Category: Great Books

January’s Best Book

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Is it just me or did January drag on forever? Ugh… seriously my least favorite month of the year. That said, February somehow managed to sneak up on me before I had a chance to do a reading wrap up for January! I managed to read some amazing books while it poured rain pretty much every day of 2011, thus far. Here they are:

1. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb which was elegant, lyrical, and romantic. 
2. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. I can’t say I liked it, exactly, because mostly I found it hauntingly disturbing. But, its characters have stuck with me, which, in my opinion, is the sign of an important book.
3. One very popular paranormal romance I happened to hate. Cool premise, but so not  for me.
4. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr, which I absolutely adored. I find her writing style very appealing, and the characters in OWL are precious. I’m going to have to hunt down Story of a Girl next.
5. An eating disorder issue book that will remain nameless because I couldn’t get through it. Let me say, I VERY rarely quit books, but this one was way too dry. Plus, it was a library book so I didn’t feel quite so guilty about moving on.
6. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer, which was difficult to get through, especially considering it completely lacked tension. I mean, who doesn’t know what happens to Bree at the end of the story?
7. The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting. LOVED. See my fangirl post here.
8. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. A slow start, but I ended up really enjoying it. In fact, I think it’s my favorite of all the Sarah Dessen novels I’ve read.
9. Last but not least, I had the pleasure of reading the very cool urban fantasy of one of my CPs, Jus Accardo. She’s hugely talented and I can’t wait for you all to read her work.

That said, I had a stand out favorite of all the books I read in January:

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

From Goodreads: Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard–falling from it is even harder.  Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High… until vicious rumors about her and her best friend’s boyfriend start going around.  Now Regina’s been “frozen out” and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn’t come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend… if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don’t break them both first. Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

Some Girls Are is exactly how I like my contemporary YA: realistic, gritty, and daring. But, as the mother of a three-year-old girl who will someday be in high school, I found this story particularly disturbing. It’s Mean Girls amped up about fifty notches. The behavior of Regina and her “friends” is completely deplorable, and it took a long time for me to find her a likeable narrator. Even though many of the things she does are in retaliation or self-defense, they’re still terrible and dangerous. I kept hoping she’d just bow down so Anna (the Queen Bee) and her cronies would back off and leave her alone. Seriously. The bullying was so, so bad. But, I suppose that’s one of the reasons Regina grew on me. She refused to let the Fearsome Foursome crush her.  

Regina’s former victim and eventual ally, Michael Hayden, was the reason this book kept me up reading until 1 am . It’s hard to find words to describe him because he felt so real and layered. He was damaged and bitter, but I could tell right away there was goodness hidden away somewhere under his defenses. He was sensitive, but still sort of badass. And he never let Regina off easy, although at the same time he reluctantly but continuously came to her rescue. In the same way I desperately wanted Regina to grow up and become a better person, I wanted Michael to fully forgive her for the ways she’d wronged him.  

Some Girls Are raises a lot of important questions. What is true friendship? At what price does surrendering your integrity come? What is the role of teachers and administrators in the fight against bullying?  What is the ultimate revenge worth? How far might you be willing to go to protect someone you care about? Just how involved should parents be in the lives of their teenagers? How far does a former bully have to fall to earn forgiveness?

I intend to search out everything else Courtney Summers has written on my next Borders trip and  highly recommend you check out Some Girls Are.

What about you? What’s the best book you read in January?

RTW: Groundhog’s Day

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It seems the groundhog has predicted an early spring!

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Prompt: In celebration of Groundhog’s Day, what book would you read over and over?

I can’t choose just one, and my choices are all over the board. A children’s classic, my favorite YA, and an adult fiction that moved me like nothing else ever has. What do these books have in common? I’ve read all three more than once, and I absolutely adore them…

From Goodreads: An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads “Some Pig,” convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.

Who doesn’t love Charlotte’s Web? I’ve read this book to every class I’ve ever taught, and I’ve found that kids can’t get enough, no matter what grade they’re in. The goose and her silly speech patterns is my favorite. 🙂 

From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

I’ve talked about The Sky is Everywhere more than once on this blog, and for good reason. The writing is gorgeous, and likeable protagonist Lennie is both the unluckiest and luckiest girl in the world.

From Goodreads: A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love, a stunning accomplishment.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is my very favorite adult novel. It’s heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. I’ve read it twice, and even though I knew every twist that was coming, I loved it even more the second time.

What about you? What book do you love so much you could read it over and over again? And don’t forget to stop by YA Highway to check out all of the other recommendations!

