Abducted by Challenge Day 20

Yesterday I spent the ENTIRE day reading!

It was horrendous!

Mostly because the three books I managed to finish were not very interesting.

Wait, I take that back, they were interesting...it was just that they weren't the type of books one would normally try to read in one sitting.

But still, I did nothing else! My apartment is a mess, the sink is over flowing with dishes. My dog Riley needs a bath and that still hasn't happened. And I haven't watched any TV what-so-ever since Sunday nights episode of The New Jersey Housewives! (Ashley is such a spoiled brat! I hope Jacqueline really does kick her out because she totally deserves it!)

I'm going to write about two of the books I finished now and save the last one (Forever Odd by Dean Koontz, 2nd book in the Odd Thomas series) for Saturday!

Okay, so starting off we have...

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card.

I got this book about two years ago. Back when I thought I was going to be a fantasy writer! Nothing against fantasy, but really...what was I thinking?! I mean, other then the books I read for book club, I don't really read science fiction or fantasy books, I don't really see the world that way, I don't really think that way, those really aren't the kind of characters I picture when I sit down to start writing. So again I ask you; what was I thinking!?!

I think I was thinking that I really wanted to go to Sci-Fi conventions and have people come dressed up in costumes that were based off my stories! Because, I mean come on, really, that would be AWESOME!

But I have to be true to myself and the stories in me. And those stories are not fantasy. I do have to say, though, that there is a lot to be gained by learning the techniques of writing in all the different genres.

I have never read anything by Orson Scott Card, I just bought this book randomly. I wanted to read this one now because it is only a little over 100 pages so I thought it would be a quick read. It wasn't, at least not for me.  Some of the parts when he was talking about time travel and other sci-fi elements, since they didn't really apply to the stories I want to write, they were kind of boring. It was like trying to read 140 pages of a text book in one sitting.

But in the end, it was worth it.

There was a lot of helpful advice and tips found in the book. Everything was explained thoroughly and with a lot of humor. If you are a fan of Orson Scott Card, or want to one day write sci-fi, then this book would be really helpful. And even though it was slightly difficult for me to get through it, I can recognize that for it's purpose it was a good book. So on goodreads I rated this book 4/5.

The other book that I finished yesterday was I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.

All I really want to say about this book is that if you are a fan of Stephen Colbert, you should read this book because it is really funny. However, like with the book mentioned above, some parts felt to me as if I was trying to read a text book. I think this mainly comes from the fact that when you read these kinds of books you are not reading a "story". There is no underlying tension pulling you through chapter by chapter; paragraph by paragraph. So it was difficult to try to finish in one sitting. I would recommend this more as a coffee table book to read over time.

But I it was really funny! My friend/co-worker, Shavonne, also has this book. When I was reading it at work I was trying really hard not to read it to her because I wanted to give her the chance to read it herself, but I kept coming across so many parts that had my dying laughing and I would be like;

 "Wait...hahaha...you have to hear this part...hahaha...it is so funny...hahaha...

All weather is sin-related. Lust causes thunder, anger causes fog, 

and you don't want to know what causes dew..."dew-ing" it! 

And if you wonder what God thinks about sodomy, just ask a Sodomite. 

Oh, that's right - you can't, because God destroyed them all with fire and brimstone!

...hahahahahaha" 

I rated this book 4/5 as well on goodreads. 

and now we are down to...

18 more books : 20 more days 

-getting a little nervous here guys