Move Aside, Coriander!

So according to my lovely sidebar, the book I'm currently reading is I, Coriander. All that changed when about two seconds ago, give or take, a familiar vehicle pulled up to my house. It was the UPS man with gifts!

Thank you, UPS man! Never fear, Coriander. Your time will come. But for now, you must step aside! I gots to finish what I began! (Note: I'm entirely aware that that is not proper English.)

Emily Ritter, Welcome to the Book Blogging World

Interestingly enough, considering I just finished The Hunger Games, a friend of mine from the Denver Publishing Institute just finished the series and started a blog to celebrate. Like me, she's very much into YA fiction, and she's looking for suggestions on what to read next. She's only got one post so far and it's about the wonderful Hunger Games. I admit, I think her post is better than mine. Ha ha. check it out and hear about the book from her perspective. She's really fun, and I have no doubts that her blog is going to be well worth reading. Just click the link and be on your way!

http://yay-books.blogspot.com/

Edgar Sawtelle and The Hunger Games

You know what can be a problem? When you read the first book in a series, really like it, and then you don't have the next book of the series in your possession. Drat. But before we get to that, let me introduce you to Edgar Sawtelle.

Before attending a book signing with a bunch of my peers, I'd heard the name Edgar Sawtelle, even seen the book on the shelf a few times, but I knew absolutely nothing about the book. Still, I stood in line and shared a wonderful conversation with the author (that's code for once again I had no idea what to say to a famous person, so I simpled grinned, uttered a thank you, and walked away with that silly grin still plastered to my face). From what I picked up while standing in line and listening to what David Wroblewski had to say, I gathered this was going to be a tragic tale. I cannot deny that it was tragic, but I'm nearly 100% satisfied with the way things turned out. The tragedy was beautiful in a way. I suppose you'll only understand what I mean once you've read it yourself as I don't want to give anything away.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is the story of...well...a boy named Edgar. Edgar lives on a farm in Wisconsin with his parents. They run a successful business of breeding dogs, training them, and placing them with families. When tragedy strikes their family, Edgar is forced to make a run for it. While traveling through the woods, Edgar must fight for his own survival as well as the survival of the three dogs that are with him.

As I began reading, knowing that I needed to brace myself for tragedy, I made a sad sort of moan and said, "This is going to be Where the Red Fern Grows all over again, isn't it?" (In case you're wondering, that's not a bad thing. I happen to be a big fan of Where the Red Fern Grows. It just meant I knew there was a possibility of rivers of tears staining my face as boy and dog become best of friends, of course something will happen to the dog, and perhaps there'll be a little ray of sunshine at the end to make the sadness seem a little less heartbreaking.) Well, I wasn't entirely right in my assumption. This book is a lot different.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars, but it was still good. I loved the feel of it--being out in the country, simpler way of life, that sort of thing. Plus having a boy with a strong connection with an animal always seems to be a strong connecting point. Something else I really loved about the story is the fact that Edgar is mute. Not only did it work really nicely with the story and add some interest, it pulled me in especially because of the opportunity I had to learn some ASL and spend some time in the deaf community. So I really enjoyed the setting and the characters.

If you're a fan of only happily ever after endings, this may not be the book for you. But if you don't mind a little tragedy mixed in with adventure and a few dogs for good measure, you should give the book a chance.

As for wishing I had the next book in a series, I finally decided I wanted to read The Hunger Games. I'm the kind of person who buys books faster than I can read them, so it's been sitting on my shelf for a while now. I knew the concept of this one, and for the most part, I'd heard positive feedback. I finished it today, and now I won't know how the series ends until I get my hands on the other two books of the series. Sigh. In case you couldn't tell, I was pleased with this book. I can't really call this a happy book either. It's full of violence and death, but it was a really good story. For those of you who don't know what it's about, it's a dystopian novel where every year two contestants are chosen from twelve districts to compete in the Hunger Games. The Games are one giant fight to the death, which is televised to all of Panem. 24 contestants. 1 winner. 1 survivor. Intense, no?

