alone should make you want to read this story. "Dude," Baz whispered in my hear, his white-boy dreads tickling the side of my face. "Did the creepy old lady just say 'bump asses with evil?'"

It was really fun to read something so DIFFERENT from Libba. I'm in love with her Gemma Doyle trilogy, but it's nice to see that she can pull off something completely different as well! Such a talented lady!

I also loved Maureen Johnson's story. If you aren't following Maureen online, you really should be. As funny as her blogs are, this story read much the same way. It was such a refreshing read, and I couldn't put it down!

Claudia Gray and Sarah Mlynowski both wrote fun stories as well. All in all, this entire collection is well worth the read!

21.

22. The Vast Fields of Ordinary ~ Nick Burd   July 4, 2009

23. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

24. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez August 2, 2009

25. Need by Carrie Jones August 17, 2009


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