Author: abby mumford

book club

STORK, review

abby mumford

Stork by Wendy Delsol. Candlewick, October 2010. 355 pages.

here’s the deal: “Katla is a true California girl. She lives for fashion and she hates the cold. So when her parents get divorced and she moves to her mother’s hometown in Minnesota, Katla’s sure that life’s going to be a drag. The town doesn’t even have a Starbucks!

But soon after Katla arrives in Norse Falls, strange things start happening. She discovers that she’s part of an ancient order of magical women, the Stork Society, who guide undecided new souls to their mothers. And Katla meets Jack, a handsome senior to whom she’s inexplicably drawn. As Katla gets to know her place among the Storks and gets closer to Jack, she’ll figure out the truths that have been hidden from her.”

here’s my opinion: the premise of a person who guides “undecided new souls to their mothers” is new (to me) and i thought it was well done and really interesting. i read a lot of paranormal books, so this felt fresh and new. the whole stork and ancient magic and norse mythology were pretty awesome and when combined with a spunky main character, that’s a recipe for fun. katla is a great character to root for. she’s strong and individualistic and unique and real and funny! i laughed.

(a side note about her name. it bugged me, but only because i’ve previously read and intensely loved two other books with similarly named main characters: katniss from HUNGER GAMES trilogy and katsa from GRACELING).

the relationship between katla and jack was well drawn out and had just the right amount of teen angst that flowed into the all encompassing first love. and jack. woowee. wendy desol did a fabulous job with him. athletic? check. smart? check. ambitious? check. a good, caring, devoted guy? check. a real, live good guy. (well, you know what i mean). now THAT is refreshing.

there were all those good parts, but then, there’s the pacing of the book. and i didn’t like it. the book was moving along at a slower clip and was introducing a lot of pieces, but then the end came crashing down and fumbled its way towards a resolution while opening even more doors and loop holes and options. i didn’t realize this was to be a series, until i set to writing this review, so i guess that clarifies why the ending was the way it was, but the first book in a series needs to stand alone and honestly, this one doesn’t.

that said, i’m excited to learn that these characters will be continuing on. i’ll definitely make it a point to pick up the next book in this series, FROST (september 2011).

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.

travel

will the real slim shady please stand up?

abby mumford

by the time you’re reading this post, it will have been written by past abby. present abby is in italy and unable to access this thing called her blog, but she didn’t want her dear readers to go without a post because, well, she’s (hopefully) off having fun gallivanting around italy and falling in love with vino and eating her weight in gelato and topping that off with another bowl of pasta and taking pictures of all that’s european and supervising a rather large work project and most definitely not getting lost, AND SO, she couldn’t be the one having all the fun. her readers need some too. welcome to the fun.

so that’s past abby and present abby, but what about future abby? what’s she up to?

well, if you ask 4 year old abby, she’d just ask where her blanket is. she doesn’t care (yet) about future abby. just the whereabouts of her blankie. and future abby (who is, let’s say 7) would pull the blanket out from in between the tangled sheets.

if you ask 13 year old abby, future abby (who is, let’s say, 17) gets her license on the very first try. the first of the mumford kids to accomplish that. HOORAH. but also, she’s the first that had to wait until she was 17 to be able to drive. dumb NJ laws.

if you ask 17 year old abby, future abby, (who is, let’s say 18) goes off to JMU for undergrad and despite balling her eyes out and feeling very scared for college to start, finds that the southern charm of virginia suits her and finds herself balling (again) when it’s time to come home for the summer. ah, the tears of youth.

and 19 year old abby would say to 18 year old abby, talk to your science professor when you’re having trouble! in a freshman science class that’s got a couple hundred kids, the prof can’t know the difference between you trying hard, but still having trouble vs. you deciding the kegger in apartment 205 is more important than science homework, so if you talk to him, he’ll then know it’s that your brain is having trouble rather than just deciding to take the afternoon off. so, go talk to him!

and 19 year old abby discovered the art of persuasion when she decided she wanted to study abroad in london for a semester, but she’d only do so if she had a familiar face with her. and thus began her campaign to convince R to come with her. note: abby FTW. and come on, it’s not like me convincing R to study abroad was a bad idea. living in london is never a bad idea. (“this sounds familiar!” says 29 year old abby, who wonders when her persuasion skills got so rusty, which is why she’s now alone in italy.)

