July Round Up–Top 5 Most Popular Posts
I’ve decided to start a regular end-of-the-month round-up post, to feature the 5 most popular posts each month. So, for July 2007, the most-viewed posts were:
Monthly Archives: July 2007
My Greatest Fear
I have horrible, horrible vision. Like, it gets blurry two inches in front of my face, and I’ve worn contact lenses since I was 10. When I have my glasses on my husband likes to say that he can see the back of my head. It’s kind of true. I’m scared to death of LASIK because of the chance, however infinitesimal, that I could go blind. If I went blind, I would not be able to read, and my life would be like this (re-edited)…
Check Out My Redesign!
I just spent the last 90 minutes hacking the Cutline Theme to bits to create what I think is a much more user-friendly layout. It feels much cleaner to me. Of course, it still features my kickass banner by Hevan Chan. I’d definitely love feedback/suggestions…
Bulwer-Lytton Awards Announced
And the winner is: Gerald began–but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them “permanently” meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash–to pee. Jim Gleeson Madison, WI My personal favorite is the Children’s Literature winner: Danny, the little Grizzly cub, frolicked in the tall grass on this sunny…
How On Earth Do You Write a Novel?
I’m attempting to write a novel. Well, I’ve attempted to write several novels, at least five that I can think of. This time, I’m attempting to finish a novel. At least a first draft. In the past, I’ve tried free writing on the computer and in a notebook, but I always get bogged down somewhere around 50 pages.
Story vs. Language
From my shared items (available in the top left corner of the blog, as well as by RSS), I thought I’d highlight this post from the Guardian. It opens:
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
Synopsis: A long ago summer idyll at a manor-turned-commune ended in tragedy, and the recent discovery of the bones of a woman and a baby threaten the secrets carefully guarded by the young man who inherited the home. Review: It may be a lesser Barbara Vine, but A Fatal Inversion is still an above average read.
Blogging Tips Meme + Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint
Eva at A Striped Armchair tagged me for the Blogging Tips Meme. I’ve blogged on this topic before for Daily Blog Tips’s Blogging Mistakes contest. It’s a subject I’m interested in, and some great tips have been collected so far. It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
Synopsis: A new house in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood spells disaster for all its inhabitants. Review: It’s awfully hard to be frightened when you’re sitting on a rooftop deck in West Hollywood, letting the setting sun dry your bathing suit after discovering that you can float like a cork in the saltwater pool.
Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson
Synopsis: When Frances’s birth mother contacts her asking to “finish it,” Frances must come to terms with the terrible crime that caused their separation, and learn how to forge her own path in life. Review: I devoured Breathe My Name, which will be published in early November 2007 by Razorbill. Not only is it an outstanding coming-of-age tale, Breathe My Name has a gorgeous, poignant love story that really drew me in. This is one I’m happy to give some advance praise to!