In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme to share what books I have received this week. It is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

(Catching Fire looks like it is in my stack for this week but it isn't...there is a really tall stack of books behind the four I got this week)

From my online book club's secret exchange - I got: 

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie (Books of Faerie #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

And my latest Goodreads win: 

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

On My Wish List (11)

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Why it is on my wish list: I have already read a few glowing reviews for this book and I can’t wait to read it myself. I am excited about the blend of the historical and modern day fiction in one book.

From amazon: Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly's remarkable new novel, weaves together the lives of Andi Alpers, a depressed modern-day teenager, and Alexandrine Paradis, a brave young woman caught up in the French Revolution. While in Paris with her estranged father, a Nobel geneticist hired to match the DNA of a heart said to belong to the last dauphin of France, Andi discovers a diary hidden within a guitar case--and so begins the story of Alexandrine, who herself had close ties to the dauphin. Redemption and the will to change are powerful themes of the novel, and music is ever present--Andi and Alex have a passion for the guitar, and the playlist running through Revolution is a who's who of classic and contemporary influences. Danger, intrigue, music, and impeccably researched history fill the pages of Revolution, as both young women learn that, "it is love, not death, that undoes us."--Seira Wilson

Review: Bloodroot by Amy Greene

From Goodreads: Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power both to heal and poison, Bloodroot is a stunning fiction debut about the legacies—of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss—that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today.

The novel is told in a kaleidoscope of seamlessly woven voices and centers around an incendiary romance that consumes everyone in its path: Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with mysterious, haint blue eyes who grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain; her grandmother Byrdie Lamb, who protects Myra fiercely and passes down “the touch” that bewitches people and animals alike; the neighbor boy who longs for Myra yet is destined never to have her; the twin children Myra is forced to abandon but who never forget their mother’s deep love; and John Odom, the man who tries to tame Myra and meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together—only to be torn apart—as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds.

With grace and unflinching verisimilitude, Amy Greene brings her native Appalachia—and the faith and fury of its people—to rich and vivid life. Here is a spellbinding tour de force that announces a dazzlingly fresh, natural-born storyteller in our midst.

My review: I picked this book up off the new release section on a recent trip to the library because I loved the cover. Yes, totally guilty of judging a book by its cover! The story was interesting but the beginning dragged for me. There was too much jumping from one narrator to the next, not enough time to connect with any of the characters. About mid-point I finally connected enough to care and flew through the last half.

A story of wrong choices with lifetimes and generations that must pay for those decisions, this novel leads the reader through generations of love, lust and loss. At times I was very confused as to how everything/everyone was interconnected but the ending more than made up for it. Lackluster beginning, average middle and above average ending.

Grade: D

Beauty and The Beast

My 18 month old recently had eyelid surgery to correct ptosis (droopy eyelid) so we have been spending the last few days doing a lot of TV watching as she has been having troubles sleeping at night/nap. One of her new favorite movies is Beauty and the Beast.

I happen to like this Disney Princess movie best for a variety of bookish/general reasons.

1) The girl has to save the boy instead of the outdated boy saving the girl.

2) She wears clothes that cover her body and aren't flashy. Plus, she has her hair in a basic ponytail!

3) She is a book nerd, through and through!

4) She isn't afraid of being herself, even when others think she is odd.

5) She manages to fall in love with a beast/man who has one of the most amazing home libraries!

My book nerdishness even shines while watching kid's movies! If my daughter becomes obsessed with a Princess movie, I hope this is the one. :) Of course, I still have one remaining question after all my viewings of this movie, how does Mrs. Potts have a child so young? She looks to be a Grandma of Chip, not his Momma.

NanoWriMo - Decision Made

I'm going to do it...I'm going for 50,000 words in one month! Eek! I was just going to finish my current WIP but as I started doing a bit more detailed plotting and character development I realized that my existing 1,500 words might not be continuing on. As I worked on character development and plot, my characters started speaking more to me, including one who is now going to be a co-narrator with his wife. He wants to tell his own tragic ending.

I have forewarned you - November will be writing focused so I won't have many book reviews or other posts on here. I will try to use this blog as my update headquarters on how Nano is going though.

