NaNoWordSprints Prompts for April 2018

Seriously, where has the time gone? I feel like I’m perpetually behind. I will say that the April session of Camp NaNoWriMo was a little unusual this year on my part because I went on vacation on the last week of April and then when I came back to work, I basically had a lot of catch up to do.

Anyways, here are all the prompts from the word sprints I lead last month on @NaNoWordSprints:

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April 1, 2018, 10:00am-12:00pm (UTC-8)
Food Idioms

10 min	to go bananas
20 min	to spill the beans
30 min	to be in a pickle
10 min	two peas in a pod
20 min	the proof is in the pudding

 

April 4, 2018, 10:00am-12:00pm (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – The Initial Sets

10 min	bad moon, badlands, balance, bayou, blaze of glory
20 min	dark ritual, deathgrip, disenchant, disintegrate, demonic attorney
30 min	instill energy, invisibility, illusionary mask, icy manipulator, island
10 min	wanderlust, weakness, web, word of command, white knight
20 min	power surge, plateau, phantom monster, pirate ship, paralyze

 

April 8, 2018, 4:15pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Legends, Mirage, Tempest

10 min	horror of horrors, imprison, jovial evil, kismet, lifeblood
20 min	primordial ooze, quagmire, rabid wombat, seeker, transmutation
30 min	avoid fate, backfire, cocoon, darkness, eureka
10 min	killer bees, lost soul, master of the hunt, north star, puppet master
20 min	crevasse, divine offering, equinox, fallen angel, greed
30 min	invoke prejudice, juxtapose, knowledge vault, land’s edge, mountain stronghold
10 min	waiting in the weeds, wall of resistance, wellspring, worldly tutor, ward of lights
20 min	torrent of lava, tidal wave, tombstone stairwell, tranquil domain, thirst
30 min	blind fury, boomerang, binding agony, barreling attack, barbed foliage
10 min	flare, flash, forsaken wastes, favorable destiny, firebreathing
20 min	painful memories, power sink, purgatory, political trickery, pacifism
30 min	illicit auction, ivory charm, incinerate, infernal contract, illumination
10 min	abandon hope, anoint, avenging angel, advance scout, aftershock
20 min	diabolic edict, dismiss, dregs of sorrow, duplicity, disturbed burial

 

April 9, 2018, 8:00pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Tempest, Urza’s Saga

10 min	rampant growth, recycle, reflecting pool, ruby medallion, repentance
20 min	sacred guide, sadistic glee, shatter, spontaneous combustion, sudden impact
30 min	light of day, lobotomy, living death, legerdemain, lightning blast
10 min	fevered convulsions, firefly, frog tongue, fireslinger, forest
30 min	glorious anthem, greater good, greener pastures, gamble, grafted skullcap

 

April 11, 2018, 8:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2009

10 min	burning desire, bone chamber, bandit queen, beast with 1000 eyes, black ships
20 min	last chance to see, lost in paradise, little white lies, luck of the draw, lost dogs and lonely hearts
30 min	shades of midnight, sweet deception, scorched, somewhere towards the end, sparkling steps
10 min	invisible lines, if looks could chill, immortal, ice journeys, I so don’t do spooky
20 min	veil of shadows, virus attack, village of the ghost bears, vendetta
30 min	getting lucky, glitter, goodness and mercy, green-eyed monster
10 min	final exam, force of nature, flame seeker, fire and ice, full of money
20 min	double booked, dark hunter, dawn, dying scream, divine misdemeaners
30 min	murder has a sweet tooth, man in the moon, my own worst enemy, more than a woman, my soul to save
10 min	hard winter, hidden empire, heart of the witch, homefront, horsewhipped

 

April 12, 2018, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Urza’s Saga

10 min	parasitic bond, persecute, pit trap, polluted mire, pouncing jaguar
15 min	darkest hour, despondency, destructive urge, douse, duress
30 min	cackling fiend, confiscate, curfew, congregate, carpet of flowers
10 min	hidden spider, hollow dogs, humble, healing salve, hermetic study
20 min	torch song, telepathy, turnabout, time spiral, thundering giant

 

April 14, 2018, 2:00pm-4:00pm (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2010

10 min	realm of kings, romancing the chef, ride the fire, rosebush, reckless in paradise
20 min	undertow, unified action, underground warrior
30 min	circle of lies, caveat emptor, catacombs, caught off guard, courting sparks
10 min	stranger, senseless, shattered light, something like hope, sugar and spice
20 min	winter wood, wild stallion, what the heart sees

 

April 14, 2018, 9:00pm-3:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2010 and 2011

10 min	eternal prey, empire of silver, entice, explosive, enchanted no more
20 min	no place to run, night prey, naked cruelty
30 min	if walls could talk, indefensible, irresistible fortune, into the night, in too deep
10 min	dead or alive, danger in the desert, devil’s mark, dark waters, defiant
20 min	all the wrong moves, against the wind, ascension
30 min	big noise, bedeviled eggs, bloody valentine, boiling point, battle dress
10 min	goddess of legend, getting even, good behavior, ghost country
20 min	outrageously yours, one grave less, old border road, out for blood, off kilter
30 min	her healing ways, home invasion, hand of the hunter, high country horror, hot to touch
10 min	famous, flirting with destiny, fall for anything
20 min	the last word, the cartel, the red well, the wrong side of happiness, the dispatcher
30 min	sanctuary cove, still waters, spells and stitches, smitten, slash and burn
10 min	island of wings, in the flesh, infamous, it’s all Greek to me, illuminated
20 min	devil’s kiss, dead bolt, daybreak, death benefit, danger in the wind
10 min	triple shot, to get to the other side, threadbare, trouble at the wedding, true shot

 

April 15, 2018, 7:00pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Mercadian Masques & Nemesis

10 min	cackling witch, cave-in, ceremonial guard, charisma, close quarters
20 min	lure, lunge, liability, last breath, larceny
30 min	tremor, tranquility, tiger claws, thwart, thunderclap
10 min	ferocity, flaming sword, forced march, furious assault, false demise
20 min	vendetta, vernal equinox, vine trellis, volcanic wind, venomous dragonfly
30 min	barbed wire, bargaining table, black market, blood oath, bribery
20 min	daze, dark triumph, dominate, downhill charge, defiant vanguard

 

April 16, 2018, 8:00pm-10:30pm (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Invasion

10 min	absorb, aggressive urge, agonizing demise, ancient spring, archaeological dig
20 min	maniacal rage, manipulate fate, meteor storm, mourning, malice
30 min	obliterate, ordered migration, overload, overabundance, opt
10 min	probe, prohibit, psychic battle, pure reflection, pledge of loyalty
15 min	backlash, battery, bend or break, blinding light, breaking wave
30 min	fertile ground, fight or flight, frenzied tilling, fact or fiction, faerie squadron

 

April 17, 2018, 8:00pm-2:00am (UTC-8)
Magic: The Gathering – Odyssey, Onslaught, Legions, Scourge, Mirrodin Block

