Coffee and Cliffhangers

Once Upon a Time & The Price of Magic

2012-01-18T22:49:00.002-05:00

So I'm kind of addicted to ABC's Once Upon a Time. I love fairy tales and retellings, but I was pretty adamant on not liking this one because the commercials looked so undesirably corny. But then I watched the first episode and I saw the sheriff and I was like "hey, maybe I like this show more." Yeah, I was pretty much a complete girl about it. But then I got past the first episode and realized that the show was actually kind of...good? The kind of good you don't even feel guilty about.

Because there's Rumpelstiltskin, played by brilliant actor Robert Carlyle, whose this evil, manipulative, slightly glittery son of a gun who needs a new dentist but is insane in the best possible way. I love a good villain, and this is a good freaking villain.

The show goes back and forth between modern day, where none of the fairy tale characters really know who they are but are trapped in a town conveniently called Storybrooke (I see what you did there, ABC) and the past when they are characters you went to sleep learning about. But the stories have that slight Grimm touch on top of the classic spin - they give a root of dark underneath the stories you're accustomed to hearing, and it's pretty great.

Anyway, back to Rumpelstiltskin.

He says this thing in his origin episode that I had to prove either right or wrong: "Magic always comes with a price." And when he first said it, I was all "yeah, yeah, cliche, the price is the loss of toothpaste," but then I thought it was really true.

Every story with magic in it always ends with people lamenting about their miserable lives. Clark Kent wanted to know his family and maybe drink a nice cup of tea with them, but noooooooo. Harry Potter was tired of getting stared at and wanted to snog girls, but nooooooo. It gets very angsty, and they always talk about wanting to be normal.

It's either that, or they're a complete power-eater like Sylar, but while villains are fantastic, having them as main characters causes plot issues because when they start killing unicorns and drinking children's souls, they lose likability. And then, the price is humanity. Sure you can do that cool laser-shooting thing, sir, or you can turn people into insects, chick, but no one likes you. Even the evil witch in Once Upon a Time gets emo about that.

Apparently there isn't any magic without paying involved. Where are the characters who are like, "Hey I can breathe ice like in that one episode of Powerpuff Girls, that's pretty cool, I think I'll go finish reading To Kill a Mockingbird for class now." Haven't come across one. Any person who suddenly gets magic automatically changes and becomes either really responsible (ie, saving children from burning buses) or really irresponsible (ie, stealing all the beer from the convenient store and/or catching school buses on fire, respectively.) The responsible ones always have some kind of unavoidable pressure and wish to go back to normality, and the irresponsible ones always morph into people that are completely inhuman. And I think it's because magic is synonymous to power - like if you gave a charitable person money vs a greedy person money, one would spend it to help others and one would spend it to help themselves. But with magic, it's glorified and the justice is a lot swifter. There's always a price. (Unless you're Matilda, because it all went pretty well for her, so children are exempt.)

And nothing tells stories of evil and justice better than a good fairy tale., especially when there are villains that sweat glitter. So I guess Rumpelstiltskin was right.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2012-01-10T23:42:00.001-05:00

"She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair."

The first book I finished in 2012 was Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I think it's more of a book to go out on than to go in on. Because finding a book to top it is like a whimper compared to a bang. I'm sure at some point in 2012 I'll read a book that makes me stop and run my hands over sentences again, but maybe not quite so often as this one. Laini Taylor's writing is so gorgeous it made my eyes hurt. Like staring at the sun for so long. I'd actually think this book was made of sunshine, if there weren't so many tragic parts.

The main character, Karou, lives in Prague, "a city of alchemists and dreamers," with wind that "carried the memory of magic, revolution, [and] violins..." She also has blue hair and a best friend who makes marionettes. They often eat their lunch on top of coffins in this restaurant that has statues covered in gas masks. And, yeah, her foster family is a group of chimera, half human half beast creatures, and they run a shop that sells wishes for teeth.

This book is a combination of the weirdest, darkest, quirkiest bits of life, both real and surreal, printed into words. Karou runs errands, trips to the farthest reaches of the world, to get teeth from graverobbers. The wishes she receives in payment are ranged by the type of deed or teeth she acquires, from tiny wishes like hair dye to slightly larger wishes like learning languages. Karou doesn't know what her family does with the teeth, though, and when you find out, the book gets even better.

This is a story inside of a story, a mix of past and present. It's one of the most original books I've ever read - the world created in this book is unlike any I've ever even side-glanced into, but the mythology and lore of it essentially makes sense. It uses our own pre-judgments and myths and shreds them into one of those ripped-pieces-of-paper puzzles, but one that's missing eight pieces. You can see human's own myth creations behind it, but it's so delightfully torn apart, in a way that makes such solid sense, that it's something entirely different. It's pretty fantastic.

The other POV in this book is from this stranger named Akiva who thought humans were legend until he was able to step foot onto Earth. We were legends. Not the creatures you already know about in the back of your head, that are introduced with a gasp and reluctant belief on page 100 in book X or Y. We are those creatures, to this character.

CAN YOU GET ANY COOLER THAN THIS BOOK? I think only if you are the child of Ellen Paige and Joseph Gordon Levitt or something. Probably not even then.

Seriously. This book is so awesome, I want to use it as my main food source.

And the ending isn't really a cliffhanger. It's more like that moment when your fingers are clawed into the earth, hanging over dead air, right before someone steps on them with a crunch and then there's no hanging involved at all. It's pretty much like this quote from Daughter of Smoke and Bone:

"...and just like that, the creature un-was. It was, and then it wasn't. Karou's stomach roiled as she contemplated the possibility of being so suddenly not."

My stomach didn't want to deal with the not-ness of the book, either.

2012

2012-01-08T17:51:00.003-05:00

Reading and writing in 2011 was pretty sporadic for me. I read a lot of great books and a lot of mediocre books, created a lot of great characters and a lot of bad scenes, interspersed between snippets of life. I posted less often because I read less often, writing only about the books I read and not the moments in between.

But in 2012, I want to write more. That's what I created this website for, back in 2007. I wanted to talk about what made those great books so great, the people in them and the way they experience their lives. I want to write about the times I feel infinite like Charlie and golden like Ponyboy and the times I want to shout "eat my shorts" like Judd Nelson's tv version of Breakfast Club.

The writing that makes me smirk or makes me angry or makes me cry. I want to write about it all.

The first week of the year I took off from blogging here, to think about what I wanted for my literary life. I have a lot of other things going on, with music and with traveling and with college, but words are something I always want to be a part of. Blogging about them is a kind of redundancy that appeals to me. Writing is such a huge part of my life, that I can't even get away from the temptation of writing about words.

So my late resolution is to make sure I spend more time doing what I love, and writing about it. I want to post about reading and writing and adventures, a mash up of literature and everything behind it. The ink stains on my fingers, the keyboard I bought because I love the way it sounds, the marathons of tv I watch, art that inspires me, places in books that I've visited, music that connects to scenes. It's all going here. This has always been considered a "reviewing website" but in 2012 I want to steer it away from that label. I want to just write words. About books and movies and coffee binges and characters I want to go to Paris with.

This is obviously a literary website, but literature has a much more broad meaning to me now. Everything that goes into it, people and culture and inspiration, that's all literary to me. Myths and fairy tales and legends. Campfires and whispered secrets. Tea kettles and steam and ideas that fail. I think in broadening my view, in seeing the things that go into making a book, into making words and art, I can go back to doing what I love. Reading a book and writing about it can be a routine, and to me, writing is about thinking outside of routine. I want to research the grit behind writing, the smoke and bone behind the daughter. I'll read amazing books and I'll write about those books here, but I'll also write about the times in between, the things my English professors say that I do or don't agree with, writer's lives and the places that inspired them, hidden gems underground and the people that found them. I want to write about stories, literally - about books, and I want to write about stories that aren't books, but the tales of people and writers. The stories behind the stories.

I have a feeling 2012 is going to be an enlightening year, and I'm fighting to make it entirely full of words.

Heartsinger by Karlijn Stoffels

2011-12-23T12:39:00.004-05:00

I went to Chicago a couple years ago and, at a book event, ran into Karlijn Stoffels and the woman who translated her novel into English. I got a copy of it, a small little book that ended up sitting on my shelf for two years. And now I can't believe I let this one collect even the tiniest bit of dust on its pages. I picked it up because it was short and I needed a small-paged book to go between two long 486475676198734 page books I was reading. Might have hyperbolized that.

But this book was good. It's told from alternating POVs, one being a young boy, Mee, whose deaf parents had died without ever hearing his voice, whose songs made people dance anytime he sang them. After they died, they made people weep. So he traveled the world and was a Singer of Sorrows, playing at funerals. Every time he arrived at a funeral and sang a song for those who had died, the succeeding chapter was the story of each life that went behind that death.

The other perspective was a girl, Mitou, who played the accordion like a boss and brought happiness to everyone who heard it. The opposing use of music, for both grief and joy, was pretty brilliant.

It felt like a slightly morbid fairy tale, which is just the kind of book I love to read. It's such an interesting, different way to tell a story. You find out all these unrelated tales of the past, through Mee's singing, and you'd think that would pull you away from the book because of it's break from the plot, but it made me more connected to it. This book felt long, not because it dragged but because there were so many characters and lives inside of it.

I felt like I had found an ancient book of stories at some abandoned house, a foreign group of tales that were entirely vivid and partially myth. From the woodcutter who was in love with a sailor to the princess who would never look away from her mirror, it broke into both small side stories and one interwoven plot.

I don't reread books a lot, but Heartsinger is one I'll definitely pick up again. Maybe 2358693427 more times.

Things That Roar

2011-12-19T00:14:00.000-05:00

Dragons. I'm able to be classified as a nerd because I've read at least five books with dragons in them. From the classics, like Beowulf, where the dragon is evil, to popular YA books like the Inheritance series where dragons are intelligent and people ride them like horses that can talk. Except it's cooler than that. And then I've read books like Firelight, where the main characters are descendants of dragons, half human and half dragon.

And then I watched this show on, I think, Discovery Channel, where they showed how dragons could have been real - the idea that all these cultures depicted the creature in their cave drawings without any supposed way to communicate to each other. And how their whole fire-breathing thing would work. Which means I qualify into uber nerd category.

But dragons are cool.

My friend showed me this video of Maleficent the other day (after talking about the show Once Upon a Time) where she turns into this crazy purple dragon and goes and melts stones and shit. And I had just finished the latest Eragon book, so I was all dragon-minded and thought I'd create some kind of literature guide to dragons because that's what I like to do with my Monday nights, aside from Psych marathons.

So we have three types of dragons, right?

There's the evil kind, the kind that Disney, etc, loves. The kind fairy tales are made of. The evil, giant beast that guards princesses in castles and kills them if they get too close. Like Bowser from Mario. And you don't really realize how messed up that is, until you take a step back and are like - woah, what the heck IS Bowser and what is with the reverse beastiality? Anyway, we've got that kind. Like the previously referenced Beowulf. Slay the dragon, win the prize. (Generally a pretty girl that doesn't know how to escape said castle.)

Then there's the intelligent kind. The mythical kind that can speak and are kind of superior to humans, but they let you ride them anyway. Like in Inheritance. And also like in Never Ending Story except less creepy. I think these are the books for horse lovers who don't have horses. There's something people love about new creatures that only connect with certain humans. Like in Avatar with those bird-things, which is totally my favorite part of that movie and is probably why I like these kinds of books so much.

Then there are the dragons who are human-like, like in Firelight. Also like in that one episode of Supernatural. Dragon blood. I'd make a Charlie Sheen reference, but that's really old now and everyone has moved onto Ryan Gosling which I approve of. But anyway, this is kind of a new trend that's really interesting.

So, bam. Dragons. What fire-breathing books have you read?

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

2011-12-10T01:08:00.000-05:00

This book is bloody scary. I haven't read an apocalyptic book so realistic and mind-messing since Life as We Knew It, which made me stockpile bottled water in the basement. It kind of reminded me of The Langoliers, Stephen King's short story about monsters that eat the world and leave trails of nothing behind them. In fact, "Nothing" was actually a point of view in this book. Except the langoliers were people. Not zombies, just people gone insanely evil.

It was slightly paranormal in that way, but in every other aspect was very realistic. To a sobering point. I mean, no one was spared in this book. Children, pregnant women, everyone - they all died just as brutally and easily as everybody else. This isn't the kind of book you want to sit down with for a light read. Unless you're me. Because I'm horrible and find something satisfying about reading the world into destruction from my vantage point of a zebra-sheeted bed.

The points of view were interesting - there were several of them, from all over the world, each with a completely different situation. A book with this many point of views can be confusing, but I don't think I've ever seen it work as well as it did in Dark Inside. It's like the reverse of that documentary Life in a Day. Death in a Day. The point of view of several people as they see everyone die. It's pretty morbid.

Anyway, I don't normally quote from books in my discussions, because I'm too lazy to write them down, but I stopped and jotted these because they kind of painted the scenery of the book into perspective:

"I'm just sorry. Sorry that there won't be any more camping trips for kids or rock bands or even new books to read. No more movies or fresh bags of popcorn."

The most horrifying, though - "He missed coffee. The way it used to be so convenient. All he had to do was go into a shop and order up a large or venti or jumbo or whatever fancy word was being used and receive a steaming hot beverage of his choice. Latte. Mocha. Caramel macchiato. Now coffee was pretty much impossible unless they had the option of fire."

Makes you grateful for leather couches and lemonade, right? And - no coffee? :( I really, really had some nightmares about that one.

But really, if you want to get a good picture of this book, listen to "Shankill Butchers" by The Decemberists. And read the lyrics alongside it. I feel like this is the absolute perfect theme song for this book.

Brutal and absolutely nightmare-inducing, it made it on one of my lists. I'm not sure which one, but it's significant enough to be listed somewhere.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2011-11-30T15:34:00.003-05:00

Usually I love any kind of books relating to time travel because I love messes and there's nothing that creates as much of a chaotic mess as time travel. Ex: The Time Traveler's Wife. The Future of Us isn't time travel, exactly - basically, it's getting access to your Facebook fifteen years ahead of time. So the main characters, Emma and Josh, can read who they're going to marry, where they'll live, what their jobs will be - and then if they don't like it, try to change it and hit refresh.

What a freaking mess. It's a fantastic idea.

The execution of that idea, at the beginning, didn't pull me in. It was kind of bland at first, and I wasn't really invested in the characters. But once they started messing things up, it was pretty glorious. It probably says something bad about my personality that I love characters' destruction so much, but, you know, if they were all happy it would be really boring. Ex: Snow White without poison.

Knowing the future is a pretty terrible idea, but also a really hard one to pass up. I mean, if you could know where you would be in ten years, would you say no? I think I would, but I think that's also because I read/watch a lot of time travel movies/books. Ashton Kutcher would probably say no, too. But it's pretty tempting.

And the idea of it being through technology seemed almost plausible, in a weird way. A technological time virus. At least, it sounds smart in the way that you just accept because you have no idea how it works. Vs a time machine, where it's harder to suspend your disbelief, a computer is something that's here now, but also isn't something we all really understand (minus the computer geniuses.) So it's easier to believe. Plus, it has a lot of funky buttons like F7 which I've never hit and I'm not sure what it does, so maybe that's the timey-wimey button. I don't know, it just seemed easier to believe, so I think people who find time travel / time concepts hard to grasp might be able to read this one easier.

So I thought it was a pretty interesting book, and Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler made a good team. I've read both of their separate works, and while this seemed a completely different genre from what they usually do, they Tim Gunn-ed it.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

2011-11-26T19:23:00.005-05:00

I really liked the Wake trilogy by Lisa McMann - a series of books whose protagonist can enter other people's dreams. Considering the fact that my dream last night consisted of speaking unicorn and wearing a belt made out of dragon hide, I think it would be pretty awkward to be friends with Janie. But reading through her eyes is pretty damn interesting, even though it's kind of a sucky superpower. The realism of the stories, though, matched with the thriller pacing and the slight paranormal aspect, makes one hell of a book series.

Cryer's Cross had that same feel to it. It was fast-paced -definitely a thriller - and had a slight paranormal aspect alongside the realism of it. It's told in alternating chapters between the main character, Kendall, and this creepy creepy whispering voice. It reminded me a little of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, whose chapters alternate between the main character and the killer in her town. So. Creepy. I could pretty much hear the whispers through the pages, and when you're up reading at 3am, that's not very ideal.

Cryer's Cross, the town, I loved - it has a population of around 200 citizens. I've always wanted to live in one of those towns, like Stars Hollow, where everybody knows everybody else. But when those people start going missing, it isn't such a quaint place anymore. But I loved that people sometimes rode their horses to school, and the main character rides a tractor through potato fields. Some people don't think that's more glamorous than McDonalds signs and gas stations, but I do. It seemed like its own separate little reality, which is why it's such a good setting for the horror aspect that McMann puts in it.

I feel like it was less charming than Wake, but much edgier. McMann's writing style is really sparse and choppy, and it works so well in her plots. No one else can write a thriller quite like she can. Very fast, edgy read.

Discussion Question: do you like settings in quaint, charming towns or in big cities, and how does that relate to where you live? (I live in a city, so I love settings in small towns.)

Theft and Treachery

2011-11-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

So I was plotting some writing ideas instead of actually finishing my WIP. I've always wanted to write from the point of view of a pickpocket, because they're sneaky and fun and it reminds me of Oliver Twist. And because...I don't know. It would be fun to steal things? Anyway, it got me thinking. What's with the appeal of thieves/criminals in movies and books that doesn't at all translate to real life?

Like, say you saw a pickpocket strolling the streets and pilfering from old ladies' purses. Would you strike up a convo with them? No. You'd put your hands in your pockets and do the side-shuffle out of there. Or if you're more heroic, say something and slap them in the face. But in books like Stealing Heaven, where the main character is a thief who steals from people's homes, you can relate to the character, and it's ridiculously interesting to read about their lifestyle.

A kidnapper? They deserve to be in jail. And then you read Stolen by Lucy Christopher, where you have sympathy for the kidnapper and you think WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? But it's true.

And say you meet a serial killer. I really don't think you'd consider their softer side. But watch an episode of Dexter and you want to sit down and have a conversation with the dude. I mean, if you take a step back and look at it, it's kind of messed up. But it's such a damn good show. And if we're going on that line, what about Damon from The Vampire Diaries? He kills people like it ain't no thang, but he's apparently just a labrador who needs a new squeak toy. I mean, eh, they're just people. Have you seen those abs?

It's funny that people seem to be so invested in these stories, in these characters, but when it's a criminal in real life, it's black-and-white. There's no gray. They are either good or bad. So what's the appeal to make them seem anything different? It's interesting to think about. I think books in general blur that black-or-white good-or-bad line because you are inside of the character's thoughts. You don't just see them and make judgments at face value because, in a way, you are them. That gray matter that books create gives readers a more open mind, but at the same time - when does that line become crossed? I love that it can be crossed in a way that makes people consider their own way of thinking, which is what Stolen by Lucy Christopher does especially well and which I think everyone should read.

Are there any other books/shows/movies where criminals are characterized in a different light?

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

2011-11-16T21:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's writing. She's a master at creating worlds - which isn't an easy feat in itself, but when a writer is equally as talented at creating the characters that live in those worlds, it's a pretty rare thing. The characters in both The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series are just the right mix of angsty, bitter, and sarcastic. And there's enough wit and innuendos to keep a smirk consistently on your face.

At first, after picking up Clockwork Angel, I was a little hesitant. There seemed to be a similar love triangle, like in The Mortal Instruments, and some of the characters seemed to fall into the same personas. But after reading further, and into Clockwork Prince, I can say how completely different they are. They're set in the same world, but in a different time period - and history changes a lot over time, as much as it stays the same. The society the Shadowhunters and Downworlders have, told from a point in time much earlier to The Mortal Instruments, is insanely interesting.

This book, guys. It's full of angst angst angst. It's like pouring an emo band into a cup of black coffee and mixing it with a dirty twig before downing it. It sits in your stomach, a mix of bitterness and earthy sullenness. What happens in this book kind of destroys your heart. You can say that about any of Cassandra Clare's books, really, but in Clockwork Prince it's especially true. I think she took my heart out and gave it to Sweeney Todd to put through the meatgrinder. It's that wince-inducing.

