How To: Writing An Awesome Blog Post

If you're a blogger, then you've probably been in that position where you have a hard time coming up with something--anything--to write about.

Fear this stage no more, my friends, because I've compiled a List of Things To Do When Stumped for Post Topics. Ready? To the first item!


1. Stare at the Post Editor/word processor in vain for an hour and systematically erase all post titles you come up with. Yes, even "Look, A Fabulous Post You'll Definitely Want To Read!".

2. Fidoodle around old drafts you never published but decide they're not good enough to post. Do some cleaning out while you're at it: Finally, no backlog of random posts that shouldn't see the light of day!

3. Check your reader stats. Nothing is more intimidating (and more likely to stop you from writing another word) than scrutinizing a graph and trying to figure out how to increase your numbers.

4. Read a book you've been meaning to finish. No, you're not going to finish it in time to use it for a review. But forget the present--in the future you'll need it . . . see, you're being sensible!

5. Wonder if anyone else in the blogosphere is up for guest posting within, say, fifty minutes. Someone else has got to be available to do the work for you, right? What was that? Darn it, reality is twisted.

6. Get something to eat. Food. Cures everything. Must have food to write a good post.

7. Discover that food does not always bring flashes of writing brilliance. Drink something to compensate.

8. Notice the device you're using needs a clean-up job. Ugh, fingerprints are so unsightly. And for the love of blogging, DIE you evil smudge!

9. Consider Rickrolling your readers but decide that isn't going to get you extra views. How about a duckroll? Anyone?

10. Decide to write a post with blogging advice because you're obviously such a success at this thing. Attempt to be entertaining. Doom and gloom and the zombocalypse always work.

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But in all seriousness, how do you go about coming up with blog topics? Do you write down your ideas beforehand or just type down whatever comes to mind?


-----The Golden Eagle

How To: Writing A Winning Prologue

Ever wondered how to write a strong, effective prologue?

Your search has come to an end: Here are 10 steps to take if you want to create a prologue even the staunchest of opposers will find hard to criticize.

 Ready? Let's go!

1. Choose a scene from a key point in your novel.
If a character happens to be in danger, dead, or otherwise painful circumstances, cut and paste that tension-filled scene into the beginning of your novel. This will serve to reduce the risk of heart failure, severe paper cuts, and falling off of chairs for your readers when the plot twists come. An honorable reader enjoys knowing what will happen later in the book.

NOTE: It is even better when you repeat this scene later on and force readers to slog through it all over again.


2. If there is no other suitably tension-filled scene to choose, use the ending.
Be sure not to change a thing when you move it from the end to the prologue, either--the more spoilers the better!


3. And if there aren't any tension-filled scenes at all (kudos), pick the most boring one.
OOH LOOK. The character is brushing their teeth! What fine dental strategy! Gets me tingling all over, that does.

4. Make sure there is no stylistic similarity between the prologue and the rest of the novel.
Is your style short and to the point? Write your prologue using lots of flowery language and/or metaphors. For example:

Page 205: "I is gonna blow up this building!" said Smith.

Prologue: And then our bold and courageous protagonist, with the most knightly of intentions, went to rescue the incapacitated and dying goddess of his universe, utilizing the most stunning of torpedoes. He exclaimed, triumphantly, "Beware, all evil parasites of the Earth! I am preparing to send you to the deepest parts of Hell!"


5. Use a dream.
Everybody simply adores dream scenes in books. They add such nice ambiguity and potential/probable pointlessness.


6. Take the opportunity and explain everything about your world.
Readers are always willing to get to know every single little detail of the place the characters live in; you know, history, culture, current economic state, seismic activity, how the world came to be, etc., etc.


7. Set it in the future where the character is obviously alive.
This may actually be even more stress-reducing than cutting and pasting part of your ending.


8. Center your prologue around an unrelated thing.
Writing about a woman on a quest to find the all-powerful crown-doohickey with which she can defeat the bad guy? No problem. Feel free to talk about whatever you please in the prologue. Who wants to know what they're getting into before they start reading?


