Falling for February #4

 For my February feature, I decided to focus on the holiday EVERYBODY cares about during this month - Valentine's Day! Every Saturday I'll pick one book or series, that, no matter how trashy, really put me in the Valentine's Day mood. And this week's choice is...

NOSTALGIA!!!!  Or, those books I read a million times but would never, ever admit to anyone's face that I'd read a million times.  Like all four Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants novels.  Okay, not great works of literary art, but nobody even wants to know how many times I've read them, especially the first and fourth ones.  Which is funny, because they're really not my kind of book, but I really identified with Tibby, Lena and Carmen.  Though mostly I was pissed at Tibby.  I mean, how could you end up with a guy like Brian and then BREAK IT OFF?!?!  I even cried during BOTH MOVIES.  So yeah, those bring back some serious memories.  Probably the first time I came close to remotely comprehending how stupidly difficult relationships are.  And probably the first time I fantasized about kissing a fictional character.  Though I can't remember whether or not this preceded Will from the His Dark Materials trilogy or not...

Or: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  OMG!  (Not that I'd ever, ever say that in real life.)  In the aforementioned depressing YA fiction post, I almost mentioned that generally, my cure for feeling sick-to-my-stomach depressed is to read and re-read this book until I feel better.  The binding on my 99 cent paperback copy I bought at Goodwill is now falling apart, so I generally go to the library to get my fix.  Fantasizing about Michael might have, perhaps, preceded fantasizing about Brian and Kostos.  Though, for the record, the film adaptations weren't my thing.

And then.  Gulp.  What chick lit nostalgia post would be complete without mentioning the ultimate of my decadent sins?  These novels used to sit on my bedside table to be read every night until I fell asleep for about three months of madness.  For three months of madness, *I dreamt of Edward.*  (Cue dramatic music.  Cue sparkle!)  These books still give me the weirdest combination of bad writing hives and romantic chills.  I eventually got past thinking that Edward Cullen was romantic and moved on to my current view that he's an immortal player (thanks for that theory Anya) and all-around creeper.  And Jacob Black's not that much better.  But still, on a down day, as long as it's not New Moon I confess to reading them.  Like...I've busted the binding on these ones too, kind of reading them.  I hate Bella for being such a pathetically mushy shell of a human being.  I hate Stephenie Meyer's REALLY CRAPPY prose, I hate the fact that NOTHING HAPPENS and I...well, on a literary level I hate pretty much everything about them.  Which might make my relationship with Twilight about as messed up as Bella's and Edward's.

So, now that I've confessed my February indulgences, what are yours?  Please comment and/or link to your posts with your answers! :D

A Reader to Writers: Depressing YA fiction

I read, on average, a book a day, and 85% of that is YA fiction.  (The other 15% is classic lit for school, adult lit the parents and grandparents pas on, and the occasional nonfiction book.  Not to mention the endless blog posts, Twitter feeds, web articles and magazines.)  So I figure I've read enough to give a little bit of advice on what I like and don't like in fiction.  Hopefully this will become a feature, when I run across a book that strikes me as particularly worthy of dissection...and today's post is about depressing YA fiction.

I just finished Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers, and now I am positively SWEATING over what kind of review I'm going to write.  Positive, negative, in the middle?  I mean, the writing was good.  The characters less than sympathetic, but good.  The voice was good.  The problem was that it was really, really depressing.  And not in a cathartic, cry-yourself-to-sleep way like Bridge to Terabithia or Tuck Everlasting.  No, it was the makes-you-reach-for-antacids kind of depressing, the kind that turns your stomach over and makes you feel like giving random strangers the finger, just because YOU.  ARE.  ANGRY.

I'm just going to reiterate that this is not a good feeling.  And unfortunately, it's familiar, because as much as I love Ellen Hopkins, her books do the same thing; make me feel hopeless and cranky and borderline suicidal.  Then I feel bad for feeling this way, because these are real issues and not to be ignored, right?  Right.  They are.  So I tell myself to buck up and deal, and there's no way that I'll quit reading them, because these people are amazing writers with amazing stories to tell.  And sometimes it's good if something pushes your boundaries, and galvanizes you into action.  I know that that's what The Diary of Anne Frank did to me and a lot of other people.

But I still wish...that these books weren't quite so depressing.  So that I could enjoy them a little bit more, and feel nauseated over them a little less.  So that I feel less like I was watching a train wreck and more like I was, you know, reading a good story.

And what this all boils down to, if you're a writer, is please try to give your readers a break every once in awhile.  By all means write about controversial subjects (actually, please do), but remember that even when life sucks, there's moments where it doesn't, and try to reflect that in your writing.  A little humor, warm fuzzy bonding, and/or fun goes a loooong way.  I guarantee you that I will thank you, and other readers will too.

