Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I impulse bought this book at Sam's club while I was at work, because I had to know what happens next. I finished it pretty soon after I bought it, and I mostly just agree with Amanda. I think that the story is a great set up for book three, which is I am moderately confidant will be better than two.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

I don't have time to blog tonight, but I'm doing it anyway. I finished "What I Saw and How I Lied" today and it was like kiddie Noir. I loved it. Something about this book brought to mind the flavor of Lauren Bacall's autobiography, it was that authentic. This book is rich, beautiful, and unguarded. I was also reminded of Sidney Poitier's description of Florida as well, how he described seeing it as a young man in his autobiography. The story is gripping, deep, and gritty. There were some obvious modern sensibilities and prospectives in it, but not so much that I felt that I was thrown out of the world of the book. I found the heroine, Evie, to be engaging though narrator, though the story was definitely told solely through her eyes it was still possible to see other perspective with a few hints from the author.

In the end there was so much in this story about choices: about how and why me make them, their repercussions, and how we live with the consequences. It was also about familiar relationships and identification. I did not want to put it down until I had turned the last page, I would definitely recommend it.

Love of Seven Dolls by Paul Gallico

I am of two mind about this story. On one hand it was beautiful, psychological, and fascinating. On the other it was sexist, racist, and unrealistic. A young, suicidal woman finds hope and redemption in a troupe of seven dolls, whose puppet master is fierce and cruel. The dolls reach out to her, talk to her, and encourage her. The puppet master has no sympathy, no kindness. People are drawn to the interaction between the young girl, whose nickname is Mouche which means mosquito, and the puppets, which increases the revenue of the show.

We eventually discover that the puppet master has rid himself of any ability to feel, that this is a post World War II world, and his only emotions are played out in fantasy with his puppets. It is the destruction of concentration camps that really helped me understand this story, to understand why the characters were so broken and so desperate. It was at times sexist, and racist, but this is to be expected of a novel from this period. If taken to be a literal story, the conclusion is juvenile. If seen as a psychological tale, it makes a little more sense. I really liked the theme from the movie, Lili, and picked up the book in curiosity. There were several things in the movie which made no sense that worked much better in the novel, and overall I enjoyed reading it.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

I was simply in awe of this book, because it teaches so much that you hardly notice the lessons. The story follows Marcus and his friends and gives you a glimpse of the probable near future both technologically and politically. This book teaches the history of hacking, yippies, hippies, the Civil Rights Movement, the Internet, codes, ciphers, code breaking, computer networks, and so much more but perfectly interwoven in a gripping and fascinating plot. This story delves into personal rights, first love, true friendship, and the dangerous trade off of privacy for security. I don't really know what else to say except read it.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This book was a haunting, fascinating account of a young woman and her journey towards suicide. Her name is Hannah Baker, and this dirty dozen of reasons is actually thirteen people. She has recorded her last thoughts on thirteen audio tapes to be sent to the people included and as each layer is peeled back you come to understand her a little more.

Considering the subject matter, this book was not as dark as I expected it to be. More than anything I found it to be a reminder of how important it is to be kind and considerate to others, to reach out to them, and that even a casual cruelty no matter how small or well deserved it may seem at the time can be absolutely destructive, and can create permanent damage to whoever you are lashing out at. There are so many people like Hannah Baker out there, people who seem fine but are teetering on the brink of despair. It has been a couple of months since I finished the book, but I still find myself thinking about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

YA Covers

I hadn't had much time or energy for reading and blogging lately, having lost my job last week. Still, this looked like too much fun to try, and didn't take very long.

This was my first try. I think I can sense a flop.






















Here was my second try:






















Much better!



Directions:

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or click http://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

Ink Notes #1

This is in response to Ink Notes #1

Obviously, I need the practice. Listening to the music, I saw water dripping from branches and went from there.

Sadie was crying and she wasn’t quite sure why. The tears welled up one after the other, and she watched them fall into murky pond. The clear drops slip off the end of her nose and she watched them with an almost curious detachment. A wind rustled the bare autumn trees around her, and the dark clouds rumbled. Sadie looked up, the muted light of the stormy sky reflecting in her clear eyes, and adding a glow to her pale skin. It was a thoughtful face with clear, blue eyes. People sometimes remarked to each other that it was a shame that Sadie was not really pretty. At the moment, Sadie was not thinking about being pretty or plain, she was watching the rain, her tears now dripping from the end of her chin, her willowy arms wrapped around her long legs. Like the sky, she had been gathering the tears drop by drop for sometime, little sadness and irritations until she could hold them in no longer and slipped out to the old garden to let them out privately. Letting her dark auburn hair fall over her face like a curtain she sobbed into her knees, feeling that she was a part of the weeping sky, that nature had drawn her there to fill her with its comfort and sympathy. Even as she cried, she relished the strange loneliness of it, the sound echoing sharply back from the stone pavilion in which she sat. At last, the tightness in her chest eased.

