As I'm writing this, it seems we have finally turned the corner in the Bay Area to autumn. Our summer is always a clueless guest, hanging around well past the time that the beer is all gone and the hosts are yawning and looking longingly at the door. I think the brutal summer heat hung around just a few weeks too long because I – in a fit of optimism – put out my autumn decorations, pumpkin-scented candles, and delicate bowls made of wrought-iron leaves, which of course jinxed us all.

But now that the cool weather is here, I can finally turn my mind to things other than "WHEN WILL THIS HEAT END?" to what I really want to be thinking about, which is writing. Around about this time for the last five years, I've been thinking, nay, obsessing, about what I will write during NaNoWriMo. Yes, I write during the rest of the year, but there's something about the insanity of NaNo, the global free pass to skive off housework and go in just a little bit late to work and stay up way past your bedtime: a monthlong celebration of writing goodness. But this year, I'm not obsessing and planning and biting my nails. Because this year, I'm doing NaNo during October.

Because of various Real Life Reasons, Heather Domin and I have made a pact to do our NaNo in October: ONoWriMo. And we have also made a pact to let you all know how we're doing, every Wednesday doing October.

But wait, there's more!

Heather and I, being gluttons for punishment, will also be doing a series of blog posts throughout October. We'll be covering a range of topics about the process of writing – ritual, inspiration, superstition, gods and saints – topics that come to our minds when we think about this turn toward the darkness, the turn inward.

So look for our posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays throughout October, and join in with your experiences and ideas!

It's Banned Books Week. Whenever I see this list, I'm always astonished, not only by the books that have been challenged and removed, but by the intellectual bullying and violence.

Check out the list - I've no doubt you've read a lot of them already. Pick a new one to read and celebrate the fact that you can.

Michaelmas

Myths, folklore & symbolism

"This ideogram represents Michaelmas, the first day of the winter half year in Scandinavia of the Middle Ages..."

Get the full story at symbols.com.

The Word-Hoard: Kalopsia

Kalopsia: condition where things appear more beautiful than they really are (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

An Open Letter to World Fantasy San Jose Attendees

I've lived in San Jose for 18 years, and in the South Bay for 25. I'd like to give you an insider's look at San Jose to make your World Fantasy experience even more fun.

1. The Fairmont's lobby is pretty swank and very convenient; lots of places to sit and chat and have an expensive drink. The Sunday afternoon tea is apparently quite nice.

2. That said, get the heck out of the Fairmont if you can. I know you won't have tons of time, but definitely check out these restaurants and bars:

• O'Flaherty's - a great Irish pub with Strongbow and Guinness on tap. Live Irish music on Tuesday and Sunday nights. A five-minute walk


• Picasso's - awesome tapas and a good selection of wine. A five-minute walk.


• 5 Spot Chivas Grill - have only been there for breakfast, but their chilaquiles are the bomb and the 5 Spot Omelet (with nopales) is, according to my husband, delish. A 15-minute walk south on first street


• Viva Taqueria - awesome hole-in-the wall in Santa Clara with great chile verde and huge burritos; only if you have a car - a 10-minute drive


• Dia de Pesca - another awesome taqueria featuring seafood - again, only if you have a car - a 10-minute drive


• E&O Trading Company - it is part of a small chain, but their food and cocktails are delish; a 3-minute walk


• Gordon Biersch is pretty convenient, and their garlic fries are legendary. A 5-minute walk. The Gordon Biersch brewery and bottling facility is in the Japantown area of north San Jose.


• Again, if you have a car, drive 5 minutes north to Japantown. Lots of good Japanese and Hawaiian restaurants in a 4-block area. A 5-minute drive.


• Want something fancy? Well, the Grill on the Alley has some pretty decent steaks and nice old-school cocktails, but I'd say get out and walk over to the Marriott (across Plaza de Cesar Chavez) and have dinner at Arcadia (a 3-minute walk), or walk up to the Hotel De Anza and have dinner at La Pastaia (A 10-minute walk).


• Want something to help you with your hangover? La Victoria (La Vic to locals) has two locations, about equidistant from the Fairmont - one near SJSU (a 10-minute walk) and one near San Pedro Square (a 5-minute walk). Breakfast burritos and badassed orange sauce FTW!

3. The San Jose Museum of Art is literally right next door to the Fairmont. The collection focuses on 20th and 21st century art; the Alexander Calder exhibit will be on during World Fantasy.

4. The San Jose Sharks will be hosting the LA Kings on October 28, and the Colorado Avalanche on October 30.

5. Take a few moments to visit the Cathedral Basilica of San Jose. The first church on the site, dedicated to St. Joseph, was established in 1803. The current church is the fifth on the same site, and was built in 1877. There are often free concerts in this lovely building; check the website for the latest information.

