Top Ten Tuesday Rewind!

To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see a list of future topics click here! This week is a Rewind so Kimberly and I decided to just do a Freebie and talk about dead authors and characters we wish had Twitter accounts!

Which authors/characters would you love to have a Twitter account?

Lori says:

1.  Dorothy Parker--I think she would totally rock Twitter with all of her fabulous one-liners and quippy remarks.  Parker embodied the phrase "brevity is the soul of wit."  She knew how to turn a phrase.  She had an interesting outlook on life and I think would have been very interesting to follow...kind of in the gallows humor kind of way.

2.  Ernest Hemingway--His wry observations on life and a record of his travels to bullfights and safaris in Africa would be super interesting to read.  I could totally see him saying something abrasive and controversial and getting embroiled in a major storm.  And it would be great.

3.  Hunter S. Thompson--His tweets would probably be a bit convoluted on account of the drugs, but I think that they would be very interesting.  Especially when I think about live-tweeting Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  He was a great commentator on events in America during a time of great social change and I think that seeing his unedited opinions on things would have made for some great reading.

4.  Holly Golightly--I don't know that she'd be the best at Twitter--I could see her updating every now and then--but I think her tweets would be interesting.  I think that Holly lived a difficult, but interesting life with all of those parties and adventures.  I admire her ability and willingness to just pick up and leave whenever the room got a little hostile.

5.  Oscar Wilde--I haven't read much by Wilde, but he's another one who made these great, wry comments about life and people, so I think he would be worth following.  I think he would have a lot to say about culture, art, and food--which would make him rather versatile.

Kimberly says:

  

1. C.S. Lewis- I'm watching the second Chronicles of Narnia as I type this... I love his little bits of inspiration that are sprinkled throughout his novels, I feel like seeing tweets from him in my twitter feed would make me smile on a daily basis.

2. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles)- Cress is hilarious. And spastic. I want to see what she'd tweet. I think I'd spend most my time laughing. 

3. Hazel Grace (The Fault in Our Stars)- Well, from what I've heard and kinda seen, she's Tumblr in the form of a girl. So imagine what her twitter account would look like? I think it would be a mix of humor, and wry observations of life. (Probably something similar to John Green's twitter)

4. A (every day)- Just imagine the insight we'd have to A's life! And the diverse type of tweets we'd see! Actually, I think I heard a rumor that there was a twitter account for A... I should check on that. 

5. J. R. R. Tolkien- Now, he might have had a difficult time sticking to the character limit, but I feel like seeing tweets from him would have made my day.

Lori Reviews Pain Parties, Work

Title: Pain, Parties, Work:  Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953

Author:  Elizabeth Winder

Published:  HarperCollins, 2013

Where I Got It:  I received this book from the publishers.

I really like Sylvia Plath.  I love her poetry--it's so honest and real.  Even more than that, I love reading her journals.  In her journals, she sounds like any other young college girl.  Her concerns are/were my concerns--boys, school, clothes, and her appearance.  Yet, you most often hear about Sylvia Plath the depressed artist.  While she was this, she also had bouts of normalcy that masked the pain.

That's what Elizabeth Winder seeks to explore in her study of the month that Plath was a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine in New York.  Winder walks the reader through the entire process, day-by-day--what Sylvia did and saw each day of the experience.  Plath went into the month extremely excited to become a posh New Yorker.  She spent a good amount of her money on buying just the right clothes.  These clothes would be sophisticated without trying too hard to make her fit in.  She was ready and excited to see the culture of the city.  Yet this summer wound up being the summer Sylvia wrote so truthfully about in The Bell Jar.

Winder uses excerpts from Plath's letters and journal, as well as interviews from her fellow editors.  All of these portray Plath as a young woman who believed that females could be both smart and beautiful.  She was determined to be both.  She was not the pained artist who cared nothing about appearance.  She cared very much about the things that most 20 year old young women care about.  Still, she was quite disappointed and disillusioned by the experience of being a guest editor.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I think that the author did a fantastic job of pulling together various sources to write a detailed description of Sylvia's month in New York.  I really like the organization of the narrative--Winder covers the first week before covering Plath's life before the guest editor position, the carries through to the aftermath of the month in New York.  She uses a lot of quotations from Sylvia's fellow editors, most of whom could not imagine that Sylvia's life would turn out as it did.  Why?  Because she seemed so much like them.  I like the extra features that Winder includes in the book, such as the text boxes that cover in more detail an aspect of Plath's life, such as talking about Plath's love of paper dolls as evidence of her love of fashion, or the chapter entitled "A Dictionary of Adolescence," which defines some important parts of Sylvia's life.