P.S. - I'll be posting my full review of Some Girls Are sometime this week!

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
ISBN 9780385737425
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

Description from Goodreads:

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

I'd heard this book was amazing - I mean, heck, something that wins the Newberry Medal has to be at least kind of okay - but nothing could have possibly prepared me for just how amazing it turned out to be.  I don't think I've ever read a children's book that blends genres quite as smoothly as this one does, blurring the lines between so called *literary* and *adult* fiction so smoothly that you'd hardly know there were any lines at all.  I can't ever see growing out of this book, just like I can't ever see growing out of Madeleine L'Engle's books - which is fitting, considering the important role A Wrinkle In Time plays in this novel.

Miranda made the perfect protagonist: quiet, observant, yet with a strong voice, letting us into her head without overwhelming us with her opinions.  I liked that, because as we discussed on Twitter's #scribechat tonight, first person viewpoints can be distracting if not done well.  (By the way, if you like chatting with writers about writing, you should definitely join #scribechat.  Awesome bunch of people!)  And this first person viewpoint is definitely done well.  But it's not just Miranda who's well done: Every character, as minor as the dentist to as major as Miranda's mom, was bang-on fantastic. 

The one character I didn't like was Sal - he seemed like something of a loose end to me - but perhaps it's because the idea of a neighborly best friend bothers me, because I've never had one.  It's a recurring theme in children's/YA fiction, probably because it's a recurring theme in life, but I can't identify with it at all.  And, perhaps, the whole thing did tie up a little too neatly at the end.  (And I guessed at the end earlier than I would have liked.)

That's spoken, though, as a YA reader who likes the gritty stuff.  And there wasn't that much true grit here.  But, surprisingly, it does touch on a number of issues - from class differences to catcalling (sexism?) to racism - in an astounding number of ways, all without overstepping the bounds of juvenile lit.  All in all, it's spot-on to its target audience, and is a fabulous piece of general literature, as well.  In three words, I adored it.

The Final Verdict: In a different league than fiction at large.  Beautiful characters and beautiful writing that will appeal to kids (and teens, and grown-ups) of all ages!  Four and three quarters out of five stars.

Leviathan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
ISBN 9781416971733
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

 I did not understand the true meaning of "steampunk" until I read this book.  Somehow futuristic and nostalgic all at the same time, blending my favorite elements of historical fiction and sci-fi, I have definitely found a new  favorite out of Westerfeld's work so far!  (Though, to be fair, I haven't read Uglies.)  While it was pretty slow-moving the the beginning, which might put off some readers, this book's lovable characters and very funny trademark Scott Westerfeld dialogue kept me going until about halfway through, when Deryn and Alek finally meet and the story picks up.

The thing I really did find the most interesting about the book as a book, and not as a story, was that it was written by Scott Westerfeld.  Besides the humor, I honestly couldn't have told you who wrote it - the style is so mind-bogglingly different from his other books!  And even the humor was dialed back to 1914 style.  I mean, in both Peeps and So Yesterday we got the clueless-but-cute guy, girl-who-kicks-butt, a cool concept (especially in Peeps), and a snappy, fast-paced dose of New York.  There was none of that here!  Both Deryn and Alek broke the mold - though Deryn did kick a lot of butt.  Maybe it was that they were at fifteen younger than the majority of his protagonists, but I thought they were deeper, more complex, and more likeable characters than, say, Hunter, and maybe even more likeable than Lace.  Even if they didn't have as many snappy one-liners.  Or maybe because of that, because, in general, 15-year-olds do not come up with many snappy one-liners.  (Trust me.  I am one.  We just sit there and stutter at you until you take pity on us.)

And not to bring this down to a less-than-literary level, but I loved Alek.  Alek is the kind of boy that I would make an exception to my no-boyfriends-till-college rule for.  Intelligent, educated, and good with a sword.  And also a little bit clueless.  Hey, wait a minute.  Maybe Scott Westerfeld is staying true to form after all?  But seriously.  Everything about them seemed spot-on and entertaining, and I can't wait for the sequel, not just because it was a cliffhanger ending (though it is, if you don't like that sort of thing), but because I can't wait to spend more time in this world, with these characters.  Yay!  So now I'll have something else to read after Mockingjay comes out in August.  (I'm not sure, but I think Behemoth comes out sometime in October.)  Oh.  Other major bonus.  Not much serious romance to speak of!  It's nice to get a break, because it seems like in 99% of YA, romance is the focus, and occasionally guys and girls can just be, you know, friends?  The flirting wasn't over the top, perhaps because it is mostly one-sided.  Anyway, I liked that about it.  Though I do hope we pick up a little bit more in Behemoth.  Because I think Alek and Deryn would make a really, really sweet couple.  Don't you?

