#keep it in mind before asking an author to create an audiobook

[not-poignant]

I was thinking back to the post I made about ebooks being so much more accessible for so many people compared to paperbacks/hardbacks and the other thing I wanted to add is the vast, vast majority of the time, the author gets so much more profit comparatively for an ebook than a paperback/hardback.

That's not a problem for huge huge huge authors either way, but for small-time authors, or authors with small publishing houses, the difference in profits can sometimes be $2.00 or $3.00 per ebook sold vs. $0.50c or $1.00 per paperback. Really. You pay more, but the author gets a lot less.

In the case of indie authors like myself, ebooks give the highest returns always.

This isn't necessarily something most readers think about, but I have had readers assume that because the book format cost them more, that automatically means more goes to the author. In fact it's often the opposite. There are very few exceptions (university texts come to mind). But in the case of your run-of-the-mill indie fiction, if you genuinely want the most profit to go to the author, get the ebook.

[mollish-art]

What is Generation Loss: Unperson?

Unperson is a Generation Loss AU written, illustrated, and narrated by yours truly!

The story begins as canon-adjacent to Generation 1 (the first chapter, Savior's Stigmata, is technically a prologue, in that it takes place during the events of episode three of The Social Experiments). In chapters 2 and onwards, the cast of TSE begin an adventure anew.

Showfall Media has revolutionized the field of interactive entertainment. In Hetch's Social Experiments, this entertainment took the form of three consecutive livestreams, which the audience could actively participate in and, ultimately, decide the fate of the Hero [i.e. Generation 1 of Generation Loss]. Now, Showfall Media is proud to bring you entertainment through an even more immersive medium: video games.

Anathema Annihilation is Showfall's most innovative use of "Phantoptics" technology to date: a video game where one's choices really matter and actively impact the world we live in.

Charlie awakens in a new environment and with a new purpose as the face of the beta tester's Hero avatar. Elsewhere, Ranboo has been revived, reprogrammed, and repurposed with a new face of his own: a biomechanical, bestial antagonist known as "The Devourer".

The player character - the Hero (who we know to be Charlie) - joins forces with a helpful non-player Companion (Sneeg) to eliminate a wide range of enemies - known as "Anathemas" - across multiple levels, each culminating with a fight against a powerful boss: an "Abomination".

Depending on the player's Variant choice, the theme (and therefore appearance and ability mechanics) of the Anathemas, as well as the Hero and Companion classses, changes.

Regardless of the player's Variant choice, however, the Abominations always remain the same: previous cast members who have been previously rejected by an audience and have been revived and repurposed as biomechanical monstrosities.

As the Hero and Companion progress through the levels of Anathema Annihilation, their minds become increasingly plagued by questions concerning their memories, free will, and grasp of reality. But they are not the only ones cursed with introspection; the Devouerer, too, clings desperately on to whatever shreds of humanity it still possesses, and seeks, above all else, to avenge its friends.

...

Now that you have a brief synopsis of the world and premise of Unperson, if you are so inclined, you can read the available chapters here or check out the in-universe website I created for it!

On the website, you can find additional lore, concept art, links to all currently available chapters (as well as audiobook adaptations of all of them, narrated by the author), themed playlists, and a fanworks feature page (showcasing some of the fanart and cosplay that you guys have made for this story)!

I am always open to Tumblr asks if you have any further questions!

Please note that Unperson is currently on a bit of a hiatus, however, as I am in graduate school and must focus on my academics before working on this AU. It will be completed - I promise you that! I have plans for the rest of the story, as well as more art and such on the way. Patience is key ;)

Here are the currently available chapters:

That's all for now, folks! Remember to check out the official website as well as my Unperson Youtube Playlist, which contains speedpaints for all of the chapter art as well as the audiobook adaptation!

Lastly, if you'd like to keep up to date on this project or share your feedback, follow or post on the #UnpersonGL tag!

[jodieleereads]

Book Blog Newbie Tag

Why did you start this blog?

In an attempt to get a blog going and, on a whim, as I see lots of people starting blogmas/ vlogmas.

 I want to be more intentional with writing about books. I’m hoping this will be a great way to not only work on my own writing, but also keep a better record of the books I’ve read and loved and books I want more people to read.

2. What are some fun and unique things you can bring to book blogging? 

I love that indie and self-published books have become a lot more accessible but the market is of course saturated. I’m hoping I can help give a boost to some of my favourites and curate more lists in some of the niche romance subgenres.

3. What are you most excited for about this new blog?

Hopefully looking back at it in a year and seeing growth and memories. I’m hoping to create some consistency in my writing and to actually finish some of the reviews and other writing projects I start. I’m also looking forward to meeting more people in the book community on different platforms as I’ve primarily been on Bookstagram and Booktwt the last few years (and now Booksky).

4. Why do you love reading?

Reading gives us the opportunity to look into another’s mind weather it be fictional or not. I primarily read romance, and while it’s a genre which receives a lot of flack, you can see love through a thousand lenses through books.

I read a lot when I’m stressed and listen to a lot of audiobooks while I get mundane, day-to-day things done. It’s had a great impact on my mental health.

5. What book or series got you into reading?

I’ve always been a reader. My mum would have gotten me a library card when I was very young and would have me read or listen to an audiobook before bed when I was young. I loved Jacqueline Wilson when I was growing up, particularly Lola Rose and The Suitcase Kid. I was also obsessed with The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver when I was young.

In high school my friends and I obsessed over the Private series by Kate Brian, we used to pass them around between a group of us. I was also a Twilight girl (I was team Jacob) and followed what I think are the stereotypical reading patterns after that.

I continued to reach into adulthood but it amped up at the start of the pandemic. I had discovered booktube in 2019 and fell down the Sarah J. Maas rabbit hole of debates. I picked up Crescent City at the very start of the pandemic and my reading habits changed profusely after that.

6. What questions would you ask your favorite authors?

How do you turn your initial idea into a full scale book outline?

When do you know if an idea is one that you want to stick with and when (if ever) do you shelve an idea?

How do you find and choose character names that feel right for your characters!?

7. What challenges of starting a blog will be hardest to overcome?

Coming up with a name and a theme is always something I found challenging and then deciding practical things like where to host it and how to theme it.

I also feel that there is a lot of imposter syndrome when it comes to putting things on the internet. I’ve never felt enough of an ‘expert’ to want to get on the internet and give an opinion on something; however over last 5 I’ve read over 400 books and feel like now would be a good time to start talking about them in longer form.

8. When did you start reading?

I mostly answered this in question 5, but I’ve always been a reader. I read a lot as a kid and a teen and while it slowed down in my early 20s, it amplified during the pandemic.

9. Where do you read?

I do A LOT of my reading while I drive and cook. I am a big fan of audiobooks and love to pair reading with doing something with my hands. I am not a big music person so when a lot of people would put on a playlist, I tend to listen to a book.

I primarily use Everand and Audible to listen to audiobooks and since books are hard to come by in Barbados I primarily read e-books on my tablet.

10. What kind of books do you read?

I’m a romance girl. I’ll read all over the romance genre from contemporary to sci-fi and romantasy. I’ll pick up any book that really catches my attention and I switch things up occasionally (mostly for my bookclub or if someone recommends something).

That's it!

[thepoisonroom]

if your library doesn’t have an item you need, you can submit a request for them to purchase it! note that this is mostly true for public and academic/university/college libraries; school libraries don’t regularly offer this option, though you can speak with your librarian to learn more about what you can do.

submitting a request doesn’t guarantee they’ll purchase it 100% of the time, but it’s a good way to express your needs, and libraries often use this information to identify areas where their collection and services are lacking and create acquisitions plans! this is an especially useful option if you want:

a new or upcoming book! identifying highly-anticipated releases helps libraries make decisions about ordering books, developing collections, and planning outreach/programming

a translation or format (e.g. large print, braille, screen-readable e-book, audiobook on CD or tape, audiobook on playaway) that you need to access the work.

purchase requests are a great way to encourage your library to buy upcoming books that you’re excited about! this is a really good option for supporting authors, especially when you can’t buy the book yourself. read on for more info. keep in mind also that most libraries have privacy policies that protect any identifying data about patrons, including what individuals check out and what they request. if you’re not sure what your library’s policy is, check their website or contact their reference desk (see below).

if your library doesn’t have a book you want, there are a few options you can and should explore before jumping to a purchase request:

see if it’s available in alternate formats through other library tools! many libraries subscribe to publisher databases or ebook/audiobook borrowing platforms like overdrive. the items available here will not always be listed/discoverable in your library’s catalog system.

request it through interlibrary loan (ILL) or outerlibrary loan (OLL)! these are both commonly used terms for requesting items from other libraries. different libraries use these differently but most should offer one or both.

contact your library’s reference desk to see if they can help you find another way to access the thing you want! you can often get in touch with a librarian directly online; it’ll usually be listed as “ask a librarian chat” or something similar. most libraries will also answer questions over the phone or email, in person or will have a “contact us” web form you can submit.

so if you’ve checked out your options and you’re sure you want to purchase request, the process is pretty straightforward! my local public library’s website has this handy little link right at the bottom, but it’ll usually be listed as “request a purchase” or “recommend a purchase”

[image description: this image shows a list of links in black text on a grey background. The list of links is titled “Popular services”. The services listed are: reserve a computer, check your email, recommend a purchase, outerlibrary loan, ask a librarian, computing and wireless, reserve meeting rooms, email newsletters, and curbside pickup. The link that says “recommend a purchase” is circled in red.]

most libraries will have a webform that you fill out with item information that’ll look something like this:

[image description: this image shows half of an unfilled web form written in black text on a white background. The first field says Title above it. It is a textbox. The next field is a textbox titled Author/creator. The third field is a textbox titled Publisher. The fourth field is a textbox titled Date of publication. Below the textbox it says “Use the format YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2018-12-25)”. The fifth field is a textbox titled ISBN. Below the textbox it says “Please do not include any spaces or hyphens in the ISBN. The final field is titled Type of material. It has single-selection buttons for two options: Adult and Children’s/Teen.]

