no want decaf!

revising

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:25:00 +0000

Sometimes I’ll see several manuscripts in a row that have a lot of potential but have something missing, and I’ll wish that the authors had spent a little more time revising before submitting them. Revising can seem daunting – it’s less exciting than writing the actual book and it can be easier to focus on choosing a title, perfecting a query letter, researching agents, etc. And authors should definitely spend time on all of those things, but not at the expense of writing and rewriting the best book possible. Having the most beautiful query letter in the world or the perfect list of agents won’t help if the book isn’t strong on its own.

This is the most frustrating for editors when we see potential in books but aren’t sure if the author will be able to take it to the next level – maybe there are too many “if onlys”: if only the ending didn’t fall apart, if only the characters didn’t feel clichéd, if only something exciting happened before page 100, if only the dialog felt authentic… Even if an editor does believe in the project and sees the author’s vision, we then have to convince our acquisitions committee to make the leap of faith as well. Sometimes when we really love a project we are able to work with the author on a revision before acquisition, but we aren’t able to do that with most projects.

So my advice to authors is: revise as much as you can! When you revise, try to trust your instincts and not second guess yourself if there is something that doesn’t feel right to you. Try to step away from the manuscript for a little while as well – a few weeks or a month – so that you can come back to it with fresh eyes. It’s also helpful to ask other people you trust to read it – don’t be shy about sharing your work and asking for honest feedback.

Even though it can take a long time to go through various drafts and stages, revising will only give your manuscript a better chance to find the right agent, editor, and publisher!

or more

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:52:00 +0000

meme of fives

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:12:00 +0000

I was double tagged for my first blog meme by MotherReader and Wizards Wireless. So, here we go:

The rules of the meme get posted at the beginning. Each person answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the blogger then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
I was finishing up another year of college and packing my bags for London for a fantastic internship at The Spectator. I loved living in London – I stayed with an older couple who were wonderful and made sure I felt at home in their house and in the city. We had tea and thick slices of buttered toast for breakfast every morning, and they were particularly great cooks so I got to try a lot of delicious British food (many of which involved some kind of custard). And while they lived in a flat in the middle of London they had the most beautiful garden:

Oh, to have a garden like that one day... Another one of my other favorite things about London was the city's rich literary history. The office of The Spectator was located on the same street as one of the homes Charles Dickens lived in, so I passed it every day on my way to and from work. It was very surreal to casually walk by the home of such a classic author.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

Email our production department to check in on some costs I had requested for upcoming books
Follow up with foreign publishers on a few submissions we received after the Bologna Book Fair, either confirming that we received them or asking if translations were available for some that we had received in other languages
Start reading a revision for a manuscript I've been working on with another editor
Eat a big piece of chocolate cake (my husband’s birthday was yesterday and the cake was just for the two of us so we have a lot left over)
Finish this meme ;)

What are five snacks you enjoy?

Coffee
Chocolate
Chocolate covered espresso beans (see a pattern?)
Grapefruit
Pirate's Booty

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

Buy a house, get a dog, and build a library that looks like this:
Travel (Australia would be up first!)
Donate it to various causes
Hire a butler - I've always wanted a butler (who would hire a chef, housekeeper, gardener, etc).
Save for a rainy day

What are five of your bad habits?

Buying more books than I can read
Avoiding housework whenever possible
Worrying
Chewing my nails
Singing to myself without realizing it

What are five places where you have lived?

Virgina
London
Manhattan
Brooklyn
New Jersey

What are five jobs you’ve had?

Resident Assistant
Intern at The Spectator
Writing Resources Center Consultant
Grocery store cashier
Babysitter

What five people do you want to tag?
I'm tagging a few people whose blogs I visit often along with some people who've recently posted here. Don't worry, you don't have to do it if you don't want to!

In no particular order:

j is for jacket copy

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:17:00 +0000

As a kid, I had a vendetta against jacket copy. I didn’t like it one bit. I refused to read it if I could avoid it. Most of the time it was pretty innocent, but on occasion it infuriated me.

Kit is accused of witchcraft?

Percy Jackson goes to a camp for the kids of Greek gods?

Tom discovers a wonderful midnight garden?!? (ok, I’ll give you that one)

Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what happens at the end of Old Yeller?