The steampunk tones to this book mixed with the subtle Victorian setting mixes in a way that makes my heart happy again, though. Clare is also great at creating side characters, and when you put those steampunk and victorian tones into characters, it make pretty people. Henry, who is a redheaded inventor, is probably one of my favorites. And Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood I could swoon about for days. Warriors in Victorian vests, guys, is a dangerous combo.

Seriously, though, the fast-paced plot, the dialogue, the characters - pretty much every element of a book, Clare does right in this one.

Discussion Question: If you could live in the world of any book, what would it be?

Inside Out by Maria V Snyder & Contest

2011-11-11T12:24:00.002-05:00

I've always been interested in Maria V. Snyder's books because her characters all have unique, interesting traits and careers, and I've always wanted to dive into their lives: her Poison Study series, about a poison tester for nobility; her Glass series, with a glassblower as a main character; and her new series starting with Touch of Power, about a healer. I've bought her books, but my bookshelves are jungles of words all asking to be read, so I hadn't gotten around to picking any up. The ideas of them have all just kind of formed a respect for the author, though, because she pursues stories that are refreshingly different.

I eventually picked up Inside Out, though, because I was meeting Maria at an event and really wanted to check out her books. It seemed like it stood apart from all of her others in a Sesame Street "one of these things is not like the other" way. Maybe because the others have a kind of mysticism to their plots,and Inside Out doesn't. But it's just such a hard book to categorize that it seemed like a good place to start. I was recommended to start with the Poison Study series, but the call of a book with no genre appealed to me more.

I guess I'll tell you what it's about. You can skip this paragraph if you're book savvy and already know. Trella is a worker in the lower levels of Inside. No one knows what's Outside, or if there even is one, because their entire lives have always been enclosed. The Upper levels are for the privileged, and everyone else must work constantly or risk being recycled. Trella, though, has a liking for pipes, which is what connects every level of the Inside. And only she knows the ways around them. Which incidentally makes her the accidental leader of the revolution. Because now the lower levels, the scrubs, want Out.

I love the idea of a character whose skill is navigating pipes. It's kind of like reverse parkour, and Trella was kind of BA for it. The lifestyle she lives on the Inside is insane. Snyder takes social classes and pits them against each other - they both have ideas about the other, but neither are realities. That's kind of something that's relative to any society, but within the enclosed system of the Inside, it's amplified. I love being in a world that's entirely different from my own, but I'm used to that with fantasy books. Not a realistic novel. And you can't label it anything, really, because that's the mystery. What IS Outside?

The whole book in general is mysterious and just different. There were some slow parts to it, but the idea is such an original one, that I know I'll read pretty much anything by Maria V. Snyder that I see.

Discussion question: what are some books you've read where the characters have unique traits or careers?

*The winner of the October prize pack has been contacted.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2011-10-31T21:37:00.003-04:00

So the opening chapter of this book starts out with a ouija board surrounded by three girls, one being the main character, Mara Dyer. When her best friend asks how she's going to die, and the board spells out the name 'Mara', I knew this was going to be one hell of a book. And it was. Not in the way I expected, but it was.

So after her friends die in a freak accident, Mara and her family move off to Miami. But since the accident, she hasn't been quite right, having hallucinations due to post traumatic stress disorder. It was interesting seeing a teenage character with PTSD, since someone close to me has it. Mental illness isn't something that's covered a lot in YA, so it was pretty refreshing. The insides of Mara's mind are laid out in the pages (that sounded grotesque, but I meant in a metaphorical way and not in a hi-brain-matter-on-page-7o way,) which makes it a book that's of the mental thriller variety. One of my favorite genres, and one you also don't see a lot of in YA. I think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is so well-liked because it goes outside of the norm for its genre, and it does that in aces.

Anyway, in Miami, Mara meets this arsehole Noah, who, of course, has to be HOT because most arseholes are. And I've generally become one of those people who rolls their eyes at bad boys with 'sensitive insides' just because guys in real life who act like that are just jerks. So when a character comes around and is "different" and changes said arsehole's life, it makes me want to laugh a little bit. But then Noah was just so BA, it was hard not to like him. He was laughably rebellious. Very tra la la I'm sexy and I know it. I went through phases where I wanted to punch him and phases where he was manically my hero. It was very lovehate.

I also loved Mara's family dynamic. Brothers. Did you know people have BROTHERS? Siblings? That are in their LIVES? It's funny how little you see of siblings in books, and it wasn't until Mara's were so absolutely present that I noticed the lack of them in most books. I'm all for present families, instead of the whole independent teenager thing.

And it's also funny. Mara was kind of a firecracker. Almost Amy Pond-ish. I wanted to reach my hand through the pages and high-five her too many times to count. It was definitely a very different book. Even though the latter half of the book took off in a direction I wasn't a huge fan of, it's incredibly unique. It doesn't give me anything to relate it to - no kind of resemblance to any other book or movie, which I adore. Generally a pretty groundbreaking and original read.

-----

To enter to win a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer PLUS the other three books I discussed in October, just leave me a comment. I'll end this contest sometime mid-Novemberish. You can say anything, but I'll always leave a discussion question. If international, I'll have to order through Book Depository, so if we run into any issues (not having a book, etc) we'll sort it out, but you are welcome to enter. Also, if there are any books you already own/have read out of the four in October, leave a comment anyway, because you can replace it with any book ever discussed on Coffee & Cliffhangers. If you don't leave a way for me to contact you, (Blogger profile, twitter handle, etc) then please check back at the start of next month, or you can subscribe by email, etc in the sidebar.

Again, I'll always leave a discussion question, but you can comment about whatever you want:

What are some books dealing with mental illnesses that you've read before, and what did you think?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-10-28T17:27:00.005-04:00

I generally like books that use different forms of storytelling, like Cathy's Book, which in hardcover comes with a packet of evidence including pictures, numbers you can call, websites you can visit, etc.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children initially interested me because I knew it had photographs throughout the book, and I thought that was a brilliant way to tell a story. I've been interested in reading more multimedia tales, and since I kept hearing about this one, I finally picked it up. But when I read about it, detailing an abandoned orphanage full of children with peculiar abilities, I knew I would be interested even if it didn't have anything extra.

It firstly reminded me of the show Heroes, but with a younger generation full of misfits. The "peculiar" kids have abilities that are completely original, like a miniature circus show. The characters in this one seemed both oddly full-fledged but also somehow distanced. Regardless, there was a quirky, gritty undertone through the entire book that I loved. It was almost a James and the Giant Peach-ish feel, not because of anything related to the plot, but because of the dark quirky bitterness of both.

The pictures were a nice touch, but sometimes the plot seemed to revolve around them instead of the pictures being included to match the story. But the mixture of both words and photos had a creepy effect. It's almost like finding a leather-covered book based in cobwebs in your attic and flipping through it with an expectancy of ancient mysticism.

It was definitely an interesting book, although it could have done with more imagery. Imagery in pictures is no match for the setting words can create, and I felt like it had such a generally different, unique setting, it could have been more wordfully painted. But it definitely had something entirely unique about it, and I know the series will deservedly earn a lot of fans.

There's something special about this one.

-----

To enter to win a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children PLUS the other three books I discuss in October, just leave me a comment. You can say anything, but I'll always leave a discussion question. If international, I'll have to order through Book Depository, so if we run into any issues (not having a book, etc) we'll sort it out, but you are welcome to enter. Also, if there are any books you already own/have read out of the four in October, leave a comment anyway, because you can replace it with any book ever discussed on Coffee & Cliffhangers. If you don't leave a way for me to contact you, (Blogger profile, twitter handle, etc) then please check back at the start of next month, or you can subscribe by email, etc in the sidebar.

I'll always leave a discussion question, but you can comment about whatever you want.

What are your thoughts on mixed media books? Have you read any?

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

2011-10-19T11:02:00.009-04:00

So I picked up my first Neil Gaiman book. I think it was a pretty smart move. I mean, I'd read tons of his interviews and opinions on writing and I always thought he had a brilliant mind, but I hadn't actually read anything until now. So I started with Anansi Boys, which is about the trickster god Anansi and his two sons: Fat Charlie Nancy, who just found out that his father is a god, and Spider, who is very well-versed in the way of arachnid magic.

Folklore and mythology has always been something that's interested me. There are a lot more YA books coming out revolving around or retelling popular myths, so it's always exciting to see a fresh, original take on one that's less popular. Anansi Boys isn't YA, but Neil Gaiman is such a genre / age rulebreaker, it doesn't really matter what I compare it to.

I actually first learned about Anansi when I took a mythology class my first semester of college. I fell in love with trickster myths, because they're witty and mischievous. Anansi Boys is definitely both of those things.

Gaiman does a fantastic job of mixing the mythological pages alongside modernity. It's not easy to have something so fantastical inside a modern setting, but the two clash in a way that's both hilarious and somehow not offputting - or, at the very least, it's offputting in a good way. Fat Charlie Nancy is well-meaning and calm and his poor self is hit in the face when he meets Spider. Spider, on the other hand, is mischievous and falls into the trickster role pretty damn well. He talks to spiders and crashes Hollywood parties and charms everyone around him. Could you think of two more perfect people to put under the same roof? Yes. Which is how I realized Gaiman is funny. I didn't expect to laugh during this book, but I did. Decently often. I also cringed a lot, in the way you do for characters who you wouldn't want to trade places with (the best kind of characters.)

Neil Gaiman is just a fantastic writer. The way he puts words together is mythological in itself. But what's so great about him isn't just his writing, it's his storytelling. The pacing, the way in which the characters intermingle with the scenery and the animals and each other, all interwoven into words, is freaking brilliant.

It wasn't exactly what I expected. I expected something almost a little darker - not that it wasn't dark, but it wasn't as dark as I had in my head. For some reason, I had the idea that Gaiman would be to writing what Tim Burton is to filmmaking. But I wasn't disappointed, because the tiny bit of lacking darkness was made up by brilliance.

It was my first Neil Gaiman, but no way in hell will it be my last.

----------

To enter to win a copy of Anansi Boys PLUS the other three books I discuss this month, just leave me a comment. You can say anything, but I'll always leave a discussion question. If international, I'll have to order through Book Depository, so if we run into any issues (not having a book, etc) we'll sort it out, but you are welcome to enter. Also, if there are any books you already own/have read out of the four in October, leave a comment anyway, because you can replace it with any book ever discussed on Coffee & Cliffhangers. If you don't leave a way for me to contact you, (Blogger profile, twitter handle, etc) then please check back at the start of next month, or you can subscribe by email, etc in the sidebar.

I'll always leave a discussion question, but you can comment about whatever you want.

What are some dark writers/books/movies you enjoy?

The Desperation of Tea Kettles

2011-10-12T12:03:00.001-04:00

I was making my morning cup of tea, with morninghair and zombieeyes, when I picked up the container and read the side of it. This is a tea I'd just picked up at World Market the other day and it's pretty damn delicious. It's Blackberry Sage and it's made by The Republic of Tea, which sounds very fancy and pretentious. But this side writing? It was deep. It was like my morning tea was trying to reach out of the container and drink itself, the advertising was so good. This was cannibalistic tea, guys. Or at least it really wanted someone to buy it. So it was hooker tea. I don't know. But here's what it said:

"I say you can trace the whole mess on this planet to the fact that we lose ourselves in ideas for living while life awaits us to inhabit it. Tea is not an idea, but the end of all ideas. With a single sip the cloud of busy mind is made to pass and the light of life breaks through to show us what we have kept concealed from ourselves all along."

Guys, this is some deep tea.

And it got me thinking - not about tea, but about what makes it. And I realized something in the haze of morningbrain that made me pretty happy. You can tell what kind of writer a person is by how long they let their tea kettle whistle.

See, I like my tea kettle to whistle until it's out of breath. There's something about the desperation of tea kettles that makes it so...god-complex-y to be able to cut it off. So I let it whistle for a while, and I let my characters suffer for a while. Maybe indefinitely. Until the tea is steaming in a mess of condensation and then I say alrightalright maybe you need some joy in your life, here have a pony. I imagine Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden) was this kind of tea drinker, as Mary was a pretty ripe brat of a child when the book started out, a very miserable creature with a bitter almond aftertaste, but the tea added a couple heaps of sugar as the book went on and the burner was long turned off.

Then there are the people who cut it off before it even gets to whistle, those who maybe can't bear their characters hurting. Or maybe they just don't have the patience to wait for caffeine. That's not a crime. Meg Cabot probably drank tons of lukewarm tea while writing The Mediator series. Not that her characters didn't get put through embarassingly awkward scenarios, but there's always a bit of comic happiness behind it. And I imagine she needs to get her caffeine QUICK and constantly, with as many books as she's hammered out. (Or maybe she is half robot and doesn't need caffeine at all.) Nonwhistlers I understand.

But then. THEN. There are the lazy lazy hooligans who use A MICROWAVE to make tea. This is just unacceptable. These are the kind of writers who are practical and logical, but who have hearts of cruel steel and no time for nostalgia. They get down to business and manipulate the writing. I think microwaves were just being invented when William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, and I'm sure he used one.

Regardless, tea drinkers like a variety of flavors and I think, will always be varied in writing. If you're more of a coffee drinker, which I am as well (any and all kinds of caffeine appeal to me) then I say to you: coffee drinkers generally seem a little tougher than tea drinkers in certain aspects, and will torture their characters a little more, but may tend to stick to a certain genre of writing. If you like both coffee and tea, like me, then you're just an overcaffeinated procrastinator, stop reading this and get to writing.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-10-08T20:23:00.003-04:00

I like to keep up the appearance that I have a heart of ice cold steel, but Stephanie Perkins' books tend to melt through that ice and burn through that steel.

There's a distance between people and characters that Perkins jumps in both of her books. The people she creates are so real; they have the little quirks of eccentricity you find in life but don't often read about. Such as Cricket, Lola's neighbor who moves back into their house after years MIA. He wears pinstriped pants and creates little inventions, filling his room with trinkets and contraptions. He always has writing on the back of his hand and rubber bands around his wrist. These are just little details, but they're ones not every writer writes about: the tiny little things about a person that make you fall for them.

Lola herself is a pretty fierce character. If she weren't, I probably wouldn't like this book as much. As much as I love Cricket, I hate books that center around one character - like he/she is the epitome of life, leaving everyone else to trollop along their dirt trail in wonder and awe. But Perkins wouldn't do that. Lola dresses in whatever she wants, putting on a new facade every day - wigs and all. She has a rockstar boyfriend and two dads and a life that's always looking for adventure.

The clash of these two characters and all of the people in their lives creates one hell of a story.

This is one of those books that let's you become completely enthralled in someone else's life. It's like it somehow skipped the introductory part of getting to know someone and led you to these people whose lives you feel entangled in. It's like being on the fifth series of your favorite show, when you know every detail about the characters, but it somehow manages it in only one book.

I didn't know how this one would compare to her first, but it was just as good. Stephanie Perkins can write a book.

----------

The winner of September's prize pack of books is Angel, who commented on The Name of the Star. Congrats! I'll be emailing you soon.

To enter to win a copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door PLUS the other three books I discuss this month, just leave me a comment. You can say anything, but I'll always leave a discussion question. If international, I'll have to order through Book Depository, so if we run into any issues (not having a book, etc) we'll sort it out, but you are welcome to enter. Also, if there are any books you already own/have read out of the four in October, leave a comment anyway, because you can replace it with any book ever discussed on Coffee & Cliffhangers. If you don't leave a way for me to contact you, (Blogger profile, twitter handle, etc) then please check back at the start of next month, or you can subscribe by email, etc in the sidebar.

I'll always leave a discussion question, but you can comment about whatever you want.

Discussion Q: If you could have any (*cough* PG) invention made for you (by the cute pinstripe-pantsed neighbor) what would it be? (I think mine would be a laptop with a tea/coffee button)

West Hollywood Book Fair

2011-09-30T20:24:00.005-04:00

I'm going to need a lot of coffee. Fast.

This weekend, I'm off to LA to take part in the West Hollywood Book Fair. If you live around the area, I hope you'll come out and say hi! It's free admission and I would love to meet you.

It's on Sunday, October 2nd, and I'll be interviewing three fantastic authors at the Teen Stage as well as signing copies of RAE. I'm really excited to get a chance to sit down with such great writers.

You can check out all the details at westhollywoodbookfair.org, but here's my schedule of events:

I'll be interviewing:

Cecil Castelucci (Rose Sees Red, Beige) from 11:15am - 11:30,

Blake Nelson (Girl, Paranoid Park, Destroy All Cars) at 12:50-1:05, and

Cherry Cheva (Duplikate, She's So Money) at 3:35 - 3:50

Signings will follow directly after at the Once Upon a Time Books Teen Booth.

There are a lot of other great events and authors, like a reading of "A Wrinkle in Time" from actress Marg Helgenberger (CSI) alongside great YA authors. There's a "tales of the supernatural" panel with authors Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed in Blood), Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculair Children), and Kathy McCullough (Don't Expect Magic). There's a live book trailer event, where teens create live trailers for books like Epic Fail and My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies. And there's a lot more to see, so check out the Teen Stage section of the website for YA events, and the home page for everything else.

There's also a map there, if you're going, which you can use to not get lost.

I hope to see some of you guys there!

The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson

2011-09-26T20:26:00.007-04:00

The Fox Inheritance is a companion book to The Adoration of Jenna Fox, but I think they can be read in any order without any kind of lack in storyline. They are both very strong, solid books, and they don't need the other to support the plot.

Ultimately, this is a book about identity. It's one of those books that raises questions, one after the other, in a string of unanswerable wonder, until your mind is a mess. But it's not overly philosophical. It's a fast-paced thriller, but it's one that makes your brain work as fast as your heart, which is rare in that genre.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox hooked me from the first chapter. Jenna was saved by her scientist father after The Accident - the details of which are murky and mysterious and mixed inside of a scientific test tube. Her friends Locke and Kara weren't so lucky, and ended up with their memories trapped inside a computer. The Fox Inheritance is about what happens when they break out.

This is the kind of book I would label as horror. It's one of the most horrific books I've read, mostly because it mixes technology with religion and personal identity beliefs (the kind of beliefs you never knew you had an opinion on) and then it chops and grates it all together. At the root of it all is one basic question: what does it mean to be human?

The Fox Inheritance dug even deeper into that issue. It's told from the point of view of Locke, and being inside his head is one of the most interesting character experiences I've read. There's more of an obvious difference in the society, as it takes place many years after Jenna Fox, but you experience it alongside Locke. The technology is interesting, realistic, and enthralling. It feels like you've been thrown into the actual future, without a clue of how anything works, but it's a journey to figure it out. It's a book that's very high on ethics, but it's such an excitable book, you don't really realize how much it messes with your mind until you set it down.

-----

My new standard is to discuss and give away four books a month (this being #3) but I just gave away a ton of prizes for the Witch Eyes scavenger hunt I did on Twitter (I hope some of you guys won!) Next month we'll be back to four.

To win either The Fox Inheritance or The Adoration of Jenna Fox, plus the other books discussed in September (The Scorpio Races and The Name of the Star) just leave me a comment. You can say anything, but I'll always leave a discussion question. U.S. only due to shipping costs. If you don't leave a way for me to contact you, (Blogger profile, twitter handle, etc) then please check back at the start of next month, or you can subscribe by email, etc in the sidebar.

Question: Locke and Kara were trapped, semi-consciously, in a kind of black void for 200+ years, but now they can live even longer than that. If you could make that choice, would you choose that kind of lifestyle? Would you still be sane?

Again, all you have to do to enter is comment - about anything! And you can comment on the other two books, linked above, that will be included in the prize pack. If you've already read/own any of the books that I've discussed this month, you can substitute one of them for any book discussed on Coffee & Cliffhangers before.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

2011-09-18T14:04:00.003-04:00

What makes Jack the Ripper one of the most famous serial killers in the world? There's basically nothing known about him - a lot of his legend is based around speculation and whispers. He was never caught, which is maybe why it's so intriguing, this idea that he could have lived a normal life. He could have walked dogs, gardened, talked about literature over tea, disemboweling people only in the dead of night.

But one thing is definite - Jack the Ripper is a legend. Because of his name.

