Category Archives: book review

why you need to read Melina Marchetta’s books

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Having just read Gorgon in the Gully, a children’s book by Melina Marchetta that is not available in the United States (thank you, Fishpond!), I can now say that I have read every single one of Marchetta’s books.  And you need to read them too.  Here’s why:

1) The writing is unbelievable.

“Guess what?’ Fitz said.
‘I don’t know,’ Jude said. ‘What? Narnie smiled?’ He glanced at her for the first time.
‘When you guys see a Narnie smile, it’s like a revelation,’ Webb said, gathering her towards him.
Jude stopped in front of her and, with both hands cupping her face, tried to make a smile. Narnie flinched.
‘Leave her alone,’ Tate said.
‘I need a revelation,’ Jude said. ‘And you’re the only one that can give me one, Narns.”

2) The characters are people you want to know in real life.

“We make weird friends,” I say instead.
“I’ve never been into the f-word with people.”
“I’m privileged, then? Why me?”
He thinks for a moment and shrugs again.
“You’re the realest person I’ve ever known.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s fucking awful. There’s not much room for bullshit, and you know how I thrive on it.”

3) The books are laced with wonderful humor.

“…what was it like out there? Kind of describe it to us,” Jessa says, beaming at them and then at me. Trini beams at her and there’s a lot of beaming happening.”

4) You can’t guess what will happen next.

5) She knows how to write about teen romances without being cliche.

Finnikin of the Rock – Sun and Moon
deviantART by ~leabharlann

6) She is consistently good.  Every. Single. Book.

Start with Jellicoe Road.  Then choose Saving Francesca or Finnikin of the Rock, depending on whether you want to stay in Australia or enter a fantasy world.  The Piper’s Son follows Saving Francesca, and Finnikin is the first of a trilogy (Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn round it out).  Looking for Alibrandi was her break-through novel, but it’s probably last on my personal list. Gorgon in the Gully is meant for younger readers.

Every single one of them is like eating an incredible fruit– but all of different flavors.  Her talent is incredible and enviable.

what I call good writing

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There are essentially three reasons I will like a book:

1) The writing is beautiful.  If the writing is lyrical, or the prose almost reads as poetry, or if the writer has great diction and uses sounds to her advantage, I’m captured.  When an author does a dance with words and creates images that burst like berries on the tongue, I’m sold.

2) The plot is fascinating.  I love books that have twists and turns and surprises.  I don’t need them to be action-packed, just interesting, with interesting scenes and a great storyline.

3) The message is profound.  When the story tugs at my heart or opens up my mind to new ways of understanding something, the book touches (and sometimes changes) my life.

Some books fall under one of these categories, and it is enough to make me love it.  For example, Annie Dillard’s book For the Time Being is beautifully written (for that matter, pretty much anything she writes is!), but there is not really a plot to it, nor did its message truly change my life.  Harry Potter has a thrilling storyline that completely pulled me in, and the series also has a wonderful theme of good versus evil, but I wouldn’t say that Rowling (in those books) is a lyrical writer, although she does have her moments!  Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard is an allegory, and as such, the plot is pretty obvious, but the message deeply touched me and wrenched tears from me left and right.  As you know, The Chronicles of Narnia are my absolute favorite for their fun plots and the deep truths in them, but the writing is not as beautiful as some other things Jack Lewis has written.

To me, some of the best writers are those who combine all three of these elements.  Some of the best examples I have of this are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (gorgeous writing, super fun storyline, excellent message), C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy (the writing is so masterful it makes me want to curl up inside of it, the plot is riveting, and the takeaways are tremendous), Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (literary writing at its very finest, interesting characters and storyline, an underlying message that is like a rock to stand on), and The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle (breathtaking writing, intriguing fantasy plot, message that lingers long).

Your turn.  What makes you like a book?  Are you drawn to one of these three reasons over the others?  What are your best examples of books that fit these categories?