10 min	cabal inquisitor, call of the herd, careful study, cartographer, chance encounter
20 min	decaying soil, decimate, dedicated martyr, deep reconnaissance, devoted caretaker
30 min	earnest fellowship, elephant ambush, embolden, epicenter, escape artist
10 min	gallantry, ghastly demise, graceful antelope, gravedigger, ground seal
20 min	impulsive maneuvers, infected vermin, innocent blood, immobilizing ink, ivy elemental
30 min	need for speed, nimble mongoose, new frontiers, nut collector, nomad decoy
10 min	blackmail, blatant thievery, break open, beacon of destiny, brain freeze
20 min	death match, defensive maneuvers, demystify, dirge of dread, discombobulate
30 min	reckless one, reminisce, renewed faith, righteous cause, risky move
10 min	steely resolve, swat, scion of darkness, stoic champion, scornful egotist
20 min	covert operative, carbonize, carrion feeder, coast watcher, consumptive goo
30 min	fugitive wizard, faces of the past, fatal mutation, final punishment, frozen solid
10 min	ghastly remains, gilded light, goblin psychopath, grip of chaos, guilty conscience
20 min	hollow specter, hindering touch, hunting pack, head games, harsh mercy
15 min	electrostatic bolt, echoing truth, emissary of hope, early frost, endless whispers

 

April 18, 2018, 9:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2011

10 min	every other day, endangered, earthbound, everything in between, enchanted again
20 min	awkward, agony, asunder, all fall down, assume nothing
30 min	brothers in arms, bestial, bedeviled, bleeding hearts, borrowing a bachelor
10 min	fractured, freezing, flyaway, fair game, family way
20 min	hidden summit, human for a day, hostage bride, hope blooms, how to worship a goddess
30 min	a giant crush, a haunted twist of fate, a play of heresy, a place called home, an unexpected gentleman
20 min	legacy, left hand magic, love in play, lake country, lesson
extra	winging it, winter town, wild thing, where she belongs, wicked circle

 

April 19, 2018, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2011 and 2012

10 min	covert warriors, conqueror, claim the night, chocolate covered murder, cry of the ghost wolf
20 min	scales of retribution, straight to the heart, soft target, shattered dreams, seductive as flame
30 min	abominations, absolute value, acceleration, ace of spades, aftermath
10 min	before the fall, behind four walls, beholden, believe it or not, betrothed
20 min	circle of lies, clandestine, clash, clever crow, conflagration
extra	destined, dirge, divergent lives, doesn’t really matter, double exposure

 

April 20, 2018, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2012 and 2013

10 min	edge of sanity, elemental music, elevation, emerald eyes, encounter
20 min	facing the dark, fair play, family ties, first journey, flawed
30 min	wild children, windswept, winged, wishes, water pressure
10 min	undercover rebel, unexposed film, unleashed, unmasked, unnatural acts
20 min	totally spaced out, tours, towers of dust, trace evidence, transfusion
30 min	support, surreal dreams, survival skills, swan song, symbiont
10 min	royal blue, rude awakening, rumors, runaway, ricochet
20 min	playing with fire, poison, poker face, possession, phantasmagoria
30 min	breathe, bet on love, black flag, balloon blow up, born in blood
10 min	out to lunch, once upon a lie, offering, obsessed by him, out of the shadows

 

April 22, 2018, 3:00pm-5:00pm (UTC-8)
Sprints from SFO

10 min	traveling
15 min	snacks
30 min	announcements
10 min	duty free perfume and wine
20 min	departures

 

April 23, 2018, 1:40pm-4:00pm (UTC+2)
Travels in Copenhagen

10 min	Finding the right path
15 min	Wandering around
15 min	A helping hand

 

April 24, 2018, 9:00pm-11:00pm (UTC+1)
Travels in the Faroe Islands

10 min	getting lost
20 min	an unexpected find
30 min	getting things to work
10 min	planning ahead of time
20 min	strange landscapes

 

April 26, 2018, 9:00am-10:00am (UTC+1)
Travels at Sea

10 min	in the open water
20 min	in the murky depths
15 min	land in the distance

 

April 27, 2018, 8:45pm-12:00am (UTC+1)
Magic: The Gathering – Mirrodin Block, Kamigawa Block

15 min	icy manipulator, incite war, irradiate, inflame, into thin air
10 min	alter of shadows, annul, ancient den, arrest, assert authority
30 min	power conduit, predator’s strike, promise of power, psychic overload, purge
15 min	march of the machines, mask of memory, mass hysteria, mind’s eye, mourner’s shield
20 min	tangleroot, temporal cascade, thirst for knowledge, thought prison, tooth and nail
30 min	befoul, blessed breath, blind anger, blood rites, brutal deceiver
20 min	call to glory, candles’ glow, commune with nature, consuming vortex, crushing pain
10 min	dampen thought, dance of shadows, devouring greed, distress, day of destiny

 

April 28, 2018, 8:00am-9:00am (UTC+1)
Breakfast

10 min	getting things started
15 min	breaking the fast
20 min	finishing the drinks

 

April 28, 2018, 11:00pm-3:00am (UTC+2)
Magic: The Gathering – Kamigawa Block

10 min	eerie procession, ethereal haze, enshrined memories, eradicate, exile into darkness
20 min	field of reality, faithful squire, final judgement, first volley, freed from the real
30 min	gale force, ghostly prison, gifts ungiven, glimpse of nature, guardian of solitude
10 min	hideous laughter, hinder, hold the line, harbringer of spring, hero’s demise
20 min	indomitable will, in the web of war, ideas unbound, inner calm outer strength, into the fray
30 min	midnight covenant, mystic restraints, mending hands, mirror gallery, measure of wickedness
10 min	otherwordly journey, orb of dreams, one with nothing, oppressive will, overwhelming intellect
20 min	part the veil, peer through depths, pull under, phantom wings, psychic spear
30 min	reciprocate, rend flesh, reduce to dreams, rally the horde, reverence
5 min	serpent skin, sideswipe, sift through sands, squelch, strange inversion

 

April 29, 2018, 5:00am-7:00am (UTC+2)
Magic: The Gathering – Kamigawa Block, Aether Revolt

10 min	teller of tales, time of need, tranquil garden, that which was taken, threads of disloyalty
30 min	uncontrollable anger, unearthly blizzard, unnatural speed, unchecked growth, uproot
20 min	waking nightmare, wandering ones, wear away, ward of piety, wine of blood and iron
10 min	alley evasion, barricade breaker, call for unity, daring demolition, efficient construction
20 min	audacious infiltrator, bastion enforcer, cogwork assembler, dark intimations, enraged giant

Bookshop Hunting #5

Note: These are only my opinions and impressions of bookstores, book fairs, book sales, and/or other book-related events I’ve visited. I am not reviewing or ranking them because I’m sure other people will visit these places and have diverging opinions. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences of what a great bookstore should be. If you have a suggestion, feel free to comment on this post and take a look at my bookstore list in progress to make sure your suggestion doesn’t overlap with a place I already know about.

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Paulist Center Bookstore (614 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This Catholic gift shop is located on the edge of Chinatown and to me, seems rather out of place. There’s religious knick knacks and gifts here, of course, but there are also books. Most of it is of a Christian bent so of no interest to me. However, they also do sell a few used books and I was somewhat surprised to find several Danielle Steel novels on sale. I’ve never read a Steel novel, but I didn’t think they were particularly religious…

Louie Brothers Book Store (754 Washington St, San Francisco, CA) 
I had been here before to buy a few postcards. The store itself is narrow, but neat. The selection here is mostly Chinese literature (in Chinese, of course), but you can also find greeting cards in the front (I bought a Chinese New Year card for my parents here). There are also Asian skin mags near the front counter, which seems somewhat unusual.