What book is next on the list? I don't know yet as I sat down to write this the moment I finished reading. Happy reading! More updates to follow!

Also, for those of you who don'e know, The Hunger Games is being turned into a movie. It comes out next year. Will you all join me in watching it on the silver screen :)

Edgar Sawtelle

I apologize that this project has been on hold for awhile. But such is life, no?

I can't even remember what I've read between now and my last post. So let's just start fresh!

I couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a book signing of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver (the one in Lodo to be precise). David Wroblewski told us a bit about his experience during the writing and publishing process. He seems like a very nice man, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak.

I haven't had tons of time for reading since that time as I've been in school, but I have been reading it in small increments! So The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is my current read, and I am enjoying it thus far. I have a feeling that it's one of those books that's going to make me cry... I just hope no one's around to see that. I'll keep you posted. Until then, happy reading!

Everyone Loves a Little Beauty Sleep

April's recommendation of the month goes unquestionably to Cameron Dokey's Beauty Sleep, a retelling of the well known story of Sleeping Beauty. I believe it is a part of a group of books published by Simon & Schuster known as the Once Upon a Time series. Essentially they are all retellings of classic fairy tales although they are not all written by the same authors. I read one once before. I can't remember the title or even the story it was based off of for the life of me. All I remember is thinking although it wasn't bad, it wasn't my favorite either. For me, it just landed on that "okay" mark. My expectations for Beauty Sleep were that it too would land on that "okay" mark despite the fact that it is writeen by a different author. I was in for a pleasant surprise.

I fell in love with this book almost instantly. It may have something to do with the fact that it begins like so:

Preamble

(A FANCY WAY OF SAYING INTRODUCTION)

I was amused from the get go, and already I was curious. One of my favorite things about this story is Aurore's voice. The story is told by her, which I love. It worked well as she tells you the main plot and every once in a while gives her own insights in a way that isn't distracting but helps the story form and move along. It's funny, thoughtful, loving--it's interesting how such a well known story can be retold in such a way that it so fantastically becomes it's own story.

I'm one of those people who gets way too connected to characters. You know that person who tries to hide the fact that their eyes are watering during a mvie? Yeah, that would be me. But it's not just with movies. I believe I've admitted previously how emotionally involved I can get with characters in books (see that post I wrote about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Not every story does it. I'm not that much of a cry baby :) But every once in awhile there seems to come a book that for it's entire duration or perhaps just for certain moments touches me on an even deeper level. I tried to explain it to my mother who so graciously listens to me when I go on such rants. I think she got it. The question is, can I explain it adequately twice?

Beauty Sleep is one of those books that connected with the very core of my being. I don't how else to explain it, and no doubt it will not have the same effect for everyone. It was the way she spoke about certain characters that got to me, how without physically being there and without a blatant declaration of love, I could feel it. And I'm not just talking about romantic love either. Without I doubt, I knew her father loved her. True, they are only fictional characters, but when you create a shadow of a love that deep in my heart as I read the symbol actions of these characters, I suppose you'd called that talent, a gift even. That is the greatest thing this book did for me.

Even if it doesn't hit your core like it did mine, it's still a great read. It's a great look at a story we all know so well. Once again, her voice is delightful. The characters are believable and heartfelt. The plot itself is interesting. The ending was different than I expected. I am happy with it simply by the fact that it fulfilled the desires I had for the romantic side of the story. It wasn't a bad ending by all means. I'm just preparing you in case you like to form your own ending before you even reach the actual end like I seem to do.

In other bookshelf challenge news, I've just finished reading The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman. It's the story of Calvin Schwa, a boy with the unique ability to blend in to the point of near invisibility. The story is told by Anthony "Antsy" Bonano, a friend of The Schwa.