All in all, I think that this is a great book for anyone who is interested in learning more about Sylvia Plath or for anyone who really enjoys The Bell Jar.

Julia's Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

Julia's Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

A little over a year ago, I wrote my Top Auto-Buy Romance Authors, so I will try not to repeat with this top ten, though all of the other authors still apply!

1. Courtney Milan - She is one of my favorite new to me romance authors. Her books are always so creative and well researched, and even when I may not completely love them, I still love them (if that makes any sense).
   Books I loved: A Kiss for Midwinter, The Duchess War, The Governess Affair
2. Beth Revis - It is no secret that I loved the Across the Universe series. I can't wait to see what world Revis builds for us next.
   Books I loved: Across the Universe, A Million Suns, Shades of Earth
3. Kristen Callihan - I feel like all I do on this blog is gush about how much I love Kristen Callihan and her Darkest London series. It is just so inventive and emersive!
   Books I loved: Firelight, Moonglow, Winterblaze
4. George R.R. Martin - Anyone who has read any of A Song of Ice and Fire I would ascertain has Martin as an auto-buy. How can you not when the books come out years apart
   Books I loved: Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords
5. Marissa Meyer - I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on Scarlet, the next in her steampunk-dystopian Fairy Tales series. It should be in my hands soon.
   Books I loved: Cinder
6. Jennifer Ashley - I had heard of Ashley's books through a romance novel March madness tourney. I know sounds amazing right? And all the hype was worth it. Her Mackenzie's series is pretty great.
   Books I loved: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Lady Isabella's Scandelous Marriage
7. Meljean Brook - A great steampunk and sexy world. That is what she created. The second and third in her Iron Seas series have been on my to buy list for a while. So I guess its auto-buy... but I haven't bought them quite yet.
   Books I loved:The Iron Duke
8. Eloisa James - Ever seen I was enraptured by one of her covers at the bookstore, I have not been able to resist her books. I eagerly gobble up every new installment. Books I loved: The Taming of Duke, When Beauty Tamed the Beast, Paris in Love 
9. Elizabeth Hoyt -  My favorite series romance lies with Ms. Hoyt. Her characters jump off the page and suck me in. I can't resist a new one by her!
   Books I loved: Scandalous Desires, To Taste Temptation, Thief of Shadows 
10. Julia Quinn - Finally Ms. Quinn. Ever since I read her Bridgerton books in high school, I have been hooked on her humor. Every new one by her is read almost immediately.
    Books I loved: On the Way to the Wedding, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, What Happens in London  

I just couldn't help it toward the end there... I just had to include them. So who are your auto-buy authors? Who are we missing out on here! 

Launch Party for "Reached" and the fun that Kimberly had there.

My experience at the launch party for Ally Condie's "Reached"

So a couple weeks ago I told you all about getting to go to the launch party for Ally Condie's Reached, that was a week ago today. I've been to multiple author events, but never a launch party. The King's English Bookstore hosted the event, and they did a fantastic job. They even organized a blogger's conference before the party where me and a few other bloggers got to sit and chat will Ally. It was me, Jessica from Cracking the Cover, Jessica from Books: A True Story, Jenni from Jenni Elyse, and Suey from It's All About Books.We loved talking to Ally who is an absolute delight. She is kind, and witty and a blast to chat with. I was madly scribbling notes the whole time, most of which are illegible. I   was able to decipher some of my horrendous handwriting, thankfully. Here is a brief account of our discussion. These are not all word for word. I can only write so fast. (Sorry)

Question: Was it hard for you to choose between Xander and Ky?

Ally: I didn't really even know who it was going to be. It wasn't until about a third of the way into Reached that I knew who it was going to be.

Question: How do you feel now that it is over?

Ally: It doesn't really feel done yet. I want to hang onto it, savor it for a while.

Question: The first book had a theme of poetry, the second was art... What's the third?

Ally: Music. I hope so at least! That's what I intended!

We talked about several other things, but you don't really want to read the whole thing, do you? Plus, I kinda got distracted by the conversation and forgotten about taking notes. 