The beginnings (and sometimes the middles and ends) of more than a few books were spoiled for me by their jacket copy. If you know what happens at the crux of the novel, a lot of the suspense can go out the window, particularly if the book hinges on a BIG SECRET (I had a similar experience when someone told me what the secret was in The Sixth Sense before I watched it).

None of the above books have bad jacket copy by any means, they were just easy examples of potential spoilers. Spoilers were one of the things that annoyed me the most– particularly those neat summary paragraphs on the backs of books that managed to spoil most of the surprises while still making the story sound incredibly boring.

Now that I’m on the other side of the process, I’m making up for lost time by reading as much good jacket copy as possible as I draft copy for the books I’m working on. And let me tell you, good jacket copy is extremely hard to write. I think it’s pretty similar to making a good movie preview. We’ve all seen previews that don’t live up to the movie. The movie that looks hilarious but ends up being too serious for its own good or just plain dull. The previews that manage to highlight the only good scenes in the entire movie and make you feel as if you were tricked into watching it. And my favorite, the preview that gives away every major plot point– why spend money when you can find out everything you need to know for free during your regularly scheduled programming? The best movie previews give you an idea of what to expect from the movie, a basic sense of the characters and story, and make you want to watch it, just as jacket copy should for a book.

Recently I’ve been wondering how I chose most of my books as a kid with my dislike of jacket copy. I read a lot of books that were recommended to me, picked books that had interesting titles and covers (which is another discussion for another post), and looked for books with shiny medals on the cover or quotes from other authors I liked. Most of the time I plopped down on the floor of the bookstore or library and read the first chapter (still my favorite way).

Even with the plethora of customer ratings, reviews, chapter previews, and book trailers available to readers now, I think it’s still crucial to get the jacket copy right for anyone who will be picking up the book in a store or reading it online and deciding then and there whether or not to buy it. And when you find that one perfect description, the beautiful excerpt that encapsulates what you love about the book more eloquently than you ever could, it’s all worth it. Just try not to pull your hair out when a precocious kid tells you that they hate jacket copy and make a point never to read it. :)

the big apple

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:45:00 +0000

Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’m living in New York. I’ve posted about one small town I lived in with my favorite library, but that was actually one of the biggest towns that I lived in growing up. The town we moved to after that was even smaller. When we were driving there for the first time we missed a street and drove past the entire town without realizing it. This wasn’t an exit on a highway – the town was literally all on one street. Miss the street, miss the town.

Our front yard was roughly the size of a football field, which was just about average for the area, and for neighbors we had a horse in the pasture across the street and a man with a fake deer in his backyard that he used for target practice with his bow and arrow. Add in a post office, a baseball field, a gas station, a few churches, and a smattering of houses and you pretty much have the entire town.

Obviously, moving to New York after living in small towns for most of my life was a big adjustment. Sometimes the sheer number of options for everything – entertainment, restaurants, stores, museums – can be overwhelming. When you live in a small town it’s easy to feel like you know the town inside and out and that it’s really “your town” – you’ve eaten at all the restaurants, been to all of the shops, and almost everyone knows who you are. It’s practically impossible to feel that way in a city that is as constantly changing as New York. But it can also be refreshing. In small towns there can be the sense that things are pretty much the way they have been and will always will be, and that’s the way we like it thankyouverymuch. One of the things that I like most about living in New York is how much there is to discover, whether it’s buildings that have been around for years and years or a new restaurant down the street.

There are so many things in New York that I would never have the chance to see or do anywhere else, but I also have a lot of fond memories of the towns where I grew up, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to experience both.

the just don't make them like they used to

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:30:00 +0000

I discovered this gem recently at my grandmother's house:
The name on the first page? My mom's. Priceless family gathering conversations ensued.

i knew it!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:22:00 +0000

You Are a Question Mark

You seek knowledge and insight in every form possible. You love learning.

And while you know a lot, you don't act like a know it all. You're open to learning you're wrong.

You ask a lot of questions, collect a lot of data, and always dig deep to find out more.

You're naturally curious and inquisitive. You jump to ask a question when the opportunity arises.

Your friends see you as interesting, insightful, and thought provoking.

(But they're not always up for the intense inquisitions that you love!)

