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STORY SUNDAY: 2013 READING LIST

January 27th, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Story Sunday! In the future, this is where I’ll discuss a story or some element of a story. Today, I want to talk about my reading list for 2013. I’ve spent the last few years reading primarily for school. Classes kept me so busy that I didn’t have much time to read outside of what was required. Part of being in an MFA program is writing as much as you can, as well as you can. I, along with others, think the other half of the equation is reading as much as you can.

I know I’m a little late when it comes to making 2013 goals. Residency started right after the the holidays and I’ve been sick ever since. So, while I’m about a month late, I feel 2013 is just beginning.

So here’s my reading list for 2013. It includes a couple of books I need to re-read but not many. This doesn’t include books assigned for my “Readings in the Genre” class. I would like to complete this list in addition to the RIG books assigned.

  1. The Dark Corner – Mark Powell
  2. Mistborn: The Final Empire– Brandon Sanderson
  3. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension– Brandon Sanderson 
  4. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages– Brandon Sanderson 
  5. The Allow of Law: A Mistborn Novel– Brandon Sanderson 
  6. The Lies of Locke Lamora (The Gentleman Bastard Sequence) – Scott Lynch
  7. Red Seas Under Red Skies (The Gentleman Bastard Sequence) – Scott Lynch
  8. A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin
  9. A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin
  10. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
  11. The Wise Man’s Fear – Patrick Rothfuss
  12. The Blade Itself: The First Law– Joe Abercombie 
  13. Before they are Hanged: The First Law– Joe Abercombie
  14. Last Argument of Kings: The First Law– Joe Abercombie 
  15. Shogun – James Clavell
  16. The Road – Cormac McCarthy
  17. Blood Song (A Raven’s Shadow Novel) – Anthony Ryan
  18. The Last Unicorn – Peter S. Beagle
  19. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break – Steven Sherrill
  20. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
  21. Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher 
  22. Academ’s Fury (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher
  23. Cursor’s Fury (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher
  24. Captain’s Fury (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher 
  25. Princep’s Fury (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher 
  26. First Lord’s Fury (Codex Alera) – Jim Butcher 
  27. Lord Foul’s Bane: The First Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  28. The Illearth War: The First Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  29. The Power That Preserves: The First Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  30. The Wounded Land: The Second Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  31. The One Tree: The Second Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  32. White Gold Wielder: The Second Chonicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  33. The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  34. Fatal Revenant: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  35. Against All Things Ending: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  36. The Last Dark: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen  R. Donaldson
  37. Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson
  38. Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson 
  39. Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson 
  40. House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson
  41. Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson
  42. The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson 
  43. Reaper’s Gale (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson
  44. Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson
  45. Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen) – Steven Erickson 
  46. The Crippled God (Malazan Book of the Fallen) –Steven Erickson
  47. The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  48. The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  49. The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  50. The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  51. The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  52. Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  53. A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  54. The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  55. Winter’s Heart (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  56. Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  57. Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan
  58. The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
  59. Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
  60. A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time) – Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson

I’m not a particularly fast reader. I have the ability to read quickly but I feel like I don’t get as much out of the novel. I also feel like I don’t remember the novel as well as years go by. So I prefer to take a slower pace. This year will definitely be a challenge for me but I’m looking forward to every book on the list. Over the years, I’ve put off reading quite a few novels because of scheduling conflicts. I’m fortunate to be in a program that encourages this kind of reading.

Now it’s your turn. What books do you plan on reading in 2013? Do you have a set list? Any suggestions for 2014’s reading list?

FAN FRIDAY: DORALEOUS AND ASSOCIATES

January 25th, 2013

It’s Fan Friday, everyone! I’m excited to talk about a hilarious show called Doraleous and Associates and you can find their first episode here. Recently, I took part in the MFA residency at Seton Hill University. A lot of different topics come up during residency. One of the great things about hanging out with other genre writers is that you find out about all kinds of cool stuff. If you love fantasy and you’re put in a room with thirty other fantasy writers, someone there probably knows about something you would love but haven’t encountered yet. It’s a great time to share all kinds of interests.

This time, I talked about Doraleous and Associates with several people. In a nutshell, the show is a comical look at epic/adventure fantasy. The concepts are great. Doraleous has formed a small band of adventurers including a human wizard, an elven archer (with a southern accent), a human barbarian, a dwarf warrior (with a high pitched voice), a knight named Sir Walken, and Doraleous himself, a classic human swordsman. From there, they encounter scenarios that have been seen in many fantasy stories but with a comical twist. Their first episode includes an appearance from “The Lady of the Lake,” where Doraleous finds out he’s the chosen one and hilarity ensues.

What really makes this show great is the characters. They’re funny, unique, and bring comedy to every situation. Without their witty banter, the funny scenarios would be funny but definitely not as memorable. To shed a little light on one of their characters, I’ll just mention the elf Neebs. He’s an instigator, he’s funny, and he does it all with a southern accent and a smile. In fact, his accent is one of his best features. The writers took the existing idea of an elf and twisted it. Instead of the classic elves you see in fantasy, the ones that live in nature with impeccable clothing and perfect speech, Doraleous and Associates took a different take with ragged clothes and southern accents. Elves are truly the hard-working woodsmen of fantasy.

Some of you may have heard of this show already. In fact, it’s been around for quite some time. I’ve chosen it this week for two reasons. One, I managed to completely rekindle my love for this show by talking about it with other people. I’m working my way through the episodes once again and find them to be just as hilarious as before. Two, it’s coming back. The makers of the show were on hiatus for quite a while. They became involved in other projects and could no longer keep up with Doraleous and Associates. However, they never forgot about their fans and continuously assured everyone that the show would return. You can find out more about this on their Facebook page. So look forward to more Doraleous and Associates in 2013!

Now it’s your turn. What are you a fan of this week? Are there other amazing web shows out there that the world should know about?