5 Books I Wish I Could Read Again FOR THE FIRST TIME

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I love to re-read books, but there is nothing quite like that first time through, when absolutely anything can happen and you can’t put the book down because you have to know what happens next.  I miss that.  There are a handful of books that, when my friends read them for the first time, I find myself jealous of the original, first-time-through reading.

Here are books that I wish I could read again and experience for the very first time:

1. All of Harry Potter, but especially the end of Deathly Hallows.  I finished it on a work trip in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in the early morning hours, while my heart raced and I stopped every few paragraphs to count through horcruxes on my fingertips– “The diary … the locket … the ring … the cup … what am I missing?!”  And that walk into the forbidden forest, not knowing what was going to happen next.  I was weeping like a baby and loving every single moment of it.

2. All of Narnia, but especially Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  When Lucy walked down that empty hallway on the island of the dufflepuds, I was sincerely terrified, having zero idea of what was ahead.  I felt every step with the same trepidation as Lucy … or more (she is braver than I am!).

3. Finnikin of the Rock.  So many wonderful surprises in this clever book; if only I could go back with a tabula rasa and be shocked once more at the discoveries!

4. When You Reach Me.  Unraveling this one as I went was so exciting that I remember shouting aloud when I finally figured things out.  While I will love this book forever, I will never get to have that “aha!” moment again.

5. That Hideous Strength.  To perch on that terrifying edge of the future, not knowing whether good or evil would triumph … not knowing how good could possibly overcome this pervasive, “progressive” evil … propelled through the pages, needing to know …

How about you?  What books would make your list?

how to offend a book lover

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Books matter to me.  So, so much.

So when my friend, who is halfway through The Book Thief, asked, “Now, who is Rudy again?” I about died.

Now, I deeply love this friend; she is brilliant and fun and cares so much about people and justice and mercy.  But come on.  Who is RUDY?  WHO IS RUDY STEINER??!  Why are you reading this book if you can’t remember one of the MAIN CHARACTERS?!!!  Where is the RESPECT?

Okay, done ranting.  I think.

I am not this way with all books– but there are certain, choice stories where I am quite literally offended if a friend doesn’t like them, almost as if I were the author.  When my friend Jessica read Narnia for the first time, I was upfront with her: “Please tell me you liked them.  I will actually be offended if you didn’t.”  She did.  Phew.

When my roommate told me that The Fault in Our Stars was “good, but not great,” I didn’t want to throw her off a cliff or anything.  When my sister couldn’t get into The Sky is Everywhere, I didn’t want to disown her.  I don’t have to worry about what I’d do to someone who didn’t like Stargirl because I have never met such a fool.

But The Chronicles of Narnia, The Book Thief, Peace Like a River … do not disrespect these stories.

Or else feel my wrath. 🙂

Books I Gave Up On

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Books:

Flowers for Algernon … I tried reading it twice, and both times I couldn’t persuade myself to finish.  I think it’s Charlie’s changing personality.  I just lose interest in the book at the same point.  I’m not sure if I’m going to give it a third try or not.

The Forgotten Garden … just could not get into it.  Slow-going on the front end.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius … I was super into this one at the very beginning; in fact, I was full of writer’s envy, even though Eggers is maybe a tad pretentious.  But in the end, I just let this one fade for me, didn’t find time to finish it.  It has been on my nightstand for about 2-3 years now.  Should I start over?

Series:

Hush, Hush series … just didn’t seem grounded enough, didn’t know the characters well enough.

The Hunger Games … the author didn’t use “who” and “whom” properly, which drove me crazy, and I just wasn’t interested in the premise of the stories.

Shiver series … I actually kind of liked the first book of this series, but I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters well enough, and the holes in the premise of the heat/cold changing the werewolves were too gaping.

What do you think?  Am I missing out?  Are there books to which you think I need to give a second (or third) chance?

