Recent Reads - Speak

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

  4 of 5 Stars

Genre:   Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages:   208

Published:   10/22/1999, Puffin

Why I Chose It:   I was looking to read some edgy contemporary YA and this novel appeared on every list discussing that type of book. Plus, look at the cover. It's beautiful and compelling. How could I say no?

Synopsis (from Good Reads):    When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.

My Review:  There are so many things about this book that should annoy me. It breaks a lot of the so-called rules of writing, doing things that in other books had driven me insane. The story is almost entirely narrative. People are named based upon certain physical attributes they possess, like Mr. Neck and Hair Woman, and the dialogue (when there is any) is often listed like this:

Mr. Neck: We meet again.

Me: ...

Mr. Neck: Where do you think you're going?

Me: ...

And yet, it's incredible. If you want a perfect example of the power of "voice", read Speak. I kept turning the pages because Melinda demanded that I listen to her story. Which is curious because the thing Melinda struggles to do throughout the book is speak.

A traumatic experience at an end-of-summer party has left her practically mute. She speaks only when it is completely unavoidable, and even then her words never express her true feelings. Never even come close to describing the turmoil inside.

She begins her freshman year of high school with no friends and no one to turn to. She withdraws, starts cutting class, and her grades begin to fail. Her parents are well-meaning but are too busy and self-absorbed to break down Melinda's barriers and extract the truth from her.

While Speak's subject matter includes violence, hatred, sex, and infidelity, it is an emotional, touching portrayal of a depressed teenage girl struggling with alienation, honesty, and self-worth while she tries to come to terms with the horror she suffered and find her voice.

Definitely for an older, more mature YA audience but highly recommended.


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A Goatastic Meme

Oh Mandie, Mandie, Mandie. I'd like to kill, er...um, thank you now for including me in this insane game of meme. If you guys haven't checked out Mandie Baxter yet (despite my constant prodding), you must do so now or you will be put on the list. And it's not the list you want to be on.

1.  Are you a HOT rutabaga? 

I have trouble comparing myself to a root vegetable, but if I had to be one I think I'd be more of a sweet potato. 

And hot? No way. I'm cute. I know the difference and hot I am not. For those of you who don't know -- this is hot:

This is cute:

I prefer to be the latter. Hot can easily bleed into skank territory, especially as we age and try to maintain that we are still hot, like this:



I'm sure at one point people considered this woman, Danielle Staub, hot. Now, she's a dirty ho bag. Enough said.


2.  When was the last time you ate lion meat? 

Every day for breakfast. Screw Wheaties, lion meat is the breakfast of champions

3.  Upload a heartwarming picture that makes you smile.

I had to upload 2. These are my babies. My nieces and nephews during a wonderful day spent at Gillian's Wonderland in Ocean City, NJ. It always makes me smile when I look at it.

And this is my 16 year old neice Melissa who just brightens my day every time I see her. She's pretty, smart and funny in the snarky way that runs rampant in the family.

4.  What song would be playing when you go back in time to beat the crap out of someone, and who, may I ask, would be this someone unfortunate enough to be in your time traveling dimensional line? 

The someone would definitely be Past Me. I've trusted the wrong people and made some major mistakes. Past Me deserves a real good ass kicking. And the song would be Eye of the Tiger by Survivor because, let's face it, everything is more awesome when the Rocky theme song plays in the background.

5.  Name one habit you want to change in yourself because it makes people plot your demise. 

I'm a little bit of a know-it-all. It gets annoying. Even to me.

6.  How many goats, stacked atop one another like Yertle's Turtles, would it take to reach the moon? 

I'm going to say 3. I keep trying to visualize it but it's like "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop" commercials - I get to 3 and I just want to get to the end. So I guess the world will never know.

7.  Describe the person who tagged you in obscure Latin words. 

cygnus inter anates  It means swan among ducks and describes Mandie perfectly.

8.  Where da muffin top at? 

Most likely in my stomach. Especially if it was blueberry. Or cranberry. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I probably ate them all.

9.  Do you have nicknames? 

Several:

1) Mel

2) Mellie

3) Mali (used only by my brother-in-law Jerry)

4) Mol (because my niece couldn't say my name as a toddler and this is what she substituted)

10.  What the fudge were you thinking as you were doing this? 

Wait, I was supposed to be thinking? No one told me this was a thinking game. Can I get a do-over?

