It’s time for WWW Wednesday! This blog hop is hosted by Sam over at A World Of Words. Link up with us by commenting on Sam’s post for today, and just answer the three questions.
What have you recently finished reading?
I finished reading The N
atural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood, and I liked it, but it was a bit too open-ended for me to really love it. My review is here.
I then finished The Diary of a Young Girl (the Definitive Edition) by Anne Frank. It’s funny, you see all the really profound quotes everywhere that it 
took me by surprise at first to realise she really was just like any other teenager in a lot of ways. This edition was printed in such a way that her final entry finished on the last line of a page, and when I turned it, all that was written on the next page was “Anne’s diary ends here”. I knew I was close to finishing, but that felt like a bit of a punch in the gut.
I also posted my review of Stars Above by Marissa Meyer this week. You can find it here.
What are you currently reading?
Currently reading The Rebirth of Rapunzel: A Mythic Biography of the Maiden in the Tower by Kate Forsyth. This is the academic component of Forsyth’s doctoral research; her novel Bitter Greens, which I reviewed a bit over a year ago, was the fiction component. I had known about this research, but didn’t realise until now that it had been published in full last year. I’ve now got a couple of other Rapunzel retellings on my TBR that I really want to read!
What do you think you’ll read next?
I probably should read The Devil’s Prayer by Luke Gracias, since I received a copy of it from NetGalley. I think I will actually enjoy it once I start it, but I’m really enjoying reading physical books at the moment, and don’t really feel like an ebook?
What are you reading this week? 🙂
The other blog hop for this week is WIPpet Wednesday. If you’re a writer, you are very welcome to join us in this one by posting an excerpt from your WIP that somehow relates to the date. You can click the blue guy on the right of this blog to be taken to the link up.
This scene takes place not long after last week’s. Clara ended up losing her job over the incident where it seemed she had thrown a box of Christmas lights at a customer, so she has gone home early, forgetting that she was supposed to meet Max after work. He’s now home and asking her what happened today. They’ve been discussing her developing powers and she’s starting to put two and two together about him and his aunt. 17 lines for 2017.
“I hurt someone today. He upset me and I hit him in the head with a box of Christmas lights.” She smiled weakly. “It sounds so stupid. But he thought I threw them at him, and he could sue the shop if he wanted to. Max?”
Max had been listening while watching the water in the kettle start to boil, but when Clara turned her attention on him so fully, he looked up and returned the favour.
“Yes?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you.”
Clara scoffed. “No one else I know is able to move objects with her mind, or make the lights come on and off, or hear the thoughts of everyone around them. You seem to know what’s going on.” She held up a finger as he started to object. “You’ve been way too calm about all these things I can do, and you never seem surprised when I talk about it. It’s like you knew this stuff was all going to happen. Is this why you and Aunt Jana invited me to live with you?”
Indeed it is, Clara. Sort of. It’s kind of complicated. You’ve kind of always lived with them, there was never an invitation but you don’t remember that.
So this thing keeps happening where every now and then I’ll write a moment between Max and Clara that’s totally adorable and I’ll think, “Yep, totally shipping these two”. Except a lot of the time they come across more as friends than anything romantic and I JUST WISH THEY’D DECIDE. I mean, I can work with “Long lost Princess falls for protector while unaware that she’s a Princess and then its awkward later” but I NEED TO KNOW.
Ahem.
In other news, I found a really awesome plot prompt on the NaNoWriMo forums. It’s a contemporary Wizard of Oz retelling and I really want to write it, but I’m nervous about it. Throw me random encouragement!
I should probably leave this here! I’ll catch you all soon! 🙂
A Keyboard and an Open Mind 
I’m planning to start Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst today. I’ve really been looking forward to this one, so hoping it holds up.
As for the WiPPet, it would definitely be disconcerting to have these powers you don’t understand. And to realize someone else might know more about what’s going on than you do. And I hope those characters start telling you what’s up. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know that one but I like the title, so I’m going to have to look it up.
Where I got up to last night, Clara now knows what’s up, but she’s not sure she feels any better about it. 😉
LikeLike
I also enjoyed reading Anne Frank’s diary last year and was pleasantly surprised to discover how much of a normal teenager she also was.
Here’s my WWW.
LikeLike
Your review of Stars Above has made me very glad that I’ve delayed getting a copy for so long because I think it’s overpriced! I’ll definitely seek out a copy from the library now 🙂 To be honest, I’m only really interested in the last story which I believe features a wedding.
Here’s my WWW: https://clairehuston.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/www-wednesday-11th-january-2017/
LikeLike
Love the snippet. I think I’d be feeling a lot like Clara. I had to laugh–I’ve had those moments with characters where I just want to say, “Make up your freaking mind already!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I am curious about The Natural Way of Things. Your review was great….and left me wondering if I could get past those loose ends…or if I would be tantalized by it all. Yes, curious.
Thanks for sharing…and you WIPpet intrigued me. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
LikeLike
Meant to say “your WIPpet.” LOL
LikeLike
The sudden end caught me off guard, too. I was listening to it and had stopped after the last word to go into work, thinking I’d finish it that afternoon! Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh ouch, yeah, that would have been a surprise! I had to keep reminding myself that it was a historical document and not a novel where she would have somehow smuggled the diary into the concentration camp and we would have got closure at the end.
LikeLike
I’m glad you enjoyed your experience with Anne Frank! I’ve been thinking of rereading the story some time this year. The Natural Way Of Things sounds good as well. I hope you will enjoy your books this week and happy reading! Here’s my WWW.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it’s a good one to reread; you’d get something a little different out of it every time. Did/do you read one of the earlier editions or the definitive one with much more content?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The last time was back in high school, and if I remember correctly it was one of the earlier editions. I also got a kindle edition a long time ago, but I’ll have to check which version it is…
LikeLike
Hmmm…the Devil’s Prayer sounds really interesting! I’ll have to check it out! Here’s my WWW:
https://rabbitearsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/www-wednesdays-3-january-11-2017/
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does, doesn’t it? I’m not usually a horror fan, but the synopsis sounded intriguing so I requested it anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool!
LikeLike
The Natural way of things sounds interesting. I’m going to add it to my tbr pile.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should totally do The Wizard of Oz story! I love the premise, but I hate the movie – I think you could work magic on it. *nods*
I really like Clara and Max together. Even in this scene, where she’s questioning what he’s keeping from her, there’s an underlying feeling of trust.
LikeLiked by 1 person
^_^ Thank you! I have been thinking about it and I think I have a way to approach it as a short story, so I will start work on it shortly!
I’m really glad that comes across. He and his aunt have been watching out for Clara for the past six months or so, and while the reader doesn’t actually see most of that, I was hoping it would come across that they’ve built up a really good, friendly relationship.
LikeLike