 

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Just finished …

The Narnian by Alan Jacobs | This is a biography of the life and creativity of C.S. Lewis (my favorite!), and while it didn’t have as much Narnia in it as the title would suggest, it was still a fascinating read.  It was interesting to hear the timeline of the books– I have read quite a lot of Jack Lewis’s books, but I guess I’ve never really thought about at what time of his life they were written.  Did you know the Narnia series came much later on, toward his life’s end?  Those seven books have so deeply influenced my spiritual life; I couldn’t quit thinking about what would have happened if he’d died before they were written.  I mean, of course, we would have never known.  But it gave me this strange existential feeling to wonder what other books haven’t been finished because of early deaths, etc.  Sigh.  I trust God’s will.  Anyway, the other thing that was interesting to hear about was the answer to a question I have had for a long time about Jack’s marriage to Joy.  She was a divorced woman, and I always wondered what Lewis thought of that, as a man of the Word.  Interestingly, since Joy was divorced from a man who had previously been divorced, Lewis didn’t consider that Joy’s marriage had been legitimate (and therefore, her divorce had been null too).  What a fascinating man.  I loved him even more after reading this book.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman | This YA book was absolutely fascinating and thought-provoking in a GREAT way.  The novel takes place in the future, after the Heartland War, a fictional war between pro-lifers and pro-choicers.  After the Heartland War, it was determined that abortion was illegal, but instead, children would be raised, and between ages 13-18, parents could choose if they wanted to have the child “unwound”– their bodies dissected and ALL organs given for transplant (so, technically, the child never died, since no body part died).  This story is about three unwinds– Connor, a troublesome kid whose parents are fed up; Risa, a ward of the state who didn’t show enough talent; and Lev, a tithe, the tenth child of a religious family.  The author did a great job of making you think of both sides of the debate.  It was fascinating, shocking, and gruesome.  In fact, it included the most disturbing scene I’d read since A Clockwork Orange.  Loved this book, which is the first in a series that I intend to pursue.

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta | My most-anticipated book of 2012!  I was so eager to read this book (the final book of the Lumatere Chronicles trilogy) that I ordered an Aussie copy rather than wait for the March 2013 US release date.  I loved it– but not as much as the first two books (Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles).  The writing was masterful (as always), and I deeply cared for the characters, who are real and flawed and passionate.  The thing that was hard for me was that I really enjoyed the interactions in book #2 between Froi and Quintana, and in this third book, they are separated, so I missed that.  A lot.  Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book, plowing through it.  As far as I’m concerned, Marchetta can’t write a bad book.  I’m already thrilled for her to put something else out.  Patience, grasshoppah.

Meditations by Rene Descartes | As research for my YA book, Truest, I have been researching Descartes and his dream argument, reading from biographies and books that summarize his positions/thoughts, but– although I was understanding things– I still felt outside of his ideas.  I decided to just bite the bullet and climb inside of them.  Reading Meditations reminded me of my writing theory and ethics class in college, where I would just try to catch the thesis amidst all the verbiage.  I can tell that I’m growing because this book was easier for me to understand.  I will say that I am not used to having to re-read something to understand it; it was a long-forgotten experience from undergrad that I had to dig up while reading this.  All said, it is fascinating.  It is essentially Descartes’s proof that God exists, so … no small task.

A few late reviews …

The Time-Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger | I decided to read this after I’d read and enjoyed Her Fearful Symmetry, and I wasn’t disappointed.  Niffenegger manages to weave an incredible tale of time travel (which is pretty much always interesting, if done well), love, and romance.  I can see why she was offered a ton of money for a second book after this one, which is essentially the love story betweeen Clare and Henry– Henry, who hops back and forth from real time to the past and to the future.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher | A super interesting book about 16-year-old Gemma, who is abducted at the airport– but whose abductor is kind, gentle, loving, although kinda crazy.  It’s an interesting twist on the kidnapping story: what happens when the kidnapper is not exactly the bad guy?

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick | First book in a series that I didn’t continue.  This is the story of a fallen angel loving a regular teenaged girl.  To me, it was average paranormal romance (which is not exactly my favorite genre in the first place).

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater | Another paranormal romance, another series I discontinued after book one.  This time the regular teenaged girl is in love with a werewolf named Sam.  (What does it mean if a book makes you think that Twilight is good and original?)

