Midnight Voltage

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April 16: Top Ten Tuesday REWIND -- pick a past topic you missed or one you want to revisit!

As such, I've chosen: "Top Ten Books I Want to Reread"

• A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. This is probably my favorite book. I've read it twice, and I'm definitely eager to do so again.
• The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. An amazing book that I've only read once--would definitely look forward to reading it again.
• A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. Because this series was/is amazing. I still need to read A Dance with Dragons (I've been waiting for the paperback, because I'm slightly OCD in wanting the same edition for the whole series, but I might give in and buy the hardback--especially since the paperback release date has been pushed back once again <_<), but I'll look forward to reading them all again. 
• Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling. These books were really fun to read, and I only read them for the first time last August. 
• Holes, by Louis Sachar. Just read this book last Friday for the first time. I know, I'm probably the only person who hasn't. Needless to say, it was amazing. 
• The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. And I just read this book on Saturday--same thing. Amazing book that I'd love to re-read. 
• American Assassin, by Vince Flynn. Another of my favorite books. I've already read this two or three times--wouldn't mind doing it again.
• The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. A fantastic urban fantasy series, with one of the greatest narrators of any book or series I've read. 
• The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis. Because it's amazing.
• The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. Because I don't remember the books at all, except small glimpses of The Magician's Nephew, because I read them so long ago. 

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March 26: Top Ten  Books I Recommend The Most

• A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. Quite possibly my favorite book. 
• The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. An extremely moving and well-written book, something for everyone. Really gives you an appreciation for reading/books. 
• The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Obvious choice is obvious. Tolkien is the master, and the Hobbit is an amazing book. 
• The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is perhaps my favorite fictional character. Definitely one of my favorites, at least--his wit and humor are extremely enjoyable. 
• A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. This really is a fantastic series. There are, unfortunately, a few things that cause me to not recommend it as much as other things, but I did really enjoy this series. 
• Mitch Rapp books, by Vince Flynn. American Assassin would be the book I recommend most, as it is my favorite--the beginning of Mitch Rapp and how he became who he is. Another character favorite of mine, and Vince Flynn is one of the authors that got me hooked on reading.  
• And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. Also the Hercule Poirot books. Agatha Christie is a classic, and every one of her books that I've read have been amazing. Obviously some are better than others, but she's still a fantastic author.
• Anything by Michael Connelly. Or specifically, his Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller and Jack McEvoy series--he has a few other books, but I haven't read those. Really enjoyed all of these, though. 
• Skin, by Ted Dekker. Just an amazing thriller that captures your attention from the start and never lets go.
• The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis. This book just gives you a greater appreciation and understanding of what love is and what it means. 

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March 19: Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

• The Presidential Agent series, by W.E.B. Griffin. I actually bought this whole series, but I haven't read any yet--I'm somewhat of a completionist, so when I bought the first one, thought it sounded interesting, and found out that there weren't that many in the series...I just wanted to buy them all before I started reading them. I have read other things by Griffin, though. 
• Coup d'état, by Ben Coes. I was looking for this for a long time, every time I'd go to a bookstore. Then I finally got it almost a year ago, but still haven't read it. 
• The Bob Lee Swagger series, by Stephen Hunter. I read the first book before buying the others, but have only read the second book since having bought them all. I definitely plan to, I just haven't gotten around to it. 
• The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Way back when I first started collecting books, this was one of the first that I "had" to have. 
• The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Same as Kite Runner. 
• The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I mean, come on, it's Tolkien. So every time I'd go to a used bookstore I'd keep an eye out for this. Still haven't read it, though. 
• The BIONICLE Adventures series. Again, I'm a completionist, so when I had read all of the Legends, I just had to get the Adventures and read them. Still haven't done that yet, but I do now have every book. 
• Open Season, by C.J. Box. There was a time when I was actively hunting this down for a while, but it's been sitting on my shelf for over a year. 
• Tom Clancy books. I've only read Dead or Alive and later (as well as Patriot Games), but I just had to get all of the old Jack Ryan books too. And I had meant to read them a lot sooner, but...I haven't. 
• The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Just another of those books that I had to have, but it's just been sitting on my shelf for a while. I do hope to read it this year, though. 

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March 12: Top Ten Books At The TOP Of My Spring 2013 TBR list!

