"Seven for a secret never to be told"

Geez. Quit picking tear jerkers, will yah? I guess we're both expanding each other's boundaries. I make you read light hearted books you'd never touch otherwise, and you make me read sob stories I wouldn't normally touch with a ten foot pole. Well played, Megan, well played. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you If I Lie, by Corrine Jackson.

Taken from Corrine's Blog

Before I get to the emotional bit, I just want to point out that I, too, did not sympathize with Casey. Yes, I get that coming out in the military is a hard, dangerous prospect. But that is no excuse for his behavior.  Asking his best friend to put her life on hold so that he may continue to lie to his friends and family? Shameful.  Selfish.  There's no reason why they could not just 'break up' and move on.  Normal, heterosexual couples do that all the time, especially given the strain the military puts on a relationship.  She could have kept his secret while being openly single. His way of 'dealing' with the issue at hand just shows that he is still an adolescent who over-analyzes immediate consequences without looking at the overall gist of the situation, as the adult brain does (my YA library services class makes my brain hurt...but here's an article on that last tidbit. And another). 

I also really love the role that photography played in Q's life.  I'm friends with quite a few artsy types, from artists to musicians to theatre geeks.  For them, their art is their passion, and provides both an escape from reality, as well as the means to process reality.  Giving Q that intimate connection with her photography, then, humanized her and enabled me to connect with her.  

Now, the teary part. It wasn't over Casey, nor was it for Q and Blake. I got all choked up over George, her aged Vietnam Vet mentor.  Once again, the death of a character in a novel made me think about my own loss.  Just like George taught Q photography, my grandma taught me sewing. And I know she would have been there for me when I struggled with relationships during college. So I was able to connect with Q when she lost a pivotal figure in her life. 

That's all on If I Lie.  I can't wait until it's my turn to pick adult fiction. We're gonna read about love struck zombies! In the meantime, I think it's high time we read some YA dystopian fiction for the blog, since that's the genre that first brought us together!

"Either you're his true love...or you killed him"

Dear Becca,

I was actually really surprised by your review of The Raven Boys. This time around, I feel like our overall consensus on the book was the same (not our favorite book by Miss Maggie Stiefvater) and yet our feelings while reading the book seem to have differed entirely.

 Not to be outdone, here is a photo of me with Maggie!

To begin with, I was not surprised by the incorporation of the occult world but that’s because you gave me fair warning before reading. That said, the magical elements didn’t bother me like they did you. As you probably know by now, I'm extremely influenced by whatever I read (or even talk about) before bed. As I get older, I’m starting to see more of a connection – it’s the real-life tragedies and struggles that affect me more. I can only gather that it’s because they hit on some of my deepest fears. I guess I’m not very scared of the type of magic that exists in this world because the book’s dark themes had no memorable affect on my dreams or how I felt while reading. I was not uncomfortable in the least.

Actually, The Raven Boys reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies – one of my all-time favorite trilogies. (I choose not to acknowledge the fourth or impending fifth as part of the series.) Gansey and Indiana Jones share the same excitement about history and quests. The book also reminded me of one of my all-time favorite TV Shows, Charmed. The psychics were funny and added levity to the magical subject matter for me. (Despite the dark magic that one of them is up to.) They reminded me of the Halliwell sisters. All in all, the magic wasn’t too dark for my taste. Maybe this is the kind of magic I like… The kind that exists as a sort of parallel world to ours. Where you have to really seek it out to find it and everyone else remains oblivious. (If that’s true, I don’t know what that says about me...)

Love me some Indiana Jones!

What I had the most trouble with in this story was the characters and their relationships in this first book. Mainly – the romance. Surprise, surprise, right? I think it’s fairly obvious by this point that I am obsessed with romance. This, above anything else, keeps my attention in a book. Not sex scenes or anything like that, but the blossoming relationship between two people and that first stage of love where everything is all butterflies and tingly feelings. One thing that drove me crazy about this book was the love triangle. Blue is supposedly with Adam, but I never really felt like there was a connection between them and meanwhile you know she’s somehow going to wind up with Gansey. The relationship with Adam was tiresome for me and I just wanted to see what would happen with Gansey. I know that we’ll get more in the next two books and you’re supposed to be kept waiting and wanting more, but I was just plain dissatisfied.

