A few blog posts back, I told y’all I was joining a book club put on by my local independent bookstore, Boswell Book Company. They run a handful of clubs, each focusing on a different genre. Tonight was their last one for my group, which focused on general book club fiction and held at a local pub/restaurant, as the bookseller who led it is moving away. A few of the participants are carrying on.
So how my experience? I really enjoyed it, actually. It encouraged me to read books I might not have otherwise and see how others view and rate books, the organizer typically asking people around the table to informally rate the book 1-5 stars. I’ve discovered a rate books higher than most, as I tend to rate it on whether it delivered on its promise, whereas most others tended to rate it on whether they enjoyed it.
What have I read lately?
THE GOLEM OF BROOKLYN by Adam Mansbach, which I enjoyed. It was funny, very New York, and brought up some serious questions about anti-Semitism and white supremacy.
THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas, which wasn’t as scary as I’d hoped, but I loved the setting of post-colonial Mexico. Her ability to “put us there” was top notch.
ASSISTANT TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, which was hysterical. I’m looking forward to its sequel, APPRENTICE TO THE VILLAIN.
The above three were part of the book club. Here are some personal reads:
THE RUNNER by Kristin Oakley, which I beta-read and is part of THE DEVIL PARTICLE series. Fascinating concept to this series, and well executed.
DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS by Julie Schumacher, book 1 of the trilogy of the same name, and which I’d read before. This book won a bunch of awards for humorous writing, and they were all well deserved. I’m looking forward to meeting Ms. Schumacher at the upcoming Washington Island Literary Festival in September.
I’m currently reading STILL TRUE by Maggie Ginsberg, who’ll also be speaking at that festival and is a force within Wisconsin authorship. Her writing is lyrical and rich.
In between all those books, I’ve also been writing, submitting my work, and enjoying the start of summer.
Hope you’re enjoying it too! 🙂
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Still-True.jpg436282Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2024-06-17 13:37:132024-07-08 06:38:22What I’ve read and what I’m reading
I spotted this gorgeous carved wood clog at Café Benelux in Milwaukee’s artsy Third Ward. It’s a nice restaurant and where my husband and I hosted the Faculty Dinner during our illustration workshop. <–If you don’t know about Fantasy Art Workshop’s Illustration Intensive, please do click on the link to learn more about it–or search my website for past posts about it. It’s our big event, our heartfelt endeavor, that we’re thrilled to present every year.–>
Back to the clog, isn’t it a beaut?
I think when I was younger, I may not have appreciated it as much as I do now. I had a couple of pairs of (regular, not wooden) clogs in my youth and wore them to the point of disintegration, haha. But, in my youth, I might have thought too literally about the utility and comfort of wooden clogs to see any artistry to them. I could be remembering myself wrong, as adults are sometimes apt to do years removed from childhood, but I suspect not.
But now I see its beauty. Now I appreciate it. Now I marvel at it. Today, as I’ve just finished seeing scores of artists work on incredible pieces for a whole week, I’m pleased to see beautiful, artistic things displayed just for the sake of it. Truthfully, I don’t know if this piece was mass produced–but even if it was, it’s still nice to see pretty things around us. We need that.
There’s no grande message behind this post other than LOOK. Look at this gorgeous thing. It’s truly lovely.
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Carved-wooden-shoe-scaled.jpeg19202560Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2024-06-16 13:58:052024-07-07 14:23:25The beauty of the wooden clog
I had to share these pictures of high tea–because it was fancy and extravagant and COMPLETELY DESERVED for the two of us, thanks to being put through the wringer the few months previous.
My friend, critique partner, and cheerleader Valerie Biel and I enjoyed afternoon tea at Milwaukee’s famed Pfister Hotel after months of polishing and querying our current manuscripts. It’s a lot of work to get a query package ready and send it out into the world for publication. Plus, the whole endeavor requires fortitude and confidence in the face of the uphill climb. I started the effort a few moths before her, but we’ve been on the journey together since then– and that’s really the best way to do it, IMHO, with a friend, as we helped ready each others’ submissions and kept our spirits high. All this to say, we deserved the pampering.
The tea and dainties were excellent. The whole experience is highly recommended. 🙂
The historic tea kettles at the Pfister
These dainties were DELICIOUS and actually very filling. We started at 2pm and didn’t need to eat again until late evening!
Savories at the bottom, sweets up top.
Soooo good.
Can you believe this detail? Fabulous.
The yummiest of yummies.
Me
Val
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tea-Kettle.jpg1000750Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2024-05-24 14:49:232024-07-07 15:32:29Sometimes you just gotta reward yourself
Sometimes people ask me, as a writer, if I discover weird things while researching for a book.
Um, YES. Yes, oh yes. So much yes.