[image description: this image shows half of an unfilled web form written in black text on a white background. The first field has the title Format above it. It is a dropdown menu with the option “CD - Music” selected. The next field is a textbox titled Subject. The next field is a textbox. Above the textbox are the words “Where did you hear about this title?. Below the textbox it says “Give specific sources if possible. It might help us find more great materials”. The final field is an expandable textbox. It is titled “Additional comments”.]

the key things to remember when filling out the form are:

be specific if you need a specific format, translation, or edition! 

not sure if the format/translation you want exists? use worldcat.org to find out! their search engine has this handy “view all formats and languages”/”view all editions” option that lets you see what might be available. it’s not guaranteed to be exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point. note that worldcat categorizes books (incl. ebooks) as distinct from audiobooks. clicking this button on a print book listing will show me only other print and ebook formats, and clicking it on an audiobook listing will only show me other audiobook formats.

[image description: This image shows a worldcat.org search result listing for the book We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff. The listing tells us that it is for an English-language print biography published 2021 by Simon & Schuster. The listing includes two links. One says “View all formats and languages”. This link is circled in red. The other link says “View all editions”.]

speaking of worldcat, it can be a great place to find the publication information you might need to populate the form. that said, try not to stress too much about the ISBN. it’ll be different for hardcover versus paperback versus ebook and vary between editions. just focus on being very specific about it if you need a specific format or language to access it.

if your library’s form includes a comments field, this can be a good place to put feedback for context, such as “our library doesn’t have many books on X topic and I’d like more” or “I think this book is an important text for my program/major” or “I recommend this text to a lot of my students and think it would be good if it were more easily accessible”. this kind of information is very helpful for librarians trying to decide how to develop their collections.

i hope that helps! it’s not a very complicated process, but i wanted to make sure to provide some context about how library purchases can help authors, improve your accessibility options, and show your library that there’s a demand for books on specific topics! i also hope to provide some clarification about library privacy policies and making your voice heard at your library.

[razieltwelve]

The Final Boss (FGO x Final Rose)

“Don’t relax just yet,” Diana warned. “I don’t think she’s really the final boss!”

“What do you mean?” Mash asked. “She has to be. Who else would the Knights of the Round Table serve?”

Diana adjusted her bright orange cape and even brighter orange wizard’s hat. “It’s just a hunch, but everything up until now, even the defeats of the knights, feels like it’s been planned to perfection. It makes me nervous.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Fujimaru bit his lip. “We have to keep going. Can you go any faster?”

“Yeah.” Diana patted the scales beneath them. “Come on, Strangles, pick up the pace!”

The colossal snake, easily the size of a city, upped his pace, racing toward the heart of the Singularity. He was almost there when a blinding beam of pure power rocketed toward them. The snake moved with surprising speed, somehow avoiding the attack.

Goddess Rhongomyniad appeared before them, her lance held loosely to one side. “A very capable evasion for such a large creature. Still, I won’t miss again. There’s simply too much of him to hit.”

Diana jabbed one finger at her. “Don’t think it’ll be that easy!” She glanced back at Fujinmaru. “We should spread out, so she can’t get all of us at once. I’ll try to keep her occupied. Wait for an opening.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Fujimaru asked as they leapt off Strangles.

“With a weapon surpassing any other.” Diana folded her hands over her chest. “A weapon wielded by a true hero out of legend!” She raised one hand and shook her fist at the sky. “Smite my enemies! Come forth, Crab of the End Times!”

The goddess wasn't the only one who gawked at the sight of a giant crab appearing out of thin air and waving around an equally giant knife.

“...” The goddess blinked. “I... did not expect that!”

“Get her!” Diana screamed. “You too, Strangles. “We’ve got to take her -”

There was a flash of light, and her nigh-invincible crab was simply erased from existence.

“Uh oh.” Diana turned to the others as Scrambles slithered back. “Master, I think you should start running.”

That caught Fujimaru’s attention. Ever since he’d met Caster!Diana, the little girl had never advocated taking a backward step. Her response was to simply summon more and more of her ‘friends’ to smash her way through any and all opposition. To her credit, it had worked wonders so far, so the the fact she was advocating a retreat meant they were in trouble.

“Why? What’s going on?” The small smirk on the goddess’s face only increased his unease.

“You know how I’m the most awesome kid there ever was?” Diana asked. “Well... kids have to come from somewhere, and my mom was pretty awesome in her day. She was also really, really good at planning stuff. If she’s turned evil...”

“Evil?” A pink-haired woman in crystalline armour appeared. “I am doing what is necessary. Saving humanity is not possible without sacrifice. In the cold calculus of survival, there can be no room for sentimentality.”

“We are in so much trouble,” Diana gulped. “That’s an evil version of my mom. You can think of her as... a kind of a mix between a Saver and a Ruler Class but turned up to about a quadrillion out of ten or something.”

Saviour stared down at Diana. “You’re not giving me enough credit.” She raised her sword. “Surrender or die.”

“Hmph.” Diana huffed. “You might be an evil version of my mom, but I guess we’ve got no choice.” She looked at Fujimaru. “This’ll probably be goodbye, but try to deal with the Lion King while I’m distracting my mom. Strangles, stay with them and do what he says. I’ll need a command seal too, if you don’t mind.”

Fujimaru nodded. “All right.” Of all his Servants except Mash, Diana was probably the one he trusted the most. He’d summoned her Berserker form in Fuyuki before stumbling across her Caster form in this singularity. Somehow, her memories had carried over, and she’d proven her cunning and power time and time again. Kid or not, she was truly a worthy Heroic Spirit. “Good luck.”

Diana looked up at her mom. “You know, the biggest difference between you and the real version of my mom was that she never let go of her emotions. She never forgot the power of friendship.” Her power surged. “So I guess I’ll have to remind you.” She smirked. “Only a kid as crazy as me could ever use something like... GARY WORLD!”

Diana’s reality marble expanded, dragging her and Saviour into the world’s friendliest, funnest, and most deadly theme park.

“So,” Goddess Rhongomyniad said, raising her lance at Fujimaru, Strangles, and his other Servants. “Shall we continue?”

X    X     X

Author’s Notes

This is an amusing take on the idea that if Diana could be summoned as a Servant on the side of good, would it be possible for the others to be summoned as their evil selves.

This is the Camelot Singularity with the key difference being that Empress!Saviour (the lawful evil one) has allied with Goddess Rhongomyniad. The Diana here is Caster!Diana who has two commonly used Noble Phantasms, Army of Awesomeness and I Think I Can. Army of Awesomeness allows Diana to summon her countless animal friends and enemies in the forms she imagined them (e.g., she always imagined Strangles as a giant, city-crushing snake, so that’s how he appears). I Think I Can lets her distort reality to create effects and grant properties driven by her beliefs (e.g., her cape and wizard’s hat are basically indestructible because she believes they are). She’s basically perfect as a support/summoner type Servant.

Her final Noble Phantasm, and the one that basically empties out her reserves, is Gary World. It’s a reality marble encapsulating her beliefs that the power of friendship is an invincible force for good, and that good always triumphs over evil. In short, it drags her opponent into a weaponised theme park where everything is a weapon and will try to kill them. There are fluorescent animals with bazookas, and transforming, combining theme park rides that turn into giant robots with rail guns. You get the idea.

Of course, it isn’t enough. Saviour crushes her anyway because that’s what Saviour does. However, Diana’s plan was never to win through battle. Even in defeat, she was able to remind Saviour of what she’d given up, prompting her to have a change in heart. Saviour withdrew from the battle entirely and decided to simply allow the Singularity to be dealt with.

Incidentally, Caster!Diana will be accompanying Fujimaru to the Babylon Singularity. This will lead to a somewhat amusing situation in which Diana comes to view Gilgamesh as a true believer in the greatness of Gary. After all, only somehow who believes fervently in Gary could feel the loss of a friend as deeply as Gilgamesh does. Sadly, her attempts to use Gilgamesh as a mode of transportation (she can often be found clinging onto Fujimaru’s back although she later upgrades to piggybacking on Quetzalcoatl) don’t work out. She does, however, dole out plenty of head pats when they meet Ushiwakamru (who clearly does need to be taught the power of friendship).