We asked her what she was currently reading and she told us she had just finished Michael Phelps' autobiography. She told us she had really enjoyed it, admired and was astonished at the amount of dedication it takes.

She also mentioned one of the highlights of Reached being released was that John Green had read Reached and really enjoyed it, AND tweeted about it!

After that we went to into the main room with everyone else, Ally had drawn in quite the crowd. (Which only made me feel even more spoiled that I'd been lucky enough to go to the bloggers conference.)

(Ally and the life sized version of REACHED)

Ally revealed a few other tidbits during the main event. One audience member asked about the movie. If you didn't already know, the rights to the Matched Trilogy has been purchased by Disney! She told us that she didn't have any input on who would play who but did say that if she had a choice Nathan Fillion would be in there somewhere.

Someone else asked who she liked best, Xander or Ky? She explained that she couldn't possibly pick a favorite because she had taken all of her favorite traits about her husband and given half to Xander and half to

When asked who her favorite character to write about she said that Indie was a surprising favorite.

She was asked if she typed or hand wrote her stories and she said that mostly it was typing, but if she ever gets stuck she pulls out a paper and starts writing it out by hand, once she gets back on a roll she switches back to the computer.

One of the last questions she was asked was what did she consider her greatest accomplishment? (Being published didn't count.) She replied that it was having a family, to her that is the greatest thing she's done.

I had a blast, it was exciting to be there, meet Ally and some more bookish friends. I'm not really sure how to wrap this post up, so here is a picture of me in the bubble of the cover of Reached.  

Kelly's Top Ten Favorite Authors in X Genre

Future TTTs can be found here

Top 10 Favorite Authors In X Genre

This week's Top Ten Tuesday lets you choose your favorite authors in a specific genre, be it sci-fi, romance, nonfiction....anything that strikes your fancy! This should be VERY easy! I have divided my ten picks between my two favorite genres: historical fiction and fantasy. I realize that these two practically opposite genres, but I love reading about worlds I will never know. Also, they have some of the prettiest covers!

Historical fiction:

1. Margaret George - she's written some mammoth books about some excellent historical figures such as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, and Helen of Troy. Even if you are not into historical fiction, she's highly recommended (if you can handle the 10 pound books!). 
2. Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt - Jean Plaidy (also known by a dozen other names) has written literally hundreds of historical fiction books and they are all amazing. Her book about Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard are what really got me into the genre a few years ago.
3. Susan Holloway Scott - her books are mainly set in 17th century England, but her style is very personal and, well, romantic. She brings the good out in sometimes unsullied historical figures. I am also slightly biased because my first ever signed book came from her!
4. Alison Weir - one of the BEST writers in the HF genre. She is the author of a book that is probably in my top 5 all-time favorites, Innocent Traitor. Best of all, she is very factually accurate.
5. Anya Seton - my favorite part of Anya Seton's work is the interesting and untypical worlds she chooses to place her stories, whether it be 10th century Greenland with Leif Erickson or 17th century Massachusetts with the Winthrops.

Fantasy

1. JRR Tolkien - aka the KING of fantasy, undisputed.
2. JK Rowling - DUH. This is a given, isn't it?
3. Cassandra Clare - my favorite part of her books are how wonderfully she brings to life a myriad of mythical creatures. It was her books that really made me appreciate the fantasy genre like I never had before (minus Harry Potter, of course!) 
4. George RR Martin - sometimes you forget that Martin writes fantasy books...his main theme seem to simply be humanity. But then suddenly a dragon or a fire priestess pops up to remind you of the truth again.
5. Maggie Stiefvater - because of her books, I've actually come to like werewolves, which I never had before (except, you guessed it, in Harry Potter. Harry is always the exception. Always).

Paula gets to go see The Unchained Tour

Hey All! So I'm actually pretty behind writing this post. I saw the Unchained Tour last month and I'm only now getting a chance to properly assess just how awesome it was.

I will admit- I had never heard of the Unchained Tour before last month. One evening I was getting ready for bed and my friend texted me something along the lines of "OH MY GOD NEIL GAIMAN IS GOING TO BE IN _(city close to me)_ NEXT WEEK!" and I replied with something along the lines of "ARE YOU #)49#*0293 KIDDING ME" So I quickly researched what it was all about and discovered something awesome. The Unchained Tour is promoting getting back to story telling roots, keeping close to small communities, and remembering to enjoy the moment you are in.