9. Make appear that you're writing in a different genre than you actually are.
Closely related to #4, it is an effective strategy for attracting the attention of a new audience. Because instead of just getting readers from, say, Literary/Contemporary/Realistic Fiction, you'll get irritated readers of Science Fiction and Fantasy along with irritated readers of Literary/Contemporary/Realistic Fiction. And they'll all spread the word about your novel (forget what they're saying about it).


10. Using your main character's voice, slowly and hesitantly, with many starts and stops, explain why the character (i.e. you) decided to write this book.
J'adore uncertain characters. Nothing like a little "Oh, I can't do this . . . wait, I must, or the world will explode! . . . no, wait, I can't, or I'll explode . . . but no, I have to! . . . no, I just simply can't . . . oh, all right, all right, I'll finish . . . no, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE . . . but if I don't . . ."


And there are the 10 Effective Steps For Writing A Winning Prologue.

You're welcome.

**********

DISCLAIMER: The author of this article accepts no liability for those souls who actually follow these instructions. If you really want to write a good prologue, then you should do absolutely everything possible to avoid what I just said.

And before you ask, yes, I have come across these types of prologues in books.


What do you think of prologues?


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Wrap-Up Post

It is the end of September and therefore, Terry Pratchett Month has come to a conclusion here at The Eagle's Aerial Perspective.

Throughout the past month, there were book reviews of The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Nation, Good Omens, Mort, Thief of Time, and The Fifth Elephant. There were discussion posts on Humor and Parody, Anthropomorphism, and World Building. There was a movie review of The Color of Magic.

There were old fans who got to comment on their favorites and share their thoughts, and potential new readers got a taste of what Discworld is like. And I'm sure there were newer-ish readers of the series, too, who--like me--love his writing but haven't read all of his books yet.

(SOURCE)

Terry Pratchett is a master at creating amazing worlds that combine humor and reality at the same time. He turns those little things we don't notice into important details, combines the deadly serious with the funny.

Final note:

At the time when I announced this series of posts, I did not know that Terry Pratchett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and wants to die an assisted death. As one of the most well-known Fantasy and Humor writers of today, he will be greatly missed by readers.

But there will always be his books, with their trademark humor, lovable characters, and detailed worlds, from the streets of Ankh-Morpork to Great A'Tuin, from the anthropomorphic personification of DEATH to the Monks of History.

Hope you enjoyed this series, everyone! Thank you all for coming by and reading/commenting on the Terry Pratchett Month posts. I know I had a lot of fun in September.


In fact, I'm thinking I might do this again sometime, not necessarily for Terry Pratchett, but perhaps for another author who's written a series of novels . . . what do you think of the idea, bloggers?


(And an aside: I'm still taking questions as part of my 800 Followers Celebration, so if you've got any of them, please ask away!)


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Book Review: The Fifth Elephant

Title: The Fifth Elephant
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2000
Page Count (paperback): 370
Cover Rating: 3 out of 5. They should have made this covers a bit fancier and a little brighter. They're not bad . . . they just don't pop out at you with all the wonders of Discworld.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Summary:

Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren't there supposed to be five? Indeed there word. So where is it? . . . 

When duty calls, Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course were cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes--bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such)--to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.

My Thoughts: This was the first Discworld book I read, the second novel by Terry Pratchett, after Nation. I decided to read The Fifth Elephant because of the title, and the tone of the summary: I do love a character with attitude. Sam Vimes has it, too; he's one of the more amusing characters in the series, not just because of the crazy situations he ends up in, but because of the dialogue between him and other characters as well. He's still one of my top favorites. In addition, the supporting characters in this book are hilarious, from Lady Sybil to Colon to Corporal Nobby Nobbs.

Other: References, some violence.

Verdict: With great characters, a fast-moving plot, and an excellent setting, The Fifth Elephant is a Discworld book I recommend.