You excel in: Higher education

You get along best with: The Comma

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

I do have a tendency to ask a lot of questions... thanks to Mother Reader for the link!

i love my sony reader

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:31:00 +0000

My company recently distributed Sony Readers to most of the staff. I was lucky enough to be a member of the test group, so I’ve had mine since Thanksgiving, and even though it’s only been a few months I wouldn’t want to go back to working without one. Of course, the way that we use the Sony Reader is significantly different from how most people would use them since we use it primarily to read manuscripts that we are considering acquiring.

To give you an idea of how much time and money the Sony Reader saves us, this is what our typical acquisitions process looked like before we had them (the acquisitions process varies from publisher to publisher – I plan on posting a more detailed description of our acquisitions process at some point in the future, but this is it in a nutshell):

Step 1: If you received the manuscript via email, print out a copy for yourself. Take a look at the stack of manuscripts you need to read, both for yourself and other editors, and debate how many you should attempt to take home and whether you should lug 50 pages, 100 pages, or all 200+ pages (on average) of each manuscript home (knowing you will inevitably wish you had brought more of the ones you end up liking and less of the ones you don’t). Give thanks that most bags these days are the size of a water cooler. Annoy people on the subway when a loose page flies into their lap.

Step 2: You love the manuscript and ask other editors to read it – make a copy for each of them (2-3+). Watch them grimace when they realize the manuscript is over 300 pages.

Step 3: Good news, the editorial group loves the manuscript too! You’ve received approval to take it to acquisitions – make 22+ copies for everyone on the acquisitions committee. If you’re lucky, you have enough time to send it down to the copy center. If not, prepare to receive dirty looks from other people waiting to use the copier. You eventually become adapt at removing multiple paper jams and feel like you spend more time with the copier than with your spouse.

And that’s just the acquisitions process. If the project is acquired, in addition to making copies of every round of edits for yourself, you’ll also need to make copies of the edited manuscript for production, copyediting, and design, and later marketing, publicity, and sales. So, over the life of a project, the editor can easily make upwards of 40 copies. Having e-readers doesn’t remove the need to make copies completely (a lot of editors still prefer to do their editing on a hard copy, although we are experimenting with electronic editing as well), but it can take away over 90% of the copying. Our new acquisitions process looks something like this:

Step 1: You receive the manuscript via email and put it immediately on your e-reader, swinging your deliciously small bag over your shoulder with glee. You can tell that the people shuffling their newspapers are impressed as you read one-handed while standing on the train.

Step 2: You love the manuscript and ask other editors to read it, and email it to them right away. When you walk by the copier later, you can’t help but smile.

Step 3: Good news, the other editors love the manuscript too! Time to take it to acquisitions – email the manuscript to everyone on the committee. Get on with the rest of your job!

This also makes it much easier to share the project with other people in-house. If the publisher is going to a book fair, it’s much easier for her to load a manuscript onto her e-reader in case she has time to read it instead of contemplating lugging a stack of paper in her carry-on. And if people are traveling or out of the office, they can still access the manuscript electronically, whereas otherwise you might need to mail or messenger it to them if it was crucial that they read it right way. The overall process is a lot faster, cleaner, and cheaper! In fact, our IT department found that every copy that we make of a 400-page manuscript costs the company roughly $7! The cost seems even more ridiculous when you realize that most of those manuscripts won’t even be read all of the way through (most editors give a book 30-50 pages to hook them).

That said, while I do love the Sony Reader for work, if I didn't work in publishing I wouldn’t buy one for personal use. For me, the interesting thing about e-readers is that unlike music or film, books have never needed a device in order for people to enjoy them. I think that is the main reason that nothing has taken off in books like VHS/DVD players did for movies and the ipod has for music, and I don't think that most book lovers would like the majority of their library to consist of e-books rather than physical copies. I do think that e-readers might be a good idea for people who don't typically read often or those who travel frequently and run out of reading material because they can't carry the books along with them (although airport bookstores now have a service where you can "rent" a book at one airport and "return" it at another airport at any time and get most of your money back!). I think part of what book lovers love about books is owning a physical copy to share with friends or display on their shelves, to look at the cover and hold the book in their hands and flip through the well-worn pages if it is a much-loved copy.

