To be honest, one of the things that inspired me to resume writing this blog was the frequency with which I was getting asked my opinion about the new Hunger Games movie. So, that is where I am starting. And this way I can say it once and for all and then not have to repeat it! :-)
I read the entire Hunger Games trilogy over the course of four days last spring. I admit to loving young adult literature and had been meaning to look into this trilogy for awhile, having heard what a stir it is causing. So, when I saw it listed on the required reading for my English Teaching Methodology class that quarter, I was extremely pleased. And I was not disappointed.
If you have not read the series yet, just go ahead and do it. It is going to be one of those icons of our time, like Twilight and like Harry Potter before that. And it is a little closer in general appeal to the latter than the former in that there is a lot more action and a lot less romance. So there is definitely appeal to a wider audience.
I often get asked if adults would like it even though it is YA lit. My response: it should only barely be YA. In fact, I hesitate to recommend it to kids, although I was not surprised that almost every seventh grader in my classroom this year had read it. This series is intense and often violent. I won't lie, it took a four hour walk and some rum to recover after I finished the third book. Intense.
But this isn't a review of the books. The people asking my opinion have all read the books and if you like to read enough that you are here, you probably have too. This is about my feelings on the movie.
So, what I have failed to mention is that in my year long absence I have also returned to another passion of mine: acting. I resumed training last spring and have been doing some filming on various Indie projects through the fall and winter. I even did a stint as Associate Producer for a webseries briefly to help develop my understanding of the production side of things. This, combined with my background in literary studies, means that I watch films with a different eye than a lot of people. And that eye left me with mixed feelings about this movie.
First, I have to acknowledge that any time a director or a production team takes on filming an icon like this series, they face a lot of pressure from fans to get it right. And a lot of money rides on this. So, I get that the decision about what should carry over are difficult.
I think that there is a lot to praise about this project. First of all, the books are incredibly internal and a lot of the plot revolves around Katniss, solo in the arena, thinking things through. How do you film that? In this regard, the film makers took an approach that I think worked well. I loved the expansion of the roles of Cesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith as narrators, allowing them to explain some of the things that Katniss would have been thinking. Further, I really enjoyed seeing the games from the gamemakers and Capitol citizen's perspectives. This added some depth in areas where it was needed. Similarly, I enjoyed the expansion of the roles of Seneca Crane and President Snow as well. I think it was a good idea to establish Snow's character early on and his juxtaposition with Crane's relative "innocence" was beautifully written. Particularly because the role of the stylists will be more limited, I liked using Crane as a vehicle to show how Capitol citizens understood the games in a shallow entertaining manner and failed to really examine their brutal impact. And I admit that I really enjoyed the plot twist in which (movie/book difference spoiler alert, if you haven't seen the movie and care about this stuff, skip ahead...) Haymitch is responsible for convincing Seneca Crane to allow two winners! I think that adds a cool new dimension.
Although I was initially skeptical about the decision to use the Shakycam style of filming, I think it worked here and it wasn't overdone. When I first heard about the decision, I was having flashbacks to being motion sick while watching Blair Witch Project and got a little nervous. But no worries, they keep it in control and it game the film a more documentary feel. Now, I still have a few thoughts about this ahead, but at least it didn't DETRACT from the film.
Finally, I loved, loved, loved Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. Nailed it. No one else can ever be Katniss. The girl owned it. I also adored Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. He embodied that role so beautifully and I get angry at all the haters out there. I get especially angry at the ignorant racial comments about Lenny as Cinna or about the casting of Rue and Thresh. Read the books, folks. And even if it wasn't already in the books, GET OVER IT PEOPLE. I, for one, am always thrilled when solid, choice roles can go to people of color. Hollywood could still use some work in the diversity department.
Ok, now for what was missing. And for me, this was huge.
This saga is going to suffer from the opposite problem that Twilight had. In that case, there was not a whole lot of action in the plot and thus the films could revolve entirely around the character developments. In fact, there was so little real plot action that the film had to add stuff to make it viewable. In this case, however, there is way too much action. So the filmmakers are faced with a huge dilemma. What do you cut without upsetting fans? So, they made the decision to cut almost nothing, as far as action goes. And, in my opinion, this sacrificed so much more.
What I loved most about the books was the emotional richness of the characters struggling to comprehend and deal with their realities. This is a classical dystopian series and is meant to leave the reader really examining social issues. Further, Collins has written it well enough that, at least for me, I could really feel the knitty gritty realities as if I were there. There were so many stunning points of emotional tension that it was a truly powerful read. So, I was really excited to see what could be done when put into the more versatile media of film. However, in trying to keep all of the action points while still fitting into a feature length film time frame, there was little room left to really allow these points of tension to settle in. Everything moved way too quickly for any one issue or moment to resonate.
Let's start with the obvious. I am not overly emotional. But I have never been able to make it through a reading of Rue's death scene without sobbing. Like really, full on crying. It is that well written. And each time I would sit there contemplating all the great ways that film could represent this scene using all of the resources available. Music, editing, perspective...so many possibilities!
When I watched this scene in the movie I didn't even feel a tug. The only emotion I felt was disappointment. And this is in NO way a reflection on the acting talents of Jennifer or Amandla. Both of them are tremendously talented and powerful actresses and I look forward to seeing more from both of them. No, this was an issue created on the other side of the camera.
Similarly, in the novel, the scene in which Thresh spares Katniss' life in exchange for her treatment of Rue is incredibly powerful. There are so many layers of feeling there. He knows it is life or death. She knows this. Neither likes to owe someone. There are duty, compassion, confusion, anger, and so many other emotions going on in this scene. And again, both actors have the range and talent to represent this scene. But we weren't given the time for them to do this! The moment was lost because we needed to see every action high point.
I could go on and on like this. But the bottom line for me is that something that can be and has already been such a vehicle to provoke thought about social issues and the human experience has been sacrificed on the alter of entertaining action scenes. And that breaks my heart. But I don't blame the filmmakers either. When you are dealing with a series like this, you know you will be making difficult decisions and that it will be impossible to appease all of the fans. I think, in general, they made the decision that will appease the most fans because, sadly, I think most young fans are not going to interact with these texts as deeply as they could. Most won't even have the frame of reference with which to do so. They will be looking at the film in the only way they know how and that means they want to hit a checklist of scenes to feel satisfied.
Finally, one last note, bringing us back to the shakycam technique decision. I see where there were going with this approach and in considering the choices they needed to make and the direction they had to take, I think it is a cool choice. The use of this technique lends the film an almost documentary feel, almost as if you are there with the characters. And for this product, I like it. HOWEVER, a side effect of this technique is that is reinforces a distance between viewer and characters because if you are there with them then you can't BE them. And I am afraid that this might have lent to the final effect of being lacking in the emotional richness of the books. More traditional methods could have allowed the filmmakers to use different techniques to "emotionally manipulate" the viewers into feeling tensions and emotions through perspectives, lighting, music and so on. But it is what it is and I think the choice fits well with the product they created.
Ok, so I think I put it all out there. Hope that makes sense to all of you. And I have to reiterate that my overall opinion of the series is still very positive and I can't wait to see how they continue it! And I would still KILL for a role in this franchise! ;-)
So, that said, looks like it is back to final writing. Yaaaaayy...{silent sob} I think I can, I think I can...
Sairs
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I'm back!
I know it has been a long time...ok, more than a year. But I finally decided it was time to come back and talk books again! A TON has happened in the last year and some of that will influence how this blog looks going forward. Remember the PhD program I was in when I started my book project? Yeah, I got fed up with it. Long story, but basically, although I had been blessed during my undergraduate and first masters program with AMAZING professors and an academically rich and supportive environment, that was NOT the case this time around. I realized that I did not want to spend my life working with people as....well, let's just say I didn't want to be around an environment if it wasn't as enriching as the one to which I had grown accustomed at the University of Arkansas. Further, if I was going to be teaching people, I wanted to return to working with young people. So, I switched to the Masters in Teaching program last April and have been hard at work on that program ever since. As of this coming Friday, I am done and ready to put school behind me! That also means that I will finally have the opportunity again to really put some time into reading good books, which brings us back to you...
I have missed reading books and thinking about them! And I have missed sharing that with you! (Yep, all seven of you... ;-) ) But I realized that there is a lot more out there to discuss than just literary works. Now that I am no longer confined by a 100 book project, I can take the time to examine other media as well. So you might see some movie or television reviews. You might even see some music reviews. And if you want to see something else, just ask!
One other change you might see: new voices. As tedious as this last (and, I swear, FINAL) academic program has been this past year, one bonus has been the acquisition of some amazing friends. Several of them have expressed interest in contribution thoughts on books and other media as well. So I have invited them to submit their reviews and thoughts. In the case that a post is coming from someone else, you will see their names in front of the title. Ideally, I will also give you a little blurb about them so you know who they are. I think this is a great way to bring some other perspectives into the blog.
Ok, so, full disclosure, I am writing this as a break from my finals, so excuse the frantic, random nature of this post, but, hey, it is what it is!
Thanks to the seven of you still with me!
Sarah
I have missed reading books and thinking about them! And I have missed sharing that with you! (Yep, all seven of you... ;-) ) But I realized that there is a lot more out there to discuss than just literary works. Now that I am no longer confined by a 100 book project, I can take the time to examine other media as well. So you might see some movie or television reviews. You might even see some music reviews. And if you want to see something else, just ask!
One other change you might see: new voices. As tedious as this last (and, I swear, FINAL) academic program has been this past year, one bonus has been the acquisition of some amazing friends. Several of them have expressed interest in contribution thoughts on books and other media as well. So I have invited them to submit their reviews and thoughts. In the case that a post is coming from someone else, you will see their names in front of the title. Ideally, I will also give you a little blurb about them so you know who they are. I think this is a great way to bring some other perspectives into the blog.
Ok, so, full disclosure, I am writing this as a break from my finals, so excuse the frantic, random nature of this post, but, hey, it is what it is!
Thanks to the seven of you still with me!
Sarah
Monday, January 31, 2011
Literary Comfort Food
Hey all! As indicated in my earlier post about how this year was going to play out, I took January more or less off from reviewing. I have read ten books this month, but I won't be reviewing them as they were all fun books. I love doing the blog and the reviews, but sometimes it is nice just to read guilty pleasure books and not have to think about things to say for them. It was a good mixture of classics and sentimental YA stuff. I have started my project of working my way through Dickens with Oliver Twist. So glad I finally read it. And it was interesting to read Dickens again after having studied other notable novalists from whom Dickens derived inspiration. Specifically, Dickens is said to have admired and to an extent emulated the amazing yet less often known by modern readers Henry Fielding. I can very clearly see his influence in Dicken's writing now. That is kind of fun, making connections and stuff. I am also working through Shakespeare. I will try to hit one Dickens and one Shakespeare a month roughly. I started with Romeo and Juliet. I swear that story never gets old. And I adore the fact about myself that I can read it again and again and each time honestly and genuinely hope it will play out differently this time. But seriously, that story is pretty much the original YA fiction novel, right? Beyond that I took several strolls down memory lane, rereading series and books from my teens and youth. Overall, it was refreshing to read randomly. Which brings to mind a caution I would like to remind myself. I started this as a break from reading for requirement. Should I worry when I really enjoy a break from my break reading?? Oh well, let's see what next month brings. Valentine's day is coming up, so maybe I need some good sappy books. Or not. Whatever.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Keep reading!
Sarah
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Reading means READING, not listening
Hey everyone! Still working on my first book of the year. Dicken's is decidedly wordy, but decidedly worth it. But I just wanted to throw a quick thought up on the board. I just now stumbled upon an eHow article allegedly providing instructions on how to read 100 books in a year. I was, naturally, intrigued and wanted to see how they recommend going about such a feat. Much to my surprise, they instructed the potential "avid reader" to march directly to the audio section of their local library. Sorry folks, unless you have a legitimate reason (i.e., you are physically unable to read because you have no vision), listening to audio books does not count! I know people are busy. I get it. But the skills used in passively listening to a book being read at you are entirely different from those skills used in actually sitting down and using your own mind in reading. Among other things, it is well proven (trust me, I study language instruction and acquisition) that when people read, they do so in a circular fashion, sometimes reading straight through a section, but often re-reading passages or lines multiple times to get the right feeling or understanding. When you listen, the material is presented in a linear fashion. You can't "re-read" a line, you can't go at your own pace, in short, you will not get the same understanding or experience. Further, if you are listening to an audio book while you drive, I sincerely hope you are not getting as into that book as when you actively read, because if you are, that means you are not as focused on the road as you should be. I have a long commute of an hour or more each way, daily. I listen to music.