Sino-American Books & Arts (751 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA)
I had been visiting the fortune cookie factory and I turned a corner and there this store was, squeezed in between some other food stores. When I visited, there was a blaring television and the whole store seemed to channel a paper factory explosion. They do have a lot of manga/graphic novels and books in the same series were tied together into bundles with twine and stacked like abandoned cords of firewood. The aisles are extremely narrow with barely enough room for one normal sized person. Again, it’s mostly literature in Chinese. There might be some great stuff in this store, but the general disorganization makes the neat freak in me cringe.

City Lights Booksellers & Publishers (261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This is the iconic bookstore in San Francisco, located on the edge of Chinatown and Little Italy. Every time I come here, there’s always something new to see. The first time I came to the store, the booksellers were very helpful with finding a book I had been trying to locate forever. The front door to the store is narrow and when it’s crowded with tourists, it’s impossible to navigate (I had gone there once when it was bursting with tourists, but I gave up quickly after one step into the store and found that I could not move anywhere—this would be frustrating for other tourists, but at least I had the luxury of living in the Bay Area and coming at a different time). The second floor is devoted to poetry, the first floor is fiction, and the bottom floor is non-fiction. I spend most of my time on the bottom floor, wishing I had enough money to buy their entire mythology and folklore section. When I visited this place last Sunday, there were a moderate number of patrons, which was great. I really don’t like crashing into other people every time I want to browse books.

Eastwind Books & Arts, Inc. (1435 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
I mentioned this store in a previous post on this store’s Berkeley branch. This particular store is located next to a bank down some stairs on the lower level. Right outside the door of the store are carts of sale DVDs, CDs, books, and magazines. Most of the store’s inventory is Chinese media and literature (the stuff in English is tucked away all in the back). It’s a large, well organized store with books available in many subjects. When I last visited there, they had Chinese New Year cards on sale (without the envelope) and I discovered they had a large cook book section. If my parents visit me again, this would be a place I’d recommend they check out.

Coit Tower Gift Shop (1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA) | Website
I walked to the Coit Tower from Chinatown, but if you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to scale Telegraph Hill, you can take bus 39 or drive (warning: extremely limited parking). Getting up the tower itself will set you back $8, but if you’re just there for the gift shop, you’ll find a lot of Coit Tower knick knacks, overpriced postcards, prints, and vintage books for $10 each. Personally, I’d say go for the views from Coit Tower and avoid the gift shop. You can get better deals of the postcards and books elsewhere. You won’t be missing much.

Postcard #194 – Flying Whale

This postcard of a flying whale is from Russia. The sender of the postcard sent me a separate email giving me permission to post it on this blog. The sender has an interesting interpretation of this piece of art:

I suppose this card shows that most people are “blind”.  They can see only money, success and fame around them. Some of them notice only negative things. But in my opinion our life is beautiful and amazing by itself. The most important treasures are love, friendship and close people.

I agree that life can be beautiful. But sometimes those people who are obsessed with money, success and fame ruin it for the rest of us. That’s why we can’t have nice things.

Bookshop Hunting #4

Note: These are only my opinions and impressions of bookstores, book fairs, book sales, and/or other book-related events I’ve visited. I am not reviewing or ranking them because I’m sure other people will visit these places and have diverging opinions. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences of what a great bookstore should be. If you have a suggestion, feel free to comment on this post and take a look at my bookstore list in progress to make sure your suggestion doesn’t overlap with a place I already know about.

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Warm Springs Book Company (46513 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA) | Website
I was in the area and Google Maps said that this was here so I figured, why not drive past this place and see if there’s anything? But there’s nothing here, just housing and a busy road. After further Googling, I discovered that this bookstore exists solely online and the address they prefer you to reach them at is a post office box. Anyways, even if there had been a bookstore at this location, it’s probably one of the worst locations to be in. It’s right at Exit 12 on I-680 where cars are exiting the highway and merging straight into Mission Blvd. Trying to get to this place by taking the back roads would be a miracle because there are no back roads.

Half Price Books (39152 Fremont Hub, Fremont, CA) | Website
I arrived at this bookstore approximately one hour before it closed. The arrangement of this store is similar to other Half Price Book stores, so there’s no surprise there. When I was visiting, there weren’t many other customers, so it was rather nice wandering around, browsing the shelves without worrying about bumping into other people. If I lived near here, this would definitely be one of my frequent haunts, but since this takes me about one hour to get here, this will probably end up as an occasional visit depending on my schedule. The easiest way to get here is on I-880, Exit 17 at Mowry Ave.

Flash Sale – Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library (1750 Oak Park Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA) | Website
The Pleasant Hill Library hosts a couple book sales during the year, the times which are publicized on their website and the town’s monthly newsletter. I didn’t realize this was a small sale until later so I was a bit disappointed with the selection. Last Saturday, they had a couple tables out in front of the library with adult fiction and history on display. There were more books on sale inside the library, but it was primarily literature geared towards kids and young adults. I was trying to look for travel books and dictionaries, but I didn’t find any. I think the larger book sales occur during the summer—at least the one I went to last summer took up most of the parking lot next to the library—and is probably a better bet if you’re looking for a variety of subjects. The library is about one mile west of the Pleasant Hill BART station. If you’re driving, take Exit 48 on I-680.

The Interval at Long Now (Landmark Building A, 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This is a coffee shop and bar, but I decided to include this because there are definitely books here. As Google describes it, it has “a librarylike vibe”. Right at the entrance is a large model orrey and a slim spiral staircase leading up to the second floor. Although you can’t go upstairs, the second floor is open to view from below and it’s just shelves of books. The first floor is the coffee bar, but it also has a very modern feel. I like the look, but I also felt very out of place among all the yuppies and I hastily exited after briefly looking around. There are a number of buses that can get you to the vicinity of Fort Mason: 19, 28, 30, 43, 47, 49.

Readers Bookstore (Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This is located in the same area as The Interval, just a building over. The bookstore is another division of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, so it’s all used books. However, I’d say the quality of these used books are better than the stuff you’d find at the warehouse, so expect the prices to be accordingly higher. It’s a very cozy bookstore with an entire section on local history. A cafe is next to the bookstore. I’m not sure I’d try their chai again, but their sandwiches are certainly delicious.

Chronicle Books (1846 Union St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
Since I happened to be in the area, I walked from Fort Mason to this location. This turned out to be a fail. I had been looking at a list of bookstores collected by Chronicle Books and since this was on it, I decided to find it. I did, but it’s permanently closed, soon to be taken over by some upscale clothing boutique. I was a bit pissed, to be honest. The neighborhood is upscale, but seriously, how many clothes do rich ladies need anyway? There are already so many other clothing stores on that street but no other bookstores. Anyways, Chronicle Books still has a store on 4th Street. I hope some silly clothing boutique store doesn’t take over that one as well.

