When I took my boys to school this morning, it was an unpleasantly muggy 76 degrees outside. Then I went to the grocery store and it proceeded to drop thirteen degrees while I was inside. The wind whipped up and it’s started to rain. Aaahh…autumn! It’s supposed to drop another eight or so degrees before the afternoon is over, so we’ll be in the high fifties here! My sons are both in short-sleeved shirts and shorts, so I’ll have to bundle them up when they come out of school. I’m so excited–finally a little cool weather!

I’ve recently bought a CD. This is pretty rare for me, since once I latch onto something, I cling to it, and so logically, I listen to my few CD’s over and over. But I saw this one reviewed, popped over to Amazon to listen to the tracks, and then went out and bought it. It’s KT Tunsall’s Drastic Fantastic. There’s just something about it. It’s weird because while I’m listening, I feel like it’s the soundtrack of either my life or the life of the main charater in my WIP. I imagine her and I doing things (not together, naturally) to these songs, and it’s a very odd feeling.

In other news, I’m a little over half-way through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There is at least one among my frequent visitors here–WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED–that has never read a single H.P. You don’t know what you’re missing! I’ve had the book since the day it came out, but I always let my husband read the HP’s first, and he’s been rather slow to get going with it. (Plus, I’ve had all those library holds to wrestle with). But now that I have virtually nothing on hold, I’m catching up on my own stack of books, and I just couldn’t resist Harry any longer.

And I am just so, so, so, so, soooooo impressed with J. K. Rowling and this entire series. So many characters–unique, clever, intriguing characters, so many twists and little details, and impressive, imaginative locales and props. I could go on and on. After I finish this one, I think I’m going to have to go back and read them all again. Which is exactly what my critique partner is doing right now. Maybe this time around my sons will want to listen. Although that is A LOT of reading aloud.

And what about that Albus, huh?

NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, PEOPLE!!! I BEG YOU!

I’ve mentioned this before, but I put a lot of stock in a book’s cover–a LOT. And not so much the excerpt. It used to be that I’d have to read the excerpt before I could buy the book. Now I hardly ever read it. I think mostly because I’m used to shopping with my kids. I didn’t have a lot of time to stand silently staring at a book, so I made snap decisions.

The cover has to perfect though. Intriguing and appealing to the eye and to the touch. This is a big deal. Color can make all the difference. Fonts can play in. But reviews count big time–BIG time.

I’m definitely interested in reviews by author’s I’ve read and admire, but there aren’t too, too many of my favorites that actually blurb. At least on the books that I’m perusing. The trade publications have a big impact on my decision making process–Booklist, School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus. Newspapers less, and magazines even less.

Sometimes I get the book just because I’m curious about it, as a result of the quote. If the review heralds the book as something I want my book to be, it piques my interest, and I want to read and see if I agree. For example, if a book gets a starred review and is described as ‘winningly clever’ or ‘laugh-out-loud funny’ by one publication or another, I’m curious to see if I concur. In reality I’m researching, assessing the criteria for such heady review terms.

It’s odd that this method is working so well for me. Just lucky I guess, or else I know what I like.

And now, back to Book 7.

Virtually nothing new today. My husband drove to Austin with his immediate family to go to a cousin’s funeral. My sister-in-law had flown in for the occasion. I saw her for a minute this morning when I drove down to pick up my in-laws’ dog and then for about forty-five minutes in the evening when they drove down to pick the dog up. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it would be, just casual, minimal chit-chat.

Anyone familiar with my recent sister-in-law saga will find this amusing I think:

We got Chinese food for dinner, and afterwards we broke into the fortune cookies. After reading her own aloud (I don’t remember what it said), my MIL insisted that my SIL read hers. It said:

Someone who cares about you is interested in a reconciliation.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!! No one said anything–and I was totally thinking my MIL would insist that that someone was me and that the two of us (the SIL and I) should hug. But the moment passed. Later I told my husband, who hadn’t been in the room, and we both laughed uproariously. Talk about your funny coincidences. Hee hee hee.