Come on folks, turn off the technology and pick up a dadgum book. No cheating! If you need or want to count a small handful of audio books a year, fine, but please don't go all audio on me!
On that note, have a lovely (book-filled) day!
Keep reading (not listening...)
Sarah
Come on folks, turn off the technology and pick up a dadgum book. No cheating! If you need or want to count a small handful of audio books a year, fine, but please don't go all audio on me!
On that note, have a lovely (book-filled) day!
Keep reading (not listening...)
Sarah
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Final thoughts for 2010 and welcome to 2011
Well, 2010 has come and gone. I didn't quite meet my goal of 100 books but I came pretty darn close and I learned a lot along the way. I tried never to read when it was a chore. The last thing I wanted out of this was to find myself forcing reading time in a way that would lead to book burnout. That being said, it was a fine line, because when I shifted focus into looking at different kinds of books and reviewing, I felt the need to finish books I might not otherwise have finished. So I never felt the urge to not be reading, but often wished I were reading something else. I often debated the benefits of this approach. On the one hand, in effect I wasted some time by pushing through books that were real duds (ahem, TruBlood books...), but on the other hand, I ended up discovering some real jewels among books that I would have discarded after the first couple of chapters if I didn't feel pushed to finish them. A friend recently asked what I did in situations where I was non-plussed after the first chapters and I honestly don't know what to recommend. It is so hard to anticipate which books will get better as the pages go by! Perhaps the easiest approach, for those who are pressed for time, is to find a book "guru" or reviewer with tastes similar to your own. And I stress that it is important that you have similar literary tastes! Don't just go to a mainstream reviewer, say New York Times or Oprah, unless you have agreed with their conclusions in the past. But even with good reviews, there is no guarantee with reading. It is so personal!
As the year progressed, so did my book speed. Some asked me whether or not I was still reading the books thoroughly. I hope my reviews attest to the fact that, yes, I did read them all completely. Even when I didn't like them! The change in speed is a reflection of my changing habits and schedule. As I started to make reading more important, I started devoting more time to it. We cancelled our cable subscription over the summer and I made other similar changes which allowed increasingly more time for reading as the year went on. Similarly, in the late winter and spring I was enrolled in reading heavy course. Long term followers will remember my struggles with completeling Richardson's Clarissa while also maintaining my personal reading. By the time I reached fall quarter I was enrolled in more practical application classes which involved significantly less reading, thus freeing up more space for personal reading.
I began one of my new classes for this quarter yesterday and as part of an ice breaker we were asked to tell our favorite book or movie of the year. Surprisingly, I was stumped. This happens all the time. I frequently get asked for the best book I read last year or for good recommendations. I wish such an answer were so easy! I read 82 books (or 104, depending on how you look at it) and I have to admit that the books I read last February, for example, are starting to get fuzzy. I can't call a list to mind instantly of all the books I read and sort through it for good ones. Inevitably I forget great books when faced with these questions. I could, perhaps, more easily answer a question broken into categories, such as "What was the best memoir you read last year" or "what was the best of the YA fiction you read?" But even these would be hard to answer with finality. Take for example, the YA paranormal review I did. I found several really great books (and some duds) in that genre. But to name a favorite would be hard because several come to mind depending on my mood. Stiefvater's, Kate's, and Mead's series all resonated well with me, but I couldn't tell you unequivically which one is best. So, I am happy to provide recommendations, and in fact love to do so, but if you really want a solid one you need to give me more of a framework! Tell me who you are, what you love, how you read, how you want to read, and so on.
Ok, moving on to the new year. In 2011 I will be continuing the blog and it will continue to evolve. At the beginning of last year I indicated that I was chronicaling my experience I would avoid reviewing. Obviously that didn't last and, actually, I quite enjoy reviewing the books. So I will continue to do that this year. I will once again, much to my husband's dismay, be trying for 100 non-required reading books in 2011. This should be easier this year, as I am switching programs away from a literature based one to a practical (teaching) program. That being said, don't expect all 100 to be reviewed and posted. I will continue to post reading experience and insight blogs occasionally, but if I am reading an older book, or a classic, I won't feel obligated to post a blog specifically for each book. You already know that Shakespeare is good. And I have a large pile of Dickens and Shakespeare waiting for me. This also allows me to read books that I don't necessarily want to talk about, but rather just want to read for sentimentality, etc. There were several books that I wanted to read or re-read last year which I avoided because I didn't know how it would come out in blog form and I don't want that to always be the case. If I want to read a crappy novel, I get to do it. I will, however, try to read and review a handful of new books each month.
Ok, that about wraps in up! Welcome to the new year and I hope this year encourages you to keep reading!
Sarah
As the year progressed, so did my book speed. Some asked me whether or not I was still reading the books thoroughly. I hope my reviews attest to the fact that, yes, I did read them all completely. Even when I didn't like them! The change in speed is a reflection of my changing habits and schedule. As I started to make reading more important, I started devoting more time to it. We cancelled our cable subscription over the summer and I made other similar changes which allowed increasingly more time for reading as the year went on. Similarly, in the late winter and spring I was enrolled in reading heavy course. Long term followers will remember my struggles with completeling Richardson's Clarissa while also maintaining my personal reading. By the time I reached fall quarter I was enrolled in more practical application classes which involved significantly less reading, thus freeing up more space for personal reading.
I began one of my new classes for this quarter yesterday and as part of an ice breaker we were asked to tell our favorite book or movie of the year. Surprisingly, I was stumped. This happens all the time. I frequently get asked for the best book I read last year or for good recommendations. I wish such an answer were so easy! I read 82 books (or 104, depending on how you look at it) and I have to admit that the books I read last February, for example, are starting to get fuzzy. I can't call a list to mind instantly of all the books I read and sort through it for good ones. Inevitably I forget great books when faced with these questions. I could, perhaps, more easily answer a question broken into categories, such as "What was the best memoir you read last year" or "what was the best of the YA fiction you read?" But even these would be hard to answer with finality. Take for example, the YA paranormal review I did. I found several really great books (and some duds) in that genre. But to name a favorite would be hard because several come to mind depending on my mood. Stiefvater's, Kate's, and Mead's series all resonated well with me, but I couldn't tell you unequivically which one is best. So, I am happy to provide recommendations, and in fact love to do so, but if you really want a solid one you need to give me more of a framework! Tell me who you are, what you love, how you read, how you want to read, and so on.
Ok, moving on to the new year. In 2011 I will be continuing the blog and it will continue to evolve. At the beginning of last year I indicated that I was chronicaling my experience I would avoid reviewing. Obviously that didn't last and, actually, I quite enjoy reviewing the books. So I will continue to do that this year. I will once again, much to my husband's dismay, be trying for 100 non-required reading books in 2011. This should be easier this year, as I am switching programs away from a literature based one to a practical (teaching) program. That being said, don't expect all 100 to be reviewed and posted. I will continue to post reading experience and insight blogs occasionally, but if I am reading an older book, or a classic, I won't feel obligated to post a blog specifically for each book. You already know that Shakespeare is good. And I have a large pile of Dickens and Shakespeare waiting for me. This also allows me to read books that I don't necessarily want to talk about, but rather just want to read for sentimentality, etc. There were several books that I wanted to read or re-read last year which I avoided because I didn't know how it would come out in blog form and I don't want that to always be the case. If I want to read a crappy novel, I get to do it. I will, however, try to read and review a handful of new books each month.
Ok, that about wraps in up! Welcome to the new year and I hope this year encourages you to keep reading!
Sarah
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Here is what I read in 2010:
Ok, for those of you keeping track, here is a list of all of the books I read and blogged this year. This list does not include the 22 books I read for required class reading, which included such titles as Pamela, Clarissa, Tom Jones, 1984, Hamlet, and many others. Looking back, it is a great list!
1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier-Ishmael Beah
2. Chosen by a Horse- Susan Richards
3. The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel-Maureen Lindley
4. Sarah-Marek Halter
5. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford
6. The Wednesday Sisters-Meg Waite Clayton
7. The Gargoyle-Andrew Davidson
8. Running For My Life-Ann Gonzalez
9. The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry-Kathleen Flinn
10. The Forbidden Daughter-Shobhan Bantwal
11. Chasing Harry Winston-Lauren Wiesberger
12. The Big Bad Wolf- James Patterson
13. The Birth of Venus-Sarah Dunant
14. Wedding Girl-Madeleine Wickham
15. The Nanny Returns-Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
16. The Art of Racing in the Rain-Garth Stein
17. The Commoner-John Burnham Schwartz
18. The Lost Symbol-Dan Brown
19. The Heretic's Daughter-Kathleen Kent
20. Mornings in Jenin-Susan Abulhawa
21. Please Stop Laughing at Me-Jodee Blanco
22. A Rather Charming Invitation-C.A. Belmond
23. Eve-Elissa Elliott
24. Good Things-Mia King
25. Nefertiti- Michelle Moran
26. The Heretic Queen-Michelle Moran
27. The Book of Night Women- Marlon James
28. Raven Stole the Moon-Garth Stein
29. In the Convent of Little Flowers-Indu Sundaresan
30. Dragon House-John Shors
31. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner-Stephenie Meyer
32. Christie-Catherine Marshall
33. Part of the Pride-Kevin Richardson
34. The House at Sugar Beach-Helene Cooper
35. The Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne
36. Gulliver's Travels-Jonathan Swift
37. I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced-Nujood Ali
38. Chef-Jaspreet Singh
39. Twenties Girl-Sophia Kinsella
40. Dracula-Bram Stoker
41. Beowolf-Anonynous
42. The Faerie Queene-Edmund Spenser
43. A Midsummer Night's Dream-William Shakespeare
44. Kidnapped- Robert Louis Stevenson
45. The Catcher in the Rye--.D. Salinger
46. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings-Maya Angelou
47. Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
48. Beloved-Toni Morrison
49. Persuasion-Jane Austin
50. Honolulu-Alan Brennert
51. Molokai-Alan Brennert
52. The Concubine's Daughter-Pai Kit Fai
53. Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
54. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-Robert Louis Stevenson
55. Confessions of a Shopaholic-Sophie Kinsella
56. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan-Sophie Kinsella
57. Shopaholic Ties the Knot-Sophie Kinsella
58. Shopaholic and Sister-Sophie Kinsella
59. Shopaholic and Baby-Sophie Kinsella
60. Mini Shopaholic-Sophie Kinsella
61. Heart of Darkness -Joseph Conrad
62. Kim -Rudyard Kipling
63. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening--.J. Smith
64. The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle-L.J. Smith
65. Dead Until Dark-Charlaine Harris
66. Witch & Wizard-James Patterson
67. Shiver-Maggie Stiefvater
68. Linger-Maggie Stiefvater
69. Marked-P.C. Cast, Kristen Cast
70. Fallen-Thomas Sniegoski
71. Leviathan-Thomas Sniegoski
72. Wuthering Bites- Sarah Gray
73. Hush, Hush -Becca Fitzpatrick
74. Crescendo- Becca Fitzpatrick
75. Vampire Academy-Richelle Mead
76. Frostbite- Richelle Mead
77. Blue Bloods-Melissa De La Cruz
78. Fallen-Lauren Kate
79. Torment-Lauren Kate
80. The Forgotten Garden-Kate Morton
81. Little Bee-Chris Cleave
82. Girl in a Blue Dress-Gaynor Arnold
If you really want the full list of required readings as well, just ask.
Ok, that is all I can do tonight. Chech back tomorrow for 2010's wrap up and concluding thoughts and an intro into what to expect in 2011.
Good night and happy reading to all!