Along with the rest of the publishing industry, I’ll be watching with interest to see how the e-book market changes and grows over the next few years. It’s great to see publishers experimenting with e-books by offering excerpts or entire books for free download, and I think there are a lot of interesting ideas for the future of the industry, such as including a free e-book when you buy a physical copy of the book. I think e-books can only be a good thing for the publishing industry and have the potential to reach more readers than ever, and in my office it helps us spend less time at the copier and more time actually reading. Given the choice between a stack of paper or an e-reader I’d choose the e-reader every day, but I don’t think my bookshelves will start dwindling anytime soon.

love me, love my library

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:55:00 +0000

I love libraries. Not the most groundbreaking statement from someone working in publishing, but nonetheless true. I think I can safely say that a large part of my love of books stemmed from my childhood library.

Growing up I was very fortunate to have a library within two blocks of my house, and not just any library, a children’s library that was located in a wonderful historic house complete with its own garden. The library in many ways still felt like a home, and its two stories consisted of cozy rooms filled with wall-to-wall books. There were very few traditional library shelves – most of the books were housed on bookshelves built into the walls, with the middle of the rooms offering comfy seats for reading. It was easy for me to imagine that I was visiting a friend’s house, and my friend had told me that I could look around for as long as I wished, borrow anything I could find, and come back as often as I could.

Since the library was so close to my home, I did visit very often, sometimes 5 times a week. It was an easy stop with my parents on their daily walks, and even if I already had a stack of books checked out at home, I just loved the experience of going to the library and wandering through the rooms filled with books, settling in a corner when I found something new.

In addition to the coziness, the other very special thing about this library was that it felt like it was there just for me. Very few public places are entirely devoted to children, and at my library, I could pick out any book in the entire building to take home – there weren’t any books that I wasn’t allowed to touch or open, and no one got upset if I stacked my books too high and accidentally dropped one on the way to check them out (which happened a lot since I was constantly trying to take home more and more books and eventually succeeded in checking 50 books out at once!).

I don’t think I truly appreciated how much I loved my library until I was 9 years old and my family moved to a new town. This town was smaller and didn’t have its own library. There were two county libraries about twenty minutes away, making our trips less frequent. I liked these libraries as well, but they were different – newer buildings with large rooms, high ceilings, and long aisles filled with books, with the children’s books taking up a few shelves along with the adult titles.

But as much as I loved my first library, really, it wasn’t the building that mattered. For me, libraries took the risk out of reading. I could try anything I wanted, and if I didn’t like it, it didn’t matter – I could give that book back, pick out a new book and start reading something completely different. I was always very careful whenever I picked out books to buy, because I wanted them to be books that I loved – I would often ask for books that I had already read from the library. I could check out as many books as I could carry at once, and even if I didn't fall in love with any of those books I knew that there were many more waiting for me back at the library.

But no matter how many libraries I’ve been to, my first library will always hold a special place in my heart. I remember sitting in one of the comfy chairs reading Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and imagining what the library would look like if it was built upside-down like her house with a chandelier on the floor, or seeing a book on the way out that I just had to add to the stack that was already precariously balanced under my chin, and the anticipation I felt when I unpacked all of the books I had checked out back at home. Recently, my parents gave me a wooden figure of my childhood library. It’s now on the top of one of the bookshelves in our apartment, and I look at it often and think about the happy memories I experienced there.

A few years after we moved away, the town opened up a brand new library next door to the children’s library. Now the home that used to be the children’s library serves as the headquarters of the local historical society, and the children’s books are housed in the new library nearby. My family visited the new library a few years after it was built, and it was fun to see all of the new and improved features they offered and the new building. Of course nothing for me could ever compare to the memories I have of the old building, but I hope that by working in children’s publishing I can share a little bit of the magic I felt there, wedged in a corner with a book on my knees and a world of possibilities around me.

indiana!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:18:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've posted, and I'll try to have a real post soon, but for now I just wanted to share this!

while we're on cats

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Couldn't resist.

seriously?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:52:00 +0000

Some people have too much time and/or expendable income...
http://kittywigs.com

(hidden message: share your expendable income with meeeee!)

Thanks to Cute Overload! for the link.

now you know

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:25:00 +0000

Get a Cash Advance

Almost as satisfying as completing my college thesis, without the overdue library books. Thanks for the link Fuse #8!

it's a twap!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:26:00 +0000

Well it turns out that the Elder's Crossing website is not connected at all with the books or JK Rowling or Warner. It's actually all put together to promote a web designer's sequel to the books, and he is releasing one chapter a day during December. I haven't read any of the chapters, but the website is pretty neat, so I think it's worth checking it out. I wonder if he is trying to get a book deal or just doing it for fun...

