Dragonwriter

Wooohoooo my blog has made it to the terrible two's!  I think it is only fitting that on this second anniversary of this rambling blog that I talk about a wonderful book/tribute I just finished called Dragonwriter.  It is a collection of essays/stories/remembrances of the beloved Dragonlady of Pern , Anne McCaffery.

This collection edited by her son Todd McCaffery is a lovely tribute to his late mother who left for sunnier skies in November of 2011.  This book includes pieces by her children, her fellow authors, songwriters, Con gatherers and just people in general who were and are all personally touched by this astounding author.
When it comes to books, I rarely judge the book by its author, but rather its content.  Unless an author does something pretty heinous, as long as I like the books, then I try and ignore some of the less savory aspects of being a human being that authors like any other human may have.  I know for a lot of people separating the author from their work is not always possible (see the Orson Scott Card controversy going on right now) and that is fine, each reader has to choose for him or herself.  For me personally as I realize that very few people are going to hold all the same views as myself, especially when we get into genre hopping, and

creative types everybody is going to have vastly different views, beliefs, and standards.  As long as this does not creep into their books (aka preaching at me, or blatantly advocating something I don't agree with) I can usually overlook it and just enjoy the book.  For me this is the only way I can read anything because being the judgmental person I am, I am pretty sure I could find something to disturb me in just about anyone (as well as myself).
This being said, when I hear of an author being pretty awesome, it does increase my enjoyment of their books.  Reading Dragonwriter and learning about all of the amazing things Ms. McCaffery did for her fellow men, women, animals, and publishers was pretty awesome.  The stories told are by people who actually knew this woman, who had been to her house, conversed with her, corresponded with her, wrote with her, and in some cases even lived with her.  I loved reading about little personal things that crept into her stories, like how she loved music and tried to train as an opera singer until a burr was discovered in her voice...which then got written into her book Crystal Singer which just makes that book even more awesome then it already is.  The stories of her sense of humor, her temper, her designation as "Universal Mum", her impulse to see
other (especially fledgling) authors as her friends, and people who needed a boost vs competition is refreshing and wonderful.  Our lady of the dragons (and other amazing characters and settings as well) was without a doubt human, with human flaws, but when you can get a book chock full of people who's lives are better, not just because of her books, but because of the person behind the books as well then you know you have surpassed being just a phenomenal writer, but a great human being as well, which is sometimes the harder thing to be. Between the personal stories and the bonus artwork of Michael Whelan who did most of the cover art for the Pern series makes this a must read for any Anne McCaffery fan...and now I have to go reread all of her books.

What author inspires you outside of their books?  How much does an authors outside life affect your enjoyment of their books?   Is there such thing as too much Anne McCaffery?

No Good Day

Hi Folks, not having the worlds best day so I am going to go read and try not to do anything to rash.

One of my favorite comfort books

Everybody go read a good book and send me good literary vibes!

It's The Most Bestest Time Of The Year

It's October people and that means it is happy fun time.  This is the best month of all for so many reasons, lets list them shall we.  First off it is my birthday month and that pretty much makes this the coolest month ever, also I am the boss of all things awesome and fun so that is good.  The weather usually starts to finally cooperate full time and I really can snuggle into my sweaters and boots.  Fall TV starts and I can find ways to correlate my TV watching to my books (this year Dr. Who, Sleepy Hollow, Downton Abbey, Once Upon A Time and Sherlock are being very literary friendly).  All kinds of yummy foods are available (think apple cider and donuts!). Of course we can't forget about Halloween, a time where you get to dress up, eat junk, scare yourself silly and pretty much live in a fantasy world of your own creating...kind of like a book.  Here are some of the creepy, dark and stormy night, shivery books that I am reading this month if you would like to read along (I'm hoping to scare myself so bad I can't sleep with at least one of these).

Doll Bones by Holly Black-A story of three friends who are caught on the edge of being children and growing up.  Along comes an antique doll they call the Queen who figures into there imaginary games...until the ghost of the girl who's bones were used to make the doll sends them on a quest to find her grave and bury her in it.  Hear lot's of great reviews and sounds like the right mix of creepy and good story.

Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan-edited by the same guy who put together one of my favorite anthologies The Starry Rift this collection is full of tales of those Halloween staples we call witches.  The list of authors is pretty stellar and I am looking forward to catching a few thrills in between work stuff.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman-A boy is raised in a cemetery since infancy, living among the ghost and ghouls and whatever other creatures live in graveyards.  He must learn how to cope with both the world of the living and the dead.  Full length novels by Neil Gaiman have been hit or miss for me, but I love his short stories and his work for kids has almost always hit the sweet spot so here goes nothing.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson-This supernatural tale is a classic haunted house story, complete with malevolent spirits, hidden secrets and hopefully plenty of scares.  When I asked around to find out which book people considered the scariest, this one popped up more than any others, so here is hoping it lives up to it's scary reputation.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving-The classic story of Ichabod Crane and his experiances in the small town of Sleepy Hollow, was it really the Headless Horseman or just a prank?!?  This classic mad it on my list 'cause a) it's awesome and b) so many movies/tv shows/etc... had to catch up with the original story.

What is your favorite part about October (besides it being my birthday month of course)?  What are your favorite books/movies/tv shows to creep you out?  How are we supposed to make this month a national holiday when the stupid government is shut down?