Now, tag as many people as you want.

1. Ashley

2. Patricia
3. Angela

Write a rhyme for #1
Ashley hasn't blogged in a while. Maybe this crazy meme will make her smile.
(What? I'm a novelist. Not a poet)

#2 dreams about... 
Right now, probably book covers and finding glaring errors in her novel after she hits that publish button. Wait, that last one's a nightmare.

Where would #3 hide in the event of an apocalypse? 
In her office. She has lists and goals. Nothing as inconsequential as an apocalypse is going to stop her.

 

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Agent Pitch Contest with Vickie Motter

 

YATopia is hosting another Agent Contest. This time with Vickie Motter

 

You can pitch agent Vickie Motter with Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management. But there's only 50 spots available so hurry up!

Vickie Motter is actively building her client list. To read more about Vickie see her blog at Navigating the Slush Pile

 

 

For rules and to enter, go here

 

 

 

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Recent Reads - Divergent

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

  4 of 5 Stars

Genre:   Young Adult SciFi Dystopian

Pages:   299

Published:   5/3/2011, Harper Collins

Why I Chose It:   It came highly recommended by friends who'd read and loved the story. I was definitely attracted to the cover. It's strong, powerful, and dark. It screams SciFi & Dystopia, two things I love.

Synopsis (from Good Reads):    In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).

On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen.

But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Review:  I had a hard time connecting with Tris in the beginning. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. It's just that there's only so much self-doubt I can take and Tris is riddled with it. One redeeming factor was that she didn't whine about it.

Overall, I found the plot predictable. I knew where we were going and all the plot twists and character revelations that would follow from about page 46. This means I spent a lot of time waiting for Tris to catch up with me.

Of course now some of you may be wondering how I can give 4 stars to a book where I didn't instantly fall in love with the main character or where I'd figured out the plot so early on.

Well, since you asked:

1) I love the world Veronica Roth created. I love its texture, its history, its layers, and its message. I love all the secondary characters, from her friend and fellow initiate Christina to the conniving, cruel Eric.

2) I love where this story seems to be heading. The book actually ends, unlike some others I've read in recent history. It can stand on its own, but it left room for the sequel that is coming. A sequel that I am now anticipating.

3) Just because I couldn't relate to Tris' character doesn't mean that she's not an interesting character. At the very least, I understood her motivation. Tris' self-doubt and her sometimes infuriating behavior stemmed from her background and, to be honest, there's not an Abnegation bone in my body, so it was hard for me to  understand her actions and reactions. But she was conflicted and I can appreciate that. And she was always honest about it.

Tris grew on me. The more she came into her own -- realizing that her so-called flaws were actually part of her strength -- and the more she embraced the whole person she was meant to be, the more I liked her. By the end I was rooting for her.

4) Four -- If the book had been about Four standing in a cardboard box, I would have read it cover to cover and begged for more. To me, Four was the most compelling character in the story, even though I had him figured out from the start.

He's strong, loyal, brave, selfless, and kind & loving wrapped up in a hard exterior. He's bruised by his past, but far from broken. Just how I like my heroes. He reminded me of a Dean Winchester or a Wolverine type. And anyone who knows me, knows how much I love those guys.


I'd recommend this book, especialy to anyone who likes Dystopia. And to those who may have trouble connecting with Tris like I did, stick around. It's worth it.


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Post-Apocalyptic/ Dystopian Challenge

I'm participating in a challenge hosted by Books Ahoy. Yay me!

The challenge is basically to read at least 15 dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels between June 27, 2011 to June 27, 2012.

For more information or to sign up, you should go here.

I started this challenge with my review of Divergent.

MG / YA / Graphic Novel Elevator Pitch Contest

YATopia is having another pitch contest!!

Elevator Pitch competition with agent Bree Ogden from Martin Literary Management 

 

For those who are ready to query you have the opportunity to pitch to Bree Ogden from Martin Literary Management. One lucky winner will be asked to submit their full MS to Bree and two lucky runners-up will get to submit their first 50 pages.

For this contest Bree will accept pitches for ANY children's/middle grade/YA/graphic novel genres.

This contest will end midnight on the 13th July with winners to be announced (along with prizes) on 20th July.

See rules and post your elevator pitch here

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TGIF?? {1}

This was supposed to post yesterday. Sorry...