I’m running out of room now, but I was also upset with the ending. The last line just didn’t feel right to me. That said, I did enjoy the book so I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

Til we read again!
Megan

The Raven Boys

Hi Megan!

It's here! It's finally here!  After months of waiting, one of our mutually adored authors has finally published her latest books. And, like I warned you, Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys is definitely my pick.

Image from the Ironwood Carnegie Library Website

First things first, I'd like to point out a bit of irony with the timing. I've been reading her book all week (September 30-October 5), which just so happens to be Banned Books Week.  And believe me when I say this book is definitely going to cause quite a stir and, depending on how popular it becomes, it may even end up on the 2012 top banned books list.  Because it's got some "questionable" material in it to be sure--lots of violence and witchcraft/occult subject matter.

For some reason, her incorporation of the occult world--from seemingly innocuous psychics to ritual sacrifice and what appear to be demonic summons--really threw me for a loop and, if I'm being completely honest, often made me feel uncomfortable. I've read books with bits and pieces of this subject mater before--Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy involves demonic summons, Cassandra Clare's multiple trilogies for young adults revolves around battles with demons and Nephilim--and those didn't throw me the way this book did.  I think the difference is this: all those other series, while they definitely exist in the realm of magic realism, the authors treat their "magic" as if it could only exist in the world of the book; never did I feel as if what happened within the pages of the book could someday happen in reality.

The beautiful cover art

Stiefvater, on the other hand, uses witchcraft and the occult not as if it's some "other" whose existence is wholly dependent on a fictional realm, but as if it's real.  Much of that credit, I'm sure, goes to the amount of research she had to have done for this book.  The rituals are very specific, and don't appear to be a simple figment of her imagination. While I wouldn't say the other authors I mentioned didn't do their research, Stiefvater used it in what I'll call a literal application. There is no "other."  The world of Henrietta exists on the same temporal plane as the reader, and everything that happens in this small town can and does happen in our world (or so it seems).  This takes quite a bit of powerful writing on Stiefvater's part, especially since I continued reading despite my discomfort, so props should be given to her for that. However, I certainly did not devour this book as I'm often apt to do, and I think it is because my unease made it impossible for me to become completely immersed in the story.

What I LOVED about this book, however, is her incorporation of historical figures and legends from the British Isles--in this case, Owain Glyndwr. I love it when authors play with stories that have been around for centuries, such as D.J. MacHale who took the title of Pendragon--the title used in recent literature to refer to the mysterious King Arthur of Britain--and re-imagined it into a young adult scifi/fantasy series.  However, the series I was most reminded of was The Dark is Rising Sequence, by Susan Cooper.  This is a classic YA fantasy series, which again re-imagines myths and legends born out of Wales. There's just something about those old stories that entrance me...but again, they don't leave me on edge the way The Raven Boys does. Hmm. Well, reading is supposed to make you uncomfortable, right?

Anyways, this post is far longer than it should be, so I'll stop here. Hopefully I can get my book up to you in time so you can get it signed! But, in the meantime, here's a picture of Maggie and me at the LA Times Festival of Books with my favorite work by this author, The Scorpio Races (which also uses cool myths!).

I look horrible! Ah!

Keep Calm and Read On,
Becca

PS~ My favorite quote from this book is also about the stars:

She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness.  It was the way she felt when she looked at the stars.

"I just stared up at them until it felt like I could breathe, maybe for the first time that day."

Photo credits go to this Photobucket account

Hi Megan,

So I thought I would change things up this time by putting the book art first. And this is really a terrible cover for this book.  This whimsical, light-hearted cover will leave UK readers COMPLETELY unprepared for the massive amount of emotional suck-itude within its pages.

