Monday, January 26, 2015

Mailbox Monday: 01-26-2015


Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at To Be Continued and is now hosted at its own blog.

All images and descriptions from Goodreads.com.

The Name of the Wind.

 
 
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 A new series of global proportions -- from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter.

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

 
 
 
 
In Writing Magic, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine shares her secrets of great writing. She shows how you, too, can get terrific ideas for stories, invent great beginnings and endings, write sparkling dialogue, develop memorable characters—and much, much more. She advises you about what to do when you feel stuck—and how to use helpful criticism. Best of all, she offers writing exercises that will set your imagination on fire.

With humor, honesty, and wisdom, Gail Carson Levine shows you that you, too, can make magic with your writing.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

 
So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.

 
Now, we all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the internet, in e-mail, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species.

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.
  
 
All received from the library! What's in your Mailbox?


10 comments:

  1. Eats, shoots and leaves is fantastic. You'll love it.

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    1. Do I spot a fellow stickler? I've already started it, and yes, I am loving it.

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  2. The Name of the Wind is amazing! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

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  3. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a mainstay on our bookshelf. Good book!

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  4. I've heard great things about Ally Carter! I've yet to read anything by her, but she definitely seems like an author I'd enjoy. Happy reading!

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    1. I've enjoyed everything I've read by her. Thank you!

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  5. The Name Of The Wind is catching my eye.

    ENJOY all of your books, and have a wonderful reading week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Mailbox Monday

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  6. Writing Magic looks like it would be useful to me. Thanks for putting it on my radar. Happy reading!

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    1. I've only used one of the prompts from Writing Magic, but it was helpful and a lot of fun. Hope it's the same for you!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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