21 year old abby waves happily from the other side of the pond. CHEERS!

and 21.4 year old abby goes on spring break to italy (venice, rome, florence) and 29 year old abby looks down the coast hoping to see the ghost of her former self (along with R and J). 29 year old abby thinks that would be AWESOME if she could see the ghost of her former self, like the time trials in Mario Kart where you can race against your best time which takes the form of a ghostly Toad. (yes, Toad was my character of choice).

if you ask 22 year old abby, future abby (who is, let’s say 24) says that boston is great. come on over!

if you ask 25 year old abby, future abby (who is, let’s say 27) happily skips across the lesley U stage during graduation. that MFA is totally worth it. so stop dilly dallying and apply already!

if you ask 29 year old abby, she’d tell everyone that she’s never typed her name so much. it’s to the point where the word abby sounds weird now. agreed?

and what would you tell abby (any age, any year, any incarnation) if she asked you to leave her a message so she has something to read upon her return to the states? OR you could just wish my friend melissa many happy returns of the day cause it’s her birfday. and that’s a cause for confetti.

travel

arrivederci

abby mumford

that’s pretty much all i have to say at the moment, though i will admit, my high school french kicked in for a moment and i wanted to say bon voyage, except that’s a little weird for me to tell YOU “good journey”, isn’t it? except it’s not because YOU go on journeys every day as YOU traverse the highways and local roads and sidewalks and stairs on the way to work whether it’s 40 miles, 4 miles, or 4 steps away. so, i take it back, i do wish YOU bon voyage on YOUR daily journeys.

and i wish ME bon voyage, as i embark on my first solo international trip. starting tomorrow night. and ending 10 days later. don’t forget me while i’m gone!

actually, YOU can’t, my blog has special things in store for YOU. special things YOU’ll have to come back to see because i wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. let’s hope the blog works as it should and doesn’t ruin its surprise for YOU. that would be typical though. technology turning its back on me and on itself whenever i come around. i don’t know why that is. i’m part of the generation that’s supposed to be whiz bang good at this stuff. maybe i’m just not good at whizzing and banging and uh, wait a second. now the words are failing me, so i best bid YOU adieu and let’s hope i don’t have to utter the words “non capisco” more than 87 times per day. and let’s hope the italian weathermen are just as inaccurate as the american ones because i’m not liking the look of this forecast, which says rain, light rain, AM showers, PM showers, thunderstorms, um, italy? really? i thought you were all sun and vino all the time. you’re not? well the italy in my head is, so please realign yourself.

ok, ok, ok, i’ll stop stalling and get to packing and provided i don’t get lost in translation, i’ll see YOU on the flip side.

general

10 things, college edition

abby mumford

it’s that time of year (fall-ish) when loads of children, teens, undergrads, grads, teachers and professors return to school and so it’s fitting that i came across this post by maureen johnson. i forwarded it to sister E because, you see folks, the youngest mumford (E) has up and gone to college. and my parents? they’re leaving for a 3 week cruise. empty nest, what?

anyways, sister E asked me to give her my own set of advice. i’m no MJ (maureen johnson OR michael jackson), but i figured i could give the college giving advice the old college try. here’s my top 10 list of things i wish i’d known before entering my freshman year in college.

(1) freshman travel in packs. everywhere. to the dining halls. to orientation meetings. to class.

it’s because none of you really know your way around campus and so when one person is going “to the quad”, you all join in. it’s fine and it’s fun and you’ll meet a lot of people that way. but it also makes you stick out. get used to hearing “FRESHMAN” yelled at you. and just know that when you holler down the hall “i’m leaving in 5 minutes for dinner,” you’ll probably get 15 people joining you. it’s the freshman mentality. embrace it because it’s okay to walk around campus as one big glob of freshman nerves, though only for that first semester.

(2) you might think this is cute:

but your roommates, suite-mates, hall-mates will not. don’t bother hanging up the poster unless you’re okay with lots of ridicule. (it took me 2 months to take mine down.)

(3) in high school, you know everyone by their first and last name. and have known some of them since kindergarten. but in college, no one has a last name.

who knows why. you just only learn their first names. even if you have four jennifer’s on your hall, they’ll all go by some variation of their first name. jen, jenn. jenny. jennyo. jennifer.

(4) frozen yogurt is delicious after any meal.

yes, even breakfast. (maybe this is just at my school. maybe this is why i gained the freshman 15.)

(5) early morning classes are the opposite of fun.

especially since college night life starts late. when you’d normally be going to bed? yeah, in college, that’s when you’re getting ready to go out. so an 8am class? it hurts. but you’re bound to have them your first semester of college because the administration scheduled them for you. after that first semester, though, you get to pick your classes and times. tip: don’t schedule any classes before 10am, noon if you can.

(6) email becomes your lifeline to both the outside world (family, HS friends) and inside the college bubble.

before i went to college, i never checked email. i don’t think i even had an account.  (yes, that makes me sound old. i swear, i’m really not.) i remember on the campus tour, the guide said something about how wired JMU was and how he checked his email 6x a day. i thought that was a lot. and in the fall of 1999, it was. but then i arrived on campus and would check it 6x an hour. prepare yourself. or, perhaps your already are? you kids with your smart phones these days. however, don’t underestimate the power of checking your mailbox. and finding a handwritten letter. or a “you’ve got a package” slip.