Writers often joke that if “the authorities” were to look at our browser history, they’d put us on a watch list. But really, how can a murder-mystery writer not read up on the many ways to murder a spouse? How can a writer of speculative fiction, like me, not look up otherworldly stuff? How dare you think we’re just a bit off?! (*inserts nervous laughter here*)
Okay, so what did I find? My current work-in-progress required I find an animal that growls, and of course I didn’t want to go with the obvious, like a dog. So a Google search finds this: a fish that growls. Say what? Yes. It’s called a red gurnard, as no doubt some of you will know, but I don’t fish, okay?!, so how would I know this? Gentlefolk, I present the big-headed fish that growls. It’s red and large and kinda turns my stomach, but it works for my story, so huzzah!
Taking to students is such an amazing honor, and it’s especially awesome to do it in the classroom of a friend. I met Professor Kristin Gjerdset (bottom left in first photo) when she signed up for my speedskating class. When I learned she taught art at Wisconsin Lutheran College, a gem of a school, I told her about my illustrator husband, Jeff. She soon asked him to speak her students. He had the best time.
This year, Kristin invited both of us to speak to her class, specifically about creative collaborations. Jeff and I have collaborated on so much, even more than I realized before preparing for this talk. We support each another in our respective fields in a ton of ways, like brainstorming projects, reference modeling, critiquing, story ideation, copyediting each others’ writing, publishing together, and, our biggest collaboration by far, creating Fantasy Art Workshop, our week-long illustration retreat.
The students seemed to enjoy seeing how much our creative endeavors have intertwined, and we loved their enthusiasm and their superb conversation. These are special kids with clear talent. We were lucky to get to meet them. 🙂
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/431069668_710943797868531_706197697126877551_n.jpg15362048Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2024-03-16 20:52:522024-03-16 21:20:42Talking to college students about artists’ collaboration
Here are a couple of recent reads with cats on the cover. Just coincidentally.
THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai. This was an interesting story about a young boy who inherits his grandfather’s bookstore and the magical cat who takes him on otherworldly adventures to save books in other realms. Each adventure speaks to how certain characters value or devalue books, how they judge their worth, and inward reflection on one’s self. This book was marketed to young adults in Japan, yet marketed to adults in the U.S. It’s a short, light read well tailored to lovers of cats and books.
STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi. Inheriting his uncle’s supervillain business was more complicated than our protagonist expected, particularly after discovering who’s running the place. There are longtime, traitorous flunkies, sentient cats, foul-mouthed dolphins, a mountainous evil lair, and a cohort of rival supervillains out to snatch thrones, er, inheritances. Our poor every-man is in over his head. I woke my husband laughing so hard at one point. Very highly recommended.
(The above links are Amazon Affiliate links, meaning I make a few pennies off the sale of each book, at no cost to you.)
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/71NZSmFYHwL._SL1500_.jpg1500971Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2024-02-01 11:31:542024-03-12 11:40:57What I’m Reading – The Cat Who Saved Books and Starter Villain
What I’ve read and what I’m reading
/in A Writer Writes, Personal /by SilviaA few blog posts back, I told y’all I was joining a book club put on by my local independent bookstore, Boswell Book Company. They run a handful of clubs, each focusing on a different genre. Tonight was their last one for my group, which focused on general book club fiction and held at a local pub/restaurant, as the bookseller who led it is moving away. A few of the participants are carrying on.
So how my experience? I really enjoyed it, actually. It encouraged me to read books I might not have otherwise and see how others view and rate books, the organizer typically asking people around the table to informally rate the book 1-5 stars. I’ve discovered a rate books higher than most, as I tend to rate it on whether it delivered on its promise, whereas most others tended to rate it on whether they enjoyed it.
What have I read lately?
THE GOLEM OF BROOKLYN by Adam Mansbach, which I enjoyed. It was funny, very New York, and brought up some serious questions about anti-Semitism and white supremacy.
THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas, which wasn’t as scary as I’d hoped, but I loved the setting of post-colonial Mexico. Her ability to “put us there” was top notch.
ASSISTANT TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, which was hysterical. I’m looking forward to its sequel, APPRENTICE TO THE VILLAIN.
The above three were part of the book club. Here are some personal reads:
THE RUNNER by Kristin Oakley, which I beta-read and is part of THE DEVIL PARTICLE series. Fascinating concept to this series, and well executed.
DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS by Julie Schumacher, book 1 of the trilogy of the same name, and which I’d read before. This book won a bunch of awards for humorous writing, and they were all well deserved. I’m looking forward to meeting Ms. Schumacher at the upcoming Washington Island Literary Festival in September.
I’m currently reading STILL TRUE by Maggie Ginsberg, who’ll also be speaking at that festival and is a force within Wisconsin authorship. Her writing is lyrical and rich.
In between all those books, I’ve also been writing, submitting my work, and enjoying the start of summer.
