JOURNEY TO THE UNDER GROUND WORLD - Lin Carter

 Journey To The Underground World

Journey to the under ground world

- Lin Carter -

What a pulpy looking book. A gem I found at the local thrift store, which they valued at 50 cents. After reading the book I think it's fair to say that they undervalued it. On top of the story (litearally) is the cover and illustrations, which were done by the infamous Josh Kirby (Pratchett fans out there will be familiar with his work).

The story was much better than you would expect from a cover like this. It did remind me, heavily, of that other famous journey to the centre of the earth. However, Carter's take on a world underground was that of an isolated place that had not evolve for thousands of years. Cavemen and dinosaurs still roamed the place.

The main characters become entangled in a raid between a tribe of Neanderthals and slightly more evolved cave-men? After a lot of Indiana Jones style adventures, the group finally come together...but they don't quite escape. The book leaves us on a cliffhanger, and encourages us to stay tuned for the next adventure.

Good luck finding that next adventure book.

Creativity - A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese

 Creativity, A Short and Cheerful Guide

Creativity by John Cleese

- John Cleese - 

John Cleese is one creative fellow. A member of the hilarious (and creative) Monty Python gang, along with other movies, books, etc, Cleese is an expert at being creative, and he shares his secrets with us in this tiny book.

Little known fact is that Cleese was not a natural born 'creative'. If fact, he was on the path to become a lawyer (as we all know they are not creative at all, they just follow fact and rules). But, a chance meeting with an improv type group at his college saved us from another lawyer. 

Through this experience putting together some low grade sketch comedy in his dormitory, Cleese learned how to be creative, it was a skill he perfected over time. There is not a lot to it actually, which is why his book is so short. It really could have been a magazine article, or an essay, but Cleese needed the money so he marketed it as a stocking stuffer. 

There are not any new/brilliant ideas in his creative process. Pretty much he just says, let your brain do the work. The unconscious brain of course. For eg, start your creative project, be it a joke, a play, a book, a song, a new process at your work...then leave it. Sleep on it. Go for a walk. Do something else and let your brain work on it in the background. Usually if you give it enough time your mind will come up with a solution, a funny punch line, a great metaphor...whatever it is you need. YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT. 

Next, you need to do the work. You need to put pen on paper and actually start writing down your joke, book, song, etc. It's all fine and dandy to think about it, but you will not get anywhere unless you do the work and practice.

You also need to let yourself be creative. Give yourself permission to let strange, maybe even uncomfortable ideas mingle in your mind. This is how your mind makes those brilliant connections. This usually means setting up a time where you literally do nothing but think. Remove distractions, and giver your brain time to work. Again YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT.

Even though the book was short, not humorous (which I thought it might be because of Cleese), and did not have any new groundbreaking techniques, I still enjoyed it very much. It was a great motivator to keep being creative. A reminder that anyone can be creative. And a confirmation that if you have been putting in the work and letting your mind wander and being patient with the old grey cells, that things will turn out alright.

Thanks John for the mini-book...sorry I didn't get it as a stocking stuffer. I actually borrowed it from my local library.

THE EYES OF THE DRAGON - Stephen King

 The Eyes Of The Dragon

- Stephen King -

I've been on a big of a King kick lately. The last year I've read four or five King/Bachman books...and other than that Colorado Kid mystery I liked them all. I even sent him a letter. Like, an actual pen on paper letter. Sent it international mail too - since I live in Canada.

The Eyes of the Dragon is a bit different from the 'horror' I've been reading. It's fantasy. Which is another genre I love. But, what I really enjoyed about this book was the pace. I'll give you a rough timeline to explain what I mean.
I read the first 90% of the book over a few days - at a regular speed.
The last 10% I found myself speed reading and couldn't put the book down until almost 2 am last night.
The final bit of the book is so fast! Chapters get smaller and smaller, down to half a page or sometimes just a paragraph. You are left on a cliffhanger, or with a vital piece of info that you need to continue the plot, solve the mystery, reveal the truth. It's an unbelievably fast ride.

Bring on the next Stephen King book. 

THE TOMBS OF ATUAN - Ursula Le Guin

 The Tombs of Atuan (book 2 in the Earthsea series)

The Tombs Of Atuan

- Ursula Le Guin - 

I just read The Wizard of Earthsea and quickly moved onto the second book in the series - The Tombs of Atuan. I really liked The Wizard of Earthsea, and this second installment in the series is just as good.

We are taken back to the world of Earthsea, but instead of travelling around the islands we are concentrated on one remote and isolated place. We follow the life of a priestess who is taken from her parents at an early age to be trained and molded for the life as the high priestess of the island of Atuan. Atuan is the home base of a highly religious culture, and this priestess (Tenar) is given the task of keeping the darkness (the no-named things) at bay. 