Sadie wiped her face with the edges of her sleeves and drew her long hair back, tying it in a knot to keep it out of her way, scooting the edge of little stone pavilion, cupping her hands and letting the runoff fill them, and washing her face with the refreshing coolness of the rain. The cool water soothed her eyes, irritated from her personal maelstrom, and she took a long deep breath, listening to the wet dripping of the leaves around her. The air was cool and tasted sweet and sharp and damp. The soft green arms of algae in the stagnate water was obscured again and again by the jump of the drops as they hit the glassy surface.

Across the pool a black statue, a dancing pan, looked to be crying from mirth as water dripped down his pointed beard and curly hair, as it made a river of his wavy goat legs, and a made a fountain of his little pan pipe. His expression was witty and wise, and there was a look in his eyes as if he knew what was troubling Sadie better than she herself did, as if he could see the woes and triumphs of the woman she was soon to become.

“Being thirteen is harder than I thought it would be,” she said softly, ordering her thoughts into words and then trying them out in the open air, the sound of them veiled from the world by the patter of the storm. The clouds rumbled again, but this time the sound was softer. The summer storm was leaving her, and the tears had been poured out. Curiously, she reached down to dip her fingers into the rain fresh water of the pool at her feet, enjoying the feel of the water against her fingers.

“Sadie!”

Sadie looked up to see mother standing just beyond the trees. “Sadie!”

Sadie stood up and shook out her clothes, running her hands over her face, as if to smooth away its expression. “I’m here mother!”

Her mother was beautiful, her face a little wider, her brow a little higher, her blue eyes clouded with maturity. “What are you doing out there, Sadie? Is . . . is someone with you?” The woman peered further into the trees, her brow momentarily furrowed.

“No one, mother,” Sadie replied, her face a picture of innocence, picking her way through the trees up to her mother, who embraced her impulsively.

“Of course there isn’t,” replied the woman, looking into the young face, sighing softly and then adding to herself, “But soon enough.”

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I know I've posted about this book twice already, but this is just in case someone who has not read it and does not want to read the spoilers is curious.

Hunger Games follows the story of Katniss, a tough cookie whose main priority in life is providing for her family. In this world, a North America that has been torn apart by natural disaster, and then civil rebellion, only end up under the thumb of the modern metropolis, the Capitol; life is rough for those on the fringe, like Katniss, but sweet and full of technology and distraction for those in the Capitol. I found this to be a perfect illustration of how the 1st world seeks diversion while the 3rd world countries dies slowly of hunger, which is a key theme. This book is deep, engrossing, and ridiculously entertaining. I found the characters easy to identify with, and the dark story told with just enough touches of despair to be effective, but not so much that I closed the book feeling depressed. I look forward to the squeal.

I can't believe I've already finished the YA book for this month. I sure am glad I got a few recommendations during the meeting to tide me over until July 28th.

*Update*
Bed of Roses is on hold, just waiting for me at the library, and I won't have time to pick it up today. Forget it. I'll leave work early. I must have more books. I think I'm addicted to YA fiction.

Hunger Games *More Spoilers*

Ok, that was just cruel. Poor Peeta! Doesn't Katniss realize that they're probably going to have to get married? That if they split up that the government will be full of ire? Will Peeta be able to survive Katniss's indecision? Will she have to have secret side affairs with Gale? Will the next book be all about their stormy relationship mixed with their first attempt to help the next round of kids picked for the hunger games? Will they end up hating each other? OH my goodness. I hate cliffhangers. I may have to go write some really soppy fan fiction to cheer myself up. I'm glad that Peeta didn't die, but having her fake love for him, making him live in a world where Katniss doesn't love him seems a much worse fate than dieing to save her. Maybe he'll get over her. Likely not. She may even work out her feelings and realize that she does love Peeta after all. But will it be too late? I really love surly, gutsy Katniss. She's a great character. Freakin' heck.

