Only one book this week, but it was a great one, and it was nice to hop back aboard the book-getting bandwagon as well. In fact, watch for a review coming very soon.
The Chosen One - Carol Lynch Williams
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.
Set for release by St. Martin's Griffin on May 12, 2009.
After conducting a couple interviews, it would appear that there is a general consensus in terms of advice for aspiring writers: read. So of course it comes as no surprise that most of us who write also love to read.
But does that also hold true inversely? Just out of curiousity, how many of you book bloggers out there also write (prose, poetry, song lyrics, journalism, diary entries, etc. anything at all)?
I've also been wondering (and the fact that I'm currently in the midst of The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams, may or may not have anything to do with it) some other questions, especially since a few days ago, a spam filter question on a contest asked something along the lines of if you could only choose one, who you rather have writing or reading?
I'd originally had a couple other concepts up for discussion, but alas, SAT cramming seems to really fry the brain. ;) It would be great to see what other people think of this.
Just to sum up, for those skimming, and feel free to interpret them however you like: ~Writers, do you all read? ~Readers, do you write as well? ~If you could only have one, reading or writing, which would it be/why? ~Anything else you'd like to add ;)
There wasn't an In My Mailbox post last week because I didn't get any books. :( Actually, I didn't get any books per se this week either, but as I did get some blog related (namely reading/photography) swag, I figured I'd share that instead.
Evernight Academy T-shirt *Picture from Zazzle: Evernight I won this in Claudia Gray's STARGAZER Contest #6, in honour of Stargazer's release (sequel to Evernight). *Thanks Claudia!
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Heart Pendant Awhile ago, Twist Tie came in first in the New Models category of a photography contest over at DeviantART, and I won this from Amy. Isn't it darling? You can check out more of her handmade jewelry at her Etsy store (Pretty Lemur). *Thanks Amy!
From New Line Cinema, starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, and Matthew Perry, comes17 Again . . .
What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell is a star on his high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlett and the baby he just learned they are expecting. Almost 20 years later, Mike's glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart, he has been passed over for a promotion at work, his teenage kids think he is a loser, and he has been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-techno-billionaire best friend Ned. But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, Mike may look 17 again, but his thirtysomething outlook is totally uncool in the class of 2009. And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.
Firstly, it's Zac Efron. Ahhhhhh! (Yes, this probably is part of the appeal that will probably have teenyboppers flocking to this movie.) That aside, definite kudos to the kid for portraying teen Mike O'Donnell beautifully - I was pleasantly surprised. Now, I do have to admit that when the movie started off with the cheerleaders' sequence and Mike (Zac) jumped in and started dancing along with them, I seriously feared for the rest of the movie. No. Really. Luckily, that one HSM reminiscent moment was just that - a slight glitch, if you will.
Zac has definitely picked the right movie to establish himself as an actor outside of the massive High School Musical franchise - a perfect combination of humour, teenage-ness, and seriousness. Leslie Mann's portrayal of Scarlett O'Donnell was credible and well done. Thomas Lennon - gosh, that guy was hilarious as Ned Gold.
In fact, the humour element was very well carried out throughout the film; lots of moments of barely contained snickering, even more moments of flat out laughing. Inject some adorable "aww" moments, and you've got 17 Again. Sterling Knight was quite the one to watch, in his role as Alex O'Donnell. Anyone else find his freckles adorable? ;)
The deja vu, oh the deja vu. Very cleverly incorporated scenes of past vs. present, for sure. Now, there were definite moments of cliche, awkwardly disturbing instances, and scenes that lacked realism - no way, did that really just happen? - or - pssh. As if. Yeah, right. - but if one is able to suspend disbelief long enough and just go along with flow without thinking too much, it works fine.
Overall, 17 Again is an enjoyable, light-hearted humourous watch with just a touch of contemplative elements. Rawr.
---Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.
The Let's Be Friends Award, also from the friendly Steph over at Hey, Teenager of the Year. Thank you, Steph!
So, I actually read Fade weeks ago, but as it was a for-fun read, I haven't gotten around to writing up a review until now. And yes - I broke down and read it without having read Wake first - I know, bad me - but maybe that'll offer a slightly different perspective. And I hadn't meant to - I was just going to take a quick peek, but then... well.
Fade - Lisa McMann For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both. Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared...
With Fade,Lisa McMann has achieved yet another Bestseller. And it's easy to see why. Diction choice is highly selective and effective - no extra words are wasted here. The choppy, fragmented sentences give a feeling of action, of things happening quickly, of being drawn in and carried along with the events as they're taking place.
Fade is written in present tense - not altogether shocking, a lot of books nowadays are - but it's third person present tense. And that blew me away. Somehow, despite that, McMann manages to captivate the audience's attention and offer a sense of immediacy with the characters. Double the accomplishment.
You know a writer's got skill when they recognize the rules, and bend those rules to their will - while still maintaining an effective narrative. Fragmented sentences from a unique perspective tell an enthralling tale in Fade. Characterization of Janie and Cabel was brilliantly done; a sense of immediacy was maintained throughout the majority of the novel. Although there were moments of hindrance due to the tense, these were minor and negligible. Captain is a well rounded, likeable mentor.