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme to share what books I have received this week. It is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I hauled in a mother load of books this week! Although, all but one came from the library book sale I went to yesterday. I was a bit disappointed with the selection but bought a few books on my TBR but not owned list, plus a few others! All 8 books for only $10! The Serpent's Tale was mailed to me via PBS from the same friend who sent me the first in that series last week.


Vision in White by Nora Roberts
The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood
Hitler Youth by Michael H Kater
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin

On My Wishlist (10)

On My Wish List was started by Book Chick City and is a weekly share of the books I want to add to my personal library. They can be new, soon-to-be released or already released books.

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

Why it is on my wishlist: I love Stephen Hawking for a variety of reason including his obsession with science and his resilience. I have almost bought this book about ten times already and probably won’t hold out the next time. This is one of the books I want to buy in hardback because it will be passed to my husband, my parents and my brother to read.


From Amazon: How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? Over twenty years ago I wrote A Brief History of Time, to try to explain where the universe came from, and where it is going. But that book left some important questions unanswered. Why is there a universe--why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why are the laws of nature what they are? Did the universe need a designer and creator? It was Einstein’s dream to discover the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything. However, physicists in Einstein’s day hadn’t made enough progress in understanding the forces of nature for that to be a realistic goal. And by the time I had begun writing A Brief History of Time, there were still several key advances that had not yet been made that would prevent us from fulfilling Einstein’s dream. But in recent years the development of M-theory, the top-down approach to cosmology, and new observations such as those made by satellites like NASA’s COBE and WMAP, have brought us closer than ever to that single theory, and to being able to answer those deepest of questions. And so Leonard Mlodinow and I set out to write a sequel to A Brief History of Time to attempt to answer the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The result is The Grand Design, the product of our four-year effort. In The Grand Design we explain why, according to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence, or history, but rather that every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously. We question the conventional concept of reality, posing instead a "model-dependent" theory of reality. We discuss how the laws of our particular universe are extraordinarily finely tuned so as to allow for our existence, and show why quantum theory predicts the multiverse--the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. And we assess M-Theory, an explanation of the laws governing the multiverse, and the only viable candidate for a complete "theory of everything." As we promise in our opening chapter, unlike the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life given in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the answer we provide in The Grand Design is not, simply, "42."

Mothers & Other Liars - Book Tour, Stop #7

Check out Amy's review of Mothers & Other Liars by Amy Bourret. She gave the book 4 stars.

Review: If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

From Goodreads: What if you had everything:

A gorgeous boyfriend who was madly in love with you?

Quirky hip parents who totally got you?

A musical talent that could take you anywhere?

What if your biggest problem in life was choosing which path to take?

Follow your first love--music-- to New York City?

Or stay with your boyfriend, friends, and family?

What if one day, you went out for a drive...

And in an instant everything changed?

What if suddenly all the other choices were gone?

Except for one--the only one that truly mattered?

What would you do?

A sophisticated, layered, and heart achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands. Summit Entertainment has rights to 'If I Stay' for the movie.

My review:  I picked this up at Barnes and Noble because I had seen it reviewed on a few blogs and it sounded intriguing. Well, it was intriguing but in a way I had not imagined. After reading the first chapter I wanted to throw the book and run away because I didn’t want to find out how it ended. I was terrified that it would be a horrible ended and that filled me with a sense of dread that left a lump in my stomach. I pushed through to finish it, crying at my desk at work. That’s right, big crocodile tears falling on my stapler and two-hole punch. Talk about embarrassing, I even had the sniffles going on too!

Mia is an average girl, with a better than average shot at Julliard with her cello skills. Her parents are more than eccentric, so unique I don’t have a word for them. They were hippie rock and roller’s who had a kid and then decided to have another. They have tamed their wild ways but they are still very musical and unique. I loved them both for their hilarious parent-child relationships and comments. Her relationship with her brother Teddy, is a great characterization of a common brother-sister relationship, endearing one moment and annoying the next.

