Crichton has been one of my favorite authors for years. I started reading his books when the film version of Jurassic Park was released, and I fell in love with his style. His books entertained the hell out of me, but I also learned so much while I was reading. This was young geek heaven for me. Jurassic Park was a fascinating read, Sphere scared the living hell out of me, The Andromeda Strain is still one of my favorite books, Timeline produced one of my favorite characters ever, Andre Marek (tall, dark, and a medievalist? oh, be still my heart!). Crichton was a brilliant, creative person, and he will be sorely missed.

Be sure to get out and vote if you haven’t already!

[sigh]

I’m about halfway through Richelle Mead’s Succubus Dreams, and I promise I’ll post a review as soon as I finish it. I’ve just got to find time to finish it! Next up in the reading-for-pleasure stack is Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs and The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod.

My boyfriend brought home an enormous time suck the other day… Little Big Planet. He’s waiting for me to finish up homework stuff so we can be adorable little sackpeople together. C’mon, homework, do yourself!

Like last year, and the year before, I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo. November is pretty much the worst month possible for this sort of thing. November means starting on final projects, writing papers, doing editorial review type stuff… In other words, way too much crap that prevents me from doing what I really want to do: write fiction.

Le sigh.

Maybe I’ll turn December/January into sort of an impromptu NaNoWriMo. I’m on winter break then… I should start plotting out a novel now.

Links! Because I really do have to buckle down and work on other stuff.

How to Read, Drink, and Be Merry. Alcoholic beverage paired with books. Some good suggestions, but I drink white wine and wouldn’t touch chick lit with a ten foot pole. Austen I agree with, though, heh.

Now here’s a genre that was sadly missed by that post’s author. What would you drink with paranormal romance? Which beverage would you pair with Richelle Mead, Linnea Sinclair, Karen Chance? Tell me in the comments. :D

In other news, I got artistic and inspired yesterday and made some art: Offering to the Sea. I’d love feedback on the piece, either here or on Deviantart.

And now, it’s time to hunt down that bottle of Mucinex, find some Tylenol, and get some work done.

I don’t do enough to help other people, particularly people living in poverty.

In my home state, Texas, the poverty rate is 16.3%, higher than the national rate of 13% (source). The majority of impoverished families in Texas are headed by a worker. Depressingly (though perhaps not startlingly), women are much more likely to be impoverished than men. In people with less than a high school education, the poverty rate for women is 31.3% as opposed to 21.6% for men (source).

So what can we do to help impoverished women both here in the United States and worldwide?

• Donate to Care.Org’s Empower Women Around the World, a charity that empowers women to create lasting solutions to poverty by improving education, preventing the spread of HIV, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, expanding economic opportunity and protecting natural resources.
• Get involved with Women Thrive Worldwide, an organization that shapes U.S. policies that can help women lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
• Donate to or volunteer to work at a local women’s shelter. Do a Google search to find shelters in your area. If you’re in Dallas, you can help out at Genesis Women’s Shelter.

But this thing? Is incredibly cool. I could get behind this sort of thing. I like that it’s thin and light and durable, because… well, I keep a lot of crap in my purse or my tote. I’d hate for an e-book reader to have an unfortunate run-in with one of my many pens or lip gloss containers. (Yes, yes, I know. Covers. Just go along with me here.)

I am, however, a thrifty fangirl. Until one of these babies goes for cheap, I’ll stick with my precious paper books.

Deep breaths, Fangirl. Deep breaths.

I should be writing a short paper on Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but… well, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I’m not. So, I’ll pepper you all with links.

Don Cheadle to replace Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2. Not sure how I feel about this one. I love Don Cheadle and think he’s a brilliant actor. He should have no problems playing Col. Rhodes. But I also hate it when a character gets an actor change mid-franchise. Howard was great as Rhodey, and he had fantastic chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr. It looks like money might be a major factor in this switch, which really sucks. I know Cheadle will do a good job, but at the same time… I’m a worried fangirl.

How To Do Everything With Twitter. I’m sadly addicted to Twitter, so this? Is super helpful! Thanks to Mel for the link.

On the list of Comics I Need To Pick Up: Urban Fantasy Land reviews Marvel’s NYX I adore Joshua Middleton’s art, and the covers are nothing short of gorgeous.

I want to write some fiction. This lolcat describes my writing mood perfectly.

Ann Aguirre posts about Anya Bast’s new release, The Chosen Sin. Looks like I’ll be making another trip to the bookstore…

The Book Smugglers’ Thea reviews Richelle Mead’s Succubus Dreams. I snagged a copy of this last weekend and will probably dive into it after I finish The Mammoth Book of Vampires.

If you’re more in the mood for science fiction, Young Adult Science Fiction posts a list of intriguing books. Will Peterson’s Triskelion looks pretty cool.

And finally, for shits and giggles, % Chance Ninja is Located at Given Moment.

I read a lot, as the list of books I’ve read so far this year proves. I tend to buy most of my books used, but the fact remains that I go through a lot of paper in a year. I “recycle” books by swapping on sites like BookMooch and by selling them back to used bookstores. But I’ve found an even better way to go green when it comes to reading. (Thanks to Andi at Estella’s Revenge for the link!)

Eco-Libris helps you balance out your footprint by allowing you to plant trees to match the number of books you read. You donate money, and Eco-Libris works with planting partners to plant your trees. When you donate, you’ll receive sticker bookplates (printed on recycled paper!) to put in your books. And if you recycle your books by swapping or selling, you can spread the word about Eco-Libris!

Their vision:

Let’s start with the bottom line: we believe in providing people with easy and affordable ways to take responsibility for their actions and go green. We don’t believe in preaching doom and gloom. It’s not our style. We do believe in taking action and in the power of small changes to make a big impact.

Payday’s tomorrow, and I’m going to donate. Time to start balancing out my huge list o’ books!

Not that I’ve been posting regularly lately, but there won’t be any posts until at least next Tuesday. I don’t think I’ll have really regular internet access while I’m there, but even if I do, I don’t think I’ll have time to post! It’s a whirlwind trip, and I’m determined to do as much as is humanly possible. :D

I did pack a couple of books to read on the plane, though. I’m in the middle of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which I’m sure I’ll finish on the plane tomorrow (though I should be reading stuff for class, heh), and so I tossed in Patricia Briggs’s Cry Wolf to read when I finish PoA. Werewolves, woo hoo! I’ll post a review when I finish it up.

Heather over at The Galaxy Express is having Steampunk Week! Today’s post examines steampunk as a genre and looks at the reasons for its sudden surge in popularity. She also recommends a number of steampunk books, and is giving away a copy of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Dru Pagliassotti’s Clockwork Heart! Head over and check it out. :)