Echoes and Imprints

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I recently read two fabulous books: The Body Finder (out now) and Desires of the Dead (out February 15th), both by Kimberly Derting.


From Goodreads: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

From Goodreads:  The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life. As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

First let me say, I’ve seen Kimberly Derting’s books referred to as both fantasy and paranormal romance. Personally, I’d classify them as magical realism: fiction set firmly in reality, but with a fantastical element. In this case, Violet’s “talent.”   

I’ve been familiar with The Body Finder for many months now, but all I knew was the basic premise: Girl has weird ability to locate murdered bodies. While it sounded interesting, I didn’t feel a strong urge to pick it up because, frankly, I like a little (better yet–a lot!) of romance in my books. WELL… good news! Both The Body Finder and  Desires of the Dead are intensely romantic! In fact, Violet and Jay’s relationship is  one of my new favorites. It’s natural, sweet, and steamy. Jay is exactly the kind of guy I wanted to date when I was in high school (in fact, his personality is a lot like my husband’s). He’s protective, funny, apparently hot and, best of all, a really good friend to Violet. And Violet herself is a very likeable protagonist. She’s no damsel in distress and she’s honest, for better or worse. 

I have to admit that before reading, I was skeptical about the serial killer terrorizing a small town bit in The Body Finder. It seemed very likely that in a YA novel a serial killer plot could come off as cheesy or… I don’t know… too fluffy? Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Kimberly Derting handles the crimes in both books realistically, yet with restraint. She very courageously delves into the mind of a serial killer (The Body Finder) and a stalker (Desires of the Dead), even devoting short chapters to their (disturbing) points of view. Seriously, I read these book over a few nights before bed and was totally creeped out when I turned off my light. The mysteries in both plots are equally riveting. I imagine Violet’s gift for seeing the echoes of the dead and their imprints left on killers made it difficult to drop a lot of red herrings into these stories. Violet can very clearly see who has killed and who hasn’t, and yet some pretty crazy plot twists kept me guessing throughout both novels.

I love Kimberly Derting’s writing style. That’s saying a lot since I rarely fall for books done in third-person. It’s lyrical, but not overdone to the point of distracting. And I was totally in Violet’s head. I could clearly picture everything described, from Jay’s dorky, crooked smile to the strange oil-on-water echo left behind by a murdered body.  

One more plus for these books, at least for me: they take place in Buckley, Washington, a small town that’s located just a few miles from MY small town. It was fun to read books set nearby. I’ve seen White River High School. I take my daughter swimming at Lake Tapps. I look out my window at Mount Rainier every morning. And I shop at the same Nordstrom as Violet and her friends. So cool to see how an author views places that are a part of my every day life. I definitely recommend you check out The Body Finder if you haven’t already. Its follow-up, Desires of the Dead, is out February 15th.

Big thank you to The Body Finder Novels and Kimberly Derting for the signed ARC. 🙂

RTW: Best of 2010

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: 5 Best Books of 2010 and/or Sum Up Your 2010 in a Book Title

My 2010 book title is easy: A Long and Winding Road (To Nowhere). 2010 was very much a transitional year, both personally and with my writing. Though I’ve yet to reach my final goal  of publication, I do feel like I’ve made some great strides and hope that in 2011 I’ll continue to move closer to achieving that goal.

I posted my Five Best Books of 2010 on New Year’s Eve. You can find it HERE, or you can scroll down a few posts to check it out. I imagine my favorite titles might overlap with some of yours. 🙂

Friday Five: Best of the Best, 2010

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I can’t believe 2010 is over. Also, I can’t believe how many books I’ve read over the course of the year! If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere around 55 novels, mostly YA. There have been some definite stand outs, and with 2010 coming to a close in just a few hours, I think it’s only appropriate to showcase them in my last Friday Five of the year. All italicized blurbs are from good reads, followed by a sentence or two about why I loved each book. Happy New Year’s Eve!

1) Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

One of those rare books that catches you between wanting to write as beautifully as the author and knowing you’ll never be able to. Difficult as her situation was, I wanted to BE Lennie. The Sky is Everywhere made me laugh and almost cry–a rare feat! 

2) Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don’t exist – almost.

Stolen left me completely torn… how could I possibly feel sorry for a kidnapper? Weirder yet, how could I WANT him to end up with the girl he took? The second-person narration is brave and disarming, and the setting harsh and beautiful.

3) Last year, all of Belly’s dreams came true and the thought of missing a summer in Cousins Beach was inconceivable. But like the rise and fall of the ocean tide, things can change–just like that. Suddenly the time she’s always looked forward to most is something she dreads. And when Jeremiah calls to say Conrad has disappeared, Belly must decide how she will spend this summer: chasing after the boy she loves, or finally letting him go.

