September Books and, as always, a NYR Update

October's here! That means Halloween's on its way, and if you're like me, Halloween means one, incredible thing.

COSTUMES!

There may be a costume contest happening at the Cheetah the first week of November, so dress up, have fun, and get those pics ready. Yay!

NYR's are back on track. The eating's a bit better than August (aka, no longer approaching the land of Epic Fail). I've been mixing up my exercising, which makes it bearable, even fun at times. :) If it's not fun, I won't do it. How about you? Do you absolutely dread exercise? What about going dancing? Probably not as much, huh? Then make that your exercise!

Weekly movies are never an issue, as you all know. October begins the Fall Movie Season, and there are some great ones coming! Real Steel (Hugh Jackman...drool!), Footloose, The Three Musketeers, In Time (that one's going to be aMAZing), Anonymous, Melancholia, and so, SO many more! Which ones are you excited to see?

I'm adding to my writing resolution. I want to have half of my draft polished up and ready for critting by the end of the month. If the first two pages and query pass the test of my fantastic writer-friends (and probably all of you darlings if I decide to post them on the Cheetah for open opinions), I'll be confident going to the Backspace Conference on November 3-4, 2011. Oh, by the way, are you going to Backspace?! You should!

Now, on to the books! I had a late start, then came down to the wire on the minimum resolution number.

1. Evermore: The Immortals by Alyson Noel
Ever's family died in a car accident, leaving her to live a pampered life with her awkward aunt. Except that now she can hear other people's thoughts. Until she meets Damen. Think Twilight meets Sookie Stackhouse. A pretty good read that leaves us wondering what Ever will decide about her apparent immortality. The 'ghost' sister is the best part of the book, acting as both the comic relief and the sad, wandering soul who can't find her way. Thanks for the recommendation, Koreen!

2. Shattered by Sophia Sharp
Another series, I know! Shattered felt a little flat at the beginning, then the middle gives a ton of information, and the end flies, leaving our main characters in a hopeless situation. This is not a stand alone book (my opinion). Laura is self-admittedly average, normal, boring, as are her town and friends. Until, wait for it, a new boy shows up. ;) Logan's different, and he literally shows Laura a brand new world, a forbidden world. When they're discovered, Laura must flee her old life or face death. I found Shattered more Y than A, if you know what I mean, but it passed my 30 page rule.

3. The Great Snape Debate by Amy Berner, Orson Scott Card, and Joyce Millman
Holy. Hot. Dog!
This collection of essays was written after HBP, but before DH, and is split down the middle, half in favor of Snape's innocence and half convinced of his guilt. I won this excellent read from Lisa at Read. Write. Repeat, and it was exactly what I needed to bridge the gap between my second viewing of Deathly Hallows, Part 2 and my visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in November (hy-per-ven-til-breathes into bag-breathes into bag!!!!!!!). Not only do the authors explore Rowling's masterpiece, but they dig into Snape's character and analyze his truly heartbreaking life, guessing at his fate in DH, which of course, we all know *sniff*. When you need a Harry fix and fanfiction's just not doing it, this book won't disappoint.

Plans for October:
I'll be finishing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People this month as CPE for my Accounting certification. It's dry, but it's a necessity. I would also like to read Where She Went by Gayle Forman since I'll be referencing If I Stay in my query for FREEFALL (btw, the awesome Laura Stanford offered up an alternate title, SOUL-CROSSED, for my YA Paranormal Romance. Thoughts?). I also need (yes, NEED) to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Every time I see a trailer for the new movie, I'm equally creeped out and intriqued. Must. Read. Book. I'm giving myself the minimum once again to make time for proofing and polishing and painstakingly perfecting my MS (perfecting was just a 'P' word; I'm confident, but not crazy!).

What are your October goals for everything? Are you a Halloween lover like me? Do you love it so much you've recently purchased a Dachshund because you want to buy one of those hot dog suits for him/her? hehe. Come on. You can admit it!

Enjoy carving pumpkins, eating lots and lots of pie, and attending as many Fall festivals as you can. Thanks for visiting the Cheetah!

-Marie