Review: Paper Covers Rock

Title: Paper Covers Rock

Author: Jenny Hubbard

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publication Date: June 14, 2011

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Library

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Summary: (from GoodReads.com) At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them.

My Thoughts: I picked up this book because it's part of the Debut Author Challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Jenny Hubbard is another North Carolina author.  Paper Covers Rock also features a male narrator, something I am a big fan of lately.  I ended up liking this book even more than I thought I would!

The book is actually Alex's journal, but most of it reads more like a novel than a journal.  The book is interspersed with references to Moby Dick, which I've never read, but it seemed like a fitting connection.  There's also some of Alex's poetry scattered throughout his journal, which is a nice touch.

The story was engaging and different from anything else I've read lately.

Characters: Alex broke my heart a little bit.  He was just so vulnerable.  I wanted to keep reading to find out more about him and the truth about what happened the night that Thomas died.

Since I used to be a teacher, I felt really bad for Miss Dovecott.  I could not imagine being the only young, female teacher at an all boys boarding school, and finding myself in the situations she found herself in.  I found myself cringing during many of her scenes, but other non-teacher readers might not have that same reaction.

Ending (Spoiler-Free!): Nice. Not too simple, but not unsatisfying, either. 

Writing Style: Hubbard's writing style definitely bumped this from a 3 star novel to a 4 star novel for me.  While the story had lots of action and moved quickly, there were many passages that I stopped and read again because they were so beautiful.  That contrast is difficult to achieve, but Hubbard definitely pulled it off. 

Stars: 4 out of 5.  Liked it.  I recommend it.

You can purchase Paper Covers Rock from Amazon, The Book Depository, or Barnes and Noble. You can add it to your GoodReads to-read shelf here.

Review: Ten Miles Past Normal

Title: Ten Miles Past Normal 

Author: Frances O'Roark Dowell

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publication Date: March 22, 2011

Publisher: Atheneum

Source: Library

*Read as past of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Summary: (from GoodReads.com)  Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation—and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.

It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.

Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

My Thoughts:  Let me start by saying that I love discovering North Carolina authors!  Especially when the stories are set in NC, and when I didn't know that the author was local before I started reading.  Such was the case with Ten Miles Past Normal.  I enjoyed reading about Janie's experiences attending a "normal" high school, but living on a farm out in the NC country. 

This story had the normal coming-of-age elements (dealing with friends, boys, crazy parents, etc.) but it also had a touch of historical fiction in reference to the civil rights movement.  I wasn't a huge fan of the history stuff, but just because it's not my favorite thing to read.

Characters: In most contemporary YA novels, I can look at the main character and think, "Oh, I've been there."  With Janie, I definitely could not think, "Oh yeah, I've walked into school with goat poop on my shoe, too!" but I loved her for that.  She was insecure but endearing at the same time.

The other characters in the story were really well done.  From Janie's family to her friends, all the way down to "Stoner Guy #1," I felt like I knew them and became a part of their world.

Ending (Spoiler-Free!): The ending felt a tad far-fetched or maybe too easy.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good happy ending, but it would have been nice to see a few of Janie's insecurities or issues stick.  However, I'm a sucker for really great last lines, and the last line in this book made me smile.  Loved it!

Writing Style: The writing was very witty.  My favorite line came from p.203: "It was like reading Twilight and suddenly Harry Potter shows up in Chapter Eight.  What was he doing there?"

My only complaint with the writing style was that the book dragged a bit, especially toward the end.  It wasn't enough to scare me away from the rest of Frances O'Roark Dowell's work, though.  I hope to give her MG novels a try someday, and maybe see her at a book signing in town!

Stars: 3 out of 5. It was okay. You might like it.

You can purchase Ten Miles Past Normal from Amazon, The Book Depository, or Barnes and Noble. You can add it to your GoodReads to-read shelf here.

 

Getting a Day Job

I'm back!

No, I did not fall off the face of the planet.  I didn't even end up in the hospital this time.  My month-plus long absence from blogging happened because I did exactly the opposite of my blog title:

I got a day job.

That's right.  My year of writing is over.  While I'm still writing, still have an agent, and still hope to be published, I'm back to having a "real" job like everybody else.

I took a trip to North Carolina in June to visit friends and attend a meeting about the contract work I'd been doing.  While I was at the meeting, someone basically said, "Hey, you're qualified for a full time job here.  Want to apply?" 

I interviewed on June 17th, got the job on June 27th, drove from Michigan to NC on July 5th, and started work on July 8th!

There are many things I like about the new job, but perhaps the best thing is that I work from 8:00-4:00 Monday through Friday.  No parent-teacher conferences before or after school.  No IEP meetings.  No papers to grade or lessons to plan.  Which means...I still have time to write!  And read!  And it's awesome.