Given the chance to control her destiny, Mia is faced with living as an orphan or ceasing to live at all. What is written as a heartbreaking look at what life is, who family is, and what life can become is an emotional rollercoaster of life and death. My heart broke over and over, imagining being in her place realizing all that she has lost. It is so easy to allow loss to cloud the future. How can you imagine the future without those you love? Every plan you envisioned for the future is no longer applicable as those you planned to share it with are no longer there. There was one moment in particular that just had me sobbing, one moment of clear realization of loss and tragedy that will bring anyone with a heart to tears.

This is a book that will stay in your head and heart for a while, popping up to remind you of the deep reality of life and how some things are not as awful as we think. A stressful day perhaps, or running late in the morning are only limited experiences. You still have time to change them into happy moments!

Grade: A

Guest Post: Heather Wardell

Heather Wardell has graciously offered to appear on Life is Short. Read Fast. with some amazing NanoWriMo and writing tips. 

Please check out my review of her book, Planning to Live here! 

Thanks again Heather for all of your insight and amazing suggestions for NanoWriMo! 

___________________________

As November approaches, the minds of many writers and

planning-to-be-writers turn to NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing

Month, in which people worldwide take on the challenge of writing

50,000 words in a month.

And make no mistake, it IS a challenge. I write faster than that now

when I'm doing a first draft (last week I finished a 68,000 word

manuscript that took me twenty-six work days) but I've spent five

years building up to that level. I did the very first draft of my

first novel, "Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo" in a personal

NaNoWriMo in May 2005, and while I finished (just) it wasn't easy.

Here are some tips to help you make it through and complete your

50,000 words.

1. Plan ahead.

Some writers are plotters, and some are "pantsers", flying by the seat

of their pants through their book. I started as a pantser but am now a

committed plotter because I have seen how much faster and easier the

first draft becomes. If you're not the plotting type, at least take

time before November 1st to think through the story so you won't get

stuck 10,000 words in on a huge complication you can't solve.

I use and hugely recommend the Snowflake Method for planning a novel,

which can be found at

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php and helps you

go from "it's something about a woman whose husband goes away for a

month" to a fully realized novel.

2. Be reasonable.

You will need to average about 1667 words a day (including weekends)

to reach your 50,000 words. If your schedule is so packed that you

have only an hour a day, then use that hour to the best of your

ability and be happy with however many words you get. Even reaching

25,000 in a month is an accomplishment and it'll help put you in a

writing habit that can continue into December and the months to come.

Related to this, clear everything unessential from your schedule for

November. Writing a novel is lots of fun but lots of work too, and

trying to squeeze it into five minute gaps here and there makes it

even harder. Nice big blocks of uninterrupted time let you get into

the flow of writing.

3. No getting ahead, no getting behind.

Getting behind is self-explanatory... the fewer words you write today,

the more you'll need tomorrow. Do everything in your power to stick to

your plan. However, if you're on fire today and write 3000 words, that

doesn't change tomorrow's plan. Write the same amount you would have,

and take the extra words from today as a bonus. It's better not to get

into a "I'm ahead so I can slack off" mindset.

4. No editing. YET.

Even with a detailed plan, I find my books change direction as I write

the first draft. I think it's just part of getting to know the

characters and understanding what they want and need. However, I leave

those changes of direction in the first draft. Move forward as if the

early stages are going in the right direction. Make notes on what

needs to be changed but don't go back and edit. Especially in

NaNoWriMo, you can't spare the time.

5. It's not done when November's done.

This is the other half of #4. Don't assume it's done because you

reached the 50,000 word goal. It WILL need editing. It may well need

another 30,000 words or so of explanation and subplots and character

development. That's fine. Just don't send it to a literary agent or

self-publish it on December 1st. You may have made great dough, but

it's not baked yet.

6. Props are good, but not if you can't write without them.

I listen to the same music every time I write. (The album is "Colour

Healing" by Llewellyn, great instrumental music.) Hearing the first

song instantly gets me into writing mode. However, I can write without

it. I've gone to Starbucks to write and forgotten my headphones, and

while I miss the music I can still work. A particular sweater, a

favorite pen, the same tea every time... anything that gets you in the

writing mood is fine but be careful not to be over-reliant (or to

spend hours setting up "the perfect environment").

7. Don't type garbage.

Some people recommend typing basically anything that crosses your mind

to keep your word count up. "This book stinks, but I can't do anything

better, and did I remember to turn off the coffee pot?" My problem

with this is that you'll know it's not real. Your word count may go

up, but inside you know it doesn't count.