Personally, I hope JK Rowling doesn't write anymore books in Harry Potter's world. She's always said it would just be 7 and only 7 books and she wouldn't be writing any more about these characters, so I hope she sticks to her guns. The 7 books feel very complete to me, and I wouldn't want them to be spoiled by additional and most likely lesser works published just because fans wanted more. And of course I don't mind having some unanswered questions to discuss.

But I would love to see her take a crack at a completely new fantasy in a completely new world. I'm interested to see what her next book will be (and whether it will be for kids or adults, since she's said that she has ideas for both).

In any case, it was fun to speculate about the website while it lasted!

harry potter 8?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:50:00 +0000

I stumbled across this article this morning:

Web 'abuzz' with eighth Potter rumours

Harry Potter-mania has gone into overdrive over a new website counting down the release of a mysterious project called James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing, reports News.com.au.

The internet is abuzz with speculation that an eighth Harry Potter novel is about to be released because of the "harry potter book 8 secret test marketing" website.

The Elder's Crossing website features a short teaser clip and sketches of characters, focussing on Harry’s father James Potter. A spokesman for Warner Bros, the company that brought Harry Potter to the big-screen and were believed to be behind the website, has not yet confirmed or denied their involvement. "Many fans believe that James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing may be the eighth book of the series – but written by someone other than author J K Rowling."

Count me "abuzzed." The website certainly looks real to me. And the fact that Warner Brothers commented but will not confirm or deny anything makes me think that it is not a hoax. Hmmm... very interesting indeed.

a bit of publishing humor

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:24:00 +0000

Cheryl over at Brooklyn Arden posted this on her blog, and I think it's hilarious so I'm posting it here too:

Q: How many copy editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: I can't tell whether you mean "change a light bulb" or "have sex in a light bulb." Can we reword it to remove the ambiguity?

Q: How many editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Only one. But first they have to rewire the entire building.

Q: How many managing editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: You were supposed to have changed that light bulb last week!

Q: How many art directors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Does it HAVE to be a light bulb?

Q: How many copy editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: The last time this question was asked, it involved art directors. Is the difference intentional? Should one or the other instance be changed? It seems inconsistent.

Q: How many marketing directors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: It isn't too late to make this neon instead, is it?

Q: How many proofreaders does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Proofreaders aren't supposed to change light bulbs. They should just query them.

Q: How many writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: But why do we have to CHANGE it?

Q: How many publishers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Three. One to screw it in, and two to hold down the author.

Q: How many booksellers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Only one, and they'll be glad to do it too, except no one shipped them any.

Cheryl pointed out that one was missing and asked for responses:
Q: How many agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?

My answer:
A: We're sorry to say your bulb doesn't meet our needs at this time.

if you want to get technical

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:37:00 +0000

I noticed today that Peter Pan is listed under “Children – Transportation” on Barnes and Noble's website, which I thought was really funny. I checked and not all of the editions of Peter Pan are listed in this category - some, like BN's own "classic" editions, are under other categories, like “Fiction & Literature Classics.” I wonder who assigns these categories, since it seems to be the same across various publishers and editions. If it is Barnes and Noble's own classification, which is what it looks like, you would think they would be a little less literal, at least with children's books. Other books were listed under “Children – Transportation” too, like The Polar Express and and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

No wonder I can never find anything when I search by categories on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com! If I can't remember the title or author of a book exactly, I usually have better luck typing in a similar title on Amazon and hoping the book I'm thinking of will come up under "Customers who bought this item also bought." Sometimes I just type in random words that describe the book in google, which I find often works just as well.

I wonder what other categories my favorite books are hiding in? Maybe The Witch of Blackbird Pond is under "Bodies of Water - Ponds" and Anne of Green Gables is listed under "Canadian Architecture."

joss is back!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:14:00 +0000

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, just signed up for a new tv show. Yay!

is it december yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:43:00 +0000

You can see a longer, higher quality preview here. I'm so excited!

hurray!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:17:00 +0000

I just found out that Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica is going to be released October 23rd! Thank you, Best Buy! Other websites said that it would be coming out next Spring (and Amazon still doesn't list a release date), so I'm really excited.