Other Terry Pratchett Month Posts:
Book Review: The Color of Magic
Book Review: The Light Fantastic
Discussion Post: On Humorous and Parodic Stories
Book Review: Nation
Discussion Post: Anthropomorphism
Book Review: Good Omens
Movie Review: The Color of Magic
Book Review: Mort
Discussion Post: World Building Through A Series of Books: How And Why It Works
Book Review: Thief of Time


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Book Review: Thief of Time

Title: Thief of Time
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2001
Page Count: 324
Cover Rating: 3.8 out of five. I cannot find a good resolution image of the cover that's on the library copy, but anyway, the yellow and purple are a little strange but go together okay. The cover I really like is the Australian one.
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:

Everybody wants more time, which is why on Discworld its management is entrusted to the experts: the venerable Monks of History, who store it and pump it from where it's wasted, like underwater (after all, how much time does a codfish really need?) to places like cities, where harried citizens are forever lamenting "Oh where does the time go?"
   And while everyone always talks about slowing down, one clever soul is about to stop. Stop time, that is. For good. Going against everything known (and the nine tenths of everything that remains unknown) a young horologist has been commissioned to build the world's first truly accurate clock. It falls to History Monk Lu-Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd to find the timepiece and stop it before it starts. For if the Perfect Clock starts ticking, Time--as we know it--will stop. And then the trouble will really begin.

My Thoughts: Out of the 6 Discworld books I've read (of the whole 37 in the series . . .), this one ranks at the top.

First, because Susan Sto Helit is one of my favorite characters, as are Lobsang Ludd and DEATH, other major figures in this novel. Second, because I love stories that play on time and paradoxes. Third, because I thought it was particularly funny, even more so than other Discworld books, which I've always found amusing.

Other: None.

Verdict: The best novel in the Discworld series I have read so far, I highly recommend Thief of Time.

Other Terry Pratchett Month Posts:
Book Review: The Color of Magic
Book Review: The Light Fantastic
Discussion Post: On Humorous and Parodic Stories
Book Review: Nation
Discussion Post: Anthropomorphism
Book Review: Good Omens
Movie Review: The Color of Magic
Book Review: Mort
Discussion Post: World Building Through A Series of Books: How And Why It Works


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Book Review: Mort

Title: Mort
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1987
Page Count (paperback): 243
Cover Rating: 3 out of 5. Again, compared to the original UK covers, this one is kind of boring, though it does match the story. (See the other one HERE.)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary (from Goodreads):

In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse — especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory.As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life.

My Thoughts: I'd really been looking forward to this book, since I knew it was the first that featured DEATH as a main character. It certainly put a new face (beyond the grinning-skull one) onto this anthropomorphic personification, and I loved Mort, the boy who becomes his apprentice. Through him, you get an inside look at the world of DEATH, from his house to his cook to the hourglasses, or life-timers. The other characters were quirky and funny, ranging from the princess who everyone acts as if is dead to the magician who has the job of making sure people remember she's alive. The plot jumped all over the place, crossing realities and moving fast.


Other: According to some sites I found after noticing a reference on Wikipedia, Disney is making an animated movie out of Mort, with John Musker and Ron Clements directing (I've never heard of them before, or at least the names don't ring a bell, but apparently they did The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, and The Princess and the Frog).

They had better get it right, or this will be one irritated Terry Pratchett fan.

(What do you think? Do you look forward to a movie of Mort, or dread it?)


Verdict: Yet another humorous take on death from Terry Pratchett, Mort is an excellent story of a boy who becomes the apprentice of the ultimate reality. Recommended.


Other Terry Pratchett Month Posts:
Book Review: The Color of Magic
Book Review: The Light Fantastic
Discussion Post: On Humorous and Parodic Stories
Book Review: Nation
Discussion Post: Anthropomorphism
Book Review: Good Omens
Movie Review: The Color of Magic


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Movie Review: The Color of Magic

Title: The Color of Magic
Genre: Fantasy/Humor
Released (North America): 2009
Length: 197 minutes
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Cast: David Jason, Sean Astin, Tim Curry

My Thoughts: First off, I loved seeing Terry Pratchett in the opening scene as Astrozoologist #2. At first I didn't know why I recognized the man with the white beard and glasses, but then it clicked. I know who that person is!