Bookshop Hunting #3

Note: These are only my opinions and impressions of bookstores, book fairs, book sales, and/or other book-related events I’ve visited. I am not reviewing or ranking them because I’m sure other people will visit these places and have diverging opinions. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences of what a great bookstore should be. If you have a suggestion, feel free to comment on this post and take a look at my bookstore list in progress to make sure your suggestion doesn’t overlap with a place I already know about.

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Pegasus Books Downtown (2349 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
My visit to this new and used bookstore in downtown Berkeley this weekend was actually my second visit ever to this place. I do like it because it’s quite distinctive (a bright blue facade) and it has a nice variety to browse through. On my first visit some time close to the end of last year, I was able to find some beautiful tropical underwater postcards for sale which I have since sent to other postcard enthusiasts who loved them. The lower level of the bookstore consists of new/recent books near the front along with the gifts and stationary near the front counter. To the right of the front door, there is a large sale section along with the art and architecture books. Towards the back left of the store are a section of used records and cassettes and genre fiction. The upper floor contains literature. On this second visit, I was a bit pressed for time because I was running late to a write-in so I wasn’t able to browse as much as I wanted, but there was giant calendar sale going on with a huge selection of art calendars. Nowadays, I no longer get paper calendars since all my scheduling is done electronically, but my teenaged self would have had a field day. This is extremely easy to get to—it’s only four blocks south of the Downtown Berkeley BART station.

Moe’s Books (2476 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
A fellow NaNoWriMo writer recommended this bookstore to me a couple days ago, and I’m really glad I took her advice to check this place out. The front of the store isn’t much to look at, but the inside of this place is enormous—four floors of a booklover’s paradise. There’s a mix of new and used books, with most of the new books are on the first and second levels. There are concrete stairwells at the front and back of the store with maps for easy navigation. The first floor consists of newer genre fiction, children’s books, new fiction, and stationary. The second floor contains new and used non-fiction, mainly art and travel. The third floor has used books about language arts, culture, and science. The fourth floor has used books on history, but about half of the floor, too, is taken up by a separated section with rare and antique books. I was really happy I was able to find a cheap Portuguese dictionary for my Dad (he’s trying to learn the language but for some reason hasn’t been able to find a copy in all the bookstores he’s looked in where he lives), and a book discussing the culture and superstition behind “the evil eye”. I am definitely coming back here again if I can. It’s four blocks east of Pegasus Books or three blocks south of the UC Berkeley campus.

Mad Monk Center for Anacronistic Media (2454 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
This is just a few doors down from Moe’s. Initially, I had not planned on visiting this place because according to Google, this is not a bookstore. But in reality, it kind of is. What caught my eye was that they had wheeled out carts of sale books onto the sidewalk. Unfortunately, if you go into the bookstore, they make you check all your bags in behind the counter—so if you plan to visit, visit this place first before you shop at other places and do not bring your backpack/purse. If you can get away with it, only take a wallet, your ID, and your phone. The first floor of this place is mostly filled with music records. Along the walls are genre fiction and some other non-fiction (I was able to find some travel books I wanted to collect for only a couple dollars). There is also an upper level filled with books, but I did not have time to explore it. I will probably visit this place again once or twice to check out the sections I haven’t seen, but I personally don’t like the policy about checking in bags. I understand why they have it, but I hate the assumption that I’m a thief first and a possible customer second.

Doe Memorial Library Book Sale (University of California, Berkeley, CA) | Website
Normally, this isn’t open to the public, but I was able to take a look at this because I was at a write-in here and I know one of the librarians. The sale itself is located on the third floor of the library in a beautifully designed reading room and the inventory consists of books that the library no longer needs in its collection. As far as I know, the next time this will open will be at the next month’s write-in (check our regional NaNoWriMo calendar for dates and times) as well as Cal Day on April 21. A word of warning for anyone planning on coming to the book sale on Cal Day–I’ve heard in past years it’s a melee. Apparently by 9 AM, the lines are extremely long and people bring carts with them in anticipation of grabbing as many books as they can. So go early and bring equipment to haul your bookish treasures away.

Half Price Books (2036 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
There are several Half Price Books stores in the Bay Area and this is one of them. I actually knew about this chain of bookstores before because of their online presence (it was a great resource in helping me collect the different volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies). So when I moved up to the Bay Area, I was really happy to find out that they also had a physical presence. The store in Berkeley is on the corner of Addison and Shattuck, just one block north of the Berkeley BART station. I’ve been to this one several times last year and it was great for finding deals on postcard books and other stationary. This particular store has placed all the stationary, music, and comic books near the front. When I visited this past weekend, the front section was also taken up with a calendar sale. Subject signs are helpfully hung from the ceiling. The non-fiction books are shelved around the perimeter and the fiction in the center. The children’s books and young adult fiction are in the northwest corner of the store while the enormous station where you can bring your books to sell is in the southwest corner. The middle back of the store has a shelf of clearance books. It’s both a new and used bookstore, but the new books are also discounted. For some reason, I am never able to leave this store without buying anything.

Fantastic Comics (2026 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
This comic bookstore is next to Half Price Books and I find it to be a hybrid inventory-oriented and display sort of store. The structure of the store is very open concept—to the point that I feel like they have too much space and not enough shelves (or reading chairs if one is so inclined). There’s one major bank of shelves along one wall with the graphic novels shelved spine out, but the rest of the shelves on the floor have them shelved cover in front. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere or what, but I feel really out of place here.

Eastwind Books of Berkeley (2066 University Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
If you walk further on from Half Price Books and Fantastic Comics and round the corner to your left on University Ave, you’ll find Eastwind Books. There’s another Eastwind Books in San Francisco’s Chinatown which I had been to before—that bookstore mainly has books in Chinese, Chinese CVDs (the poor cousin to DVDs), and art supplies for calligraphy. So before I stepped inside the store in Berkeley, I was expecting the same thing. But no, it was totally different. Despite being small, most of the books in this store are in English and there are a diversity of books spanning all Asian cultures (as well as some small sections for African-, Latino-, and Native American cultures). I really liked the curation on the titles which included many Asian American authors. In some ways, it’s the complete opposite of the other Eastwind store which is monolithic in its subject matter. However, I also completely understand why this particular store decided on a more diverse inventory. It is, after all, located next to UC Berkeley where there is a diverse student population.

Goodwill (2058 University Ave, Berkeley, CA) | Website
Located next to Eastwind, this Goodwill store isn’t particularly unique among all the other Goodwill stores I’ve visited so far in the Bay Area. Most of the store is taken up by clothes and there’s a shelf of books at the back. Again, they had mostly popular books and I didn’t find any interesting volumes there this time.

Bookshop Hunting #2

Note: These are only my opinions and impressions of bookstores, book fairs, book sales, and/or other book-related events I’ve visited. I am not reviewing or ranking them because I’m sure other people will visit these places and have diverging opinions. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences of what a great bookstore should be. If you have a suggestion, feel free to comment on this post and take a look at my bookstore list in progress to make sure your suggestion doesn’t overlap with a place I already know about.

* * *

Readers Bookstore at the Main (30 Grove St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
I really enjoy going to the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (and anyone with a California address can get a library card, not just in San Francisco!) and one of the perks of this particular library is that they also have a small bookstore here selling some interesting used books. It’s located just inside the Grove Street entrance to the library (and also just a few steps away from the Civic Center BART station), with several shelves and carts of books on all kinds of subjects. These used books are in very good condition, so the prices for them are a little higher, accordingly. If you want to get really cheap books, go to the Donation Book Center sale which occurs monthly.