The Name of the Star centers around the legend that is Jack the Ripper, told in a modern retelling. Right off the bat, you know there's some tone of paranormal to it. Rory is the only one who sees the suspect of the killings happening in London - killings that mimic almost exactly the deaths that Jack the Ripper had been accused of originally. There are "shocking powers" described in the summary. It all has a hint of mystery to it, and even though it's slightly predictable, once you hit the revealed storyline, things get interesting.

I'm always surprised by Maureen Johnson's writing. Reading her Twitter stream makes her seem slightly diabolical and insane, but that madness tones down into some semblance of sanity in her books, and it's almost disturbing because you know she can plot. So her writing took me aback because I expected it to be a little less organized and a little more Virginia Woolf.

I'm terrible at transitional sentences, but I'm a huge historical ficton lover. I love the idea of taking history - something that actually happened, or even just legend - and weaving it into a story. Taking cold facts and turning them into real people. This isn't technically historical fiction, but it has that kind of feel to it. The reweaving of history. A very fantastical reweaving of history, but all the same, it makes you think about other people's pasts, and that's something that really interests me.

Speaking of bad transitioning - the fact that there's a Doctor Who reference? Earned so many awesome points. Because, oh, that show is brilliant. Oddly, I've read three books in the last month with Doctor Who references. I do fear it's slightly taking over the world a bit, but it's great.

But let's get back to The Name of the Star. Specifically, the ending. Oh, the ending. I'm a big fan of cliffhangers. I love the way they just drop you and leave you stunned with an open book in your lap. Almost like it grew a paper hand out it's binding and smacked you in the face. The Name of the Star perfected the art of cliffhangerdom and booksmacking. It got ACES in it. If there were report cards for cliffhangers, Johnson would no doubt have hers hung on her fridge.

Very interesting book. I had high hopes for it and even though it wasn't what I initially expected, I found it pretty dang fascinating.

-----

If you want to win a copy of The Name of the Star alongside the other three books I discuss this month, just leave a comment. If you've already read/own a copy of any of the books I talk about, don't let that stop you from entering because we can exchange it for another book I've discussed at any time.

Other books reviewed in September : The Scorpio Races.

I'll always give a discussion question to talk about, but you can say anything you'd like. Contest open to U.S. only right now, due to shipping costs. Ends September 30th, but I give away a book every week, so there are plenty of chances to win. If there isn't a way to contact you (on your profile, etc,) you'll have to check back at the start of next month to see if you win or you can subscribe by email in the sidebar.

So. If you were to write a book taking place at any period in history, what would it be? What fascinates you the most about our past?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

2011-09-09T14:52:00.002-04:00

I had a nightmare the other night that involved the capaill uisce, huge water horses that tear up the pages of The Scorpio Races. They're not awwwwpony horses. They're horses that rise out of the water only to immerse themselves back into it - with you in tow. They want to drown you and eat you and then come back for seconds. And the characters of Maggie Stiefvater's latest book decide to ride them.

The Scorpio Races takes place on the island Puck and Sean, the main characters of the story, both live on. While Sean has ridden in the races for years, Puck is the first girl to take up reigns in them, and it's her first year entering. The stakes are high, and only one of them can win. Which is pretty problematic after they meet (cheeeeemistry.)

You don't really know who to root for in this book. It's told in alternating chapters and there's reasons you want each of them to win. But of course only one of them can.

Maggie Stiefvater can flippin' write. From reading her books from Shiver to this point, her writing has gotten ridiculously gorgeous. Her writing has always been good, but in this book I could practically experience it - I could hear the sound of the hooves on the sand and smell the iron salt water and taste the icing off of the November cakes they sell in stands. Steifvater's imagery is some of the most beautiful I've ever read. And if I'm comparing these to her last books, this is by far my favorite. I enjoyed the Shiver series (Linger in particular), but this book - this book I adore.

I've always loved mythology and folklore, and I've read a pretty wide amount of retellings and re-imaginings. When you read so many of them, they can sometimes blur together because they feature some of the same characters. The Scorpio Races was so unique and refreshingly different, I don't think it will ever mingle pages with another book.

Faerie folklore is something I've been interested in for a while, because I love the idea of glamour hiding something so dark and sinister. Faeries are wicked, and Stiefvater takes the idea of something you might know more commonly as kelpies and twists them into the real world in a way that seems entirely realistic. And hella scary.

This was just an overall fantastic book. I wish I could read it for the first time again, but I'm going to have to settle myself with having all of you read it for the first time.

----------

Thanks to everyone who commented during the month of August! Every comment on my book discussions entered you to win all of the books I reviewed within that month. The same goes for September. I generally discuss one book a week, and I give away a copy of each book. The winner, thanks to random.org, is Jessica, who commented on Blood Red Road! I'll be emailing you.

If you want to win a copy of The Scorpio Races alongside the other three books I discuss this month, just leave a comment. If you've already read/own a copy of any of the books I talk about, don't let that stop you from entering because we can exchange it for another book I've discussed at any time.

I'll always give a discussion question to talk about, but you can say anything you'd like.

What are some of your favorite myths, legends, or folklore? Have you read any retellings about them?

Check back weekly for more chances to win, and a new winner will be announced in October! If you don't leave a way for me to contact you (a blog link, etc) make sure you check back at the start of next month.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

2011-08-28T17:28:00.003-04:00

I love a good apocalypse book, don't you? Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer scared me more than any Stephen King book, and ever since then I've been semi-addicted to the genre. Blood Red Road seemed like the most promising of this year's releases, and I wasn't disappointed.

It centers around Saba's quest to get her twin brother back from the horsemen that mysteriously stole him from their wasteland home.

I got this book on both audiobook and in print form, so I listened to half and read the other half. I always think listening to someone's interpretation of a character gives you a different imprint than in your own mind, but the narrator for this one had a fantastic voice. When I read the book myself, her accent stuck. There's a very blatant dialogue in this one, and it feeds into the story well. They flow in a very, very gorgeous way.

I can't say what I liked so much about Blood Red Road. The elements of this book were kind of standard, but Saba was such a tough, unlikable character it was hard not to love her. She's very open about the fact that she blames her younger sister for their mother's death, but she feels guilty about it. I wanted to smack her for it sometimes, but that's what made her real. She felt guilty for her thoughts, and she eventually grows out of them, but the truth isn't always pretty and being inside Saba's mind was truth. It's not often that the thoughts inside a main character's head are ugly, but I don't think there's a single human whose thoughts are always saintlike. That'd be pretty damn boring. But the fact that it was so acknowledged in Blood Red Road surprised me: she wasn't a perfect character, and it wasn't a big deal.

And Saba couldn't be a better character to take us through this world. She's, over everything, a survivor. This didn't feel like some badass desert romp. There aren't sunglasses and sarcastic, courageous remarks over explosions. It's about staying alive and living.

What I think was so vastly interesting was the fact that we, as readers, are dead. This takes place long after we're gone. We're described as The Wreckers, and we left the Earth as a pretty brutal place to live in, one filled with scrap metal and cities buried under sand. Reading as a dead girl makes for a pretty interesting and chilling book experience.

There were some predictable parts, sure, but everything about this book wouldn't let me leave it alone. It wasn't a read I could casually pick up in my spare time and flip through. It was one I felt like I had to continue to read just to survive the sand. A good apocalyptic book makes you feel like your own world is at an end, too, and the only way to save it is to finish the book. Except, of course, there's a sequel. ;)

----------

If you want to win a copy of this book, as well as the three other books I reviewed in August, just comment and let me know what you thought of this book or review. (I generally only talk about books I enjoy, as I want to support them.) I'll always post a discussion question, but you can talk about whatever you want.

You can also leave comments on my other reviews in August to enter: The Near Witch, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Between Shades of Gray.

If you already a own a copy of one of these books, or aren't interested in one of the genres, we can get a replacement book for you. So don't not enter because of that.

Check back to enter weekly for new books and to find out if you win! (Winner will be posted early September.)

Discussion question: Apocalyptic novels have grown into a very big, very diverse genre. Why do you think the end of the world appeals to us so much?

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

2011-08-20T16:00:00.003-04:00

I almost didn't write about this one, because I don't know how to do it justice. It's kind of one of those books that's untouchable, in a sense. Like a cult movie you don't want to talk about, because talking about it just makes it lose something. (for me, it's Never Let Me Go, but since that's not overly popular, ie, Donnie Darko) It's one of those books where, if it's brought up, you just nod your head and smile and maybe do one of those phrases that make you feel like a fangirl in front of their favorite band. (OHMYGAWDSOGOOD.) Not because Between Shades of Gray is mind-bending or squee-worthy. It's not. It's just one of those books that has such an effect on your heart, that your brain can't ever begin to forget it.

So I decided to write about it.

It's not an enjoyable book, but it's one that keeps your eyes on the words, like a car crash you can't tear your sight from. It's tough, and it's heart-wrenching, but while it's filled with the worst of humanity, it's also filled with the best of humanity and also the little shades in between.

Lina and her family are uprooted from their home and sent to work camps under the order of Stalin. Many people die in the pages of this book, physically and mentally. They become slaves. They lose everything. But they have a kind of solidarity that makes your heart warm, even as cold as the pages are.

It's a very, very hard book to read, but it's art. Ruta Sepetys is an absolutely brilliant writer. Her words bite and scratch, but they leave you with a kind of fullness. Despite the horrible things that happen in these pages, as they did in life, there was something in them that has more spirit than can be described.

It's a fantastic, fantastic book.

*Ruta Sepetys' father was a Lithuanian refuge, and she went to Lithuania herself to interview survivors of camps like Lina's. The characters in Between Shades of Gray are fictional, but what happened to them isn't. Sepetys has a lot of my respect for taking as much time and as many tears as I'm sure it took to make this book.

-----

If you want to win a copy of this book, as well as the three other books I review in August, just comment and let me know what you thought of this book or review. (I generally only talk about books I enjoy, as I want to support them.)

You can also leave comments on my other reviews in August to enter: The Near Witch and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

If you already a own a copy of one of these books, or aren't interested in one of them, we can get a replacement book for you. So don't not enter because of that.

Check back to enter again next week when I talk about a new book, and in September to find out who wins (or leave a way for me to contact you!)

Discussion question: Books that make me cry always have a more lasting effect on me. Is this true for you? Or have you never cried while reading (you heartless people, you?) Tell me some books that have made your eyes leak, and how they rank on your favorites list.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

2011-08-10T19:33:00.004-04:00

I'm kind of late on this one. I'd been told about five billion times how good this book was, but I never picked it up until recently.

And...Charlie. I think it's pretty safe to say he's my favorite literary character of all-time, or at least one of them. And I think it's because he's so...normal. You're able to get inside his head so completely, and what you find is something so believable it's almost bizarre. He's one of those people that changes your life. What's in his head are things we've all kind of thought, but he's so honest about it, it's almost abnormal. There's no filter between his thoughts and his written words, or even his spoken ones, and for that reason you're able to completely fully know Charlie. It's like he's a friend, now.

There's a scene where Charlie hears an amazing song and the air is perfect and it's one of those moments when the lights all hit the right things and make everything look beautiful, and he says: "I feel infinite." I get that. He makes themed mixtapes filled with his favorite songs, and they mean so so much to him (especially Asleep by The Smiths, which is one of my all-time favorite songs and which Charlie talks about all the time.) He shares one of the playlists he makes, and I instantly listened to it in full as soon as I finished the book. It's one of those novels you can immerse yourself in and come away from feeling changed.

This book is told as a letter, to someone who is never officially addressed. It feels, though, like he's writing the letter to you. It feels like somehow he's already been in your life - that person in the corner who smiled that one time. But he's now telling you his life story, and it makes you wonder about those people. The wallflowers. (Of which I was definitely one of, which is why it's so easy to relate to him.)

But Charlie is one-of-a-kind, as easy as it is to relate to him. And that's what makes The Perks of Being a Wallflower so fantastically great. I was so endearingly connected to this little book.

If you haven't already - please, please read it and meet Charlie.

----------
WIN FREE BOOKS!

At the end of the month, one commenter will win all four of the books I review, weekly, in the month of August. Or, if you've read/own any of them, you can choose your own book to replace it! ARCs will be pre-ordered. To enter, all you have to do is comment on a review - any review done throughout August. I'll always leave a discussion question or two, but you can say whatever you want as long as it's not one or two words. So check back every week - you can enter as many times as you comment, as long as your comments are filled with discussion. Check back in September to see if you win, or leave a way to contact you in the comments.

*Charlie continuously talks about Asleep by The Smiths and how much it meant to him. Is there a song that means that much to you?

*Charlie is a character that completely lives out of the pages. What are some other characters that have gone past that basic reader-character connection for you?

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

2011-08-03T12:18:00.000-04:00

I've always loved Grimm's fairy tales. The creepy stories that are passed around fires like marshmallows, turning them into legends. There's a feeling that at least a tiny part of every fairy tale is true, that it originated and was spun from something inexplicable. And that's what makes them so well-told and timeless.

The Near Witch is one very well-written fairy tale.

I have never had a nightmare revolving around a book I've read before. Until this one. I had dreams about swampy, creepy moors and forests filled with bones. This is one of those books that paints a creepy, horrific setting and then just kind of drops you off there to explore yourself. You walk right alongside the main character, Lexi, as she figures out the legends and tales that surround her town.

There's always been the story of The Near Witch in Lexi's town of Near. "If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company." When a stranger shows up in Near, children start going missing and all fingers (and guns) are pointing toward him. But Lexi thinks there might be more to the legend than just words.

There is one word I keep coming back to when I'm forming my thoughts on this book: mysterious. It's a very, very mysterious book, and what makes that mystery so great is Victoria Schwab's writing. Her imagery is absolutely gorgeous.

While I couldn't get a strong grasp on the main characters - I didn't relate to them much personally - the scenes that Schwab painted with her typed ink were so artful that I became really engrossed in the book. It played out in my mind very much like a Tim Burton movie, which is probably why it lead me into dreams about it.

This book is, honestly, like a painting. Like if you flipped open a fairy tale book, and saw the creepy illustrations alongside it. It reverts your mind back to that childhood nostalgia, and I think it makes the book even creepier because of it.

This one is definitely going to find its fans among those who like words. Gorgeously written.

----------
WIN BOOKS! BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!

*I'm trying something new with my book discussions by opening up some questions to answer in the comments. I'll be hanging out there and replying, because I really want to get more of a discussion started about these books. One question will be for people who have read the book, and the other will be for those who haven't. But no spoilers for those who've read it, please! And you can WIN FREE BOOKS by commenting!

If you've read The Near Witch, what did you think of the townspeople? They all react differently to the stranger, and I'm curious to hear what you think about their reactions and whether they were warranted.

If you haven't read The Near Witch, when you do, you'll be hit in the face with a lot of beautiful imagery. What are some books you've read with fantastic imagery and how much did that effect the story?

Hope to see you guys in the comments! Oh, and at the end of the month, one commenter will win all four of the books I review in the month of August. (Or, if you've read/own any of them, you can choose your own book to replace it! ARCs will be pre-ordered.) So check back every Wednesday - you can enter as many times as you comment, as long as your comments are filled with discussion. Check back in September to see if you win, or leave a way to contact you in the comments.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

2011-07-29T17:48:00.004-04:00

I broke my every-Wednesday book schedule this week because I had to get surgery, and unfortunately I can't write and sleep at the same time. I'll work on that. Regular schedule will start again next Wednesday, barring any of my other organs deciding to peace out. Anyway, right now I'm on a little vicodin, so I'm semi-loopy, which is why I thought this week's book discussion should be Beauty Queens. Because if I had to guess what one book in the world would be on drugs, it would be this one.

When I read the opening chapter, I knew this book would be one hell of a ride. And I didn't really expect anything less. Libba Bray's books have gotten crazier and crazier over the years: A Great and Terrible Beauty was a fantastic start to a series, with very gripping scenes and characters that you felt; Going Bovine was endearingly strange, with it's main character suffering from mad cow disease, traipsing through the world with a lawn gnome; and now, Beauty Queens has taken it five steps further and gone into WTF-zone.

This book started out with a pitch from Libba's editor, basically something like this: A plane of beauty queens crashlands on an island. Go. (Libba talked about this during her This is Teen tour stop in NYC, which was a blast - she's one of the most hilarious, interesting authors I've ever met.) And honestly, I thought, if there was anyone who could explore that plot, it would be Bray.

My like of Beauty Queens was on-and-off during the whole book, though. I loved how far Bray took took the subject, made a huge, ridiculous production of how our own society views TV, beauty, and everything else in between. She would stop mid-chapter to present a commercial break or product placement, like you're actually watching her story unfold on reality tv. There were a lot of moments where I laughed a little too loudly and got the whole crazyperson look from anyone around me.

But at times, it felt a little too chaotic for me. And I love chaos. There were a lot of parts I enjoyed, but having moment after moment of over-the-top storyline got to be a little too much for me. So, at times, I'd be hooked into the story, and at other times I'd be pulled out of it because of how manic it was. I enjoyed it, but had some higher expectations because of Libba's previous work.

I think Libba Bray, in general, is an absolute genius, though, and I can't wait to check out her other books. Because I can tell you now, she isn't the kind of author to fall into the same rut of repetitive plots. She's absolutely original about everything she writes, which is what's so refreshing about her stories. They stand out in the minds of whoever reads them, and I think that's the point of a good book.

Tithe by Holly Black

2011-07-20T16:19:00.003-04:00

I read White Cat by Holly Black (which I talked about here back in 2010) and adored it. It was dark and smoky, and there's nothing I really love more than books that push the boundaries. Tithe definitely wasn't an exception to Black's gritty writing.

There's something about real faerie lore that I really like. Not the pretty pixies with wings, a la Tinkerbell, but the ones with razor teeth and black eyes that use glamour to deceive you. I've read a few books that feature this well-researched deceptive faerie culture, such as Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, as well as Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton, both of which I really enjoyed. But whereas each of these books held fantastic stories, I think Tithe was the darkest. It sneaked into the underground faerie world and peeled back the glamour, showing the gore and grime underneath.

There were some scenes I felt could have used more work, like more character depth during more emotional scenes, but the hard layer of rust and evil shown in Tithe's pages made up for it. If you don't like dark books, this definitely isn't one for you. But if you don't get scared easily, this is something you should pick up to change that. It shows you a world that's like the teenager equivalent of Goosebumps (those were the only books that scared me when I was a youngin', and Tithe is able to tap into that same fear of the unknown.) Very good writing, very good storytelling. Fairy tales at their greatest.

YA needs more books like this one - books that don't hold back. For now, I think Holly Black is the master of dark YA storytelling, and I can't wait to read more from her.

And if you can think of any other dark YA books, let me know in the comments! Would love to read 'em.

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

2011-07-13T14:06:00.002-04:00

I'm obsessed with books that create a new setting, a world that you can visit and explore. Belle Dam, the town breathing through the pages of Witch Eyes, is one of those places.

Braden would probably rather not head to a town that's divided by two warring witch families. But because of a vision his "witch eyes" see, he's forced to leave home to save his uncle. What he finds in Belle Dam, his eyes never could have prepared him for.

So. Belle Dam. I remember doing English packets in middle school that explained the importance of "setting." Back then, I used to think it didn't really matter where you were, as long as the characters brought it to life. And while the cast of characters were definitely lively (and manipulative and funny and evil) - not an ounce of life needed to be poured into Belle Dam. It was already alive.

This is a town that has history misting out of the ground, the sky, and the trees. It has secrets hiding in the dirt, little whispers cupped in the heart of the city. There's something ancient and dark and mystic about the air surrounding Belle Dam. I talk about it like I visited it in person, but that's because it feels like I have. This town sits in a corner of my brain like a memory - like the house I grew up in when I was five. There's a flicker of recognition and nostalgia, but I can't remember exactly what the wallpaper looked like. But I know I was there.