What I DO recommend is letting your characters chat if you're stuck.

You don't want your final book to include unnecessary dialogue, but if

you're staring at the screen trying to get two people to reach a

particular point, why not type out everything they might be thinking

or wishing they could say to each other? You may well find an insight

you didn't know you needed.

8. If you're a joiner, join groups. If not, find ways to support yourself.

I am not much of a group joiner. Some people love it, though, love the

camaraderie and the chatting and the support of thousands of people.

If you love it, join. The NaNoWriMo site (www.nanowrimo.org) has

groups for various cities so you might even be able to hang out in

person.

As a non-joiner, you still need support. You just have to get it on

your own, through a friend or two or a supportive family member or

even through just remembering that you want to do this.

9. Don't let any ideas escape.

Keep something with you at all times to record ideas and thoughts. I

have a voice recorder by my bed and take other notes on my iPhone. You

may think you'll remember that great new plot twist, but from bitter

experience I can tell you that you might not and you'll feel horrible

about it. Record it, on paper or electronically or however you want,

and then you can't lose the one thing that might make your novel work.

10. Attitude is everything.

It's almost guaranteed that at some point you will think, "This book

stinks." I have just finished my ninth first draft (not all of these

books will see the light of day) and I have thought each of them

smelled like unwashed socks at multiple points. You've just got to

keep going. You can fix it in editing, and it may turn out it doesn't

NEED to be fixed. With a little distance everything is clearer. Don't

let a momentary feeling of frustration or unhappiness with the book

make you quit.

Also, believe that you'll reach the 50,000 word goal but don't beat

yourself up if you don't. Writing is its own reward if you let that

happen, so enjoy the time with your book and your characters. Do put

in the time, because it can't happen any other way, but if you don't

reach the goal because other things got in the way accept that and

plan to do better next time. (If you don't reach the goal because YOU

got in your own way, then I say start again December 1st, and January

1st, until you get to where you want to be.)

Before writing my "NaNo" book in May 2005, I read a book by the

founder of NaNoWriMo. Chris Baty's "No Plot? No Problem" is a great

guide to writing at speed and not letting the internal editor get in

the way. There's even a button printed in the book for you to push to

take away the internal editor. Yes, I pushed it. And it worked. :) I

recommend the book, especially if you're new to writing.

Have a great November and enjoy NaNoWriMo!

Bio: Heather Wardell has been writing full-time since 2005, after careers

in software development and elementary school teaching. In her spare time, she reads, runs, crochets, swims, and plays drums and clarinet. While it would be entertaining, she hasn't managed to do more than two of these things at once. She has four novels available now, including one for free download, which can be found at http://www.heatherwardell.com

Ban This! Complete Wrap Up

I completed the Ban This! Challenge from Steph Su . I read the following books and included information on why the book was challenged or banned. After this exercise, I still don’t get challenging or banning of books. I love that this challenge exposed me to new wonderful books including some that have now been added to our home library! Here are the books I read:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme to share what books I have received this week. It is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death #1) by Ariana Franklin


I received this book via a friend of my online book club through PBS. She is also sending me the second in the series! I can't wait to read them, she loved them and I have a feeling I will too!









Sandman Slim with Bonus Content by Richard Kadrey

I downloaded this book from Barnes and Noble for my nook. It was this week's Free Friday Book they do each week. It sounded decent...and free!

On My Wishlist (9)

On My Wish List was started by Book Chick City and is a weekly share of the books I want to add to my personal library. They can be new, soon-to-be released or already released books.

Port Mortuary (A Scarpetta Novel) by Patricia Cornwell
To be released: November 30, 2010

Why it is on my wishlist: I follow Patricia Cornwell on twitter (and so should all her fans!) and when she tweeted that this book was written in first person, I almost fainted! I am beyond excited to be back in Scarpetta’s head and think this will be the cure for my lackluster interest in the series the past few books.

