Future Reading List…?

I'm really confused as to why there was a spike in my blog yesterday…totally out of the norm.

Anyhoo.

My roomie is currently describing her novel ideas…and as cheesy as they are, and geared towards a younger audience than I usually would read for, I'd probably read them. (Well, not the sappy romance stuff, but that's always been the case. Overly sappy/cheesy is simply annoying.)

I'm going to stop typing now, so I can pay more attention. I shall keep an eye out for her name in YA novels for future reference…!

Cargon: New Book Soon!

I got an update from Goodreads to day, linking to this article. As you might recall, some time ago, I wrote a post about the first installment in the Cargon series. You might also recall that I loved it, quite a bit. In fact, I think the correct term is I  gushed about it.

In case you didn't click through to the article/post by Kimberly Gould (tsk, tsk, lazy!), here's the sum-up: the new book is basically ready for production! That means, by Holiday Season, Ms. Gould is expecting the book to be finished, or at the very latest, January-ish. (Anyone that reads this and feels the odd compulsion to get me a New Years/Thinking Of You gift [my favourite {only} kinds!], this would be the time to read 'Hint, hint!!')

Now that my shameless not hinting is done, let me tell you what I hope for the new book:

Grey Areas

Yesterday I was told that I should read Fifty Shades of Grey because, and I quote, "She talks to herself the way I imagine you talking to yourself."

I'm not sure that's a good thing. So, please tell me—have you read it? What did you think? Is it a compliment to think like her…?

Yet Again…!

Another late-late night—I am so tired! Tomorrow, I swear. I'll go to bed on time then…!

Ack

I'm definitely up too late tonight…reading a fascinating story. But now…to bed, to bed!

What A Rush!

This weekend has been both hectic and oddly relaxed. Actually, I suppose the hectic started Thursday—I found out I'm eligible for a French exchange this summer, and I desperately want to go. I'd be spending July with a family in France, then someone in that family, my exchange partner, would come back to Canada with me in August. Wow. 

It's fairly expensive, for eight weeks, but wouldn't it be worth it? It's about four thousand dollars, plus spending money…and I'd be taking a sever loss of pay. So really, the financial cost is huuuuuge. Almost, if not more, than next year's tuition.

Speaking of tuition…Friday, I got a letter from my second choice school, saying they've offered me early/conditional acceptance to the program! Then Saturday (…yesterday!) I checked online for my first choice's decision, to see if they'd started processing my application.

Guess what?

Early Acceptance, baby!

Oh sweet mother of toasters. This is fabulous! The only things missing in my application are A) my final transcripts, which will be sent in June; and B) an application/ approval for residence. (At this school, any first-year under twenty-one is required to live in res. Fine with me!)

So wait, what does this mean? It means next year, I don't have to go to my third-choice school and stay out here in Asscrack, Alberta. (My school is is Lower Back, Alberta—slightly less stinky!) And while this means I am unable to go to my true fist choice, U of Stirling, I'm okay with that. I doubt I'd be able to handle the distance right away, anyway. And the price…one hundred thousand for my Undergrad degree. I'll go there for a Master's in a few years.

Now that that's all out of the way…I've been baking! My pudding for Book Club went well, and the author we had visit wants to read my stuff for when she does her Writer in Residence in March. Very exciting. 

As for today, I'm in the middle of baking right now!

The recipe is taking a lot longer to cook than expected, but that's normal for this elevation. I'm making White Chocolate-Orange-Cranberry Blondies. 

YUM.

Well, I suppose I should head off, make sure these goodies are all right. I'm so excited to eat one!

What's your favourite winter baking? Can you make it yourself or does it come from another's kitchen?

Cargon, Honour & Privilege

Last week, my local librarian asked me to read a novel before she catalogued it—not unusual, I've tested books for her before. I've usually found them nothing too special, decent. I've enjoyed them, but I've not been intensely attached.

Maybe it's because I haven't done much book reading lately, or maybe it's the cliffhanger ending, but Kimberly Gould's Cargon, Honour & Privilege literally made me desperate to continue.

I think I scared my sister when, after finishing, I promptly shouted that it couldn't end that way, not there. It simply couldn't. 

But it did, and I then preceded to do a preliminary search for a sequel—not likely, seeing as the novel is copyrighted 2011, and the book is said to be made on October 17 of this year. Despite that, I would eagerly welcome a sequel.

I devoured this book in what used to be my slowest time—about three hours for 202 pages. I'm out of practise (reading online will do that to you, it seems), but for those three hours, I was completely immersed in Cargon. 

I usually don't read YA fiction, which is what I would classify this as, but I can't shout the praises loud enough. Maybe it's the amount of roses (LOVE IT) in the book, but I found the relationships, growth, and evolution utterly absorbing. I'm not one for sappy lovey-dovey stuff (ick), but the romance was so well done, I could actually laugh along with it.

As for the characters…Eve, the main character, was so easily accessible and true, that I found myself in her. (To be honest, I found myself in practically every character!) The people who were originally stiff were so three-dimensional by the end of the book—even halfway through it. The character I originally hated, but had an uncannily accurate prediction about, grew on me in the last ten pages or so. By the end, I wasn't completely disgusted by him—I didn't like him, but I could think of worse fates. 

The game of Cargon…I still don't truly understand it, but I think it would be fascinating learn more about. I would be greatly interested in that….

So, all in all, this was fabulous, I strongly recommend it. (I'll be suggesting it for Book Club 2013!). 

I have another book I'm going to nick from the Library soon and pre-read, too—that one looks a little more mainstream with the current teen novels today (geez, what's with the teen obsession?!), but still intriguing. I'm looking forward to telling y'all about it, too! (It even has a sequel, ready to read. ;) )