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here. I’ve recently released two stories, Attempted Adventuring and Surviving Quarantine, as well as two audiobooks, Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems and Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire. If you like humour, action, and adventure, be sure to check them out.

[passingthebarexam]

New Post has been published on Bar Exam Mind

New Post has been published on https://www.barexammind.com/dealing-covid-related-bar-exam-delays/

Dealing with COVID-Related Bar Exam Delays

I recently received a comment on a Facebook post referencing my article discussing how the Covid 19 epidemic pandemic might affect the bar exam. The comment asked how to keep a positive mindset in light of the fact that bar exams are being delayed or postponed and the format of the exam itself is being altered.

I thought about it and put together my thoughts in this article. I hope it helps.

If you have ideas that work for you that are not mentioned in this article, please leave a comment. If you disagree with some or even all of the ideas listed below, please comment and offer your suggestions about what you think would be helpful.

Some of the things I say below might sound a little trite given the situations in which some of you now find yourselves. I certainly can’t tell you how to feel and I can’t know how you feel. But, I do know this: 2020 has been by far the strangest year I’ve ever lived through during my several decades on this earth. I’ve been through some more traumatic acute periods of time ranging from a few days to a few weeks in duration, but never something like 2020’s sustained chronic freakishness.

Before we get any further in this article, I want to remind you that I am not a medical doctor, not a psychologist, not a licensed counselor. What follows are all suggestions about things that I think would help. It is advice I would give to a friend or family member who asked me for ideas. If you find yourself in a dark place or are having frightening thoughts, please contact a physician or counselor as soon as you can.

Now, for my suggestions.

Gratitude

You’ve probably heard this one before. It even sounds trite to me, and might even seem a little ridiculous. But this really works.

If you can wake up each morning and think about one or two things from the day before for which you are grateful, it can make a big difference in your outlook on life. If you start the day with was a grateful thought, it will set a positive tone for your day. On the other hand, if the first thing you do is check your news feed and scowl at some politician’s behavior or some terrible events happening in the world, that can start your day with negativity through which you will filter all the events and feelings of the remainder of the day.

Many people keep gratitude journals. They write down one or two things in the morning for which they are grateful. You can purchase many different kinds of gratitude journals (Amazon link (aff.)) or just staple a few sheets of paper together and start writing.

Digital Detox

There are more and more studies showing that too much exposure to digital devices and social media trigger anxiety.  (In children; In young adults; In general.) If you are feeling anxious about the bar exam or anything else and it is starting to overwhelm you, take a break from your phone and the internet. In an ideal world, this would probably be at least one solid day per week. But, if that doesn’t seem like a viable option, try something like this:  stop looking at digital devices after dinner and don’t look at one again until the next day.

Most phones these days have settings that allow you to lock certain apps.  Why not create a setting where you can still send texts and make phone calls, but which locks all other apps for a few hours each day?

Get outside

There are many studies that show time in nature can help enhance your mood. If you’re fortunate enough to live close to hiking trails or a park, take advantage of it. But even if you don’t and you can’t get to such a location, maybe you have a small patch of grass near your residence or in your backyard. If possible, take your shoes off and walk around for a few minutes. Even if the seems kind of ridiculous, it might allow you to remember some happy memories of childhood running around the grass in the summer.

Focus on stability

What things have not changed since the COVID crisis? Are all your family and friends still healthy? Are your house plants still alive? Are you still an intelligent person with the desire to be an attorney?

When the world around us is changing and seemingly out of our control, it can be helpful to look at the things in our lives that have remained stable during the period of change. This can lead us contemplate the world in the future when other things we stable again.

Sleep

People underestimate the power of consistent, solid sleep. Law students and lawyers live in a subculture where sleep is viewed as weakness. But, people who are well-rested generally are able to see the world more clearly and have less anxiety and depression.

So, if you are sleeping less than seven or eight hours per night, try sleeping more for a week and see how you feel.

Allow yourself to be afraid

Don’t squash fear or try to cover it up with denial or foreign substances (e.g., alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, etc.). You are afraid. Admit this world is crazy right now. Admit that you’re not quite sure what’s going happen with the bar exam.

I read about how in Florida they postponed the bar exam just a few days before was scheduled to start! (Florida bar postponed.) It would be terrible to think that something like this could happen again, but if that’s the fear you have, allow yourself to feel it.

Writing your fears down may help. Unlike a  gratitude journal where you might want to go back and look through it in order to remind yourself of what you’re grateful for, the fear journal can be something in which you write down what you are afraid of and then tear out the page and throw it away. This, to me, is not a form of suppressing fear, but of acknowledging it.  You are saying, “I know you exist. I know I’m afraid of you. But, you can’t stop me.”

Remind yourself of earlier chaos

If you graduated from law school and are preparing for the bar exam, then you’re probably at least in your early 20s. Many of you will be a few or even many years older. For most people, if they’ve lived to your early 20s, you’ve experienced at least a handful of chaotic, uncertain situations.

But you got through them. You made it to law school and graduated. Remind yourself of the chaos you’ve survived.

The bar exam situation this year is chaotic. It is unknown. What if there is an uptick in COVID cases and it needs to be postponed again? What if there’s a technical issue that makes a planned online bar exam not work?

I realize it is easier said than done, but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. Or, a metaphor I prefer, be like water and follow the available path.

Consider your study schedule

If you are someone who has been studying for the bar exam expecting it to be on a particular day and then it gets moved to a date several weeks or months away, you need to reassess how to spend those extras weeks. This will vary for each individual.

If you’re having financial concerns, try to find a way to make a little money for a few weeks. If you’ve been studying conscientiously expecting the bar exam to occur on DAY 0, but the bar exam has been pushed to DAY 150, you can probably stop studying for an extended period of time before restarting your studies closer to the new bar exam date. This will give your brain a break and help you focus on other issues.

Even if finances are not a problem for you, taking a break from studies, if that’s feasible, is probably a good thing. As someone who took two bar exams, I can tell you that studying for the second bar exam was much easier. While it wasn’t a cakewalk by any means, I had set aside over two months to study for the second exam, but in retrospect I probably could have done it in four weeks.

The reason I’m saying this is that if you’ve studied for two months and now you have another two month gap before the rescheduled exam, why not try something you’ve never done before to take your mind off the chaos? If you’ve thought about being an author, write a story or book. If you’ve thought about starting a business that can be started quickly, why not give it a go?

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you at least a little bit. I realize that the future of your legal career must seem unclear. Although I never had to go through a situation like this when I took the bar exam, I have gone through situations in my life where I thought the prospects for a positive outcome in the long-term were bleak. But, as the months and years passed, the outcome was actually pretty good.

So, although it may be difficult for you, try to stay positive. When you feel the negativity getting too much, use one of the techniques above.

  P.S. -- Want a FREE copy of my Bar Exam Mind audiobook?

You can get a free copy of my audiobook when you sign up for a free trial at Audible.com. Get the details by clicking here. Or, you can just get the audiobook directly from Amazon, iTunes or Audible.

[kingdomofthelogos]

3 Tips for Prayer

Prayer is clearly an important part of Christian life, but does the church do enough to assert the full role of prayer? Prayer should not be desperate, but something with aspirations and hopes. Our lives should be organized to grow towards Christlikeness, and prayer is instrumental in this. Prayer should aspire to strong language and be connected to reading and observation. Moreover, it should be modeled after how Jesus taught us to pray.

The church has a fair amount of questions regarding prayer. How should we pray in public? Are lengthy prayers bad? Should we only pray in secret? Is it wrong to pray using pre-written prayers instead of coming up with words on the spot? In this article we are going to look at three tips for asserting prayer.

Tip 1: Pray Lord's Prayer 3 Times a Day

In order for us to have aspirations and goals, our whole Christian life needs to be organized in so that we can truly be transformed day by day into the Image of Christ. We must build up our character, and regular rituals can be helpful in creating a schedule of fortified Christian living.  Saying the Lord’s Prayer three times will help us organize our lives towards holiness. This can and should be done in addition to other prayers that might occur at intermittent times, but one should at minimum say the Lord’s Prayer three times.

Prayer should be aspirational, something that moves us closer to God and further from sin. It should not be desperate, and something which only appeals to the lowest elements of carnal nature. When we say that prayer should not be desperate, we mean that prayer should not be something that appeals to God with the aim of staying in sin or even non-sinful low points. It should not want to stay in the pit, it should want to be ever rising.

The early church utilized a text called the “Didache,” or “The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations,” that was a handbook on Christian living and church life. This book taught believers to say the Lord’s Prayer three times a day, so this is not a random suggestion. The church has long understood the importance of saying this prayer three times a day.

Tip 2: Read

I love this saying by Isidore of Seville regarding prayer: "when we pray, we talk to God, when we read God talks to us." Isidore taught Christians to observe everything in the world while being open to revelation. As we read and observe the world God will speak to us. If God is truly the Master of Creation, then everything is theological, whether it is in pursuit of God or in spite of God.

We should spend time daily reading. This should include scripture and other texts as well. Our technology has increased faster than our wisdom of how to use it. Reading is much slower placed and much more deliberate than other activities. Reading helps us think clearly and position ourselves so that God can speak to us. Reading truly can help our brains slow down and think with clarity, even though we often would prefer something faster paced.  We should move through scripture carefully and transform our minds by being active readers. Even while reading material other than scripture, we will find that certain words or phrases can strike our minds and allow us to see the world differently.