Big Sur by Jack Kerouac | Wow.  Wowowowow.  This is Kerouac’s account of his time spent at a cabin in Big Sur, where he is deteriorating mentally and physically from alcohol.  This was maybe the scariest account of alcoholism I’ve ever read … also fascinating.  Eye-opening.  A very good read.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy | When my former co-worker Kyle read this book four times in a row, I figured I’d better get my own copy.  A riveting but horrifying story about a father and son in post-apocolyptic America.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko | An interesting children’s story about a family growing up on Alcatraz Island.  The sister has autism, but the story is set in a time when very, very little was known about the autism spectrum.  Very interesting, very well-written children’s book!

Currently reading …
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (yes, again— I’ve decided that, starting January 1st, I’m going to track my Narnia reading for a year!)

Up next …
The Casual Vacancy by Jo Rowling
Everyday by David Levithan

Any suggestions?  I also recently purchased Divergent by Veronica Roth but haven’t brought myself to start it yet.

my favorite non-human characters in literature

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In no particular order …

* Richard Parker, the tiger in Life of Pi … by the end of that long boatride, RP feels like your reason to live

* Mr. Tumnus, the faun from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe … I mean, OF COURSE.  He is Lucy’s oldest Narnian friend.  Who can forget that image of him with the scarf, umbrella, and parcels beneath the lamp-post?

* Hedwig, Harry Potter’s owl, who has so much personality and spunk

* Hwin, the mare from The Horse and His Boy … “You may eat me, if you’d like.  I’d sooner be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.”  How could you not love her?!

* Puddleglum, the marshwiggle, as he put his webbed foot into the fire and declared he was on Aslan’s side even if Aslan didn’t exist

* Jewel, the unicorn of The Last Battle, who was just as rash and passionate as his bestie, King Tirian

* Beatrice and Virgil, the howler monkey and donkey featured in Yann Martel’s fascinating book … your heart goes out to them as they detail the “Horrors”

* Lady Amalthea, or rather Lady Amalthea-bef0re-she-was-a-woman

* Magnus Bane … do warlocks count?  “Even the Inquisitor’s eyebrows shot up when Magnus strode through the gate.  The High Warlock was wearing black leather pants, a belt with a buckle in the shape of a jeweled M, and a cobalt-blue Prussian military jacket open over a white lace shirt.”

* Reepicheep, so valiant, so martial!

* The Skin Horse, from The Velveteen Rabbit

* Old Yeller, Old Dan, and Little Ann, best dogs in the whole world

* Winnie-the-Pooh

* the Wild Things

* Cinnamon, Stargirl’s sweet little rat

and last but certainly not least …

* Charlotte A. Cavatica, a good friend and a good writer, the most incredible spider ever

Top 10 Literary Boyfriends

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Oh, come on, be honest now … if you’re a reader, you have them too. 🙂

10. Marco Alisdair from The Night Circus | A handsome young magician with creativity exploding out of him?  Yes please.  “What did you wish for?” Bailey asks. Marco leans forward and whispers in Bailey’s ear. “I wished for her.”

9. Will Trombal from Saving Francesca | Confused, sweet, smart, willing-to-be-humbled student leader at an Aussie high school, eventually Will figured out just what he wanted.  “Do you think people have noticed that I’m around?”
“I notice when you’re not. Does that count?”

8. Jace Wayland/Morgenstern/Herondale/Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments series | You know, I wouldn’t mind having a stunningly gorgeous boyfriend who was acerbically hilarious and could kick anyone’s ass, even if he was conceited as all get-out.  Too bad something is always going majorly wrong with his world.  “Not everything is about you,” Clary said furiously.  “Possibly,” Jace said, “but you do have to admit that the majority of things are.”

7. Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere | His smile alone completely won me over.  Joe is sincerely and deeply in love with life.  “And then he smiles, and in all the places around the globe where it’s night, day breaks.”

6. Prince Char from Ella Enchanted | He is so real, so sincere, so sweet, so honest, so straightforward: “That’s funny, you’re funny. I like you, I’m quite taken by you.”