Hope you’re enjoying it too! 🙂
The beauty of the wooden clog
/in Images, Personal, Uncategorized /by SilviaI spotted this gorgeous carved wood clog at Café Benelux in Milwaukee’s artsy Third Ward. It’s a nice restaurant and where my husband and I hosted the Faculty Dinner during our illustration workshop. <–If you don’t know about Fantasy Art Workshop’s Illustration Intensive, please do click on the link to learn more about it–or search my website for past posts about it. It’s our big event, our heartfelt endeavor, that we’re thrilled to present every year.–>
Back to the clog, isn’t it a beaut?
I think when I was younger, I may not have appreciated it as much as I do now. I had a couple of pairs of (regular, not wooden) clogs in my youth and wore them to the point of disintegration, haha. But, in my youth, I might have thought too literally about the utility and comfort of wooden clogs to see any artistry to them. I could be remembering myself wrong, as adults are sometimes apt to do years removed from childhood, but I suspect not.
But now I see its beauty. Now I appreciate it. Now I marvel at it. Today, as I’ve just finished seeing scores of artists work on incredible pieces for a whole week, I’m pleased to see beautiful, artistic things displayed just for the sake of it. Truthfully, I don’t know if this piece was mass produced–but even if it was, it’s still nice to see pretty things around us. We need that.
There’s no grande message behind this post other than LOOK. Look at this gorgeous thing. It’s truly lovely.
Sometimes you just gotta reward yourself
/in Personal, Presenting the Prose, Uncategorized /by SilviaI had to share these pictures of high tea–because it was fancy and extravagant and COMPLETELY DESERVED for the two of us, thanks to being put through the wringer the few months previous.
My friend, critique partner, and cheerleader Valerie Biel and I enjoyed afternoon tea at Milwaukee’s famed Pfister Hotel after months of polishing and querying our current manuscripts. It’s a lot of work to get a query package ready and send it out into the world for publication. Plus, the whole endeavor requires fortitude and confidence in the face of the uphill climb. I started the effort a few moths before her, but we’ve been on the journey together since then– and that’s really the best way to do it, IMHO, with a friend, as we helped ready each others’ submissions and kept our spirits high. All this to say, we deserved the pampering.
The tea and dainties were excellent. The whole experience is highly recommended. 🙂
The historic tea kettles at the Pfister
These dainties were DELICIOUS and actually very filling. We started at 2pm and didn’t need to eat again until late evening!
Savories at the bottom, sweets up top.
Soooo good.
Can you believe this detail? Fabulous.
The yummiest of yummies.
Me
Val
An odd find
/in A Writer Writes, Images /by SilviaSometimes people ask me, as a writer, if I discover weird things while researching for a book.
Um, YES. Yes, oh yes. So much yes.
Writers often joke that if “the authorities” were to look at our browser history, they’d put us on a watch list. But really, how can a murder-mystery writer not read up on the many ways to murder a spouse? How can a writer of speculative fiction, like me, not look up otherworldly stuff? How dare you think we’re just a bit off?! (*inserts nervous laughter here*)
Okay, so what did I find? My current work-in-progress required I find an animal that growls, and of course I didn’t want to go with the obvious, like a dog. So a Google search finds this: a fish that growls. Say what? Yes. It’s called a red gurnard, as no doubt some of you will know, but I don’t fish, okay?!, so how would I know this? Gentlefolk, I present the big-headed fish that growls. It’s red and large and kinda turns my stomach, but it works for my story, so huzzah!
Talking to college students about artists’ collaboration
/in Presenting the Prose, Uncategorized /by SilviaTaking to students is such an amazing honor, and it’s especially awesome to do it in the classroom of a friend. I met Professor Kristin Gjerdset (bottom left in first photo) when she signed up for my speedskating class. When I learned she taught art at Wisconsin Lutheran College, a gem of a school, I told her about my illustrator husband, Jeff. She soon asked him to speak her students. He had the best time.
This year, Kristin invited both of us to speak to her class, specifically about creative collaborations. Jeff and I have collaborated on so much, even more than I realized before preparing for this talk. We support each another in our respective fields in a ton of ways, like brainstorming projects, reference modeling, critiquing, story ideation, copyediting each others’ writing, publishing together, and, our biggest collaboration by far, creating Fantasy Art Workshop, our week-long illustration retreat.
The students seemed to enjoy seeing how much our creative endeavors have intertwined, and we loved their enthusiasm and their superb conversation. These are special kids with clear talent. We were lucky to get to meet them. 🙂
What I’m Reading – The Cat Who Saved Books and Starter Villain
/in Personal, Uncategorized /by SilviaHere are a couple of recent reads with cats on the cover. Just coincidentally.
(The above links are Amazon Affiliate links, meaning I make a few pennies off the sale of each book, at no cost to you.)