Now, we must not allow ourselves to become unchained to orthodoxy, because sin and temptation also want to capitalize on our desire for answers. As God tells Cain, keep up your countenance because evil is crouching at the door and it wants you. Evil will try to speak to you through revelation as well, and we must have a solid foundation to differentiate between that which is holy and that which is corrupt.

Our brains naturally want to incorporate our experiences into systems of thought. We tend to mimic and emulate the world around us. Reading well written material will help your brain construct well developed thoughts, and this is very important when considering the profound truths of God. This why so many of the songs we sing are working against good theology, they are not written in such a way that encourages precise thinking. When we pray we should use precise thinking, and reading will help us to think clearly.

If you are not used to reading, obtain an audiobook along with a copy of the same book in some textual form. Follow the words while the audiobook reads to you, and you might find it easier to build the discipline of reading.  Audiobooks are great, but the goal should be to have the skill of sitting down to read.

Tip 3: Use a Strong Vocabulary

Using a strong vocabulary doesn’t necessarily mean you know every word in the dictionary, but it means you dedicate energy to speaking and thinking well. The church needs to use precise language, and this is especially true when we speak about the nature of God.  The church is crippled when theological language is used poorly. It is important to use a strong vocabulary in prayer that aims to be as clear as possible. When you pray, go into detail about your requests. Forces of evil like to twist words and truth, and vague language makes it easier to obscure truth. God knows our hearts and minds, and He can grace us with understanding when we purse clear language when praying.

If you go to the doctor, do you desire the doctor to be vague about an illness? When we go to the doctor’s office we do not expect them come back with results from a test and say “we have found that you feel bad,” rather, we expect them to come back and say “you have an infection, and we are going clean out the infection.” Our faith is a serious matter and we should do our best to be precise in our language about God. This does not necessarily mean we have to learn massive words with many syllables, but it does mean we are doing our best to speak clearly to God and about God.

Modern church culture has allowed the fact that there are inexplicable aspects of God’s nature to be confused with the alternative idea that God’s nature is subjective. God’s nature is defined by God, and not by our feelings. Thus, we should be diligent in using precise language regarding the things we know about God and do away with this notion that there are no standards because no one fully knows the nature of God. God’s nature is beyond human explanation, but that does not mean there should be no standards in how humans discuss it. God is perfect and has commanded us to be perfect as well. We are to be transformed in the renewing of our minds. This is aspirational and not desperate; moreover, the goal of holiness should drive us to be excellent in all areas of life just as the Lord is perfect. It is a challenge to draw near to God and His holiness, not an indicator that we should wallow in imperfection.

Vague language and buzzwords plague modern church culture. Often modern praise songs are vague in their language, and this is a problem because so many people get their theology from the driving force of music. Leaders in the church want to speak in a soft tone that doesn’t draw criticism from the world; furthermore, some leaders in the church go so far as to adopt the buzzwords and thought patterns of the world that are outright antithetical to the Gospel message. We should reject desperate theology that seeks to stay in the pits of life and embrace the command of God to be transformed and perfected by Christ. We are all sinners and we have all been called to turn from sin and receive the holy transformation from God. Having a strong and precise vocabulary is a surprisingly effective tool for clear thinking and fortifying yourself against the worldly forces opposed to Christ.

Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount

We should take joy in the opportunity to pray a prayer given to us by the Lord Himself, and if we look to the 6th Chapter of the Gospel According to St. Matthew we find Jesus teaches us to pray as follows:

Matthew 6:5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “Pray then in this way: 

Our Father in heaven,

    hallowed be your name.

10     Your kingdom come.

    Your will be done,

        on earth as it is in heaven.

11     Give us this day our daily bread.

12     And forgive us our debts,

        as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13     And do not bring us to the time of trial,

        but rescue us from the evil one. (NRSV)

Jesus teaches us to pray with a very short and sincere prayer. Each term is chosen with precision and meaning. If any of these words were removed, it would drastically change the outlook of the prayer.

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, there is a sentiment taught by Jesus that we should work out our faith in secret with fear before God, knowing that it is He who sits in Heaven with the authority to judge both the living and the dead. The Sermon on the Mount clearly emphasizes the role of secrecy when living out the Christian walk.

This secrecy is not done just for secrecy's sake, but it is done for the sake of sincerity. We are not to live out our faith to get rewards from the world around us. This is why the long wordy prayers are found lacking by Jesus. The prayers referenced by Jesus are not done with sincerity, and there is good chance that their many words do not add much to the message of the prayer.

There are times when we must pray in public, and Jesus gives people a prayer that they can use. For thousands of years Christians have prayed using pre-written prayers as well as those which are spoken from the heart in a given moment. As Jesus teaches us, there is nothing wrong with using pre-written words to pray if those words sincerely represent our hearts.

Prayer is important, and it should be one aspect of a strong Christian walk. We should not desire to stay in the pits of life, but we should always be moving towards the excellence that God has called us to. Prayer should not be cut off from other areas of life. Reading will help our prayers, as will using precise language when we pray.

[sanderssidesaudiobooks]

Master List

Hello everyone! 

Here is the MASTER LIST of stories for our blog. It will be a running list of unrecorded stories (ie: written stories without their audiobook counterparts), as well as completed audiobooks with their written counterparts. Once the unrecorded fic gets matched with the audiobook, the titles will be moved to the finished columns. Please check this list BEFORE submitting a story/audiobook to our email. There is also a link to the list in the FAQ (it might be hard to find - it can be found in the answer for question number 3).

*IF YOU WANT TO SUBMIT AN AUDIOBOOK FOR A STORY THAT IS NOT YOURS: you must first call dibs on the story so that we don’t get a million versions of the same story. To do that, check the “Audiobook version has been claimed” column of the master list (to the right of the story you wish to record). If it is not already claimed, then please send us an ask to let us know that you would like to create an audiobook for that story. We will then mark it as claimed. If you change your mind, or for any other reason cannot make an audiobook for the story, then please send us another ask and let us know. We will delete the claim on the story, and it’ll be free for another person to claim. Claims are first come, first serve.

I haven’t yet decided how I want to organize the list. I was thinking alphabetically by title, but I do want to keep all stories in their AUs together, so it may be alphabetical by the fanfiction’s author. You can aways use the search function (command or control + F) to find a specific title or author, once the list gets long. 

Keep checking back. Thanks!

[little-bookshelf-dragon]

February Wrap Up (Finally)

Okay! So I’m finally getting to this...five days late. Oops. Just to clear that up, I started a reading journal towards the end of February and wanted to do entries for the month of February before making this post. I’m hoping that this will help me organize my thoughts for my reviews. So I can actually... post reviews. 

Anyway. Here we go! I’m going to begin with my overall thoughts and then go into my stats and put reviews under the cut so if you haven’t read these books and want to avoid spoilers you can! 

Overall thoughts on this month’s reading: 

I DNF’d one-third of my TBR this month (two of six. I say one third like it’s so many more than that). It’s a little funny that I had so much more success with the books I hadn’t actually planned to read than my TBR. I’m also kind of surprised that I made it through some of the books that I did, when I DNF’d other books for similar reasons. I did go into this month knowing that this was going to be a difficult bunch of books to get through, 

I think I’m going to have to adjust my Goodreads reading challenge. I’ve already more than halfway through it and its only February. I'm honestly surprised. I didn’t think I was going to make it through the 52 I had planned.  

Stats for this month: 

Total Books Read (Finished): 18 

DNF’d Books: 2

Books I need to Finish: 4

All-Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell, et al. 

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson 

Academic Books: 3

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by  Willaim Shakespeare 

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Ratings: 

Five Stars: 5

Four Stars: 7

Three Stars: 4

Two Stars: 2

One Star:  0

Spoilery Reviews Under the Cut! 

DNF’d Books: 

Frozen by Melissa De LaCruz and Micheal Johnston

It was a weird book. In general. And then the Scene that implied sexual assault happened, and I had to stop reading. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it. 

Ender’s Game By Orson Scott Card

I was having trouble getting into the book in the first place, and then I realized that these were six year old kids. Being trained for war. Against aliens. As I have a sister who’s six, this didn’t sit well with me. 

Two Star Books:

Echo by Alyson Noel 

I was really dissappointed in this book. I really enjoyed the first book in the Soul Seekers book, Fated. I liked the worldbuilding, the relationship between Daire and Dace, the concept of the Echo. But I had too many complaints about this book. Mainly with Cade. I feel like I could have liked him more if he had some actual development and clearer motivations. Though, I think the attempted rape scene was a little much (that’s an understatement.) I think it would be nice if there were a YA book where the female MC wasn’t assaulted, or at least that addresses it properly afterward. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I’m honestly surprised that I finished this one, after I DNF’d another book for similar things happening. I didn't like Feyre much. She didn't seem to have much moe to her character other than painting and hunting. For someone who was meant to be so strong willed, she seemed to change her mind too easily. Rhysand...I don’t know where it start with him. He’s not much of one here, but it’s pretty obvious that they’re setting him up as a love interst in the later books. Can we stop having abusive boyfriends in YA lit? Tamlin was a little pathetic. Maybe don’t alienate the one person that’s your shot at freedom? Maybe? Feyre and Tamilin’s relationship was cute, but it wasn't really all that convincing. 