Tenar is the only one allowed to explore the dark tunnels of the Tomb of Atuan, and her exploring and discovery of the expansive labryinth and all its secrets is fun to read about. Then one day she discovers a Wizard has broken into the secret tunnels and is searching for the lost treasures buried deep in the tombs. She struggles with the idea of killing him, or joining forces with him and escaping her life. I won't spoil the ending for you.

Another great world building book, written in the wonderful flowing prose that Le Guin is known for.

Can't wait to find the next book in the series.

A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA - Ursula Le Guin

 A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA

A Wizard of Earthsea

- Ursula Le Guin - 

This is one of those great fantasy tales I've been hearing about for years; one of those 'must reads'. After reading it, I'll agree, it does deserve to be on a list of great fantasy books.

It's funny that the book has held up so long because the story seems very cliche now - a young boy with natural magical abilities learns to become a full fledged Wizard. But, at the time it was published (late 60s), it was a trailbreaker. At the time Wizards were old men like Gandalf with white beards and pointy hats, they were not young boys. As well, most fantasy stories involved epic battles with evil beasts. This story does have a skirmish here and there, but it is more of a battle within the Wizard himself, and there is no big militaristic climax where they charge the lair of all that is evil.

The actual story was more about discovery and exploring, both the world of Earthsea (which is an interesting world of islands and cultures) and the Wizard's place in the world. 

The writing was fantastic. I was thirty pages into the book before I realized how fluid the reading seemed. I finally noticed that Le Guin's style was completely against the grain of what is recommended to today's writers (keep the sentences short, the simpler the better). Le Guin's sentences would go on for half a page. Often an entire paragraph was one sentence. The amazing thing is that it didn't feel verbose, or overdone. No. The sentences stuck to one topic, threw in a detail or two, and added a smooth transition to the next idea. It was really something. Literature, I think they call it.

All I can say is that I read the entire book in two days because I couldn't put it down. The mix of world building, story, and the amazing writing made this a five star book.

Now onto the next book in the series - The Tombs of Atuan (which I picked up second hand recently -- the 1982 publishing of it).

The Tombs of Atuan

MAX LUCK - Craig Anderson

 MAX LUCK

- Craig Anderson - 

I just took another roller coaster ride through Craig Anderson's latest book. Similar to Level Up, we are thrown into a virtual RPG world, where jargon like HP and EXP pop up like clover in the spring. On that well thrown in plant reference, we follow the adventure of a little leprechaun named Max. By luck, he is pulled into a skirmish with a disrespectful teenaged boy, who just happens to be the son of the game's biggest gangster. So, the little dust up quickly escalates into a much bigger fight. As we move through the story the problems escalate, and soon start to threaten lives outside of the game.

What I really loved about this book was constant thrill - there is always someone chasing the leprechaun, there are a lot of time sensitive situations, and the stakes keep getting bigger and bigger - this is what kept me keep turning pages. The inventiveness of Anderson keeps it fresh and fun; discovering new weapons or artifacts (like crafting fire bullets or smoking a invisibility pipe), that I kept looking forward to what new weapon would save Max when he found himself in another impossible situation.

Anderson's writing reminds me of Tom Holt - it's funny but has a serious side, especially when it comes to plot and plot twists. The characters are a great mix of light and funny, but again have a serious side with a lot of depth. 

I actually wrote down a quote that I really enjoyed (and it embodies the character exactly): "Plan A had failed, and Plan B had failed too, but Arthur liked to plan his way through the Alphabet."

Max Luck is on Kindle Unlimited if you are interested - click here.

REREADING BOOKS - DO YOU DO IT?

IS REREADING BOOKS A WASTE OF TIME?

rereading books is a waste of time

You only go around this world once, so you might want to make the most of it. For me, as a massive book nerd, one way I measure life is by how many books I've read. With only a short amount of time on this earth I want to read as many books as I can. With so many books out there, is it a waste of time to re-read a book?

A lot of people say "yes, it's a waste of time! You've already read that book! You know what is going to happen. Voldemort is defeated by Harry Potter for the umpteenth time! Re-reading a book is not going to change that."

Which book? The hardest question in life.

While somewhat logical - what's the point of reading a story if you already know how it ends - it seems to me that reading is somewhat illogical. Rereading a book is amazing!

It shouldn't make sense, but we humans do not always make sense (like the sentence structure of this sentence).

Reading a book is different every single time. You might linger and absorb more of the details in your second lap. It may have been a decade since you last read the book, and you have that much more life experience behind you. You may be in a different mood, or have a slightly different outlook on life. There are so many variables that shift and change a person, that each re-read is a different experience.