Zen Center Bookstore (300 Page St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
The San Francisco Zen Center is located in the Fillmore district, a few blocks north of the bus station at the intersection of Gough Street and Market Street. There is extremely limited street parking, but you’ll have to brave it if you are physically unable to walk up a hill—although it goes without saying that if you’re in San Francisco at all, walking and hills are pretty much non-negotiable. The center has a tiny bookstore which mainly consists of an entrance hallway where a few books and greeting cards are displayed near the cashier and then a small alcove-like room decorated with a number of zen and Buddhist knick-knacks. The books on sale are centered on the practice of zen and Buddhism. When I went there, I only took a brief look because it felt extremely crowded and the lady working the register was telling one of the customers that she was going to close early due to the Women’s March and that normally they are only open on Saturdays. That was an interesting bit of news because according to Google, the bookstore is open every day. It could be that the internet got it wrong and conflated the hours of the zen center with the bookstore. At any rate, I felt lucky that I managed to catch it when it was open so I could take a peek.

Isotope – The Comic Book Lounge (326 Fell St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This comic book store is located in the same neighborhood as the Zen Center, four blocks north. It has a very trendy vibe with a diverse stock of titles ranging from the well-known DC and Marvel to more independent publishers. The store itself felt more like a display room compared to other comic stores I’ve been to which emphasize their inventory more than their curation. However, there is a children’s section in the back (I entered the store at the same time as a hipster dad and his kid did and they made an immediate bee-line to it. They also seemed on good terms with the store proprietor who appeared very trendy himself) and although the upstairs portion of the store was off-limits, I could see that they had superhero decorations on display. Near the front counter was a wall of toilet seat covers illustrated with black Sharpie. I think this place would be great for window shopping (similar to the Amazon store I visited last week in Walnut Creek), but if I had a specific title in mind and wanted instant gratification, I’d look elsewhere.

The Green Arcade (1680 Market St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
If you’re still in the Fillmore neighborhood and got off at the bus stop on Gough and Market, you would have seen that The Green Arcade is right there at the intersection. However, on Saturday when I went there, it was open later at noon so I ended up visiting the other stores above before I made my way back here. Inside the store, there is an enormous vintage sign overhead indicating that the space that the shop now occupies was once a Chinese tailor shop in the early 20th century. It’s an independent with new books, but the inventory is obviously curated—I don’t think the owner is trying to please everyone. The front of the store contains California and San Francisco travel books as well as local history. There are no travel books for any other part of the world that I could find. The rest of the store is dedicated to a seemingly eclectic selection of non-fiction (although there’s a subtle theme going on), a tiny shelf of children’s books in the back, and a back alcove of fiction. I definitely think that if you have a certain reading taste that jives with what’s on offer here (off the beaten path histories, tattoos, beat poetry, noir mysteries, paper mache octopuses), this could easily become your favorite store.

Books Inc. (601 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This particular bookstore is part of several under the same company which bills itself as the oldest independent bookseller in the west. I don’t know when this one was opened since it was not listed on their official timeline on their website, but it is one of several in the Bay Area and the design is modern despite the 1851 start date prominently displayed on the signage. If I had not been actively trying to find this place, however, I could have easily missed it if I were walking by. There’s a lot of construction on the road happening in front of the bookstore and a lot of the foot traffic is also going to the Peet’s Coffee next door. The front of the store mostly displays the new and recent titles as well as stationary and gifts. There is an extensive bargain book section in the back of the store—this was where I also found some Vanity Fair postcards (100 for $10, i.e. 10 cents per card). It’s a good place to go if you want to find a hard copy of a new book or just want to browse. It’s located on the edge of the Fillmore, Laguna Heights, and Civic Center neighborhoods, three blocks north of the Civic Center BART station.

Arkipelago Books (1010 Mission St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This Filipino bookstore is located South of Market, right between the Civic Center and Powell Street BART stations. Unfortunately, my visit to this bookstore was a fail despite double checking with the hours online AND seeing the list of hours on the door of the Bayanihan Center where the store is located. It was supposed to be open, but despite pressing the button numerous times in an attempt to open the door, the door did not open. Peeking in through the windows, the place appeared dark and closed.

Alexander Book Company (50 2nd St, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This bookstore is located in the Financial District, between the Powell Street and Embarcadero BART stations. This was also a failed visit—but this was not my only failed visit. I’ve tried going to this place several times last year, but it was always closed for some reason or another. This time, they were closed for “inventory” even though their store hours clearly indicated that they were supposed to be open on Saturday. They even had signs recommending other bookstores to visit since they were closed. I may try visiting this place one or two more times before I give up for good.

Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff (2980 Treat Blvd, Concord, CA) | Website
Visiting this place on the same day as the other comic book store (Isotope) is like night and day. I will admit that I like this one a lot more compared to the one I saw earlier in the city. There’s no pretension in being trendy—it’s located in a shopping center next to Trader Joe’s—but there’s plenty of inventory to browse. Along the walls, there are graphic novels organized by well-known authors and the classics. The back wall also includes manga. The shelves on the main floor has graphic novels and comics from a variety of publishers, organized alphabetically by title. The store also sells some collectibles. There’s a lot of variety—I think anyone can find something they like here. Since this store is located in the suburbs of East Bay, I would recommend driving instead of public transportation if you are pressed for time. From I-680, take Exit 48 and drive east for about two miles to the Oak Grove Plaza at the corner of Treat and Oak Grove. If you must take public transportation, get off at the Pleasant Hill BART station and take bus 311 or 15.

Protest Posters

I was in San Francisco earlier today doing some bookshop hunting, but I also saw the Women’s March. I was fascinated by the protest posters–it seemed like everyone was carrying one. Here are just a few.

Bookshop Hunting #1

Note: These are only my opinions and impressions of bookstores, book fairs, book sales, and/or other book-related events I’ve visited. I am not reviewing or ranking them because I’m sure other people will visit these places and have diverging opinions. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences of what a great bookstore should be. If you have a suggestion, feel free to comment on this post and take a look at my bookstore list in progress to make sure your suggestion doesn’t overlap with a place I already know about.

* * *

One of my favorite things to do is to find bookshops. However, going to a bookshop is normally something tacked on to my list of chores and errands and I go to one if it happens to be on my way to another destination. So about a week ago, I thought, why not turn this into a project? The San Francisco Bay Area, compared to other places, is filled with bookstores and I wouldn’t find myself running out of places to visit any time soon. And on top of visiting new places, I could use this as a reason to post semi-regularly on my blog again.

Donation Center Book Sale – Friends of the San Francisco Public Library (1630 17th Street, San Francisco, CA) | Website
This happens once a month on every second Saturday, located in Potrero Hill across from a playground. It’s actually not as big as you’d think it might be considering the size of the city and the fact that the book sale takes place at their donation warehouse. When you enter, there’s some space cleared out where tables are set in a U-shape and books (in no particular order) are stacked with their spines facing up. Personally, I find it frustrating that there are boxes of books in the rest of the warehouse, but we’re not allowed to go through them. I guess they’re saving those for the giant book sale they hold once a year. It’s easy to get here. From the 16th St. Mission BART station, take bus 22 to De Haro.

