My Newest Novel

Last April, I started writing my first Science Fiction novel. It is also the first of my current books I'm writing in first person. After rewriting the first chapter multiple times, accidentally deleting my formatting, and losing most of Chapter Nine, I'm almost done. Just the confrontation, resolution, and denouement left to write--about three more chapters. Then comes the thing most (if not all) writers dread: editing!
 

Attack of the Snow Daleks!

In the first few weeks of Febuary, almost nine inches of snow fell...and the Daleks invaded!!

The Cult of Skaro was close behind.

The Cult of Skaro and the Genesis Ark (Center)

Fortunately, the Fourth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors were there to stop them.

The Eleventh, Tenth, Ninth, and Fourth Doctors

We used a Styrofoam cup to form the bodies, a 1/3 cup for the heads, and a 1/2 teaspoon for the dalekanium (balls on sides).

Dalek Caan

Of course, now that the temperature is eighty, the Daleks are now nothing but a memory and sticks on the ground.

Dalek Thay: I am Dalek Thay.

Dalek Sec: Dalek Sec.

Dalek Jast: Dalek Jast. 

Dalek Caan: Dalek Caan. 

The Tenth Doctor: So that's it! At last, the Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend.

Rose Tyler: What are they?

The Tenth Doctor: A secret order, above and beyond the Emperor himself! Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names...[disgustedly] all to find new ways of killing! ---from Doctor Who: Doomsday

The Weeping Angels

Although you probably won't encounter any of these ancient aliens, I wanted to write about them anyway, and you'll be prepared if for some strange reason you do.
Weeping Angels. The Lonely Assassins.

But they're not weeping. They're quantum locked, which means that when you observe them, they simply cease to exist. They cover their eyes because if they see each other, they're frozen in place as statues for all eternity, unable to blink, unable to look away. Their greatest asset is their greatest weakness. If they touch you, you go back in time to live yourself to death, while they feast off your lost days. But if you look at them, they're stone. To use the words of the Doctor, "And stone can't kill you. But then you look away, and oh yes it can."

So don't blink.

The Doctor: Listen—your life could depend on this—don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck.

(Seen in Doctor Who episodes Blink, The Time of Angels, and Flesh and Stone)
 

Books of 2010

How many books read in 2010?
I didn't keep track exactly...but over two hundred.

How many fiction and non fiction?
Mainly fiction, but I read non fiction too.

Male/Female author ratio?
About half and half.

Favourite book of 2010?
Definitely the hardest question! Probably The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and Maximum Ride by James Patterson.

Least favourite?
That would have to be Pride and Prejudice.

Newest?
Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, and The Lost Hero by Rick Riodan.

Longest and shortest books?
 Les Miserables was the longest, and the shortest was Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

 How many books from the library?
The majority was from the library.

Any translated books?
Les Miserables and most of the Tsubasa manga series.

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
Probably Kathryn Lasky when I read The Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf, and Chasing Orion.

Any re-reads?
I re-read some of The Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Lord of the Rings, Inkheart, Harry Potter, and many others.

Favourite character of the year?
I don't know....that's too hard.

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
Italy, England, and many others as well as different planets and worlds.

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Which author was new to you in 2010 that you now want to read the entire works of?
A lot, but the only two I can think of are Scott Westerfeld and Neal Shusterman.

Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
Shadow Wolf, the sequel to Lone Wolf. I read it on the first of January.


What books are you planning to read in 2011? 
Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Xenocide, and many others.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

A few weeks ago, I went to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with my family.
I've loved the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis since I was five or six, so I was excited about seeing the movie.

While the book was more of an exploration and search for the seven lords, the motion picture focused more on the Dark Isle, the island that turned your worst nightmares into reality. Caspian, Lucy, Edmond, Eustace, and the crew of the Dawn Treader were given a quest by Coriakin (A wizard charged by Aslan to rule the Duffers): To defeat the Green Mist and the Dark Isle, the protagonists were required to unite the swords of the seven lords on Aslan's Table. All the characters grew throughout the course of the movie, Eustace most of all.
 Even though the plot differed from the book, it was a very good movie and I can't wait for the next one, The Silver Chair, to be released.

Spinning Christmas Trees

In The Christmas Invasion, the first Doctor Who episode featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, a Roboform Christmas Tree (sent by the Roboforms, a people traveling with the alien Sycorax) wreaked havoc on Earth during the invasion that took place on Christmas. This remote-controlled tree could spin at extremely high speeds and rip apart everything in its path.

The Roboform Christmas Tree

The Tenth Doctor Sonics the Roboform Christmas Tree

This year, my family's Christmas tree is mounted on a rotating base. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the way you look at it), it does not spin fast enough to cut its way through a wall or hack a dining room chair into splinters.

The Christmas Tree

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1

Finally, after months of waiting, I went to see the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows dressed as a character from the series.

The cover for Part One

Surprisingly for a book-based movie, it stayed almost completely true to the book. With a darker and more ominous tone than the other six movies, it was fast-paced and intense the majority of the time as Harry, Ron, and Hermione searched for the Horcruxes. This was my favorite book in the series, and there's no way they could have gotten it all in one installment. Part One was amazing, and I expect Part Two to be even better.

Xenophilius Lovegood: [draws a line] The Elder Wand, the most powerful wand ever made. [draws a circle] The Resurrection Stone. [draws a triangle] The Cloak of Invisibility. Together, they make the Deathly Hallows. Together, they make one master of death.