Dune

The State of the Writer: 12/15/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 3 Comments

<–The State of the Writer: 12/1/19         The State of the Writer: 12/29/19–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 1

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 253,415
Prior Word Count: 253,463
Word Difference: -48
Status: Editing
Progress: First edit of Chapter 21

Because of extenuating circumstances (which I’ll detail in a bit), I haven’t gotten much editing done on Chapter 21.  I have started it, though, and cataloged what I need to add/work on.  I’m hoping to play catch today after some major setbacks over the weekend and be back on schedule with everything soon.

Continue reading →

Top Books of 2018

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 8 Comments

Goodreads Challenge: 50
Books Finished: 51
Books DNF: 19

Last year I was ambitious and wrote out all the books I read.  This year I’m just going to talk about my top picks and biggest disappointments.

Top 10 Books/Series

10. Blister by Jeff Strand

Blister coverSurprisingly much more insightful than what it’s billed to be.

9. Two Hearts by Peter S. Beagle

Two Hearts coverYou can read this for free through the link.  It’s honestly the best I could hope for from a sequel to such an epic work.  It continues the themes without being trite and the resolution is beautiful if bittersweet.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 7/4/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 10 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 6/20/18          The State of the Reader: 7/18/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 4

TSN is super pissed about Being and Time.  I bought it because Heidegger is referenced in Final Fantasy VII, and you all know I’m interested in studying anything my favorite game references.  The real deal even looks a bit like the character in the game…and he was a Nazi 😡  Granted he’s a dead Nazi (the only decent kind), but I’m still annoyed.  Granted, there’s a good chance none of the money I paid is going to go towards that terrible ideology, but it’s just the icing on the tombstone of this week where I argued with a combination Holocaust denier and flat earther.  Yep, your dear TSN got a two for one on nonsense.

Books Finished: 4

Title: Peddling Doomsday
Author: Petra Jacob
Date Added: June 6, 2018
Date Started: June 18, 2018
Date Finished: July 3, 2018
Reading Duration: 32 days

Peddling DoomsdaycoverMedia: eBook/Kindle

If you want to delve into the machinations of how a cult can draw in and take over “normal” people, this is the book you want to read.  Looking at it from the outside, it’s easy to see what’s going on, but if you really want to believe something because you have nothing else, you will.  That’s how these kinds of people prey on the most vulnerable.  This novel is a disturbing journey, but that’s what makes it worth the read.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 6/20/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 9 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 6/6/18          The State of the Reader: 7/4/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 4

Books Finished: 2

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 2
Series Title: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Author: Akira Himekawa
Date Added: August 5, 2017
Date Started: June 1, 2018
Date Finished: June 14, 2018
Reading Duration: 13 days

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 2 coverMedia: Paperback

I really like this novelization of the game.  I’ll be looking for the next installment.

Title: The King of Elfland’s Daughter
Author: Lord Dunsany
Date Added: June 16, 2016
Date Started: May 16, 2018
Date Finished: June 15, 2018
Reading Duration: 30 days

The King of Elfland's Daughter coverMedia: eBook/Kindle

This was dry, but strangely interesting enough to finish.  The pace was plodding with particular lines repeated over and over and over again, yet you’re drawn into wondering how it will end.  It’s definitely a “be careful what you wish for” story.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 6/6/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 10 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 5/23/18          The State of the Reader: 6/20/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 4

Books Finished: 1

Title: Parasol Protectorate
Series Title: Souless
Author: Gail Carriger
Date Added: October 26, 2016
Date Started: April 26, 2018
Date Finished: June 1, 2018

SoullessMedia: Paperback (Library)

This was delightful even if it was a little predictable.  The ending is extremely satisfactory and the dry, witty humor helps curb some of the cliches.  I will definitely be continuing this series.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 5/23/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 11 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 5/9/18          The State of the Reader: 6/6/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 1

Books DNF: 1

Title: The Shadow Soul
Series Title: A Dance of Dragons
Author: Kaitlyn Davis
Date Added: June 15, 2016
Date Started: May 14, 2018
Date DNF: May 15, 2018