It went a little something like this. There were 5 or 6 "raconteurs" during the evening who got up on stage and shared a story about themselves. Some were heartbreaking, some were funny, most were both. The tickets were sold by local bookstores, the posters were made by local printshops, and it was held in a small theater (there was seriously no such thing as a bad seat there). They also kindly asked that no pictures or recordings were taken. Not for any official reasons like "no recording can be sold!" but more the idea being that we all need take a moment to put away our phones. We need to stop "being connected" and start actually connecting with those right next to us.

Anywayyyy- The show was amazing all throughout. It reminded me a lot of going to see a live performance of This American Life. The first half was filled with multiple stories and music and audience participation. Then after an intermission, the lead raconteur introduced Neil Gaiman. I rather enjoyed his introduction too... it went a little something like "So you all know who is up next, and I just need you all to calm down for a second. He is no cooler than you guys. Yes he's done some stuff. BUT GUESS WHAT SO HAVE YOU." Which I really enjoyed both for the understatement of it all, and that it reminded the whole audience that everyone there was pretty awesome. And honestly, I wasn't really able to calm down - there were definitely tears of joy on my face when he walked out on stage.... Ooops.

Neil told the story of how he knew he wanted to be a writer. It was a long story that involved him telling a dirty joke when he was in elementary school when he didn't understand the full meaning behind it. It lead to him almost getting expelled and his mother crying. And the story ended in him shouting the effbomb in the auditorium repeatedly. The moral of the story being he knew he wanted to be a writer once he had discovered the power that words had over others. It was wonderful (which is an understatement).

Because it wasn't a reading in the traditional sense he didn't come out and sign books, because it wasn't all about him that evening. But honestly, it didn't matter to me- I think a book signing would have defeated the purpose of The Unchained Tour because it really was all about connecting as individuals rather than fangirling over a famous writer. All in all it was a perfect evening. If you all ever have a chance to see it (or anything similar to it) I highly recommend going.

Hope all is well!

Natanya's Giddy Account of Meeting Margaret Atwood

As you may know, I adore Margaret Atwood. At the beginning of the semester, when I learned she would be coming to my university, I nearly jumped with glee. I told everyone I know. They didn’t really care (I’m friends with too many pre-med people), but whatever. What’s more, I learned through the grapevine (aka the English Club list-serv) that I could sign up for a Q&A the morning after the talk! Basically, I was in heaven.

[Note: I didn’t take notes at the reading—though I did during the Q&A—because I didn’t want to miss anything, so that is why my discussion of her reading isn’t going to have very much detail. For slightly more detail, check out this article (which reflects my sentiments exactly) from the Cornell Sun about her reading.]

I waited and waited, and finally March 30th rolled around. I got to the auditorium nice and early, snagging myself a seat in the third row (nice and close, but not so close I have to crane my neck). Atwood was introduced by J. Robert Lennon, an author and Creative Writing professor here who wrote a fantastic article last fall about Atwood for The Walrus. And then…Atwood came out onto the stage. I literally held my breath. I was in complete disbelief that she was actually standing there, just a few yards from where I was sitting. I thought I was going to pass out. But I didn’t. And then she started talking, and started reading. She read a few absolutely hysterical stories from The Tent (including one depicting her cat’s discussion with God, and another called “Three Novels I Won’t Be Writing Soon,” such as “Worm Zero,” in which all of the worms in the world die), a couple non-humorous but still amazing poems, and an excerpt from The Year of the Flood. She then took a few questions, which she answered wittily and thoroughly, going so far as to ask one girl what more she would like to know.

Basically, I left Atwood’s talk thinking that if it was even possible for me to adore her even more, I now did.


The following morning, I woke up bright and early for a student Q&A, and this time, I was literally 3 feet away from her. It took a lot of self-restraint to keep myself from jumping up and hugging her.

I did take notes during the Q&A, so here are some of the questions and her (paraphrased, sorry) responses. Sorry these are kind of random/disorganized. She covered a lot in her responses, and I thought you guys might want to read some of them.