From Amazon: Port Mortuary, the title of Patricia Cornwell's eighteenth Scarpetta novel, is literally a port for the dead. In this fast-paced story, a treacherous path from Scarpetta's past merges with the high- tech highway she now finds herself on. We travel back to the beginning of her professional career, when she accepted a scholarship from the Air Force to pay off her medical school debt. Now, more than twenty years and many career successes later, her secret military ties have drawn her to Dover Air Force Base, where she has been immersed in a training fellowship.

As the chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, a joint venture of the state and federal governments, MIT and Harvard, Scarpetta is confronted with a case that could shut down her new facility and ruin her personally and professionally.

Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

From Goodreads: Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie's YA debut, released in hardcover to instant success, recieving seven starred reviews, hitting numerous bestseller lists, and winning the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

My review: This is a story of identifying, and the struggles that all people face in finding their place in the world. Junior has always lived on the Reservation, but never had many friends. He attributes this to a brain injury that left him with an abnormally large head, among other disabilities. As he recounts his struggles as a boy, he presents his pain nonchalantly, as if he were giving a casual shrug as he lists off the torment. In his heart, he felt the pain and he continues to feel the pain as the treatment of his classmates continues. His only friend is a super tough and rough boy, Rowdy. Rowdy’s childhood is broken also but from within the family at the hands of his alcoholic father. Junior decides he wants more from his education experience and decides to transfer from the Reservation school to a local school off the Reservation. In that decision, he becomes even lower on the social chart, he becomes a traitor.

As he struggles to fit into a new school amongst the usual teenage challenges, he is also trying to figure out who he is, white or Indian? Both? Neither? As he tells stories of the Indian life and their ever present battle with alcohol you begin to see what he is fight for and against. He is desperate to break the cycle of poor, alcohol obsessed Indian who meets a much too early death but he feels a constant pull at his heart strings from his family and their way of life.

One of Junior’s interests is drawing and sketching. He uses his pencil as a means of telling stories when he can’t find the right words or can’t tell the story as it should be told. These drawings are littered through the pages of the book, providing an insight into his heart and mind. As in many cases for many people, art helps them tell their story and convey their feelings.

Grade: B

This book has been challenged in the Stockton Missouri School District and just recently a ban was upheld, keeping this from the school’s library. The original complaint referenced the high school level, and raised concern over the language and sexual content. Once again, I don’t understand people’s singular focus on words on the page, rather than the entire message of the book. It was a well-written coming of age novel with a deeper internal conflict over identity and culture. The language and sexual content was in line with most teenagers coming of age, nothing explicit or obscene.

Guest Post: Elizabeth Rosner and a GIVEAWAY

I reviewed Blue Nude yesterday on the blog and today I am excited to share an interview with Elizabeth Rosner! And as if this weren't enough, I have one copy of Blue Nude to giveaway to one lucky winner! The giveaway will be open until October 28, 2010. (Normal rules apply - see separate section at the top of the blog)
------------------------------------

What inspired the idea of Blue Nude?

• BLUE NUDE was originally inspired by my participation in a project called ACTS OF RECONCILIATION, led by psychotherapist Armand Volkas. Bringing together descendants of Nazis with descendants of Holocaust survivors, this process allowed both sides of the so-called Second Generation to share our painful legacies. Many of the stories touched me so deeply that I wanted to explore them further in my writing. At the same time, the characters of Danzig and Merav returned me to my musings on the subject of creativity. Having been an artist's model many years ago, and always feeling fascinated by the encounter between artist and muse, I discovered that this particular German/Jewish relationship could allow me to focus on both of these themes: reconciliation and the creative process.

Are you artistic outside of the art of writing?

• I love to dance and sing. I dabble with painting and collage. In many ways I believe that everything I do, including teaching and decorating my home, can be an opportunity for being "artistic."

How do you tackle character development? Do you let the characters become themselves while you are writing or do you have an outlined plan from the beginning?

• My characters often seem to exist quite independently, as though they are waiting for me to interview them and find out more about their inner lives. I might have glimpses of where they are going in "my version" of their story, but it's not uncommon for them to surprise me along the way and force a change of plans (not that I do outlines). That kind of revelation is actually quite delightful for me.

What is one writing quirk that you have that your readers aren't aware of?

• Occasionally I confess to readers that my writing "day" can be as brief as 30 minutes. It's embarrassing to admit, but my attention span is ridiculously short, and I have learned to grudgingly accept my limitations. Eventually, I do accumulate enough pages to make a novel, but this is probably a good explanation for my slowness in writing full-length books.

