Slam by Nick Hornby

First Book is an organization that provides books to low-income families. They've created a blogger book club to promote YA books and I'm very excited to be a part of it. You can find participating blogs and more info here.

This month's book was Slam by Nick Hornby, so I bought a copy on my Nook and got to reading. It was a book I had already been interested in reading, because I think hearing a male's POV on teen pregnancy isn't really done a lot in YA and because I've heard a lot of good things about Nick Hornby's writing. And also because I liked the movie High Fidelity. I knew there would be some humor in this one.

Sam's just a regular male teen. He doesn't stand out a lot as a character: he skates, he likes girls, he's a guy. The only really interesting thing about him is that he talks to his poster of Tony Hawk, but that seemed a little too forced to be quirky and even got irritating at times. But I think that was the point: he's just a regular guy, thrown into a situation and made to deal with it. He made bad decisions, like anybody, but he had genuine feelings, so he was a full character.

There was also an added dreamlike element that threw me off a little bit; he was "whizzed" into the future to see what his life will be like. It was strange and didn't seem to fit well into the storyline. On the other hand, it gave some more depth to Sam and his character. It was satisfyingly hilarious to see his reactions to these sections, and by the ending I accepted the bizarreness of them and thought they were a pretty fascinating addition.

What I found interesting was that I couldn't really sympathize with Alicia, his girlfriend, probably because you didn't get much on her feelings. If the book was told from Alicia's POV, I would have despised Sam, but seeing inside his head gives you more understanding of his actions. It really shows you how much perspective can change things.

Sam grows as a person, and Slam is definitely a coming-of-age novel, even though it's a blurred and forced coming-of age. In the book, Sam says: "You can be seventeen and fifteen and nine and a hundred all on the same day." Which is totally true and definitely showcased.

But, really, the strongest part of this book was the humor. It wasn't too potently comical, but there were a lot of scenarios and thoughts that are true to life and completely hilarious.

I'm glad I read this one, because it gave me things to think about and plenty of laughs. But it wasn't as brilliant as I expected it to be. I'm planning on checking out Hornby's other works and seeing how they differ.

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Can't wait to see what next month's First Book Blogger Book Club pick is!

Guest Post - Tim Tharp & True Grit

Today, Tim Tharp, author of YA novels The Spectacular Now and Knights of the Hill Country, is stopping by, on the morning of the Academy Awards, to talk about his latest book, BADD, and how it relates to the novel of a certain nominated movie. Check it out:

“You don’t need hope. What you need is valiance. When everything goes dark, you keep going anyway. That’s what you do.” –Ceejay McDermott, from the novel BADD.

BADD isn’t about being evil. It’s about being strong, tough, courageous—B-A-D-D. What Ceejay doesn’t realize when her brother first comes back from a tour of duty in Iraq is that there are different ways of being BADD. Or what another courageous character, Mattie Ross, from a different novel, called having True Grit.

Okay, maybe True Grit isn’t officially a young adult novel, but since the latest film version is up for an academy award for best picture this year, I thought it would be a good time to persuade those who have already seen the film, as well as those who haven’t, to go back to the source material. The adventures and especially the captivatingly idiosyncratic voice of fourteen-year-old heroine Mattie Ross will make it more than worth your time.

Mattie is from Arkansas, Yell County, Arkansas, to be exact (she is very proud of that fact), and Portis captures her pride, stubbornness, and yes, true grit in a colloquial yet formal writing style that is unforgettable and only hinted at in the dialog of both the old and new film versions. After Mattie’s father has been murdered by the outlaw Tom Chaney, she vows to seek justice, and if she can’t find a lawman worthy of performing the job, she will do it herself. Of course, she does find such a lawman in the one-eyed, cantankerous, morally suspect, and often whisky-soaked U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn.

Rooster, at first, wants nothing to do with Mattie’s quest but finally gives into her persistence, though he flatly refuses her desire to ride with him into the dangerous eastern hills of Indian Territory (now my home state of Oklahoma). She follows him anyway. Of course, Rooster, who has teamed up with a dandified Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, has no choice but to accept Mattie into the fold, which does not bode well for any outlaws who might stand in the way of the justice she seeks.