Bolerium Books (2141 Mission St. #300, San Francisco, CA) | Website
I attempted to visit this bookstore but failed. I double checked on the website to make sure I had the hours right, but the doors were locked. Is there supposed to be another entrance to the bookstore that I did not notice? If so, it’s annoying that getting in is non-intuitive. I will try again on a different day when I happen to be in the Mission District. To get here, walk one block south from the 16th St. Mission BART station.

Railroad Book Depot (650 Railroad Ave, Pittsburg, CA) | Website
This bookstore is located in the historic downtown of Pittsburg, a small suburb on the eastern side of SF East Bay. It’s a used bookstore, housed inside one of the brick buildings lining the street. Parking isn’t a problem, but there’s a two hour time limit. The style of the bookstore reminds me of a chain bookstore—perhaps it took over a Borders after it went out of business. The front of the store is where all the stationary and gifts are—it was nice to see that they had at least one rotating rack of greeting cards and postcards made by local artists. Once you walk in, to your right is the recent books and non-fiction as well as a large open area where I assume they have community meetings and author signings. All the way against the far wall is a table of free books, mostly fiction and textbooks the bookstore probably couldn’t sell. Fiction is located to the left of the store and they have a lot of genre fiction. They also segregated all the books with black/African-American characters and/or authors into a section that they called Urban Fiction, which I found annoying. Most of those were romances and erotica, not actual urban fiction, so I don’t know why they couldn’t have just shelved it in with the rest of the romances and erotica instead of separating it out. Aside from that, I did find an Umberto Eco book I didn’t already have in my personal collection. Getting here if you don’t have a car will be a pain because you’ll have to budget in an extra hour after getting off at the Pittsburg/Bay Point station to take the 392 bus. I recommend driving, take CA-4 East and Exit 23 for Railroad Ave.

Barnes & Noble (5709 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA) | Website
What can I say? It’s a Barnes & Noble, and if you’ve been in one, you’ve pretty much been in all of them. When I came here last weekend, it was extremely busy. I was looking to get some stuff because someone had given me a gift card and I didn’t particularly want to use it online. The general layout of the store was the bestsellers and bargain books in front, the journals and gifts on the front left from the entrance, the cafe to the right, games a bit behind that, the rest of the books in the middle of the store, and the kids section in the back. I spent most of my time digging around in the bargain bins located between the major sections of the bookstore, but I didn’t find much. Sometimes there are treasures in there, but not this time. If you’re trying to get here, this is far on the edge of East Bay. Take CA-4 East to Exit 33. If you get bored, there’s the rest of the area which is basically just a giant shopping center.

Adventist Book Center (401 Taylor Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA) | Website
This is a Christian bookstore. I am not religious nor am I interested in any kind of theology (which is kind of hilarious considering the meaning of my name) but for the sake of this project, it wouldn’t be fair to leave any bookstore out simply because I’m not interested in the types of books that they sell. This bookstore is located on a hill. When you enter the driveway as indicated in the address, turn right, otherwise you’d end up at a church instead of the bookstore. There’s all sorts of religious themed books here—from children’s books and Christian fiction to self-help and actual bibles. There’s even handy dandy stationary and dividers and folders for the hardcore bible study organizers. The unusual part of the store is that half of it is devoted to vegan/vegetarian food (warning: I noticed that some of it was expired). The background music, predictably enough, was contemporary Christian music. To get here from BART, get off at the Pleasant Hill station and take bus 18 north. If you’re driving, take Exit 51 on I-680.

Amazon Books (1259 Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek, CA) | Website
Finally! I was able to see what a brick and mortar version of Amazon looked like. Unfortunately, I moved away from San Diego before the one down there opened, but after simply Googling for bookstores in the Walnut Creek area, I discovered that this one opened up just two months ago. It’s located in the center of all the high end shopping, which I’m not a fan of, but I can brave the yuppies if it means I get to see books. The Amazon bookstore is probably what you’d expect it to be—a showcase for things they sell online. Unlike a traditional bookstore, ALL of the books are shelved cover out (I don’t think I saw even one shelved spine out) and there was a section devoted just to Kindles. The tags for the books are interesting, too, in that they try to sell the books by saying stuff like “95% of reviewers gave this five stars!” or “If you like this, then try this!” Basically, Amazon recommendations in meatspace. If you don’t like books or Kindles, you can wait around for your shopping companions at the in-store Peet’s Coffee. I can see it appealing to people who like to window shop and buy at the spur of the moment instead of gleefully digging into towers of books, but I’m not sure I’d come back here unless they decide to radically redesign the place. To get here via BART, get off at the Walnut Creek station and walk south about one mile. Or, if you’re driving, take Exit 45A on I-680. Parking (and traffic!) is a pain in Walnut Creek, so I recommend public transportation. But if you must park, you can park in the structure next to Macy’s—it’s free up to three hours last I checked.

The Mystic Dream (1437 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek, CA) | Website
This store is located three blocks north of Amazon. It’s a new age store with most of it devoted to rocks and incense, so if you’re sensitive to strong smells, I suggest you give this place a hard pass. The background music is some calming new age instrumental and I think there was a water fountain somewhere (or else that was in the background music, too). When I entered the store, one of the employees was busy explaining to a customer about some rocks that would bring them luck and wealth. There are a shelf of books against one wall—all of it new age and spiritual stuff—and next to that, an extensive collection of tarot cards. They also sell ouija boards. I’m definitely not into this stuff, but even so, I was disappointed in their book selection. I’ve seen other new age stores with a far more impressive inventory. But if you’re here for the magic rocks, well, you’d like this place.

Swan’s Fine Books (1381 Locust St, Walnut Creek, CA) | Website
This store is located about four blocks northwest of Amazon. The outside of the store isn’t much to look at (and the bargain books are outside on carts), but the inside is cozy, organized, and well designed. It looks like someone’s personal library. Unfortunately, the books in this place are a bit out of my price range since it specializes in rare books and first editions. Some of the finer specimens are even displayed in glass cases. If the Edmund Dulac fairy tale book wasn’t a couple hundred dollars, I’d have definitely snapped it up. This would be a great place if you were a collector or a bibliophile with money.

Goodwill | Website
(2536 N. Main St, Walnut Creek, CA)
(1699 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA)
(3495 Clayton Rd, Concord, CA)
(1659 Willow Pass Rd, Concord, CA)
Most people don’t realize this, but Goodwill also sells books. Some Goodwill stores have an extensive book inventory (like one I visited in Washington state over the Christmas break) or completely devoted to books (like one in San Diego). The four I visited over the weekend, however, were devoted to clothes. They each had a small shelf of books at the back of their stores, but it was mostly popular fiction. The only find I came across was a pristine copy of a DK Eyewitness travel guide to Turkey, newest edition for $1.50 at the Walnut Creek store. The original retail cost for the book was $25. I didn’t hesitate to buy it since I’ve started accumulating DK Eyewitness travel guides for my personal research library. I don’t recommend trying to find these stores via public transportation because they’re in some out-of-the-way places. In fact, getting to any of these places by car is a bit obnoxious since they’re located next to busy roads which are hard to get in and out of. And the parking at these places are limited.