This is not a happy book. Sure, it's got that romance plot thing going on, but really, it's not that lovey-dovey. For anyone who has lost a loved one, this is a horribly depressing book. So I'll get real for a bit, and talk about me and my life-something I really hate doing, but since my personal experience had a huge influence over how I received this book, I think it's appropriate.

The summer before my freshman year of college, we found out that my grandma had an advanced case of lung cancer.  She had been having respiratory problems for a long while, but the doctors continually misdiagnosed her, and in fact reassured us that cancer was the least likely cause of her illness. This hit me hard.  Grandma was like a second mom to me--she was my babysitter, piano teacher, and imparter of age-old womanly wisdom,  like baking, sewing, and the facts of life. She had always been healthy and active, so to see her frail and hooked up to oxygen machines was difficult to say the least.

Despite some misgivings, I went off to college, and got caught up in that life. I made new friends, and met my first serious boyfriend--the first guy who I thought might be "the one," and who I was very excited to introduce to my family. Then, just before Spring Quarter Finals, I get a call from my parents, letting me know that Grandma was in her last days.  A few days later, during finals week, she passed away before I was able to go home and say goodbye. Needless to say, it was crushing. I'm not one who cries, but losing one of the most important people in my life left me gasping for air.

When I started Second Chance Summer, honestly, I wasn't impressed. The writing was so-so, and I really wasn't that engaged.  And she quoted song lyrics for the dedication. I hate it when authors do that (did you ever read Halo? She quoted Beyonce, and the book was horrible).  But as I read on, I became increasingly engrossed, and ended up reliving my own losses. This book had me bawling, not for the character's loss, but for my own. Because I've been there. I've felt that. I still find it hard to cope with the fact that my grandma will never meet my husband, and never sew a quilt for my babies. And, like Taylor, I was very fortunate to have a shoulder to cry one, one that didn't belong to a friend or family member, but my boy, my love. Honestly, I don't know how I could have handled that finals week without him.  While we are now separated, and it ended with him being an ass, reading this book reminded me that he's not a bad person, just a terrible boyfriend.

So while Morgan Matson may not be the best writer, in the conventional sense, she gets it. She understands that devastating loss. So props to her for that.

As for my quote, that was another thing she "got." I loved growing up outside the city limits, because in my darkest moments, seeing the stars changed everything.

To a happier posting next time,
Becca

"There's loads more to talk about. We've only just gotten started."

Hey Megan,


   So initially, I looked at the book and thought, "Meh, it's tiny with big print, that should only take me, what, a day?" and proceeded to shamelessly procrastinate on reading it. And boy, am I glad we set our deadline for a week after you finished The Fourth Hand, rather than a few days later. Because otherwise, I would have been IN TROUBLE.  

An excellent quote from the book, taken from here.

   For some reason, I just had a lot of trouble getting into the book. To be honest, it's probably because I, like you, am more inclined to think of the IMPROBABILITY of love at first sight. And I will readily admit that my attitude is certainly, in part, a result of still-too-recent heartbreak. On the wrong side of a three-year relationship, I scoff at the idea that two strangers can meet and instantly (or almost-instantly, as is the case here) fall in love. 


   But, like you said in your post, and I must , upon reaching the conclusion of the novel, admit, the chemistry between the two is very real.  I especially liked the part about the animated duck movie, because I am most definitely that 21-year-old girl who still rushes to the theaters to see the latest Disney release (I saw Tangled twice in theaters. Twice!), and I'd like to think there's a guy out there who may not understand it, but finds it endearing. Or, better yet, shares that love. But I digress. Basically, yes, they're disgustingly cute and perfect for each other. Kind of like the couple that emerges in 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (do you remember her from the Festival of Books? She was the awesome, quirky author on the panel with Maggie Stiefvater who talked about life at Catholic school). And, once again, I find myself wishing life were like a book, where the boys may not be perfect, but they sure are perfect for you. And you find them, like, right away (oh Nawat, you will always be my favorite crow <3).


