Books I Read in 2019

Since I work in news and a lot of the writing I do is non-fiction, all the books I read this year were fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them and yes, I read 3 Murakami books this year and loved them all. Will definitely be reading more of his work in 2020. I’ve also made a goal to read 20 books next year, 15 fiction and 5 non-fiction. I’ve written a review for all of these books which can be found here. Any recommendations for both genres are welcome!

*Most disappointing book I read this year was The Plague. Was expecting something more exciting given the premise, but didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would

** Toughest book to read was Kafka’s collection of short stories

1. Fatherland - Robert Harris

2. The Chrysalids - John Wyndham

3. Empire of Dragons - Valerio Massimo Manfredi

4. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami

5. Dune - Frank Herbert

6. The Outsider - Albert Camus

7. Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

8. Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert

9. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich - Alexander Solzhenitsyn

10. The Gilt Kid - James Curtis

11. The Sound Of Waves - Yukio Mishima

12. Money: A Suicide Note - Martin Amis

13. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut

14. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

15. Rendezvous With Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

16. The Plague - Albert Camus

17. The Dog Stars - Peter Heller

18. Anthem - Ayn Rand

19. The Metamorphosis & Other Short Stories - Franz Kafka

20. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

New Year's Resolution - Read 12 books in 2019 - DONE

Here are the 12 books I’ve read so far this year, along with a short review, to achieve one of my 2019 New Year Resolutions:

1. Fatherland - Robert Harris

2. The Chrysalids - John Wyndham

3. Empire of Dragons - Valerio Massimo Manfredi

4. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami

5. Dune - Frank Herbert

6. The Outsider - Albert Camus

7. Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

8. Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert

9. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich - Alexander Solzhenitsyn

10. The Gilt Kid - James Curtis

11. The Sound Of Waves - Yukio Mishima

12. Money: A Suicide Note - Martin Amis

Literary Submissions

Writing is the easy part. The submission process, on the other hand, is an entirely different ball game. Whether you're submitting to literary agents, a publishing house, a literary magazine, or an online journal, they're each going to have a different process and want things formatted just the way they like it.

Here's the process:

Let's say I want to submit a short story for submission. First, I need to find who publishes short stories and in what medium (some are only print, only online, or both). Then, I'll need to go through the list and first check if they are interested in publishing stories in the genre I've written. If yes, I'll find "Submissions" on their website, and the first thing I do is look at the top of the screen to check for this:

"There are currently no open calls for submissions at this time."

If that isn't on the screen, read through the criteria. Often, word count is the biggest hindrance. Also, I’ve noticed that almost every site seems to be looking for “LGBQT writers/content”. Just an observation. If you manage to meet their requirements, you then start reading how they want the story submitted. Generally, they'll want an e-mail, have an online form, or some type of submission account like Submittable.

Formatting is the biggest pain, especially when trying to find a literary agent because each agent wants a specific amount of pages in a certain format, either as an attachment or pasted into an e-mail. Short stories are easier since you're sending an entire piece of work and most follow the Shunn formatting guide. However, there are often weird requirements where you'll have to go in your document and change things. For example, some want no personal information on your work while others want everything, including an address. Some will only accept a .doc format while others want a .pdf or .rtf. Some want a single - and others want double --. Once you've managed to fiddle with your original piece according to the specifications, you can move on to the cover letter.

The cover letter is generally the body of the e-mail you send to those you're submitting to. It should include your name, title of your work, word count, genre, and previous publications. Some magazines/agents/journals want a short bio written in 3rd person, while others don't. Some want your nationality, others don't. Once you've finished with that, and attached the perfectly formatted file, recheck their site to make sure you type the e-mail subject line exactly how they want.

Once you've finally completed all of this and press send, you'll immediately be sent an automatic reply that goes something like this:

"Thanks for your submission! Due to the number of submissions we receive, we don't have time to respond to every e-mail. If you don't hear from us within 2-6 months, please consider submitting your work elsewhere."

Cheers, thanks…

Then you do this again, and again, and again. There are a lot of free submissions out there, but there are also lots that charge a “$3 reading fee” and writing contests that charge an entry fee. Sometimes, you'll get lucky and people will want to publish your work, and other times, they won't. In any case, it's worth going through such a tedious process because it gives you the possibility to share your work with a larger audience and at the end of the day, isn't that what we're all trying to do? It’s a hassle, and I’d suggest making a sheet in Excel to keep track of everything, but ultimately, it’s better than not going for it.

Just finished "Dune" by Frank Herbert

What a book. Here are my thoughts

Words for 2018

Here are some words I liked from 2018:

• Capricious - Determined by chance it whim rather than by necessity

• Rube - A person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture

• Copacetic - Completely satisfactory

• Louche - Disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way.

• Cogent  - Clear, logical, convincing (of an argument / case)

• Remonstrate - To make a forcefully reproachful protest

• Indefatigable - Persisting tirelessly

• Persiflage - Light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter

• Inimical - Tending to obstruct or harm

• Viviparous - Bringing forth live young that have developed inside the body of the parent

• Pernicious - Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way

• Bumptious - Self-assertive or proud to an irritating degree

• Recalcitrant - Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline

• Incipient - In an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop

Book Review: A Last Act of Charity

“A Last Act of Charity” by Frank Westworth is a solid read. Initially drawn to it by the cover, it starts out with a crime scene and immediately draws you in. It's gritty, exciting, funny, and captivating, everything you'd expect from a good thriller & suspense novel.

The language was descriptive, and at times, humorous. For example, in reference to sensual rope-tying - “How tight should one pull the silken twine before the reef knot turned into the grief knot?” The only thing that diminished the otherwise fluid pace of the story were the one-word sentences, of which there were many. Tons. Numerous. However, that’s just the author’s style, and since I’m talking about it in a review, it made the story unique. 

I didn’t like how the story switched from 3rd person to first person in Chapter 4, despite the chapter title declaring “First Person Plural.” At times, the story also breaks the 4th wall, speaking directly to the reader, which I wasn’t a fan of, but that's just a personal preference.

Overall, the book is an exciting thrill-ride involving crime scenes, action, and intriguing characters who help maintain the pace of the story. The musings of JJ Stoner, the main character, are hilarious and mix nicely with some of the other darker themes of the story. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read featuring a strong lead and a thrilling plot. 

4/5 stars

Contraception featured on Murder, Mayhem, and More

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FIN

I finished ‘The Fountainhead’. It was an arduous journey, reading it on and off throughout 2 months, but like all good things, it had to come to an end. I highly recommend it and will be starting 'Atlas Shrugged’ later today. Ayn Rand is the shit.