Update & SHOULD-Reads

My lack of keeping up with this blog is a tad bit disheartening, until I realize I've been doing SO. MUCH. WRITING. Then I feel a wee mite better!

I do have a post for today, as well as an update about what I'm currently writing.

My current project is writing a two-parter pilot episode for my T.V. series "The Gentleman's Lady." I'm taking part in ScriptFrenzy (sister organization of NaNoWriMo), which is held during April, and the goal is to write 100 pages of script (short movie, 2-4 t.v. episodes, a play, or a graphic novel) in 30 days. I'm on page 50 (I'm 15 pages behind) and although I'm not happy with the quality of my work, I've had to realize that this is a) my first shot at screen-writing AND b) it's the FIRST rough draft! So I've allowed myself to chill out and consequently wrote 20 pages yesterday. :/

No worries about Violet's Monster - I will be editing once a month all summer and into the fall as I look for agents. I actually can't wait to get back to it!

Now on to the post:

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you discover a gem in the library. A wonderful book that everyone SHOULD have read, but didn't. How do you discover them? Type in an author's name in the search? Go down the aisles and hope something jumps out at you? Follow a librarian's suggestions?

However you find it, you do, and you wish so much that other people shared your love of it. It's something to be treasured, talked about, and sometimes, you wish it was made into a movie JUST AS AWESOME as the book was (however improbable that might seem).

These, then, are 10 books that I personally think you should read (because you'll enjoy them immensely!):

1. Copper by Rebecca Lisle - a girl named Copper Beech? Who knits and has a talking wolf-teddy-bear? YES, PLEASE!

2. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - this would make a GREAT movie, animated or live-action. A thief named Eugenides has to solve a centuries-old puzzle in order to find the greatest treasure he'll ever steal.

3. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi - while I have a love-hate relationship with Avi's books (some I love, some are just...dreadfully boring), THIS book is one of my all-time favorites (and I don't say that lightly). Historical fiction about a young girl who has a true adventurer's spirit. Classic!

4. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken - I talk about this one a lot but I haven't met a lot of people who've actually read it. This is my favorite from Joan and it would also make a great movie - escapades of two cousins and their friend Simon while trying to escape an evil governess in Olde England. Historical re-imagining at its finest!

5. Piratica by Tanith Lee - I'm not such a fan of her other books (and I haven't read the sequel - I can't abide sequels where they aren't needed), but this book is incredible - so many twists! And the coolest character's name: Felix Phoenix. What's not to love?!

6. Beauty by Robin McKinley - again, not such a fan of her other work, but this is the best re-telling of Beauty & the Beast I have ever read. And since that is my favorite story of all time, you should know just how great this book is.

7. The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame - Although he's better known for writing The Wind in the Willows, The Golden Age (and its sequel, Dream Days, which I am currently reading after discovering its existence last week) is/are his best work(s), in my opinion. The story of five orphans and all the scrapes they get into, peppered with Greek, a ghost story, a romance, some laughs, and some solemnity. Maybe my second favorite book ever.

8. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming - forget the movie (it sucked). This book is CRAZY! Just the right kind, too. Mr. and Mrs. Potts (YES, he's married!) and their twins ride the channel in their wonderful car and surprise criminals in a cave that explodes! They help save a candy shop and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang protects them from being killed several times! It's awesome!

9. No Flying in the House by Betty Brock - I know, I know, I mention this one all the time, but it's an old one that people don't seem to read anymore! A beautiful little fairytale about a girl and her tiny, tiny white dog guardian who can do hundreds of tricks. Elegant, graceful, a little sad, and wonderful.

10. The Adventures of Tippy by Glanville Smith - I don't know if any other copies of this book exist (I've heard of two in my lifetime), but this is my very favorite book. It's a children's tale with a princess, pirates, and a peddler, who all end up at or around the Hotel Oriella for a glorious showdown. I found this book in a box after we moved, and neither of my parents had heard of it before. I have kept it with me ever since and read it over and over (I can quote the beginning). It's simply fabulous.

Happy Reading! Let me know if you read these/have read these and what you think about them. I ADORE book conversing!!! (Obviously)