Okay, this is my first time doing this -- actually second, since Blogger sent my original Friday post into a black hole --- so bear with me. Ginger over at GReads started it and each week she will pose a different question. This week's question is actually something that I've been struggling with lately so I figured I would give it a try.

Blogger Confession: What's the last book you could not finish? (Or had trouble finishing?)

With most things in life I am a love it or hate it kind of girl. Not when it comes to reading however. I adore all types of books. I read and love every genre. Even if I fail to fall in love with a book I can usually find something redeemable about it -- i.e., the characters were original or the setting was amazing.

I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm a writer in addition to being a reader. Maybe it's just because I know how much work went into creating it. But I am unable to write a book off completely and I would never have dreamed of not finishing.

Yet, the fact remains most people are not like me. If a reader picks up a book they're not going to be inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt. They're not going to stick around hoping it gets better.

Recently, I finished reading a book (which shall remain nameless) that I hated from the very first sentence. It was awful. Everything about it grated on my nerves. It took me weeks to finish. I remember staring at it and dreading turning the pages.

That is NOT what reading should feel like.

I'm slowly learning that there is nothing wrong with not finishing a book. Especially now that I am offering reviews geared towards the average reading public. I can't tell them to hang in there, that the book will eventually get better. The truth might be that you have fantastic characters or incredible/witty dialogue, but readers will never know it if they can't get past the first few pages.


Okay, your turn. Tell me which book(s) you couldn't finish or had trouble finishing.

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Recent Reads - Like Mandarin

Like Mandarin, by Kirsten Hubbard

  5 of 5 Stars

Genre:   Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages:   320

Published:   3/8/2011, Delacorte Press

Why I Chose It:   There was nothing about Like Mandarin's cover that told me I needed to read the book. And while I'd heard the title in various different places, it only brought to mind images of fruit and did nothing to entice me to purchase the book.

In fact, if a link to a heartfelt post that the author wrote on her blog had not been forwarded by someone I follow on Twitter, I would never have read Like Mandarin and I would have been lesser for it.

Synopsis (from Good Reads):    It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree.

Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin. When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic.

Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their Badlands town. Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.

My Review:  Okay, where to begin? Maybe the very first line since, as every great book should, it sucked me in.

The winds in Washokey make people go crazy

The prose just gets better from there. It's lyrical, poignant, intense. Beautiful. It's everything that I, as a writer, aspire to achieve and that I, as a reader, feel honored to experience. Hubbard had me re-reading lines and highlighting passages in an effort to understand their simple brilliance. Nearly every line is a wonder, ripe with the power to squeeze your heart or kick you in the gut.

The setting is almost surreal and is a testament to its importance in all great works of fiction. The dry, barren wasteland that is Washokey lends itself to the story. Works its way into the cracks and crevices, filling every gap and hole, leaving a seamless surface that becomes as much of a character as the people who inhabit it, and makes the story one that could not have taken place anywhere else.

Characterization in Like Mandarin never falls short. Each character, from Grace to the random drunk stumbling around a parking lot, was written in a way that acknowledged their unique histories and complexities. They felt like living, breathing human beings. People that you know, love, or ignored at some point in your life.

Grace herself is a smart, mature, 14-year-old who harbors an obsession with geology and, as the title suggests, with the carefree, often promiscous 17-year-old Mandarin Ramey. She keeps her head down and dreams of the day she'll get to leave her irritating, selfish mother, her small town, and her small time existence behind.

Mandarin is Grace's opposite. She's rebellious, gutsy, troubled. On the surface Mandarin seems like the more interesting character. In less capable hands than Hubbard's it would be easy for Mandarin to overshadow Grace, and although this is often how Grace feels -- overshadowed, less than --, it's never felt by the reader. You are painfully aware that it's Grace's story being told. You experience every embarrassment, every bit of anger or frustration, every setback and awkward moment with her.

And while Grace's journey is complicated and sometimes edgy or dark, in the end it's a story about friendship, love, finding your identity and coming to terms with the "you" that you are, and is perfectly suited to a young adult audience that is no doubt currently experiencing, or has recently experienced, the same thing.

There is absolutely nothing about this book that I didn't adore. I'll admit to being a sucker for the supernatural and fantastical. I like to be transported to worlds unlike my own.  But a contemporary done right, like Like Mandarin, is a reminder that there is often nothing more complex, compelling or magical than real life and the depth of human emotion.


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