The Shadow Soul coverMedia: eBook/Kindle

The opening of this book was pretty meh.  It’s your typical Destroyed Hometown (haha, the picture they use XD) followed by vengeance seeking fare, and no I’m not a hypocrite for not falling in love with every story that has that paradigm (see the picture they used), because this novel didn’t do anything remotely new with it.  Even having the female protagonist disguise herself as a boy is pretty cliched.  I didn’t feel any deep emotion towards the destruction of Jinji’s village, which is disappointing as it’s clear the author attempted to make it that way with her best friend braiding her hair in the style it be would for the rest of her life.  I think it’s because there wasn’t much to really distinguish these characters from ones I’ve read a thousand times before.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 5/9/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 7 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/25/18          The State of the Reader: 5/23/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 3

Books Finished: 1

Title: The Bone Doll’s Twin
Series Title: The Tamir Triad
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Date Added: June 9, 2016
Date Started: March 22, 2018
Date Finished: April 30, 2018

The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn FlewellingMedia: eBook/Kindle

This book was fantastic.  I put the next one on my to read list.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 4/25/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 13 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/11/18          The State of the Reader: 5/9/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 0

Books DNF: 1

Title: Preludes &Nocturnes
Series Title: The Sandman
Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: April 5. 2018

The Sandman: Preludes & NocturnesMedia: Paperback (Library)

Declared it DNF on 4/15.  The story jumps all over the place, nor am I fond of the art style.  Also, Morpheus is such a blatant author avatar to the point of looking like Gaiman that it’s a turn off.  I don’t have an issue with creators doing that, but he made a clearly awesome and powerful character look like just him.  It comes off as arrogant and pretentious. I’m still going to read his other novels, but as I always say, I have too many books on my TBR list to spend too much time on something that doesn’t hold my interest.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 4/11/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 20 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 3/28/18          The State of the Reader: 4/25/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 2

Books Finished: 0

Currently Reading: 4

Title: Preludes &Nocturnes
Series Title: The Sandman
Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: April 5. 2018

The Sandman: Preludes & NocturnesMedia: Paperback (Library)
Progress: 23%

A bunch of mystics attempt to summon and trap Death, but wind up with his younger brother Sleep or rather the titular Sandman.  In caging him for 70 or so years, they screw up numerous peoples’ lives as well as endangering their own.  It’s really hard to ignore that the Sandman looks a hell of a lot like the author.  I don’t know if he’s supposed to be an Author Avatar or self-insert.  Either way, I’m enjoying it so far.  The character I most sympathize with is one of the ones affected by the occultists’ actions, a woman who’s been asleep the entire time.  She was raped and impregnated without even knowing about it (so a Sleeping Beauty motif), giving birth to a daughter (so a Kill Bill motif).  Really curious to find out what happens to her.

Continue reading →

The State of the Reader: 3/28/18

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 20 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 3/14/18          The State of the Reader: 4/11/18–>

A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 0

Books DNF: 2

Title: Strange Luck
Series Title: Strange Luck
Author: Amie Irene Winters
Date Added: February 26, 2016
Date Started: March 13, 2018
Date DNF: March 21, 2018
Reading Duration: 8 days

Strange Luck by Amie Irene WintersMedia: eBook/Kindle

I had such high hopes for this book, and I remained pretty engaged throughout the beginning, but I have little time for stories where female protagonists put up with dickish male characters who act entitled to her time and affections just because they’ve liked her since their first meeting.  Then he throws a goddamn hissy fit about it *rolls eyes* fucking please.  Roger also makes her feel guilty for needing empirical evidence before she believes in fantasy worlds.  It was one of the many traits I liked about Daisy: her need for evidence/proof despite the fact she works in a “magic” shop.  Her dreams were to move to London to be a writer, but her father’s selfish need for her to take over the shop so he can search for Utopia overrides his daughter’s life wishes.  She has zero interest in doing this, but he doesn’t give a shit, and yeah, I feel bad that he’s sick, but she doesn’t want that life.

Continue reading →