winding down

It's the tail end of December now, and I've barely said a word here all month. To be fair, the lead-up to the holidays was CRAZY, all freelance and long hours at work and holiday gift shopping and apartment stuff. So, to clarify a couple things from previous posts:
We did not go home for the holidays. I am currently on staycation. I was bummed at first, but now am really enjoying reading and writing a lot. I survived all the freelancing, so everything I'm doing this week is really just for me, which is nice.
We got an apartment. It's in Williamsburg, and we're moving January 15th. I'm really excited about it. My partner-in-crime is on the fence, so to speak. I'm going to have an apartment with lots of windows, and more than one room! It has a backyard! And laundry in the basement!
I'm over seventy-two thousand words in my novel. Still hoping to finish this draft by the end of the year. Well, by the end of staycation, which is approximately the same. Still feeling pretty good about where this one is going.
I've managed to read a few books in the last week or two:
51) Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. This is one of the first sci fi/fantasy books my dad suggested to me when I started really getting into genre fiction, and I chose to reread it recently in homage, I suppose, since Anne McCaffrey passed away a few weeks ago. I always enjoy her books, and the trilogy this book belongs to is no exception. The world if Pern is such a vivid, well-fleshed-out creation, and the characters are interesting. And, of course, the dragons . . . I love her work.
52) Graveminder by Melissa Marr. I've read her YA stuff; this one is her first adult book. I got a copy at BEA and have been wanting to get around to it ever since. It was seriously worth the wait; this book is REALLY good. The world-building is fresh and interesting. The characters are complex and empathetic. The slow reveal of what it means to be the Graveminder, and what's going on in the town, was great. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good read.
53) Bone Gods by Caitlin Kittredge. This is the third book in the Black London series, and it's another solid entry. I've enjoyed watching Kittredge grow as an author over the last few years. I can't wait to read the last two in this series, and see what she comes up with next.
54) A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I enjoyed this one . . . but I don't know that I'll continue with the series. Several big characters died in this one. Kingships keep changing hands, everybody's angry all the time, the Stark family is really getting the crap beaten out of them by life. I just don't know that I want to read several thousand more pages full of bloodshed and abuse. I don't mean anything negative about the book in saying that. I just don't know that it's really my thing. Epic fantasy is a hard sell for me these days, and while the basic plot is interesting (and convoluted), there's an awful lot of secondary plot to wade through. We'll see.
That's it for the books, and the life update, really. Things are quiet this week. Lazy brunches and late dinners, reading and writing time and a bit of hanging out with friends. It's nice.
Happy holidays, everyone!

just another Monday

Happy Monday, everyone. How's this week looking? Mine is going to be quiet but busy, I think. My to-do list at work is pretty light, so I'm hoping to get caught up. I accidentally took one too many freelancing projects, so there will be a lot of that happening in the evenings, along with packing. (No, there's no update on the apartment. Yes, I'm frustrated. No, I don't want to get into it right now.) No social plans for this week except a possible one tomorrow night, which I think depends on how much work I get done tonight.

A few books to catch up on:

46) Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow. It took me a bit to get into this one. but once I was in, I was hooked. I really enjoyed this. It's sharp and dark, with interesting characters and a fast-paced plot. I'm definitely reading more of this series when I get my hands on them.

47) Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. What a fun, quirky graphic novel! Anya is a Russian girl who doesn't fit in at the school she goes to. Then she falls down a well and makes friends with a ghost. And from there . . . well, no spoilers. It's fun. Definitely recommended.

48) Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. I loved this book. A lot. Anna Koval is a librarian who can't get over the boyfriend who left her over a year ago, and creates a semi-fictional blog under the name that is an immediate success. Anna is sharp-witted and broken and fun, and watching her attempt to walk the fine line between reality and her blog life is great fun. I think everybody should read this book!

49) The Walking Dead Book 1 is intense. That's definitely the best word for it. It's hardcover survival fiction. And I can't wait to read more of it!

50) The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge. This is the first YA book from Caitlin Kittredge, and it's definitely among the top five YA books I've read this year. This is steampunk plus fey folk plus Victorian-influenced America, and I love it. It's gloomy and sharp-edged and caustic. LOVE IT. I can't wait for the next one. February can't come soon enough!

Besides that, a dream to share . . . The beginnings of the dream are vague. I think my younger sister was a queen, and her first baby was stillborn. She was marked with a small B carved into her throat with the tip of a knife, and then there was something about the fey folk. Maybe they took the stillborn? The dream solidifies when the huge wooden gate to the fey world closes, and for some reason there is a group of us who want to go in after them. The gate is locked. Defeated, we turn to go and see a second gate that wasn't there before. This gate opens beneath my touch. We go down a gravel drive, take a sharp right onto a steep muddy path, and find ourselves on the semi-abandoned grounds of a mansion. The house is all boarded up and locked but we keep exploring. There is a huge chair behind the house, a huge cement slab with a backrest and arms placed on the back, and in the middle of the chair is a hole. We clamber up on it to take a better look, and realize that there are children watching us. Each of them is wearing a horizontally striped shirt and white shorts. Most of them are very young, but there are a few who look to be ten to thirteen or so. then a woman appears. She is very small, with long brown hair and huge eyes. Her face is alien and a little frightening, small chin and many teeth and broad forehead, but somehow beautiful still. She speaks to us; we adjourn to a nearby round metal table to talk more. My younger sister looks very uncomfortable. I sit down next to a boy who I am somehow involved with, my hand casually on the back of his neck. The woman sits down and challenges us to a tennis game, since we have trespassed in her kingdom. One of us points out that we were in the fey world just an hour previous, and since we were welcome then aren't we welcome now? The woman clarifies: those were the good fey. She's the other kind. It's clear that she has some sort of special interest in me, but I refuse to acknowledge it. She goes back to discussing the tennis game. . . . And I woke up.

I wish I could've stayed in that one longer. Ah, well . . .

And now, off to work I go. I've certainly spent plenty of time here this morning. Have a good week, everyone!