On a more literary level, the science and history in this was really cool, which is pretty typical of Scott Westerfeld, methinks.  Who else could've thought of such awesome creepy-crawlies as flechette bats and message lizards?  And Stormwalkers?  (Though when I pictured those, I kind of thought of those chicken-walker things from the original Star Wars movies.)  Not to mention Leviathan itself.  The illustrations, as well, made the entire book more enjoyable - their style just seemed to fit in perfectly with the book.  I spent a lot of time just browsing through those even after I'd finished reading.

In other words, if you're a fan of Westerfeld, you'll be surprised.  If you aren't, you'll probably be surprised anyway, because it's so different from 99% of the YA being published out there right now!  So either way "just get your hands on a copy and read it" would be my advice to you.  And how often do I say that?

The Final Verdict:  Way, way, way out of the mold for Westerfeld - but different is good!  Funny and kind-of-educational, with memorable characters and entertaining dialogue.  Read it!  Four and a half out of five stars.

Disclosure:  I received this book as a Christmas present (and am very late to review it).  I received no reimbursement for this review whatsoever, from neither the publisher nor the author, except the pleasure of reading it.  (See Disclosure in Accordance with FTC Guidelines)

Is Common Sense Media censorship?

It seems like all day today on Twitter, all I've been "hearing" about from authors is the potential censorship of Barnes & Noble's decision to post reviews from CommonSenseMedia.org on their website. And then I read this great post on Eve's Fan Garden, and another excellent post from Sassymonkey Reads.  And I like both their takes on the issue.  (I suggest you go over and read both posts right now, so that you understand what I'm talking about for the rest of this post.)

Now.  For my opinion.  I do not feel that Common Sense Media itself is censorship.  I feel that it could be used as justification by parents/educators to censor kids, but that the site itself does not promote censoring books, movies, or any other kind of media.  What I feel it does is promote healthy discussion between parents/guardians and kids/teens about what we're absorbing through the media, and whether or not it is a realistic portrayal of the real world. 

For the record, I use Common Sense Media, a lot actually, to judge whether or not I feel a movie is something I'm going to want to see, or want to wait on.  I do not believe that waiting to watch, read or listen to something is censorship, I believe it is waiting to absorb the full impact of something.  For example, I doubt an 8-year-old would take away anything good from Donnie Darko, which is now one of my favorite movies.  I know I wouldn't have.  Actually, I probably would have peed my pants, and I'd certainly be wondering if real teens and adults spoke and acted the way they do in the movie.  Now that I'm 15, I understand the humor, irony and deeper messages of the film, and love it.  (And yes, even though I'm a big girl now, I still almost peed my pants the first time I saw it.  Frank is pretty freakin' SCARY.)  I do not feel that *letting* an 8-year-old watch Donnie Darko or an equivalent film or novel is a blow against censorship.  I feel that it's robbing said 8-year-old of the ability to enjoy that film or book at the level it was meant to be enjoyed at.  You can only watch a movie or read a book for the first time once, and just like that losing-your-virginity thing everyone is always talking about, you'd better make your first time a good one.

That said, though, if an 8-year-old decides that they really, really, want to watch a movie or read a book - let's go with the example of reading a book now, considering that this is a book blog - I don't feel that it's within the rights of parents to absolutely forbid them.  As we all know, the forbidden fruit is generally the most tempting one.  So if you're using CSM to justify the fact that your child is FORBIDDEN from reading Harry Potter until they turn 9, 10 or whatever the site says, I feel that you are censoring your child and going against the mission statement of the site (which is "Sanity, not Censorship").  Maybe your child is more emotionally mature than most kids their age, and they actually are ready to handle HP?  In the end, that's their decision to make, not yours.  (With the exception of 5-year-old little brothers like mine who insist that yes, they really are ready for Donnie Darko. Nuh-uh.  Ain't happening.)

Unfortunately, I feel that the way the CSM ratings have been integrated into the B&N site is negative and does not accurately represent the mission of CSM.  In leaving the full reviews and positive categories like "Role Models" and "The Good Stuff" out, you are putting the "Things Parents Should Know" rating categories out of context and making CSM look like it really does promote censorship.  I hope that Barnes & Noble realizes this soon and decides to reformat the way the reviews have been integrated into the site.  But for now, let's get real, people - it's your choice whether or not to read those reviews, it's your choice whether or not to censor children, not CSM's.  Having those reviews on the site will probably not result in a drastic uptick in censorship and will definitely not result in a WWIII apocalypse, okay?  Reading a negative review might impact your view on a book before you read it, but in the end, it's your decision whether or not to read the book.  We're dealing with the same issue here.  Are negative reviews promoting censorship?  No, they're people exercising their First Amendment rights.  Let's not forget that Common Sense Media has those rights, too.

