Seven Things

01 - My writing ambition has somewhat demised. I haven't been sending out my short stories to any online journals. I think now I prefer writing contests more. At least the competition isn't everybody. I had entered a couple of writing contests before and of course I didn't win but it just seemed somewhat easier than having to randomly choose which story to send because as specific as online journals are with their guidelines (and sometimes themes or genres), they are still sort of vague in some strange way while writing contests are while just as specific, at least, they are not as vague but maybe that's just my experience. Anyway, writing contests are just easier although failure rate is kind of higher.

02 - I haven't been doing the Friday Writings challenges. I think having the restriction of writing the maximum words of 369 is something I'm not good at even though whatever writing (fiction, that is) I posted, I try to restrict to a low number although higher than 369. I guess I'm not one for brevity.
    Plus I think the Friday Writings challenges is more for poetry and prose as the participants are mostly writing poetry which I don't do any more. I like that they tell you what next week's prompt is so that you can write in advance. Check out Poets And Storytellers United over here if you like to participate.

03 - I haven't been participating (posting) in respect to Insecure Writers Support Group so they took me off their sign-up list. I actually haven't joined any other writing groups or even discussion groups so I guess being kicked off one matters little. It is nice to talk about your complaints, failures, activities and anything that gives amateur and seasoned writers something to share and bond over but like I said above, I don't have much writing ambitions so I didn't really have much to talk about. Visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog here.

04 - Book series connecting to one another — I don't like the idea of an author's book series all connected into a single world. I prefer a series (as most books are series) as belonging to itself, its own little universe. Also with connected series, you feel like you didn't really finish a series unless you read the connected other series. It's awful enough that book series are like twenty books long but now they are connecting all the series, it's maddening.

05 - Ebook pricing is really getting ridiculous — Recently I saw an ebook for $22.95 (pricing is usually set by the publishers) which usually are at $12.99. Then there were ebooks at $19 and even $35 - what have changed to make ebooks this ridiculously high? 
    I can't understand the pricing of ebooks but I think ebooks should be lower than paper books. When you buy an ebook, you're not buying a book, you're buying the rights to read a book so why should people pay the same amount equal to paper books when you cannot resell ebooks or even lend them unless you hand over your ereader.
    Frankly, I think people should just invest in their public library and borrow books from them. This way, everyone benefits. But that doesn't really solve anything. What would be better if publishers allow public libraries to have perpetual licensing of ebooks they purchase since they pay triple or even quadruple the price, way more than regular consumers. If publishers are going to treat ebooks like paper books, they should allow permanent ownership (not just letting ebooks sit in ereaders or have temporary licenses) of ebooks when people and public libraries purchase them.
    Here are two links talking about ebook pricing:
    - The hidden truth about ebooks & eaudiobooks
    - The problem with e-books (video)

06 - If anyone is interested in murder mysteries, there is a magazine, Deadly Pleasures, all about new and upcoming murder mysteries books. They now offer their magazine without subscription fees. Check it out over here.

07 - Book samples that only has an introduction — When I read a book sample, I expect to read some of the book not just an introduction. So yes, an introduction is part of a book but it is not the actual book, it's an opinion, an essay, a glorified love letter to the author or the book and it sometimes contains spoilers. For those reasons, I always skip reading the introduction when I read book samples but also when starting a book.
    For a real book sample, it should show the text, like chapter 1 and then some text - this shows samples of the writing style or how the book is structured or formatted, even a little taste of the characters. You don't get that reading an introduction.

What's on your mind these days?

Book Rants - August 2026

I find most books dull even when one side of my brain didn't. Often, the side that found it interesting loses easily. Usually I think it's the expectation of a book - I read a synopsis that sounds so intriguing and then I start to read the book and nothing is intriguing, that is, I'm waiting for that intriguing bit to surface but it took so long and I guess I lost my patience and than I unfinished the book. Sometimes I don't even read the synopsis just so I wouldn't have any expectations but if it takes too long to get to anything that interest me, I will then to quit the book. This is pretty much how I read these days and it's why I only managed to finish only four books. Here are the books I unfinished and the ones I did finish.

Books I Unfinished

01 - The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura, translated by Yuka Maeno 
What's it about: a bookshop that appears and disappears at will or random, books, people's lives
Quit at: 35%
I may have picked this simply for the cover - it's gorgeous. Perhaps they should have started with a more cheerful story instead of a woman losing her mother. I am unable to find anything interesting about that story, not even the book they mentioned (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - I did not like that book). I started on the second story and then just didn't want to continue. Each story is linked to a book and the other books mentioned are: Ten nights of dreams by Natsume Soseki, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and Spring & Asura: Poems of Kenji Miyazawa by Kenji Miyazawa. 
    Other similar Japanese cozy books I tried to read and quit: 
- The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messinal - too depressing, at least the beginning
- The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood - talking cats, coffee, good mix but somehow still boring
- Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun, translated by Shanna Tan - I didn't quite like the start
- With the Heart of a Ghost: Stories by Sunwoo Lim, translated by Chi-Young Kim - the first story was okay but dull and I just didn't want to read more.

Fiction: Bungee Jumping & Maybe Merfolk

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are supplied by messymimi and can be found on her blog as well as River's blog. This week's prompts are: attention, vague, orbit, game, think, insistence and/or single, brand, barrel, bless, stake, cap. Additional optional prompt is Charlotte's colour of the month - Steel Blue. 
    The aim of Words for Wednesday is to use one or all of the prompts to write something – ie, a story, a poem, an essay or any forms of writing, fiction or nonfiction – basically write anything you want.    

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Fiction: Bungee Jumping & Maybe Merfolk
As he jumped off the bridge's deck, Hawken Decker had a vague idea he might be heading toward his death. All his life, Hawken had been blessed. His family always supported him no matter what he did. But this was to be his last stunt, the last time he did anything this stupid. As he barreled through his unwanted thoughts, he wondered if his sister would miss him.
    Moments ago Hawken stood on the bridge's deck and peering down at the water and drenched in sweat. He had removed his brand new baseball cap and wiped his forehead about five times. Everyone had been orbiting around him like he was a star except there were only twelve people including two professional bungee jumpers who set up the equipments. A few passerby had paid Hawken some glances but they didn't linger, not in the 95°F heat. Maybe Hawken shouldn't have invited Bethany Price since she kept chatting on her phone. His best friend Stella Prickling's insistence grin made Hawken wanted to smack her. She had held a thumbs up and lifted the camera to her eye. Stella was always gaming Hawken into believing every stunt was the greatest thing Hawken would ever do but Stella had no stakes in them except earning a few bucks for posting the videos online. 
    Bungee jumping wasn't dangerous but if the rope somehow failed, Hawken might just crush his brain against the side of the bridge or he might drown in the river below and if not, he might be unable to swim to safety. 
    Hawken was a fool. Twenty-six years old and what did he have to show for? Just some dumb stunts. Hawken could blame Stella for living like this but he chose to do these stunts. Sometimes Hawken wanted to go back and unmade the decision to be friends with Stella in second grade. When Hawken had tripped and fell over his tray of lunch, Stella had helped him cleaned up and even shared her lunch. Hawken still could remember the ham sandwich that had caused him a stomachache but Stella's kindness stayed with him.
    Flying through the air, Hawken was surprised how heavenly it was before he started dipping into the water. He didn't hear a snap but he was certain the rope had broke and he was loose in the water. The freezing liquid was soothing to his hot body but as he sank farther down, he cursed. A strange power surged through him and he swam upward only to slow down as his arms and legs ached while tangled in some rope. Unable to hold his breath any longer, he slacked his mouth. His vision started darkening and then he blacked out.