Sarah
1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier-Ishmael Beah
2. Chosen by a Horse- Susan Richards
3. The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel-Maureen Lindley
4. Sarah-Marek Halter
5. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford
6. The Wednesday Sisters-Meg Waite Clayton
7. The Gargoyle-Andrew Davidson
8. Running For My Life-Ann Gonzalez
9. The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry-Kathleen Flinn
10. The Forbidden Daughter-Shobhan Bantwal
11. Chasing Harry Winston-Lauren Wiesberger
12. The Big Bad Wolf- James Patterson
13. The Birth of Venus-Sarah Dunant
14. Wedding Girl-Madeleine Wickham
15. The Nanny Returns-Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
16. The Art of Racing in the Rain-Garth Stein
17. The Commoner-John Burnham Schwartz
18. The Lost Symbol-Dan Brown
19. The Heretic's Daughter-Kathleen Kent
20. Mornings in Jenin-Susan Abulhawa
21. Please Stop Laughing at Me-Jodee Blanco
22. A Rather Charming Invitation-C.A. Belmond
23. Eve-Elissa Elliott
24. Good Things-Mia King
25. Nefertiti- Michelle Moran
26. The Heretic Queen-Michelle Moran
27. The Book of Night Women- Marlon James
28. Raven Stole the Moon-Garth Stein
29. In the Convent of Little Flowers-Indu Sundaresan
30. Dragon House-John Shors
31. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner-Stephenie Meyer
32. Christie-Catherine Marshall
33. Part of the Pride-Kevin Richardson
34. The House at Sugar Beach-Helene Cooper
35. The Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne
36. Gulliver's Travels-Jonathan Swift
37. I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced-Nujood Ali
38. Chef-Jaspreet Singh
39. Twenties Girl-Sophia Kinsella
40. Dracula-Bram Stoker
41. Beowolf-Anonynous
42. The Faerie Queene-Edmund Spenser
43. A Midsummer Night's Dream-William Shakespeare
44. Kidnapped- Robert Louis Stevenson
45. The Catcher in the Rye--.D. Salinger
46. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings-Maya Angelou
47. Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
48. Beloved-Toni Morrison
49. Persuasion-Jane Austin
50. Honolulu-Alan Brennert
51. Molokai-Alan Brennert
52. The Concubine's Daughter-Pai Kit Fai
53. Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
54. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-Robert Louis Stevenson
55. Confessions of a Shopaholic-Sophie Kinsella
56. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan-Sophie Kinsella
57. Shopaholic Ties the Knot-Sophie Kinsella
58. Shopaholic and Sister-Sophie Kinsella
59. Shopaholic and Baby-Sophie Kinsella
60. Mini Shopaholic-Sophie Kinsella
61. Heart of Darkness -Joseph Conrad
62. Kim -Rudyard Kipling
63. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening--.J. Smith
64. The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle-L.J. Smith
65. Dead Until Dark-Charlaine Harris
66. Witch & Wizard-James Patterson
67. Shiver-Maggie Stiefvater
68. Linger-Maggie Stiefvater
69. Marked-P.C. Cast, Kristen Cast
70. Fallen-Thomas Sniegoski
71. Leviathan-Thomas Sniegoski
72. Wuthering Bites- Sarah Gray
73. Hush, Hush -Becca Fitzpatrick
74. Crescendo- Becca Fitzpatrick
75. Vampire Academy-Richelle Mead
76. Frostbite- Richelle Mead
77. Blue Bloods-Melissa De La Cruz
78. Fallen-Lauren Kate
79. Torment-Lauren Kate
80. The Forgotten Garden-Kate Morton
81. Little Bee-Chris Cleave
82. Girl in a Blue Dress-Gaynor Arnold
If you really want the full list of required readings as well, just ask.
Ok, that is all I can do tonight. Chech back tomorrow for 2010's wrap up and concluding thoughts and an intro into what to expect in 2011.
Good night and happy reading to all!
Sarah
Fiction about a great fictionalist
Dickens is a literary great, there is no denying that. He also happens to be a favorite of mine. For my birthday this year, my husband got me all of his works in a matching set and, dork that I am, I am itching to start reading/re-reading them all. Great writer, excellent philanthropist and public moralist, however as a husband it appears he was a real dud. My final read of 2010 presents his marriage wrapped in fiction.
Title: Girl in a Blue Dress
Author: Gaynor Arnold
My start date: 12/27/10
My finish date: 1/1/11
Book count: 82
While it is currently known and excepted that Dickens ditched his wife for an affair with an actress, at the time it was much hidden to prevent scandal. Arnold tells the story of Dicken's previously voiceless wife in this novel, which is set during the week of the great author's death. However, technically, this story is a work of fiction and rather than calling her characters by their real names, Arnold has created pseudonyms for them. So, this is really a story of Alfred and Dorothea Gibson. But don't be fooled, it is really Dickens and his wife under scrutiny here. And Arnold stays pretty darn close to the truth. While the use of pseudonyms allows her a greater degree of artistic liberty, most of the major details seemed easily enough confirmable on wikipedia.
Arnold's narrative flips between the events in the week following the author's death and the wife's flashbacks and memories of their past together. The time flips are all very digestable, as they are almost, if not entirely chronological within their timelines.
The story itself is great. It is Dickens after all. What's not to love? Arnold clearly put a ton of research into her work and her attention to detail and obvious love of her characters is very transparent. This novel is a diamond mine of information for the Dickens-lover. Further, Arnold manages to very cleverly work in some very Dickens-esque aspects to her story, making the great author's life read very much like one of his own stories.
That being said, the prose was a little stiff in areas. Perhaps there was simply too much information being presented, but a lot of the conversations were too contrived, as if they were nothing more than pretty showboxes for the information which needed to be presented at that juncture. People don't really converse in that way. Similarly, the way the events flowed from one moment to another simply didn't feel right and often the required literary tension seemed to be missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem. The material was all there and Arnold has a lot of talent, but it needs a little more development perhaps.
I did like the ending though. I won't spoil it, but the ending was right. Dickens would approve.
On that note, perhaps I will start the new year with a Dickens.
Ok folks, that is it for 2010! Check back for the year wrap up!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Girl in a Blue Dress
Author: Gaynor Arnold
My start date: 12/27/10
My finish date: 1/1/11
Book count: 82
While it is currently known and excepted that Dickens ditched his wife for an affair with an actress, at the time it was much hidden to prevent scandal. Arnold tells the story of Dicken's previously voiceless wife in this novel, which is set during the week of the great author's death. However, technically, this story is a work of fiction and rather than calling her characters by their real names, Arnold has created pseudonyms for them. So, this is really a story of Alfred and Dorothea Gibson. But don't be fooled, it is really Dickens and his wife under scrutiny here. And Arnold stays pretty darn close to the truth. While the use of pseudonyms allows her a greater degree of artistic liberty, most of the major details seemed easily enough confirmable on wikipedia.
Arnold's narrative flips between the events in the week following the author's death and the wife's flashbacks and memories of their past together. The time flips are all very digestable, as they are almost, if not entirely chronological within their timelines.
The story itself is great. It is Dickens after all. What's not to love? Arnold clearly put a ton of research into her work and her attention to detail and obvious love of her characters is very transparent. This novel is a diamond mine of information for the Dickens-lover. Further, Arnold manages to very cleverly work in some very Dickens-esque aspects to her story, making the great author's life read very much like one of his own stories.
That being said, the prose was a little stiff in areas. Perhaps there was simply too much information being presented, but a lot of the conversations were too contrived, as if they were nothing more than pretty showboxes for the information which needed to be presented at that juncture. People don't really converse in that way. Similarly, the way the events flowed from one moment to another simply didn't feel right and often the required literary tension seemed to be missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem. The material was all there and Arnold has a lot of talent, but it needs a little more development perhaps.
I did like the ending though. I won't spoil it, but the ending was right. Dickens would approve.
On that note, perhaps I will start the new year with a Dickens.
Ok folks, that is it for 2010! Check back for the year wrap up!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Buzz about a little bee
The back of the next book I read had an intriguing plea to readers not to divulge the surprise ending when they were inevitably pursuaded to encourage others to read it. With a lead like that I couldn't help but wonder what the buzz was all about in Little Bee.
Title: Little Bee
Author: Chris Cleave
My start date: 12/22/10
My finish date: 12/27/10
Book count: 81
Well, the book was good, but I am not sure the ending was quite as "startling" as the publishers obviously thought it would be. Once again we have a book told from multiple perspectives, which seems to be the big thing lately. This time we were only working with two angles, the title character, Little Bee, who is a Nigerian refugee in England, and Sarah, a British journalist.
The story is very confusing until you get your bearings. This is due, in combination, to the cycling of perspectives and also to the only "peri-chronological" (I may have just made that word up, but I think it fits) nature of the story-telling. Events seem to flow in order, but sometimes that order is forwards into the future, others it seems to work backwards toward an event in the past. Other times it seems to flow sideways. Quite a jumble. However, once you get what they are working at, things seem to make sense.
I liked the character of Little Bee a lot. Cleave infused her with enough personality for the whole book. Which is good, because I was less impressed with the other lead, Sarah. (Pity, she has such a good name after all) A little of the slack, however, is also picked up in the unique character of Sarah's son, Charlie/Batman. The four-year-old spends the entire novel in a batsuit, convinced he is a superhero. Parents will find it precious and I just find it plain hilarious.
The ending was less surprising to me than promised. But I won't say anymore than that, as the back cover explicitly begs me not too. You will have to read it yourself I guess. And actually, the subject matter is important enough that I will say you should. Heavy, but vital. Or then again, since this novel is joining the ever-expanding ranks of books about to be on film...(sheesh, already) you could just wait and let Nicole Kidman tell it to you.
One more book to end the year!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Little Bee
Author: Chris Cleave
My start date: 12/22/10
My finish date: 12/27/10
Book count: 81
Well, the book was good, but I am not sure the ending was quite as "startling" as the publishers obviously thought it would be. Once again we have a book told from multiple perspectives, which seems to be the big thing lately. This time we were only working with two angles, the title character, Little Bee, who is a Nigerian refugee in England, and Sarah, a British journalist.
The story is very confusing until you get your bearings. This is due, in combination, to the cycling of perspectives and also to the only "peri-chronological" (I may have just made that word up, but I think it fits) nature of the story-telling. Events seem to flow in order, but sometimes that order is forwards into the future, others it seems to work backwards toward an event in the past. Other times it seems to flow sideways. Quite a jumble. However, once you get what they are working at, things seem to make sense.
I liked the character of Little Bee a lot. Cleave infused her with enough personality for the whole book. Which is good, because I was less impressed with the other lead, Sarah. (Pity, she has such a good name after all) A little of the slack, however, is also picked up in the unique character of Sarah's son, Charlie/Batman. The four-year-old spends the entire novel in a batsuit, convinced he is a superhero. Parents will find it precious and I just find it plain hilarious.
The ending was less surprising to me than promised. But I won't say anymore than that, as the back cover explicitly begs me not too. You will have to read it yourself I guess. And actually, the subject matter is important enough that I will say you should. Heavy, but vital. Or then again, since this novel is joining the ever-expanding ranks of books about to be on film...(sheesh, already) you could just wait and let Nicole Kidman tell it to you.
One more book to end the year!
Keep reading!
Sarah
A "Secret Garden" for Grownups
I don't know about everyone else, but I was a huge fan of the works of Francis Hodgson Burnett growing up. Ok, honestly, I still am. I read A Little Princess every year at Christmas. Well, every year except this one, that is. There is something so very appealing about her mixture of fantasy and reality, as if there is a bit of fairy tale in every little Victorian story. If you like this type of Victorian fairy tale style but are looking for something a little more adult, look no further.
Title: The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
My start date: 12/7/10
My finish date: 12/21/10
Book count: 80
This gem came on the recommendation of my sister, Rachel, for which I must thank her. Morton writes an enchanting tale incredibly reminiscent of Hodgson Burnett's turn of the century works. In fact, Morton even writes the esteemed author into her own story and the story is rife with intertextual references to the famous The Secret Garden. The reader must be involved however. This story is long, around 550 pages, and told from three different perspectives at varying periods. One set of characters tells their story at the turn of the 20th century in Victorian England, another tells her's during the 70s between Australia and England, and a third story is told in 2005. This doesn't even include the prelude which introduces the story in 1913 and then the 30s. Whew! But no worries! This story is so fantastic that you are immediately drawn in and you can't help but want to keep turning the pages.
The plot is meant to be a mystery. Not that kind of mystery, though. We aren't taking murder, theft or the like here, but the reader must try to put together the pieces of the characters' past along with the characters as they are trying to learn it as well. I figured out the ending pretty early on. I wondered if perhaps that is just because I read for a living and am pretty hard to fool at this point, but my sister confirmed that she also knew the ending rather early on. However, that in absolutely no way detracted from the beautiful ride Morton takes you on to get there. Morton's imagery is beautiful and even if she was telling the most well-known story in the world, I have to believe it would be worth reading again and again.