• The Floating Admiral, by the Detection Club (including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, and others). I'm definitely reading this next. I love the idea, first of all, of so many classic detective novelists writing a story together. Plus the three aforementioned authors are all very great writers, and I'll really enjoy reading what they came up with.
• Coup d'Etat, by Ben Coes. Been meaning to read this for a while--loved Coes's first book. 
• Killing Floor, by Lee Child. I've been meaning to start the Jack Reacher books for a while, and with the new film that's just more motivation to. 
• The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling. Or several other books, really. I mean, sure, I want to read this book, but I'm not sure I'd consider it top on my list. Still, i'm very interested to see how this compares to Harry Potter, and decide for myself whether it's amazing or horrible or just "okay" (it seems like I've seen those three comments a lot in the reviews). 
• Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson. I'm currently reading this, actually. I need to have most of it read by Wednesday for my Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Literature class, but I'll probably end up reading it all tomorrow, as it's really good so far. I'll be making a blog entry on Science Fiction soon, actually, because I haven't ever read anything until this class.
• The Night Circus, by Emily Morgenstern. Also for my SF/F/H class, but it does sound really interesting, and I look forward to reading it. Plus I need to read more fantasy. 
• The Last Werewolf, by Glen Duncan. For my SF/F/H class. I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed to find out that this was the book we were reading to cover "horror." But oh well.
• Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow. For my SF/F/H class. Sounds pretty good. 
• Human Chain, by Seamus Heaney. I'm really excited for this one. I have to read a poetry book for my poetry creative writing class, and Heaney was recommended to me by BZP Member Tolkien. I've really, really enjoyed reading every poem that I've read so far by him. 
• Masterpieces: The Best Sciecne Fiction of the Twentieth Century, by Orson Scott Card. This is also for my SF/F/H class, but we won't be reading every single story. I hope, to, though. 

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Ladies and gentlemen of the Ambage, it is my pleasure to initiate work on the next published Ambage Anthology! Through the recent poll, BZPower members have decided that the overarching genre of this anthology will be Science Fiction. But we don’t have a title yet, or any stories for that matter, and that’s where you--Ambage writers--come in.
 
How do I participate?
 
Due to the nature of how the anthology is organized and managed, you will need to have access to Skype in order to participate (of course, you’ll also need to be an Ambage member, but that’s easy: simply post in this topic stating your intention to join). Once you have a Skype account, simply contact me via BZP PM or Private Chat and you will be added to the Ambage Anthology Discussion Chat on Skype.
 
Important: The wheels are already turning, so if you want to participate, you should contact me before the end of the day on Thursday, March 14th. Work on the Anthology will officially begin the following day. 
 
You might be worried about your work not being ready for publication. Don’t sweat it! All stories will undergo a double round of workshops and critiques before the final deadline, so there will be plenty of opportunity for improvement and finessing. This is an event for the entire Ambage community, so we welcome anyone and everyone to participate.
 
What does participating entail?
 
As a participant, your responsibilities are two-fold:
 
(1) You must submit at least one story for the anthology, although you may submit more than one. The only restriction on the content of your story is that it conform to the Science Fiction genre. Otherwise, you’re free to go wild. As a general rule, we suggest a word count within the 500-3000 range, although this is pretty flexible.
 
(2) You must participate in both rounds of the workshops. Participation in the workshops involves replying to at least ~10 stories (this number will be specified later) by your fellow writers in each round. The first round is a general critique, after which writers will make revisions to their works. The second round works the same, using the revised stories from the first round. In each round, you should reply to the same set of stories so that you can provide some commentary on both the initial and revised versions.
 
What are the deadlines?
 
The following is a list of dates and deadlines for the different stages of the Anthology process. If you cannot meet the deadlines, we will have to remove you from the project--there is unfortunately no leeway for this:
 
March 15-April 5—Stories due. Any stories you want included in the Anthology are due by April 5th.
 
April 5-May 1—Workshop Round 1. During this period, all the stories will be workshopped. Your ~10 in-depth reviews must be given by May 1st.
 
May 1-May 10—Revisions. During this period, authors should revise their stories. The revised drafts are due by May 10th.
 
May 10-May 20—Workshop Round 2. During this period, you should re-read the ~10 stories you reviewed during Round 1 and provide some thoughts on the author’s revisions. Reviews are due by May 20th.
 
May 20-June 1—Final Stories Due. During this period, authors should make any last changes. All final drafts are stories are due by June 1st.