Hunger Games *spoilers*

Ok, I've only just finished the first part of "Hunger Games," but I'm so excited that I thought I would post some of my initial reactions. This book is awesome! I love the humor at the beginning, of the relationship between the cat, Buttercup, and Katniss, that really pulled me in. I identify with her easily, to the point where I was almost surprised when she ended up in the Hunger Games, that's how wrapped up I was. It should have been obvious. Also, I just love Peeta. I found myself having the same issue as Katniss, I did not want to get too attached to him, since he is likely to die. And what about Rue? Will the three band together and escape the games? Thank God this is a YA book, so nothing too terribly awful should happen. I hope. So good!

I'm so wrapped up in it, I think I'll take a break from reading because I don't want it to end, but I really want to know what will happen! What will happen when she realizes that she is in love with Gale? Well, he is certainly in love with her. Will she have to choose between Peeta and Gale, or has she been in love with Peeta all along, and only sees Gale as a best friend? I love Cina, he is such a mysterious and fascinating character, and I love the design of the rich city, and the comparison of the two ways of life. This book is deep, engrossing, and ridiculously entertaining. I don't want it to end. Unlike Katniss, I have absolutely no problem gushing.

Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin

This book was an interesting crossroad between Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and Elsewhere, but in a good way. I still preferred Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, but I think that is mostly because this book was just a bit too full of gritty reality to suite my taste.

Margarettown is a deeply psychological that borders on magical realism and explores the mind of a woman as seen by the man who loved her as told to the daughter he is leaving behind. A little complex, no? The book is supposedly written for the daughter of the narrator, as the narrator is dying of cancer. The narrator makes several references to the woman's anatomy such as her pubic hair which puzzled me since it was written by the father for the daughter once she is old enough, though at the time of the account being written the girl is only nine.

Once I got used the the strange way the plot twisted, and the reality of the story turned, I found it to be very interesting. There are several places in the book where the importance of perspective is stressed, that life can be seen from a great many directions. A lot of the themes explored here are echoed in her young adult book Elsewhere, which is completely fantasy, and somehow made less sense to me.

This book basically represents the fact that truth is not always what you believe it to be, and that reality hinges on perspective. We see the main character slip up into several people: May as a child, Meg as a teen, Greta as a young adult, Maggie as young woman, Marge as a woman past her prime, and finally old Margaret. I think that it is true that a woman is many people in her life, though Margaret is established as particularly complex character, and the narrator no entirely trustworthy.

If you want to read this book, you must accept that it will not entirely make sense, that the truth will only be eluded to, and that you are left to a large part to draw your own conclusions. I enjoyed this abstract voyage into a relationship, as this is a subject on which Zevin is particularly eloquent. I enjoyed this book well enough, and was sympathetic to the openly flawed characters. This book is not at the top of my favorite books, but it was thoughtful read and I am not sorry I read it.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Something about Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac made me want to read all of the writer's other books, and I find myself somewhat disappointed. Elsewhere was interesting and well written, but I must say that the plot devices were rather dull. I think that Gabrielle Zevin's strength is the way she writes the relationships between her characters, and there was just too much in the way of the characters' development to really make me enjoy this book.

I think I would have gotten the idea about living life no matter what just as well if it has been a love story set on this side of life, I really don't see what purpose setting the story in the afterlife really, truly served in the plot. Gabrielle has a strong grasp on allegory, as can be seen in Margrettown, why embrace fantasy now?

This story is based around the afterlife of a young teenage world in a place called Elsewhere, where the departed can have any day job they want and grow younger until they float back to Earth on a current to experience life again. I think the talking dogs where to keep me awake. I did not hate this book it was well written, and as I said earlier I enjoyed the relationships of the characters, but the whole afterlife thing was not working for me. I felt that the story was not very strong, what with the departed able to watch back on Earth should they choose, or to go back after a year, or to swim there and communicate via plumbing.

Why do lifetimes only seem to overlap one at a time, if each person has lived before? Are the personalities a fixed point in time, then? Why is there no crime or evidence of unhappiness in the other world if it is so much like ours? Why do they bother eating? I just felt the premise left me scratching my head. This book was not a waste of my time, and it gave me a sense of the flow of life, but I just was not over-all impressed by the book.

Abandoned!

I got halfway through "Cry, the Beloved Country." I need to read something cheerful RIGHT NOW. This book is absolutely gorgeous, but the rich bitter-sweetness of the story supersaturated my mind.