One of the best aspects of this book is Morton's use of a multi-genre approach. In my teaching, I am beginning to explore genre theory as a way to teach writing to students who are bored with the "standard essay only" stance all too often used in schools. Morton's work is a lovely example of what can be done when genres are blended to create an image. While the vast majority of the story is told in standard narrative prose, she also includes full examples of other genres to paint her picture, such as full newspaper articles, encyclopedia or reference book entries, complete fairy tales, and so on. This brilliant diversity makes for a story that is significantly more well-rounded and paints a full picture, which straight narrative may not have been able to do. At the very least, it prevents the narrative portion from becoming boring. Well played in my opinion. If it was a little shorter, I would want to include it on a future required reading list!
Overall, one of the more enjoyable reads of the year. Hats of to you, Rae, for the rec. Keep 'em coming!
Keep reading!
Sarah
P.S. The versions of Hodson Burnett's classics which I have posted here are NOT my prefered versions. I adore the versions in which Graham Rust is the illustrator. They are incomparable in my opinion. However, they are increasingly difficult to find. I am going to have to start buying them up when I find them so that I don't ever find myself without copies, as, alas, I am without one at the moment for Secret Garden.
More P.S. I may not have had time to read A Little Princess this year, but my oh-so-thoughtful husband was sweet enough to give me a copy of the Shirley Temple movie version which I was delighted to watch instead. #myhusbandisthebest.
Title: The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
My start date: 12/7/10
My finish date: 12/21/10
Book count: 80
This gem came on the recommendation of my sister, Rachel, for which I must thank her. Morton writes an enchanting tale incredibly reminiscent of Hodgson Burnett's turn of the century works. In fact, Morton even writes the esteemed author into her own story and the story is rife with intertextual references to the famous The Secret Garden. The reader must be involved however. This story is long, around 550 pages, and told from three different perspectives at varying periods. One set of characters tells their story at the turn of the 20th century in Victorian England, another tells her's during the 70s between Australia and England, and a third story is told in 2005. This doesn't even include the prelude which introduces the story in 1913 and then the 30s. Whew! But no worries! This story is so fantastic that you are immediately drawn in and you can't help but want to keep turning the pages.
The plot is meant to be a mystery. Not that kind of mystery, though. We aren't taking murder, theft or the like here, but the reader must try to put together the pieces of the characters' past along with the characters as they are trying to learn it as well. I figured out the ending pretty early on. I wondered if perhaps that is just because I read for a living and am pretty hard to fool at this point, but my sister confirmed that she also knew the ending rather early on. However, that in absolutely no way detracted from the beautiful ride Morton takes you on to get there. Morton's imagery is beautiful and even if she was telling the most well-known story in the world, I have to believe it would be worth reading again and again.
One of the best aspects of this book is Morton's use of a multi-genre approach. In my teaching, I am beginning to explore genre theory as a way to teach writing to students who are bored with the "standard essay only" stance all too often used in schools. Morton's work is a lovely example of what can be done when genres are blended to create an image. While the vast majority of the story is told in standard narrative prose, she also includes full examples of other genres to paint her picture, such as full newspaper articles, encyclopedia or reference book entries, complete fairy tales, and so on. This brilliant diversity makes for a story that is significantly more well-rounded and paints a full picture, which straight narrative may not have been able to do. At the very least, it prevents the narrative portion from becoming boring. Well played in my opinion. If it was a little shorter, I would want to include it on a future required reading list!
Overall, one of the more enjoyable reads of the year. Hats of to you, Rae, for the rec. Keep 'em coming!
Keep reading!
Sarah
P.S. The versions of Hodson Burnett's classics which I have posted here are NOT my prefered versions. I adore the versions in which Graham Rust is the illustrator. They are incomparable in my opinion. However, they are increasingly difficult to find. I am going to have to start buying them up when I find them so that I don't ever find myself without copies, as, alas, I am without one at the moment for Secret Garden.
More P.S. I may not have had time to read A Little Princess this year, but my oh-so-thoughtful husband was sweet enough to give me a copy of the Shirley Temple movie version which I was delighted to watch instead. #myhusbandisthebest.
Finishing up the Paranormal Collection
As you may recall from the last posts, by the time November was drawing to a close, and with it my review of the paranormal fantasy genre, I had been overcome with pretty strong paranormal burnout. Thankfully, my final reviews ended on a high note, thus restoring some of my earlier enthusiasm. Here is where we ended:
Title(s): Fallen
Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Reading dates: 11/28/10-12/3/10 & 12/3/10-12/7/10 respectively
Book counts: 78 & 79
This new series is another spin on the fallen angel approach and I admit that the early chapters of the first book combined with my afore-mentioned genre burnout had me wanting to put the book down and walk away. So glad I didn't. Despite a slightly strange and rocky beginning in which the lead character suddenly finds herself in a rather rough reform school and in which the male lead unromantically flips her off, this series grew into one of my favorite finds of the genre. Kate seems to settle into her story as it progresses and what began as slightly awkward and uncomfortable moves gradually into cute and kind of kitsch before finally maturing into a story that has a lot of strength. The initially unsavory male lead, fallen angel Daniel, becomes quite appealing as the pages fly by. The quirky cast of supporting characters similarly finds footing by the second half of the first book and the diversity of the group makes for one of the better story structures I have read in this genre. At the core of what makes this series so appealing, in fact, is the close proximity of good and bad. You can't help occasionally being deliciously drawn to the bad guys and often the good guys make questionable decisions. Best of all, at times they must work together. I love it!
Besides the oddity of the first book's setting, something which is remedied in the second book, my other complaints are fairly minimal. As mentioned, the first book matures as you go along and I am not entirely satisfied with the way in which the lead characters transition from seeming hatred to deep-rooted love. But then again, especially for teenagers, that is such a fine line in truth, isn't it? Wow, I hope my skepticism on that part doesn't represent getting older?!?
Kate still has some room to grow in her writing, but she has great stuff with which to work and two more books scheduled for this series, so she has time. And honestly, I am kind of looking forward to the release of book three this coming summer. And, of course, no surprise, this series too has been picked up for a movie, this time by Disney. Hmmm, maybe I will see it??
Ok, FINALLY, that concludes the paranormal fantasy genre review. I didn't hit NEARLY everything, nor did I even hit everything that is headlining at the moment. I am still curious about some of the other titles out there, both in YA and in adult fiction, so perhaps I will revisit it at some point, but for now I need to read something with normal humans. I am starting to see fantastical creatures in everyone I meet. That's not normal for grown ups. Moving on...
OH, almost forgot:
Grade for this series: A
Would a grownup enjoy: Yep, more so than some of the others. Less high school routine and more good vs. evil philosophy. That seems to be the recipe for adult interest in these YA books.
Ok, that's that then.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title(s): Fallen
Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Reading dates: 11/28/10-12/3/10 & 12/3/10-12/7/10 respectively
Book counts: 78 & 79
This new series is another spin on the fallen angel approach and I admit that the early chapters of the first book combined with my afore-mentioned genre burnout had me wanting to put the book down and walk away. So glad I didn't. Despite a slightly strange and rocky beginning in which the lead character suddenly finds herself in a rather rough reform school and in which the male lead unromantically flips her off, this series grew into one of my favorite finds of the genre. Kate seems to settle into her story as it progresses and what began as slightly awkward and uncomfortable moves gradually into cute and kind of kitsch before finally maturing into a story that has a lot of strength. The initially unsavory male lead, fallen angel Daniel, becomes quite appealing as the pages fly by. The quirky cast of supporting characters similarly finds footing by the second half of the first book and the diversity of the group makes for one of the better story structures I have read in this genre. At the core of what makes this series so appealing, in fact, is the close proximity of good and bad. You can't help occasionally being deliciously drawn to the bad guys and often the good guys make questionable decisions. Best of all, at times they must work together. I love it!
Besides the oddity of the first book's setting, something which is remedied in the second book, my other complaints are fairly minimal. As mentioned, the first book matures as you go along and I am not entirely satisfied with the way in which the lead characters transition from seeming hatred to deep-rooted love. But then again, especially for teenagers, that is such a fine line in truth, isn't it? Wow, I hope my skepticism on that part doesn't represent getting older?!?
Kate still has some room to grow in her writing, but she has great stuff with which to work and two more books scheduled for this series, so she has time. And honestly, I am kind of looking forward to the release of book three this coming summer. And, of course, no surprise, this series too has been picked up for a movie, this time by Disney. Hmmm, maybe I will see it??
Ok, FINALLY, that concludes the paranormal fantasy genre review. I didn't hit NEARLY everything, nor did I even hit everything that is headlining at the moment. I am still curious about some of the other titles out there, both in YA and in adult fiction, so perhaps I will revisit it at some point, but for now I need to read something with normal humans. I am starting to see fantastical creatures in everyone I meet. That's not normal for grown ups. Moving on...
OH, almost forgot:
Grade for this series: A
Would a grownup enjoy: Yep, more so than some of the others. Less high school routine and more good vs. evil philosophy. That seems to be the recipe for adult interest in these YA books.
Ok, that's that then.
Keep reading!
Sarah
And so the year comes to a close....
and the project comes to a rather incomplete end, but the reading, however, does not. While I do have a handful of posts to write up for December, which was much busier with the holidays than I anticipated, I am sure you can guess from November's numbers that I did not quite make it to 100 books, unless that is, you count my required reading, in which case I hit 104 books this year. I can be pretty pleased with that! And the fun doesn't end here. Not the type to be content, I have decided to try this goal every year. At least, every year until I hit it. So keep reading! I will shortly post my thoughts on the last of my 2010 reads, then some thoughts to wrap up the year and then, check back as we move into an even greater 2011!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Keep reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Why can't anyone write a good book about NYC??
As already mentioned, I am hitting paranormal burn out at this point, so I might be getting hard to please by now. However, I don't think that is solely responsible for my feelings on this next series. It just plain didn't float. Let's see why:
Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
My start date: 11/26/10
My finish date: 11/28/10
Book count: 77
On a completely unrelated note, for those of you still paying attention, my original goal this year was to hit 100 books, without counting the novels and works I have to read for my lit classes at the university. However, if I were to count those required readings, this book would be book 99, which means that, technically, I am one book away (not even, since I am actually in the process of reading the next book at the moment) from hitting 100 books this year. And when you remember that those required readings included such hefty titles as Richardson's Clarissa... that is a heck of a lot of page turning done already in 2010.
Back to the task at hand. I really didn't like this book. Remember what I said in the last blog about believability in paranormal fiction? Obviously the paranormal stuff does not need to be necessarily realistic, however the surrounding story should be sufficiently believable. In the case of this book, either she completely missed the mark here, or NYC is a worse off place than I ever want to think about.
First of all, the main characters are as young as 15. That is on the young side, even for strong YA fiction, in which the characters generally range from 16-18. Further, what these tender little 15 year olds are doing was just too much for me. I am not so naive as to think that teens, even that young of teens, drink, smoke and follow their hormones. But usually they try to be a little discreet about it. This book has little 15 year olds partying every night in dance clubs, in which they would walk unconcerned up to the bar and order drinks and then stand out on the balcony smoking. Ok, fine, fake IDs, but then when you get to the scenes in which the school dance has a smoking area?? What?? I know NYC is its own universe, but last I checked, schools being non-smoking areas is pretty well a national thing.
Moving beyond that, the characters weren't likeable. Nor again were they very realistic. This series combines both the vampire angle and the fallen angel angle, indicating that vampires are in fact just fallen angels. Different, but hey, let's roll with it. However, the teens react unrealistically well to the news that they will shortly begin transitioning and want to start drinking blood. In fact, none of the startling revelations about various plot twists seem to illicit much in the way of real emotion from these characters, not even the mandate to two twins that they are romantically destined. I don't know how many teens de la Cruz has been around, but I know that if I told any of my former high school students that they were destined to hook up with their brother or sister, I would meet a little more resistance...
Conclusion: utter flop. But I must be wrong, because apparently this series too has been snatched up for big screen rights. Are they starting to get desperate??
Grade: D, maybe C-
Would adults enjoy this book? I hope responsible adults would be horrified by this book.
