Reading after Midnight and other stories

Rather high on the list of things I ought not do: stay up past midnight to finish a dystopian novel. If you've done this, you probably know that it's hard to sleep afterward. Your eyes don't want to stay closed.

Still... wow. I have a lot to say about Veronica Roth's Divergent. A lot. So much that a review might wind up at The Hog's Head, too. It was fantastic—and painful—and romantic—and terrifying—and I'll stop there, but there's much more, oh yes.

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Memorial Day Weekend plans: Spend as much time as possible with visiting family. Drive to Seattle to have dinner with my best friend, who is driving out from Montana with friends (can NOT wait to see you, MissPhotographerB!!!) Play in the Great Annual Memorial Day Street Hockey Game. Celebrate our oldest nephew's graduation from high school. Oh, and I have to get up in front of people and sing. Also, I have to write a post for the blogalectic.

These two introverts may be catatonic for the week following, but it should be fun.

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Maia's new trick of the week: hiding up inside the armchair when she knows we're about to leave the house. She doesn't like being locked in the back rooms, away from all her favorite ways of being naughty. We actually have to turn the chair over to get her out.

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Writers' link of the week: Natalie Whipple on knowing When to Rewrite. My favorite part, because I know exactly what she means: "But more than that, you also have to love the story. I'm not talking regular love, either. I'm talking, passionate, devoted, undying obsession. I'm talking love that would make Edward and Bella's look normal. You have to love this story enough to suffer."

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Music of the week: When you grow up Southern Baptist, you can't help but love this sort of thing all your life. Even if you turn into a (mostly) Yankee Catholic nerd who usually listens to Gregorian chant and indie techno and popera and wizard rock. Roots are roots, and I'll always love mine.



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Funny of the week: I missed participating, but loved this #lessinterestingbooks hashtag that went around on Twitter. Some of the best from my tweeps:

@jamesscottbell
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sects, But Were Afraid to Ask
The Divine Sitcom
Love in the Time of Psoriasis

@akimoku
Pride and Pinochle

@jana_kaye
The Board Games Trilogy

@jaysongbird
Mere Scientology
Diary of Barney Frank
The Shaq
The Gatsby

...and my favorite random one, by @shaggydogmedia: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Commerce.

Hmm. The Cat, the Magician, and the Closet? Speaker for the Catatonic? Sleeping Pretty? Anne's House of Wishful Thinking? Misdemeanor and Punishment? War and More War? Blathering Heights? Okay, I'd better stop...

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It's not often I use the word 'catatonic' twice in one post. I'll call that a good thing.

Happy weekend!