My year of writing was awesome, too.  I learned a lot.  I read a lot.  I wrote more than I thought possible.  I got an agent and took big steps on my path to publication.

As much as I would have loved for my year of writing to continue, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  When this job opportunity presented itself, I couldn't pass it up.  I took the day job.  My path to publication isn't ending, it's just taking a turn.

So what does this mean for my blog?  I've decided that it's actually going to become two blogs: one for my continued adventures in writing, one for book reviews and all things reading related.  I probably won't post as often as before, but I'll still be around.  Once I get the new blogs up and running, I'll link to them here so that you can follow one or both if you'd like.

Until then, take care.  Stay cool.  And happy reading and writing!

Friday...Three? 6/10

I've failed at blogging the past couple of weeks.  I don't even have 5 things for you today.  And I'm going to fail again next week because I'm heading to NC (YAY!) and won't be blogging during my travels.  I should be back on track end of June-ish. 

But you should definitely stick around because I'm participating in the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop on June 21.  And there will be free books!  So, thank you for your patience, and I'll be back soon!

1.  There's a website that can (supposedly) predict whether a book title will be a best-seller or not.  The site claims that it is 40% more accurate than random guessing.  Of course, I plugged in my own titles, and here are the results:

Miscellaneous?  35.9% chance of being a best-seller.

Fade to Black?  55.4% chance of being a best-seller.

Interestingly enough, my Untitled Garage Story has a 69.0% chance of being a best-seller.  (Yes, I actually put in Untitled Garage Story.  Maybe I should stick with that!)

I also put in titles of some actual best-sellers to see what came up:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?  14.6% chance of being a best-seller. (HA!)

Twilight?  31.7%  chance of being a best-seller.

The Hunger Games?  41.4% chance of being a best-seller.

2.  Just in case you've been living under a rock for the past week and haven't heard about the Wall Street Journal article that basically attacked young adult fiction, check out YA Highway's Field Trip Friday Special Edition, which has a wonderful collection of links about the incident.

Note to self: do not EVER piss off YA readers, writers, and bloggers.  They are a force to be reckoned with.  And I love them for that!

3.  Lastly, here is an adorable video that Darren Criss (Blaine from Glee) tweeted this week:



Enjoy your weekend, everyone!  See you later, alligators!

Review: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Title: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Source: A gift from a friend (signed copy, too!)

Summary: (from GoodReads.com) Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey.

But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with his brother's illness and his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece. Salted with humor and peppered with devastating realities, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming journey through a year in the life of a family in crisis.

My Thoughts: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a touching story told by a relatable narrator with the perfect amount of humor mixed in.  It's a quick and enjoyable read - I loved every bit of it!

I bet everyone who is a sibling has wondered at some point what would happen if their brother or sister got sick, really sick, and this book has the answers.  Steven finds out that yes, it is scary.  Yes, parents become stressed and distracted.  Yes, it does suck.  But there's still school and homework.  There are still girls.  There's still music.  There's still normal teenage stuff.  Life does go on.

Characters: Male narrators in YA are few and far between, so it's refreshing to find a narrator I loved as much as Steven.  Not only was he hilarious, but he was also amazingly honest and real.  He wasn't stoic in the face of his brother's cancer.  He was selfish and terrified and maybe even a little bit jealous, and I loved him for all of that!  But even with those feelings, he came through for Jeffrey and his family when it really counted, and I loved him even more for that.

Steven's brother, Jeffrey, was maybe the cutest kid ever.  He was a typical annoying little brother, but he melted my heart the whole time.  Two ingredients for Dangerous Pie?  Raw eggs and Matchbox cars.  Stirred with Steven's special drum sticks.  That sums up Jeffrey pretty well!

Setting: The setting consisted of familiar places (middle school, the band room, Steven's basement with his drums and practice pad) and not so familiar places (the children's oncology ward at the hospital in Philadelphia).  All places were used effectively to draw me into Steven's and Jeffrey's worlds.

Ending (Spoiler-Free!): I loved the way the book ended.  It wasn't too "easy" of an ending, but it also didn't leave me sobbing and depressed.  A perfect ending.  I especially loved the very last lines.  Such a nice touch!

Writing Style: I loved that Sonnenblick didn't take the story too lightly, but he didn't take it too seriously, either.  It was the perfect writing style for the topic at hand.

The voice was amazing - Sonnenblick really got inside Steven's head and drew me in.  The pacing was also very well done.  I read the book in less than 24 hours, and it never felt either rushed or like it was dragging.

