The Story of Your Life

What, you didn't think I'd finish Eternal that quickly, did you?  Hopefully I'll have a review ready by Friday, but luckily, I've still got guest columns to share!  Today's comes courtesy of Thanqol, an author whose stories I've reviewed on this blog more than once.  Also, an Australian; don't ask me why, but this blog seems to have attracted a fair number of Aussies, if the analytics tool is to be trusted.  Click below to see what he has to say about the roots of, and fundamental inspirations for, stories of all stripes.

Writer-centric Reviewing

It's once more time for a guest post, one which is sure to distract you for a couple more days while I finish reading Eternal delight and enthrall.  Today's installment comes courtesy of Pascoite: a talented author in his own right, and a regular fanfic reviewer/editor on Ponychan.  Click below the break to see what he has to say about the differences between writer-centric reviews (what he does over there) and reader-centric ones (what I do over here), and a little bit of literary self-analysis as well.

6-Star Reviews Part 112: Allegrezza

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Story (review) time!  Below the break, Coffeegrunt's Allegrezza.

Intolerant of Tolerance

Time for another guest post!  This one is courtesy of Inquisitor M: author, reviewer, snarker, self-described "armchair psychologist," and all-around curmudgeon.  Click past the break to see him tackle one of the more grating subsets of the fandom: the folks who cry "love and tolerate" as though it were a mantra.  Below, British (i.e. wrong) spellings and controversial opinions abound!

6-Star Reviews Part 111: Yours Truly

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Although I mostly restrict myself to fanfiction reviews around here, I'm going to branch out a bit and offer my review of Bud's Best brand Orange Dreamsicle Cookies: they taste exactly like dreamsicles, if dreamsicles were dry and crumbly instead of cold and creamy.  For a bargain bin find, they are definitely okay.

On second thought, maybe I'd better stick to what I know.  Below, my review of Thanqol's Yours Truly.

Perfectly Valid Comparisons

As I mentioned last week, real-life stuff is eating up more time these days than usual, which means that it's becoming hard for me to keep up a thrice-weekly posting schedule.  Luckily, the siren call of unpaid non-commercial essay writing is strong indeed, and I've managed to convince several of the better-known names in ponyfiction to contribute guest spots to take some of the pressure off.  First up by virtue of being the first to submit anything is Arcainum, author of the soon-to-be-reviewed-by-yours-truly Harpflank and Sweets, among other things.  Check out what he as to say concerning the roots of creative instinct, authors who deserve your attention, and a little bit about anime robots as well.

6-Star Reviews Part 110: The Promises We Keep

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This site is one year old today.

Yowza.

They say that practice makes perfect, and I certainly hope my reviews have improved over the last 365 days.  If nothing else, it continues to stun me that a blog primarily dedicated to reviewing MLP fanfics has proven so popular, garnering nearly 150,000 pageviews since it started.  So thanks to all of you for the encouragement, criticisms, and other commentary which you've provided over the past year.  It's been fun.

Now, on to year two!  Below, my review of Pascoite's The Promises We Keep.

6-Star Reviews Part 109: Brotherly Bond

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I'm just gonna throw this out there, but steak and kidney pie is delicious.  Anyone who says otherwise is either lying, or has never had any.  True facts.

Below the break, my review of Crash Jet's Brotherly Bond.

6-Star Reviews Part 108: It Takes a Village

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All done!  Below, my review of determamfidd's It Takes a Village.

No Review Today

Up until this evening, I was hoping I'd be able to finish reading It Takes a Village and have a review ready for posting at the normal time, but no; I've still got two chapters to go.  Expect the review on Friday.

I should also probably mention now that, due to a family medical situation which is going to put me in the role of caregiver for a few weeks, I may have to do a few more "sorry for the delay" posts in the near future.  I'll try to keep to a schedule, and I'm working on some "filler" posts that are anything but, but consider this an apology in advance.  I'll do my best to continue to have something worth reading, discussing, and/or snarking about three times a week.

P.S.  Let me just clarify: my mom's having multiple ankle surgeries, so I'm going to be doing a fair bit of taking care of her (and the house) for a while.  Nobody's dead or dying or near-death or anything of the sort--in retrospect, the lack of detail makes that second paragraph seem more ominous than the situation really is.

6-Star Reviews Part 107: Pony for Christmas

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As much as I love Christmas, October is just too early to start thinking about it!  Oh well, nothing like a little out-of-season cheer to brighten the day, I suppose.  Below, my review of Pony for Christmas, by Brookwood Bronco.

For a Change, Let's Talk About Actual Books (part 3)

It's time once again to look at what non-pony reading I'm currently engaged in!  I really enjoy doing these posts; they always seem to inspire some interesting discussion, I often add a book or two to my "to-read" list after looking through other people's comments, and because a post like this is relatively quick and easy to put together, I'm left with more time to eat an entire bag of candy corn-flavored M&Ms while watching football start reading It Takes a Village so that I don't have to post an entire week of filler before I get to reviewing it be a productive member of society.  Look below to see a list of what I'm reading at the moment, what I think of it, and maybe to judge my taste in books while we're at it.

6-Star Reviews Part 106: Interview With a Princess

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Does anyone else find that their eyes hurt if they try to watch TV in the dark?  I've got a friend who will always insist on turning off all the lights and blocking up windows when he watches a movie; I guess it makes the picture seem brighter, but it just makes it incredibly unpleasant to watch for me.

Below, my review of Hoopy McGee's Interview With a Princess.

6-Star Reviews Part 105: The Hiccups

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Although I'm not much of a baseball fan, I had the opportunity to go to an MLB game over the weekend.  It was a lot of fun; there's just something incredibly exciting about the way tens of thousands of people can hold their breath, waiting in complete silence as the crucial pitch is delivered, and then explode into a cacophony of cheers as the batter smacks the game-winning hit.

Below the break, my review of uSea's The Hiccups.