   Now, ignoring the fact that they're young and disgustingly cute in love, yadda yadda, I, too, loved reading the progression of her relationship with her father. Now, I'm not from a separated household. In fact, my family dynamic is closer Oliver's, minus the infidelity. What I loved, however, and what I think is striking no matter what your personal life may be, is that Hadley was able to reconcile with her father. And I think that's rare. I feel like society encourages people to run from their problems, rather than face issues and work to make things better. Family is no longer something you fight to keep.  If something's broke, people don't try to fix it.  They move onto the next best thing.  So it was very refreshing to find a book where the opposite happens, where a family fought (though Hadley did so reluctantly) for love.


   Thanks for recommending this one! After some reluctance, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed a book I would not have, at this point, picked up for myself.


Keep Calm and Read On,
Becca


PS~Hadley, incidentally, is the name of Sookie's cousin. :)

"Being a half-blood is dangerous."

Dear Becca,

 

I would like to think that I would have read this book even if you hadn’t selected it for our book swap, but I’m honestly not sure whether I would have. One of my co-workers also recommended it to me but it’s just not the type of YA that I’m generally drawn to. It’s extremely well written and I love the incorporation of Greek mythology – yet, I’m not going to lie, it didn’t leave me eager to read the next in the series. I truly believe that this is just because I’m so much older than the target audience and also much more reliant on a romantic subplot – which, as you mentioned before, is lacking from this book. All in all, it was an entertaining and fast read, but not high on my list of favorites.

Going back to romantic subplots, I feel like there’s a hinting that Percy’s friendship with Annabelle could develop into something more romantic as he gets older. Did you get that sense at all? Maybe I’m reading too much into things! In general, I found Annabelle an incredibly hard character to like. She had such mixed feelings toward Percy and while it’s not unbelievable that she could go from resenting/disliking Percy to genuinely caring about him, the trouble was that I didn’t truly believe that she ever disliked him or had these conflicting emotions. I’m glad that this isn’t an English assignment because I didn’t pull quotes that support my opinion. However, the more I think about Annabelle, the more I realize that it wasn’t just her character I had this problem with…I feel like all of the secondary characters were a little under-developed. There are still four more books in the series, though, and I’m sure that all of the characters will grow during the course of those books.

Also on the topic of characters, I was extremely disappointed in the storyline about Percy’s mother. I had a “you’re kidding, right?” moment when it was revealed that his mother married Smelly Gabe in order to hide Percy’s half-blood scent. Seriously?! Couldn’t she have done something other than marry an abusive man who treats both herself and her child so poorly? My idea would have been to make her a florist – have their whole house smell like flowers instead of garbage. His mother came across as very passive in the first book and not a particularly good role model. I would definitely be curious to see what happens to her character in the rest of the books.

Again, I’m glad this isn’t an English assignment because my post is exceeding its word limit…But I want to add one last thing about the movie adaptation of the book. Given the work that we did on our theses, I think it’s safe to say that we both have a strong interest in this issue. One of the first things I noticed about this book was the fact that it was published by Disney Hyperion. I immediately wondered about the book deal and whether Rick Riordan had perhaps approached Disney with the idea for the book before it was even written, using the fact that it could be another great young adult series of movies to sell the book. This is, I admit, extremely cynical of me and it turns out Rick Riordan was already a well-established author before writing this series and (I believe) had already completed The Lightning Thief when he sold the movie rights. But interestingly enough, he DID sell the movie rights before the book was published. Riordan explains: “I made the decision to sell the rights so early because it brought lots of public attention to the books and helped the series catch on.” Very understandable from a marketing standpoint. Riordan didn’t turn out to be too vested in the movie version and admits that he never even watched the movie himself. 

Okay, well, I’ve far exceeded our suggested word count and now that I’ve reached the end, I’m feeling rather badly about my review. Please do not mistake me – it’s a brilliant book. If I have a son (or daughter) some day, I would definitely buy him (or her) this series.

I’m looking forward to your next choice!

Megan