“I should have read that book” tag + Writing Update

Hello, friends!

Today I have a tag bestowed upon me by the dear Samantha of both book and goat related fame. In a stunning turn of events, this tag asks me to talk not about books I have read, but about books I haven’t read.

…which should maybe be easier considering the number of books I’ve read is actually drastically smaller than the number of books I haven’t.

*eyes going glassy and vague as I wander off across the moor, considering the vast number of unread books in the world*

The Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post. (Many thanks, Sam!)
• Link to the creator’s blog in your post.
• Answer the questions below.
• Tag 10 others to take part (*looking around uneasily to see if anyone is actually going to enforce this*)

A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read

Oh, I actually had an answer for this, but then I went and read the book last week, oops.

Okay, so I don’t know about always, but I do have this one friend who absolutely loves Rose in Bloom by Lousia May Alcott and has told me to read it multiple times. The conversation went something like this:

Friend: *finds out I’ve read Eight Cousins* Have you read Rose in Bloom??
Me: …No.
Friend: You have to read it.
Me: The thing is–
Friend: *running to grab the book off the shelf*
Me: Okay but I didn’t really….like Eight Cousins that much?
Friend: It doesn’t matter.
Me: I don’t really like Rose?
Friend: It doesn’t matter.
Me: And I think maybe I just don’t like Lousia May Alcott??
Friend: *shoving the book into my hands* It doesn’t matter.

I promised I would read it someday, for her sake, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up

Haha, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I’ve been meaning to read it for ages, but every time I think of it….I don’t know if I really want to deal with Heathcliff right now??

A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t gotten round to finishing yet

Hmmmm. There are several series I can think of that I never got around to finishing, but the “yet” seems to imply a series that I still intend to finish, and this is a considerably smaller pool.

*staring vaguely into the small pool in search of a bookfish*

Well, if I may turn to graphic novels, I’d say the Spaceboy series by Stephen McCranie. I read the first volume and enjoyed it a good deal. The art is excellent and reminds me of Tony Fucile’s work (Fucile did character design/animation for The Incredibles, Inside Out, The Iron Giant, etc.), I loved the world building and the characters were endearing and intriguing. So why haven’t I read more?

Because the library only has Volumes ONE and THREE.

So yes, I am scheming to get my hands on Volume two.

A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Why do I like the sound of it? Because it’s the sound of one of my favorite Broadway Musicals, of course! *starts screeching “Jean Val Jean’s Soliloquy” in the background*

Why haven’t I read it yet?

*hiding behind the couch, pointing with a shaking hand, speaking in a trembling whisper* It’s long, guys. It’s really really long.

A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I just…don’t feel the need to read these books. Despite some issues, I like the movies quite a lot. And I’m surrounded by people who have read the books and fill me in on all the good parts that got left out of the movies. (They also tell me about things the movies left out that I am happy to miss out on.)

It feels heretical to say such things as a devout bookworm, but…here we are.

A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet 

Oh whoops. This is where I’m supposed to talk about watching the movie and not reading the book. But don’t worry, I’ve got more.

*Devoutest of Devout Bookworms screaming in the background* “the HERESY“

Let’s go with basically everything Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote about Sherlock Holmes. I consider myself a first class fake Sherlock Holmes fan. BBC’s Sherlock is one of my favorite TV shows. I enjoy the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law. I’m always happy to read/watch some kind of spin-off. But have I actually read the source material??

I read the Speckled Band (one of the short stories) for school. And I already knew the ending because my sister told me. And that’s it.

A book you see all over Instagram but haven’t picked up yet

Insta-who now? Is that Barbara’s boy?

Around the realm of blogging I see a lot of Chesterton, but–with the exception of a short story read aloud to me by my older sister a long time ago–I have not yet read any. I DO intend to remedy this.

My Sponge sister (who HAS been reading Chesterton, look at her go) recently said that every Chesterton book she reads is more chaotic than the last, and I am intrigued. People steal yachts? And die from drinking fake milk?? And I’m pretty sure she said something about an escaped elephant???

I mean, yes of course I want to read Chesterton for the deep theological discussions and all that, but also…the chaos. It sounds excellent.

***

That’s it for the tag!

In other news…writing is a thing. I’ve recently been consuming many stories/much art/lots of random pinterest-writing-prompt-ish things, and the INSPIRATION. I am feeling it.

Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of inspiration that makes you sit down and plot out and entire novel. It’s the kind that makes you jump up and down and sing to the hills, “I’m so INSPIRED. I must tell STORIES to the WORLD” but, when faced with a blank sheet of paper, it is the kind of inspiration that says, “You expect me to constrain all this gloriousness into something so common as words? What is this.”

But still. I have been having Ideas. I have been making notes if not outlines and writing scenes if not novels.

It might help if I didn’t have three projects actively vying for my attention (with others staring at me longingly from the background). But how am I supposed to pick one? I keep thinking I’ve narrowed in on one. I sit down to write, end up sitting there for half an hour just thinking about one set of characters–brainstorming, writing random notes, visualizing scenes–and then, when I’m read to actually write something….I decide to write about characters from a completely different novel.

I just realized all three of the projects are ones that have been introduced on this blog already, so I might as well tell you what they are. (Wow, this was going to be a short outro but I just really want to talk about writing, okay)

The Three Projects are:

The Feral Macaroni Children Who May or May Not Be Magical (invented for this post, and reappearing in this post)

The Sleep-Deprived Teenage Military Staff Officer Who is Lowkey Adopted by His Commanding Officer and Forced to Babysit her Children (introduced in this post)

Young Man Just Trying to Live His Life and Have a Job Like a Grown-up, but Also His Sister Runs the Mafia, so He Needs an Emotional Support Dog (invented for this post)

Yes, these are all official titles. They will be published with these names.

(Also, two out of three of these started as Quirks?? Did you have any idea what you were starting when you made those prompts, Grandma???)

Random updates:

• Macaroni story: SPARKLER. I have invented a new character. His name is Sparkler and he is a dear.
• Albert story: I decided the country they’re fighting has a king, but not the sort who wears robes and a crown. He wears a suit and gives off lowkey secret agent vibes, and WHY am I so excited about this
• Mafia story: Did I mention the emotional support dog. His name is Monty and he is the dearest dog you ever saw. (I’m generally not a dog person. When people have a pet in my books, it’s usually a cat. This is new territory for me.)

My younger sister recently gave me a writing exercise of writing about one of my characters from the perspective of an animal. So naturally I thought of Monty.

When the door opens, I leap to my feet and hurry to meet him. He shuts the door and puts a hand on my head. I want to swing my tail so it shakes my whole body, to run around him to show how happy I am to see him, but I know now is not the time. Right now, Master is shaking, so I must be still.

I also keep making notes and writing scenes about the backstory for the Albert story (by which I mean….the part that doesn’t even have Albert in it.)

“Captain Ro–“

“Please, call me Leland. I’m Leland among friends.”

“And you’re always among friends.”

“That’s because I’m so darn likable.”

Why do I like Leland so much.

In keeping with the spirit of being incapable of deciding what to focus on, here’s a random snippet of my dear janitor (who is ALSO from a quirk) in the breakfast aisle at the grocery store. Because who says I’m going to stick to the three I’m supposedly trying to decide between.

“Hi,” Marcy’s mom says. I’m pretty sure that’s what she says. I’m not hearing all that well at the moment. She says it in the way you say it to a perfect stranger in the grocery store when you’re feeling friendly and outgoing and also want them to move so you can get to the cornflakes.

I step away from the cornflakes.

Sometimes when I’m writing I’m all like, “Is this even any good? What will people think of it? Will anyone like it?”

But sometimes I’m just like, “I don’t care what anyone else thinks, this is GOLD. ‘I step away from the cornflakes.’ Absolute gold.” *wipes away a tear of mirth*

Honestly, I love it when I can find myself in a mood to be delighted by my own writing. Like, whoever wrote this has a great sense of humor.

It’s so fun, guys.

(There’s this exchange of dialog in one of my books that I think is the FUNNIEST thing, and I have no idea why. It’s not even that funny? But I quote it to myself and just crack up over it.)

Wow, I love writing.

(Which you may have gathered from the fact that what started out as a rambling outro is now as long as the actual post)

What books have you been meaning to get around to for forever? Are there books you feel you should read but don’t really want to? Which of these writing projects do you think I should work on? Do you ever crack up over your own writing? Are kings who wear suits and give off secret agent vibes incredibly cool, or is it just me?? Do tell!

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