6. If you have a car, and some extra time, take a drive over Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz. The beaches south of SC are family-friendly and more like SoCal beaches. The beaches north of SC are much more wild (and I think more interesting) with excellent surf. Davenport has two excellent places for breakfast (Whale City Bakery and the Davenport Roadhouse).

7. The official World Fantasy site suggests going to Napa or Sonoma, which is fine, but pretty far away. There are some AMAZING wineries in the Santa Cruz mountains. Ridge, just above Cupertino, is well-known for their award-winning Montebello, and the David Bruce winery is also justly famous for their fantastic pinot noir. Do yourself a favor - visit the wineries of the Santa Cruz mountains - it's closer than Sonoma or Napa (only 30 minutes vs. 90), the wineries are smaller, tasting rooms friendlier (and not overrun), and the scenery is incredibly beautiful.

Let's see, what else? San Jose is a great place to live, and has some amazing history. The pueblo was founded in 1777 by Juan Bautista de Anza - the first civil settlement in California (the Missions and military encampments preceded it). The city was under Spanish rule until it came under Mexican rule in the early 19th century, and then came under American rule in 1846. It was California's first incorporated city (1850) and its first capitol; the San Jose Normal School (now known as San Jose State University) was founded in 1854. It is now the 10th largest city in the United States.

If you have any questions or want any other suggestions, please feel free to drop me an email! juliekrose at gmail dot com.

Here's a fun meme, nicked from Anna Scott Graham.

Find the book closest to you, open it to page 161. Write down the fifth sentence.

"The archers, added to the feudal magnates who had adopted western feudal arms, produced a combination which paralleled the Ottoman bow and lance."

- The Art of War in the Middle Ages, C.W.C. Oman

Onlinecollege.org has created a list of the 100 Best Blogs for Book Reviews, and have kindly included this here Word-Hoard under the History and Historical Fiction category, along with the lovely Steven Till. Check out the link for other Book Review blogs in a variety of categories.

The Word-Hoard: Pannage

Pannage: 1. feeding swine in the forest. 2. food eaten by forest swine. (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

Happy 09 09 09 :)

The Word-Hoard: capernoited

Capernoited: tipsy, lightly pifflecated, slightly nimptopsical (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

Looks like lots of updates have happened recently to the World Fantasy website. I'm particularly interested this year, because 1) it's my first time going and 2) it's in my home town!

The Fairmont in San Jose is a fantastic venue. I did two events there in my previous life as an event planner, and I think you all will be very impressed. The menu for the banquet looks really nice -- one of the Fairmont's real strengths is their excellent menus.

In a few weeks, I'll give y'all a run down of the best places to eat and drink in San Jose, so check back!

Book Review: A Monster's Notes

Here is the second of my two reviews for August 2009's Historical Novels Review.


A Monster's Notes, Laurie Sheck

What would it mean if Mary Shelly’s monster had been real? What implications would there be for her story, what clues about her story could we find in the people she lived with and loved? That is the premise of this ambitious book.

Sheck, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry, poses answers to these questions in a series of stories and flashbacks, all connected by the monster who was created by an unknown hand and interacted with Mary when she was a child, sitting together, reading at her mother’s graveside. The stories are told through the monster’s own ponderings, letters written by Mary Shelley, her sister Claire, and Clerval, who in this universe was an intimate of the monster’s maker, as well as a character in Mary’s book.

As is to be expected, the book is well written – more of a free-form 540-page poem than a novel. There is little plot, and it is difficult to connect with the characters and their plights – even the monster.

It is a meditation on mind, what it means to think, what it means to be a person, what it means to be an individual – what it means to dream, think, see, to know someone, to know yourself. It’s heady, ambitious stuff, quite thought-provoking, though not at all an easy read.

Book Review: When Fortune Frowns

Here is the first of my two reviews for August 2009's Historical Novels Review.

When Fortune Frowns
, William H. White

October, 1790. Captain Edward Edwards of the Pandora is directed by the Admiralty to seek out the infamous mutineers, late of the Bounty, and return them to England to face justice. The journey around the world to find and capture the missing mutineers mirrors the journeys of Captain Bligh, the Royal Navy winning through at last, but not without hardship and hard work.

This is a serviceable Age of Sail story, with plenty of scrupulously accurate details. Unfortunately, the pacing is as slow as a frigate in the calms around the equator, and the dialog as stiff as a captain’s neck stock. The characters, including the protagonist, third lieutenant Edward Ballantyne, are one-dimensional and I’m afraid I was never really interested in them or their journey. What pulled me along to the end was the historical detail and the inherent mystery and adventure of searching for the missing mutineers.

The sudden shifts of point of view were hard to digest and the overuse of exclamation marks and random quotation marks distracting. Recommended for Age of Sail die-hards looking for a quick, historically accurate read.

This is so cool. Heather Domin continues with her culinary tour of Rome with pork, peas, and globi - donut holes of the gods!