Tag Archives: reading

Book Review: Girl

14 Monday Mar 2011

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I think Blake Nelson may have just become my favorite author. Every time I read something of his, it’s such a different kind of book from the time before. I think I’ve only read three of his books, but whatever. You know how when you read a book and you feel like you know the author and their views on life and their sense of humor? Well, that doesn’t happen for me with Blake Nelson. It’s like he’s so far into his imagination, there’s only the characters in the book, and not him. I don’t know Nelson, but I doubt very much he was much like fashion-obsessed, groupie Andrea Marr. I also don’t know if this is a superior kind of writing to when the author is all over the pages, or not. I like it both ways, personally. But, I think I respect Nelson for keeping himself secret. Or at least, seeming to.

In this book, Nelson looks into Andrea Marr’s sophomore, junior, and senior year of high school, as she finds her way out of the high school social scene and into the indie rock scene, in Portland, in the 1990s. I finally checked to see the publishing date when reading passages that used the word “tapes” and passages that talked about AIDS and Magic Johnson as if it were current. And there were no cell phones or Internet. The book was published in 1994. Maybe that’s also why it seemed so interesting to me – I graduated high school in 1993. But, when was the last time you read a YA that spanned three years? I was so pleasantly surprised at this. The book read so fast, months passing in a three-sentence paragraph. Most of the scenes seemed like if they were a movie, they’d be in long shots. Except the sex scenes, which were more than I’d ever seen in a single YA book, but all of which seemed relevant and one of which was the best sex scene I’d ever read. I don’t mean for its heat-factor either; Nelson was a genius with the way that he made it not only from a girl’s perspective, but how his character began to understand the world of girls and boys and women and men and sex because of it.

The formatting of the book was block text paragraph run wild with run-on sentences. Almost EVERY sentence started with And, And then, or But. Loved it!  I haven’t read a YA book with such authentic sentence styling since how i live now, by Meg Rosoff. I can’t get the main character’s voice from Girl out of my head! Probably this review has run on sentences because of it. I bought the paperback because I like the cover. This cover is perfect for the book. I totally saw this girl as Andrea as I read the book, and she is adorable. The hardback cover looks boring and dark.

One thing that was similar to Paranoid Park was how the ending was a bit of a flip off. That kind of makes no sense, but that’s what it feels like. The book takes its toll on you like it should, and you think you’re coming in for a landing, and you are, but then Nelson’s like, did you think we were landing here? And he flips you off really quick, and that’s the end of the book. It’s not even what I’d call a surprise ending. It’s just a fun jolt. It’s not a complaint from me, either. I like it. And one last thing: the title. I kind of was like, Girl?? Really? I know one-word titles in YA are all the rage but can’t we do better than that? And then I read a scene very close to the end of the book where Andrea is talking to her best friend Cybil for probably the last time, and it made perfect sense! I shouldn’t have doubted the title.

A Bit About Building Character

13 Monday Sep 2010

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So I’ve been reading and writing and constantly comparing where my book draft really is to where it should be going. I’ve got issues with the timing and fictional school calendar in my YA book. I’ve got too much plot and the lens on my characters is nearly all long-shot views. Also, I still haven’t exactly figured out the end. At least I can see where my problems are.

It took me a couple of weeks though to finally figure it out. And I had the realization two ways. One from reading Sara Zarr’s SWEETHEARTS. She has this way of bringing the camera lens so close to the characters that you can practically smell their breath. It was a well-timed read for me. This is why writers HAVE TO be readers.

The other realization came by observing my own daughter, Magnolia. If you’re a regular to the blog then you know that Eleanor stories are frequent. She’s unpredictable, has a worldview unlike other kids her age, and her sense of boundaries are…well, what boundaries? Her character is revealed easily and interestingly by what she does. Magnolia loves structure, panics about doing the “wrong” thing, and waits patiently for people to befriend her, which they always do. Every morning at exactly 7 am, I go in to find her laying on her side facing the door. I kiss her awake, she stretches under the covers, sighs, and rolls up to a kneeling position. The blankets fall away and the cool morning air leaves chill bumps where only a second ago she was warm as toast. She sits there for about 10 seconds and then says, “ok.” That’s my signal to go.

I got to thinking about that. Revealing Magnolia’s character through plot would come off as sloppy writing. I’d show three days in a row of her day going the way, always, and you’d think, “that character is type A. NOT that character is Magnolia. I can achieve showing Magnolia though by describing a different set of details – her morning wakeup.