What is your current favorite book to recommend?

• My current favorite novel is THE SEA by John Banville. It's word perfect.

Review: Blue Nude by Elizabeth Rosner

From Goodreads: Rosner tells the story of a German artist and his Israeli model, the moral implications of their relationship and the lasting impact of the Holocaust.

My review: Rarely comes a book so beautifully written that you feel as if you are reading the textual version of a breathtaking painting. This book is that type of book, lyrical prose pregnant with deep emotions and meaning. The main characters carry within them pain and sorrow, some that has been passed down from the choices their parents made long before they were even born.

This novel is a story of labels, accents and the struggle of identifying with the past. Both, Danzig and Merav had childhood's marred by loss and abuse. The Hitler world dominated both of their lives in different ways, but both felt the lasting pain that was left behind. Both attempted to escape through art, using their chosen mediums as therapy. The way that art is woven through the pages and into the fibers of Danzig and Merav is an art within itself. Everything is described as an artist would see the story, full of vivid imagery. The ending left me with a touch of desperation but with a overwhelming feeling of hope.

Grade: B

Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

From Goodreads: "Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

My review: A story of heartbreak, of teenage emotions dealing with adult tragedies, and of friendship and love. Dealing with the death of a loved one is hard for anyone to handle, but for teenagers it is even harder. They are emotional immature and still find themselves invincible so when reality lands in their laps, they are unsure what to do. They run. They run to adults who can be lost in their own pain so deep they aren’t helpful. They run away from the pain, to something, anything that makes them happy or at least eases the whole in their heart. They scream for someone to hear them.

Having been a teen that lost three classmates while in high school, including the first boy I kissed who committed suicide, I speak from experience. I know the pain, the emotional overload that you can’t quite figure out. Suicide, car wrecks and illness took those boys from my world but they left lasting impressions. Dealing with those impressions are hard, as Frankie and Anna found out.

So many of their happy memories involved Matt so how do you move on from that? Every song you sang the lyrics to together, every birthday party you shared and every moment in the backyard from childhood to high school is now tainted. They wanted to forget, but yet remember because if you forget was it ever really true? Was Matt ever real and the relationship he shared with Anna? Her secret buries her in silence and she suffers without anyone knowing the true extent of her pain.

I loved the teen’s whole premise of their trip to California, getting Anna to lose her virginity. It was the perfect task, in line with their age and the emotional state they were in. While this book has been challenged/banned because of the “loose” handling of virginity, I think it is realistic to teens. I know my friends talked like this and about losing it. It was somewhat of a stature type thing. That said, not everyone was rushing out the door to sleep with someone either. Anna struggled with the actual decision to have sex, feeling an array of adult emotions one might find after losing a spouse. She had no one to converse with these conflicting thoughts because of her promise.

The ending was real, it was typical teenage girl fight but with the right amount of heavy weight related to death, pain and hurt. Lies, drama and pain combined with sun, sand and boys made a terrific book that was heartbreakingly honest but also uplifting.

Grade: A

Wesley Scroggins also mentioned this book in his recent book banning blitz attack. He rants "drunken teens end up on the beach, where they use their condoms to have sex." Why did he need to add the part about condoms? Is he against safe-sex? Is he really living in a world where teens don't have sex? I live in the same state that he does and I can tell you, he is WRONG! Once again, he opens his mouth and nonsense pours out.

Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Goodreads: Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute: Andy Evans. He's a senior at Melinda's high school, and Melinda hasn't been able to speak clearly since he raped her at the senior party last August. Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice and loudly confronts her rapist, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

My review: I started and finished this book in one evening. This is not a negative reflection of the book, but a positive, I-couldn't-put-it-down reflection. This is a story that needed to be written, that must be read and must be discussed. Buried deep within the novel is an act that happens far too often, personal shame for something that isn't their fault and the subsequent depression, despair and losing oneself in that shame. Speak is a novel of great travesty, a rape that seals the lips of the victim, who is then cast out by misunderstanding and fear.