The town itself is worth reading for, but the characters that fill up Belle Dam make Witch Eyes the kind of novel you want to become a part of. They are as secretive and alive and mysterious as the town is. Braden himself is a strong character, one brave enough and scared enough to lead the story. You experience the town and the people for the first time alongside him, and you can't help but be enchanted by what you see. It's a town full of witches, after all. There are people who are funny, people who are sincere, people who are sadistic. But they are all incredibly realistic. The romance between Braden and Trey is full of chemistry and energy and confusion and strength. And the other characters - Jade, whose friendship with Braden is made of the kind of thread that ties tightly, that fast and subtle mix of personalities that blends right. And the Lansings and Thorpes, the feuding families, who manipulate but have their own society and devotion. The characters in this book and town create a history in itself, full of untold answers and loyalty and fears and tangles.

It all blends into a book that you don't read so much as become a part of. So pick a side and pledge your allegiance and step foot into Belle Dam.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2011-07-06T14:03:00.004-04:00

If I Stay was a book that went into my bloodstream and never really left, so when I heard Gayle Forman was writing a sequel, I was obviously excited. But If I Stay was the kind of book that didn't seem like it needed a sequel, so I was equally nervous. I shouldn't have doubted Forman, though, because this book was brilliant in a completely different way.

If I Stay, if you haven't read it, is about a girl, Mia, who gets into a car crash and has to decide whether to live or die. She's in a coma, but she is out of her body the entire time, watching the aftermath of the accident that killed her family. It's very deserving of a read, reminiscent of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, another one of my favorites.

Where She Went didn't pick up where If I Stay left off, at all. It wasn't what I expected it to be, but in a very very good way. It's told from Adam's POV (Adam is Mia's boyfriend in If I Stay), and it takes place a few years after Mia's accident. Adam's band shoots into some kind of hyper-rockstar status after their new album (which is mostly about Adam's feelings with Mia,) is released. He's dating a celebrity and he's the sex god of the generation (which, yeah, seemed a little cliche) but he has to take anti-anxiety pills and try to calm himself down every second of his life. I could really kind of relate with that whole anxiety part, which made me like Adam despite his rockstar characterization.

It almost seemed like a completely different story, but obviously the characters had changed a lot in the phantom years between books. But there was something comforting about visiting them again. It's very much like getting a cup of hot chocolate and sitting down with a friend you haven't seen in a while - you get to find out what happened in the spaces between then and now, that invisible period where anything could have happened.

And Adam was the perfect narrator for that. The book was spaced apart with lyrics from his album, which were absolutely freaking beautifully brilliant. They were the highlight of the book for me - a series of tiny words that hit so so perfectly on the emotion of the book. I'd love to see Gayle Forman write a book in verse - the lyrics were that amazing. Or start a band.

Which, of course, brings me to the whole music part of things. I'm a huge music freak. There's a small part of the book where Adam borrows someone's ipod and there's a list of music. All of it was music I adored. It made me squee like a little music dork, and then I got to thinking about Adam and his own love of music. He's a musician in this huge rock band, but it seemed like he'd lost any interest in playing music. He doesn't even see his band aside from stage time, and it was like he was forcing himself to go on tour and play. Somewhere, from when he started being a musician to when he got famous, he lost the passion and love of it, and that was something that hit me really hard. Because what's fame if it comes at the cost of whatever made you want to wake up? That scene just stuck out to me, like when you remember a movie you watched when you were eight and just one vivid scene is all that comes to your mind. (All I remember from The Never Ending Story is when the boy rides that white dragon thing, but it makes me happy.)

And the setting! I've been to New York a couple times, but it never really felt more alive than it did in these pages, because it was the character's home. You got to see the underbelly of the city, the quiet parts where people earn smiles and bowling balls crash into pins and someone sighs on a boat. It stripped away the lights and the motion and gave it a hushing, calming feel. The last time I was in NY, in May, I rode the Staten Island Ferry just because it was in this book. And it kind of made the water look more pretty. It made me think of all the people who talked about their lives in those seats, and I could perfectly picture these characters sitting there.

It was just so full of life and setting and music. Completely different from If I Stay, but that showed Gayle Forman's talent with storytelling. And I can't wait to read more from her.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

2011-06-29T22:06:00.003-04:00

So a girl gets coffee with a cute stranger at the airport. He may be a few years older than her, but he has pretty eyes and she has time to kill. You gotta live a little, right? Except for the fact that he's not a stranger, because he's been following Gemma for years. So he slips some drugs in her coffee, kidnaps her, and forces her to live with him in the desert.

Kind of a bad guy, right?

Except for the fact that there's a gray area. There shouldn't be a gray area when a 20-something-year-old guy kidnaps a 16-year-old girl from the airport. There should be no doubtful thinking or questioning: it should be a straight-forward hate towards Ty, her captor.

Except for the fact that he's intelligent and nice (aside from the whole kidnapping thing) and he paints beautiful art and loves nature. But he stole Gemma, because he was lonely and selfish, yet he does things that are actually pretty selfless.

Which obviously leads to a hardcore mindjumble. What the hell are you supposed to think, reading this book? There's no solid answer as to what you should think (which is the case for all books, but especially this one) just as there is no solid answer as to Ty's character. If you told me that before reading this book, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I'm a realistic thinker. Okay, so he has pretty eyes and abs? What the hell does that matter WHEN HE KIDNAPPED A FREAKING GIRL? Because that's really, really not okay. But it's also really not that simple, at all.

This book is about a case of stockholm syndrome - Gemma starts to feel sympathy for Ty, and it's done incredibly realistically. I was able to completely put myself into Gemma's shoes because every time she reacted to her situation, I could imagine myself reacting the same way, realistically. There wasn't ever a "wow, you're an idiot," instant, which is what I thought would happen just reading the summary. There are so many books where I want to slap the main characters because of the actions they choose - like in horror movies, when you want to yell, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, YOU DUMBASS - but Gemma was so genuine in her emotions. It was so realistic her character almost fell a little flat, though, because you can't have a lot of character development when there's so much panic involved. A lot of the emotional/character attention was on Ty, so making Gemma a little 2D was probably necessary to make the book work.

Anyway, this book was good. I almost got stockholm syndrome myself, reading it. It trapped me in its pages and there was literally no way of escape, but I enjoyed the ride. It was written beautifully, and even though sometimes I wanted to look away from the words because they mess with your mind, they were also enthralling. Ty takes Gemma and the reader into an entirely different world, but it's one full of demented beauty, despite how real and vivid the setting is.

It's a book that makes you challenge the line between right and wrong. It makes you question emotions and second-guess human nature. It makes you love and hate and everything in between.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

2011-06-22T22:35:00.003-04:00

It's kind of funny how much my reading habits have progressed since I first started reading. There will obviously be no book better than Are You My Mother? but my taste has changed so much over the years. I kind of started reading backwards.

Well, I've always been a reader. I would literally carry around milk crates of books before I could even read. I was also a horrible evil child who liked to make demon noises during dinner, and seriously the only thing that would get me to behave was to threaten to take my books away. They were my toys. And then, when I got to middle school, I started reading adult murder mysteries. In seventh grade, when we filled out our library sheets and I was asked who my favorite author was, I put Mary Higgins Clark. (I think this fact might also go hand-in-hand with the demon noises.) From there, I moved on to a hatred of murder mysteries and a love of YA, especially Laurie Halse Anderson. And I hated fantasy. I couldn't do that whole suspension of disbelief thing. I would have to understand everything about a book, and it would bug me to an extreme OCD extent if I didn't understand something. I was a picky, prejudiced reader and it kept me from reading some pretty amazing books.

But now? I absolutely love fantasy. You want to add magic? I'm in. Dragons? So in. Instead of having to understand everything, I just read the dang book and enjoy the hell out of it. And I'm so so glad, because otherwise I wouldn't have picked up Silver Phoenix.

Wow, that was a long introduction. I'll talk about the book now.

Silver Phoenix is about a girl, Ai Ling, who's on a mission to find her father and meets a boy named Chen Yong who's also on his own quest. She starts developing these super-mysterious powers and has a whole bunch of crazy following her as a side effect. Her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams is never, ever boring for that reason.

This book is really, really good. I met Cindy Pon at ALA last year and was ecstatic to read her writing. But, for some reason, it was one of those books I would "read next." My reading pile results in this A LOT. But my friend Megan had only amazing things to say about it, and she doesn't like fantasy, so I picked it up and wow.

The settings in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Every scene was painted right under my eyelids with imagery and magic and beauty. I wanted to take it all in and keep it there, ingrained in my brain forever. It's one of those books that opens up your imagination and gives it a playground to explore. You go from one scene to the next in a kind of fluid fairytale motion, and every single one of those scenes grabbed my fascination with a death grip.

And the people. It hurts my heart even thinking about them, because there's so much muchness in these characters. It was amazing to be able to meet them, and I can't wait to visit them again in the sequel.

The bottom line is that it's a gorgeously told journey, one filled with worlds only a brilliant mind can imagine. I can still almost smell the places this book took me, and there are some pretty marvelous scents. Seriously. You should really smell this book.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-06-15T14:07:00.000-04:00

Across the Universe is told in alternating POV - one part told by Amy, a girl who is frozen, and the other by Elder, whose entire life has been on a spaceship. It seems like it would be pretty obvious whose point of view I would enjoy more, considering one consists of freezer-burned brain-thoughts, but I actually liked Elder's point of view more just because of his voice. Even when Amy eventually wakes up (which is in the book's plot summary, so it's not a spoiler,) I couldn't really connect with her. Obviously, I felt some sympathy because dude her life pretty much sucks, but I found Elder's voice and life to be much more interesting. He's the one who's supposed to take over control of the ship once Eldest is gone, but he's kept in the dark about a lot of the politics behind the facade. His whole side of things is about finding out the truth, and whether the truth he finds is worth it.

Which brings me to a whole paragraph on veritas. That's "truth" in Latin, because I just used the word "truth" in the paragraph up there and I didn't want to be repetitive (which I just failed at,) and also because it sounds pretty pretentious and I want you all to think I'm smart. So, truth. Elder sets out to find it. There's a lot of dark hidden secret-like tidbits sporadically thrown into the stars in this one. You kind of have to reach to grab them, and when you do, you don't really want to believe it. What Elder finds out is hard, and the path to finding it out might be even worse. It's filled with drama and death and identity crisis. But he went through all of that to find the truth. I mean, there are a lot of people - A LOT - who are lazy and happy with their lives and want to sit on their butts and be content with the fact that they're lied to. But then there are people who value truth above everything. It's something that's SO fascinating to me, because what part of who you are chooses what is more important? And will that decision change once you find out whatever it is you so desperately needed to find out? You can't go back after finding out the truth, but even just one tiny morsel of it can change everything about how you live.

Oh, should I probably shut up now? Okay.

We'll talk about the plot. At parts, it was slow for me. It actually took me a lengthier time to read it than I thought it would. But once I got into the thick of it - and, I admit, it took a little bit longer than I anticipated based on the buzz surrounding it - I ended up GETTING INTO IT. Like, really into it. And there's this one scene at the end that made me literally fist-pump. Maybe I go to too many concerts. But seriously, this was definitely a fist-pumping scene. Because it was kind of gruesome? And I'm a sadist? I really am. But it was a poetically justified sadism. It was The Prince and the Pauper-level poetic justice, let me tell you. Also, I love being cryptic. This is fun.

And I can't really leave this review without mentioning creativity. Creativity basically translated into insanity in this book, and that was something that was a simple idea, but basically blew my mind. Because trying to "cure" creativity - and just highlight the logistic parts of the brain - is horrifying. It wasn't something that was a large part of the book, but more a part of the background. My favorite character was actually a part of the ward where they kept these crazy creative hooligans. But the idea that was planted there, if expanded (especially since these people are going to land on a new planet and basically start life there,) is gaaaah-worthy. Can you imagine a society where creativity is punished instead of honored? How freaking boring would that world be? But at the same time, schizophrenia seems to follow those with overactive brains. So the idea isn't too far-off, especially for someone who wants to control or coddle people, but agh. I wanted to poke that section of the book with a stick and run away. It was awesome.

Anyway, I'll try and wrap this up for you. I've never really been a good wrapper - my Christmas presents literally look like I threw holidays into a paper shredder - and this book is especially hard to wrap up, but I'll attempt it. This was a good one. It had action, suspense, mystery, and it raised questions (which I think is so so important in books.) It started off slow, but it made up for it in the end. And I would recommend this book to a lot of readers.

Guest Post - Kieryn Nicolas

2011-06-14T22:45:00.003-04:00

Kieryn Nicolas is a fantastic person and writer, and I was able to meet her last year for PAYA, a Pennsylvania book event. She's as interesting a person as her characters are, and I'm very excited to check out her newest book, Flawless Ruins.

In 2238, life in America is finally perfect. The Wars are over and the CommWall is in place, blocking communication with what remains of other continents. The women are content to have great education, choice careers, and glamorous hair. Best of all, when every girl turns seventeen she’s given her Like; an adorable, perfect spouse tailor-made just for her.

Everyone looks forward to the day she gets her Like, and Morgan Waters is no exception—until she accidentally stays out past curfew and stumbles across someone who appears to be a Like but claims to be a man. Morgan’s perfect world crumbles down around her in the midst of a forbidden romance, forcing her to deal with the realization that her life may not be so flawless after all.

Mandy Hubbard, author of Prada and Prejudice, Ripple, and You Wish, says it's "Romantic, compelling, and impossible to put down."

She's stopping here on her blog tour to talk about her top five flawed characters in fiction.

5) Summer Finn & Tome Hansen from 500 Days of Summer. Summer is beautiful, smart, and independent, and Tom, the main character of the movie, takes that to mean she’s perfect (and his view of Summer is his major flaw). However, Summer isn’t perfect, and Tom skates over her flaws (until later in the movie, when he lists every flaw he hates, such as her cockroach-shaped birthmark) and doesn’t see how Summer’s preconceptions about love play into her actions. [I know those are two characters, but they pretty come in a set.]

4) Sydney Carton. The (best) character from Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities is lazy, self-loathing, and makes the biggest mistake of all: he lets the girl get away. However, he is able to see himself as flawed, and therefore eventually redeems himself--but not before being awesome along the way.

3) Temperance Brennan from Bones. Talk about being out of touch with one’s emotions! Brennan has a brilliant scientific mind, not to mention she knows, what is it, about three forms of martial arts--however, she’s totally inept when it comes to pop culture, jokes, and other aspects of life such as, well, her own life. Yet she’s an awesome character (and has shown potential for character growth!).

2) Chuck Bartowski. The main character from the NBC series Chuck is a nerd (who works on the “Nerd Herd” at the “Buy More”) thrown into the world of spies after he accidentally downloads government secrets into his brain. In many movies/shows/books with similar plots the character would probably adjust quickly and become an A-team spy, but not Chuck Bartowski--he doesn’t know how to use weapons, defend himself, and refuses to kill anyone, even in self-defense (something his bodyguards-slash-teammates don’t understand at all). To top it off, Chuck’s nerdiness (which is definitely adorable) serves to impede his social life / conversation skills, and he has an incredibly hard time figuring out how to get his cover-girlfriend-slash-bodyguard to go out on a real date with him. Still, Chuck is one of the most unique comedic spy characters on TV. Or ever.

1) Harry Potter. (Obviously from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.) This guy makes so many mistakes, yet readers are rooting for him all the way (even during his moody streak in book five). Plus, he’s a guy, and by that I mean utterly inept when it comes to girls. He blunders through getting a date to the Yule Ball, doesn’t know what to do on his first date with Cho, and has no idea how to navigate his feelings for his best friend’s sister. He’s not a straight-A student, he’s gotten caught when breaking the rules (yet continues to break them), and gets incredibly nervous. But doesn’t just reading that list make you grin? Despite--actually, probably due to--his flaws, Harry Potter is arguably the most fantastic character in the literary world.

-----

What are some of your favorite flawed characters? Comment and let us know!

You can find out more about Kieryn by heading to her website at kierynnicolas.com

Language of Love by Deborah Reber

2011-06-08T16:22:00.005-04:00

I'm prefacing this book discussion by first saying that I've gotten entirely jaded reading or watching romantic comedies, because - like murder mysteries - I've read too many that have the same general outline. But I keep reading and watching them because they give you that light, fluffy feeling and sometimes it's nice to just be a girl and read/watch them.

And sometimes, one will come along and take what you assume about romantic comedies and hit you in the face with it. Sometimes the deviation from them isn't outlandish, but it's different enough to cement something solid into the genre - like in the movie 27 Dresses, which I thought stood out because of the actual humor and because James Marsden has been awesome ever since I watched Gossip for the first time.

Language of Love is part of a bindup called Love Love Love which includes a book called Cupidity by Caroline Goode. Cupidity is about a girl turning to the literal Cupid to find some romance. I read it a couple years ago, based on whatever messed-up timeline is in my brain. I love Greek mythology, and I remember it being an interesting read because of that. But since I read it so long ago, I'm sticking to the first book in the bindup, Language of Love.

Deborah Reber was my editor for Rae and the other Louder than Words books, so I obviously was ecstatic to read her fiction work. It's hard to objectively speak about someone's writing when you've gotten to know them, but I can honestly say that she's a good writer.

Language of Love seemed, to me, like 27 Dresses. Not in premise, but in the fact that there was something about it that had an extra dose of originality, while still lining your stomach with cotton candy. I think that originality is found in the voice of the main character. It's a melt-in-your-mouth read, one that's fast and fun and has something that grounds it. It focuses on Janna, a girl who jokingly talks in a Hungarian accent at Starbucks, and then decides to stick with it when a boy notices. And then she starts to date him, which is really kind of problematic because it's hard to keep a Hungarian accent when you've never even been there.

It doesn't just have romance, it has a kind of unrequited angsty love in the background that makes it much more realistic. What I predicted would happen didn't happen, which is pretty rare in romantic comedies. And it has side-characters that are developed, instead of only focusing on the two main characters. And there are shirts with cheese on them. It's just the right kind of quirky to make you smile. And this book does make you smile.

In a way, it reminded me of Where She Went by Gayle Forman, because it has that same kind of spontaneous adventure to it, with an underlining of self-awareness. Because this book isn't just about other people and connection, it's about identity.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-06-01T08:59:00.005-04:00

Divergent is probably one of the better books I've read so far this year, if not in my life. I haven't really been this hooked into a book since Mockingjay came out, and to say I'm a fanatic of that series is a little bit of an understatement. It actually reminded me a little bit of The Hunger Games, in the way society reroutes itself in an effort to basically stop war. But in reality, this book wouldn't be classified as dystopian if everything were pretty, so obviously there are some other elements thrown in.

In Tris's world, there are five factions. Each faction focuses on one element of human behavior, such as peace or courage or selflessness. People are divided into these factions based on a test, in which Beatrice is taking near the start of the book. Until teenagers take this test, they grow up in their parent's faction, and they have to decide whether to stay there or transfer based on their test results. But the problem with our main character is that her results weren't conclusive, and that can mean some serious trouble is about to be stirred up. Which, obviously, makes a damn good book. Without trouble, literature would be dead.

I don't want to spoil any of the twists or decisions in this book, but based on the cover and buzz, you kind of already have it semi-spoiled for you. And if you can't predict the faction she'll choose, then you probably don't read nearly enough. A lot of this story - Tris's story - is based around fear, which is something that fascinates me way too much. And Tris has to face her fears in a way that's very tangible, and it makes this book a representation of something that's not solid (which, honestly, is hard to do. And ridiculously fun to explore.)

But that sounds a little too pretentious for this book. Because this book is a ridiculously fun, enjoyable read. It's not a light book by fluff scale, at all, but it's a lot heavier in your hands than you'd expect, considering how fast I finished it. I really, really could not stop reading this one. The world I was thrown into was exactly the same as mine, only with different culture. But that different culture and society made the world almost a completely different place, and that was outstandingly interesting to me.

I can't even begin to sum up everything I loved about this book without writing a novel of my own on it, and time isn't on my side for that. So I'll just say that this series deserves to be epically humongous on the sales charts, and I'm pretty sure the sequels will succeed to that. This should be the new book on everybody's coffee table.

*And, hey, I'm trying to open up more discussion in the comments, so I'll be hanging out there if you've read Divergent and want to chat about it, or about dystopian in general.

Getting Ready for BEA

2011-05-20T16:37:00.005-04:00

The last couple months, I've been traveling a lot and going to a lot of concerts, so I haven't been reading as much - especially since I'm trying to finish up my new WIP. Because of that, I'm only going to be discussing one book a week for a while, at least while I'm still traveling and writingwritingwriting and that whole life thing is sitting on my chest. But every Wednesday (barring the whole Rapture thing that's supposed to happen tomorrow), I'll be here talking about a new book.