Ugh, fighting the burn out... One, perhaps two final books in the genre remain, both have more promise than the above.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
My start date: 11/26/10
My finish date: 11/28/10
Book count: 77
On a completely unrelated note, for those of you still paying attention, my original goal this year was to hit 100 books, without counting the novels and works I have to read for my lit classes at the university. However, if I were to count those required readings, this book would be book 99, which means that, technically, I am one book away (not even, since I am actually in the process of reading the next book at the moment) from hitting 100 books this year. And when you remember that those required readings included such hefty titles as Richardson's Clarissa... that is a heck of a lot of page turning done already in 2010.
Back to the task at hand. I really didn't like this book. Remember what I said in the last blog about believability in paranormal fiction? Obviously the paranormal stuff does not need to be necessarily realistic, however the surrounding story should be sufficiently believable. In the case of this book, either she completely missed the mark here, or NYC is a worse off place than I ever want to think about.
First of all, the main characters are as young as 15. That is on the young side, even for strong YA fiction, in which the characters generally range from 16-18. Further, what these tender little 15 year olds are doing was just too much for me. I am not so naive as to think that teens, even that young of teens, drink, smoke and follow their hormones. But usually they try to be a little discreet about it. This book has little 15 year olds partying every night in dance clubs, in which they would walk unconcerned up to the bar and order drinks and then stand out on the balcony smoking. Ok, fine, fake IDs, but then when you get to the scenes in which the school dance has a smoking area?? What?? I know NYC is its own universe, but last I checked, schools being non-smoking areas is pretty well a national thing.
Moving beyond that, the characters weren't likeable. Nor again were they very realistic. This series combines both the vampire angle and the fallen angel angle, indicating that vampires are in fact just fallen angels. Different, but hey, let's roll with it. However, the teens react unrealistically well to the news that they will shortly begin transitioning and want to start drinking blood. In fact, none of the startling revelations about various plot twists seem to illicit much in the way of real emotion from these characters, not even the mandate to two twins that they are romantically destined. I don't know how many teens de la Cruz has been around, but I know that if I told any of my former high school students that they were destined to hook up with their brother or sister, I would meet a little more resistance...
Conclusion: utter flop. But I must be wrong, because apparently this series too has been snatched up for big screen rights. Are they starting to get desperate??
Grade: D, maybe C-
Would adults enjoy this book? I hope responsible adults would be horrified by this book.
Ugh, fighting the burn out... One, perhaps two final books in the genre remain, both have more promise than the above.
Keep reading!
Sarah
The coolest paranormal school since Hogwarts
Now this was a series for which I admit I honestly didn't have a lot of hope. At this point I am honestly starting to burn out on the genre and they titles were all starting to blur together. Further, I was becoming increasingly glad that I am no longer a teen. So I was pleasantly surprised when a series in which I was not expecting to find much value turned out to be pretty good! Let's see what it is:
Title: Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Respective start/finish dates: 11/23/10-11/25/10
11/25/10-11/26/10
Book counts: 75, 76
I started this series rather disinterested and the first chapter didn't really warm me up. It was a little confusing and I actually thought briefly that I must have accidently purchased the wrong book and was reading a later book in the series rather than the first. However, once I pushed past that first chapter, the series really picks up.
The premise of this series has a little more in common with Harry Potter than with Twilight. Actually, perhaps it is more of a nice fusion of the two. The romance angle is not as central to this series as is the theme of coming of age, discovering who you are and what you can do, and so on. It even takes place in a magical school, rather similar to Hogwarts. There is romance, of course, but not necessarily the life altering, all-consuming passion seen in some of the others. At least not yet. The idea is that there are three kinds of vampires, all existing in a world of which humans are utterly unaware. There are the good, living vampires, called Moroi, who rule the vampire world and who feed on human blood, but must never kill. Then there are the evil, undead vampires, called Strigoi, who are a constant threat to the Moroi. Finally, there are the dhampirs, half human and half Moroi, who don't need blood, but have enhanced senses and who serve as guardians to the Moroi. The series follows Rose, a dhampir determined to guard and save her best friend, the Moroi, Lissa. The both attend a school for vampires and the plot follows both the everyday aspects of being a teenage vampire and, of course, the action that occurs when some not-so-nice vampires come around.
This series is pretty decidedly teenager oriented. However, I really liked it. It stood out from the long list of other books in this genre which have been filling my last several weeks and, once again, despite not initially intending to read beyond the first book, I was compelled to immediately download the second book in the series. And I loved that one too. Although I am too burned out on paranormal YA fiction for now to read beyond thos two, I am sufficiently drawn to find out what happed next to Lissa, Rose, and Rose's love, Dimitri, that I will almost assuredly be reading the remainder of the series in the new year. It is believable in ways that the others often are not. Of course, when I say believable, I don't mean in the sense that I believe there are vampires in schools in Montana, but rather that Mead successfully weaves the paranormal aspects into an approach that isn't so over-the-top outragious that it is all I can focus on and also, the lives of the main characters are completely accessible beyond their fantasy status. That is to say, yes, they are vampires in a vampire school, but beyond that, what they do each day in school isn't so far from the real teen experience that readers wouldn't identify. The romance between Rose and Dimitri is completely realistic. The friendships, and frenemy-ships (is that a word??) are similar to what a reader would really experience. It takes the real and adds a twist of fantasy, which I think is a great combination.
Whew, what a relief to find something good, just when I was about to hit burn out. I will look forward to finishing the six part series in a few months, once I have gotten out of the paranormal funk that is starting to set in. If I am not careful here, I might actually start to believe vampires and werewolves are real with all this stuff!
Grade: solid A
Would adults enjoy it: well, only if they are still teens at heart, like I am. The target audience is teens and it plays well to that audience.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Respective start/finish dates: 11/23/10-11/25/10
11/25/10-11/26/10
Book counts: 75, 76
I started this series rather disinterested and the first chapter didn't really warm me up. It was a little confusing and I actually thought briefly that I must have accidently purchased the wrong book and was reading a later book in the series rather than the first. However, once I pushed past that first chapter, the series really picks up.
The premise of this series has a little more in common with Harry Potter than with Twilight. Actually, perhaps it is more of a nice fusion of the two. The romance angle is not as central to this series as is the theme of coming of age, discovering who you are and what you can do, and so on. It even takes place in a magical school, rather similar to Hogwarts. There is romance, of course, but not necessarily the life altering, all-consuming passion seen in some of the others. At least not yet. The idea is that there are three kinds of vampires, all existing in a world of which humans are utterly unaware. There are the good, living vampires, called Moroi, who rule the vampire world and who feed on human blood, but must never kill. Then there are the evil, undead vampires, called Strigoi, who are a constant threat to the Moroi. Finally, there are the dhampirs, half human and half Moroi, who don't need blood, but have enhanced senses and who serve as guardians to the Moroi. The series follows Rose, a dhampir determined to guard and save her best friend, the Moroi, Lissa. The both attend a school for vampires and the plot follows both the everyday aspects of being a teenage vampire and, of course, the action that occurs when some not-so-nice vampires come around.
This series is pretty decidedly teenager oriented. However, I really liked it. It stood out from the long list of other books in this genre which have been filling my last several weeks and, once again, despite not initially intending to read beyond the first book, I was compelled to immediately download the second book in the series. And I loved that one too. Although I am too burned out on paranormal YA fiction for now to read beyond thos two, I am sufficiently drawn to find out what happed next to Lissa, Rose, and Rose's love, Dimitri, that I will almost assuredly be reading the remainder of the series in the new year. It is believable in ways that the others often are not. Of course, when I say believable, I don't mean in the sense that I believe there are vampires in schools in Montana, but rather that Mead successfully weaves the paranormal aspects into an approach that isn't so over-the-top outragious that it is all I can focus on and also, the lives of the main characters are completely accessible beyond their fantasy status. That is to say, yes, they are vampires in a vampire school, but beyond that, what they do each day in school isn't so far from the real teen experience that readers wouldn't identify. The romance between Rose and Dimitri is completely realistic. The friendships, and frenemy-ships (is that a word??) are similar to what a reader would really experience. It takes the real and adds a twist of fantasy, which I think is a great combination.
Whew, what a relief to find something good, just when I was about to hit burn out. I will look forward to finishing the six part series in a few months, once I have gotten out of the paranormal funk that is starting to set in. If I am not careful here, I might actually start to believe vampires and werewolves are real with all this stuff!
Grade: solid A
Would adults enjoy it: well, only if they are still teens at heart, like I am. The target audience is teens and it plays well to that audience.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Rising to a Crescendo of Teen Angst
So, back to the fallen angel angle for another try. This series leans more on the ever-popular teen romance approach, so perhaps that livens it up a bit? At least there will be no body snatching monsters, I hope...
Titles: Hush, Hush
Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Respective start/finish dates: 11/19/10-11/21/10
11/22/10-11/23/10
Book counts: 73,74
I liked this series much more than our last encounter with fallen angels. However, it still has some issues. As mentioned, this series is more focused on a romance again. Teen girl meets bad boy. Boy is rude, but she falls for him nonetheless. Bad boy turns out to be really bad boy when she discovers he is a fallen angel. Nope, not Nephilim this time, our hero is a full on archangel who lost his wings. Tsk, tsk. The basic plot is, of course, a little stale. They meet when they are assigned to be biology labs partners. (Look out, all you bio teachers out there, little did you know that your tables are the hottest hookup place in your teenage students world) He feels drawn to kill her. He changes his mind. However, unlike many of the other books in which this formula is followed, Fitzpatrick carries the fear factor out a lot longer. In both books, the heroine fears that the hero might kill her (or in the case of the second, has killed her father) almost to the end. This makes the romance between the two of them somewhat less believable. Lust and attraction, sure, but deep, passionate love? Hmm...
That being said, these books worked for me on the mystery level much better than the romance level. Yes, it is cheesy YA fiction, but I must admit that the "who dunnit" aspect kept me turning the pages. I hate spoilers and try to avoid them, but I really don't think it ruins the book if I say, obviously the bad guy isn't the hero figure, despite the fears of the heroine. We already know that, right? But who IS doing the deeds in questions? What is actually happening to cause all of the action in the plot? It was enough that I wanted to keep turning the pages. Moreover, I hadn't initially intended to read the second book of this series. It is newly out and I figured I would just stop after the one. Yet I was so intrigued that I immediately downloaded the second onto my eReader when I finished the first. That says something!
Finally, it turns out this author grew up in North Platte, NE, one of the many places of my childhood! Shout out for that! Not much older than me, perhaps I knew her in days gone by??
Anyway, how does this series stack up in the end?
Grade: B.
Would adults enjoy this book? Hmm, some might, if they are able to not worry about the unlikelihood of such a romance ever working out and just enjoy the light mystery aspects, this could be a fun read.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Titles: Hush, Hush
Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Respective start/finish dates: 11/19/10-11/21/10
11/22/10-11/23/10
Book counts: 73,74
I liked this series much more than our last encounter with fallen angels. However, it still has some issues. As mentioned, this series is more focused on a romance again. Teen girl meets bad boy. Boy is rude, but she falls for him nonetheless. Bad boy turns out to be really bad boy when she discovers he is a fallen angel. Nope, not Nephilim this time, our hero is a full on archangel who lost his wings. Tsk, tsk. The basic plot is, of course, a little stale. They meet when they are assigned to be biology labs partners. (Look out, all you bio teachers out there, little did you know that your tables are the hottest hookup place in your teenage students world) He feels drawn to kill her. He changes his mind. However, unlike many of the other books in which this formula is followed, Fitzpatrick carries the fear factor out a lot longer. In both books, the heroine fears that the hero might kill her (or in the case of the second, has killed her father) almost to the end. This makes the romance between the two of them somewhat less believable. Lust and attraction, sure, but deep, passionate love? Hmm...
That being said, these books worked for me on the mystery level much better than the romance level. Yes, it is cheesy YA fiction, but I must admit that the "who dunnit" aspect kept me turning the pages. I hate spoilers and try to avoid them, but I really don't think it ruins the book if I say, obviously the bad guy isn't the hero figure, despite the fears of the heroine. We already know that, right? But who IS doing the deeds in questions? What is actually happening to cause all of the action in the plot? It was enough that I wanted to keep turning the pages. Moreover, I hadn't initially intended to read the second book of this series. It is newly out and I figured I would just stop after the one. Yet I was so intrigued that I immediately downloaded the second onto my eReader when I finished the first. That says something!