But as for the rest of the movie? I don't often laugh at things onscreen, but I did several times during The Color of Magic. It stuck fairly well to the original plot of The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic (it's divided into two episodes), though they cut out a lot of the details and completely left out the Temple of Bel-Shamharoth, which I thought was too bad. That was one thing that bothered me: they left out so many characters and details, just glossing over some of the interesting (or just the funny) bits. Like, for example, there is no card game with Death, they omitted the gods, there are less heroes, and the Wyrmberg was just in-and-out compared to the book.

Nevertheless, the movie was quite enjoyable. It was awesome seeing the Discworld come to life, and I love the cast. Sean Astin was perfect for Twoflower (you know, Samwise Gamgee from LOTR?), David Jason was a great Rincewind (despite the fact I hadn't pictured him in my head as being that old), and Tim Curry was a perfectly disturbing, conniving wizard (though they did expand his part from the book-Trymon).

Other: Some violence (tavern brawl/swordfights/usual Fantasy) and mild swearing (there is one instance where it sounds like something worse than it is--when they're first introduced to Cohen the Barbarian's lack of teeth. You probably know what I'm referring to, if you've read the book.)

Verdict: A great adaptation of Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic.





Other Terry Pratchett Month Posts:

Book Review: The Color of Magic

Book Review: The Light Fantastic

Discussion Post: On Humorous and Parodic Stories
Book Review: Nation
Discussion Post: Anthropomorphism
Book Review: Good Omens


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: On Humorous and Parodic Stories

***My Insecure Writer's Support Group post is below, in case you're here from the linky list.***

I wrote a post some time ago called Humor In Writing, in which I covered the three main areas where author can use humor: characters and dialogue, plot, and prose. One of the more interesting (and amusing) things about Terry Pratchett's writing is the fact he combines all three. But there's also the element of parody in his books--I'll admit I don't recognize all the references to other material, but even at a glance it's obvious he's poking fun at the traditional Fantasy that takes itself seriously.

Most books have at least one lighter side to them, whether it's in the form of the joker relative or friend, circumstances and plot twists, or the writer's third person snark. Terry Pratchett, on the other hand, incorporates the eccentric (or just plain barmy) characters, outrageous events that manage to seem inevitable, along with a host of descriptions and comments outside of plot and characters.

(SOURCE)

Parody isn't seen quite so often. Probably because it's easy to offend people if you parody something, and probably because to do so just the right touch has to be used; otherwise it's too repetitive and unoriginal. It's easy to ridicule something else--but harder to make the attempt not come off as trite.

What do you think of humor and parody? Do you like it when an author uses it in all of the story elements, or do you prefer more seriousness? Do you enjoy parody, or are they not worth the time? Who or what's your favorite humor author or book?

Other Terry Pratchett month posts:

Book Review: The Color of Magic

Book Review: The Light Fantastic

-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Book Review: The Light Fantastic

(SOURCE)

Title: The Light Fantastic
Author: Terry Pratchett
Published: 1986
Page Count: 241
Cover Rating: 3.8 out of 5. It's okay. The book matches, as does the chain, and the color isn't bad, but it doesn't exactly pop out at you. Of course, it also says "Conan the Barbarian" on the front cover, which is wrong--it's Cohen the Barbarian. Come now; surely they could have picked that one up! Once again, I have to say I like the more recent cover better.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary (from Goodreads):

In The Light Fantastic only one individual can save the world from a disastrous collision. Unfortunately, the hero happens to be the singularly inept wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world . . .

My Thoughts: If The Color of Magic wasn't the best in the series, reading it through to get to the sequel (which picks up at a cliffhanger--rather literally) is definitely worth it. I found The Light Fantastic faster, more exciting, and quite funny.

Other: References, violence.

Verdict: A sequel that's even better than its predecessor, The Light Fantastic is a great Discworld book. Definitely recommended.