Books In My Queue

14 Wednesday Jul 2010

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I signed up for Plinky prompts. Ever heard of that? It’s a site that gives you blog post prompts. I was going to try one out today for the first time. The prompt was, “What book could you read over and over?” Since my answers are Stargirl and Cat’s Cradle, and you already know that, I tried to think of others. But that’s pretty much it. Since I’ve entered the world of book submissions, it’s changed how I read considerably. Right now, I’m all about what’s new or notable in YA literature. I like to track new books like I track new movie releases. I even watch trailers. And because there are soooooo many good books coming out, they’re stacking up.

I’ve also begun noticing which publishers I end up reading most often. I usually don’t check when I’m ordering the book, but when I go to read it, I notice it immediately. The publishers you’ll see on my shelf most are (in this order): Knopf, Arthur A. Levine, Delacorte, and Flux. I don’t know why. I’m just attracted to their books.

So, wanna know what’s in my queue? This is as exciting to me as the Netflix queue. Often I shuffle the order of what’s next. I realize if we’re Goodreads friends, then you can see what I’m reading and reviewing over there, but making lists is in my blood. (Thanks, Mom.) It is the way of my people. Okay, in this order:

Everlasting, by fellow Upstart Crow, Angie Frazier. Why? There’s romance and adventure. I want to fall in love with a handsome sailor.

The Deathday Letter, by fellow Upstart Crow, Shaun Hutchinson. Why? Hilarity and suspense will no doubt ensue. Teen boy leads fascinate me.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, by Emily Horner. Why? I have a feeling this will remind me of an Ellen Page movie. I love quirky done well.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Why? It will be extraordinary. I’ve been saving it up, and it’s nearly time!

The Cardturner, by Louis Sachar. Why? It’s about the game of Bridge and features old people, which I can relate to.

Sea, by Heidi Kling. Why? Romance again. What can I say, it’s my thing.

amy & roger’s Epic detour, by Morgan Matson. Why? This romance seems sweet and the writing appears more subtle than usual. I could be wrong. Recommended by Tammara.

Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers. Why? Heard great things about the characterizations by this author.

So Punk Rock, by Micol and David Ostow. Why? I’m a sucker for band books. It makes me feel cool, even though I have the world’s shittiest taste in music.

What Lies Ahead

29 Tuesday Jun 2010

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I’m often guilty of the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side kind of mentality. Probably you know this if you read my blog posts regularly. I spent a long time not knowing what I wanted to do in life career-wise; and at 35, I now feel a little rushed to get out there and make my mark. I know there will be a time when I don’t have to work full-time, which is an opportunity many writers will never get. So, I’m trying to appreciate that more.

Still, that 40-hour work week leaves me with this constant question: With my me-time, do I read or write? It’s like when I had little babies, and they’d finally go down for a nap. That time was so delicious, I would almost ruin it with panic. Do I read, nap, or do laundry????? I rarely picked laundry. But that’s how I get with my weekends now, too. (Except he kids do the laundry. Score.)

I’ve been writing recently, obviously, but also trying to read a lot. I almost always read YA novels, as it is a study of what’s out there, what’s working, and what can I do to contribute, etc. Still, my to-read list is piling up! There are so many books I want to read (not including the ones I’m saving for later) that I’ve never gotten around to. I’ve started Story Time by Edward Bloor twice. I still haven’t gotten to it. Same with Wuthering Heights and Catch-22. I SWEAR someday I’m going to read those books!

What about you? What have put off reading that you really want to?

Let’s Talk About Sex (Ed)

16 Friday Apr 2010

Posted by in Adventures, books, military, writing

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I have a twleve-year-old going through Sex Ed right now at a public school. Also, I like to write books for teens, so for me, the sexual habits of teenagers are as thoroughly fascinating as they are concerning. In books for teens it’s almost unrealistic not to at least mention the subject. What’s interesting to me is that the way the subject is being handled in books is more honest, more healthy, and helpful to teens than what they’re getting in class (at least, my kiddo’s class).

What’s in YA books: Everything. But, in the books I read the sex means something to the development of the character. Over the few years I’ve been writing, I’ve seen more sex scenes and themes than I thought I would. I think this is great. I want my kids to read them. (I want my kids to read ALL books) I have a sex scene in my book (Oh help me when/if my parents read it), which I figured would get cut somewhere along the revision process, though I hope it wouldn’t. It hasn’t yet, but there’s still time. I have solid reasoning for having in there that I’ve been prepared to voice, if questioned. I don’t want to give specifics here on the blog because that would be spoilery. So, let’s say it’s pretty important to character  development. It’s one of the things in life that separate the men from the boys, if you will. And in YA literature, isn’t that the central struggle of any book? The blurry area of kid-ness vs. adult-ness. One of the things I appreciate so much about YA is that when a character in a book (and hopefully one that the reader is rooting for) goes through growth and change because of sexual relationship, it can shape the reader’s ideas about sex. And, we’re all just so damn curious about it at that age!  If done well, the character will have consequences for their sexual actions, whether it be sex is pretty awesome or we should’ve used protection, or so this is (or isn’t) love, or whatever. My point is that the reading experience is far more informative and meaningful than class.