5. Finnikin from Finnikin of the Rock | Once he realizes what he truly wants, he is a die-hard.  His loyalty and dedication won over my heart.  “This hand says you spend the rest of your life with me,” he said, holding out his left hand, “and this one says I spend the rest of my life with you. Choose.”

4. Max Vandenburg from The Book Thief | Okay, so I don’t think readers are supposed to fall for Max, but I couldn’t help it.  He writes books for her.  Swoon.  ‘Such a brilliant German day and its attentive crowd. He let his mouth kiss her palm. “Yes, Liesel, it’s me,” and he held the girl’s hand in his face and cried onto her fingers.’

3. Jonah Griggs from Jellicoe Road | A young, passionate cadet who will fight with you but also do anything to defend you, Griggs is one of my all-time favorite literary boyfriends!  He’s hilarious and smart and hot and cares so deeply, even though he keeps up a tough facade.  “I think it would cause a riot.”  “Well, you know me,” he says, lowering his head towards me. “Causing a riot is what I do best.”

2. Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables series | Gilbert is one of the most wonderful men ever written about, period.  From the time he was about thirteen, he has wanted one thing: Anne Shirley’s love.  He is most girls’ idea of “the perfect man,” one who waited for her for years.  He’s so funny and SMART and sweet and handsome.  Love him.  “Gilbert wisely said nothing more; but in his silence he read the history of the next four years in the light of Anne’s remembered blush. Four years of earnest, happy work … and then the guerdon of a useful knowledge gained and a sweet heart won.”

1. Augustus Waters of The Fault in Our Stars | I just cannot get over this guy.  He’s smart, hilarious, gorgeous, a deep thinker, a reader, intense and honest and fun.  “Oh, I wouldn’t mind, Hazel Grace.  It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.”

Honorable mentions:
Ron Weasley of Harry Potter series
Cal Trask of East of Eden
Dickon of The Secret Garden

How about you– who are your favorite literary boyfriends?

books books books

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Just finished …

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead | Brilliant!  This is a children’s book, meant for younger ages than the books I usually read, but it was absolutely incredible.  This is the story about Miranda, a young girl in New York City, who starts receiving mysterious notes from an unknown sender, asking her to “write out the whole story, from beginning to end.”  She is, of course, confused, but after a cast of wonderful characters are introduced, everything begins to fall into place.  I actually shouted aloud the moment that everything finally clicked into place for me– I was that excited.  Absolutely loved it.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley | Another Printz winner, so I had high expectations.  The writing was good, and it had two storylines that merge into one (a device I am rather fond of).  It also was very interesting, especially all the writing about the Book of Enoch, but in the end, the book didn’t wholly touch me.  Whaley didn’t make me love the characters quite enough to care enough.  I wanted to love this one; I really did.  One story is about Cullen Witter, his small town that is going crazy over an extinct woodpecker who has supposedly been seen again in their community, and the disappearance of his younger brother Gabriel.  The other story begins with a young missionary on his first mission.  Seems right up my alley, doesn’t it?  I didn’t hate this book, but it just didn’t go far enough to truly capture me.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness | Oh man.  So good.  I wept.  This is a fascinating story about Conor, whose mother is dying of cancer, and about the yew tree in the churchyard out of their window.  In the evenings, the tree walks and talks to Conor, telling him stories and demanding one from him, all as he deals with the emotions of his mother’s slow fade.  So real, so raw, so dark, so clever.  A must-read.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine | I found myself easily sucked into this re-telling of Cinderella, even though I think that Levine needed a couple more drafts of the manuscript (how pretentious am *I*?  wow.).  Still, a sweet story for children.  Ella was blessed/cursed at birth with the need to obey all orders … as she grows up and falls in love, she seeks a way to end the spell that binds her, and this is the story of what happens.  I honestly did find myself rather heartbroken as I read this story … I applaud Levine for that!