Other Terry Pratchett Month Post(s):
Book Review: The Color of Magic


-----The Golden Eagle

Terry Pratchett Month: Book Review: The Color of Magic

Title: The Color of Magic
Author: Terry Pratchett
Published: 1983
Page Count: 210 (paperback)
Cover Rating: I'm hard-pressed to say whether I like this version better than the other one, which I believe is the original UK cover (see HERE). The suitcase is nice, but it's a little too red. The one I really like, though, is this one.
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Summary (from Goodreads):

On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet . . .

 
My Thoughts: A strong start to the Discworld series. I cannot say it's my favorite book in the series, compared to the other few I've read, but it's still a fun ride. Rincewind was quite funny, the tourist Twoflower was amazingly naive yet still managed (somehow) to survive, and the plot took plenty twists and turns along the way.

Other: References, some violence.

Verdict: Worth the read, and (fittingly enough, being the first book in the series) a good place to start on Discworld. Recommended.


-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Authors: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Quirk Books

Genre: Romance/Action/Mashup/Adult/Classic

Page Count: 317 (paperback)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4.8 out of 5. It fits the book quite well, and I just love the fact that it takes time (even if it's just a fraction of a second) to notice that there's something wrong with the picture.

Back cover:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." 

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has falle upon the quiet English village of Meryton--and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers--and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefieled. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

My expectations: I expected it to be a bit violent, but otherwise funny; I read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters before this, and enjoyed it.

I have to say I like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a lot more than I do Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

About the book: Now, I don't know if you think this is sacrilege or stupidity (or both) but I just look at it as fun. I am not a huge fan of Jane Austen; the fact she was a woman, did not marry, and wrote books is impressive for her times, but I still don't particularly like her novels. So, I just had to pick up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to see what they turned the original book into.

I, for one, thought it was quite amusing. There are humorous changes, (for example, the way they substituted references to weaponry and fighting off zombies instead of finding husbands), the characters are great, (I didn't like Elizabeth Bennet or Mr. Darcy much in Pride and Prejudice, but loved them in this version), and while the zombie violence did get a bit gruesome at points, it's not terrible, and the way they integrated it with high-society was funny.

Writing: The writing follows Austen's original work all except for action scene and context. Also, some things that happen in the original story are changed so that, instead, they are caused by attacks, fights, duels, zombies, etc. That's all Grahame-Smith's work--the whole idea of the book is based on the twists and turns he made within the original story.

• Plot:

Things turn out the way they do in Pride and Prejudice, except the causes can often be traced to zombies, often in a humorous way.

• Characters:

As I mentioned, I like Elizabeth much better in this book. She's stronger, determined, and has much more spunk than the Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice.

Mr. Darcy said many of the same things that he said in the original at the start, with few changes but that turned itself around further along in the book; again, I enjoyed his character a lot in this version.

Other characters were pretty much the same: humorously altered to fit the theme.

• Setting/Elements:

The culture is different. One important thing I thought stuck out was the fact more power is given to women in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies--for example, Elizabeth has been trained at the Chinese martial arts temple of Shaolin and is in service to the King of England, and her sisters have been trained to fight; I loved the fact they could stand on their own and didn't pay so much attention to social restraints. Instead of sitting by, what they're supposed to be doing is, actually, slaying zombies and defending the English people. Go, Bennets!

Other: Violence, references.

IF they every get the movie off the ground, you can bet I'll probably be checking it out.

Do I recommend this book? Yes--provided you don't mind zombies, or the fact they changed so much of a classic, Jane Austen book.

-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

***I haven't posted a book review in weeks. Over a month, really. I will start posting reviews more consistently!***

Title: The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

Author: Josh Berk

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/YA/Mystery

Page Count: 248

Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Cover Rating: 3.9 out of 5. I like the way there are all three major characters on the front cover, and the way they're centered on the front. It could have been a bit more dynamic--a little less blue, maybe? A little something more in the background?--but it's a good cover.