What’s in class: Abstinence. (and other people) My daughter brought home a paper we had to sign that acknowledged the school stance on sex. Josh signed it alright, and included a few words about how unrealistic it is to think teaching abstinence will be effective. Day one, Eleanor came home and was surprised and irritated that she was the only one brave enough to ask questions (Go, Eleanor! Proud parent right here.) The next day she came home scared of AIDS and asking how many people Josh and I had slept with before we got married. (I told her, btw.) I’m not bothered that she was scared of AIDS, because everyone should be. But the school’s answer to AIDS is abstinence. So, I was left to inform her that I wasn’t ashamed of or scared to have sex with people who hadn’t become my husband, because I’d used protection. Thanks, public school. The third day she came home and said, “I asked my teacher how we were supposed to have babies if we never had sex?” The teacher replied that he was teaching abstinence because that’s what the school had told him to teach. (That’s Eleanor’s paraphrasing) And Eleanor concluded (right or wrong) that he probably didn’t believe what he was teaching. Now, I’m thrilled my kiddo is asking questions at home and at school, but I KNOW she’s in the minority. And even with her asking all the questions, I hope she’ll explore the issue in her reading, where it’s safe and she can’t get AIDS.

I Need a Chair or a Flashlight

15 Monday Mar 2010

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Josh is on this weird rotation where he works early, so he goes to bed early, and for the last week I’ve been the only one up past 9:30. What’s weird is that I haven’t wanted to write–normally a signal all is not well. But it’s okay. I’ve been preoccupied. Not unmotivated.

Be proud of me, my friends: my treadmill time is slowly becoming less of a dreadful thing. (New motto: More Tread Less Dread.) (That replaces the old motto: Cope Don’t Mope.) (My people have this thing about family mottos. I grew up on: Work Hard and Be Loyal.) Anyway, I still argue with myself daily, my will to put on my running shoes waging war on my desire for that morning cup of joe and nice game or 20 of Bejeweled instead. It’s ugly. But discipline is winning. So, my energy is coming back to me, becoming more steady. Yay. But my desire to write in the last week has diminished. Like I said, it’s okay.

This is a big week. I’ll have 12-year-old, this Wednesday. (I’m old.) Josh matches on Thursday. (FINALLY!) We received an offer on our house. (What!?!) Nothing is completely official, but my head is full of hope. And so these nights I’ve had alone, instead of writing, I’ve wanted to lose myself in reading. But, I realized last night, after the kids made a blanket fort stretching from the treadmill to the couch and beyond, that we have a serious lack of soft chairs in our house! Exact count: 0. We have a couch. I ended up in my office chair. Weird. I was actually going to read in the blanket fort, but then I realized we don’t own a flashlight either. (Note to Josh’s family:  possible Christmas drawing theme: Light. Or, Flash? Wait, not flash. No flashing!) Anyway, I’m looking forward to the newness ahead, wherever it may be. This may be my last post before Thursday (maybe an Eleanor story on her birthday), but as I linger in these last few days of not knowing, I am happy to sit in the quiet and think about a chair, a nice cozy chair in a more peaceful and secure life. It’s coming eventually.

And while I’m talking about reading, if you are a reader, YA writer, or blogger, you may want to participate in Author Appreciation Week, an idea by debut author, Heidi Kling. Have an author you love? One who has inspired you to read more, live differently, become a writer, or simply given you a few hours of much needed escape? Take a few moments and tell the world, or leave a comment here if you’d like. You can see what writers influenced me over on the About Jody Sparks page. Sara from Novel Novice has more about the week, including this awesome thumbnail you can use to mark your participation.

Banned Book Week

28 Monday Sep 2009

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stargirlI decided I better learn the difference between a banned book and a challenged book if I want to be an author. And because, like YA author, Kurtis Scaletta, I hope to someday have a banned book. So, here’s what I learned:

According to the American Library Association, or ALA, “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.”

Well, I guess that was kind of obvious.

Here’s a list of the 100 most challenged children’s books from 1990-2000. I think I have a mental roadblock when it comes to this sort of thing. I can’t figure out why most of these books are challenged. I get that people don’t like cursing and poo-pooing religion, but I still find myself going, Really?

I read a lot of children’s books, I think. My total of read-books from this list is exactly 50. Many of my favorites are on there, including Stargirl, Sloppy Firsts, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, A View From Saturday, My Heartbeat, and Hard Love. My life without these books would be a lesser life.

