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Annual Books Read Statistics and End of ROW80

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ere it is: The Annual Books Read Statistics and Thoughts post! Here are the statistics for  2016 ,  2015 ,  2014 ,  2013 ,  2012 ,  2011  (and the  list ),  2010 ,  2009  (and the  list ). Books Read : 268 , including the following (roughly): 49 novels 45 board books, although the railway books by Rev. Awry and the Beatrix Potter collection total 49 books (which involve ongoing rereads, including the board books from last year) 27 essays and non-fiction and comics 24 short stories and scripts, counting the stories read in anthologies as one since I didn’t read all the stories 17 poems 13 YA/MG books 2016: 168 novels and MG/YA and essays, etc., 45 board books and over 30 books in the Folio Society collected works of Beatrix Potter, 28 short stories, and 25 poems; Journal of Inklings Studies and Tolkien Society’s Amon Hen and Mallorn issues (also counted as one) 2015: 91 novels and MG/YA and essays, etc., 29 board books, and 12 poems 2014 : 111 novels and sho

Summer Fire Publication Day!

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oday is publication day! The Dirty Bits from Carina Press "give you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two," these "microromances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after." Summer Fire, on sale now ! " 'You know how it is with Canadians. We come alive in the summer.' Ayse had resigned herself to an interesting—but in the end unromantic—trip visiting family in Istanbul. Great-aunts, touristy sites and endless meals…until she meets fellow doctor Hakan. All tanned skin and defined muscle under his polo shirt, his kisses cut off her breath, making her dizzy. His every touch is a thrill. Ayse wants all of Hakan at once. His sweet mouth, the heat of his body against hers, their heartbeats slowing together. A holiday romance might give her some blazing memories come the lonely winter, but maybe, just maybe, the fire between them doesn’t have to be as fleeting as the summer. For those

End of NaNoWriMo! and a Story Snip

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nother NaNoWriMo under my belt! I didn't get quite as many words as I'd like -- was hoping to have the final action scene written already, since I find those difficult. Then I can reward myself with the fun of writing the Happily Ever After epilogue! But hey, at least I don't have to type it all up! I've been getting better at drafting straight into the notes app on my phone. It's more intuitive than drafting on the computer (which has way too many distractions) and comes closest to the feeling of falling into the story that writing on paper gives. Paper actually has other limitations for me -- I'm more inclined to slack off and write silly things, especially in dialogue, and to start writing in note form rather than complete sentences, to the detriment of the story. I've just spent a few minutes hunting for a snip to share. They all seem confusing or sappy or too mysterious when out of context, but I think the moment when Rory's ex-wife re

Photos from a Trip to Thun, and NaNoWriMo

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hotos! I'm all out of brain power -- and so far behind in visiting other blogs! -- in the last two weeks of school. Not to mention that NaNo is going strong. I'm juggling the pacing of the end of the story at the moment, trying to save myself a lot of rewriting later. Although I've left a trail of too many "insert this scene" and "figure out this murder plot" notes behind me. No one ever said that planning a murder investigation was easy! Hope you enjoy these photos of a recent weekend visit to Thun, a town near Interlaken in Switzerland:  Thun marketplace  Signposts! Showing the distances to Rome, London, and many other places  Interesting mural on the steps up to the castle  View from the hotel room!  Paintings inside the church on castle hill  Church and castle  Views over Lake Thun from castle hill  16th century house on castle hill  Playing in autumn leaves!