Inside flap:

It was a dark, gloomy class field trip.
Because it was in a coal mine.
   Somewhere the star quarterback swore as he tumbled to the bottom of a mine shaft. Probably. Will Halpin could only guess about cursing. Because he's deaf, y'see? But here's the thing about murder: even if it's silent, it's still deadly.
   Being hefty, deaf, and the new guy in school isn't an easy ticket to popularity. At Carbon High, Will is put in the corner of every class. True, it's to help him read lips. And true, most treat him like a houseplant. But Will doesn't intend to stay stuck in any corner. And houseplants are privy to a lot of dirt.
   So when he teams up with the least popular guy to figure out what happened in that mine, Will discovers that the suspects are many and not so usual Was it the too-sexy-for-calculus math teacher? The crackpot bus driver? That scuzzy guy who talks to his fingers?
   Will and his side-geek are hardly Hardy Boys. But I wouldn't bet against them.
   Think Will can make it out of that corner?

My expectations: High. This was on the humor shelf of the library, and I love humor books. Plus, how could you go wrong with that kind of title?

I can happily say I wasn't disappointed.

About the book: This is the only book I can remember where the main character is deaf. I get the feeling I've read books with a deaf MC, but I can't recall them right now. The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin was intriguing just for that bit--besides personality/emotional weaknesses, relatively few characters seem to have serious physical disabilities. An added bonus was that the main character in this story, Will Halpin, had a great sense of humor and his snarky comments are sprinkled throughout the book.

The writing style was pretty much to the point, slightly dry at times (and by dry I mean humorous/sarcastic), and Josh Berk did a great job, I thought, of presenting what it might be like to be a teenager trying to make the change from a special school for deaf students to regular high school.

• Plot:

I loved the fact it was based on a murder, but humorous. It isn't completely a mystery story, though, since it's not quite as driven by that as a regular whodunit, but it kept the plot moving nicely. Plenty of twists here and there, and the ending is great.

• Characters:

Will Halpin is funny, smart, and unique; in addition to being deaf, he's overweight, which isn't something that a lot of YA books put into the picture. His sense of humor really keeps the tone of the book lighter than it would be with more somber characters, and I had to laugh at some of his remarks.

Devon Smiley was geeky, a bit weird, serious, and also rather funny. With a fascination and love of Hardy Boys, and an attraction toward danger--despite being the son of a police officer--he's a great companion to Will. Will doesn't want to have anything to do with him at first, and their friendship, with the usual bit of snark, forms over time.

Ebony. Despite being the ex-girlfriend of Will, they manage to get along when the circumstances require; and she becomes friends with Devon, too. She had strong beliefs when it came to the deaf community, and what it means to be deaf, and it was interesting to read about them in contrast to Will's trying to integrate himself into a "normal" school.

• Setting/Elements:

I was intrigued by the history in the story, about the coal mines and the people who had shaped the town's past. The fact he had the same name as someone (also deaf) who was reported to have died in the same mines he visited on his field trip was an interesting turn.

Other: Language, references, description, some violence.

Do I recommend this book? Yes!

-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: The Ring of Solomon

Title: The Ring of Solomon

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Humor

Page Count: 398

Rating: 5 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5. I love this cover! The only thing that prevented me from giving it a 5 was the fact it is a teensy bit spoilery, if you take it literally. Which I tend to do. (THIS COVER is also cool, but the gargoyle is rather grotesque.)

Inside flap:

It is 950 B.C.E., and King Solomon rules Jerusalem with a steely hand; a hand on which gleams a magic ring of immense and unforgiving power. Solomon has just begun to work on his marvelous temple, charging Khaba, a formidable magician in his royal court, to oversee its construction. The workforce is an ill-behaved bunch of demons, a particularly unruly djinni names Bartimaeus among them. True to form, Bartimaeus promptly gets kicked off the temple project and assigned the even more miserable task of hunting bandits in the desert. There he crosses paths with Asmira, a highly skilled and loyal captain of the Queen of Sheba's guard, on a suicidal mission to save her country from Solomon's imminent attack. Of course, Bartimaeus has no intention of helping her. That is, until Asmira makes him an offer he cannot refuse . . .

My expectations: High. I LOVE The Bartimaeus Trilogy, and I expected a lot from this prequel.