Finally, it turns out this author grew up in North Platte, NE, one of the many places of my childhood! Shout out for that! Not much older than me, perhaps I knew her in days gone by??
Anyway, how does this series stack up in the end?
Grade: B.
Would adults enjoy this book? Hmm, some might, if they are able to not worry about the unlikelihood of such a romance ever working out and just enjoy the light mystery aspects, this could be a fun read.
Keep reading!
Sarah
A dark twist on an already dark classic
I had mentioned that as part of this project I wanted to examine some of the spillovers of this genre into adult fiction. I haven't gotten to cover that aspect nearly as much as I would have liked. However, I did want to make it a priority to check out the trend of redesigning classics with a paranormal twist. This trend is EVERYWHERE! I can't even begin to list all of the classics I have seen in this fashion. All of Jane Austen. Much of Shakespeare. Even good old Louisa May Alcott has been introduced to the paranormal. So many choices, so little time. So I choose to review one which I had recently read in the original, thus making the comparison more clear. Here it is:
Title: Wuthering Bites
Author: Sarah Gray
My start date: 11/12/10
My finish date: 11/19/10
Book count: 72
Ok, so it should be obvious from the title, that this work was meant to emulate Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights. And seriously, if you didn't get that just from the title, go back to the beginning of the blog and start again. However, I don't think I was quite prepared for just how closely this work planned to follow the original. I think what I anticipated from this trend is something more akin to Gregory Maguire's sensational series of twists on fairy tales, such as Wicked. In those, you know the basic story, but the content is completely reworked to come at it from a different direction. That is not quite what happened here. Instead, it was almost verbatim Bronte's original, with a thread of vampire themes woven much more subtly into the existing material. In fact, it was so verbatim, that although it wasn't what I expected, I almost have to give Gray good credit for being able to embed her changes into the text so delicately that it changes very little, and yet changes everything. If you like the classics, it is worth reading just to see how she does it. I am not sure how many of the others of this type are following the same model, or if some others are coming closer to the Wicked approach, but this one at least might be worth visiting.
Now, that being said, it is a good thing I really like Bronte's original, because what this essentially meant was that I read the (almost) exact same text twice within a matter of months. And Wuthering Heights isn't exactly a one sitting kind of read in the first place. For that reason, I would have liked the story line to vary a little more, simply to prevent boredom from setting in on my part. But that has less to do with the writing and more to do with the potential insanity of the reading schedule I keep. Bottom line, I won't be reading Wuthering anything again for a little while.
Conclusion, if you are interested in reading the classics but like a little variety and spice in life, this could be a fun approach!
Grade: B
Adult readable: yep, fun for all ages!
Ok, back to the YA series stuff.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Wuthering Bites
Author: Sarah Gray
My start date: 11/12/10
My finish date: 11/19/10
Book count: 72
Ok, so it should be obvious from the title, that this work was meant to emulate Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights. And seriously, if you didn't get that just from the title, go back to the beginning of the blog and start again. However, I don't think I was quite prepared for just how closely this work planned to follow the original. I think what I anticipated from this trend is something more akin to Gregory Maguire's sensational series of twists on fairy tales, such as Wicked. In those, you know the basic story, but the content is completely reworked to come at it from a different direction. That is not quite what happened here. Instead, it was almost verbatim Bronte's original, with a thread of vampire themes woven much more subtly into the existing material. In fact, it was so verbatim, that although it wasn't what I expected, I almost have to give Gray good credit for being able to embed her changes into the text so delicately that it changes very little, and yet changes everything. If you like the classics, it is worth reading just to see how she does it. I am not sure how many of the others of this type are following the same model, or if some others are coming closer to the Wicked approach, but this one at least might be worth visiting.
Now, that being said, it is a good thing I really like Bronte's original, because what this essentially meant was that I read the (almost) exact same text twice within a matter of months. And Wuthering Heights isn't exactly a one sitting kind of read in the first place. For that reason, I would have liked the story line to vary a little more, simply to prevent boredom from setting in on my part. But that has less to do with the writing and more to do with the potential insanity of the reading schedule I keep. Bottom line, I won't be reading Wuthering anything again for a little while.
Conclusion, if you are interested in reading the classics but like a little variety and spice in life, this could be a fun approach!
Grade: B
Adult readable: yep, fun for all ages!
Ok, back to the YA series stuff.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Into the Fallen
So we are all at this point pretty familiar with the witches, vampires and werewolves variety of this particular theme. However, a new spin on this genre of which I became aware when I began this project was the fallen angel category. My first instinct was to be a little wary of this kind. We can all see the appeal of the others. Dark, brooding monster-like figures who are really good at heart and are simply misunderstood. Right? But when you are dealing with fallen angels, doesn't that imply a willingness to be dark? How can these figures be redeemed? That is what I wanted to know when beginning to explore these types, and I started by reading the first two books in a series by Thomas Sniegoski. Here is what I found:
Title: Fallen
Leviathan
Author: Thomas Sniegoski
My reading dates, respectively: 11/8/10-11/10/10
11/11/10-11/11/10
Book counts: 70, 71
So, in this particular case, the answer to how these characters can be redeemable lies in the fact that they are not actually full fallen angels. The main character is half human, half (fallen) angel, representing a biblical race called the Nephilim. Yep, they are in there, you can check. Genesis 6 amoung other places. And I believe I referenced this particular mystery when reviewing some of the other biblical fiction works in the past. They are referenced, but debate rages on today about exactly who the Nephilim are supposed to be, or what they are supposed to be, perhaps. Which is convenient for fiction because it allows some room to maneuver, which is what Sniegoski did when he made them his central theme.
The hero of our story discovers on his 18th birthday that he suddenly has a lot of cool new talents, including the spontaneous ability to understand and speak any language. Man, I wish I had that talent! Anyway, it follows that he is tracked down by other fallen angels and they explain who he is. However, to make life a little more troublesome for our hero, it turns out that another group of very angry angels has been tasked with the job of killing off these undesirable products of the angels' sins, and thus he must flee, or occasionally try to fight, some pretty powerful heavenly hosts. Meanwhile, the most popular girl in school suddenly loves him and what should a boy do in all of this chaos?
The first book in the series was fine. It would find a better audience amoung teenage boys than twenty-something females. This is in itself a good thing, as there just doesn't seem to be as much out there to get teenage guys reading, so even if it is somewhat weak, I will take it. But the fact remains that it is a little weak. The hero is likeable enough, but the peripheral characters are pretty basic. The best redeeming feature is the talking dog. The dog kept me going through the pages, I'm not going to lie. But then, talking dogs will only get you so far.
The series really starts to fall apart already in the second novel. While the first had some undeveloped potential, the second goes off in a very bizarre direction involving weird little body snatching monsters and other science fiction-y type things that were just not my style. But again, if you are a teenage boy, maybe....? They really lost me when they revealed that one of the most powerful archangels has been trapped in a monster's stomach for centuries and the hero had to save him. Seriously??
I will note that my research dug up the fact that this series was briefly a television series. And I was almost lured to try to find it when I found that the lead was played by Paul Wesley, more recently famous as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. TVD has been perhaps one of the best things that has come of this little reading project of mine. However, the mini-series inspired by Sniegowski's "The Fallen" was cancelled after only a few episodes, which left me wondering...
(UPDATE: Ok, ok, so ended up buying it. All of it. And I have to admit that, while the books were pretty mediocre, the screed adaptation was actually pretty fun to watch. This stems from a combination of some good rewriting in cleaning up the plotlines and the fact that Paul Wesley just really is a truly talented actor. Also, if you watch it, tell me I am not crazy and that the background music in the little opening slides in which they explain the Fallen ones sounds at least a LITTLE like the song "Black and Yellow". Now everytime I hear that song I can't help but think of "Fallen")
Anyway, so far the fallen angel angle of this genre is not so much winning me over. Hmmm. Continuing on...
Grade for this series: C, it was just average.
Would adults be interested? Probably not.
Ok, and now for something completely different...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Fallen
Leviathan
Author: Thomas Sniegoski
My reading dates, respectively: 11/8/10-11/10/10
11/11/10-11/11/10
Book counts: 70, 71
So, in this particular case, the answer to how these characters can be redeemable lies in the fact that they are not actually full fallen angels. The main character is half human, half (fallen) angel, representing a biblical race called the Nephilim. Yep, they are in there, you can check. Genesis 6 amoung other places. And I believe I referenced this particular mystery when reviewing some of the other biblical fiction works in the past. They are referenced, but debate rages on today about exactly who the Nephilim are supposed to be, or what they are supposed to be, perhaps. Which is convenient for fiction because it allows some room to maneuver, which is what Sniegoski did when he made them his central theme.
The hero of our story discovers on his 18th birthday that he suddenly has a lot of cool new talents, including the spontaneous ability to understand and speak any language. Man, I wish I had that talent! Anyway, it follows that he is tracked down by other fallen angels and they explain who he is. However, to make life a little more troublesome for our hero, it turns out that another group of very angry angels has been tasked with the job of killing off these undesirable products of the angels' sins, and thus he must flee, or occasionally try to fight, some pretty powerful heavenly hosts. Meanwhile, the most popular girl in school suddenly loves him and what should a boy do in all of this chaos?
The first book in the series was fine. It would find a better audience amoung teenage boys than twenty-something females. This is in itself a good thing, as there just doesn't seem to be as much out there to get teenage guys reading, so even if it is somewhat weak, I will take it. But the fact remains that it is a little weak. The hero is likeable enough, but the peripheral characters are pretty basic. The best redeeming feature is the talking dog. The dog kept me going through the pages, I'm not going to lie. But then, talking dogs will only get you so far.
The series really starts to fall apart already in the second novel. While the first had some undeveloped potential, the second goes off in a very bizarre direction involving weird little body snatching monsters and other science fiction-y type things that were just not my style. But again, if you are a teenage boy, maybe....? They really lost me when they revealed that one of the most powerful archangels has been trapped in a monster's stomach for centuries and the hero had to save him. Seriously??
I will note that my research dug up the fact that this series was briefly a television series. And I was almost lured to try to find it when I found that the lead was played by Paul Wesley, more recently famous as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. TVD has been perhaps one of the best things that has come of this little reading project of mine. However, the mini-series inspired by Sniegowski's "The Fallen" was cancelled after only a few episodes, which left me wondering...
(UPDATE: Ok, ok, so ended up buying it. All of it. And I have to admit that, while the books were pretty mediocre, the screed adaptation was actually pretty fun to watch. This stems from a combination of some good rewriting in cleaning up the plotlines and the fact that Paul Wesley just really is a truly talented actor. Also, if you watch it, tell me I am not crazy and that the background music in the little opening slides in which they explain the Fallen ones sounds at least a LITTLE like the song "Black and Yellow". Now everytime I hear that song I can't help but think of "Fallen")
Anyway, so far the fallen angel angle of this genre is not so much winning me over. Hmmm. Continuing on...
Grade for this series: C, it was just average.
Would adults be interested? Probably not.
Ok, and now for something completely different...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Friday, November 26, 2010
Marked, but not remarkable
My next read was a bit of a let-down, which was even more frustrating since I spent my birthday reading it! Argh! Let's see what went wrong:
Title: Marked
Authors: P.C. & Kristen Cast
My start date: 11/5/10
My finish date: 11/7/10
Book Count: 69
Something about this book just didn't work for me. It is part of a series, and you might have noticed that, where I have been enjoying the first one in the series, I have continued on to the second to see if the vibe lasts. This one did not inspire me to pick up the second. Why?
One of my problems with this book was the way in which it tried way too hard. As a hopeful novelist myself, I have always wanted to explore ways in which I might instill positive lessons into my YA stories and write strong role models out of my characters. This novel showed how NOT to do that. They pushed several messages, but in a way that was way too abrassive and unappealing, but also unbelievable. It was like a permanent running public service message. The plot would be broken in order to plug in an awkward statement by the main character about how she knew was above sex, drug, alcohol, and so on. It was obnoxious and rather than making a reader want to emulate those admirable qualities, it made the character annoying and could even turn a reader away from wanting to be like her. At the same time that these service plugs were being shoved into the text, the authors included some very graphic and unnecessary things that almost suggested that the were ok with the opposite actions. For example, there were some very explicit sexual references that were simply gross and unnecessary. The plot could have been worked without them. So even though the character is saying, "Eww, I know better than to ever do that" as she witnesses the act, you are left wondering why the authors wrote it in the first place. It just didn't work and the overall feel of the novel is compromised through it.