• Someone asked her what her favorite part of The Handmaid’s Tale was, but she said that she doesn’t like reading her own work because she knows what will happen. Instead, she discussed the origins of the novel: she wrote it in Poland, Czechoslovakia, where no one could talk about anything anywhere for fear of being overheard, and Alabama, in the hometown of the KKK. She also explained that if she wrote the novel now, it would be much different because of all of the new technology we have.
  
  
• Why are science fiction covers so embarrassing? The creators of the covers think that you need to be able to classify the book, even though these books often transcend the genre.
  
  
• I asked a question about why there are so many YA dystopian novels being written these days, and she said that it’s because kids are concerned about the future. In the 19th century, there were tons of utopian novels because they allowed people to disappear into a better world, but now we read these dystopias because we like seeing that, as bad as our lives are, “at least we’re not in The Road.”
  
  
• Writing tips:
  - Write every day, no matter how bad it is – there aren’t any shortcuts
  - If you’re stuck when writing, change the voice (1st to 3rd, etc). She explained that Alias Grace began in 3rd person, but then she started over in a different voice because she realized that the narrator knew too much.
  - Take into consideration the relationship between the speaker and their audience. For example, Jimmy in Oryx & Crake doesn’t keep a journal because there isn’t anyone to read it!
  - The stumbling block to dystopia is that the writer can try to explain too much, and then we get bogged down.
  

And the best part of the Q&A? At the end, I went up to her to get my book signed (The Blind Assassin, which I happen to be reading right now so I have it with me at school), and I mentioned that I write for The Broke & the Bookish and that I had written a piece about her last fall, and she seemed to remember it! Yay!

Sorry if this post was long and rambly. Seeing Margaret Atwood was one of those things I thought would never actually happen, and, honestly, I think I’m still kind of in denial that I really did meet her!

Kelly's Review of "Jane Austen: A Life Revealed"

Title: Jane Austen: A Life Revealed

Author: Catherine Reef

Published: Clarion Books, April 2011

Where I Got It: netgalley.com

Jane Austen may be the author of easily one of the most popular novels of all time, but how much to her readers actually know about her? In my case, not much. Sure, I knew a few things about her, such as that fact that she never married, and....well, that's it.

After finishing Jane Austen, this is in no way true anymore. Catherine Reef's book, while favoring a younger audience, is extremely well written, interesting, and very  informative. The book covers Jane's entire life and almost every aspect of it: her upbringing, schooling, parents, siblings, young love, sickness, and of course, her writing. All of her novels are summarized rather extensively; I initially thought this was an unnecessary part to the story, but the author lets the summarizations connect to Jane's life and the modern movie adaptions are also visited.

Now we all know that every single one of her six novels focus on young women whose economic and social future depends on the fortune they marry into. While this simple plot may sound trivial and petty to us, this was probably the number one worry of females in this era. Historically, women typically did not inherit anything from their parents, except maybe a small sum of money, so they had to look to potential husbands to assure their futures. The richer the man, the better. If women could not find a husband, they were written off as spinsters and became financial burdens to the family members that had to support them for the rest of their lives. Jane Austen experienced these troubles firsthand; though she received several offers of marriage in her youth, she never married and was passed around from her parents and brothers until her death. The fact that she was still able to inject so much humor and wit into her stories puts her miles above what the typical 'spinster' would have done. She obviously loved her family very much, particularly her fellow unmarried sister Cassandra.

Faults? I can only think of one: the pictures included don't really have anything to do with the page they are placed on. You may be reading a section about Jane's writing, and here's a picture of her brother talking about his political career. Sometimes the pictures even served as minor 'spoilers,' alluding to things that hadn't been mentioned yet in the text. Maybe this is only because I was reading an early version of the book, hopefully this is cleared up during publication!

I'd give Jane Austen somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars. Like I said before, it was an extremely interesting read and I learned a lot...so much so that I was able to use some of this knowledge in a paper I wrote for my Theories of Literature class. Recommended if you like biographies, history, and obviously, the wonderful works of Jane Austen.

Jen Interviews Beth Revis

Back in November I conducted a short, fun interview with debut author, Beth Revis.  Her book, Across The Universe, is being released tomorrow, January 11^th in the US.  I am so excited and can’t wait to read this book!  The first chapter was posted online a while back (go here to read it) and I made the mistake of reading it.  By mistake I mean I should have waited to read it!  I’ve been so curious to see what happens and how the story plays out!  My copy from Amazon better be on my doorstep when I get home from work tomorrow!