And talking about that whole traveling thing, I'm leaving for NYC on Sunday to go to Book Expo America - I went last year and had a lot of fun meeting other writers and readers, and I can't wait to be back in NY, being stuck on subways and drinking way too much Starbucks.

This year, I'm co-moderating the Otherworldly panel at the Teen Author Carnival alongside Karsten Knight (Wildefire). Here are the authors that will be there: E Archer (Geek Fantasy Novel), Carrie Jones (Need), Nova Ren Suma (Imaginary Girls), Michael Northrop (Trapped), Scott Tracey (Witch Eyes), and Leah Clifford (A Touch Mortal). The panel will be on Monday, May 23rd at 4:10-5:10 PM at the Mulberry Street Library and if you're around the area, I hope you'll come! A lot of other authors will be signing and doing panels, and there should be a lot of crazy wordage and candy going around.

And if I won't see you in NYC, I'll see you here the following Wednesday...

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011-05-11T17:59:00.000-04:00

Wither takes place in a futuristic world, one that doesn't seem too unrealistic - scientists tried to cure cancer, and they did. But, because of the cure, their children end up only being able to live into their early twenties. Rhine, the main character, is kidnapped away from her brother and sold into a weird polygamous marriage.

Knowing, for a fact, that you're going to die that young would change a lot about society. So it was really interesting seeing a world explored in which that was the case.

In Rhine's new home, there are perfumed baths and overly sweet candies called june beans (which the publisher sent me a test tube full of) and beautiful gowns and illusionary landscapes. I loved that there was this almost artificial beauty in every part of the wealthy. The series name is titled Chemical Gardens, which I think is perfect solely because of this fake youthfulness. It was like they were trying to paint over something that wasn't natural with a kind of sugary coating.

The characterization in this book was pretty involved. There's Rhine's sister wives, one who was only thirteen when she was bought, and the other a distant girl who spends all day in the library. There's Linden, the husband who bought them, who surprisingly is a semi-decent guy sometimes, and has a passion for architecture that makes him approach almost likable. There's Gabriel, the servant Rhine likes, who hasn't stepped a foot off the mansion he's imprisoned in. And then there's the orchestrator of everything inside that mansion, which is Linden's father. He's a creeper. President Snow-worthy.

And speaking of characters, Rhine had every comfort she would need, and more, for the rest of her life - her life before, with her brother, was one full of poverty and fear - but she was determined to leave because she needed freedom. It reminded me a little of The Forest of Hands and Teeth based on the main character's self determination alone.

And it's probably weird to say I loved this society, but I did. I wouldn't want to live in it, but I enjoyed reading it through another character's eyes. Probably because I'm a sadist, but also because it's a side of humanity that you don't see in teen generations, and it's great to explore.

Oh, and did I mention that Lauren DeStefano is a bloody fantastic writer?

"Suddenly the clouds seem very high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans, and charred, scorched islands. They have seen how we destroyed the world. If I could see everything, as the clouds do, would I swirl around the remaining continent, still so full of color and life and seasons, wanting to protect it? Or would I just laugh at the futility of it all, and meander onward, down the earth’s sloping atmosphere?"

Writing Out of the Lines

2011-05-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

I used to write in order. I wouldn't stray from the timeline the book's plot needed to be in, and I made my way to the end.

With the book I'm working on now, I have separate word documents - a 25,000 word timelined plot, and a huge Word document of scenes that need to fit somewhere in that plot but don't have space yet. It's a messy, chaotic mass of words that I'm piecing together, adding to, and rearranging as I need to. And it's going to take a hell of a lot of editing. I wrote half of the ending scene before I was even 1/4th of the way through the book.

I don't know how I went from someone who edited every word as I wrote, who made sure everything was in order, to someone who writes like one of those crazyass paint-flingers who end up with canvases of splatters. But it happened. And even though it's ridiculously difficult, it's also more fun. I'm exploring things that I might not be able to fit in the book, but it lets me get to know my characters more and have a lot more fun writing. Maybe not editing, but definitely writing.

So basically I'm posting this to tell you what I've been up to instead of here. Which is to say, inside a freaking fantastically fun mess.

Damosel by Stephanie Spinner

2011-04-25T21:45:00.003-04:00

"WATER SPIRIT DAMOSEL, the Lady of the Lake, glides through Arthurian legend like a glamorous wraith, shimmering and shifting between the worlds of fairies and humans. Her knowledge is vast (magic, metal, men’s hearts) and leads to her greatest honor—and worst mistake. Damosel makes a promise to the wizard Merlin to protect young King Arthur, and then dares to break it—with devastating results. All the while, 17-year-old Twixt—a dwarf in a world where difference can be deadly—finds himself freed from his cruel masters and moving closer to the one place he never expected to see: King Arthur’s court at Camelot."

I'm a big Arthurian legend junkie. Kind of massively. I love BBC's Merlin, and recently checked out Camelot, which I really wasn't a huge fan of but which I liked solely because of Merlin and his ability to manipulate and control everything. Most people consider Arthur the star of Camelot (in general, not in the show), but I like to think it's actually Merlin because he was pretty much a background politician.

That was very well exampled in Philip Reeve's Here Lies Arthur, which is a very realistic version, stripped down of magic, of how Arthur and Merlin's tales really could have been spun.

I love love love that there's a basic storyline, but so many different ways to tell it.

In Damosel by Stephanie Spinner, of whose summary I've stolen and thrown up on the top of the page, the story is from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake. She's talked about in almost all versions of the lore, but she seems to be a very very elusive and mysterious character. It was very interesting seeing the story of Camelot unfold from a point of view that's so distanced from everything, but also simultaneously so involved. I love the enchanting, charming, mystical side of Avalon and Arthurian legend, and Damosel doesn't disappoint in that department, considering it's told from creatures instead of mortals.

I wasn't a huge fan of the duel narrative in this one, though - it seemed like a story within a story, which would be better if it weren't such a short novel to begin with. What I liked so much about the premise of this one was that it looked like it would enlighten and liven a story that was already so elusive, yet it split that perspective up. I'm sure it's hard trying to stay true to the lore, especially when a character is so varying, but it's already a big thing to tackle, and I wish there had been more exploration and challenge in the plot.

That said, I really enjoyed seeing a fresh, different take on this legend. It reminded me of why I love Arthurian lore so much and it was a very well woven tale.

Books on a Plane

2011-04-20T12:55:00.004-04:00

I'm typing this from Oklahoma, a good five(ish) hour plane ride from home - unless it's broken up into two flights (one being a terminal with ONE gate and a very small, scary propeller plane, but moving along...)

I'm absolutely terrified of flying, and the advice everyone has for that is: read. Because it distracts your mind. Which, you know, I do. I read during flights. I'll read, say, a paragraph, and then look up and scope the plane out again (you know, in case it caught on fire in the last thirty seconds or something.) It's a very sporadic process unless I can get a book that completely sucks me in.

When I went to San Francisco, I read Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins and it was absolutely fantastic and hilarious and I completely fell into the book. It was like The Craft but way way better. It got my first, and so far, only, official Airplane Approval Stamp, which means it was epic enough to make me forget I was on a plane.

On the way back, I read Beautiful Creatures, which is also a good book but it took me a while to get into it and I ended up doing the whole grip-the-armrest thing.

I took Inside Out by Maria V Snyder on the way to Oklahoma - I ended up really liking it, but it also had some slow parts so I half-read-half-gripped. It all takes place in an enclosed area, no one knowing what's really "Outside," so it was kind of surreal to be reading while sitting in a giant piece of inescapable metal.

I only packed a few books for the flight back, but I'll probably pop out Tithe by Holly Black because I've heard it's fantastic and that there are evil faeries in it and what's not to freaking love about that? Hopefully it'll distract me enough to keep me from scaring whoever's sitting next to me. I was really smart on the way to OK and was all "I knew someone who had their plane catch on fire," blah blah blah and I think I gave the girl behind me a disorder. But, you know. It happens.

So. What are some good books to read on a plane - the ones that completely pull you in? And what have you read while flying? I think I'm gonna stay away from the apocalypse and dystopia genre until my feet hit the ground again.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

2011-04-12T18:22:00.012-04:00

I've seen a lot of zombie movies and I've read a lot of books, but for some reason they haven't crossed enough for me to be considered a zombie novel professional. I read Generation Dead by Daniel Waters, but I'm not a huge fan of romanticized zombies. There's not a lot of hawtness when related to decaying flesh. So when I heard about The Forest of Hands and Teeth, publicized as a horrifying zombie novel with a fresh take, I knew I had to pick it up.

And this book? Yeah. It was scary. But what I loved about it was that it wasn't scary in a traditional sense. Instead of the zombie apocalypse occurring while the main character is alive, the Unconsecrated (which is what they call their zombies) were around long before the main character was born. They're always outside their village, moaning and shuffling and rattling the fences that keep them separated. The idea of this constant terror always present - and the idea of it being familiar to this village - is what's so horrific about this one. Because, while there's a relative idea of safeness in the beginning - mostly due to an illusion created by a group of people called The Sisterhood - all that's between the living and the dead is a fence. And while the town has precautions, like these giant platforms that villagers can barricade themselves in, it's almost imminent that the fence will break down.

It's all about the imagery with Carrie Ryan, let me tell you. She knows how to create an image and then firmly plant it in your brain. When I think of this book, I see flashes of red and rattling iron and the sea and the smell of the dead. When a book can throw flashes through your mind in remembrance, you know the writer did something right.

And the ocean. Mary latched on to the ocean (the idea of the ocean itself being a myth was as absolutely enthralling as the writing is) as her one hope. Above everything else - the relationships she has throughout the book, among friends and family - the ocean was the one thing that kept her grounded. It was like faith, in a differently disguised kind of way. Mary had this constant struggle over what was more important to her, half of her reaching toward the people surrounding her and the other half toward herself and her beliefs. It was less of a romance, which it's also publicized as, and more of a self survival journey, although it had it's heart-warming-and-wrenching parts. It was interesting to see someone struggle with such a humanistic, normal issue amid shuffling zombies.

And because of that, it had a realism that makes horror books that much scarier, and it's a hard thing to grasp and replicate in writing. You don't have to really suspend your disbelief that far on this one, and that's what makes this genre so terrifying.

I thought there were places in the book that the plotline lagged, which is really the only semi-negative thing I have to say about this one, other than a slight lack of connection to the characters. To keep my adrenaline pumping in a horror novel, I need something fast paced, and when this book slowed down, I felt myself getting distanced from it. But then there would be a brilliant section of writing and I would fall right back into it. I mean, this book held some of the most fantastic imagery I've witnessed so far, up to par with something like The Secret Garden (yeah, I never thought I'd reference the two of these together, either.) Carrie Ryan just has the ability to describe things in a way that's not over-descriptive, which I've seen a lot of before. The words just went straight into my head and ingrained something almost like a memory.

If you're a writer, it's definitely a book to study for the writing alone. There's not a lot of dialogue, which is probably why I had a harder time connecting with the characters, but this woman sure knows how to string words together.

Author Tours

2011-04-10T17:34:00.010-04:00

There's been a lot of talk about author tours and how profitable they are. John Green was talking on Twitter about the fact that authors don't perform at signings - they talk, yes, but it's not like a rock concert (as is his example) where there's hours of in-your-face entertainment and dancing. So do people actually show up?

I've been to a lot of author events and yes, people show up, but not nearly as many as the # of fans that they have. I think this stems down to a couple things : one being that, yeah, people want to meet authors and hear them talk. But would you go to a concert just to hear your favorite singers talk and sign? Maybe, if you really really loved them, but what about a singer who you like but who isn't, say, 30 Seconds to Mars or Muse. Maybe they're Sea Wolf famous. I like them. Enough to go to their concert, absolutely. But I wouldn't go to hear them talk. Especially if there's traveling distance involved. (I've been to a lot of concerts, too, so I have double perspectives on this one.)

Authors' art isn't performable. You can't fist-pump to historical fiction. And I don't really think author dance-parties would help, because that stirs a lot of scary thoughts in my mind. But we can't write at a signing, right? That would be ridiculously snooze-worthy. So what can authors do to make their tour stops more interesting?

People who come probably love your books. Or at least are interested in them. So why not pull scenes from those books? I know Laini Taylor had a party with scenes from her book and even paid actors thrown for her. Obviously, that would be expensive to do at every stop, but having something with a little more simple set up might work.

Cassandra Clare and Holly Black are holding an Underworld Ball in San Francisco including masquerade masks and costumes. I would be more thrilled to go to one of these than just a Q&A (although with these authors, I'd be understandably thrilled regardless.)

Or even change up a theme every night. Make it different. Interesting. More of a party than a sit-down chair event, if the bookstores you host them at allow it. Because, if we're talking YA, the target audience is teens. At concerts, if the band gets boring, there's the bar. For author signings, there's the silver chair you're sitting in. Obviously, I'm not suggesting boozing up teenagers, but the point is that there needs to be a way to make sure people have fun. Being able to walk around and diverge attention, to book-related food or ways to step into the characters' world, makes for a more open, interesting setting.

But not every bookstore has room for that, so you might have to get even more creative. But for authors, who base their career on creativity, that shouldn't be hard. Bring different stuff for your audience. A CD of a playlist for your book. A signed deleted scene that only one reader will win. That stuff isn't expensive, but it will make your audience pretty dang happy. If your book takes place during the French Revolution, transport your readers there - tell them about someone who lived then, crafted from your research. There's a scene in Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly that really stuck out to me - a party in the catacombs of France, where everyone tied a red ribbon around their throats to signify those who had fallen under the guillotine. So give everyone red ribbons and make it a catacombs party.

And, you know what? Readers are there because they like stories. Stories. And authors are there because they're storytellers. Does it not make sense to tell stories? No, authors can't write on the spot as a performance. But back before there was paper to write on, there were storytellers. People who were revered and who sat around the fire and told things that they had crafted in their heads.

So don't just talk about the publishing process - yes, people are interested in that - but tell stories. And I'm not just talking fictional ones (that's the next paragraph), but real ones. Your story, and the tiny details that inspired the stories you wrote. I've been to a lot of author signings where authors talk about logistics - how long it took them to write the book, how they found an agent, etc. And people ask those questions. So it's obviously interesting to them. But those aren't the kind of questions that stir stories, and you can't expect the audience to ask the ones that do. You have to come with them in your brain, and make the audience leave with something new. I went to a David Levithan signing when I was in San Francisco, and my favorite part was hearing about how he himself was in NYC when 9/11 happened, and his perspective on that. The ash that was in the sky. That, to me, was far more interesting than hearing about a book I've already heard about. That's a story. Part of his story, which in turn became part of a story we could all read (Love is the Higher Law.) He also read a different portion of his book Lover's Dictionary far before it was released - a different part at every stop - which was something different and new for us.

And on that note, since readers are there to hear stories, why can't writers write short stories for tour stops? Before they leave? One-time, two or three-paged stories that leaves something on the audience. They could even be printed out and given to audience members afterward. Because sure, writers read from their books. But readers are there because they either a) have already read their books or b) will read their books. So read something they haven't read.

The bottom line is, there's a lot of thought that needs to be put into these stops. I'm the kind of person who usually writes without an outline, and when I've done events, I've been the same way. I write notes, go semi-prepared, answer questions, and sign. That's what most authors do. But, I think, to pull in more people, authors need to start thinking in different ways. Would rock stars go to a concert without tons of practice, soundchecks, carefully planned outfits, and props? No.

What do you think authors should do to make tour stops more memorable and pull in a larger crowd? Have you ever been to an author event that has stuck out to you?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-04-05T00:05:00.003-04:00

It took me a while to work my way up to reading this book, even with all the buzz it was getting. It's one of those books, with the title and cover and synopsis alone, I would have overlooked. But everyone who read it literally raved and raved about it, including John Green. So we picked it as one of our book club picks, and I picked it up from B&N.

It's about a girl who moves to Paris, the city of love, and ends up crushing on a guy who has a girlfriend. Ah, the angst. (That's seriously the most underplayed, restrained, sucky summary you will ever read. But really, there isn't that much to summarize. Perhaps this is a better one: This is a book you will love if you have even an inch of heart under your ribcage.)

Because, wow wow wow. These characters are the realest kind of real you will ever read. I'm fully a character-driven reader, and the characters in this one drove me way farther than France. I wanted to shrink the book and inject it into my veins or something. I literally couldn't read fast enough or slow enough. I had to keep reading - I didn't sleep much once I started - but I also wanted to savor every word and phrase and laugh. And there were a lot of laughs. But there was also a lot of heart-seizing. I literally smiled the entire book, I think, even keeping the ghost of one at the sad parts.

It's just one of those books that makes you happy - to be alive, to be a human, to be reading a freaking amazing book. And also makes you want to move to France. It's about people being people, and the happiness and sadness and confusion that comes with that. It's about lights and movies and food and stars. As absolutely amazing as the book is, it makes you want to set it down and walk outside and experience the same thing. It also makes you want to curl up on your bed and read it again. And again.

I can't even adequately discuss this one, and neither could our book club, because this is pretty much how our convo went : I loved it. Yeah, me too. And that one part? Yeah, so good. Yeah.

And usually, I don't bug my family and friends to read books. I recommend books I think they'll like, and go from there. I've gotten a lot of family and friends to read that way. I mean, I'm not usually the kind of "bookseller" who wears creepy trench coats and says "Hey, kid, need a book?" in that scoundrel-y way knock-off purse sellers do. But with this book, I pushed. I stopped reading and read out loud several parts, called my friends and forced them to read it (and they, in turn, when finished, called me and raved about it.) Because I wanted to buy a million copies and leave them on people's doorsteps. Because it's just the kind of book that makes Earth a place you want to live on.

It's just...charming. Absolutely, crazily charming.

And I am ridiculously, ridiculously excited to read Lola and the Boy Next Door, the companion novel coming out later this year. Because Stephanie Perkins really, really knows how to write.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2011-03-29T21:29:00.003-04:00

Nightshade has gotten a lot of buzz, but it's also gotten a lot of flack because it's a "werewolf book." The main character, Calla, finds herself on the brink of making a new pack with another alpha, Ren. But she meets a human and finds herself questioning everything she's been told about her life.

It's funny that what's considered the most popular genre in YA currently - paranormal - also gets the most, in what I've seen, criticism.

I was staying in a hospital when a nurse comes in to check my vitals and sees it sitting on my nightstand, and asks the obligatory: "Oh, is that another Twilight book?" (That's italicized not because it's the name of the book, but because of the nasal-y emphasis it was said with.) He was a nice guy, but I noticed the snark and judgment in his tone. I shrugged my shoulders and read it proudly. I mean, I could have easily put him in place with a Meet the Parents comment, but I was on drugs and much nicer than I usually am. It really, really irks me when people make closed-minded generalizations, though. Not just about the cover of the book, which is only what he saw, but that teens would only be interested in reading Twilight. And the generalization that all YA, or all paranormal, is the same standard.

Because, I mean, this book is good. It's not just that it's entertaining - but for a writer, it's a complete lesson in worldbuilding. Andrea Cremer took a myth that's been done before - werewolves, in this case called Guardians - and made a new history for it. It was completely fascinating the way she set up her world and the relationships in it. The idea that these Guardians had to mate based on their superiors - The Keeper's - choices, was a kind of ancient idea, which matches the ancient lore that this is based on. Arranged marriages were regular in many cultures and even still in effect today, chosen based on the best logical matches for both parties. In the kind of deranged "family" that the wolves are, it's the same way. But, as we all know, if people are repressed enough, there will be rebellion. It's an interesting back-and-forth, these Guardians and their Keepers, and it's incredibly interesting to read. Not just because lore interests me, but because the politics behind these paranormal packs was absolutely enthralling.