My other big problem with this series lies with the characters. The lead is just plain annoying. Her bestfriend/roommate is an annoying cartoon of a "stereotypical" Oklahoman. Their other friends are equally designed as cartoons of stereotypes, i.e. "the gay male best friend", "the shallow-trendy girls", and so on. For that matter, every single character is a cartoon stereotype, including the popular but secretly great boy interest, and the evil female rival.
I think, bottem line, this book just tries WAY too hard. It wants to sound cool and teen, but in trying so hard it falls short. Better luck next time, but I doubt I will read it if there is a next time.
Grade: C/C-
Would adults enjoy reading this? I doubt it. Maybe if they wanted a laugh.
Onward, keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Marked
Authors: P.C. & Kristen Cast
My start date: 11/5/10
My finish date: 11/7/10
Book Count: 69
Something about this book just didn't work for me. It is part of a series, and you might have noticed that, where I have been enjoying the first one in the series, I have continued on to the second to see if the vibe lasts. This one did not inspire me to pick up the second. Why?
One of my problems with this book was the way in which it tried way too hard. As a hopeful novelist myself, I have always wanted to explore ways in which I might instill positive lessons into my YA stories and write strong role models out of my characters. This novel showed how NOT to do that. They pushed several messages, but in a way that was way too abrassive and unappealing, but also unbelievable. It was like a permanent running public service message. The plot would be broken in order to plug in an awkward statement by the main character about how she knew was above sex, drug, alcohol, and so on. It was obnoxious and rather than making a reader want to emulate those admirable qualities, it made the character annoying and could even turn a reader away from wanting to be like her. At the same time that these service plugs were being shoved into the text, the authors included some very graphic and unnecessary things that almost suggested that the were ok with the opposite actions. For example, there were some very explicit sexual references that were simply gross and unnecessary. The plot could have been worked without them. So even though the character is saying, "Eww, I know better than to ever do that" as she witnesses the act, you are left wondering why the authors wrote it in the first place. It just didn't work and the overall feel of the novel is compromised through it.
My other big problem with this series lies with the characters. The lead is just plain annoying. Her bestfriend/roommate is an annoying cartoon of a "stereotypical" Oklahoman. Their other friends are equally designed as cartoons of stereotypes, i.e. "the gay male best friend", "the shallow-trendy girls", and so on. For that matter, every single character is a cartoon stereotype, including the popular but secretly great boy interest, and the evil female rival.
I think, bottem line, this book just tries WAY too hard. It wants to sound cool and teen, but in trying so hard it falls short. Better luck next time, but I doubt I will read it if there is a next time.
Grade: C/C-
Would adults enjoy reading this? I doubt it. Maybe if they wanted a laugh.
Onward, keep reading!
Sarah
A Sensational Shiver
This particular book caught my eye in the grocery store and after my cousin highly recommended it, I had to check it out. In fact, my curiousity for this book, and wanting a good excuse to read it, was part of my motivation to review this particular genre. Fortunately, I was in no way let down and happily this book had a sequel as well! Here is what I read:
Titles: Shiver and Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My start and finish dates: 10/30/10-11-3/10
11/3/10-11/5/10
Book counts: 67, 68
This book is another that is widely being held up in comparison to Twilight. I think this particular comparison is more apt that many of the others. Previously when we have seen novels in the paranormal romance genre compared back to that touchstone work, it has mostly related to similarities in character or plot structures. These are everyone at this point. Frankly, it is hard to get too creative when trying to create an appealing, brooding, vampire. You have certain myth conventions in which you pretty well have to work. So it is no surprise if half of the male leads in these books look and sound an awful lot like Edward Cullen. I don't count that. Similarly, it is amusing just how many of these books have their meet cute at the biology lab table these days, but, again, when writing YA fiction, you only have so many places at which teens can meet. They spend their lives in a high school after all. So, again, I don't count that. What I do look for in a comparison goes a lot deeper. It lies in the feel of the writing. I know, that is irritatingly vague, especially for someone intending to make their life using words, but I really can't put too much finer of a point on it. But regardless, Shiver, and its sequel have that same feel.
Part of the similarity is undoubtably in the nature of the relationship between the two lead characters, Grace and Sam. Much like Edward and Bella, this connection reads with the same powerful almost Shakespeare-esque quality and exudes a maturity beyond what the average YA fiction relationship usually has. Of course, on the flip side this also means that at time it feels a little more adult that can and perhaps should be realistic in teens, but it is nonetheless a pleasure to read. No one can resist the appeal of reading true love. And similarly to Edward and Bella, (and Romeo & Juliet, or any of the other classic loves on which these are based) Grace and Sam's love is riddled with obstacles. Sam is a werewolf, rather than a vampire, but the concept is the same. He can't always be with Grace and his life could put hers in danger. Delicious intrigue.
Another similarity is the decidedly more mature feeling to this series as opposed to others in YA fiction. Of course, it is standard in writing for this audience that parents are absent. It is almost a given that the main character's parents will be either gone on business, or the character will be orphaned or living in a boarding school, or some other similar device by which the parents are not on the scene. No offense to parents, but this audience wants to read about the character making adult decisions on their own and resolving problems independently. Don't be upset, it helps them mature, I promise. So there is a certain adult attitude in most of these novels. However, in Shiver, like in Twilight, this feeling is amplified. The plot revolves a lot less around high school and the attached activities and more around outside issues. I have heard rumors the Meyer initially wrote her characters as older and had to change it to make them high schoolers in order to sell in the more likely YA genre and thus the older feel to her works. I have no idea if that is true. Either way, I don't think that was what happened in Stiefvater's series, but regardless of the cause, the effect is there. They are a lot less teen than others in the genre.
As far as characters go, Stiefvater writes some pretty strong ones. Twi-hard that I am, I like Grace's character a lot more than Bella's. Grace is stronger and more rational. You won't find as much of Bella's melodrama here. I will still give my greater loyalty to Edward over Sam, however, although Sam is almost as loveable of a character and, honestly, somewhat less menacingly protective. In a good way. Steifvater's supporting characters are quality stuff as well. Particularly in the second novel, in which she promotes two of them almost to lead status. Where in my last review I was cautious in regards to Patterson's tendancy to flip character perspective chapter to chapter, Stiefvater does this with much greater success. In the first novel she only alternates between Grace and Sam's perspectives, but in the second she is flipping between Grace and Sam, but now adding the perspectives of Isabel and Cole as well, all very effectively. She has a talent for writing in voice that allows the reader to much more easily recognize when they are in another character's head. This adds great depth.
The only thing that I hesitated on in this series was the very beginning. I was admittedly a little weirded out by the way in which Grace seemed to have downright romantic feelings for the wolf Sam, even before she could have had any real notion that it was anything more than a furry dog. That struck me as uncomfortable at first. But plow through that and allow yourself to suspend disbelief for awhile, the rest is so very worth it.
Ok, the questions:
Grade for this series: A, solidly. And there is a third coming out, which I expect to also award an A. Oh, and don't forget the movies. The rights have already been sold.
Would an adult enjoy this book? I think they just might. If you are an adult and you enjoyed Twilight, give this one a try.
That's it for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Titles: Shiver and Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My start and finish dates: 10/30/10-11-3/10
11/3/10-11/5/10
Book counts: 67, 68
This book is another that is widely being held up in comparison to Twilight. I think this particular comparison is more apt that many of the others. Previously when we have seen novels in the paranormal romance genre compared back to that touchstone work, it has mostly related to similarities in character or plot structures. These are everyone at this point. Frankly, it is hard to get too creative when trying to create an appealing, brooding, vampire. You have certain myth conventions in which you pretty well have to work. So it is no surprise if half of the male leads in these books look and sound an awful lot like Edward Cullen. I don't count that. Similarly, it is amusing just how many of these books have their meet cute at the biology lab table these days, but, again, when writing YA fiction, you only have so many places at which teens can meet. They spend their lives in a high school after all. So, again, I don't count that. What I do look for in a comparison goes a lot deeper. It lies in the feel of the writing. I know, that is irritatingly vague, especially for someone intending to make their life using words, but I really can't put too much finer of a point on it. But regardless, Shiver, and its sequel have that same feel.
Part of the similarity is undoubtably in the nature of the relationship between the two lead characters, Grace and Sam. Much like Edward and Bella, this connection reads with the same powerful almost Shakespeare-esque quality and exudes a maturity beyond what the average YA fiction relationship usually has. Of course, on the flip side this also means that at time it feels a little more adult that can and perhaps should be realistic in teens, but it is nonetheless a pleasure to read. No one can resist the appeal of reading true love. And similarly to Edward and Bella, (and Romeo & Juliet, or any of the other classic loves on which these are based) Grace and Sam's love is riddled with obstacles. Sam is a werewolf, rather than a vampire, but the concept is the same. He can't always be with Grace and his life could put hers in danger. Delicious intrigue.
Another similarity is the decidedly more mature feeling to this series as opposed to others in YA fiction. Of course, it is standard in writing for this audience that parents are absent. It is almost a given that the main character's parents will be either gone on business, or the character will be orphaned or living in a boarding school, or some other similar device by which the parents are not on the scene. No offense to parents, but this audience wants to read about the character making adult decisions on their own and resolving problems independently. Don't be upset, it helps them mature, I promise. So there is a certain adult attitude in most of these novels. However, in Shiver, like in Twilight, this feeling is amplified. The plot revolves a lot less around high school and the attached activities and more around outside issues. I have heard rumors the Meyer initially wrote her characters as older and had to change it to make them high schoolers in order to sell in the more likely YA genre and thus the older feel to her works. I have no idea if that is true. Either way, I don't think that was what happened in Stiefvater's series, but regardless of the cause, the effect is there. They are a lot less teen than others in the genre.
As far as characters go, Stiefvater writes some pretty strong ones. Twi-hard that I am, I like Grace's character a lot more than Bella's. Grace is stronger and more rational. You won't find as much of Bella's melodrama here. I will still give my greater loyalty to Edward over Sam, however, although Sam is almost as loveable of a character and, honestly, somewhat less menacingly protective. In a good way. Steifvater's supporting characters are quality stuff as well. Particularly in the second novel, in which she promotes two of them almost to lead status. Where in my last review I was cautious in regards to Patterson's tendancy to flip character perspective chapter to chapter, Stiefvater does this with much greater success. In the first novel she only alternates between Grace and Sam's perspectives, but in the second she is flipping between Grace and Sam, but now adding the perspectives of Isabel and Cole as well, all very effectively. She has a talent for writing in voice that allows the reader to much more easily recognize when they are in another character's head. This adds great depth.
The only thing that I hesitated on in this series was the very beginning. I was admittedly a little weirded out by the way in which Grace seemed to have downright romantic feelings for the wolf Sam, even before she could have had any real notion that it was anything more than a furry dog. That struck me as uncomfortable at first. But plow through that and allow yourself to suspend disbelief for awhile, the rest is so very worth it.
Ok, the questions:
Grade for this series: A, solidly. And there is a third coming out, which I expect to also award an A. Oh, and don't forget the movies. The rights have already been sold.
Would an adult enjoy this book? I think they just might. If you are an adult and you enjoyed Twilight, give this one a try.
That's it for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The New Teen Witches in Town
Shifting from Vampires into Witches (and Wizards), I headed in the direction of a fairly recent work which received plenty of publication. Promoted as being the next Harry Potter, and authored by one of the country's most prolific writer's, my curiousity was decidedly piqued. So let's see what I discovered:
Title: Witch & Wizard
Author: James Patterson
Year: 2009
My start date: 10/28/10
My finish date: 10/30/10
Book Count: 66
Well, Harry Potter it is not. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. But I was surprised to admit that it wasn't horribly far off the mark. The story revolves around two teens, a brother and sister, who discover they can do magic, but only when the police of the new world order storm their home and arrest them.
There are a ton of different influences coming together here. It is a little bit of Potter meets a little bit of 1984. The dystopian descriptions of the New Order are pretty standard. You could also tell that Patterson is fairly well versed in the other "paranormal adventures" of the day and draws inspiration, or more often fodder for cynical references, from these.