NaNoWordSprints Prompts for November 2017

Well, I’m late, but here they are. Prompts that I posted on the Twitter account @NaNoWordSprints last year during November:

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November 2, 2017, 8:00pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 1

15 min	Loose lips sink ships
10 min	Heebie-jeebies
30 min	Popularity contest
10 min	Throw under the bus
20 min	You kids get off my lawn!
30 min	I know it when I see it
15 min	My way or the highway
20 min	Peanut gallery
10 min	The squeaky wheel gets the grease
20 min	Playing by ear

 

November 5, 2017, 1:20pm-2:00pm (UTC-8)
The Strange

30 min

Squid, something weird

 

November 6, 2017, 7:30pm-9:00pm (UTC-8)
Horror Tropes

10 min	The worst possible thing happens to your character
15 min	Regretting your last meal
30 min	Hiding in the dark

 

November 7, 2017, 7:30pm-11:00pm (UTC-8)
Postcards

10 min	a serene forest
15 min	too exhausted
30 min	something very fishy
10 min	an unfortunate discovery
20 min	monster fight
10 min	the snow is melting into music
30 min	crossing bridges
15 min	playing around
20 min	don’t look down

 

November 12, 2017, 10:30pm-1:00am (UTC-8)
Tarot

10 min	The magician	bridging the gap
20 min	The empress	receptive to change
30 min	The chariot	willingness to take the reins
10 min	The sun	expansion
15 min	Temperance	attainment of a goal
30 min	The devil	discretion should be used in personal matters

 

November 13, 2017, 7:00pm-9:00pm (UTC-8)
Getting Past A Jam

10 min	going around an obstacle
20 min	be patient and wait it out
30 min	barging through
10 min	in a rage
15 min	getting caught

 

November 14, 2017, 7:30am-10:00am (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 2

30 min	actions speak louder than words
30 min	add insult to injury
30 min	back to the drawing board
20 min	drastic times call for drastic measures

 

November 14, 2017, 8:00pm-11:00pm (UTC-8)
Cat Pics

10 min	on a mission
20 min	unending complaints
30 min	an embarassing situation
10 min	surprise attack
15 min	defending your turf
30 min	soon
20 min	a bundled deal

 

November 16, 2017, 4:30am-9:00am (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 3

30 min	accident waiting to happen
30 min	all things considered
30 min	against the world
30 min	ahead of the curve
30 min	any nook or cranny
30 min	as luck would have it
30 min	avoid like the plague
15 min	asking for a friend

 

November 16, 2017, 8:00pm-11:00pm (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 4

10 min	rediscovering the familiar
20 min	out to lunch
30 min	hidden layers
10 min	restoration
20 min	cats
30 min	chocolate
10 min	burst into flames

 

November 17, 2017, 6:00am-9:00am (UTC-8)
Train Idioms

10 min	back on track
20 min	lose my train of thought
30 min	a runaway train
10 min	riding the gravy-train
20 min	getting off the rails
30 min	a full head of steam
20 min	end of the line

 

November 17, 2017, 9:00pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
The Journey

10 min	unexpected delay
15 min	wandering in the dark
10 min	finding the destination

 

November 19, 2017, 6:30pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
NOWD Sprints

10 min	silly hats
20 min	candy buffet
30 min	fancy clothes
10 min	noir
20 min	drinks
30 min	ringing the bell
10 min	paper crown

 

November 21, 2017, 7:30pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Lab Sprints

30 min	running late
10 min	devising a plan
20 min	taking care of business
30 min	strange results
10 min	dangerous instruments
15 min	a method in the madness

 

November 23, 2017, 5:30am-9:00am (UTC-8)
Book Titles from December 2008

10 min	suspicion
20 min	an unexpected guest
30 min	extreme caution
10 min	the ties that bind
20 min	dancing with the devil
30 min	moving targets
10 min	cruel intent
20 min	revelation
10 min	show no fear

 

November 23, 2017, 12:00pm-3:00pm (UTC-8)
The Sprint Account Sprints Part 1

10 min	all bets are off
15 min	blow up in one’s face
20 min	cold shoulder
30 min	draw the line
20 min	elephant in the room
15 min	false alarm
10 min	give someone the creeps
15 min	hot mess

 

November 23, 2017, 3:00pm-6:00pm (UTC-8)
K-Pop

10 min	The Rose – Sorry
20 min	Super Junior – Black Suit
30 min	Red Velvet – Peek-A-Boo
10 min	9Muses – Remember
20 min	Day6 – All Alone
30min	Highlight – Can Be Better
15 min	Monsta X – Dramarama

 

November 23, 2017, 8:00pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 5

10 min	in a bind
20 min	jump the shark
30 min	kick the bucket
10 min	long game
20 min	made of sterner stuff

 

November 24, 2017, 9:00am-12:00pm (UTC-8)
Weird and Wonderful Words Part 1

10 min	habile, hodiernal, hunt-and-peck, humdudgeon
20 min	menacious, minibeast, merrythought, mistigris
30 min	cudbear (a purple powder dye), cupreous (like copper), coriaceous (like leather), and conniption (a fit of rage or hysterics)
10 min	ecdysiast (a striptease performer), ensorcell (to enchant someone), eviternity (eternal existence), and exequies (funeral rites)
20 min	solander (a protective box made in the form of a book), soul case (the human body), serac (a ridge of ice on a glacier), scofflaw (someone who flouts the law)
30 min	winebibber (a heavy drinker), wish book (a mail order catalog), wabbit (exhausted), and wayzgoose (a summer party held by a printing house)
20 min	absquatulate (to leave somewhere abruptly), anfractuous (winding or circuitous), apple-knocker (an ignorant person), and argute (shrewd)

 

November 24, 2017, 5:00pm-7:00pm (UTC-8)
The Sprint Account Sprints Part 2

10 min	next level
20 min	odds and ends
30 min	pitched battle
10 min	quick on the uptake
15 min	rise from the ashes

 

November 24, 2017, 7:00pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Weird and Wonderful Words Part 2

30 min	badmash (hooligan), barn burner (a very exciting dramatic event), blatherskite (someone who talks a lot but doesn’t make sense), and bindlestiff (a tramp)
30 min	fugacious (transient or fleeting), fuscous (dark in color), fankle (to tangle), and frondeur (a political rebel)
30 min	kenspeckle (easily recognizable), keek (to peep surreptitiously), kantikoy (to dance as an act of worship), and kyphorrhinos (humped nose).
30 min	natation (swimming), noctambulist (a sleepwalker), nacarat (a bright orange color), and nesh (weak, delicate, or feeble).
30 min	peely-wally (looking pale and unwell), piacular (making or requiring atonement), pinguid (resembling fat), and pother (a commotion or fuss)
30 min	just in time
30 min	orrery, orectic, otalgia, obnubilate
30 min	tellurian, thalassic, thirstland, thurible
30 min	gaberlunzie, galligaskins, gaikit, gobemouche
20 min	luculent, logomachy, labarum, languescent

 

November 25, 2017, 8:15pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
Sprinting from a Parallel Universe

10 min	battle
20 min	lost and found
30 min	alternate plans
15 min	something on the horizon

 