I adore this series–read The Summer I Turned Pretty first. Belly is so perfectly flawed, and her interactions with the boys are emotional and evocative. Can’t wait for the final installment, We’ll Always Have Summer.

4) Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

I know I raved about Anna in a previous post, but I couldn’t leave her off this list. She’s adorable, and Etienne is totally the-boy-you-wanted-to-date-in-high-school. Funny, sweet and true to life, even though it’s set in lovely Paris.

5) Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

I felt the same way about Matched that I did while reading the Hunger Games. Amazing world building, a terrifying what-if concept, and a heroine you MUST root for. I’m not a big reader of dystopians or novels set in any sort of future, but Matched is simply amazing.  

RTW: Best of December

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This week’s topic: What is the best book you read during the month of December?

I read some fabulous books this month. The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols, The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, and Matched by Ally Condie. But if I have to choose a favorite it’s Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

From Goodreads:  Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

I’m always wary of books that get an explosion of hype on social media sites. I’ve been disappointed more than once in the past. Still, I bought Anna because I love contemporary romance AND because Stephanie Perkins appears to be an incredibly delightful person on Twitter and on her blog. I wanted to support her.   

I’m so glad I did. I absolutely adored Anna and the French Kiss. In fact, I’d say it’s about as close to perfect as a book can be. I caught myself smiling while reading more than once, and had to rein it in for fear of being judged by my husband. And when I wasn’t smiling, I was stressing–hoping that Anna and Etienne would get it together and somehow manage to meet up on the same page.  

It’s not easy to create a protagonist who is real, blemished and layered, yet still incredibly likeable. Anna is all those things and more. She’s funny and honest and still discovering who she is and what she wants. She’s like, the ideal narrator. And St. Claire is adorable in many of the ways Anna is. Not perfect, but so charming and endearing that it’s easy to overlook his flaws. Their relationship is so true to life. Full of mixed signals, what-ifs and insecurities, but still supportive and loving, if slow to develop. It felt real, like every other part of this book.

Oh, and the setting! I’ve never been a big Paris fanatic. If I ever make it to Europe, I’ve always been more interested in visiting Rome or Athens, but Anna made me fall in love with the City of Lights. Everything was described in such great detail: the food, the theater, the parks, even the school cafeteria sounded beautiful and glamorous. After I finished reading I told my husband (whose father is French) that I wanted to visit. Needless to say, he was thrilled.   

I recommend Anna to anyone who reads (seriously, it was that good!), but especially those who love contemporary romance or books set abroad.

RTW: November’s Cream of the Crop

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: What is the best book you read in November?

Well, I’m happy to say that October’s stretch of mostly not-good books was only a fluke. November saw many awesome books, thanks in big part to my lovely CP, Heather Howland, who sent me a box of some of her favorites. Those included: Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison (poignant and romantic), Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (realistic and reflective), Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols(fast-paced and steamy) and What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook (one of the greatest teen voices *ever*!). I also purchased and read Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omolulu (so fascinating) and The Mockingbirds, by Daisy Whitney (important and multi-layered).

But my favorite book of November was Boy Toy, one I purchased and few months ago, then subsequently passed over time and time again in favor of some of the more hyped books sitting on the shelf around it. I SO regret not reading it earlier and, to settle the score, I’m going to take a stab at hyping Boy Toy, by Barry Lyga.
 

 From Goodreads: A riveting and disturbing novel about a seventh-grade boy who has a very adult relationship with his female teacher. Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is. Five years ago, Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town-seems like the world-thinks they understand. But they don’t-they can’t. And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not. Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won’t stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink. And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past. It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened. If only he know what the truth was…

Let me start by saying, I got the same feeling upon reading Boy Toy that I got when I finished reading John Greene’s Looking For Alaska and Jandy Nelson’s The Sky is Everywhere. The three are extremely different books, but all three are unflinching in their realism and their portrayal of very difficult teen situations. All three authors manage to say what needs to be said, even if it’s ugly or uncomfortable, and they do it in voices that have stuck with me.

Boy Toy is the story of a now eighteen-year-old high school senior who was sexually abused five years earlier by his teacher, Evelyn Sherman. Over the years, I’ve seen real-life stories similar to the one written by Lyga on the news, and interestingly enough, focus always seems to be more on the abuser. What was she thinking? Just how sick is she? How much jail time does she deserve? I rarely see much said about the victims, the innocent minors whose lives are changed forever. Boy Toy focuses on one such victim and shows with unwavering realism just how disrupted his life has become. 

