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Forward Motion for Writers

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Here's this year's reading!

Finished: Cypress House by Michael Koryta (started in December 2011).

January:
1. Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday.
2. Hollywood Secrets by Gemma Halliday.
3. Hollywood Confessions by Gemma Halliday.
4. The Fire Within by Chris d'Lacey.
5. How Blackbeard Helped Me Survive Middle School by A. J. Bailey.
6. Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble by D. Robert Pease.
7. A Clockwork Fairytale by Helen Scott Taylor
8. Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
9. Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede
10. Maze Runner by James Dashner
11. Lilah's Ghost by Deb Logan

February:
12. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
13. The Death Cure by James Dashner
14. Everlost by Neal Shusterman
15. Everwild by Neal Shusterman
16. Everfound by Neal Shusterman
17. The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

February/March (not sure which were in which month):

18. The First Days of School by Harry Wong
19. Successful Classroom Management: Real-World, Time-Tested Techniques for the Most Important Skill Set Every Teacher Needs by Richard H. Eyster and Christine Martin
20. Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Van Velde
21. Underdead by Liz Jasper
22. Underdead in Denial by Liz Jasper
23. Backlash by Carmen Rane Hudson
24. Love is Darkness by Caroline Hanson
25. Love is Fear by Caroline Hanson
26. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
27. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
28. The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

Definitely March:
29. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
31. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
32. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
33. In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
34. Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

April:
35. The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
36. IT by Stephen King
37. Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
38. Irrefutable by Dale Roberts
39. The Weaverfields Heir by David Bridger
40. Tesania: Trannyth's Keep by Grant E. Brazell

May:
41. Scones & Bones by Laura Childs
42. Dark Souls by Paula Morris
43. The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocky
44. How To Write a Short Story by John Vorwald and Ethan Wolff
45. The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
46. The Grim Legacy by Polly Shulman
47. Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
48. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
49. Tomorrow Girls: Run for Cover by Eva Gray
50. Tomorrow Girls: With the Enemy by Eva Gray
51. Tomorrow Girls: Set Me Free by Eva Gray
52. Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
53. Ruined by Paula Morris
54. Tansy Taylor: Paranormal PI by Kathy LaMee

June:
55. Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
56. Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky
57. Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky
58. Fright Court by Mindy Klasky
59. Critique of Criminal Reason by Michael Gregorio
60. Capitol Magic by Mindy Klasky

July:
61. Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu and Paul and Teri Williams
62. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
63. Othello by William Shakespeare
64. Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter
65. Awake at Dawn by C. C. Hunter

August:
66. Taken at Dusk by C. C. Hunter
67. Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Balancing Act by Dominique Moceanu
68. Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Winning Team by Dominique Moceanu
69. Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Reaching High by Dominque Moceanu
70. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
71. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
72. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
73. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
74. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
75. The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
76. Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
77. Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep
78. The Second Horror by R. L. Stine
79. The Epic of Gilgamesh
80. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury

September:
81. Venom by Jennifer Estep
82. Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep
83. Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep
84. By a Thread by Jennifer Estep
85. Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep
86. Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep
87. Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod


Currently reading: too much to list.

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To be honest, I'm really not the ideal reader for this series. I read the whole series because I got the first two books for free and I dislike not finishing the things I start. I like mystery, but I hate tabloids and don't much care for romance (except in very particular situations). That said, the stories moved very quickly and I enjoyed reading them, as long as I put up with the romantic sections. I really liked seeing a human side to tabloid reporters and photographers. The mystery of the last one I found pretty obvious (the person I suspected right away was the actual killer), but overall, they were fun reads. I'm not going to start her other series, though.

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I liked this one a lot. It was fun and whimsical. At times, it seemed a little hokey for me -- maybe it's for too young an age group. For the moment, I'm passing on the next one in the series.

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This one was a lot of fun! I really liked the character progression of the main character, and the fact that the "Blackbeard" in the story really wasn't Blackbeard was cool, too. I also liked how the main character did already know a lot about the real Blackbeard due to his school research paper. I'd definitely keep an eye out for more by this author.

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I liked this retelling of the Noah's Arc story. The author fit the traditional story into a science fiction world very adeptly.

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I loved this book. The mystery and political intrigue were extremely well done, and I even loved the romantic subplot! I do need to find out what it is I like about some romantic subplots, since most romantic plots and subplots I find boring.

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Thirteenth Child and Across the Great Barrier are in the Frontier Magic series by Patricia C. Wrede. This was another of my favorites so far this year, although, judging by the end of Across the Great Barrier, I'll be extremely disappointed if there's not a third book.

What makes this series so delightful is the way Wrede integrates magic into the American frontier era. It's so vivid that I can almost believed it all actually happened. The characters are perfectly in tune with the time period.

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I'm pretty sure this was a free book, but it was a disappointment even so. There was hardly any conflict, since the main character is given the answer right away and it works as soon as she uses it. I think the author thought the main conflict was the decision about letting a best friend go, but even that fell slightly flat.

I bought it on Kindle, and another disappointment was that I thought it was going to be much longer than it was, but over half of the content (the story itself ended at 48%) was promotion for other works. I found it offputting.

I don't like giving bad reviews, and in truth, the story wasn't bad, it just didn't really catch my interest.

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This was a great dystopia with a lot of intense action and tension. I couldn't put the books down, but when I was done, I definitely needed something lighter.

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These were wonderful! I was expecting something dark and foreboding, but it was actually very quirky and relatable. I enjoyed myself a great deal! Lots of fun -- I'll never think of chocolate in the same way.