My expectations were met, and even exceeded in some ways.

About the book: I love Bartimaeus. He is one of the funniest, most endearing characters in the Fantasy books I've read, and definitely the best dijinni. I found the historical setting in this book quite interesting, along with the portrayal of both the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon and the whole culture across that area.

The writing style is great--Jonathan Stroud writes well, and as with all Bartimaeus books, the little footnotes that serve as wisecracks are definitely a bonus, even if the reader has to keep glancing down at the bottom of the page. For some authors that would be a drawback, but for Stroud it certainly isn't.

• Plot:

Fast, and there are several unexpected twists--it never lagged, and the ending wound up everything well.

• Characters:

Bartimaeus, as I have mentioned, is quite funny. You get a lot of his character in this book, from the dancing hippo (I cracked up at that part) to the banter with his fellow djinni.

Asmira was a determined, and strong girl. She does what she has to do to accomplish her mission. I didn't really like her at the start, but by the end of the book I did. She changes throughout the story, even though it doesn't span that much time.


Khaba is an excellent antagonist. Evil, cunning, and power-driven, he has all the right stuff. Or, rather, wrong stuff. He knows what he wants and he'll do anything from torture to killing to get it, and is a formidable enemy.

• Setting/Elements:

The setting--historical figures, warriors, demons, magic--is fascinating, and something unique; it's nice to be able to read something that's put in a setting different from a lot of other books.

Other: Violence, (bandits, assassins, etc.), but that's really about it.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely!

-----The Golden Eagle

Humor In Writing

**First, don't forget to vote HERE for the best Midwinter Blogfest post! I'm one of the finalists, along with Rachel Morgan and Brenda Drake! Congrats to both of them!**

Few books make me laugh, but when they do, another kind of word-magic comes into play. Humor in books adds a different kind of release into the world and the characters--by seeing what the characters laugh at, it's also another way of getting a perspective on their personality.

There are three main ways a writer can put humor into a story:

1. By using characters that are funny in some way, either by appearance, speech, or action.

2. By not having funny characters, but creating it so the plot/events/etc. are amusing in relation to the story.

3. By using the language, outside of the plot and the characters.

Some examples of this:

1. Characters: Jace from The Mortal Instruments, and Billy from Sammy Keyes. Most of your probably haven't heard of the latter, but both characters are an example of character-based humor. Jace is sarcastic, fakes being ridiculously self-centered, and quick to make snarky remarks--he says some funny things as a consequence. Billy is the school clown, always goofing off and doing dares and acting crazy; a person you just can't help but laugh at.

2. Plot/events/etc.: The Hitchhiker's Trilogy. Douglas Adams does a fabulous job of putting the characters through some crazy, wild, and almost impossible situations; what's even more absurd is the fact that theoretically it could happen. It might not be hard SF, but it's possible enough to be SF and not Fantasy.

Image via Wikipedia

3. Language: Eoin Colfer. Colfer is one of my favorite writers. His writing style is sarcastic and there are often sentences outside of dialogue (which would mean characters) that relate to something that someone said or did that are like punchlines--they suddenly pop up, and have a certain dry and sarcastic element to them.

Cover of Eoin Colfer

Of course, not all people like the same kind of humor. What some people find funny others do not, which is why some books people call "funny" aren't as attractive to others. My kind of humor is Eoin Colfer-style; the Artemis Fowl Series cracked me up at least once in all of them. The jokes aren't funny funny, as in completely innocent jokes, since they deal with things like weapons and breaking into banks, taking hostages and talking with the Russian Mafiya. But I find that kind of humor laugh-worthy.

Some kinds of humor can be over-the-top, when the person's working too hard to seem funny. Then it's just overdrive, and can be too much without enough serious prose/dialogue to balance the humor.


Did you ever feel that a book's humor fell flat for you, or that the author went overboard? Do you think that humor is a plus, or that it's necessary for a book? Do you use it in your own writing, if you write, and if so, do you prefer it if it's the characters, events, or the language, when you're writing or reading? Do you read many books that have humor in them?


-----The Golden Eagle