It was a very different take, and you could tell the author spent a lot of time building this world. All the characters had distinct personalities, the plot was well-paced, and the bonus creatures were sufficiently creepy. It's a very enjoyable read and it's done well. No, it isn't gourmet literature, but that doesn't mean it deserves an upturned nose. I wouldn't scoff if someone told me they were going to see a pure action movie, like Mission Impossible, so I shouldn't have to deal with snark when there's YA or paranormal in the label. Some of those commercialized action movies surprise you with their plotting and acting, and some of these books will definitely surprise people who go in expecting a simple, light read with no merit. I would definitely give this book to anyone naysaying paranormal because I love proving people wrong.

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker - Launch Party

2011-03-25T15:23:00.010-04:00

The Liar Society starts with an email - from the main character, Kate's, dead best friend. And, from there, it's straight mystery. Who sent the email, and why? And was Grace's death innocent or something more? And the coolest part? It all takes place at a boarding school. The school, Pemberly Brown, is fully brick and mortar: you could almost walk into it inside the pages, it's so present. And one of the members of the supporting cast, Seth, is my favorite. He's this nerdy scrawny guy who eats everything he can get his hands on and has way too many conspiracy theories. I'd like to see him write a book, because I would so read it. He's my favorite character, understandably, because he's just so freaking quirky. Overall, it's a very fast, very cute read.

I was able to go to Lisa and Laura's launch party earlier this month, and authors really know how to throw those things, let me tell you. They had a lot of cookies and there must have been something in them because everyone was ridiculously energized and happy. There were A LOT of people there, too, many of them sporting pink hair - like the Nancy-Drew-style main character.

It took place at The Learned Owl, which was set up like the Bahamas, with flamingos EVERYWHERE. Seriously, I thought they were going to attack me. I'd turn around, and BAM, flamingo. Aside from the killer flamingo's (which were awesome), it's a really cute, quaint indie bookstore - it even has a golden lab that clomps around while you're bookshopping. He helps me pick out books when I go.

I met a ton of awesome people, like writers Erica and Melanie, and we obviously talked about the imminent zombie apocalypse. I should have worn my zombie-stomping shoes. (They have zombie brains on them.) We all went to dinner afterward (with L&L and their family, as well as authors Leah Clifford and Scott Tracey and really freaking amazing mini cupcakes.) I found out they made their own book trailer, which is fantastic and you can watch here at their stylishly chic website.

I find it so awesome that Lisa and Laura can write a book together, because if I tried to cowrite a book with anybody from my family, I'd probably give up two sentences in. Their writing seems to flow really well together, though, and the resulting product has gained a lot of fans. I'm looking forward to seeing what these two write next!

You by Charles Benoit

2011-03-20T03:10:00.005-04:00

I really loved the idea behind You: a book whose main selling point was the unique perspective. It's a second-person narrative, so while you're reading it, you feel like you're the character. It's a very interesting read for that reason - and I'd almost argue that reason, alone. It's hard to grasp in the beginning, but once you get into the flow of the book, the writing is sharp and stark, jolting you because of how off-putting it is.

The main storyline is a typical thriller book. It Quention Tarrantino's you - where the beginning of the book is the end, and the rest of the book is finding it's way towards it. That approach, in general, can spin a new outlook onto a novel: it's almost like reading a book or watching a movie that you've already read/seen, and, knowing what happens in the end, you look for all the tiny clues that lead you there. It can be done very well or very badly, and I haven't decided in which case this one is.

I question whether this would still be a highly interesting and talked-about book without the difference in writing style. It was unique because of it, but the plot on it's own didn't stick out to me. It's a thriller. It'll make your palms sweaty. It's a nice, fast-paced read. But it's not something that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

But it's definitely worth reading because of the perspective - I'm a huge fan of different writing styles, and this is one I haven't come across a lot. It's a fast, different book that will hit you in the gut a little bit. It makes you question and analyze characters: it's one of those books where you want to piece apart every action (or maybe it's just me, because I'm ridiculously analytical.) It challenges conventional writing and it makes you think, I would just be interested in seeing the same perspective approach applied to a different genre. It packs a punch in a thriller book, but I think it could be very artistically done in other genres, as well. I can't really say a lot of negative things about a book that makes you think, so I'm ending with a positive intention. You was like a sharp, stabbing pain that runs up your rib cage: it's jolting and it gets some adrenaline pumping.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

2011-03-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

I usually talk more about Young Adult here, but this book has a lot of crossover appeal - half of it is told by a fourteen-year-old protagonist - and it's so good I couldn't not write about it.

What I love so much about this book is that it's about how much a book can change people's lives. And the irony is that this is the kind of book that stays in your life, that creates a history itself. It's the kind of book you want to keep on your bookshelf because when you look at it makes your heart warmer.

Leo Gursky, the main protagonist, is an old man who makes tapping noises every day to let his neighbor know he's still alive. He's quirky, but not in an overtly strange way, because what he does is rooted down to basic human feelings: a fear of death and of not being remembered. You learn more and more about his life as the book progresses, as well as Alma's - the other protagonist, a 14 year old girl who's on a search for the character she was named after - and how their stories eventually collide.

The thing that really makes this book so fantastic is the writing. The story is a quiet but beautiful one, yet the writing makes every simple scene shine. It's absolutely phenomenal and heartbreaking and it has the kind of connection to life not every writer can grab hold of. I don't often stop reading to write down quotes - I can only pull myself away from the story to do that if it's something I want to remember for the rest of my life. But for The History of Love, I had to stop myself from copying the entire book. Here are three of the ones I had to write down:

"When I got up again, I'd shed the only part of me that had ever thought I'd find words for even the smallest bit of life."

"So many words get lost. They leave the mouth and lose their courage, wandering aimlessly until they are swept into the gutter like dead leaves. On rainy days you can hear their chorus rushing past: IwasabeautifulgirlPleasedon'tgoItoobelievemybodyismadeofglass

I'veneverlovedanyoneIthinkofmyselfasfunnyForgive me... "

"I forced myself to picture the last moments. The penultimate breath. A final sigh. And yet. It was always followed by another."

Understand why I love this book so much? The words are just so strong and brave and terrifying. It's a book I didn't really see coming, but I'm so glad I read it - it was on the recommendation of a friend, and I'm going to pass that recommendation on to you. Because this book is something special. It's not new or shiny or exciting. It's soft and silent, but in the quiet way that sits behind your heart. I just want to liquefy it, pour it into a cup, and drink it.

The Secret Year Giveaway

2011-03-07T10:37:00.005-05:00

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard is a fantastic book - I reviewed it a long time ago here, and now that its paperback release has hit bookstores, it has a gorgeous new cover and the same awesome content.

Jennifer Hubbard is generously giving away a copy of The Secret Year here on Coffee & Cliffhangers, so if you want to read this fantastic book, all you have to do is fill out the form below.

If you don't already know, here's what it's about, pulled from my review back in January '10:

Julia had a boyfriend, but that didn't stop her from having late-night trysts with Colt, the narrator of The Secret Year. Julia was free and wild and their nights together were intense. Neither of them knew what their relationship was - it was something deep yet light, emotional yet distanced, real yet secret. And then Julia died. And Colt got his hands on her journal.

*This contest will run until March 13th and you must be 13 years or older to enter and have an address in the US or Canada.

Contests & Music Books

2011-03-04T12:17:00.004-05:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know there's a contest for a copy of my book, RAE, as well as an interview, here. Just comment over at that post to enter! :)

Also wanted to put out a call for music books. YA (preferably) or Adult or whatever you can think of. I've been making a list, because I love music, and wanted to do a huge blog feature once I finish reading some of them. Have you guys read any books with music as a theme? The ones I HAVE read have been fantastic - Stephainie Kuehnert's books, Audrey, Wait!, and others. But I haven't read a lot. And I want to change that, because I love books and I love music.

I'm planning on implementing some week-long features that focus on one topic of books (like my recent Egyptian craze) soon. I've done themed weeks and months before and it's a lot of fun, but I'd like to make it some form of regularity. I'm hoping to get this started this summer, so these "recommend me books!" pleas will become well-placed, instead of desperate random calls. But, basically, your help would be seriously appreciated.

If you guys can recommend any music books, I'll check a bunch out and hopefully put some posts together soon. Thanks!

Slam by Nick Hornby

2011-02-27T14:11:00.004-05:00

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.

-----

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

Guest Post - Tim Tharp & True Grit

2011-02-27T07:23:00.003-05:00

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.

-----

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

2011-02-24T22:54:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-23T21:31:00.004-05:00

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

2011-02-22T10:00:00.001-05:00

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

2011-02-19T00:48:00.004-05:00

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

2011-02-15T11:06:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-09T11:57:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-04T11:57:00.003-05:00

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

2011-02-03T19:24:00.003-05:00

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?

2011-02-01T21:06:00.006-05:00

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.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

2011-01-31T21:46:00.002-05:00

I've said before how much I love quirkiness. I'm a fan of the crazy, the ironic, the bizarre. Please Ignore Vera Dietz masters all of that.

When I opened the book and got to the chapter narrated by Charlie, Vera Dietz' dead best friend, I knew I would love this book. And I did. Another great narrator was the town's pagoda, a fixture overlooking the town. It's an inanimate object, personified through years of town history. It's just the right kind of weird to make you fall in love.

The idea of betrayal by someone you love is heartwrenching enough. And then imagine that someone dying. Can you imagine the mixed emotions that would bring? And then can you imagine seeing him after he's dead, while you're delivering pizza and being a semi-normal teenager? One that relies too much on alcohol to make her numb? Poor Vera Dietz. Pretty hard to imagine. If it sounds hard to sympathize with her, though, you're wrong. Because she had a voice that was loud enough to break glass.

I don't even know how A.S. King's mind works, but however it ticks, it creates beautiful chaos on the page. There was just something entirely too charming about this novel and the town it's hosted in. It hurts and it makes you laugh and it makes you wince and it makes you feel. It just makes.

Sea by Heidi R Kling

2011-01-28T19:29:00.003-05:00

Sea is set in Indonesia, where the main character does relief work. After Sienna's mother passed, she'd been too terrified to fly or surf in the ocean, something she used to love to do. But that all changes when she gets on a plane.

The prologue in this book = amazing. It probably had the best first page I've ever seen, actually. It grabs interest right out of your brain and keeps a good grip on it. Definitely a great way to start the book, and really showcased how much talent the author has.

On to the plot. I love the idea that one person can change you. Because it's true. People shape other people, and no matter how long that person is in your life, they will make an impact. Deni, a guy who Sienna meets in Indonesia, is one of those people. Actually, all the people with stories to tell in this book are those kind of people. Life-changing ones. And I absolutely loved that Sea shows that.

This was and wasn't a love story. While there's definitely romance, a lot of the book is about Sienna's life and how much it's changing. I love that, while there were great scenes with other characters, the main focus is absolutely Sienna and her journey. And it's a great journey. I've said before that I love when settings are present in a book, and this definitely brought Indonesia to life on the pages.

And what I love most about this book is probably the end. Because while Sea is a complete book, it isn't a closed one. It tells one part of Sienna's life, but instead of ending when you close the book, you know there's a lot more to her story. Even though she's fictional, she's one of those people that you meet and whose stories impact your life.

Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart

2011-01-24T23:45:00.002-05:00

When Katherine's twin sister dies, she wants to follow her.

Throughout the book, Katherine is viewing her life as if it's going to be taken away very soon. Which it is, because Katherine is convinced she's going to kill herself.

It's interesting seeing a perspective on life from someone who doesn't want to live it. Katherine's words hurt. They made me want to reach through the pages and either smack or comfort her.

Part of the book takes place during the Philadelphia Centennial fair of 1876. I love books with settings that are palpable, and this was definitely one of those books. I could almost breathe in the carnival smells and hear the shouts of children and see the raging lights. It was the first world fair - an exhibition of all the world in one place. I think I fell in love with this setting just as much as I did the book. This is why I love historical fiction...to take a piece of something real and add in a perspective of someone fictional mixes an entirely new kind of reality.

Beth Kephart is a fantastic writer and she mastered historical fiction. Like the cover, its undertones were subtle, but they gave a very stark, stunning setting to the characters in this book. Kephart's definitely a writer I'll be visiting again.

Dear Writers

2011-01-22T16:15:00.004-05:00

I was asked to participate in a tour for David Inside Out, which you can find out more about here. The main characters write to their favorite romance authors and, in form, participants were asked to write letters to THEIR favorite authors.

At first, I thought I'd write to Laurie Halse Anderson. She was the first author who came to mind because she's been such a huge influence on my life. Her writing is phenomenal and I'm in absolute awe of the talent she has. But I've written about her numerous times. I had an article published in Teen Ink, my first printed publication (which you can also read on the website here.) I wrote about her in my book, RAE. I've talked plenty about her and wrote raving reviews for almost all of her books; she's one of my long-time idols.

But then I was thinking: Laurie Halse Anderson has been my idol for a long time, but there are plenty of recent authors who have inspired me, too. So I sat (or tweeted) until I could think of who to write my letter to.

And the answer came pretty quickly, because I'd just finished Anna and the French Kiss for book club. And I was kind of blown away. Stephanie Perkins writes with such talent and wit and intelligence, it's hard not to admire her. So here's my (short, because the review I post later will be very rave-filled) letter:

Dear Stephanie Perkins,

You've made me live and breathe a place I have never been to. You've made me love people I've never met. You've made me laugh over dialogue I swear I could hear aloud. You've made me want to live inside a world I already live in.

All with your words.

Thank you.

Your fan,

Chelsea Swiggett

Laurie Halse Anderson and Stephanie Perkins are two authors with amazing talent, but they aren't the only ones. I want to thank all writers; those of you who make people feel by your words. From Stephen King to columnists to parents who create bedtime stories to their children. So.

Dear Writers,

Thank you.

-----

Thanks, also, to Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag for asking me to participate in this tour! She puts a lot of hard work into promoting books. You can find out more about the tour and enter to win some awesome prizes by heading here.

Back Home by Julia Keller

2011-01-20T18:21:00.007-05:00

This story is told from Rachel's point of view, a daughter to an amputee soldier with a traumatic brain injury. After he comes back from Iraq, Rachel has to deal with the difference in her father as well as the rest of her family.

It's interesting hearing a soldier's story from a daughter's perspective. There are a lot of books and short stories told from soldiers in wars, or from the wives or husbands of those who are left behind by them. But I've never read a book from a daughter's perspective. And it was kind of heartbreaking.

I don't even think it was Rachel's grief that hit me so hard. It was her anger. She knew she shouldn't be mad at her dad, but she was. And she was guilty about it. She remembered the way he used to be - the dad who helped her build a fort outside and was so alive. And the man he is now isn't that same person to her. She always pictured that he would walk in the front door with a smile on his face, despite the fact that he was sitting in their living room in a wheelchair. And there's a scene where her father rolls into the kitchen and sees them baking as a family, minus him, and my heart dropped. Because it's a dark story. One that's hard to look at or read.

While it left an impact, it was more of a glimpse than a full-fledged breakdown of Rachel's life. There were a lot of very well-written scenes that hit me in the gut, but I would have liked to see more to the storyline and more of Rachel's growth as a character. There could have been a lot more depth to this book - not that there wasn't a lot of it already, but I think it had the potential to go even further. But as it was, it was a great, heart-hurting glimpse into a life affected by tragedy.

Author Review/Blog Tour: Jillian Larkin Reviews The Giver.

2011-01-18T10:25:00.002-05:00

Jillian Larkin is the author of Vixen, which "is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties..." Teenage flappers. I'm so there. You can find out more about the book and author, watch the beyond-amazing trailer (seriously one of the best I've ever seen), and become a flapper yourself by heading to theflappersbooks.com

Jillian Larkin is stopping here on her blog tour to take part in my Author Review feature, which you can find out more about here. Today, she's going to talk about The Giver, one of my own favorite books.

-----

Last October I was lucky enough to go on a pre-publication tour for my debut novel, Vixen. My favorite part of the experience was meeting with groups of eighth grade and teenage girls at their schools. With each group, I cited The Giver by Lois Lowry as my favorite young adult book of all time. Some kids happily confessed a shared love of all things Lois Lowry, but far too many had no idea what I was talking about.

I understand that The Giver came out in 1993, and is therefore older than young adults themselves these days. I was only five years old when it came out but luckily my older sister gave it to me to read for the first time when I was ten. This may not be obvious from my own writing, but I love science fiction and dystopian novels.

As a kid, I tore through 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and any other piece of dystopian or futuristic fiction I could get my hands on. Later came the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth—a fantastic book that comes out in May. But The Giver was the beginning of it all for me.

Twelve-year-old Jonas’ society has made the world safe and painless by instituting the “Sameness.” The Sameness moderates the weather, speech, and even human emotion. Jonas is given the occupation of Receiver: Holding all the memories from before the Sameness in case such wisdom is ever needed to help make governmental decisions. Jonas is surprised to learn from the former Receiver, whom he calls the Giver, that he is now allowed to lock doors and shut off the surveillance devices around him. Jonas is allowed to lie. As his world gapes wide open, Jonas must look around him and take in the ignorance and shallowness of those closest to him. He begins to see that while his world is stripped of all that makes it dangerous, it has also lost what makes it beautiful.

Within a mere 208 pages, Lois Lowry is able to create a complex and intriguing future. Jonas is a likable and relatable protagonist who reacts to his situation with joyful curiosity, but also heartbreaking anger and confusion. The relationship between Jonas and the Giver shows a lovely connection between a mentor and teacher. The visuals in the book are particularly significant to me. I used to hear books in my head as I read them—I wasn’t overly concerned with the look of things. But The Giver changed that. The way Jonas slips into the memories he receives and how they lead him to inspect the world around him had me creating elaborate pictures in my mind for the first time.

So those of you who haven’t read The Giver, I hope you feel ashamed. No, not really. Though if feeling ashamed would lead you to buy a copy of a book, then that might be okay. But really, read this book. You won’t regret it. And to anyone who’s as big a Giver-lover as I am: Read the book again. I can say from lots of experience that it only improves upon each new reading.

-----

And now I'm left wanting to reread The Giver...after Vixen, that is.

Check out Jillian Larkin's other tour dates in the upcoming days:

Jan. 19--http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-literature-in-atlanta/mechele-r-dillard

Jan. 20--http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/

Jan. 21--http://thebookbutterfly.com/

Jan. 22-- http://www.bookwormbooklovers.blogspot.com/

Jan. 23--http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/

Jan. 24--http://bloggers-heart-books.blogspot.com/

Jan. 25--http://daisychainbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Jan. 26-- http://moonlightbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Jan. 27 – http://www.teenreads.com/

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

2011-01-17T12:07:00.003-05:00

Vladimir Tod is a vampire who's the center of this plot as well as the main character. He's being hunted by someone who has their own chapter sections in the book*, and there's mystery mixed up with the blood in this one.

There was an interesting setup to the world in this book. Vlad doesn't really know his powers; he doesn't really know anything about vampires, actually, besides the fact that his dad was one (while his mom is a human.) He was born the way he is, which is interestingly different and allows you to jump into the world while still being slowly introduced to it.

At times, I felt like the whole vampire aspect was pushed too hard. I mean, blood capsules were put inside his cookies during lunch. I can't decide if that's unique or just...bizarre. I feel like the style of the writing sparred with the explanatory measures Vlad goes to to ensure that the reader knows how vampire-y he is. Completely contradicting this, I like that the book isn't afraid to get dark. He dunks cookies in blood like a G. I loved some of these details, while thought others were a little too much.

But on the other hand, I really enjoyed several parts of the storyline. I can absolutely understand the cultlike likability factor. There's a fresh world created here, and people want to be a part of it. It has a strong main character, a world unique enough to be different and captivating, and it's grounded in reality enough to make it believable.

I'll be reading the sequels to determine just how much I like the series as a whole, but this first book definitely captured my curiosity. Overall, it was a pretty solid start and it was able to stand up by itself as it's own book, as well.

*I love when books host the villain to narrate a portion of the novel, like The Body Finder. Are there any other books that do this?? LOVE it.

Nothing by Janne Teller

2011-01-13T14:06:00.003-05:00

Pierre Anthon is a boy in a plum tree who believes in nothing. He isn't the main character of this story, but he is the catalyst. He's the voice in your head that says nothing matters, but represented physically. He's a thirteen-year-old gloomy philosopher who is convinced the world is just a play. The kids in his class, determined to get him out of his plum tree and prove that life matters, start a pile of things that mean the most to them.