(7) even the best of friends would fight if forced to live in a room the size of a china cabinet, so you and your roommate who never met before moving in together? there might be some tension as you learn things you did and didn’t want/need to know about each other in the way that only living in a teeny, tiny room forces you to do. so you better learn how to communicate.

or get a good set of earphones and crank up your music so loud, it drowns out the sound of her talking. or find a friend down the hall whose room you can crash in until the storm blows over.

(8) no matter how much you were craving independence, you will miss mom and dad more than you anticipated. (or, maybe that’s just my mom and dad).

and though you may not realize it, they gave you the proper tools you need to succeed. your tool box may be unorganized and disheveled right now, but they’re all in there. it’s up to you to figure out when the situation calls for a screwdriver (the tool or the OJ variety) or a hammer.

(9) there is no alarm clock or parent or teacher to keep after you to do your homework.

you have to figure out to organize your time and stay motivated. because when kelly and lisa come in giggling and wearing winter hats and parkas on an august afternoon, it’s going to be hard to resist joining in on the shenanigans. and remember, go talk to your teachers! when you’re stuck in a freshman class with the other 900 incoming freshman, your professor won’t know that the D on your paper is because you were confused rather than you decided to party instead. go to their office hours. show them you care.

(10) even though you’re the low man on the totem pole, HAVE FUN.

you’re about to meet some of the most amazing people. and create some of your fondest memories. and have some sad times. and be stressed about schoolwork. but you’re living and learning and becoming an adult. there’s no better way to do that than by living on your own. (while still funded by mom and dad.)

any tips i missed? anything to add?

general

anticipation-ville

abby mumford

i was going to call this post great expectations, but it turns out i’ve already written a post entitled that. not to mention, there’s a very well known book by that name. so instead of plagiarizing myself* and that book, i called this masterpiece anticipation-ville.

and that’s today’s theme.

anticipated event: the release of MOCKINGJAY, the third book in the hunger games trilogy.

payoff: i know there are people who haven’t yet read it, so i’m not going to spoil anything, don’t worry. i will say that an interesting thing happened while reading it. usually when i read a book, it’s just me and the pages. and sometimes i think about the author and why they chose to go this way instead of that way with the plot, but usually, it’s just me and the characters. but this time, i wasn’t alone. i knew that everyone and their mother and their mother’s cousin’s twin’s stepsister’s brother was reading it and i couldn’t stop wondering what everyone else was thinking when they had read this chapter or that passage. it was weird in the sense that it felt like a house guest who isn’t taking the hint and leaving, but also, kind of nice in a “if-i-need-to-talk-about-the-ending-i-know-i-have-half-a-dozen-people-i-can-count-on-to-talk-to-me-about-it-right-now.” and trust me, you’re going to want to talk about this book.

anticipated event: joining twitter and gaining access to hollywood by following celebrities’ comments and quotes.

payoff: today, almost a year and a half later, twitter continues to surprise me, as we have an entirely different relationship now. the only celebrities i follow anymore are those of the authorial variety. that’s authors for the laymen. i’ve joined a book group. i’ve gotten to know friends of friends better. i’ve gained a vast amount of knowledge about publishing, querying, and writing. i’ve encountered support groups and cheerleaders and allies all associated with writing. i’ve found new favorite authors. i’ve added to my TBR list so much that if i had each of those books stacked on top of each other, it’d reach the moon. (hey, i’d like to visit the moon, maybe i should look into this stack-able walkway. and spacesuits. and time travel. and, anyways…) i’ve learned more about the city i live in. i’ve found new restaurants to try and bars to hit up and stores to shop in. i’ve had my ego boosted. i’ve laughed. i’ve been blessed to have the kindness of people on twitter leap off the interwebs and land in my real life.

anticipated event: upgrading my normal phone to a smartphone.

payoff: after going into the store to have them activate my new DROID, i was very confused for about a week. and unable to properly answer the phone. i still have trouble with the phone portion and usually answer with a tentative “hello?????????” but i’m getting it. i am. except for the part where i am very upset i’ll have to buy a bluetooth as my hands free device. it’s impossible to hear people on those things, but long car rides are a part of life when you live 300 miles away from your closest family members and talking during that drive makes it bearable. on my previous two phones, i had a plug-in head set (sassy, i know) but now, they’re funneling me down the path of a bluetooth. i must resist. actually, it’s really easy… anyways, ANYWAYS, two weeks into my new phone? now i’m a whiz. well, more of a whizlet. i’m still learning. but i am getting to know little tricks and tips and how to conserve battery life. but the best part? other than the first weekend i got the phone, i’m not nearly as addicted to it as i thought i would be. i can still go about my life and interact with human beings and look around and enjoy the sights. but, if there is no one nearby or nothing good to look at, i have the option to explore the digital world that’s in the palm of my hand, yo. cause that’s how i roll. nowadays. i am so hip to getting jiggy with it. yeah, just like that.

does verizon offer a monthly plan for maturity upgrades?

*is it still plagiarizing if you are copying something you yourself wrote? or is it just lazy?