Sorry for the long rant...and please comment!  Do you feel that posting those ratings on B&N promotes censorship?  I want to know why or why not!  :-)

Eve's Fan Garden Bleeding Violet Giveaway!

 Eve's Fan Garden is giving away 5 copies of Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves!  Read their review here.  Shipping is free to winners within the United States, and you have until tomorrow to enter.  I haven't read this book yet, and it sounds fabulous, so heck yeah I'm entering!  And I think the cover's awesome.  Good luck everybody!  Check out the description below:

Love can be a dangerous thing…Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna’s tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home. But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

On the Web - 1000 Words a Day (and an update on the Giant Linger Giveaway!)

So, while browsing the web thinking I really should be writing but too antsy to start, I decided I needed a way to motivate myself.  And then, the amazing inkyelbows posted the link to this challenge:





Yes.  It has rocking badges in tons of different sizes (check out mine in the sidebar).  And it's motivating when I realize that some people actually do achieve that goal, six days a week.  I've averaged about 800 a day recently, but I'm determined to push that up to 1000 - anybody else game to join me?  (By the way, if you don't have as much time on your hands as I do, there's 250 and 500 word challenges as well.)  Click on the badge to find out more!

 And, after Maggie Stiefvater finished tallying the almost 3000 entries in her Giant Linger Giveaway, I found out that I won an ARC of Jackson Pearce's Sisters Red! (No ARCs of Linger and no copies of The Forest of Hands and Teeth or The Dead-Tossed Waves, but hey. I'm good with that.) Check out this description from Goodreads:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead. Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for. Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.

 Sounds fabulous to me!  And I love the cover.  (To find out if you won anything in the Giveaway - lucky you! - then you can read Maggie's post here.)  Check back tomorrow for my review of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld!

Gringolandia

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
ISBN 9781931896498
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

Description from Goodreads:

Daniel’s papá, Marcelo, used to play soccer, dance the cueca, and drive his kids to school in a beat-up green taxi—all while publishing an underground newspaper that exposed Chile’s military regime.  After papá’s arrest in 1980, Daniel’s family fled to the United States. Now Daniel has a new life, playing guitar in a rock band and dating Courtney, a minister’s daughter. He hopes to become a US citizen as soon as he turns eighteen.  When Daniel’s father is released and rejoins his family, they see what five years of prison and torture have done to him. Marcelo is partially paralyzed, haunted by nightmares, and bitter about being exiled to “Gringolandia.” Daniel worries that Courtney’s scheme to start a bilingual human rights newspaper will rake up papá’s past and drive him further into alcohol abuse and self-destruction. Daniel dreams of a real father-son relationship, but he may have to give up everything simply to save his papá’s life.

 This book.  Is.  Amazing!  Subtle character development, dialogue peppered with chileno slang and a powerful, moving plot makes for a book that plays like an indie movie on a screen for me.  Like Rabbit-Proof Fence and other stories of politics at less than their best, Gringolandia blends the microcosm and the macrocosm, Dan's story with Chile's; with short, gritty description and a beautiful ending.

Like said indie movies, though, I can't see it getting the readers it deserves. First of all, it fits less than perfectly into a niche; lost somewhere between YA and adult, literary and mainstream.  And secondly, the long Spanish passages and strong cultural flavor might turn off a casual reader.  I've spent the past six summers at a Spanish immersion camp where many of the counselors are from Chile and Argentina, so I held my own for most of the book, but occasionally I knew stuff was going over my head, and it was frustrating.

But if you can get past that, which I really hope a lot of people can, then what you find is an incredible, moving story that was not at all what I expected.  I found Dan and Courtney's relationship particularly interesting and very, very real, somehow a metaphor for Danielo's relationship with his country of birth.  And the political slur gringo (used in much of South America, referring to clueless Americans) took on a whole new, less offensive meaning in this novel, exploring Dan's relationship with himself - a chileno boy dating a pretty gringa, according to his father, almost as bad as a gringo himself.

All in all, if you can understand the politics, you'll enjoy this incredible novel from an incredible author - one I hope to read more from in years to come!

The Final Verdict: Difficult, but beautiful: a powerful taste of chileno culture and history.  Four and a half out of five stars.

Disclosure: I received this book (signed from the author) as part of a contest from Yay! Reads. Winning this book did not guarantee a positive review, and in no way other than the receipt of this book was I compensated for this review.  (See Disclosure in Accordance with FTC Guidelines)