It starts with little, insignificant objects and transforms into something much, much darker.

I've seen Nothing compared to Lord of the Flies, but for a younger generation, and I agree. Expect, in my opinion, this book is much, much better. I found Lord of the Flies to be dry until the ending, but Nothing was full of bitterness and hurt and anger. Full of darkness and depth. A book that makes you think and question and wonder. It's the kind of book you have to stop reading and mark your page, just to think, before you open it back up again.

There was something in this book that hit me; it's not the kind of read that's easy to fly through, despite how short it is. It holds a lot more than words on its pages. But those words are beautiful and thoughtful in their impact. There's no doubt Janne Teller is a brilliant writer and person.

It's the kind of book that's fantastic to discuss, because there are so many interpretations and meanings hidden behind everything. But it's also a book that's good to read alone, to come to your own opinions and conclusions without being marred by others. So I won't say too much.

It's also hard to review a translated book, considering how different it can be from the original language - especially with a book as rich as this one. But I can definitely say that this book, without a doubt, will make you think. And it is, without a doubt, very beyond interesting.

Trance by Linda Gerber

2011-01-10T19:40:00.003-05:00

I've always enjoyed Linda Gerber's Death By mysteries, so when I heard about Trance, I knew I had to read it. And I'm very happy to say it was incredibly fun and smart and unique.

The premise for this one is just so interesting: a girl and her sister, who see flashes of the future. Written numbers that appear to mean nothing. Creepy vacant stares that can make for some awkward moments. And car crashes. One from the past, and possibly one from the future.

Okay, I'm not one to show my inner girlygirlness. I don't squee over a lot (besides Taylor Kitsch.) But, okay, put a boy on a motorcycle and I'm in trouble. Especially when they're musicians, too. The main guy in Trance, Jake, is very squee-worthy. He's like reading a written representation of the perfect guy. We should probably work on getting him out of the pages, girls. And the side characters are fantastic...especially Ashlyn's coworker, a spunky pregnant woman with enough energy to fill an entire truckload of Red Bull.

A really interesting aspect is the numerology, which I haven't seen before. Linda Gerber even did this really fun online blog party, celebrating the launch of Trance, and read my "numbers," based on my name, and had me post my reaction. You can check it out here - very fun. The number idea, which relates back to Ashlyn's visions, is refreshingly different and adds a really fun element to the book. The numerology is also very rooted in culture, so the realism it plays on adds a certain suspense.

It's just an overall great book. I very much enjoyed it and very much appreciate Gerber's writing. She knows how to create characters and plots that make you sit on the edge of your seat.

I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman

2011-01-06T15:37:00.002-05:00

I can't remember how I acquired this book, but I found it on my bookshelf one day when I was looking for a quick read. It's by Philip Pullman, the author of His Dark Materials, aka The Golden Compass, etc. I've never read his other books, but thought I'd try out his writing to see what everyone's raving about. I love reading popular authors' works that are less mainstream, so I can distance myself from a well-known plot and check out their writing and storytelling in another light.

It ended up really surprising me. It was very fast-paced and likable. The main character is a boy who can't remember ever being a boy; he only remembers being a rat. It all pieces together in the end to a tale a storyteller would absolutely love. I adored it, and adored finding out the ending.

It's a backwards fairy tale, a dark look at something charming. It reminds me of Grimm's tales, but written in a different way - one that's believable and stunning.

It's a children's story, done very very well. And likable for all ages. I'm definitely a fan.

Author Review - Amy Holder reviews The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

2011-01-05T16:50:00.006-05:00

Today, author Amy Holder is participating in my feature Author Review. You can find out more about it, including archives and how to participate, by heading here.

Amy Holder is the writer of The Lipstick Laws, a book coming out in April 2011.

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

You can find out more about The Lipstick Laws and Amy Holder by heading to her website.

Everything below this line are the words of Amy Holder.

-----

I believe in Karma. I'd like to think that people will be rewarded for good deeds in some form or another. Of course, I also hope that all the mean jerkwads out there will get a swift kick (or five) in the behind from Karma's jumbo steel-toe boot. It's fun to imagine good Karma finding its way back to us... and let's face it, sometimes it's even more entertaining to fantasize about those who've wronged us getting a taste of their own Karmic medicine. But there's a big difference between fantasizing and taking Karma into our own hands. That's precisely what makes Madison Kasparkova (the main character of The Karma Club) and her two best friends different from most of the happy-to-just-fantasize population. In this book, Maddy and her friends act out their Karma-filled fantasies by creating a Karma Club, established to speed up Karma's unavoidable kick and deliver it to the people who have hurt them the most. This leads to some very interesting and unpredictable results, hence the book's tagline: When you mess with Karma, Karma messes back...

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody is one of those books that feels like you're watching a movie while you're reading it. In fact, I was first drawn to reading Jessica's YA debut after watching its amazing movie production quality trailer. I mean, have you SEEN the trailer? If not, you have to check it out on Jessica's author site: www.jessicabrody.com. Once I got over my intense book trailer envy, I immediately bought The Karma Club, hoping it would live up to its awesome trailer. After reading it, I can confirm that it definitely lives up to the trailer...and there are even some surprises along the way that the trailer doesn't give away.

In all, The Karma Club is a light, entertaining YA must-read with a bit of a twist at the end that leaves the reader with an important message without being preachy. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves YA chick-lit, fun reads, light romances, and/or fantasizing about Karma's steel-toe tush kicks.

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

2011-01-03T12:04:00.002-05:00

I'm late on discovering Courtney Summers' writing. I've heard everyone rave about it, but I hadn't yet picked up a book by her. I bought both of her books (only two were out at the time) when I was at a massive Borders in Louisville, and just recently cracked open Cracked Up to Be.

The premise for this one is very subtle and mysterious. It's the type of book you have to read to figure out what's going on. You can't be told. But, in lesser words, Parker is a character who witnessed something tragic and has been on suicide watch ever since. She drinks at school, which causes an obvious drop in her grades, and her social life is nonexistent.

Going into a book that has a lot of hype is dangerous; expectations are obviously very raised. But the hype is very warranted in this case. The writing was absolutely phenomenal. The characters were much realer than most of the people in my town, and the dialogue was pitch-perfect. It was a very real book in general.

I felt a lot for Parker. As a character in the book, you'd think she's a complete bitch. She's probably the kind of girl I'd hate, only because I can't get in her head. But as a reader, you can see she's a person. Just one who's hurting a hell of a lot and doesn't want to recognize it. Courtney Summers gets in her head and aces it.

I'll definitely be reading whatever else she publishes.

January 1st, 2011

2011-01-01T12:49:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! I have a lot I accomplished in 2010, and I have a lot more I want to accomplish in 2011.

I want to be less lazy and schedule posts, so I can keep up with my blog(s)* and college at the same time, instead of doing one or the other.

*And by blog(s) - plural form - I mean theglitterpox.com, which is the music site I just created with my best friend (for talking about awesome music and concerts) and which if you like music I'd love if you checked out.

I want to write every day with no exceptions.

I want to exercise every day with no exceptions.

I want a treadmill desk so I can do both of those at the same time.

I want a lot out of 2011, but I'm not expecting any of it. What I expect is just to live. I'm sure it'll be an awesome year and a sucky year, but I'm glad to be alive for it. So I'm going to try to travel and not worry about the petty things and go to concerts and write and get absolutely no sleep. And be happy and sad. That's what I expect.

Happy 2011, guys. Considering next year will be 2012, I suggest you live a little. ;)

Holidays

2010-12-24T09:52:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas! I'm taking a little break over the holidays, but I'll be back January 1st. :)

While you're busy drinking hot chocolate, here's what to read over your holiday break. If you don't have snow for Christmas, you can at least imagine it with these books:

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. The Winter Court is rather...festive.

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

And just for fun, the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer is one of my favorites. I'll definitely be picking them back up again before college starts again (agh) and I have no time for things like reading or sleeping. They're fast reads and totally perfect for reading over school or work breaks, when you can read just to read - as opposed to lighter Shakespearean works. >:o

What are some of your favorite holiday reads?

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

2010-12-17T23:09:00.004-05:00

This book was completely, absolutely refreshing.

The premise is simple: it's a contemporary about a girl whose mother has schizophrenia. But that's the only thing that's simple about this book. It was complex, detailed, alive.

The writing was beautiful. It made me feel, which is the best kind of writing. It's the kind that makes me stop while I'm reading, just to trace my fingers over a sentence that sounds like magic. And the details. Every little thing about this book created this family structure that was absolutely real.

It made me step back and look at life, and the state of the mind, in a completely different perspective. And art, especially. Because I've always been someone who has absolutely cherished art, in every form. And the idea that Aura would subdue her love of art, out of fear of schizophrenia, is absolutely tragic. It's a terrifying book in that way; it's dark, completely dark, and it pushes you to look at someone - at anything - beyond what you see.

It's just one of those books that completely surprises you. One of those books that gets under your skin in a completely uncomfortable and comfortable way. I wanted to hug and hurl the words. They were so heartbreaking but so heartwarming.

I just highly recommend this book. If it had ears, I would serenade it. It's an absolute gem and if there's one book of 2010 that I could make everyone read, it would probably be this one.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

2010-12-13T08:52:00.002-05:00

It's hard enough being in a car crash, but it's made even harder for Zoey by not knowing who she really has feelings for - the guy she's supposedly dating, or bad boy Doug, who was also in the crash. Mixed with the family problems she's having - her mother trying to commit suicide and her father being basically absent - her life isn't necessarily fun.

I had high expectations for this one. The premise reminded me of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, which I absolutely loved. And I've heard amazing things about Jennifer Echols. I very much agree that her writing is great.

However, I had some issues with this book. I'm very much a character-driven person. Characters have to be real and fleshed out for me to be able to enjoy and commit to a book. And while I thought Doug was kind of dreamy - he seemed particularly real to me - I couldn't stand the main character. She was very ignorant and naive, which is frustrating as a reader. I wanted to scream at her because as a reader I very much knew what was going on. And when it takes a character too long to come to the same conclusion as you, it can weigh down the book. Zoey just didn't seem real. There were scenes that contradict that statement, absolutely, but as a whole I couldn't connect with her. An excuse could be that she hit her head. Really hard. But I feel like her character should have had more...moreness. I can understand how she could feel how she feels, logically (especially the way her family is), but the words didn't bring that across to me.

That's not to say other readers won't be able to connect with her. And Jennifer Echols truly is a good writer. I'll definitely be giving her other books a try; it was just personal issues I had with the MC that drove me to not loving it.

I went in with high expectations, though, and the beginning chapter I thought was great, which might have contributed to my character issue. That said, this book definitely has fans and will find more, but it wasn't completely for me. I would recommend reading it for Doug, though. He reminded me of Jess from Gilmore Girls, which is totally win in my book.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

2010-12-10T13:29:00.002-05:00

Ellie starts seeing monsters - the kind that wouldn't fit under your bed. But, eventually, she finds out they're not monsters - they're reapers. Which is a whole lot worse, because they don't just kill you: they drag your soul to hell. Fun times. And then a (hot) boy shows up, Will, and tells her she's the one who has to fight them. And they really want to kill her.

Ellie's pretty BA. I love female characters who kick butt, and she definitely accomplishes that. (With angelic khopesh swords, to boot, which automatically bumps up her BA level.) She's sassy and fun, which pretty much describes this entire book.

The fight scenes were sometimes repetitive, but the book was really action-filled, which I liked. There wasn't a boring page in this one. It almost reminded me of Percy Jackson in that way - a lot of fight scenes, but the constant action engages you through the whole story. It made the scenes where there wasn't fighting - just character-driven scenes - much more intense and focused.*

But what I really have to rave about is the worldbuilding. Because the way the reaper - um, society?* - is set up is kind of brilliant. Some are ugly, some are gorgeously ethereal, but they're all deadly terrifying. And Ellie's role in the reaper world is also totally intriguing. I loved the idea of this book, when I first heard about it, but I liked the execution even more - which is rare.

I would kill at least twenty reapers to get the sequel right now.

*Lacking a better word here. Need more coffee.

* I use - a lot of dashes - in this - post - don't make fun - of me.

Book Hopping

2010-12-07T10:31:00.002-05:00

So I've been having this problem recently where I start a million books at once and it feels very promiscuous. I've always been a one-book-at-a-time kind of girl, but recently one isn't enough. I don't support polygamy or anything, but sometimes seven > one. So I can read different genres and hop to different storylines when I'm in different moods.

I would rather read a fantasy book when I'm in the mood for a fantasy book, instead of finishing the contemporary I'm reading when I'm not in the mood to read it. A lot of my opinion - and, I believe, everyone's - depends on the mood they're in and their personal life/relevance to the book. So if I'm going to like a book more because I'm in the mood to like it, as a reviewer I think it's important to listen to that. And sometimes I'm terribly sick of fantasy and want to read historical fiction. I used to finish whatever fantasy book I was reading and THEN read the historical fiction, but lately I've just been stopping halfway and picking something else up.

My only worry is that A) I won't finish them all. Because a lot of the time the books I'm reading are good, I'm just not in the mood for them. Which goes along with B) I'll be pulled out of the storyline. When I stop reading a book and go back it doesn't have the same effect.

So do I be whoreish with my book-reading ways or stick to one book? What do you guys do?

Holiday Giveaway

2010-12-02T22:44:00.004-05:00

Over at the WhoRuBlog, Liza is hosting a holiday readathon. For some festive cheer, several blogs are holding giveaways in the hopes that you lovelies will be inspired to join in and read some books and do a little good for the world.

So I'm giving away all six Louder than Words Books.

There's Alexis, who has an internet relationship with an older man. There's Hannah, who cuts and suffers from a mental illness. There's Rae, who has anxiety disorder. There's Marni, who can't stop pulling out her hair. There's Chelsey, whose father was murdered. There's Emily, who was diagnosed with West Nile. Six real teens, six real stories. You can check out the website for more information.

To enter, you can do one of two things. You have to fill out the form below and choose to either tell me 1) what you would write about if you were a LTW author. I will be the only one who sees this and I would love to hear your stories. But since it's personal, I'm giving a second option if you'd rather not share. 2) why you want to win these books.

Just fill out the form by the 5th at midnight, when the readathon is over. There's also a Twitter party on Sunday, 9PM EST for you readathoners. You can sign up for the readathon by clicking here and you can also read more about the Twitter party on the same page.

Happy Holidays, guys! :)

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

2010-11-29T17:11:00.003-05:00

This was a great start to a series I'm sure will be a hit.

Eden is introduced to an entirely new world when she falls for someone with wings. That would sound unoriginal if I stopped there, but there is a heck of a lot more to this world than hot angels. There's this thing called Touch, which you'll have to find out about yourself. And there's a social society of half-dead people unlike any you've met in a book before. And there's danger.

The worldbuilding was both fantastic and confusing. You jump into this new, unique world without a clue of what's going on but are given glimpses that are completely foreign to you. On one hand, I like that there isn't 100 pages worth of buildup, as a lot of paranormal books contain, but on the other, it was also confusing for the first couple chapters. Once you understand what's going on, however, it's absolutely intriguing. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Wrist Cutters: A Love Story, which I loved because of the irony of the world it creates and for a different perspective on life, which I think this book also accomplishes. A Touch Mortal takes place in our world, but it has this underlining secret layer that only few are privy to. It delves into deep issues, like suicide, but it's not an "issue book." It's a book you can enjoy for the story and for the emotions it makes you feel.

The dialogue is absolutely fantastic. I could imagine each of the characters speaking the words written, which brought really vivid scenes to my mind. It's just one of those books you can see, you know? Where the details and the characters and the setting and the imagery all add up to this real-life image in your mind.

And speaking of characters, I can't say enough fun, amazing things about Kristen, my favorite. She's a schizophrenic chick who hosts all-out gothic victorian balls. She's way too interesting and I love her. Eden, although I didn't connect with her as much, was still a character I could sympathize with. One thing I really liked about her was that she wasn't predictable. At all. One moment she'd be strong and the next she'd be weak. She was real that way. And Gabe and Libby and Jarrod and Az? The side characters? They're all a cast of awesome. Not one of them falls flat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am very excited to read the sequel. There's a lot of detail and emotion in it that just hits you. It's a story that's going to stick with me for a very, very long time. Look out for this one.

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, those of you who celebrate. Although I'm not inclined to celebrate the actual history of it, (which is that Native Americans invited new colonists to feast with them and were repaid by being brutally murdered) I'm inclined to celebrate the idea of thanks and family and food.

So I wanted to say thanks to those of you who read the written form of whatever's in my crazy mind. IE, these blog posts. And I wanted to thank authors for writing books because my mind would be even more insane without them. And I wanted to thank faux leather jackets for being awesome. And I wanted to thank musicians for contributing to my madness. And I wanted to thank that madness in my brain for being able to translate it to words and then to my keyboard, even though it sometimes doesn't make sense. And I wanted to thank the sun and the earth for revolving. You're doing an awesome job; keep it up!

There's a hell of a lot to be thankful for. Not just books and writers, but family and friends and warm coffee and the smell of snow and the color of leaves. So, thanks. Read a good book and visit your family and just enjoy it today.

What are you thankful for?

2011 Debut Author Challenge

2010-11-21T18:44:00.008-05:00

This challenge, hosted by The Story Siren, doesn't officially start until January, but I figured I'd go ahead and make my post accepting the challenge. You can read the original challenge post by clicking: here. The books I plan to read:

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Wildefire by Karston Knight

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell

ARCs I've read already that don't count towards my challenge, but which I'd recommend:

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Angelfire by Courtney Moulton

I'll probably make additions to this list, since I'm pretty sure I'll read more than these 12, but these are the ones I'm absolutely signing up for.

What are you planning on reading or looking forward to reading in 2011?

The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

2010-11-19T13:01:00.002-05:00

The Aristobrats sounds a lot like the Clique series at first: the focus is on middle school popularity, fashion, and a group of friends. But while the premise has comparisons, the writing, language, and friendships are a lot different.

This had a lot more substance than the premise shows. The writing is great and the humor really evident in the voices' of the characters. I don't read a lot of MG, but when I heard about the unbreakable friendship of the main characters, I thought I'd give it a try. It turned out to be a fast, quick read that I enjoyed and would probably recommend to MG readers.

It was a mix of light and depth. The popularity thing was always a big deal in my middle schools, and I went to a couple. And it's actually not as huge of a trend in books as you would think it would be. Books like How Not to Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler or How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot take a spin on it and shed some light on the issue from a high school perspective, but the only big books I've seen in middle grade (and I'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking of, because I'm not a huge MG expert) that deal with popularity are books like The Clique series. And I feel like this goes a little deeper into the characters, flips "popularity" on it's head and shows how a group of friends deal with it.

I think it's a great book for MG readers. Also, Class Favorite by Taylor Morris is worth a read, which deals with a similar popularity issue.

Contests & Other Random Stuff/Updates

2010-11-17T13:11:00.004-05:00

This is a post to say I miss the book community to death but I don't have the time to write a review right now, so! Updates!

The winner of October's contest for $80 worth of books has been picked: Linda H! Linda, you have an email!

I'm going to have to hold off on monthly contests for a while because of my budget and schedule, but I'll still be having contests irregularly & these monthly ones will eventually be back (assuming I'll be less of a poor college student eventually.) :)

On the bright side, I have good freaking news: Marni Bates, who wrote one of the Louder than Words books (Marni), just got a 3-book deal with Kensington's teen imprint. I can't even begin to describe HOW AWESOME this is. She's a really talented writer and awesome person and I can't wait to see how she writes fiction. So look out for her books in the next few years.

There's also a new auction up over at Leave a Mark: you get awesome books marked up by awesome authors and all the proceeds go to a great organization, so make sure you keep watch!

I'm still working on gathering authors for Author Review, but expect to see it back SOON.

Um, 2010 is almost over. How the heck did that happen?

WHAT ARE YOU GUYS READING? Let me know in the comments so we can chat! I'm off to discuss The Canterbury Tales (which I totally sparknoted (can we make that a verb?) because I didn't have the time to read it. shhh, I'm a bad student.) So please tell me what awesome books you guys are reading so I can live vicariously through you.

Want to win an awesome book?