November 26, 2017, 12:00pm-3:00pm (UTC-8)
Weird and Wonderful Words Part 3

10 min	agon (conflict), alpenglow (rosy color seen at sunrise and sunset near mountains), aboulia (without will power), algedonic (pertaining to both pleasure and pain)
20 min	peregrinate (to travel with a goal in mind), palanquin (a covered litter carried by four or more bearers), puissant (powerful), poobah (someone holding multiple positions of power at the same time)
30 min	brume (mist or fog), brobdingnagian (enormous), bellicose (war-like), bloviate (to speak in a boastful manner)
10 min	swan song (final performance), sanguine (cheerful), salient (prominent), simper (to smile in a frivolous, self-conscious manner)
20 min	caprice (impulsive action), catafalque (platform used to display a coffin), coruscate (to give off light), chortle (to laugh cheerfully)
30 min	quaff (to drink), quaquaversal (going off in all directions at once), quab (to throb), quackle (to suffocate)
20 min	fissiparous (fragmenting), fascicle (a bundle), funambulate (tightrope walking), febrile (feverish)

 

November 26, 2017, 6:00pm-7:00pm (UTC-8)
Weird and Wonderful Words Part 4

10 min	houndstooth, handlanger, hegemony (domination, influence), habiliment (attire)
15 min	gloaming (twilight), gesticulate (to make gestures), garrulous (excessively talkative), grandiloquent (overly wordy)
15 min	squeezebox (accordion), saccadic (jerky, twitching), seron (crate), stillicide (eavesdrop)

 

November 27, 2017, 7:00pm-11:00pm (UTC-8)
Weird and Wonderful Words Part 5

10 min	nabalitic (churlish), noddypeak (fool), nyctalopia (night blindness), nim (to steal)
20 min	abditive (remote, secret), aby (to make amends), ambages (delays), azoth (mercury)
30 min	oakus (wallet), ouzel (blackbird, dark-haired person), osmesis (the art of smelling), ombre (shadowy)
20 min	whinstone (hard rock), wrick (to twist), wankle (unstable), watchet (pale blue)
10 min	racemation (a cluster), ranarian (froggy), rubigo (mildew), risible (laughable)
20 min	ickle (little), intersidereal (between stars), ivresse (drunkeness), ingannation (deception)
30 min	mabble (to wrap up), melic (lyric), moton (armor for the armpit), mulct (to swindle)
15 min	biolith (rock formed by living creatures), bombilate (to hum), burrole (an eavesdropper), breme (fierce)
20 min	uraster (starfish), utile (profitable), ughten (morning twilight), umbe (around)

 

November 28, 2017, 8:00am-10:00am (UTC-8)
Idioms Part 6

30 min	rack and ruin
20 min	return to form
30 min	root cause
20 min	reduce to rubble

 

NaNoWordSprints Prompts for July 2017 – Week 4

Well, here’s the last week of the Twitter prompts from July’s Camp NaNoWriMo session. Have fun using them in your stories!

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July 22, 2017, 9:15am-1:25pm (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 16

30 min	what will change everything
30 min	fame and fortune
30 min	the mystery continues
30 min	steal your soul
30 min	bucking the trend
30 min	in for a treat
30 min	another one bites the dust

 

July 22, 2017, 10:00pm-1:00am (UTC-8)
The Sprints Account Sprints Part 1

10 min	becoming aware
20 min	something new and interesting
10 min	completely incomprehensible
30 min	accidental invention
10 min	learning something new
20 min	know it all
10 min	party
30 min	delusional
20 min	limitless

 

July 23, 2017, 6:30pm-10:00pm (UTC-8)
The Sprints Account Sprints Part 2

10 min	far behind
20 min	wicked smart
10 min	secrecy and manipulation
30 min	the games people play
10 min	sly, satisfied grin
20 min	getting bigger and bigger
10 min	infectious and charming
30 min	devoid of mercy
15 min	adorable, inevitable, or intense

 

July 25, 2017, 10:15pm-12:00am (UTC-8)
The Sprint Monster

20 min	a monster is coming
15 min	escape route
20 min	chase scene
30 min	plot holes

 

July 26, 2017, 8:00am-12:00pm (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 17

30 min	one track mind
30 min	attracted a following
30 min	dulled the edge
30 min	fallacy in this reasoning
30 min	a bit about bananas
30 min	a somewhat different technique
30 min	pretty obscure

 

July 27, 2017, 7:00pm-1:00am (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 18

10 min	don’t be silly
20 min	connect somewhere
30 min	emotional distress
10 min	floating around
20 min	otherwise working
30 min	commonly understood
10 min	no longer despair
10 min	see a resurgence
20 min	scary stuff
30 min	before the fight was over
10 min	shocked by how things went
20 min	new evidence
30 min	it may not be real
10 min	prepared for the fallout
20 min	unqualified reservations
30 min	they want to flee

 

July 28, 2017, 7:00pm-2:00am (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 19

10 min	constantly on the move
20 min	encouraging an overhaul
30 min	the original was released
10 min	more than a bit insane
20 min	a direct link
30 min	knocking it out of commission
10 min	no one can hear you scream
10 min	back to square one
20 min	stronger together
30 min	decided to fight back
10 min	voice in the fog
20 min	slippery slope
15 min	risking their lives
10 min	invent and explore
20 min	got back up again
30 min	a potentially dangerous situation
10 min	in a single bound
30 min	behind the scenes

 

July 29, 2017, 10:00am-6:00pm (UTC-8)
Strange Idioms

10 min	Bob’s your uncle (used to conclude a set of instructions)
20 min	a different kettle of fish (a different thing altogether)
30 min	donkey’s years (a very long time)
10 min	all mouth and no trousers (boastful but can’t back himself up)
20 min	cat got your tongue (point out someone’s silence)
30 min	chew the fat (to gossip)
10 min	under the weather (to feel ill or tired)
20 min	to go pear-shaped (describe something gone wrong)
30 min	a piece of cake (it’s really easy)
10 min	damp squid (something that fails to meet expectations)
15 min	cold turkey (abruptly giving up a habit or addiction)
30 min	my neck of the woods (area where I live)
10 min	give someone the stick (criticize or mock someone)
20 min	thick as thieves (close friends)
30 min	throw a spanner in the works (do something to complicate a plan or prevent from succeeding)
10 min	wipe the floor with someone (defeat someone easily)
20 min	won’t touch it with a barge pole (something so unappealing you wouldn’t want to go anywhere near it)
30 min	pot calling the kettle black (point out hypocrisy)
15 min	when pigs fly (something that will never happen)

 

July 29, 2017, 11:00pm-2:00am (UTC-8)
Titles from Books Published on June 2012

10 min	villains for hire
20 min	at his command
30 min	unraveling the past
10 min	darkness devours
20 min	chasing evil
30 min	a tangled affair
20 min	gone missing

 

July 30, 2017, 7:30am-12:00pm (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 20

10 min	work well enough
30 min	piercing cry and panic
30 min	there’s nothing wrong
30 min	not so kind
30 min	full of accusations
30 min	might not be the best place
30 min	poking around
30 min	reinventing the wheel

 

July 30, 2017, 3:00pm-6:30pm (UTC-8)
Common Phrases Part 21

30 min	better than the real thing
30 min	astonished to discover
30 min	heighten tension
30 min	freak accident
30 min	know for certain
30 min	what happens after fairy-tale endings