Author Liesel K. Hill's Musings on Fantasia...
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Knife of Dreams Read-Along, Week 4
Welcome to week 4 of our Knife of Dreams Read-Along! This week we read chapters 13-18. Remember that everything in this section as well as everything that's come before is fair game for spoilers, so read at your own risk. Sue over at Coffee, Cookies, and Chili Peppers is hosting this week! Make sure to check out her answers too!
Sorry I'm about twelve hours late this week, but here they are!
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| Elayne (Obviously not pregnant here) Source |
1. Elayne seems to be having an ‘interesting’ time because of her pregnancy. Do you think that she is right to be so confident of her continued survival just because of Min’s viewing? Are you concerned that she and Birgitte are going to make a massive error of judgment because of either tiredness or pregnancy-induced irrationality?
I think assuming she'll be okay because of Min's viewing is only logical. Without her, the babies certainly couldn't survive so young, so she's got to at least live. I suppose maybe she could live in a coma or something, but that seems an unlikely scenario. If I was her, I'd be much more worried about making a political blunder, or having an accident with the One Power, than about actual survival. It was kind of freaky that the power keeps sliding away from her in weird ways. I'd be more worried about that than anything else.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Follow Friday: Social Networking!
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!
How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!
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| Source |
My favorite by far is Pinterest. I waste SOOO much time on this network. I'm on it nearly every day, follow hundred of boards for dozens of different subjects, and have 70 boards of my own. Yup, you read that right. 70.
Every year in Salt Lake, they have a Pinterest conference. I haven't been able to go the past two years, but I'm hoping maybe next year. *Sigh* It would be guilty pleasure bliss. :D
Check out my boards here: http://www.pinterest.com/lkhillbooks/
What's your favorite social network?
Thoughts for Thursday: Taking a Stand
Just have fun, collect awesome sayings by awesome people, and try to be inspired!
This week's theme is Taking a Stand!
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Movie Review: Gravity
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I got it from Redbox over the weekend and guess what? I loved this movie. I couldn't believe how much I liked it, how touching it was. See, I was thinking about it all wrong. This is not a film about people flailing around in space. It's actually a story about an intensely spiritual experience, that just happens to be set against the backdrop of a tragedy that happens in space.
It's all about the main character facing a set of mind-blowingly tragic circumstances, and how it changes her. In ninety minutes, everything she knows changes. She re-examines the darkest parts of her life, and how she has let her past stagnate her. She loses friends and colleagues, goes from determination to live to darkest despair when she believes she's about to die and there's nothing to be done, and then back to determination and acceptance of whatever comes. No wonder this story got so much attention. It was fantastic! Sandra Bullock did SUCH a good job.
Most crazy tragic lines of the film:
"I know, we're all gonna die. Everybody knows that. But I'm going to die today. Funny that... you know, to know. But the thing is, is that I'm still scared. Really scared. Nobody will mourn for me, no one will pray for my soul. Will you mourn for me? Will you say a prayer for me? Or is it too late... ah, I mean I'd say one for myself but I've never prayed in my life. Nobody ever taught me how... nobody ever taught me how..."
Yeah, I was totally in tears during this scene.
Anyway, I was totally wrong about this film. If you haven't seen it, do! It's deep, intense, and totally inspiring.
Has anyone else seen Gravity? What did you think of it?
Monday, August 4, 2014
Top Ten Tuesday: First Timers
Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.
Top 10 Books I'd Give to Readers Who've Never Read X
I didn't think I could come up with a full ten for any given genre, except perhaps fantasy, and I've totally done that post before. So, I've got lots of genres here with a few choices for each.
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Epic Fantasy: The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time), Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth), A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice)
Contemporary YA: Anything by Katie McGarry. I'm actually not a fan of contemporary, but I'd read anything by McGarry.
Historical Fiction: The Heretic Queen, Citadels of Fire ('cuz, you know. :D)
YA Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter), The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia),
YA Paranormal: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments), Twilight
What Top Ten Books in a particular genre would you recommend to a first-timer?
St. George Book Festival and Other Announcements
I hope you're all gearing up for a productive and prosperous week. For today, I'm just doing some announcements. The fall, as always, will be a busy one for me, as I'll be attending plenty of conferences and bookish events.
August 30 I have an author signing at the Hastings in Harrisville, Utah. It's a modest little place, but the Hastings company is always willing to support local authors, so I do my best to help them out in return.
September 12-13 is the League of Utah Writers' annual conference. As of right now, I'm not presenting that I know of. Just going to socialize, network, and learn lots of new things. It's being held in Layton, Utah this year, which is like ten minutes from my house. (Yea!)