There are gunfights, chases on horseback, and a pit filled with rattlesnakes along the way, but none of this is a match for Rooster and especially Mattie, both of whom clearly show their true grit again and again. Sure, many of the adventures of the book are portrayed in the movie, but not all of them by a long shot. Even more importantly, Mattie’s thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and no-nonsense brand of justice are given more depth in the novel, so that the action and indelible characters become even more vivid as we see them through her eyes. Mattie Ross is truly an American original and so is the novel True Grit. Accept no substitutes, even if the latest movie version does win a best picture Oscar.

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What characters have you come across that have true grit? Leave a comment and let's get a discussion started. And check out BADD if you want to meet another one!

Find out more about Tim Tharp and his books by heading to his website.

Why I Blog

Ironically enough, for a blog about my opinion on books, I don't post a lot about my opinion on why I write my opinion. Have I lost you already?

I've just been putting some thought into my "reviews" and how they're written, and I got to thinking about positive reviews vs negative reviews. Versus neutral reviews. And then I wondered if I was even writing "reviews". Because what I do is write about books. I write about what I liked and what I didn't like. I write about characters and how they made me feel and how the writing hit me. If you think about the word "review" you think of something scientific, right? Like plot devices and yadda yadda. And I do talk about that kind of stuff. I am critical about what I read. But I think I'm more emotional about it than scientific. Why would I want to write about a book that didn't make me feel anything? What's the point of that?

But then I thought, has there ever been a book that hasn't made me feel anything? And, no, there hasn't. I have never read a book and had absolutely no feeling or impact from it. I might have thought a character was so ridiculous I wanted to slap them. I might have thought a scene verged on the side of corny only cows eat, and I had to roll my eyes and laugh. I might have read a scene that made me feel neutral, sure, but later there would be a piece of dialogue that I connected with. I have never read an entire book and not felt anything. Ever.

But I also have never read a book where every single word was golden. I have read scenes that made me weep, scenes where my smile didn't have the faceroom to be big enough, scenes that made me want to crawl inside the book and sleep there for years. But I have never read an entire book where every single sentence and character and setting and plot was perfect.

So you're probably asking what the hell my point is. This has been something that's been at the back of my noggin for a while. Because there's been a lot of buzz about book blog reviews lately and how they impact the publishing industry. And their worth. But that sounds so damn scientific. So I had to write something. Because it's what I do.

I think books are there to be read and thought about. They're there to make you feel. And to make you think. And to make you talk.

To write about what I read comes naturally. I will tell how a book effected me and why. I'll talk about what makes it special to me, what solidified it in my mind and in my life. And I'll discuss it with other readers. Because I love to hear how it's impacted their lives.

People have been questioned for writing negative reviews and for writing positive reviews. I don't really see a point in bashing a book, at all, but I absolutely love hearing what people think. I don't read "reviews" to see whether someone liked a book or not. I want to see how it changed them. What parts of it left something behind. The parts that made you angry and the parts that made you happy and the parts that made you curious. The tiny flashes of words that stay with you, even for just a minute, written down and thought about and shared. That's why I write about what I read and that's why I read what people write.

Your turn. Why do you read reviews or write reviews? Or just read period or write period? All I know is that there is a lot of worth in opinion and thought, and I'd love to hear yours.

Coffee and Cliffhangers

This blog has some changes forthcoming. Probably the most important is the domain name. There's a long and hilarious story as to why I had to change my entire blog name, but it's also inappropriate and I like to keep things at least mildly mature here. So I'll spare you. Unless you want to email me, in which case I will totally tell you if you are over 13 and which you can laugh about.

Anyway, the new blog name and domain?

Coffee and Cliffhangers. I think it fits because a) I'm addicted to caffeine b) I'm in love with both reading and writing, which both semi-apply to the latter section and c) it has teh alliteration. Funtimes.

So the new domain name is coffeeandcliffhangers.com.

If you type in thepageflipper.blogspot.com, you'll be directed here anyway. But I thought I'd let you all know.

Another change is a layout. I'm working on trying to find a fancy new skin to match the name. If any of you guys know of any cheap awesome website designers, let me know. I've had some great designers work on stuff for me before, but I like to test the waters and find different designing styles. So feel free to give me recommendations.

Happy reading, guys. And stay caffeinated.

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

So, today, 2/22, A Touch Mortal is released. I read it in its ARC stage, because Leah and I are in the same book club & town, and it is fantastic. I read it when I didn't know her very well, but since then I've gotten to know her and her writing a lot more.