The suspense in Fade is simply masterful; so thick and viscous. Although there are certain aspects of the plot twists that could be predicted by more observant readers clearly watching out for foreshadowing, that doesn't really lessen the impact. The wait for vision to return, the loss of feeling in limbs...
It's all there; you just have to be willing to see it.
Plot was fast and action packed - and Janie is a very strong female protag; always a plus. It deals with real issues with credible characters, only adding to the realism. Fade is a suspenseful, chilling ride. Fade. Fantastic.
*Gone, the third book in the trilogy, is scheduled for release by Simon Pulse in February 2010.
Bad Girls Don't Die - Katie Alender Alexis Warren thought her life was a typical kind of dysfunctional - her parents have marriage troubles, she's having a hard time finding her niche in high school, and her thirteen-year-old sister Kasey has a creepy doll obsession.
After a bonding session with her little sister, Alexis's life sprials from typical dysfunctional to mysteriously dangerous. Kasey's erratic and unpredicatable behaviour is starting to get seriously freaky - random eye colour changes, odd old-fashioned laguage usage, and not remembering events. And why is the house acting so glitchy too?
Alexis wants to blieve it's all in her head, but when the inexplicable events turn life-threatening, Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey; but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?
In Bad Girls Don't Die,Katie Alenderhas spun a chilling tale. Alexis is an intriguing character - seemingly sterotypical at first, but after delving into her personality and throughout the course of the novel, she's animated, unique, and defies classification. A spunky rebel with pink hair and a flair for photography, her snarky and at times slightly sarcastic tone provides an amusing narration.
"To me, taking digital pictures is like finding something. But working with film is like making something." - Alexis Warren (Alender 88, ARC edition).
I don't know, Alexis - being one who works mainly in digital, I'd say that with post-processing and whatnot, digital photography can be making something too. ;) Alexis holds appeal, drawing in the reader with her quirky imperfections, making her all that more realistic. (That, and the fact that I've had pinkish/red hair at one point too.) In fact, I kind of wish I had the guts to go around sticking bumper stickers on the teachers' cars in the lot as well.
Overall, characterization throughout the novel was consistently beautifully done. Megan, Kasey, her parents - all hold attributes that we can all probably relate to, on some level at least. Carter is dreamy and a geniunely nice guy - the kind which [female] readers will definitely wish they knew, and [male] readers would want to be. Alender's impeccable skill in characterization definitely comes to light upon closer inspection of how her characters seem to fit the typical sterotypes at first - the cheerleader, the rebel misfits, the overachieving nice guy - but as the story progresses they come out of the woodwork and show how they transcend these flat classifications.
Personally I would have liked to see a big more sha-bam in the argument advertised in the teaser on the back of the book, a little more action in the climax, and a little more development in Carter and Alexis's relationship, but Bad Girls Don't Die manages to take on enough of a timeless quality that it's pretty much negligible.
Now, Bad Girls Don't Die - ghost story, right? Wrong. It's that, but it's also so much more. Sure, because of that paranormal aspect there are things involved that can't be avoided; but Alender has managed to put a unique spin on it through plot twists and beautiful characterization. Diction choice was well done, and credible. So what else is Bad Girls Don't Die? Well, it's definitely chockful of mystery. And this is definitely a well woven one - it keeps you guessing and tosses in red herrings - all in a setting that could very well be next-door.
With great flow, beautiful characterization and intriguing mystery, Bad Girls Don't Die is definitely an April release to be checked out. If you scare easily, unless you plan on finishing the novel in its entireity, I suggest not starting late at night. Whoosh. The book transcends classification as much as its characters transcend sterotypes - a brilliant debut for Alender.
*Bad Girls Don't Die will be released by Hyperion on April 21st, 2009.
The Received Bad Girls Don't Die - Katie Alender For review Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.
When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore? *ARC - Release Date: April 21, 2009 - Hyperion
The Bought The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Pretty self-explanatory - I'm sure most of you have already heard about this.
Well, I finally broke down and bought this. I'm glad I did; even the HB price was definitely worth it. Really looking forward to the sequel.
The Chrysalids - John Wyndham The Chyrsalids is set in the future after a devastating global nuclear war. David, the young hero of the novel, lives in a tight-knit community of religious and genetic fundamentalists, always on the alert for any deviation from the norm of God’s creation. Abnormal plants are publicly burned, with much singing of hymns. Abnormal humans (who are not really human) are also condemned to destruction—unless they succeed in fleeing to the Fringes, that Wild Country where, as the authorities say, nothing is reliable and the devil does his work. David grows up ringed by admonitions: KEEP PURE THE STOCK OF THE LORD; WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT.
At first he does not question. Then, however, he realizes that the he too is out of the ordinary, in possession of a power that could doom him to death or introduce h im to a new, hitherto unimagined world of freedom.
Anthem - Ayn Rand
Rand's protagonist, Equality 7-2521, describes a surreal world of faceless, nameless drones who "exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen." Alone, this daring young man defies the will of the ruling councils and discovers the forbidden freedoms that prevailed during the Unmentionable Times. In other words, he finds and celebrates the power of the self. In doing so, he becomes the prototypical Rand hero—a bold risk-taker who shuns conformity and unabashedly embraces egoism.
Inspired by Alea and Kristi . . .