I just reread Another Fine Myth. A book I've reread half a dozen times. And, as I've stated above, every single time is completely different.

Another Fine Myth - Robert Asprin

I remember the first time I read this book, I was in grade seven. I picked up the book because my Dad was reading the series. He said it was funny and made it sound amazing when he told me they travelled through different dimensions. I was still a sci-fi / fantasy newbie, so the idea of dimensions was a big deal and a big idea that I found fascinating. I still remember reading the book at school, during our reading time right after lunch. I didn't really find it all that funny, but I could tell it was supposed to be, but the jokes flew over my head. What I did love was the idea of travelling to different dimensions.

As I aged and reread the book years later in my teens, I finally got the jokes. By this time the idea of different dimensions was old news, and bigger ideas of race, class, and stereotypes related to these dimensions threw some depth on this part of the story, giving me something different to think about.

Last month, thirty years later, I reread the book and again had a completely different experience. I had just come off reading a few hard sci-fi books full of science and serious topics. Reading a light, pun filled, wacky adventure was like a breath of fresh air, refilling my desire to spend time flipping through pages. 

Rereading books a waste of time?

I'd say no, and I'm pretty certain most readers would agree. But then again, there are so many books in this world and so little time.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I personally measure the success of life by how many books I've read. Which is what inspired me to design a Reading Journal to keep track of my reads. 

Click on Picture to buy from Amazon

There are pages to track the books you've read and what you thought about them.

Book tracking page

I also added some fun pages to write down things like your reading habits, fav books, etc. Now that would be fun to re-read in a decade...like I said we change over time.

All about you - reading habits, fav books, etc

Also for the artistic readers (*puts hand up*), there are some pages for drawing.

Fill in bookshelf

I strongly encourage you to purchase one for yourself, or consider it as a gift for the big readers in your life, or your book club members, or your mother-in-law, or your child's bus driver. It would be great for anyone...and I wouldn't mind the $1.45 royalty either.

It is available on Amazon right now - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2TW69CG

SYCAMORE ROW - JOHN GRISHAM

SYCAMORE ROW

John Grisham - Sycamore Row

- John Grisham -

Just finished this massive 500 page tome, and loved every page of it. We are back to the meat and potatoes of Grisham, his legal thriller.

This installment has a wealthy man committing suicide and leaving a last minute hand written will...in which he leaves his millions to the black maid. In the small, racist, Mississippi town this does not go over well. Grisham takes us through the ins and outs of the legal topic of the last will and testament. Does a hand written will trump an expensive lawyer written will? This scenario is the main legal battle of the book. However, Grisham adds way more layers into the story; a long lost brother, a racist town, a drunken husband, greedy children, twists and turns galore...what seems like a solid easily winnable case is thrown for a loop by some shady lawyers and misinterpretations. Grisham keeps you guessing right to the end. Which is why I love his books. You are pretty sure it is all going to work out in the end, but you can't be certain. 

Fantasy Drawing Prompts

Drawing Ideas For Fantasy Fans

Fantasy Drawing Ideas

Wizards, Dragons, Magic Swords...if those are the things that light your match, sail your boat, or tickle your fancy, then I have a book for you. Being a bit of a fantasy nerd myself (yes, I've spent 1/3 of my waking life reading everything from George RR Martins Game of Thrones to Harry Potter for the fifth time), I get happy thinking about dwarfs and hobbits. Combine that with my habit of doodling and sketching when I'm bored...you've got hours of fun and entertainment. I designed a book exactly for this kind of person - hopefully that is you! Can't have too many of these kind of people in the world, am I right?

I've designed a book with 50 drawing ideas with a fantasy twist to them. Wizards, Dragons, and Magic Swords are all included, plus many many many many more.

Wizard casting a spell

If this looks like something for you, or you know a fantasy freak who would love this then please check it out - it is on Amazon right now.

Click on the cover below:

...or a direct link:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B2V2D16L

HAPPY DRAWING

Text to Speech as an editing aid

Hearing the words out loud helps in the editing process

I've found an awesome way to edit my writing. Listen to it! Not only is it amazing to hear, actually hear out loud, the words you've written (boy, is that really something I've written! It sound legit), but when you listen to the words you catch small grammatical errors. Something will just sound off and it's easier to catch with the ear than the eye. Also if you have a small typo, forget to pluralize something or you double type a word, you hear it quickly. 

You can use the READ ALOUD button if you are working in Microsoft word (It is under the REVIEW tabs). It works good, it's handy, and I personally use it way too much!

Read Aloud option in Microsoft Word

You can also use a Text to Speech website. There are a bunch out there. They will typically allow you to paste a little text and then allow you to hear it...the best part is that you usually have the options of different accents. I love a good British accent. Here is some of my writing, read by a Britain!