Three Star Books:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze runner was good. I’m not sure if it was good enough to deserve the hype it received. I did not like that there was so much that was left unanswered in the beginning. It’s one thing to withhold information to create interest. It’s another to taunt your readers by having a character ask the questions, and the others refusing to give an answer. I did think the ending was an interesting twist, to stage a ‘rescue’ and then have it turn out to be apart of the trials. 

Love Drugged by James Klise 

There’s...a lot to unpack with this one. At first, the general premise made me feel a little sick. I almost stopped reading it several times thoughtout the book, especially when the chaacters described being gay as a disease. But by the time I finished, I think I understood better. Jamie was being mainipulated, not just by the doctor, but by society to think that way. His journey to discover and understand himself leads to his desperate actions in an effort to escape that manipulation. It’s heartbreaking to know that Jamie's thoughts were based off of off the author’s when he was around the same age.   

Take Two by Julia Devillers & Jennifer Roy 

I was kind of disappointed in this book. I loved the first one when I was younger, so the fact that I didn’t feel the same about the sequel is a let down. Though I guess that might have to do with the difference in age between the times I read them   

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Four Star books: 

Mockingjay by Suzzane Collins 

I cried so much reading this book. Katniss yelling at Buttercup at the end broke me. Her “for Prim” before the execution was beautiful (I’ll admit it took me some time to realize she was hinting at what she was planning to do.) Cinna having a part in the rebellion even after his death. The amount that Haymitch cares about Peeta and Katniss. UGH the feels. I did have a problem with the pacing. I felt like all the action was squeezed in at teh end. And Peeta and Katniss’s relationship seemed to seesaw between them in it’s one-sidedness throughout the series. 

Duel Of Fire by Jordan Rivet 

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Especially at he beginning, I thought the characters were annoying. But that GROWTH. By the end, I loved the characters. I had a hunch about who the rebels were, but I wasn’t sure until they were revealed. I loved the magic system and world building, and I can’t wait to see how the story will be developed in the next book and the rest of the series. 

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

This was my first Brandon Sanderson book and I was not disappointed. The concept was interesting, the Epics having a specific weakness kept them from being overpowered, and I loved the fact that  the “Normal people” weere the heroes (For the most part.) I KNEW there was somehing up wiht Megan. But Steelheart’s weakness completely threw me off. I had so many theories, but I was wrong on all of them. That was a plot twist done well. 

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

(I’m actually not going to include my notes here because they turned into more of a rant at the characters than an actual reveiw) 

Galatea by Madaline Miller

I want more of this. Any additional content, I want it. It says something that she felt the only way to escape was to die (And take her husband with her). I REALLY want to know what happened with their daughter.  

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake 

This is a reread for me. I read tthis book when I, I believe,  was the same age as Maleeka. And at the time, while I had never been in the same situations she’s in, I could still relate to her. Now, as an adult working with students Maleeka’s age, I see my students. It gives me a better insight to what might be going on in their homes, thoughts, and attitudes. This is a book that so many of them should read, just like so many of them could use a Ms. Saunderson. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Willaim Shakespeare

Five Star books:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 

This book. This book. I audiobooked most of it, which meant that I was listening to it in class while working. Which means I cried. During class. This is one of the few love triangles I think I’ve ever really liked and am actually emotionally invested in. I fully understand the hype around this series. I can't wait to pick up the next one.   

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

After finishing the audiobook, I'm sitting here trying to find the words to describe how much this means to me. How many of Xiomara's thoughts and feelings I relate to. And I just can't find the words. I can't remember the last time a book meant this much to me. Wanting to find my own voice. Beginning to question the religion that has been such a big part of my life for a long time. Feeling like I have to hide parts of myself, my thoughts, my feelings, everything I wish I could say but can't, from people I care about. Wanting my own writing to mean something to others. I wish I could put what I'm feeling into words, but I'm struggling. I cried. I need a copy of this book. I loved it so much.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I feel like Dessen’s books follow a pattern. I’ve only read three so far, but I’m able to see the similarities. However, that dosn't stop them from being unique. Sydney’s problems are different from Macy’s, whose are different from Collie’s. So while the books are similar enought to notice a pattern,  they’re unique enough to keep the reader’s interest. I wouldn’t say that Saint Anything has impacted me as much as some books have, but I did still enjoy it. Also, a moment of appreciation for instances of sexual assault handled correctly? It's rare to see the subject addressed in a book after it happens. Though I would have loved to see Ames prosecuted. We need to tell girls it's okay to speak up about these things.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

I loved this. I’m not even sue how to put it all inot words. First of all, Saskia getting expelled? Excellent. That girl made me so mad. Messing with Lila’s feelings was bad enough, but hen going stalker, assualting her, and then outing her to the entire school? I think I would have liked to see even more of a punishment, honestly. Maybe someting from her parents. LISA. I loved Lisa. I’m so happy she and Leila ended up together. They both deserved to be happy and I’m so happy they got to be happy together. I was so emotional after finishing this book.  

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

I’m not going to go too in depth because then this would be way too long but this is my favorite book that I’ve had to read for a calss. Ever. 

[escaping-thoughts-reviews]

Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott, 2019

Not much is known of the mysterious leader of the Independent Systems. Former Jedi Master, Count of Serenno, philanthropist, political genius and secretly Lord of the Sith. 

This is his story. From birth to Jedi-hood and sub sequential fall to the Darkside. It follows Dooku’s growth, the friends he made, his journey as a Master of two controversial Padawans and his fascination with ancient Sith relics and Jedi prophecies.

-

First audiobook I ever listened to, and while a paper version was later published, I think the book works better in his original audio format (I’ll explain later).

The book starts just before the events of the Clone Wars. Ventress is starting her apprenticeship with Dooku and is given the task to find a woman that has close ties to the former Jedi Master.

The narration jumps from present to past through audiologs of Dooku’s childhood as Initiate, Padawan and into adulthood as a Knight and Master. 

I found this narrating choice to be very effective and while other books can fall into the trap of blurring the lines between past and present events, confusing the reader, here the author manages to keep the two distict.

One of the most interesting parts of this novel is Dooku’s family and their history. We discover how he came to be in the Jedi Order and his father’s resentment of him. It’s revealed he has two siblings, a sister named Jenza and a brother, Ramil. During the novel we see their relationship grow. And while Jenza cares for Dooku and stays in contact with him through the years, Ramil takes from their father and resents Dooku and wants nothing to do with him.

Serenno as a world is further explored. From their repulsion for Force sensitive beings to an ancient mural depicting a creature capable of destroying the world: the Tirra’Taka.

We also explore Dooku’s relationship with Sifo-Dyas, a fellow Initiate and Padawan, and his slow descent into madness that will lead him to create the Clone Army.

Sadly Yoda is written as a crappy master and it feels really out of character. He chooses Dooku, but almost immediately leaves him with another Master and barely teaches him anything. I feel like this was a lost opportunity to explore their bond and the reasons Dooku resents Yoda so much in the future (I guess for that we have the EU).

The reason why this story works better in audio format can be summarised in a scene when Dooku hears voices in a vision when only a Padawan learner (some among them are Ventress, Savage, Sidious, Qui-Gon, Yoda, etc...). I loved this moment, although it begs the question if Dooku always had this ability. Sure it could be tallied to this being a Disney book and therefore “there are no rules”, but some consistency would be appreciated.

As the story switches to Ventress’s PoV, we learn more abou Ky Narec through her recalling of events, and his voice acts as a conscience to the Sith assassin. A conscience she tries to bury.

I would also like to share some of my favourite moments from this book (no spoilers):

D: “There’s no harm in feeling pride. I’m proud of you after all.” “If I never do anything of note ever again, I will watch you rise through the Order, changing it forever”

Q: “For the better?”

D: *soft, warm laugh*

This is probably one of my favourite moments. We see Dooku’s clear affection towards Qui-Gon and knowing the faith of the latter, it makes it even more heartbreaking (Euan Morton does an amazing job, that laugh kills me). It also allows us to understand more clearly why Dooku fell to the Dark Side, making the reader empathize with him.

D: “You are wise beyond your years, Qui-Gon Jinn. With a connection to the Living Force that may even rival Yoda.”

Q: “I doubt that”

[Oh, Qui, you don’t even know the half of it.]

D: “I have faith in you and faith in the Force”

[How do you go from this to the bitter man of CW?]

As events unfold, Dooku and Qui-Gon are sent by the Coucil to attend a Swooper race, where they encounter Ramil, who’s there as a pilot.

The action picks up as his swooper is sabotaged and the two Jedi chase the culprits through the underground levels of Coruscant, and we discover where Qui-Gon gets his maverik streak, or better, from who he gets it.

