Post a Line From Your NaNoWriMo!

NaNoWriMo happened long enough ago that we can look back on our works and say "Oh those crazy kids." So I challenge you to select your strangest, funniest, most raw, or favorite line (or two, or heckit, a whole a paragraph) from your slapdash NaNo-Novel and post it in the comments.

I'll start off the festivities from some pretty nutty lines from my NaNo (attempts) past:

2007: I could tell by their pained expressions that they wanted to start an argument about how illogical the situation was, but no one asked the obvious question: why did Mr. Bow have a can of copper paint perched precariously on a door that would have to be moved?

[I honestly cannot remember why Mr. Bow had a can of copper paint perched precariously above that door. And this was back when my NaNoWriMos had a coherent if recklessly-executed plot.]

2008: The last line was the most chilling of all: “You have great friends who will always be there for you no matter what else happens.”

[This is kind of hilarious out of context because normally, that would be a very sweet thing to say.]

2009: For some reason, this person was the one I wanted to ask about the Gushers. I couldn’t explain it. He was called away, though, so when I turned around, I found myself absent-mindedly wandering the aisles until I finally found the Gushers. After I found them I had about three different kinds to choose from. I chose one that advertised a mystery flavor. I thought, “Just what I need, another mystery,” at first, but then I picked it up when I realized that at least this one I might be able to solve. (The answer is always Blue Raspberry. Always.)

[It really is.]

2010: “We can’t have you losing your head,” he said with a sigh.

            “I—I won’t,” Marla responded. “I’m not. I didn’t.”

            “I’m cut out for this,” Phil said. A statement.

            “I know,” said Marla.

[Haha, what was that 'statement,' Phil? Way to make this heart-to-heart about you. Awkward.]

2012: Byanca is cursing brightly because the whole thing with the pie was that it was supposed “TO BE A SUH- PRIIIIIIISE” but I’m still wondering how on earth I managed to make a situation so awkward so fast.

[That's actually one of the most sane lines in the whole thing. This novel is basically a blur to me. I can't really imagine letting anyone read it because it would be hard to convince them that no, I have never done drugs, honest.]

Alright, I've put mine out in the open - let's hear yours!

~Tome~

Book Review: TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE by Sara Shepard

WHY I PICKED IT UP: This is the third in Shepard's The Lying Games series. (I read the last two last summer - and apparently I didn't review them, though I'm not sure because I didn't start labeling my posts until now because I'm a dork.) While mysterious elements are resolved in each novel, the over-arching premise -- Who killed Emma's twin sister Sutton Mercer? -- keeps me coming back for more.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The series focuses on former-foster-kid Emma, who is solving her estranged twin sister's murder by pretending to be her, because no one else knows Sutton Mercer is dead. This installment focuses on Thayer Vega, soccer star, brother to Sutton's best friend Madeline, Sutton's secret tryst buddy, and runaway. After he breaks into the Mercers' home, he gets tossed in jail. But as the clues pile up against him as Sutton's real killer, the threat of Thayer getting free becomes stronger.

THE POSITIVE: 

*I have been waiting since the first book to find out what the deal with Thayer is, and the whole book is about Thayer. Finally, he gets the attention he's been owed since The Lying Game.

*As usual, Shepard makes the book feel contemporary and relevant through specific details such as brand names (Banana Republic, Abercrombie) and current culture references ("a Bruno Mars song," techno songs, housing foreclosures).

*The holes set up in the Thayer story were filled in, leaving plausible explanations for mysterious happenings

THE NOT-SO-POSITIVE:

*It felt like I was waiting for something to happen this whole book, with most of the story being Emma mulling over the same set of possibilities in her head.

*The luster of the first two novels, especially The Lying Game, has dimmed significantly. The fun of the pranks was only sprinkled in there a little bit, and the character interactions were often dull and two-dimensional.

OVERALL: With only three novels left in the series, I definitely plan on finishing it up. But getting through this installment felt like more of a chore (and a disappointment, given my initial excitement at the topic) than the last two, so I certainly hope the pacing gets better or I might have some skimming in store for the future.

But I'm sure I'll update you as I make my way through the series. :]

REVIEW HAIKU

The pacing was off.
But still, I have to admit:
I just have to know.

~Tome~

Find Your Spirit State

Ha. "Spirit State" sounds like a deep transcendental experience that involves floral oils and lots of loom-woven rubs. But no...

So, I didn't do my bi-weekly review as scheduled because I moved! Well, moved back. I've been living in the New York City area for 3/4 of a year, and now I'm back in Ohio.

"Oh, I'm sorry."
      -Everyone

But you know, I love Ohio. And if any of my career prospects were centralized here, I'd consider looking for a permanent job in this state. In fact, in many ways, I feel like Ohio is the state I'd be if I were a bordered geographical mass within a nation because:

-It has a pretty pleasant disposition but is also kinda weird and bizarre if you know it well enough
-I'm politically moderate (and Ohio is a swing state)
-And... something about its dual industrialization and rural landscapes? Um... I guess I don't have an analogy for that yet.

Okay, so perhaps my idea of your "Spirit State" needs to be worked out a little, but maybe you can help! Have you ever been somewhere that feels like it's you? Was it where you were born? Where you went to school? A vacation spot?

I'd love to hear it!

Tome