The Silenced by James DeVita

"We as a people deserve whatever government we are willing to tolerate."
- James DeVita

Oh my goodness. This book was so good. It started at a slower pace and then snowballed until I found myself no longer able to set it down. "The Silenced" is the story of Marena, a teenage girl who lives in a fictional United States which is under the thumb of a tyrannical regime called "Zero Tolerance." The book is in a large part based on Sophie Scholl, a young woman who printed and distributed anti-Nazi propaganda in the early to mid 40's.

This book has the flavor of a young adult "Fahrenheit 451," though from the point of view of the revolutionary. As this is a young adult book, the theme largely centers around the philosophies that lead to apathy, victimization, and the illusion of powerlessness. If this book were written for adults it it would have been far darker, and far more brutal. Still, it is easy to see how this story or something like it can be the result of apathetic citizens.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away. The book was interesting, and fairly easy to read, though sometimes the choppy style of very short sentences got on my nerves. The twists of the plot were fairly predictable, but I felt very much for the heroine and her brave desire to risk all for what she believed was right. I think this book is great for young people by way of encouragement to exercise their minds and their voices, and for anyone else who might need a reminder that word are never just words.

No book club tomorrow. Sadness.

"The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo

"The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo

I must admit that one of the main reasons I read this book is because I want to see the movie, and I am curious as to how the two will differ. The book was much easier to get from the library than the movie. As of this moment I am in number 92 of 152 holds on the film, so it will be a while. I am glad that I read the book, but it had one major flaw that, despite it's Newberry Medal, made it very difficult to get through. The narrator at least once a chapter took a break from storytelling to define words, address the reader, and to make sure that the reader was involved in the story, especially during the most interesting bits. What the heck was with that? Here are a few excerpts:

"Reader, do you know what 'perfidy' means? I have a feeling that you do, based on the little scene that has just unfolded here. But you should look up the word in the dictionary, to be sure."

"'Adieu is French for farewell.
'Farewell' is not a word that you would like to hear from your mother as you are being led to the dungeon by two oversize mice in black hoods."

“Poor Mig. What will become of her? You must, frightened though you may be, read on and see for yourself.

Reader, it is your duty.”

“Forgiveness, reader, is, I think, something very much like hope and love, powerful, wonderful thing.

And a ridiculous thing too.”

Instead of stopping to explain things, why not elaborate on the character's actual feelings, on the actual events of the story? I found this deeply, deeply annoying. The plot and character was interesting and if not for the constant interruption of the narrator I would have enjoyed the story. I suppose some people don't mind, and perhaps children feel the need to have the story explained to them every chapter or so. As an adult it takes out some of the mystery and interest to spoon-feed the themes and ideas of the story one by one to the reader directly through the mouth of the narrator.

I suppose I would recommend this book to children, but one thing I love about fairy tales and mythology is the great mysteries that carry the story forward. Why was the witch evil? Why stick the princess on a glass hill? Who knows? That is how I would prefer it.

I liked the unlikely hero, and how each of the main characters had impossible hopes and dreams that they wanted to fulfill, and especially how Despereaux was rewarded for his faith and diligence. I thought that "Pea" was a darling name for a Princess in a fairy-tale like story, and look forward to hearing Matthew Brodrick voice the hero in the film.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

"Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" by Gabrielle Zevin

I just finished this book, and the book group does not meet until the 26th, so I am typing up some of my ideas before I forget them.

This book was deeply absorbing. I read the first sentence on my way to the car from the library, and then a bit in the car, and (I must admit) a bit at the stoplight, and despite all my good intentions to clean, I made dinner and then continued to read until I had turned the last page. I love the way Young Adult novels are written, the way the stories unfold. Perhaps it's because I have more in common with this heroine, than I have with the protagonists of the last few books I've read. I have been through high schools and re-marriages and broken families. I practically lived in the theatre of my old high school, the passage about the "dingy red velvet seats and its scuffed wooden stage" really gave me warm fuzzies.

I like how the writing is at turn hopefully, bitter, sarcastic, introspective, judging, regretful . . . it really traces the patterns of a young mind. The love bits were not overly soppy, which was good because I was not in the mood for soppiness. The book just took me right back the confusion and chaos of high school, viewing it from the shelter of the present I can find it amusing and even alien.

I'm going to have to stew for a while longer before I really have a better formed opinion, but I am so glad I picked it up, it was an evening well spent.