The character progression and plot were well-paced and brought the reader along Melinda's downward spiral with an emotional connection. I wanted to scream when she couldn't! I wanted to shake her parents by their shirt collars to make them see what was happening. Most of all, I wanted the truth to come out!

The art teacher, Mr. Freeman, was an amazing character not only is his assistance with Melinda's emotional journey, but in his own journey. He was well-written, as a person with struggles that he uses art to help overcome. He was more than a teacher with test scores on his mind, he was an artist with his heart on his sleeve that made him connect with his students.


Grade: A

The fact that this novel is being challenged in my own state makes me want to throw up! In this article, Wesley Scroggins rants about sex education and the things teenagers are reading in books. He completely overlooks the point of Speak. He says: In high school English classes, children are required to read and view material that should be classified as soft pornography." The next paragraph goes on to discuss Speak. Seriously, the guy is using the classification of soft pornography in the same article as Speak?


This novel is not about sex, it is about abuse! It is about rape! It is a book that every teen should read, and one that every parent should read! Speak is about something that should be discussed often, not hidden away behind the uncomfortable topic of sex. So please, read this yourself, read this to your teens so we can give a voice to those who have been wronged rather than allowing their silence to continue!

On My Wishlist (8)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. I list a few of the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

This one has been on my TBR list for a long time but I keep putting off buying it or getting it from the library for some reason. It looks really funny. Maybe I am afraid it will make me green with envy since I didn't do the summer camp thing? I am not much of a camper and even though the idea sounds like a lot of fun, in actual application, I'm thinking I wouldn't have a good time at all! :)

Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies by Roger Bennett, Jules Shell

Dear Former Campers,

Do you recall your glory days at summer camp as some of the best months of your life? Was your camp experience

*OK
*fun
*bunktastic! ...more Dear Former Campers,

Do you recall your glory days at summer camp as some of the best months of your life? Was your camp experience

*OK
*fun
*bunktastic!

When you think about camp, what are your best memories?

*singing "If I Had a Hammer" around the campfire
*winning color war two years in a row
*getting to third base with your camp crush

Open Camp Camp and head back to the one place on earth where appropriated Native American terminology, competitive sports, social heirarchy, and libido-soaked nights lived in wholesome harmony. Here is your trip down memory lane, a trip so beautifully illustrated and fully remembered that you can almost smell the pine of the cabins when you open the pages.

Camp Camp is a love letter to camp, a chance to relive every Champion sweatshirt-wearing, accidental-bed-wetting, sky-hook-wedgie-receiving, tie-dye-making golden moment via hundreds of photographs and stories straight from the source, including tall tales from AJ Jacobs, Rachel Sklar, Paul Feig, David Wain, Jamie Denbo, and Rodney Rothman.

Do you miss...
*camp friendships
*camp freedom
*camp fun

If so, then Camp Camp is your one-way ticket back to this magical world in which Fantasy Island met Lord of the Flies.

Review: Planning to Live by Heather Wardell

From Goodreads: Determined to lose weight for her best friend's wedding, goal-obsessed Rhiannon flees her parents' Christmas Day feast to avoid overeating but her car skids off the deserted road into a tree. Trapped and bleeding, with her cell phone out of reach, she struggles to escape, and to accept that she's spent her whole life planning but hasn't ever really lived. Will she get the chance to change that?

This is one of those books that spoke, no yelled, at me and my personality. I am a planner, I love spreadsheets and goals and sometimes I obsess to the point of missing out on the joy of the thing/event. I have a quote on my desk at work about enjoying the journey, not just the destination. All of this said, I found myself identifying with Rhiannon from the first page. This book was full of heart break but combined with hope and love. Through death and moving on we discover new things about the world and about ourselves. While this book dealt with heavy topics, it was also fun and flirty. Andrew and Rhiannon were creative characters who embraced their inner nerd but also showed that every person has different angles and interests. I loved the development of their relationship and all the fun, cute uncertainties they experienced together. 

The story is told in rambling flashbacks and momentary splurges of emotion but this doesn't take away from the tone and feel, but rather adds to the realism of Rhiannon's car crash situation. The story flowed as one would think stuck in a wrecked car unable to call for help or rescue herself. It was back and forth, both in time and place, as well as, emotionally. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it was unexpected and expected...all at the same time. 