How about you? How many of these books have you read? Which ones have changed you?

I’m not the Goalie; I’m the Net

19 Saturday Sep 2009

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Eleanor, my 11-year-old, has recently been coming into the office and looking at my book shelf and exclaiming, “I didn’t know you had this book!” And then she takes it and is gone for the day. And she is satisfied. This makes me want to have more children. Josh jokes that Eleanor and I are on the same reading level. He’s so precious. Anyway, I realize that she’s always done this, but something is different now. Now, she’s actually at the reading level to really enjoy the book rather than just explore it. I’ve always let my girls read anything they want. This may be shocking, but I even let her read “The Lovely Bones” when she was ten. I worried a little because I found the book by her bed and didn’t get to “prepare” her for what kind of book it was. But then I thought about it. What was I going to tell her: rape and murder are bad and scary and I just wanted to warn you? It was too late anyway. I asked what she thought about the book. Honestly, I don’t remember her answer exactly. She had some questions which I answered, but I do remember that she basically understood what was happening and wasn’t scared. She got the concept, but not the enormity of the story. In fact, she put the book down for about six months before trying it again. She didn’t finish it that time either.  The point is, she learned what rape and murder are; and it didn’t damage her.

Similarly: When I was student teaching (eighth grade), I had a group of four girls that wanted to read “The Lovely Bones.” My mentor teacher contacted the parents and told them that she’d facilitate a group reading situation so they and she could talk about it. One mother said no. The girl wasn’t upset, which surprised me. That’s just downright un-teenager-y, no? Then the girl went to my mentor teacher and said, “Will you read it for me and tell me all about it?” It was endearing, and I was sad for the girl, too. I thought about  just telling her to sneak it for crying out loud, though I didn’t. But isn’t that one of the most wonderful parts of reading–when we can go become part of a story that is outside of our reality and we can explore things that aren’t safe? It’s the safest thing of all, really. Having the experience without the experience. We had another group of girls (the bad group–I’ll just say it) that year who read “Crank” and passed that book around school like crazy. My mentor teacher and I were both excited that they were reading at all. I may be naive, but I believe that they wanted the experience of a drug user without doing it themselves.

So, I’m not going to hold my kids back from reading about the  world. I’m their mom; I’m here for them. When the world gets to be too much for them, they can fall into my arms, cry it out, and know that they are loved. When they read things that are confusing and difficult–when Eleanor does finish “The Lovely Bones,”– I’ll be here to tell her how our family values fit or don’t fit with what she’s exploring, and what in the world we can do about it. Because I think that if we parents act like goalies now and block them from it, then they’ll grow up and the ball will smack them in the face.

Along the same lines, a friend of mine just turned me on to FreeRangeKids. There is an wonderful post about an author who was going to do a school visit via Skype, but couldn’t because of guidelines about the kids being seen on the Internet. A comment about that post led to a response about how the kids were losing out on an wonderful opportunity for a wild “what if” scenario. As a parent, and as a hopeful author, I loved it.

Book Habits (BBAW meme)

17 Thursday Sep 2009

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bbaw_celebrate_books1For my non-writerly friends you may not know it’s Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Many people who are book bloggers are getting awards and celebrating all things books! I thought I’d join in the festivities with this BBAW meme, which I found on one of my favorite book blogger sites, Life Is A Patchwork Quilt. Valerie was the first friend I made when my family moved to Michigan. When she learned that I loved reading she handed me Seabiscuit. I was like, “Wait, what? Is the horsie a teenager because I’m into YA novels.” I read it anyway and that is how started appreciating non-fiction. Have you all read that? I had no idea a race horse could be so interesting! Anyway, Valerie reviews all sorts of books and you should stop by her blog.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? No. I want to get completely absorbed in the story.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? I’ve stopped even writing my name across the top.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open? Bookmarks!

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Both. But I still read mostly fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks? Definitely hard copies. There’s just something about seeing the text. I think I feel like I can learn from the writing better that way.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? I prefer to read at the end of a chapter, but if I must put it down for a while, I re-read the last page or two.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? No. I can’t be bothered.

What are you currently reading? “I Am The Messenger” by Markus Zusak. I paused that one to read “If I Stay” by Gayle Foreman. And I’m slowly making my way through the Twilight series–reading them aloud with my girls.

What is the last book you bought? See this blog post: One Great Date

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? I usually hate reading more than one at a time, but recently I’ve been overlapping.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? The hammock on the porch.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? Stand- alone books.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? “Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) I don’t keep too many at a time and many of them end up on my girls’ bookshelves. Many I give away and many I just borrow from the library. So, I have one shelf of my favorites or autographed copies, one shelf of books I want to read, and one shelf of books I’ve read that I can’t give up. Yet.