Boy Toy‘s characters are fabulous, and the main reason I loved this book so much. Josh, our protagonist, is something of a child prodigy and a very talented baseball player. He’s also the self-described school pariah, thanks to the lengthy and highly inappropriate “relationship” he had with his seventh grade history teacher. Five years later, (just as Mrs. Sherman is being released from jail for “good behavior”), Josh is still confused, totally scarred by what happened. He’s traumatized, harboring misplaced guilt, and unable to foster any kind of normal, healthy relationship with girls his own age. Thankfully he has, Zic, an awesome and incredibly loyal best friend, who often serves as comic relief. Then there’s Rachel, childhood friend and the proverbial “one that got away.” She’s suddenly back in the picture and intent on challenging Josh every step of the way.

I’ll be honest: Boy Toy made me squirm more than once, and rightly so. The subject matter is intense and unsettling. There are several scenes of fairly graphic abuse that very nearly upset my stomach. We’re in Josh’s head the whole time and he certainly thinks like an eighteen-year-old guy. The language is sometimes harsh, but to me it felt honest and completely in character. That being said, Boy Toy is for those who prefer upper YA. There’s no censoring here, and that’s my biggest compliment to this book.

Friday Five: Harry Potter Edition

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In honor and celebration of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release today, I find it only appropriate to share five of the billions of reasons I adore the Harry franchise. First, a little background… I started reading the Harry Potter series when I was 21, a junior in college. I was taking a children’s lit class (which was fabulous) and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was required reading. Honestly, I was reluctant–I’m not big into fantasy or magic, nor was I interested in reading a book told from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy. How on earth would Harry’s silly adventures hold my attention?  

Boy, was I stupid. I devoured that first book, then moved quickly to Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Goblet of Fire. Sadly, that was it at the time. I had to wait for the subsequent novels like the rest of the world, but they sure were worth the wait. Never once was I disappointed in one of JK Rowling’s books. And JK herself… wow. I only dream of moving people the way she has with her series.

So, without further ramblings, here are my Friday Five reasons that Harry Potter is awesome…   

1) JK Rowling is a master world builder. From the foods that Harry and friends eat (butter beer and chocolate frogs? yes, please!), right down to the magical contents of their wands (a unicorn hair? a phoenix feather? so cool!), JK painted an alternate universe accessible only from Platform 9 3/4 that is full and colorful and complete. Her settings are amazing and play a part all their own in the books and movies. Plus, an entire THEME PARK is modeled off her world!

2) Harry Potter got kids (and everyone else!) reading. It’s cool to be a tiny part of a literary movement that’s such a worldwide phenomenon. I feel the same way about The Hunger Games trilogy and the Twilight series. Anything that unites people over books is good for publishing and great for literacy. The sheer numbers of Harry Potter books and movie tickets sold blows me away.

  
3) Characters, characters, characters. JK Rowling incorporated scores of them in her books, and each is unique and magical in his or her own way. There’s a Harry character everyone can relate to, whether it’s bumbling and good-hearted Neville Longbottom or hard-nosed but still sort of funny Minerva McGonagall. My favorite Harry Potter character? Hermione Granger, of course. Who doesn’t love a smart, strong girl who’s still capable of being one of the guys?

4) The Harry Potter movie stars are a class act. In a world of Disney Channel loons, seventeen-year-old rehabers and general bad behavior among many young actors, Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint seem to have it all together. They’re diversely talented, smart and seemingly appreciative of their fame. Hopefully they continue on their journey of relative positivity because I, for one, find it very refreshing.

5) The Harry Potter series is moving. JK Rowling isn’t afraid to make you feel, to make you sad, or to kill off your favorite characters. She isn’t scared to force her characters into making hard decisions, and she doesn’t seem to be afraid of criticism or lynch mob book banners. She puts it all out there, and her series is amazing because of that. It takes a lot to move me, but when I saw this poster at the movie theater a few weeks ago…

 
…I looked at my husband and said, “Oh my God! That almost makes me a little teary!” He kind of rolled his eyes and looked at me like I was hormonal (don’t worry, he does that a lot), but I got the impression he might have felt it too. He’s not a super emotional person, but he’s more than down with taking me to see Deathly Hallows this weekend, so that says something. 🙂

What about you? Have you read Harry? Seen the movies? What do you love about the series?