The chase leads them to confront a criminal boss. The confrontation enrages Dooku to the point he has to fight the lightning that threatens to escape, keeping it inside, controling it. Which is interesting, but also contradicts what we know about Force lightning, aka only those who are subjected to it in prolonged periods of time can use it. So it begs the question of how can Dooku use this ability if he was never exposed to it. But, again, this is a Disney novel, so lore consistency is not really expected. Here instead it’s treated as a force from within and the only way to control it is to accept it.

Another interesting side-plot it’s when a member of the Council is revealed to be allied with the underground boss, but only to protect a fellow Jedi, later revealed to be her son. The Master in question is Yula Braylon, a fromer seeker (a Jedi who finds Force sensitive children and brings them to the Temple). Her son instead is revealed to be Dooku’s training rival, Arath.

This opens a whole conversation about what’s wrong with the Order, because how sad is it that when threatened, a Jedi feels it’s safer to comply with the requests of a criminal, that to ask the Council for help. In the end, both Breylon and Arath are arrested.

The story then shifts to Dooku’s homeworld of Serenno, that is under invasion, the Republic doesn’t care (so neither does the Order) because they see it as an “internal fewd”, although they are under attack from a foreign world. Jenza sends a official help request, but the Order decides to ignore it. Dooku defies the Council and along with Sifo-Dyas and his Master, Kostana, travel to Serenno.

Ramil is revealed to be behind the invasion, the Houses of Serenno are in shambles and the population is forced out into the plains as refugees. The situation is dire.

Everything escaletes when Dooku and Kostana fall into a crevice and find the mythical Tirra’Taka.

To save his people Dooku mind melds with him and has accesses its memories, discovering that the Tirra’Taka was enslaved by the Sith and abandoned on Serenno after their defeat at the hands of House Serenno. He also discoveres that the beast hates force-sensitives and that he reawakened when Dooku returned all those years ago.  Finally explaining the fear and aberration Dooku’s father, Count Gora, felt towards him and how he saw his son’s Force-sensitivity as a threat to Serenno and wanted him as far away as possible. 

Along with these revelations Sifo-Dyas is rapidly losing his mind, having nonstop visions, caused by the growing distress of the creature. I’ll be honest, Syfo’s abilities don’t make much sense and seem to be there just to hype the drama.

Before Ramil can kill Jenza and the rest of the people, Dooku summons the Tirra’Taka and uses it to destroy the invading army. This causes Sifo-Dyas to lose his mind completely. The fight ends with Dooku killing his brother.

Sadly the beast goes insane and Dooku is reluctantly forced to kill it to save Kostana, Sifo and Jenza.

D: “I never ment to hurt you. Not like the others. Never ment to bend you to my will. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”

Here the author has me perplexed. He describes Dooku striking down the beast with his “golden blade”. Since when does Dooku have a golden kyber? It makes no sense, but again, it’s Disney...

After the battle, they discover this new, rare and, therefore, expensive ore called Zaccanium and now the Repubblic is interested in helping. This makes Dooku livid, keeping in line with his character and his contempt for the corruption of the Republic.

Yoda: “More than a name, the Jedi are. More than a title”.

Because of this Dooku decides to remain on Serenno as the new Count. Sealing his fate, as Sifo says “All the futures have become one. One path”.

D: “Please tell Rael and Qui-Gon... tell them the Force will be with them, always.”

This concludes the flashback section of the book and we return to the present, where Ventress finds the woman she was tasked to hunt down. 

She’s revealed to be Jenza, who wanted to go ask the Jedi to help her brother, for she fears he’s walking down a dark path, but was instead kindnapped by Republic agents and tortured for informations about the Separatists.  Dooku arrives she begs him to get help form the Council and to stop listening to the “hooded man”.

Meanwhile, Narec’s voice is still trying to convince Ventress to run away and gives her a vision of what awaits the former Jedi Master. As she’s trown back to reality, Dooku gives her an order, to which Narec tries again to convince Ventress to run away, in the last desperate attempt to keep her in the Light, but she doesn’t.  She obeys the Sith and Narec finally disapears. She made her choice.

-

Lore wise: it’s interesting. Through the course of the movies and animated series, we never really see or learn about Dooku as a character (his motivations, aspirations, bonds if he ever had any). the most we get is a hint of his affection for Qui-Gon in Episode II or, his almost panicked reaction at Sidious’s order to kill Ventress (you could also count the ROTS novelization by M. Stover, where he tries to convince Sidious not to kill Obi-Wan, because he sees him as a grandson).

I liked the concept that Dooku gained the Force lightning before becoming a Sith, because it kind of shows that although it’s associated with the Dark Side, it’s still part of the Force.

The biggest change this book makes (also “Master and Apprentice”) is probably to the timeline In the EU, Dooku and Qui-Gon were 10 years apart, making Qui-Gon in Episode I 60 yrs old and Dooku 70 (80 in Ep II). While now, in the Disney canon, Qui-Gon is 47 and Dooku is still 70. Not a big deal I guess, but it does raise the question: how does Qui-Gon have the rank of Master in TPM, if Obi-Wan is his only Padawan? Qui-Gon was 22 when Obi-Wan was born, so that leaves approximately a 13 years gap, in which they could squeeze in another Padawan.

At least it’s implied that Dooku still joined Sidious after Qui-Gon’s death, I was afraid they’d retcon that. I always liked that it was that loss that pushed him to the edge.

Voice acting: Orlagh Cassidy as Ventress is good, she sounds very similar to Nika Futterman. Morton’s Dooku grows on you after a while, although the not so pronounced british accent is quite distracting, but what can I say, there’s only one Chistopher Lee. Qui-Gon is... interesting. Like, I know he should be 13/14 when he’s first introduced, but he sounds way older (sometimes older that Dooku), but to his credit the slight irish accent is delightful. Also Jonathan Davis delivery and speech patterns mimic those of Liam Neeson pretty well. On the other hand I was not expecting Rael’s voice to sound like that! Nice.

So, in conclusion:

Jenza deserved better

Ventress deserved better

Dooku is a dick, like his father and brother before him

But in all seriousness, this is a very well acted audiobook, with an amazing soundtrack and an interesting story that sheds light on one of the most unexplored characters of the Prequel Trilogy.

———————

Rating: It’s a buy!

[visualpractitioner]

Why We Must Learn How to Thrive in a World of Dichotomies

Despite a tumultuous year, notice where you landed at the end of 2020. Was it in a swamp or quicksand? On the back of a bucking bronco? Like a cat, have you handed back on your feet? Or has it been pretty stable for you?

Regardless, stand firm and feel the ground beneath you rise up. Imagine yourself standing in a plateau. You have a wonderful vantage point from which to choose a new direction.

Whether you need guidance from the depths or help creating a vision, I’m here to support. Check out www.vizcoach.com.

I have had the pleasure of working with the Motto team on a couple of projects this month and I love this quote by Sunny  Bonnell. She is an extraordinary copywriter whose words affirm and inspire. Consider the quote and what it means to you.

Dipping a toe in the fast-paced, idea-generating river of brand marketing is enough to make anyone’s head spin. Working with Motto has inspired a series of mildly-related personal writings that will keep me busy for a bit.

Why We Must Learn How to Thrive in a World of Dichotomies

Black Lives Matter. And yes, while all lives matter, we have to work together to dissolve the systems of oppression and write and adopt policies that liberate. It will take all of us and now is the time.

Create the world we want to live in. In order to do this, we must do so collectively and as individuals.

“Be the change we want to see in the world.” - Ghandi

Starting in small pockets: families, communities, teams, companies, etc. create shared visions and strategies for a better world than the one that just dissolved behind us. If this seems too overwhelming, then continue to do the right thing everyday: taking care of others, practice micro inclusions, small steps that your future self will thank you for.

Forget the new normal. People want stability, but at what cost? If we “go back” what have we learned? Yes, definitely honor those who came before us AND create a new future for ourselves. I love the question posed by Trendwatching in their “21 for 21” article.

“How can you leverage the build-back-better momentum and explore responsible new business opportunities?”

After some thought, what actions will you take and how will you build these topics into your decision model?

Need some help processing 2020 and planning for 2021? I share a tip on how to handle it all in this video starting at the 8:40 mark.

Books I’ve read recently

How do you learn about interesting books? I like to ask leaders what they are currently reading. When I asked Wendy Ryan, CEO of Kadabra, one of the books she mentioned was:

I’m Still Here: Black dignity in a world made for whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. Spoiler Alert: your mind will be blown in the first couple of pages. This book will challenge your thinking in a gentle way. The audiobook is read by the author, which makes it so much more intimate. This book will give you the opportunity to explore your assumptions and challenge you to do the right thing, always.

And through a few projects with Motto I’m also reading:

Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different Unfortunately NOT read by the authors, Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger—I recommend the hard copy over the audiobook (as the narrator does not do the content justice). The book comes with an accompanying quiz you can take here.

I’d love to know...which Rare Breed virtue are you?

The Best of Me I recommend listening to David Sedaris as he reads his books. It gives you a better sense of his vulnerabilities. This book, dedicated to his brother Paul, is hilarious and wrong in the typical Sedaris family fashion. I love listening to him talk about his childhood as I recall the time I met Amy Sedaris in person as she caught me rummaging through her purse.

That story is for another time.