Here's a tiny glimpse of what it's about, if you don't know:

"Death isn't what Eden expected. Where the hell is her release? Her quiet ending? Not that Eden remembers the details of her final hours, but one thing is for sure--becoming a sider, trapped between life and death, was definitely not part of the plan..."

I can honestly say, without being biased, that it is a phenomenal book. If I hadn't spoken a word to Leah, I would have read A Touch Mortal and thought the same thing. But knowing her, I was able to see how much thought and life goes into her characters and her world.

And to be able to have such connection to characters you create is beyond amazing, but having other people read it and connect with them, like I did, is what's really insane. They are so so real. And being able to create something so embodied out of words is something that should definitely be admired.

So I hope you'll read it.

Because it's a good book. I loved it.

Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

I love folklore - especially Irish folklore. So I was already set to read this one when I heard about a goblin world, (Labyrinth anyone?) but it wasn't anything like I expected.

For one thing, it was hilarious. I didn't really expect "funny" when I imagined creepy goblins and a sexy Irish guy, but I probably should have (now that I think about it, Labyrinth + Boondock Saints is in my head and I think that's a pretty hot combo.) It was a subtle kind of funny, though, in quick-witted responses and underhanded jokes.

There was also a great set of characters, which doesn't hurt. Teagan herself, with her love and fascination for animals, and her little brother, who knows every song lyric in history, and her best friend Abby who is so obnoxiously blunt and interesting, it's hard not to like her. And Finn. You can find out about him for yourself. And if you're read Tyger Tyger already, you know what I'm thinking.

It was just a really charming book with a very creepy world - man, I've never wanted to visit and not visit a place so badly - and it was written and executed very well. It was very unique and I'm really looking forward to the continuation of the storyline. Sweet and simply, it was good. Completely held my interest.

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal

I absolutely love Greek mythology. So when I found out about Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs, I knew I had to read it. Here's what it's about: "Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight." Sounds amazing, right?

Today, I'm taking part in a huge blog cover reveal, which you can read more about here. The book is set to release in Fall 2011. So...

Isn't this cover gorgeous?

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

A Northern Light has always been one of my favorite books - ever since I read it on vacation, my feet in the sand, and fell in love with the words Jennifer Donnelly wrote.

So when I found out she had a new YA coming out, I was completely ecstatic. A lot of people are iffy on historical fiction, but I love it, and I think a lot of the reason behind that is Jennifer Donnelly. I also used to have this history class where we'd match whatever we were studying with historical fiction books, which I totally had fun with because I was weird. There's just something fascinating to me about taking something real and mixing a fresh story into it. We chose this one for book club and I think even the people who weren't huge on historical fiction found something they liked in it.

I think this one is more approachable because there's a modern story mixed alongside the historical. The main character, a music lover with a lot of talent, is forced to go to Paris with her father after a tragedy takes over her life. She ends up finding a lot more in France than she expected, in particular a journal from a very brave girl during the French Revolution, and Andi is able to find herself in the journal's pages and be transported back to a different century.

Jennifer Donnelly's writing is absolutely fantastic. It's the kind of book I had to stop reading, several times, to write down quotes. Which is the best kind of book. Example:

"I will not stop. For mad I may be, but I will never be convenient."

15 words I just pulled from the book, but there were a lot more than 15 that hit me.

Donnelly paints so, so much with her words and I very much admire her as a writer. The research that went into this book was astronomical, judging by the videos and writings I've read by her. You can tell she puts a lot of work into making a book not only historically right, but emotionally right. Andi was a character I could level with.

While there were some elements I questioned at the end, I thought overall that this was a very incredibly written story with an entirely new perspective on the French Revolution.

I definitely have to check out The Tea Rose next.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

So, I'm a nerd, and I love everything mythical. Give me some dragons any day and I'll be content. So, obviously, I was excited to see Pegasus. A human-animal bond that wasn't dragons, but something just as mythical: pegasi. And I needed to get my human hands on it as fast as I could.

And so Andrea from Aine's Realm sent me a copy of this one because she's really really awesome. It wasn't what I expected at all, but what I discovered was something completely unique.

It was very, very interesting to see two very intelligent species coexist, and the politics of both. Only the nobles are attached to pegasi in this book, but they have to have translators to communicate between them. The main character of the book, Sylvi, though, is able to communicate in her mind with her pegasi from the moment they meet, and they form a very, very strong bond. And not everyone likes that.