2010-11-14T14:54:00.002-05:00

Leah Clifford, author of A Touch Mortal, (which is, by the way, a fantastic book) is giving away not only a SIGNED copy of one of her limited, rare, golden-dipped ARCs, but is also letting you name a character in book two AND get in the acknowledgments. Pretty awesome, right?

Enter by watching this video, spreading the word, and recommending a guy's name. Easy entry for an awesometastic prize.

You should also watch the rest of the YA Rebel's videos: their topic for the week is SIN. What's more fun than YA authors talking about sin? (Besides YA authors impersonating each other?) I think the only answer to that is: me. And maybe these people. But that's it.

White Cat by Holly Black

2010-11-12T00:29:00.003-05:00

This is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a long, long time. The plot sounded really interesting and Holly Black is highly acclaimed, but for some reason I didn't have high expectations. I will for the sequel.

Something about this world was very interesting. The idea of powers or abilities isn't very original, but the way Black spins it, it is. Curse Workers have the ability to impede luck, alter your emotions, erase your memories, and other more unsavory things, just by giving you a light tappytap. Everyone in this society wears gloves as a kind of trust issue, no one knowing the capabilities of strangers.

Just...words can't describe how awesome I think this is. The entire society has this underlying desperation to it. There's a whole underground mobster scene attached to these curse workers, which is freaking amazing. Because, honestly, if society started gaining power, it would crave more. Not just because of the taste of it, but because of the fear of it. Power is afraid of power, and so anyone with any kind of power instantly wants to be more powerful. It's just a really realistic, edgy thing to add to a supernatural book. And the plotting is pretty phenomenal. I didn't want to set the book down on any single page.

Oh, and the writing? Simple, but it flowed. There's a dark, scary genius behind these words.

Sookie Stackhouse: Books vs. Show

2010-11-08T16:00:00.003-05:00

I originally wasn't going to review these books because they're adult instead of YA, but True Blood's a popular show and I love comparing books to their movie/tv versions.

I can't say whether I like the books or the show better. I've read the first three so far and I enjoyed them, but the books don't have the visual of Eric Northman (although I definitely imagined the same actor while I was reading the books, because whew.) Also, Alcide. There's a lot of mancandy in the show, although I'm not a huge fan of the Bill they picked. And I'm actually not huge on his character in general, either. He never really struck me. I think Sookie's a great MC; she's strong and a lot smarter than she looks, and she adapts to things well. Which is something you need in a character when a plot is as crazy as this one.

The books and show follow a similar plot, but there are some pretty big differences. I generally like to read books before I see the visual representation, but I did the reverse with this one. I think one of the main reasons I liked the show so much is because every single episode leaves you with a Mt Everest-sized cliffhanger and it's kind of impossible not to crave the next one. But I honestly can't say what makes this show or these books appealing. There's nothing unnaturally original about them, but it also doesn't hold back on gore or horror, alongside the romance. And I love a good horror book, so maybe that's part of the appeal.

A certain twist adapted in the latest season (and one I haven't gotten to in the books yet) was kind of lame, though. It happens to a lot of series: when they go on for a little too long, something new has to happen. And sometimes, that something new is very questionmarkable. I'm not sure if I'll continue to watch/read as religiously as I had previously, but I'll probably give them an eventual checkback.

Have you guys seen the show or read the books? They're not really appropriate for anyone under the age of, maybe, 16? 18? (I'm horrible with judging maturity levels.) So I'm not recommending it to any preteens, but I think it's interesting, especially in comparison to the YA paranormal market now. Thoughts?

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

2010-11-04T18:00:00.002-04:00

FYI, my feature Author Review is on hold while I gather authors. It'll be back soon.

Now back to booktalk. The Mockingbirds is about a girl, Alex, who starts out the book by waking up in a guys room. A guy, apparently, who date raped her. She brings her case to The Mockingbirds, the school's court system, organized by the students. They're also the ones who deal out punishments.

I thought this was a very well-written book. The opening shocked me, and the plot, while in a form has been done before, was very original in it's differences.

It's being compared to Speak, which to me is an unfair comparison because Laurie Halse Anderson is a goddess, but I think the only comparison is, really, the issue of rape. They're both very different situations and characters, but they're also both very important stories.

Speak relations aside, The Mockingbirds had a strong setting. One thing I liked and didn't like was the society of the Mockingbirds itself. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorite classics, up there with The Secret Garden. It's a beautiful book and the modern references to it in The Mockingbirds was awesome, so it automatically earned brownie points with me.

The idea of a school court system - one run by students - is interesting but almost overshadowed Alex and her problems. I liked both plots separately, but wish they had meshed together more.

That said, this is a fantastic book written with tight, powerful writing. I'd definitely recommend it and think it holds a lot of depth in its pages.

To NaNo or Not to NaNo?

2010-11-01T10:47:00.003-04:00

Excuse me for the uberly cheesy blog title here, and for a writing post instead of a review. But I have a dilemma and I wanted your advice on it.

I love NaNoWriMo. You write 50,000 words in one month. It's insane. And I love insanity! I think it's a brilliant idea and it creates an awesome community. You have writing buddies to cheer you on and compete with, pushing you to finish. You're totally engrossed in one book for 30 days. You write and write and write. And I want to do it.

I promised myself I would if I could finish my WIP by the end of November. But I got stuck at 20k, which is my usual sticking point. I can generally push my way through after a break and a fresh mind, but it's very, very frustrating.

And I want to do NaNo. It's day one, so I'll be coming in late if I do decide to do it. I've had this book idea at the back of my mind for a long time, but I haven't plotted much yet, so it'll be a rough starting patch, but doable.

The WIP I'm working on now has A LOT of worldbuilding, and I'm completely IN that world right now, which is what I'm mainly worried about. If I close the door for a month, will I be able to come back into it with a fresher mind? Or will I be lost to it?

Basically, it's impossible to make this decision on my own. Help? I'll be hanging out in the comments.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2010-10-28T12:02:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to summarize this one. I take it you all already know what The Hunger Games is about, and if not please leave my blog. (I kid, but really. Go read it.)

And, by the way: MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT. Don't read this if you haven't read the book. Go away. Otherwise, sit and stay a while. Have some popcorn.

Now, I'm a huge lover of this series. I read the entirety of Mockingjay out loud with a group of friends, taking turns by chapters on a long, lengthy roadtrip. Let me tell you: there's nothing more fun than delivering one of Suzanne Collin's cliffhanging last chapter lines to a group of readers. I think it impacted my reading, but in a good way. The shared excitement was like that crazy-palpable energy you can feel before a good concert.

Anyway, I thought the book was great. The writing, hands down, was absolutely brilliant. I can systematically argue and praise the plot every which way, but the writing is nothing but fantastic.

A lot of people - and even I'm guilty of this - made it about the romance. Team Gabe or Team Peeta. Before this book, I was the former. After this book, I was neither. I really wanted Katniss to have the strength to stand up by herself, but she'd become so broken she couldn't have lived without Peeta, or at the very least, someone to lean on.

Gale became someone who was completely overwhelmed by anger and hate and fire. He was the person Katniss didn't want to become. It showed how war can effect you, how something can fester in your heart until it becomes all-consuming. When there were glances, peeks, of the old Gale, I remembered why I liked him so much. But people change, and he became a shining example of that. It's pretty depressing to watch a character you love fall into someone you have little respect for. But I thought it was pretty masterful on Collins' part.

It's funny that I would be so interested in the politics of this book, when I generally hate everything to do with politics. But the way it was written, with such structure and organization, I fell into it. It was less about the politics and more about finding justice.

And (again, spoiler) the most beautiful moment of justice is when Katniss shoots Coin. To me, that said everything that needed to be said about this book.

There was tragedy, death, justice, and life. I definitely shed some tears. There's a lot of controversy about the ending, but I think there would be no matter how Collins' wrote it. I thought it was done very well, and while I'm sad it came to an end, I'm bittersweetly happy with the results.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

2010-10-25T13:45:00.000-04:00

Kristina goes to visit her dad and in the process transforms into Bree: a girl who falls for a boy and gets hooked on crank. It's a seductive lifestyle for the newly born Bree, and she can't deny the call of the monster.

This book was amazingly written. It's told in verse - Ellen Hopkins is famous for it, and for good reason. The lyricism and beauty of her words hold an incredible amount of impact. The poetry speaks loudly and her writing is true artwork.

But I could not sympathize with Kristina/Bree at all. At. All. I had very little connection with her character, which is something that's painful considering the beauty of the writing and the intense subject matter.

The only other book I've read by her was Identical, which I absolutely loved. I enjoyed the plotline a lot more and the ending jolted me. The writing in Crank I may have liked better, but the plot and characters didn't hit me as hard.

Regardless, Ellen Hopkins is a master of words and reading her work is a completely different experience.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

2010-10-18T11:27:00.001-04:00

A Prodigal Son
A Dangerous Love
A Deadly Secret

So says the tagline for The Dark Divine, a love story (among other things) between a werewolf and a girl. Now, I'm not going to do a standard review for this one. It wasn't my favorite book, although I did like some parts of it: Grace's art class, the religious undertones - which usually annoy me, but in this instance actually intrigued me. I also really liked the brother vs boy-interest debate. You don't really see that a lot in YA, and it's interesting. Bits and pieces of this book I enjoyed, but something about the characters and the plotting wouldn't let me fully thumb-up this one.

But that's as far as this review is going to go, because my feelings towards the characters aren't exponential. But I did want to bring up an accusation: Perez Hilton posted that The Dark Divine was a rip-off of Twilight (after hearing about the movie rights selling, because I doubt he reads *cough*)

This is probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Forbidden love stories and, if you want to get technical, werewolves, were here a LOOOONG time before Twilight. Vampire Diaries, for instance, was printed over ten years ago and involved a romance between a vampire and a human. Sound familiar? And yes, it also had werewolves. The Sookie Stackhouse books are yet another example. There are so many references I could pull from here, but the bottom line is this: stop using Twilight as the go-to paranormal book. Because, frankly, the idea isn't original. But generally, no ideas are. We all get inspiration from past media and stories and history. But no two books are the same because no two author's views and takes on it are the same. Did Bree Despain read Twilight and intentionally write a forbidden love story because of it? No. Did Bree Despain read hundreds of books and watch hundreds of movies about forbidden romances and did they influence her writing? Probably. Does that make it unoriginal? Absolutely not. The idea is distilled in our brains because we want what we can't have. Forbidden. It's juicy. Like an apple. (Yeah, that was intentional. Bite me. ;))

I mean, I love, love, love what Twilight has done for reading, but I really hate that people view it as a market. And that the word "rip off" would be used regarding TDD. Because it's not, at all.

What's your opinion on this book/issue?

Deception by Lee Nichols

2010-10-14T10:34:00.000-04:00

This was one of my book club's picks and I'm glad we decided on it. My entire book club didn't agree with me, but I thought this was a fun, nostalgic read. I'll describe the nostalgia after I tell you (for those who don't know) what it's about:

Emma Vaile is visited by the mysterious Bennett - a smexy college boy from her past - who takes her, on her parents orders (while they're away on a "business trip"), to Thatcher Academy. Emma starts having memories and visions of the Academy, even though she's never stepped foot on it before. Yay, #ghoststory.

I think the reason I loved this book so much is because of Meg Cabot. Hear me out: a huge part of my childhood was filled with The Mediator books. They were one of the few series that I continued with and adored and read and reread while I was a preteen. Something about those books - the ghosts, the forbidden love, the plot twists and the hilariously awkward moments when the main character is trying to ignore an annoying ghost while in a roomful of people - made me hug them close.

And Deception reminded me of an older version of The Mediator series. There were a lot of differences; the buildup and society were completely unique. But it also made me nostalgic (which, in this case, is a very good thing.)

There's really nothing I love more than a good ghost tale, so I'm a little biased. But I really think this series has a lot to offer: suspense, humor, mystery, romance. I know I'll definitely be picking up the sequel.

Goodreads Giveaway

2010-10-12T23:54:00.005-04:00

I'm giving away a signed copy of my book, RAE, over on Goodreads.com. You can enter by clicking here and filling out the form.

It's really, really easy if you already have Goodreads - seriously, you just, like, click. And if you don't have it, it's easy to sign up. (Just takes a couple extra blank boxes.) And, in that case, regardless of whether you want to enter this contest or not, you should definitely sign up. It's a lot of fun; it's like facebook for readers. Win, win, win.

Anyway, I hope you enter! If you don't, I'll send the hellhounds on you. :) Happy reading, folks!

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

2010-10-11T07:44:00.000-04:00

Lisa is anorexic. She's also one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. One guess which. Yep: famine.

When I heard the premise of this one, I knew I had to have it. When I was at BEA, I asked a publicist if they had advanced copies: it was one of the books I needed to have. She said they didn't have any stocked but to check in the secret meeting rooms, which were behind ominous gray curtains. So I braved my way into the meeting rooms, where professional publicists were busy being intimidating and professional, and found the very last copy sitting thinly on the table. I put it in my bag and walked out of there with a big grin on my face. It felt very Sydney Bristow-y.

Now, I'm always worried about books with great premises. When a story idea is that amazing, the writer better damn well execute it or this reader will be overly unhappy.

In this case, Jackie Morse Kessler nailed it. Lisa was a very realistic teenager, which, while knowing the character is apocalyptic, wasn't something I expected. The relationship with her boyfriend was authentic and relative to YA contemporaries. But this is a fantasy book. And the mixture of realism and fantasy were mixed together perfectly. I found myself not only loving the worldbuilding but also how gritty and human the non-human characters were.

Also, her horse was kickass.

Basically, it was a fantastic book and I can't wait to read the sequel, RAGE.

Grace by Elizabeth Scott

2010-10-04T03:08:00.000-04:00

It's no secret I love Elizabeth Scott. You can read my review of The Unwritten Rule if you want to figure out just how much. The answer: a lot. Her writing flows, her characters scream, her words belt.

Grace was a little different than most of her other books, though. The main character is meant to die. She's an Angel - and not in the paranormal sense. She was born to be a bomb, or more technologically speaking, the holder of a bomb. A suicide bomber. That's who her society and family raised her to be. But Grace wants a name and a life for herself.

This was much more political than anything I've seen from Scott. I love how diverse her books can be, but at the same time I can see classic elements that define her writing. She usually writes in sparse prose that hits home. It's a unique kind of writing, and it's always been very effective to me.

Grace wasn't my favorite EScott. It might even have been my least favorite. That isn't saying I didn't like it; it's saying I didn't like it quite as much which, when relating to Elizabeth Scott, might mean I didn't like it quite as much as, say, breathing. Or coffee. (Those two apparently equate each other.) I still really enjoyed it. Mainly because it made me think.

This is a society that's fictionalized - sometimes described as dystopian - but is also very, very realistic. There are so many civilizations we don't even know or think about that have their own society and views on life. And some of them are dark. Cannibals, anyone? This book explores a civilization that believes in raising children to die: but that's all that civilization has known.

The main character goes against her society's beliefs and honor system for one reason only: she wants to live, above all other things. Is that selfish? You immediately want to answer no, right? But after the main character uses her bomb as a distraction, killing innocent people so she can escape, it makes you think again. And then think again.

One of the things I didn't like was that I couldn't connect with the characters, which is what I usually love most about Scott's books. It's hard to like a character in a realistic novel who has intentionally killed other people (yet somehow it's easier when they're a vampire : *cough* Damon). But at the same time, her situation was so desperate and tragic that you want to connect with and understand her. It was just harder for me to be sympathetic when I didn't relate or connect with a lot of what she said or did. It's such an estranged situation, but I greatly admire EScott for tackling it.

What I really liked about Grace were the questions it brought up. The main point of this book is something entirely important but also one that isn't delved into a lot in YA:

What is your life truly worth?

October Contest

2010-10-01T10:58:00.000-04:00

If you're a new blog reader, you might not know that I've been giving away $40 worth of your choice of books to one winner monthly. September went by too fast, so I'm doubling the ante this month.

For the month of October, you can win $80 worth of books of your choice! You can choose any you want, as long as it's $80 including shipping. (B&N gives orders over $25 free shipping, so that's a smart flippin' choice unless you want to support a local indie.) There are also stores that ship overseas, like Better World Books, so you can still enter if you don't live in the U.S.

As an added bonus, anyone previously a follower (before October) gets +1 entry! This is for all my loyal readers who rock in feather boas.

All you have to do is fill out the form below...good luck!

Loading...

I need YOU!

2010-09-30T23:44:00.003-04:00

I need your help.

I read a very great short story, titled The Dream Thief, by author Scott Tracey (Witch Eyes, Fall 2011)

I'm not usually a huge short story reader. And there's a reason for that, as exampled in Tracey's story.

I want more.

The world-building in this short piece is phenomenal and I think it would make a great novel. But Mr. Scott Tracey ~~whines~~ says he has too much "on his plate."

So I started a petition. And promised Scott Tracey 100+ signatures.

If you could read the story, which is short and fantastic, and sign the petition, I'll forever be in your debt! Really, it's something I probably would have posted about anyway because I think it shows a great example of world-building. Enjoy!

Blogging Break & I Need Your Opinion

2010-09-29T13:44:00.004-04:00

I'm taking a break from blogging this week to be sick. I caught a cold (I blame Twitter) and things are in my brain making my thinking process a slurred mess.

I'm also reading Plato. For one of my lit classes.

Colds and Plato don't go together well, let me tell you.

I'll be back this Friday to post an awesome contest and reviews will start popping up again on my regular schedule on Monday.

But since you're here, and I can't be smart enough to string together a review, I thought I'd ask your opinion.

I've posted a few author reviews the past few weeks: Paranormalcy reviewed by Carrie Harris, The Education of Robert Nifkin reviewed by Joan Frances Turner, Hex Hall reviewed by Wendy Delsol, and Lips Touch reviewed by Beth Revis. If you haven't read them, Author Review is a new feature I started around a month ago and I think it's been a lot of fun seeing what authors like to read. But I haven't gotten a lot of feedback from you guys. What do you think? Do you find it interesting? Should I keep it up? Are there any authors you'd like to see featured?

Your feedback would help me a ton. I've been trying to post two of my own reviews as well as one author review - as well as other bookish news - weekly, but it'd be a lot of help if you'd all tell me what you think and, more importantly, authors you'd like to see!

Whoever leaves a comment gets a cookie. I'll be hanging out in the comments section while I get over this nasty cold, so I'll (hopefully) see you there for discussion.

What author would you like to see review one of their favorite books? (And hey, if you ARE an author, let me know if you'd like to participate!) I'll do my best to contact whoever is mentioned.

Leave a Mark Auctions

2010-09-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

The Leave a Mark Auctions are back! The past couple of years, I've co-organized (alongside Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag, who honestly does most of the work) something I'm very proud to be a part of.

If you haven't heard about Leave a Mark, we auction off books marked up by the authors themselves. ALL of the proceeds go to First Book, an organization that provides low-income families with books. You can check out our specific page at firstbook.org/leaveamark if you'd like to donate, but to place a bid you can go to leaveamarkauctions.com!

Right now, we're auctioning off a copy of Prom Nights from Hell marked up by Meg Cabot, Lauren Myracle, and Michelle Jaffe. That means they wrote notes and blurbs within the book, which makes it one-of-a-kind : and all the proceeds go to a good cause. If you want to place a bid, just head to leaveamarkauctions.com, read the rules, and comment!

If you have any questions or you're an author possibly wanting to participate next year, email us at leaveamark@ymail.com

September's Contest is Nomadic

2010-09-23T23:55:00.000-04:00

If you're wondering what happened to September's monthly contest, it wandered off on me. I meant to lasso it, but my cowgirl skills aren't at their best.

So I'm going all or nothing. Really, I'm just doubling October's contest prize so the winner gets twice the epicness. But I'm still announcing August's contest winner, which is Caley - who wins $40 of her own choice of books. Caley, I've emailed you!

I'm off to Cincinnati for the Smart Chicks Kick it Tour, so I'll be back to tell you all about it. In the meantime, be ready for October's contest once it hits! The winner is gonna get a lot of books.

What books are on your to-buy list right now? Let me know in the comments. You might win them next month! Me? I'm placing an order for Sea by Heidi Kling, Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian, and Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupula. I'm craving some good contemporary.