October 4 is an author signing event also hosted by Hastings, but it will be a whole slew of local authors coming together for the same event. More details to come as it gets closer.
October 24-25 is the 2014 St. George Book Festival. I'll be attending as a Keynote/Guest Author and running one of the workshops on the 24th. Very excited for this one as I've never attended before.
So, if you're anywhere in or around Utah and can possibly make it to any of the events, I'd love to meet you! Of course I'll post reminders as the fall draws near. Have a great week, Everyone! Get out there and take steps toward your own success!
What events do you have lined up for the fall?
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Knife of Dreams Read-Along, Week 3
Welcome to week 3 of our Knife of Dreams Read-Along! This week we read chapters 2-7. Remember that everything in this section as well as everything that's come before is fair game for spoilers, so read at your own risk. I'm hosting this week!
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| Aludra (Source) |
1) We finally get more details on Aludra's plans with the elusive bell founders and all. Do you see this plan succeeding? What will it mean for the Last Battle? How will it play out?
I won't say and spoil but it's pretty cool. :D
2) Mistress Anan finally reveals some of her past. Were you surprised by anything she said?
I don't remember if I figured it out the first time I read it, but the second time through it seemed pretty obvious that she used to be Aes Sedai. I'm actually kind of surprised that she just admitted it, rather than saying something cleverly diverting or just outright denying it.
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| Source |
3) We saw tons of Mat and Tuon this week. From her snapping a'dam onto Aes Sedai necks to finding out she might have had her siblings assassinated to seeing Suroth's plan to declare her an impostor and have her killed in action to participating in a knife fight for/with her, Mat had his hands full. Feel free to comment on any part of this story line. What stood out to you, shocked you, delighted you? Where do you think it will go from here? What repercussions will it have?
All kinds of stuff going on with these two this week. Her putting the a'dam on the Aes Sedai was kind of shocking, but in a lot of ways, I think it might have been good for them. Put some humility in them, you know? I think it's hilarious that Mat's future wife might just assassinate him if he pisses her off. About time he learns to understand women, eh? The knife fight was cool, and I thought it was awesome that Tuon participated, even kind of saving Mat. It shows that she's tougher than she looks, and is already quite loyal to Mat. It was also interesting that she saw the whole name thing as a game. And she won. Now that Mat's marrying her, I don't think he gets to win anymore. :D
The whole thing where Vane got uppity and left the dice game and then showed up to attack Mat was kind of obvious to me. Anyone else?
4) A Shiota ghost town makes a rather disturbing appearance in Mat's life. What do you think was the cause of it, and what does it mean for our characters?
That was creepy, right? It might have been another bubble of evil, or maybe just evidence that the Last Battle is drawing near. The Dark One touching the world, and such.
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| Mat, Thom and Noal doing...uh, something. |
5) Apparently Mat, Thom, and Noal might be setting out to rescue Moiraine. Were you surprised by this, or by what was finally revealed to be in her letter to Thom? Do you think they can succeed?
We'e been waiting for this for so long! The letter was quite telling about Thom and Moiraine's relationship (assuming they can rescue her). "My dearest Thom" doesn't sound like it's squarely in the friend zone.
I wasn't totally surprised by this. Lots of people thought Moiraine might show up again. This is the classic mentor-who-"dies"-then-suddenly-reappears-in-another-book thing. See: Gandalf, Dumbledore, Aslan, etc. The difference is that Jordan has made us wait six books and something like 5,000 pages for the mere mention that she might be able to return. And yes, if anyone can succeed, I think Mat, Thom, and Noal can. You couldn't ask for better rescuers! :D
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| Perrin Aybara (Source) |
6) Someone tried to assassinate Perrin. Who do you think it was and why? What do you think of how things are going with his alliance with the Seanchan? Will their forkroot plan work?
I honestly don't remember who it was or if we ever find out who or why. I think just about anyone might have wanted to. The Forsaken, anyone who doesn't like the idea of the Dragon Reborn's BFF making nice with the Seanchan, maybe Sevanna? I actually think their alliance is going well. If anyone can make this work, it's easy-going Perrin. It seems like the Seanchan are beginning to genuinely respect him.
As for the plan, I'm sure it will work, but, as always, I'm sure they'll also run into unforeseen difficulties. We can always count on that. :D
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| Source |
Extras:
Bayle Domon and Egeanin got married. Yea! I loved how everyone gave Mat sympathetic looks and talked about how fickle women are, but it doesn't occur to anyone that Mat and Egeanin's supposed relationship might have been a load of crap. :D
What other bloggers thought: Dab of Darkness Coffee, Cookies, and Chili Peppers
What did everyone else think of this section?
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