Which brings me to the first point I loved about this book. Early on, I thought the vague reference to pop culture, which are only thinly veiled, were lazy. I thought that Patterson was trying to create a fantasy world without going to the effort of dreaming up real popstar and book names. Thus, when I read his references to the teens having favorite authors such as K.J. Meyer (clearly hinting at a combination of J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer), favorite popstars such as "Lay-Z" and favorite books such as "Gary Blotter and the Guild of Rejects", I was irritated at his lack of originality. However, as the story continued, I began to realize that these were very much intentional parodies, especially when I discovered the appendix elaborating on all of this banned culture, including descriptions such as popstar "Ron Sayer: This young blues-rock star somehow won awards, dated superstars, and wowed audiences with songs such as "Your Skin Is an Amusement Park"." This is clearly a joking reference to actual singer Jon Mayer and his song "Your Body is a Wonderland." Similarly, under the New Order banned books list, you will find everything from "The Firegirl Saga" which mocks Twilight, to The Thunder Stealer (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) and even Margeret's Pen (Charlotte's Web)and The Pitcher in the Wheat (The Catcher in the Rye), each with its own parody description. As soon as I realized the comical nature of these and the fact that they were very intentional, I discovered a whole new appreciation and actually spent several minutes laughing at them.
The story itself is fairly standard and somewhat predictable, but nonetheless engaging. The two teens are decently strong as characters, albeit a little too much. Patterson seemed to take the teen stereotypes a bit too far and subsequently Whit and Wisty are a little over-the-top in their teenagerly-ness. I would even venture to question whether today's actual teens would find them accessible or if they would come off as to cartoonish. But they grew on me.
Two complaints, one minor and one potentially damaging. The first is Patterson's utter inability to write a proper chapter. As in other books of his I have read, his chapters are never more than maybe three or four pages long; more often only two pages. While this means that they 300 page book reads a lot more quickly than one might anticipate, it is irritating for me because the chapters come off as too abrupt and not fully developped. Also, it means that you are transitioning to a new chapter at points that don't necessarily warrent a new chapter. But that is Patterson's style (and perhaps connected with his ability to push out several books a year??) and not entirely tragic.
What is more pressing if he intends to continue this series is the way he shifts voices. The novel is narrated by both teens, alternating at chapter points. You will have a few chapters narrated by Wisty and then the perspective will shift over to Whit for awhile, and then back again. This is interesting in many ways and will allow the book to grab a greater audience among its young readers because it has both a male and a female teenage with whom they can identify, but it becomes problematic in that you often forget who is narrating at any given point. The shifts are random, and because of the short chapter length, often quick. Patterson doesn't vary his character voice widely enough to make it obvious just by context (as mentioned, it all just comes across generic teen from him)and thus is you aren't on your toes you will read an entire chapter or several before remembering that the narrator had switched again. This can get confusing and needs to be corrected to make a strong showing. Right now they switches are only indicated by the character's name at the beginning of each chapter in font that is maybe two or three sizes larger than they rest. Very easy to miss or ignore, especially since the two names are so similar.
Overall, though, I grew to really like this novel and find that, although Patterson leans often toward the mega-cheesy in his attempts to portray teens, he works some strong material in and focuses on great messages. I think that is awesome in any book, but so important in YA lit. Take for example, his concluding thoughts from Wisty in saying: "So, how are you doing--wherever you are? Listen, please: seize the moment, however worried you may be about what's coming next. It's your brain, it's your life, it's your attitude...Go out there and fill up with sights, sounds and ideas that are bigger than yourself." (306) I like it.
So, to wrap it up, here are our two questions:
Would adults like it? It is great for YA and certainly meant for it. It has strong messages and catchy characters. That being said, most YA readers are likely to miss the humor in the parody elements and I think a lot of adults could appreciate that. It is worth a try for adults too. And, hey, it won't take that long to read with those short chapters!
Final grade? I would give this work a solid B, maybe B+. I can see myself reading the next installment.
Next up, some werewolves!! Happy Halloween!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
Title: Witch & Wizard
Author: James Patterson
Year: 2009
My start date: 10/28/10
My finish date: 10/30/10
Book Count: 66
Well, Harry Potter it is not. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. But I was surprised to admit that it wasn't horribly far off the mark. The story revolves around two teens, a brother and sister, who discover they can do magic, but only when the police of the new world order storm their home and arrest them.
There are a ton of different influences coming together here. It is a little bit of Potter meets a little bit of 1984. The dystopian descriptions of the New Order are pretty standard. You could also tell that Patterson is fairly well versed in the other "paranormal adventures" of the day and draws inspiration, or more often fodder for cynical references, from these.
Which brings me to the first point I loved about this book. Early on, I thought the vague reference to pop culture, which are only thinly veiled, were lazy. I thought that Patterson was trying to create a fantasy world without going to the effort of dreaming up real popstar and book names. Thus, when I read his references to the teens having favorite authors such as K.J. Meyer (clearly hinting at a combination of J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer), favorite popstars such as "Lay-Z" and favorite books such as "Gary Blotter and the Guild of Rejects", I was irritated at his lack of originality. However, as the story continued, I began to realize that these were very much intentional parodies, especially when I discovered the appendix elaborating on all of this banned culture, including descriptions such as popstar "Ron Sayer: This young blues-rock star somehow won awards, dated superstars, and wowed audiences with songs such as "Your Skin Is an Amusement Park"." This is clearly a joking reference to actual singer Jon Mayer and his song "Your Body is a Wonderland." Similarly, under the New Order banned books list, you will find everything from "The Firegirl Saga" which mocks Twilight, to The Thunder Stealer (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) and even Margeret's Pen (Charlotte's Web)and The Pitcher in the Wheat (The Catcher in the Rye), each with its own parody description. As soon as I realized the comical nature of these and the fact that they were very intentional, I discovered a whole new appreciation and actually spent several minutes laughing at them.
The story itself is fairly standard and somewhat predictable, but nonetheless engaging. The two teens are decently strong as characters, albeit a little too much. Patterson seemed to take the teen stereotypes a bit too far and subsequently Whit and Wisty are a little over-the-top in their teenagerly-ness. I would even venture to question whether today's actual teens would find them accessible or if they would come off as to cartoonish. But they grew on me.
Two complaints, one minor and one potentially damaging. The first is Patterson's utter inability to write a proper chapter. As in other books of his I have read, his chapters are never more than maybe three or four pages long; more often only two pages. While this means that they 300 page book reads a lot more quickly than one might anticipate, it is irritating for me because the chapters come off as too abrupt and not fully developped. Also, it means that you are transitioning to a new chapter at points that don't necessarily warrent a new chapter. But that is Patterson's style (and perhaps connected with his ability to push out several books a year??) and not entirely tragic.
What is more pressing if he intends to continue this series is the way he shifts voices. The novel is narrated by both teens, alternating at chapter points. You will have a few chapters narrated by Wisty and then the perspective will shift over to Whit for awhile, and then back again. This is interesting in many ways and will allow the book to grab a greater audience among its young readers because it has both a male and a female teenage with whom they can identify, but it becomes problematic in that you often forget who is narrating at any given point. The shifts are random, and because of the short chapter length, often quick. Patterson doesn't vary his character voice widely enough to make it obvious just by context (as mentioned, it all just comes across generic teen from him)and thus is you aren't on your toes you will read an entire chapter or several before remembering that the narrator had switched again. This can get confusing and needs to be corrected to make a strong showing. Right now they switches are only indicated by the character's name at the beginning of each chapter in font that is maybe two or three sizes larger than they rest. Very easy to miss or ignore, especially since the two names are so similar.
Overall, though, I grew to really like this novel and find that, although Patterson leans often toward the mega-cheesy in his attempts to portray teens, he works some strong material in and focuses on great messages. I think that is awesome in any book, but so important in YA lit. Take for example, his concluding thoughts from Wisty in saying: "So, how are you doing--wherever you are? Listen, please: seize the moment, however worried you may be about what's coming next. It's your brain, it's your life, it's your attitude...Go out there and fill up with sights, sounds and ideas that are bigger than yourself." (306) I like it.
So, to wrap it up, here are our two questions:
Would adults like it? It is great for YA and certainly meant for it. It has strong messages and catchy characters. That being said, most YA readers are likely to miss the humor in the parody elements and I think a lot of adults could appreciate that. It is worth a try for adults too. And, hey, it won't take that long to read with those short chapters!
Final grade? I would give this work a solid B, maybe B+. I can see myself reading the next installment.
Next up, some werewolves!! Happy Halloween!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
True Blood or True Junk?
In keeping with my plan to review those works that had inspired TV spin offs first, I next moved on to the series that inspired the much loved HBO show, TrueBlood. So I picked up a copy of the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris. Here is the info:
Title: Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published: 2001
My start date: 10/27/10
My finish date: 10/28/10
Book count: 65
The reason I chose to start with those books that had inspired spin offs was that I assumed that they must be pretty good to get that kind of attention. I was also intrigued by this series because it is not YA lit and also because I discovered that the author is from Arkansas, and having grown up there myself, I feel bound to defend other Arkansans. However, Harris has effectively cured me of that connection. This book was among the worst that I read all year.
Seriously, it was painful. I just kept plowing on in the hopes that it would either a) get better or b) be quickly finished. It never got better, but fortunately it did eventually end. So, now to examine what went wrong. So wrong, so very wrong.
To put it shortly, I have to imagine that this book is the product of a lonely middle-aged women putting pen to her, hmm, let's say her pent up fantasies. It felt cheap all around. It even felt sleazy. And I know it was kind of the point, but it just screamed trailer park. The writing made me embarrassed for Arkansas/Louisiana, and I absolutely hate it when people perpetuate stereotypes of a place I know to be different.
The one slightly good thing about this novel was a likable protagonist. Sookie Stackhouse was interesting, albeit stupid. I hated the way she was written, but a strong personality shone through and I can imagine an actress like Anna Paquin could take this material and improve on it enough to explain the popularity of the TV show. The male vampire lead,Bill had very little depth, although I did give the shapeshifter/boss character,Sam a little more credit. The rest of the characters were little more than cartoons of what everyone assumes small town southerners should be like.
Oh, and I could also explain the show's popularity in another way, especially considering that it plays on HBO. Sex. Like I said, it leads one to assume that the author is living out her (rather unusual) fantasies through writing. To each their own.
So, my two final questions:
Would adults like this book? Well, it is actually for adults, but then again, I can't see how anyone would like this book.
What grade does it get? D. And that is generous.
Let's hope for something better next. Otherwise this project might not last long.
Keep reading! (Even when the books stinks!)
Sarah
Title: Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published: 2001
My start date: 10/27/10
My finish date: 10/28/10
Book count: 65
The reason I chose to start with those books that had inspired spin offs was that I assumed that they must be pretty good to get that kind of attention. I was also intrigued by this series because it is not YA lit and also because I discovered that the author is from Arkansas, and having grown up there myself, I feel bound to defend other Arkansans. However, Harris has effectively cured me of that connection. This book was among the worst that I read all year.
Seriously, it was painful. I just kept plowing on in the hopes that it would either a) get better or b) be quickly finished. It never got better, but fortunately it did eventually end. So, now to examine what went wrong. So wrong, so very wrong.
To put it shortly, I have to imagine that this book is the product of a lonely middle-aged women putting pen to her, hmm, let's say her pent up fantasies. It felt cheap all around. It even felt sleazy. And I know it was kind of the point, but it just screamed trailer park. The writing made me embarrassed for Arkansas/Louisiana, and I absolutely hate it when people perpetuate stereotypes of a place I know to be different.
The one slightly good thing about this novel was a likable protagonist. Sookie Stackhouse was interesting, albeit stupid. I hated the way she was written, but a strong personality shone through and I can imagine an actress like Anna Paquin could take this material and improve on it enough to explain the popularity of the TV show. The male vampire lead,Bill had very little depth, although I did give the shapeshifter/boss character,Sam a little more credit. The rest of the characters were little more than cartoons of what everyone assumes small town southerners should be like.
Oh, and I could also explain the show's popularity in another way, especially considering that it plays on HBO. Sex. Like I said, it leads one to assume that the author is living out her (rather unusual) fantasies through writing. To each their own.
So, my two final questions:
Would adults like this book? Well, it is actually for adults, but then again, I can't see how anyone would like this book.
What grade does it get? D. And that is generous.
Let's hope for something better next. Otherwise this project might not last long.
Keep reading! (Even when the books stinks!)
Sarah
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