Grade: B 

Heather Wardell will be making an appearance on the blog next week with great information on writing, including NanoWriMo tips!  

Library Book Sale Disappointment

Last weekend I thought I would check out the Kansas City Public Library’s weekly book sale. This isn’t my primary library, I only use them for e-books as we have a local separate library system much closer to home. I had high hopes, previous book sales for other library systems I have been to yielded amazing results. The KCPL has a weekend library sale the first Saturday of the month May through October, so maybe this being the last sale of the season had something to do with it but it was pathetic. The books, DVD’s and CD’s were displayed on around 2 tables. That was it. I did however get 5 books – 2 for Sammie for 50cents each and 3 for me bringing my total up to $3.50. In late October a much bigger library book sale is happening and if my daughter’s eye lid surgery goes well that week, I plan to spend some serious time enjoying crazy book bargains!

To Nano or Not…That is the question

I signed up for NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a few weeks ago and am already second guessing myself. I have my work in progress already on the burners but a few ideas flew into my head after hearing a few particular songs on the radio recently that I was thinking of using for Nano. Yet, I still need to finish my WIP. So I feel torn, a back and forth tug-of-war in what I should do. Technically Nano rules indicate that your novel should be new, nothing existing writing when it starts on November 1st. I am thinking of being a rebel and finishing my WIP (I only have a few thousand words written) and just not counting myself a winner (should I even get that far) until I hit 50,000 plus what I have already written. Is that cheating too badly? 

Just when I start thinking I will be a rebel and finish my WIP I find myself lost in a cloud of self doubt. Is it really even worth it? I enjoy writing but never make time for it, which is what I hoped Nano would do for me – force the writing to the front for a little bit. But what falls off the to-do list in order to accommodate that? As a mom and wife, homeowner and full time employee my life is pretty full and I don't want to give up a lot of family time, nor do I have extra time off work and we are hoping to sell our house sometime next year so we are working on getting the house sell-ready. Priorities are jumping all up and down demanding my attention. Plus, there is this blog. I love this blog! I do it for me but would I someday like a bigger following, sure. That requires work though…and I am not sure if I want to put the time and effort in to that. Ugh – basically I have too many dreams and they are too lofty. I daydream about being a great book blogger but I also dream about being an author. Both require a ton of work and neither is a guaranteed win. I am feeling the conflict right now mainly because I have so many books to read on my shelf but knowing that Nano will really take away my reading time. Do I sacrifice some reading/book time to give my writing a chance? Writing that sentence screams at me. "Yes, you have to attempt" but then my nearly automatic response is do I need Nano to do that? Do I really need to set this huge goal or do I just need to change my thinking? Schedule a night a week to write instead of read? I know both things require sacrifice but I have to decide if it is worth it. Can anyone hear the thoughts and questions pinging around in my head because they seem REALLY loud to me! 

Ok, I am going to stop this confusing therapy session here since you aren't being paid but would love any comments or advice that your writers and readers might have for me.

September 2010 Wrap Up

September was a good month for me reading wise with 11 books read, but off from my last few months high. Mostly this is due to taking a much needed family vacation during which I didn't read much.

Flowers for Algernon by Keyes, Daniel

A Separate Peace by Knowles, John

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Haddon, Mark

Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune, #1) by Johnson, Christine

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Meacham, Jon

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Wall, Elissa

The Heretic's Daughter by Kent, Kathleen

The Audacity of Hope by Obama, Barack

Breathless by Koontz, Dean

Her Fearful Symmetry by Niffenegger, Audrey

Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut, Kurt

On My Wishlist (7)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. I list a few of the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

In honor of Banned Books Week - Today I will feature a book on my wish list that has been banned or challenged. I am all about getting the word out there that censorship is an ugly perverted means of control.

In 2004, the 10th of the top 10 challenged books was, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. I never had to read this in high school but Brett, my husband, did. Since he found out that I haven't read it he has been pushing me to read it. He said it was very good and for a person who wasn't much of a reader until recently, that means it made a deep impact on him to be remembered so many years later.

Reasons for the challenge include: offensive language, racism, and violence. Are these things not on at least one TV show every night in primetime or on many (if not most) of the teen video games that are popular right now?