This is the first author interview I've ever done so I was a tad nervous.  I tried to come up with questions that were a little different.



Describe Across the Universe in five words or less.

Murder mystery in space. :)

What was the most challenging aspect of writing this novel?

Doing it justice. I had this grand idea, but I worried incessantly that my writing wouldn't do the characters proud, or I wouldn't tell the story adequately enough.

The cover is gorgeous! Did you have any input regarding it?
I did get to have input...but thankfully they came up with a much better design than I'd envisioned!
[Go here to see how amazing the cover actually is...the book jacket is reversible!]

What's a typical day like for you?
Wake up much later than I meant to, lounge around much longer than I'd intended to, get to work much later than I should, then write furiously in a panic.

What was your college experience like?
I ADORED college. I went to NCSU for first my Bachelor of Arts, then my Master's. I did everything I wanted to--drank beer, drank coffee, ate ramen, studied abroad. Wouldn't trade those times for the world.

What's one of your favorite books?
My absolute favorite series of books is the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. Those books taught me that books could be more than stories.


What's your favorite star constellation?
Orion, of course! :)


If you could travel across the universe would you go?
YES...if I could bring with me the people I love. I'm much more tied to people than things.


Beth, thanks so much for stopping by the blog!  We wish you the best of luck as you embark on your new adventure!  Be sure to visit Beth's website, check out her blog, read her tweets, and check out her book!

One last thing!  The book trailer:

Student of the Month: Kody Keplinger

Student of the Month is a monthly feature here at The Broke and the Bookish in which fellow college students will be in the spotlight with an interview or a guest post about being bookish college students. This month we are talking with Kody Keplinger--author of the YA novel, The DUFF, and full time college student! I know how stressful being a college student is and I just HAD to know how she does both. Welcome to the blog, Kody!

Student at Ithaca College
Major: Writing
Year: Sophomore

What inspired you to be a writer? Do you have any authors that have particularly inspired you? I have always loved to write, but I think it was JK Rowling and the Harry Potter books that really made me realize how powerful and amazing a good book could be.  That made me want to write, too.

What does a typical day look like for you as a college student?

Lets see . . . something like this:

1. Roll out of bed half an hour later than planned.
2. Go to class.
3. Do homework.
4. More class.
5. More homework
6. Eat at some point.
7. Write as much as I can before I fall asleep

It's not very glamorous, honestly. 

Knowing what the hectic schedule of a college student is like, what is your writing process like?  I write best late at night.  Which can be a pain when I start falling asleep over my computer - haha.

How has majoring in Writing been most helpful to you as an author? It's been a great way to learn how to write in other genres.  I'm learning how to write in more adult genres. It's good to have those options open.

As a full time student and writer, how do you balance schoolwork, writing and your free time? Truth? I don't.  I can't keep up with all of it all the time.  Sometimes my writing is put on the back burner. Sometimes it's my social life. Sometimes its my sleep.  I haven't mastered the juggling act yet.  Its tough.  But it's worth it.


Favorite class you've taken in college so far? Why? Girlhoods in Literature - we read children's and YA books from 1800s until today, all featuring female heroines.  It had the best reading list of any class I've ever taken.

That sounds like an incredible class! How do your professors and fellow classmates respond to the fact that you are a published author?  Not all of them know. The ones that do are happy for me and cool.  But I don't necessarily walk around telling everyone I meet. I am treated like any other dopey sophomore! Haha.

What genres/authors do you like to read? I like to read mostly young adult books. Too many authors come to mind to name them all, but if it's in the Teen Section of the bookstore, chances are I'll read it.

Do you have any advice for other college students who are aspiring writers? Take chances.  Seriously, don't miss out on opportunities now.  You'll regret it later.

One piece of advice for college freshman? Take classes in all the subjects you MIGHT be interested in.  Pick a major a little later.  Trust me, it's so helpful to do it that way. You'll be happier for it.

Favorite college experience so far? My friend Rachel's birthday last year.  We threw a party in a tiny dorm room and danced and sang and had a great time.

Dance parties are my favorite! I'm sure you've had your share of late nights and all-nighters! Give us your survival kit for a successful all-nighter.  Loud music, Mountain Dew, and Starburst.  Best thing EVER at 2:00 am.