[podcastcoach]

How to Tell Better Stories with Matthew Dicks

I have had the voice of Matthew Dicks in my head more than any other person this year. I heard him on a podcast, bought his audiobook Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling, and listened to it. When I was done with the book I wanted more and found his Speak Up Story Telling podcast. Unlike other books on Storytelling that have brilliant messages like "Stories are good," and "You should learn how to tell stories," I was THRILLED that I had finally found a book that explained HOW to tell better stories. It is an AMAZING book, and I feel it will benefit anyone who reads or listens to it.

Today I am honored to have the author on my show.

Here are some key points:

Start with a thesis. I use to think something, and then something (the story) happened, and now I think something else.

I would prefer to be entertaining than lengthy and boring. Always serve the story (not yourself).

I think about what I want my audience to feel in certain parts of the story. I make those decisions before I begin crafting my story.

"How about making the first thing you say something that's actually engaging and interesting? Because those first 30 seconds to 60 seconds of a story that is such fertile ground, that is your opportunity to either convince the audience that what is to come is worth listening to, or I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Because I've just bored you for 30 to 60 seconds, and essentially told you nothing."

Our questions that we asked people like in a podcast, the more specific they are, the more helpful they are to our guests.

Ready To Start Your Podcast?

Are you worried about spending too much money on equipment? Sounding unprofessional? Not sure what software to use? How to shape your content? 

Join the school of podcasting and enjoy the step by step tutorials along with a private Facebook group filled with other brilliant podcasting minds. 

You can join worry-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start

TIME TABLE

01:22 Matthew Dicks Introduction 03:50 When Did You realize Stories Had Power? 08:38 Do Stories HAVE to show vulnerability? 10:14 Is vulnerability Magic? 12:38 How do you know what to keep and what to delete? 15:27 The Importance of Location 19:30 Homework For Life 23:44 Can you Tell a Story "By Numbers" 26:40 The Power of But and Therefore VS And 30:16 Story Telling Peeves 33:52 3-2-1 Game 36:23 When Did Mathew Know He Wanted to Podcast? 37:58 Because of My Podcast ______ 40:58 Watching Your Daughter Tell a Story 42:13 Where to Find Matthew's Workshops 44:33 Storytelling is More Than Just Stories 45:40 How Storytelling Helps 47:36 Matthew Has Other Books

Profit From Your Podcast is Available

Pick up any book on podcast monetization, and you will find 90 percent of it only covers how to launch a podcast. If you already have a podcast, you have that information; you’re ready for the next step. Profit from Your Podcast provides top strategies and real-life examples of podcast monetization. This book is more than what to do. It also tells you how to do it. Chapters cover such topics as: 

How to Grow Your Audience

How to Set Your Pricing

Understanding Advertising Jargon

How to Find Sponsors

Best Strategies for Making Money as an Affiliate

Master Strategies for Crowdfunding

Harnessing the Power of Webinars and Events

The Top Tools to Make Your Job Easy

Built on the author’s fifteen years of experience in podcasting, this action-packed guide will benefit new and veteran podcasters. Get clear on who your audience is and what they want, deliver value, and build an engaged audience that wants to give you money. Leverage your relationships and the integrity you have built through your podcast to create multiple streams of income. Profit from Your Podcast gives you the tools to do it all.

Mentioned In This Episode

Matthew Dicks Website

Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling

Get the Audiobook for free if you're new to Audible

Speak Up Story Telling podcast

Homework for life video

Profit from Your Podcast

School of Podcasting

Podcast Consulting

Check out this episode!

[shadowtearling]

My 2018 Bookish Resolutions! (I’m not sorry for this extra long post; these are so cute none of you can be mad). I added some blog-related resolutions and changed some reading-related ones. Let’s go through them! Be warned: I talk a lot. I wanted this to be comprehensive so I can really help myself do better. 

Also, I doubt any of you will actually read through this long ass post. This is truly more for me than anything.

Reading Challenge: 24 Books — This is a downsize from the past two years where I set my goal to 50. By setting my goal to 24, I only have to read 2 books per month. I want to downsize for multiple reasons:

I want to make time for longer books (I’m looking at you, The Name of the Wind). There are so many interesting fantasy books out there I want to read (i.e the Temeraire series, which I need to continue with), and oftentimes they’re so long that I don’t pick them up trying to race to some imaginary number. 

This leads to my second reason that has a lot to do with reducing reading stress. Granted, for both years I’ve surpassed that 50-book goal and I’m the only one putting pressure on myself. However, this year, I really want to let myself breathe.

I want to read books that I care about. Not books that are convenient so I can raise that number. 

Prioritize #OwnVoices — This will always be important to me. I want to read diverse books, but I want to be reading books by marginalized authors about and for marginalized people. I want to keep boosting those kinds of books on my blog. 

Refine & Define Star Rating — My star ratings last year were all over the place and I was constantly changing my mind. I couldn’t tell what exactly 3 stars meant, whether it was good or bad. This year, I want to define and break down what each of the stars mean so that they’re more helpful not just for people who read my reviews but also for me. Will have a post for that eventually!

DNF More — I’m not scared of not finishing books. I’ve done it plenty of times. But I still somehow slog through books I’m not enjoying, and I want that to stop. I want to drop a book and move on. I don’t have time for books I’m not into.

More Comprehensive Tracking — I started tracking more things with my reading last year using an excel sheet, but now that I have to count everything... I realize my mistakes. I want to refine the way I track my reading and include in it my purchases versus books I borrowed from the library. Let’s all be obsessed with numbers. I want to get into specifics! Not just page numbers.

Create a Variety of Content

Recommendations — All of my recommendation posts are literally because someone sent me an ask. I want to have actual dedicated posts for recs. One is currently in the making, but I have no idea when it’ll be posted or even when it’ll be done. I’m working on it! 

Reviews — I branched out last year by starting Audiobook reviews that you all seem to enjoy. I want to continue that, but I also want to variate the types of regular reviews I do. One sentence reviews, fanfic style (inspired by other booklrs), casual book photos with a review. Anything different from the formal 1k words essay I usually write up.

Edits — I want to pick back up on that 5 star reads. But I also want to create new kinds of edits to explore my own creativity. 

Host One New Challenge 

I absolutely loved being the host for ASC & 25DOB last year, and I want to create a new one for you guys, though I don’t know what that is, YET! 

I might also bring back one of the two for this year if anyone wants!

One community activity I’m definitely hosting this year is a buddy readalong for The Tearling Trilogy. Be on the lookout for that post! 

Participate in a Challenge (not my own) — I have always avoided joining a bookish photo challenge of any sort because I didn’t believe in myself! But with 25DOB, I really proved to myself it was possible to post pictures consistently and actually come up with pretty configurations and set ups. So at some point (maybe summer?), I want to join in on the fun!

Post Consistently — For the two and a half years I’ve been running this blog, I have like the vaguest sense of when I post things. It’s never a consistent thing, though. This year, I really want to have a sort of schedule (not strict lmao we all know I’ll give up on this not even halfway through January). I also really fell off with posting wrap-ups, so I want to make sure this year I keep up and always have one up by the start/end of each month. I’m also thinking about having a schedule for bookish photos if I’m not participating in a challenge. (Reviews are so sparse I don’t think that one will need regulating). The discussion posts definitely need to be more refined.

Some things I want to continue doing that I started this year:

Read widely — I like YA. I think it’s the genre that is most capable and adaptable to change, the most welcoming to diverse voices, and the most fun. I’m not about that adult problems life... BUT I also do want to keep branching out and reading from other genres. In particular, I really want to get into more anthologies. I think those are cool, and I had success with the two that I did read last year. 

Be an interactive member of the community — I don’t want to just be a blog that posts cutesy pictures and never actually talks to people. I like you guys lol. I like tagging mutuals in posts I think they’d be interested in. I like asking you questions or you coming into my inbox with whatever question you have. I don’t think that’s going to change.

Reviews!!!!!! I already touched on this ^ up there. But I just want to keep writing more of those. I did a damn OK job of posting more reviews last year than the year before. I want to do a damn GOOD job this year.

Rereads — I definitely want to go back to books I’ve loved and revisit them. I’ve had such good luck with rereading, and I want to continue this trend!

Buddy Reads — I did one last year, and I want to do at least two this year! Who knows, maybe I’ll have more. But I hope for at least two. 

If you made it through to this point, good job dude wow and thank you for reading. :-)

[alma-berry]

“It’s really really toxic to have been involved in a clearly vicious ship battle for years. It will destroy utterly your ability to read or enjoy the canon you’re arguing about. “

Fam, this is the tea. And it’s so relevant! Stop fighting and hating, it makes the entire experience of reading the books and having a fandom suck. That’s not why we’re here...

This is a community that formed to talk, laugh, create and bond over these amazing books. Keep that in mind before you attack someone for having a different opinion than yours, or before you send these bullshit hateful asks to the author.

Chill, wash your hands and listen to an audiobook. If you need to vent, open the goddamn window.