The one little thing that bugged me was the way dialogue was written.  Typically, dialogue is in quotation marks and thoughts are in italics.  In 95% of this book, dialogue is in italics and thoughts are in quotation marks.  I imagine there was a reason for the choice, but it wasn't clear to me.  Oh well.

I'm adding the rest of Jordan Sonnenblick's books to my to-read shelf!

Stars: 5 out of 5. Go read this book!

You can purchase Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie from Amazon, The Book Depository, or Barnes and Noble. You can add it to your GoodReads to-read shelf here.

Friday Five 6/3

Happy Friday!  Yay!

1.  You may or may not have noticed that there wasn't a Friday Five last week.  Or many posts at all last week.  I was a tad frustrated with Blogger's posting/commenting/logging-in issues.  (Plus I was out of town for Memorial Day weekend.)  I'm thinking about switching over to WordPress at some point if Blogger's issues continue.  Has any made the jump?  What do you think?

2.  I'm officially going to be co-Municipal Liason for NaNoWriMo's metro-Detroit region in 2011!  What does that mean?  I'll be helping organize the kick off party, write-ins, and Thank Goodness It's Over party, answering questions from Detroit area participants, helping with fundraisers, and doing whatever else is needed of me, all while attempting to write a novel in 30 days.  Should be interesting! 

And if you haven't tried NaNoWriMo before, you should sign up now!

3.  Guess what?  I made it all the way through May without any hospital stays or ER visits!  No more blood clots!  Considering my track record from March and April, that's a big accomplishment.  Thank God!

4.  On a slightly related note, it's so nice out.  I love Michigan this time of year.  The only problem is that I still have to wear compression socks because of the clot in my leg (think knee-high nylons, only thicker and opaque). 

Guess how good shorts and capris look with compression stocks?  That's right.  Awesome.  And guess how easy it is to wear flip flops with covered toes?  That's right.  Really easy.  And guess how comfortable it's going to be to wear these socks when it's 80 or 90 degrees out?  That's right.  Really comfortable.

However, when I don't wear the socks, my leg swells, so I'm going to have to figure something out for the summer!

5.  Can you determine whether an author is male or female just by reading his/her work?  I thought I could.  But then I took the quiz, and out of 10 paragraphs I was only correct on 5 of them!  Ouch!

To take the quiz for yourself, go here, then let me know how you did!

PS - One of the paragraphs was written by Nicholas Sparks.  Can you spot it?

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Novel Updates

It's been a while since I've updated everyone on my writing adventures.  Yes, I'm sticking around Michigan until January, when my contract with my agent ends.  No, I'm not going back to teaching this year because of that.

But how is writing going?  Here are updates on my novels:

1st Novel (Miscellaneous):  I love this story.  It was so exciting to get the idea and jump into writing my very first novel.  After finishing, revising, and editing, I was pretty darn happy with it.  I thought it was shiny!  I thought editors would jump at the chance to publish it!

But then I shared it with my agent.  Who basically said, "Eh.  Not great."  And then I shared it with both of my critique groups.  Who (kindly and gently) pointed out that it has issues with both character motivation and, um, plot.  ...Yeah...

I still love the story.  I love the premise and the characters.  But I think instead of revising, I really need to re-write.  Tough to think about, but it's the truth.  It will happen someday.

2nd Novel (Fade to Black): This is the book that got me a contract with an agent.  He's currently submitting it to publishers.  And given all the controversy over whether to talk about books on sub. or not, that's all I'm going to say about that!

3rd Novel: This was my NaNo 2010 novel.  Unfortunately, it will never see the light of day without massive re-writes, and I'm not devoted to it enough to put in that much work.

It's really okay though, because I still learned a lot while writing it.  I played around with detail work and characterization, and I see that practice coming through in my 4th novel.

I've read a few times about how writers need to write a million words before producing anything that's worth publishing.  Those million words could be anything: blog posts, short stories, journal entries, Fan Fiction, or maybe even a crappy third novel.  At least I'm 50,000+ words closer to my million word count!

4th Novel: I'm about 26,000 words into it, and loving it.  I feel like I'm doing something right.  I also feel some pressure because I want the end to be as good as the beginning, but that's okay.

I shared the first 5 chapters with both of my critique groups, and all readers approve thus far.  One group member actually commented that my style in this story reminds me of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, which caused me to almost die of happiness.  Not that I would ever copy or plagarize!  The plot, characters, etc. are all completely different from Ms. Oliver's.  But really?  If my style is going to be compared to another work?  I'd love for it to be that beautiful and amazing book.  Quite a compliment!

5th Novel:  Okay, so I haven't started writing it yet.  But I have the idea.  It might be my NaNo 2011 project.  Another contemporary YA.  Hopefully it will be great!