Seven On Sunday

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Yep, Seven on Sunday… Or maybe just a more organized method of posting all my random thoughts for this last week. 🙂

1) I’m on vacation!!! Well, really, I’m visiting my parents in Phoenix, but it’s in the eighties, sunny and my parents are eager to cook and clean and entertain my daughter. So, yes, it’s just like a vacation. My original goals for this trip were: revising, writing, and reading. I’ve done a fair amount of revising, some great reading and zero writing. Poor WIP. Still, who wants to be cooped up inside with a laptop when this awaits outdoors:

 

2) While flying from Seattle to Phoenix, I sat next to a wriggly and very cute three-year-old (okay, I’ll claim her) and, awesomely enough, an aspiring screenwriter. When I pulled out the paper copy of my MAX manuscript to start a (hopefully) final edit, he asked if I was an editor. Um, no. Not officially, but I am editing my own book for the billionth time, and better yet, I totally do it for free! That’s when he began to tell me about trying to break into screenwriting, and it turns out we had lots in common. Let it be known: I usually like to be left alone during flights, but it was cool to talk to a “real” (read: not online) person who shared similar goals and motivation.

3) I mentioned editing MAX above. I just finished a fairly extensive revision of it, where I converted the whole 74,000 word manuscript from present tense to past tense, and expanded on many of the supporting characters. Why would you do that? you might be wondering. Well, a lovely agent who I greatly respect recently read MAX and suggested that the supporting characters weren’t as well-developed as the main characters, and that (in her opinion) the book would flow better and be more “reflective” in past tense. While she passed on the manuscript, she invited me to revise it with her feedback in mind and resubmit it to her. So yeah, that’s what I’m doing. It’s hard, but you know what? It’s coming along, I appreciate her feedback more than I can express, and I look forward to sending it back to her! 

4) On a similar note, a week or two after receiving the revise and resubmit email I mentioned above, I got an email from another absolutely awesome agent who had read the first three chapters of MAX. She liked the voice of MAX and, surprisingly enough, thought it flowed really well. She requested that I send her the rest of the manuscript. Honestly, I have to say, I kind of agree with her. I love MAX in present tense (though I certainly like it a lot in past tense too, especially now that that’s done!) and I think voice and flow are two of my strong points as a writer. I can’t wait to hear back from her on what she thinks of the rest of the story. Anyway, my point here is: Writing (and reading) are so subjective. What works for one person sometimes doesn’t work for another. More often than not, you have to trust your gut.

5) Just wanted to link to this awesome post by the lovely Hannah Moskowitz who, I’ve decided, is wise beyond her years. Read it. You’ll feel better.

6) I’ve read two really great books recently (well, three actually, but I already raved about Mindi Scott‘s Freefall here). The first, Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu, and the second, The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney. Both are excellent, and both are must reads for anyone who enjoys contemporary young adult fiction.

7) Daylight Savings: Ugh. Hate it! SO unnecessary! I am such a summer person. Such a lover of warm weather and sunshine and a golden tan. I so hate when it gets dark at four-thirty in the afternoon. I hate the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest winters. I hate soggy grass and umbrellas and rain boots. I hate… okay, let’s just say that I’m already looking forward to April. 🙂

Another vacation pic... me and my Cutie Pie at the Phoenix Zoo (which was fabulous, in case you're wondering!). 🙂

Friday Five – Picture Book Addition

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More often than not, I focus my blog posts on young adult literature. It’s what I love most. But, a close second as far as amazing books go, are children’s picture books. I have a three-year-old who LOVES books, so we spend a lot of time in the Borders Kids section and at our public library. Plus, I’m a former elementary school teacher. I used to love using picture books as part of my curriculum, even when I taught fifth graders who pretended to be too old to be read aloud to. Over the years, I’ve adopted some favorites picture books. There are the classics, Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, anything Dr. Seuss, Corduroy, the Frances books and Blueberries for Sal.

That being said, my very favorite kids’ books to read aloud all happen to rhyme. There’s something about the rhythm and the sing-song quality they take on that makes picture books in verse hard to pass up. So, for today’s Friday Five I’m sharing some of the best.

 
One) Bear Wants More, by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman – The story of a bear who wakes up from winter hibernation, and  his forest friends who attempt to satisfy his HUGE hunger.

Two) Cha Cha Chimps, by Julia Durango, Illustrated by Eleanor Taylor – Ten little chimps head out to the neighborhood dance hall for a night of counting and fun, until their mama comes looking for them.

Three) Edward the Emu, by Sheena Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement –  The tale of a lonely emu who searches the zoo for true love.

Four) Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, illustrated by Steven Kellogg – A little llama explores nature and meets lots of different animals, hoping to find his mother.

Five) The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler – A snail with an itchy foot hitches a ride with a whale who roams the sea. They forge an unlikely friendship while the little snail learns how big he can be.

What about you? What are your favorite picture books? Are there any you’re happy to read to your child(ren) over and over again?