The world building was phenomenal, in that the pegasi had an entire society and culture to themselves. It was truly like discovering a new species, one that has magic in its roots. The pegasi were entirely too fascinating, from their beautiful caves to their tiny claw-like hands and their dancelike grace. I wanted to visit their world.

It's no doubt that Robin McKinley can create a charming place that's both surreal and real. I was pretty enchanted by this one.

Help Me Be Cultured

I just finished reading an art history chapter on Ancient Egypt and found myself kind of completely fascinated. And not only did it give me about a billion ideas to write about, I also found myself wondering what the heck else I could read under the topic. I went to a King Tut exhibit when I was in NYC, but that (and this art his chapter) are the extent of my knowledge.

Also, did you know they used to worship a god and goddess of WRITING? Rock on.

Anyway, I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so I thought I'd ask you readers if you know of any books either taking place in Ancient Egypt.

I'm also really interested in Native American culture (I'm part (very slightly!) Native American and spent a lot of time picking arrowheads out of my great grandma's field, so it's always interested me.)

And I can't believe how few books I've read with a historical or cultural background. So, help me be cultured, please. Can you recommend anything? It doesn't even have to be Egyptian or Native American (although I'll love you more) as long as culture is a big part of the book.

WTF?

A while ago I was bored and on Twitter which, for me, is not a good combination. I asked Twitter what I should blog about, because, while I blog about books a lot, I don't really talk about my writing or my life, etc, which is probably because you guys don't care. The response, however, was interesting: an evil cat, a blizzard, chickens, stereotypes & issues in YA, cupcakes, and Ian Somerhalder. Obviously, I said YES to all of these.

And considering there's a blizzard outside my window right now, I thought it would be an appropriate time to write this. See? Check one. Blizzard. (Although that's kind of boring, so I will also tell you that if you live in Florida or California or Africa or something and you feel left out, you can turn your tv onto a channel you don't have and mute the sound and see the crazy blizzard-like static and pretend you are as cool as me.)

And evil cats. Oh, how much I have to say on this topic. My friend Leah has a cat that I'm pretty sure has at least one and a half demons inside of him. I love him. He likes to growl at refrigerators and he likes to be pet so that he can purr and then sneakattack and bite your face off. He also likes to claw at the floor, pace in circles, and dance. The only thing you can really do while in his proximity is stand still and not make any sudden movements. As it so happens, I am also this cat's intern, so I have to make sure his coffee is ready for him in the mornings (without him seeing me put it there, of course - WHAT a mistake that was, and that's why people call me TwoFace now (and yes I just made a batman reference, shuddup)) I'm sure you'll meet him eventually, when he owns the world.

What the heck is there to say about chickens? I don't eat them. I'm a vegetarian. Although I watched Off the Map the other day (because Matt Seracen is in it, whew) and this girl is gifted a chicken and I thought it would be really cool to have a pet chicken, except it wouldn't.

Oh, and maybe you want to hear the serious stuff. Like stereotypes and issues in YA. I am so sick of stereotypes, but I'm also sick of anti-stereotypes. Like when a book goes so far as to make the OPPOSITE of every single stereotype there ever is. Like when the cheerleaders are really nice and the nerdy guy is actually the most popular guy in school and the goth girl is best friends with the preppy yale boy and etc etc. I hate regular stereotypes even more, but the complete ignorance of them isn't realistic, either. Everyone needs a little balance. I think a master of this, even though I've only read one of her books so far, is Courtney Summers. She does stereotype balance perfectly.

And on the subject of cupcakes, (we weren't on that subject, but I'll pretend we are because this is a really hard post for transitions) I went to the Cheesecake Factory the other day and they had red velvet cheesecake. This is kind of like cupcakes but not really.

I really don't think there's much to say about Ian Somerhalder besides the fact that his eyes impregnate people everywhere, just by the smolderstare. It really happens. I will also give you a picture of him because...well, I don't really have to explain myself there, do I? It's just better with a visual when you're talking about Ian Somerhalder. (And don't worry, I made sure he had sunglasses on because humanity already suffers from overpopulation.)

And that concludes today's segment of WTF. If you'd like me to continue making an ass out of myself, feel free to tell me what to blog about next, when there is a blizzard and I'm massively bored. Bring it.