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Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

• Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm reading it this year, over the summer. I'm not letting myself go another year without doing so. Reasons are obvious. Although technically I guess I've started this, but that was years ago.
• Jack Reacher, by Lee Child. I love Vince Flynn and Tom Clancy and Alex Berenson and Ben Coes and Stephen Hunter. As another master of thrillers, I've always wanted to read Lee Child's books. Not to mention the new movie looks fantastic, but I'm waiting to watch it until I read the book.
• Alphabet Mysteries, by Sue Grafton. I love mysteries and I've heard Grafton is good. Plus I love the idea of the books named after a letter of the alphabet.
• Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. After reading A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin, I've been craving to read more epic fantasy stories. After LOTR, this is the second fantasy series I want to read most as I've heard it's amazing.
• The Dark Tower, by Stephen King. Really just anything by Stephen King, but I've heard this series is good. 
• Star Wars, by Various Authors. A lot of people seem to like them, so I want to give them a try. 
• Hannibal Lecter, by Thomas Harris. Seems like an awesome(ly dark) character. And also so I can finally see the movie Silence of the Lambs, because I've been waiting to read the book.
• Chaos Walking, by Patrick Ness. A Monster Calls is one of my all-time favorite books. It'll be fun to read some of his other work. 
• Lord Peter Wimsey, by Dorothy Sayers. I love classic detective fiction, and Dorothy Sayers is one of the masters. I'm really excited to get all of her books (I only have three, and two short story anthologies, unfortunately) and read them. 
• The Presidential Agent, by W.E.B. Griffin. I've had this whole series for a while now, so it's about time I started it. 

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But it here: https://www.createspace.com/4145933
 
That's right, the Ambage has published a book. You can read the full announcement/details in this post. So please, give it a read; tell us what you think! We hope you enjoy it. =]
 
~ Velox

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Haven't done one of these in a while, but I didn't really have anything to put for the last few except one or two, plus I was busy with other projects so I figured I just wouldn't do anything. But this one I liked. 

February 5: Top Ten Best Bookish Memories (waiting in line for a new release, meeting an author, or some sort of great experience with a particular book that was unlike others)
 

• Vince Flynn Booksigning in 2010. Definitely my favorite bookish experience, as he was really one of the writers that got me interested in reading, and is still one of my favorites. So when he was speaking/having a book signing at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, of course I had to go. Unfortunately I missed the book signing (but I did pick up a signed copy), but I got to hear all of his talk which was really enjoyable. Plus, it was my first time going to the RR Library, even though it's only ~an hour from my house, so that was a fun experience. 
   
• Meeting Michael Connelly. Much more recently, only last December 2012. One of my favorite authors, I was extremely excited that he was speaking/signing at a Barnes & Noble only ~20 minutes from my house. And this time I got there in time for everything, and got to meet him (I wrote an entry about it a few below this one, with a picture). His talk was awesome as well, and just an awesome experience. 
   
• Discovering A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, and how it's a picture book. When I first heard that I was a little put-off. What, a children's book? But no, it's definitely not, and it was amazing. Definitely one of my favorite books, and discovering this book was an awesome memory. 
   
• Pre-ordering books (I only do it for my favorite authors). Yes, this one's a little lame, but it's true. Whenever I pre-order books for my favorite authors, I'm just super excited and can't wait for them to come. 
   
• Watching the Hobbit. This may sound weird, I know, but it's true. This is only the second movie I've seen just after reading the book. The other was The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly. But this was different. I mean, it was Peter Jackson's The Hobbit for crying out loud, and it was just an amazing, amazing experience. Saying lines with the movie that are from the book, seeing the similarities, the differences, etc. 
   
• Receiving The Last Man, by Vince Flynn, in the afternoon, starting it, and finishing it that night. Again, he's one of my favorite authors, and becoming so caught up with his book to read it in a single evening was just really fun. 
   
• Reading The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, and telling everyone about it. Similar to AMC, I was extremely (and pleasantly) surprised at how amazing this book was, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. 
   
• Finishing the Harry Potter Series. Simply just the feeling of "I finally read it" after reading it for the first time last August (2012). A great series and extremely enjoyable. 
   
• Reading A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. This was the first book series that I've read that was high fantasy. This is the first book series that I've just gotten completely captivated by, and immersed myself in the world of ASoIaF. Reading these books was like living in a different time as I allowed myself to just become completely caught up in it.
   
• Michael Connelly marathon. Late last December I read 9 books in 13 days of his Harry Bosch series. Really an amazing experience and some amazing novels.

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