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I liked the first book more than the second. It was a neat concept and I liked the characters, but I think it could have been done better. I'm not sure -- it didn't seem to have the depth of the similar Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. I think maybe the main character wasn't complex enough for me. Although it's also been awhile, so I don't know for sure.

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Good stuff, and I needed it badly. I liked the Eyster and Martin book better, because the Wong one divided every teacher into Effective and Ineffective, as if there's never a middle ground while you're moving from one end to the other.

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This was another fun read. Definitely middle school appropriate. A nice comedy of errors in a fantasy world.

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I look at these titles and don't really remember them. I'm pretty sure that the Underdead books were about a living woman with vampire blood, and I think that Halfway to the Grave might have a similar idea in it, but I'm not sure. The Love is Darkness/Fear books were also paranormal suspense. And Backlash -- I don't remember it at all.

Now, I wish I'd updated this earlier. Normally I have good reading retention but not with any of these.

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I read this one to connect with one of my students. I found it surprisingly hard to understand (she's in a low reading group, so I was surprised at how well she understood the book: it was a good surprise!), and also much better than I was expecting. I might even read some more in the series even though I much prefer books with more of a paranormal twist. It reminded me of very early Desperate Housewives (when the narrator is narrating her death), only for teens.

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Loved this series.

Want to see the movie. Now.

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Another great book. This is the first book I've read by King, and it made me finally get his writing book. A mention of an evil clown in Derry made me get IT, too.

I learned a lot about combining personal stakes with public stakes with this one. I'll definitely reread it.

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I have read On Writing several times. It always kick starts my writing when I am out of ideas or steam. I hope you enjoy it!!!

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I enjoyed these, particularly Demon in My View, but the over-the-top attractiveness of all the characters got to me a little. You could tell it was written by a teen-ager by the focus on appearance (I wrote like that when I was younger, too), and it kicked me out of the books a little. Still, the second book had a really fresh idea.

Note: I'm not saying that all teens write too much about appearances, just that it's a tendency. And I'm sure lots of adults never really grow out of the habit. Plus, I think there are a lot of people who really like to be able to really "see" the character.

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Wonderful rich world-building. I didn't really connect to the main character, though. I'll probably read others in the series in the future, but I'm not desperate for them.

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Excellent!

This had exactly the right blend of deep characterization (almost anti-hero) and wonderful worldbuilding. The plot was great, too, and it's another book that showed a great relationship between public and private stakes. Definitely a book to learn from. I would have bought the next one right away, but I'm trying to save money.

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Not nearly as good as 11/22/63. I had troubles keeping characters straight, and was planning to reread it until I got to the end. But I didn't like the end, so I probably won't now. I'm curious about the movie, but typically get overly scared with horror movies, so I'm not sure if I'll see it or not. While I was reading it, it felt like it should be a movie, though.

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Not bad, but it seemed a little rough, still. The lead up was great, but when it got to the big problem, I found that the resolution was too easy.

And NOW -- I'm finally up to date with reviews/comments on read books. For the moment, anyway.

(Oh, and I'm *really* liking the Weaverfields Heir).

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I hope to update this with a better review sometime soon, but this was an amazing book that I plan to reread many times.

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I have to be honest. I did not really enjoy this book, but I'm glad about what happened with the "evil" mage. I also really liked the banmora subplot.

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This was a fun read. I'd pick up more by this author.

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This was a great book. In fact, I'd say it was one of the best books I've read this year. Definitely memorable, and I'll keep my eye out for more by Paula Morris.

I loved the setting, and the plot was great, too. Lots of interesting twists.

I would highly recommend this book to others.

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Another good one! There was a really interesting twist at the end, with how the main character beat one of the monsters. Very enjoyable! I'd read more by this author.

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Some of this was pretty basic and either stuff I already knew or stuff I'd heard and already disagreed with.

On the other hand, there were some true gems in here that will definitely change the way I write short stories.

Overall, a worthy purchase, and I don't regret it.

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Oh, now this was amazing. The world building, the characterizations, the plot, the twist . . . amazing.

I need to get my own copy so I can read it again.

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This was also quite good. I loved the way fairy tale magic worked. I also really liked the way the relationships played out. I'd definitely read more by this author.

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Another great series. It was four books instead of three, and I'll admit that I felt a little cheated at the end of book 1 (it didn't feel like the end of a book), but I loved how she switched POV character with each book. She did a great job of it, too. The four main characters really sounded different.

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This was a really unique duo. I loved the worldbuilding. At times, I got frustrated and just wanted the book to end, but I suspect it was because there was a discordance between the darkness of the book and the brightness of the days outside. They were very long and rich, and I loved the twists!

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I loved this. I don't know how accurate the New Orleans stuff was, but it certainly worked for me. I was completely immersed. I did know what was going to happen, and I was irritated that the aunt didn't seem to have any reason for keeping everything to herself, but overall, I really loved this book.

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This was okay. I liked the mystery and the plot, but didn't care as much for the setting or characters. That lifestyle just didn't appeal to me for some reason.

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These were seriously addictive fluff. I liked the characters and the plot, and I just couldn't stop reading them. At the same time, it felt more like eating a lot of potato chips than enjoying my favorite gourmet meal. I did stop once I started reading and I'm partway through another one, but I don't know when I'll get back to it.

Edited to add: I liked the Jane Madison series more than the Fright Court book.

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This was great. I loved the setting and the characters. I also did not at all suspect who the murderer was, but didn't feel cheated at the reveal, either.

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