EDIT: Apparently, this is the soundtrack, not Season 3. So I'm still waiting to see when it will come out!

And speaking of Galactica, what is Starbuck doing on Bionic Woman? You can't have her NBC! At least, not yet.

Some of my other favorite characters are showing up on network tv too. It seems that Mal is now on Desperate Housewives! I was very excited to see him on an episode of Lost last season, so it's great to see him on another successful show (although I'd much rather see more episodes of Firefly!). And Jayne is now one of the main characters on Chuck, another new NBC show, while River is going to be on The Sarah Conner Chronicles, a continuation of the Terminator series. Chris actually saw the pilot for this, and it looks like it might be good! It comes out at the beginning of next year on Fox, so I'll be keeping a lookout for it. Other than that, I've seen Wash in a couple of movies this year, most recently 3:10 to Yuma.

I guess I have a random hope in the back of my mind that if all of the Firefly actors go on to have wonderfully successful careers elsewhere, maybe Fox will do another movie or continue the show. This is totally unrealistic, I know, but it makes me happy to see them doing well!

And lastly, I'm apparently most like my favorite character. Shiny!

You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

You are good at fixing things.
You are usually cheerful.
You appreciate being treated
with delicacy and specialness.

Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

they're not sequels...

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:36:00 +0000

My husband, Chris, and I saw the Jane Austen Book Club last night, and I really liked it! The movie is actually a lot better than the preview makes it seem (a trend I’ve been noticing with several movies lately, most recently with Stardust). All of the actors are well-suited for their roles and there aren’t any obvious weak links, unlike many ensemble films, and the movie is very funny without being too sappy or over the top. I think that it can be enjoyed by anyone, not just people who have read all of Jane Austen’s books. After watching the movie, not only do I want to re-read all of Austen’s books, I want to read the book that the movie is based on, which to me is a sign of a great movie.

One of my favorite characters is Prudie, played by Emily Blunt of Devils Wears Prada fame, who shows she can do more than pithy one liners, though she still has some great lines in this movie, including the best line in the preview, “Maybe Persuasion…I’m increasingly drawn to its elegiac tone.” I also enjoyed Prudie because someone on my freshman hall in college was almost exactly like her. A little bit socially awkward, super intelligent and Jane Austen obsessed. She would wear her “I’d rather be reading Jane Austen” t-shirt and complain that the BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation, despite running 5 hours long and being an almost word-for-word reenactment of the book, was drastically inaccurate because it left out a paragraph involving Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and a pitcher.

Another favorite character was Grigg, the lone male in the group and Chris’ favorite character for a number of reasons, if not just for this scene:

Since the focus is on Jane Austen’s books rather than her life, I think Jane Austen fans, whether obsessed or not, can enjoy it, unlike the recent Becoming Jane movie (which I still have not managed to see). Although I’ve heard some great things about the movie and I would like to see it, it’s also been attacked my some ardent Austen lovers since it's pretty much in the same category (or below) as Shakespeare in Love as far as historical accuracy goes. But in the end, I think the accuracy of most movies should be taken with a grain of salt, so I don't have any problem with movies like Becoming Jane not being based in fact as long as they are entertaining. After all, if most "based on a true story" movies only contained uncontested facts, I bet they would be pretty boring.

lions, crocodiles, and buffalo, oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:27:00 +0000

I don't think these lionesses were on their A-game... you can almost hear the buffalo saying "And don't come back!" at the end.

hello blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:30:00 +0000

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now, and after finally deciding on a title (much harder than it looks) and having fun fiddling with all of the settings, here I am!

As someone who works on the editorial side of children's book publishing, I spend a lot of my time thinking about writing, discussing books, and looking for exciting new ideas. I think blogging will be a fun way to share my thoughts with more people as well as helping myself get back into the habit of writing more frequently.

Also, I just started watching Heroes this week, and I love this picture. It encompasses how I felt when I first moved to NYC almost 1.5 years ago, and also features Hiro, my favorite character so far. I'm only two episodes in, but I'm really enjoying the show. I like discovering the characters' superpowers at the same time that they are, and it's interesting to see how they are unknowingly connected, which is one of the things that I like about Lost. I know that it has a lot of fans, so I went in with high expectations. I'm looking forward to watching the next episodes (come on Netflix!).