Jessa/Wessa ship wars

teenagefunbouquet said:Isn’t it enough Tessa&Jem got a wedding comic, two kids (and you say more), a lifetime as the only mates for each other and your most explicitly written sex scene After the Bridge? Wessa are the most popular and we get nothing, every wessa moment is shared with Jem while Jessa get to be alone, Wessa fans got no “anticipation” like jessa fans are getting now everyday you give them a book in jem’s pov or a short story or a new kid. it feels like wessa is dead.

I’ll be interested in people’s thoughts on this. (I left the username as is since it’s a blank account, probably created to ask this question, so no one’s really getting hurt in this minor drama.) Most of my long and somewhat crabbish post is under the read more.

First, let me reply with the obvious, which is the Jessa rebuttal: “Isn’t it enough that Will gets to be Tessa’s first love and Jem only gets to be her second? Isn’t it enough that Will and Tessa had sex when they thought Jem was dead? Isn’t it enough that there’s a whole series about Will and Tessa’s kids but we only find out that Jem and Tessa had a kid in a short story? Isn’t enough that Jem and Tessa have spent half their relationship looking for a kid who’s related to Will, not either of them? Isn’t it enough that Will and Tessa got two biological kids they got to spend eighteen years raising and Jem and Tessa only get like two years with Kit? Jessa are the most popular, but half the stories in Ghosts of the Shadow Market happened while Will was still alive! And now Wessa fans are getting content every day and have two more books of Wessa being married and doing cute stuff to look forward to. Every day they’re getting a special edition of a book with a whole short story about their wedding. It feels like Jessa is dead.”

Not that I believe any of that either: I think both complaints are equally silly and selfish. But they are complaints rooted in the same logic, which is “My ship is the best and most popular, and every time I see something that in my mind supports the ship I hate I feel angry and diminished, and rather than perhaps examining those feelings I’d like to vent them on other fans and the creator.”

So. My feeling about this is: I am sad to see there is still some kind of a ship war here. As far as I am concerned��

Keep reading

[books-and-dachshunds]

booklr tag ?

Oh hey ! I’m not a new booklr so much now.. since i’ve been here a few months already (started in may), but I saw @breaandbooks‘ tag from the booktube inspired one and I never did one of thoses yet, so don’t mind if I do !

1. Why did you create a Booklr?  I originally started because I thought it would help me read more and to just converse books with other book loving people that would understand me !

2. What is your favorite genre? What do you enjoy reading? I have some issues to recognize what is what by myself.. but YA, romance (specially cheesy ones... not gonna lie), thriller/mystery, paranormal (mostly real ghost stories) .. 

3. What are some of your favorite books? I have alot .. but here’s a few;  “Quand souffle le vent du nord” aka “Love Virtually” by Daniel Glattauer. “On fait l'amour, on fait la guerre”, by the canadian french from Quebec author Mélanie Leblanc.. “On regrettera plus tard” by Agnès Ledig (from france), “À quatres mains” or “Sweet things” by Renée Carlino and “Au premier chant du merle” or “the black bird sings at dusk” from Linda Olsson 

4. What got you into reading? My godmother. Mom always told me stories before bed; but what I remember the most is my godmother sharing her love of novels with me - I always wanted to go sleep at her house and she always read some “Les aventures de Tintin” comics to me, making all the characters a different voice. She had all the collection and I read them quite a few time both with her & by myself. She also start to bring me to our little “Salon du livre” for years; an event that take place in a school gym so thats quite small, but they sell some books there and invited authors can sign books and some things are scheduled for children also .. Now my mom do love to read aswell but only “found out” in 2012 when she started her dialysis while my godmother has always been there ..

5. Why do you love reading? It just always has been a part of me, that I fear of losing to anxiety and depression as it’s so much harder than how it used to be .. im still learning to accept that reality ... I very much love to lose myself into another universe where I usually go for what I don’t have, which is that cliché cheesy romance..

6. What are some fun unique things you can bring to booklr? Well ! I do post my own photography when I can, aswell as my reviews - and I don’t typically read the same as all thoses you see on here all the time so that can be good to have diversity, right ? I try to converse & ask questions when I can and you also get my ramblings 😂​

7. What are some difficulties that will be the hardest to overcome in starting a booklr? Not reading in english ..I should really invest in some audiobooks and e-books someday though, as it will help me, but only being able to do so in french right now, alot aren’t translated for me and I can’t jump on the bandwagon with other booklrs and I feel quite ... on the side of things x) but the other way is also true; what I read ain’t always available in english ..

8. Finally, what are you most excited about for this booklr? Hopefully to continue to participe alot in this lovely community, and to keep it active ! 😄​ and hopefully I can get my reading back on track hah..  

For funsies (as always, only if you want to!) I tag; @the-eagle-mockingbird-bookworm, @hardcovcr, @winter-book-lover, @pagesinmylife, @canadianbooklove aand @cityofravenboys. Feel free to do it too if you want to though ! ^.^/

[mercerislandbooks]

What to Read When You Don’t Know How to Read Again

Lately, I have found myself in the not-so-unique position of being a bookseller who doesn’t know what to read to begin reading again. There is a lot going on in the world, and it can be very distracting from the now. As of late, stress has been my deterrent. Like many of my coworkers (unsurprisingly, not Lori Robinson, though), I have had trouble staying on task, let alone allow myself to get swept up into a book. And for a couple of weeks, it was okay. I didn’t particularly like it because half of my identity is reading, but I let myself exist in this state of overwhelm. Sometimes the only cure for all that overwhelms me in the world is reality TV, because books do not numb your mind the way that TV can.

But it has been almost a month since we have been at home, and even in the overwhelm I have been aching to read. All I want to do is curl up and get lost in a mythical world or good narrative. I have read bits and pieces of random books, stopping and starting as my mood dramatically changed. I tried family dramas, historical fiction, and even a mystery, but nothing kept my interest. Then it worked! I was sucked into Blue Flowers by Carola Saavedra. I think it was because of the intensity of the first person writing and the mystery behind the epistolary element. Nothing sucks me in like a forbidden romance. But then my stamina faded out, and I still have sixty pages left of this 200 page book. 

Finally, I picked up I. W. Gregorio’s new book This is My Brain in Love. This young adult romance features two teens who are experiencing and learning how to treat their mental health issues while falling in love. It also features an Asian immigrant family, a small business, and tons of delicious food words. It’s adorable and realistically portrayed. I also had a deadline of trying to finish it before we had to send it out for a giveaway (and I am super motivated by deadlines). Besides the time element, one of the main reasons I was able to fall into the story was that it didn’t ask too much of me. The barrier to entry was low (Or “I was immediately interested in the characters) and the book made me smile. Simple enough. Now, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in my TBR!

If you’re also struggling to get into reading these days, my fellow booksellers and I have put together a collection of books that are easy reads to get you back on that reading-horse. Take a look and let us know what you think!

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is Laurie’s rec and, coincidentally, also a vacation-read pick from Nancy. We follow its leading lady, Vivian, through the theatre scene of 1940s New York City. Glamorous showgirls and glittery champagne fill the pages with scandal, while Vivian also takes the time to also reflect on the way her reckless youth changed the course of her life. Ultimately, this is a book about freedom and love. Other historical fiction to take a crack at are The Signature of All Things also by Elizabeth Gilbert, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, or The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.

That We May Live edited by Cj Evans, Sarah Coolidge & Ge Yan

One great way to get into reading is to read collections of short stories. This collection of Chinese speculative fiction ticks all the boxes of being highly transportive and accessible. Each story is written by a different author and explores the growth of an element of modern life into the future. Sci-fi not your thing? No worries, there are tons of fantastic short story collections, including a new collection from Madeline L’Engle called The Moment of Tenderness (more on this to come from Lori R soon!), a collection exploring the body from Lydia Yuknavitch called Verge, and a collection of micro-stories that perfectly communicate the small moments in life from Nicolette Polek called Imaginary Museums.

Yes, No, Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed 

This is Lori R’s rec, with the larger sentiment of try YA!! She loved this timely young adult book with a dual narrative between the main characters Jamie and Maya. Thrown together to canvas for a special election, Maya and Jamie navigate the intricacies of politics and their growing friendship simultaneously. As mentioned before, YA books are usually more accessible because they have a faster paced narrative with emotional stakes that usually have a more hopeful element. The easier reading level and larger font size than an average adult novel also makes you feel like you are getting through the novel so quickly. This does not discredit the amazing stories that are created within the genre, but it does allow for the reader to feel a larger sense of accomplishment while reading, which can sometimes be part of why we stop. Lori also mentioned that the audiobook is great! As a side note, Audiobooks are another a fantastic way to break the non-reading haze as you can do your everyday tasks while reading. Fancy, huh?

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

This book somehow contained every element I ever thought I wanted in a book. It has passion, intrigue, Edgar Alan Poe, a scavenger hunt, literary devices, fantastically written and lovable characters, action, and maybe even ghosts (maybe). I cannot say enough to credit this book only that I had to take a break from reading books after I read this one because it was so good. Perhaps not the best one to suggest in a blog about getting people to read, but it will certainly keep you turning the pages. This is also a good example of why mysteries are a good genre to read right now, keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens!

Let us know if any of these books sound good to you, or if you have other suggestions of books that will keep us reading! We are so happy when we hear from our community.

— Kelleen