Going Bovine by Libba Bray | This book started out INCREDIBLE and hilarious and interesting– Cameron, a teenaged slacker, is diagnosed with the human equivalent of mad cow disease, which essentially eats holes in your brain, making it like a sponge.  The descriptions were fantastic and dead-on and intense.  And then Cameron starts drifting out of reality and in his unconscious state, he goes on this completely bizarre roadtrip with a dwarf and a yard gnome, guided by a punk angel in torn fishnets.  In a lot of ways, I suppose I have to give Libba Bray credit, since it did seem very dream-like.  The problem was that I was just not incredibly interested– and it went on far too long.  Outside of Narnia, I’m not a huge fan of big quests in books.  This just got too wacky and too long for me.  I finished it though because I was so won over in the first part of the book by Bray’s phenomenal writing.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare | Okay, so this is book #5 of the Mortal Instruments series, and it’s (obviously) safe to say I’m hooked.  I am writing this mini-review at 1:25am, having just finished it.  I don’t know how Cassie Clare keeps doing it, but she just introduces such heartbreaking plot elements in every novel.  I feel like I can’t truly review this book without any spoilers, since there are four other books before it, all filled with twists and turns and secrets revealed.  I will say that I am PUMPED for the sixth and final book of this series … which I just looked up and discovered is not coming out until March 2014.  Two-thousand-freakin’-fourteen.  You have got to be kidding me.  Speechless.  (I don’t know how Potter fans did it … I didn’t start the series till Hallows was released.)  Well, I guess it’s time for bed.

Currently reading …
The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, all about the life and creativity of C.S. Lewis, my favorite

En route to my mailbox …
The Casual Vacancy by Jo Rowling
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

So. Freakin’. Pumped.

books books books

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Oh man, I have been reading like a maniac lately … some delicious books.  I love stories so FREAKIN’ much that I find myself sending out these random text messages to people declaring my love for words as if I had a wounded heart.

Just finished …

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan | Even though John Green is one of my heroes, I avoided this book for a long time because of its LGBT themes.  (Now, don’t freak out on me– some of my friends are gay.  I love gay people.  But I didn’t think I’d care to read a book centering on those issues.)  But I decided to bite the bullet and buy the book.  Started reading it that night and finished it the next day.  Brilliant.  So good.  The book is about two boys who share the name Will Grayson.  Green and Levithan each write from one Will’s perspective.  I am always a sucker for a book that has two storylines that end up melding into one at the end.  I actually think I may have liked this book more than Looking for Alaska, which is Green’s first novel, a Pritz winner.  Let’s just say this book includes one straight Will Grayson, one homosexual Will Grayson, and this huge tank of a boy named Tiny who is writing and directing an epic musical.  Love.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta | Another one of those two storylines telling one cohesive story.  This book (which I have read before) just flabbergasts me.  It is so fascinating and so different than most other books.  It’s about Taylor Markham, a young lady who is the leader of her school during the annual territory wars between the boarders (at her boarding school), the townies (from Jellicoe), and the cadets (a visiting military academy).  This book is brilliantly written, completely beautiful, heartbreaking, and lovely.  I cannot tell you how smitten I am with this story.  A must-read.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare | This is book #4 in the Mortal Instruments series, and I have to be honest: at this point, I’m only in it for Jace.  But I will say that I am very in it for Jace.  The sexuality is ratcheted up in book four; Clare is incredible at building tension.  But the books are also exciting and sweet, not … pornographic.  And now, with four books down, I am pretty stoked for book #5.  “I am Jonathan, but everyone calls me Sebastian, and I am going to burn down the world.”  Eeeep!  Terrifying!

Currently reading …

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Up next …

Everyday by David Levitha
Divergent by Veronica Roth*
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine*

*(I know I have been claiming these two are up next for a while … I just keep finding things I am more eager to read!)

So stinkin’ excited for …

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (out this month!!!!)
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta (out this month in Australia but not in the US till March– never you worry, I believe I will somehow track down an affordable Aussie copy earlier than that!  Anyone have ideas?  Fishpond doesn’t have the Aussie supplier!!!)