Thanks for stopping by the blog, Kody. Good luck with your studies and your writing! I don't know how you do it but I'm thinking back at myself as a dopey sophomore and I know I couldn't have handled it.  Make sure you check out Kody's website, blog and book!

What about you all? Are you an aspiring writer? How do you juggle everything? What does your survival kit for a successful all-nighter look like?

Margaret Atwood: A Snapshot

[For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Margaret Atwood, she is a Canadian author, perhaps most famous for her 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, for which she won the Arthur C. Clarke Award. She has written many other novels, including The Edible Woman, Alias Grace, and The Blind Assassin (for which she received the 2000 Booker Prize), short story collections (one of which, Wilderness Tips, I just read and will be reviewing in a couple weeks), and poetry collections. She is also an environmental activist and is involved in Canadian politics.]

While, like with most book lovers, it is impossible for me to pinpoint my favorite author, Margaret Atwood definitely hovers around that #1 spot. My first introduction to Atwood was my junior year of high school, when I read The Handmaid’s Tale. That book basically blew my mind, and I knew I wanted to read more of her work. Though I unfortunately have not actually gotten to read very many more of her books, I follow her on Twitter, where she is very active, and read her blog posts. One of my favorite things about Atwood is that she is an activist at heart; she stands up for what she believes in, both through her writing and her actions. As an example, a few weeks ago she signed a petition against Fox News expanding into Canada, a signature that was met with a scathing attack from a Canadian newspaper. Instead of hiding from the public or retracting her signature, she upheld her signature and kept her fans updated on everything that was happening and her opinions on it. Despite being very busy flying around the world as part of her book tour for her most recent book, The Year of the Flood (a companion novel to her 2003 Oryx and Crake), she still constantly fights for social justice and the environment, and interacts with those who admire her.

Recently, in fact, Atwood participated in a Goodreads Q&A group, in which fans asked her all sorts of questions about her books (particularly Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and The Handmaid’s Tale), her writing habits, and writing and literature in general. While much of the discussion would provide many spoilers to someone who hasn’t read the novels, I’ve selected some (spoiler-free) questions and answers that I found pinteresting.

Regarding a question about the abundance of food in her writing:

There are two answers –

1) Literary: As a young person, I was disturbed when the characters in books never got anything to eat, or when they were actually starving or going hungry, as in Oliver Twist and Les Miserables. Also I read a lot of animal stories and food is very important in them. So I try to give my characters something to eat when possible.

2) Real life: I was young during the war when there was rationing; people thought a lot about food, what was scarce, etc. And I spent much of my childhood in the northern bush — we had a garden (no shops nearby) and caught fish, etc. So I have always known where food comes from. I have known about wild foods all my life and have prepared and eaten many. (I raised the money to start PEN Canada by writing a book called “The CanLit Food Book,” which juxtaposes fiction bits and poems about food with recipes by authors - some of whom can’t really cook... There’s a recipe for “toast,” for instance.) In the 70s we lived on a farm and had chickens and other animals and a huge vegetable garden, & did a lot of canning, drying, preserving etc.

On reading fiction out loud:

Some things lend themselves better to oral renditions, and some authors are better than others at reading their own work. But it’s unfair to expect everyone to have all ideal qualities. (I don’t for instance at all like the way Yeats read his own poetry, and kind of wish I’d never heard the recording..) I don’t much like my own reading voice when it’s recorded. I think it’s a curiosity, but that the real “reading” takes place when book meets reader...

On her future books:

I am indeed working on a third book [to go along with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood] -- it is tentatively called MaddAddam and will follow the fortunes of that group of people, including Zeb. But at the same time I am working on the Ellman Lectures, Emory in October, which will then be a book: In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination. It will include some of my other writings on SF (Sci Fi, Spec Fic, S & S/Fantasy, Slipstream Fiction...)

And, finally, one fan asked if she had “any good suggestions where to ride out the impending global pandemic,” as that which occurs in Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, a question to which she provided a serious, and helpful, answer:

I think Toby’s [character in YOF] choice of a spa in a park would be good... But any place where you can seal yourself off from actual contact, with an adequate food supply etc. ... As this one sweeps through very quickly, you wouldn’t have to be cut off for years, just some months...

If you’d like to see Atwood’s other responses, including some interesting answers to specific questions about her novels, you can check out the group here.

You can also visit her blog: http://marg09.wordpress.com/

And twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MargaretAtwood