Take a look at the back cover:

They say his clothes blend into the background, no matter where he stands. They say if you stare at him long enough, you can see what's written on the wall behind him. They say a lot of things about the Schwa, but one thing's for sure: No one ever noticed him. Except me. My name is Antsy Bonano--and I can tell you what's true and what's not, 'cause I was there. So if you all just shut up and listen, I'll tell you everything there is to know about the Schwa, from how he got his name to what really happened with hi mom. I'll spill everything. Unless, of course, "the Scwa Effect" wipes him out of my brain before I'm done...

There you have it. It was a good book, but not necessarily one that hit home for me. However, I think it will be the right fit for another reader. It has unique characters, an interesting concept, and it seems tons of nerdy references which I'm a fan of. I can guarntee that Darth Vader is mentioned at least once. So although it landed more on the "okay" line for me, if it sounds interesting to you, I'd still recommend picking it up. Maybe it just wasn't the type of adventure I was in the mood for. Maybe it just wasn't my soul book. It still made me smile and chuckle even though it won't rank among my favorite books.

In conclusion, the next book on the list for my bookshelf challenge is Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. I think it's about time I read it. Happy reading :)



Updates, Queens, and Ember

Hey guys. I've had to take a bit of a break from this blog. I think for the time being it's going to turn into a book review sort of blog. I'll update you when I get a chance. Keep reading and writing and enjoying life! Oh, by the way, The Sugar Queen and The City Of Ember were both enjoyable books.

The Sugar Queen

A quick word of caution. This book does contain some language and sexual content. I felt I should add that little disclaimer for those of you who are bothered by that. It started to bother me, but I am more sensitive than some people. It was a cute story. It felt real despite it's little fantastical elements. I think on the whole that it will appeal to many women. I enjoyed witnessing the development in these characters, specifically that of Josey. She's one of those characters who you're drawn to because you'll find a little bit of yourself in her. As she learns and grows and finally becomes more of the person she wants to be instead of punishing herself, I think it gives us hope that we can overcome our trials. We don't have to hold ourselves back. We can have faith in ourselves. We all make mistakes, but we can move past those and become better.

City of Ember

I didn't realize this was the first in a series of books. However, I was pleased with this one and will pick up the rest of the series at some point. It stands well on it's own. Some might disagree with me judged on how it ends, but I'm one of those people where if you give me enough you don't have to give me the entire picture. I can figure it out on my own. I can handle an ending like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The short story "The Lady or the Tiger" on the other hand drives me a little nuts. I feel like The City of Ember has an ending like The Village. We don't have to see the guy get better to know that he does. Of course, you could write a sequel where he dies... That changes everything. Anyway, I enjoyed it. It wasn't a difficult read. The two main characters are strong and believable. Plus, I just like the whole dystopian novel thing. I like seeing the world of Ember through these two children's eyes. Ember and the way of life there is so easily understood because of how convincing it is portrayed. I understood how it worked. I could imagine myself there. Well done.

I'm still doing my bookshelf challenge! I'll keep you updated as I go along. I've been kind of slow because I've been putting some other things first. Hopefully now I'll be able to invest more time into it. Have a great weekend!

Little Women and Sugar Queens

I survived Little Women. Can I tell you how proud of myself I am for actually making it through the whole thing this time, especially after that little fiasco I had halfway through? I actually enjoyed the book, and so I feel it's appropriate that it goes for this month's recommendation, don't you? Although I don't like reading these sorts of books all the time, every once in a while I like to sit down and read these real sort of domestic stories. I like the characters, and it was really interesting to connect their lives with my own. Who knew that women my age thought some of the same things then as they do now? Sure, environment and technology and orther things are different, but I find it interesting that some things stay the same. I guess we're still all human no matter what time we live in.

For those of you who don't know about the plot, Little Women follows the lives of the March family, particularlly that of the four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The book begins during the time of the Civil War. Their father has gone to fight, and the girls must learn to live happily with what little things they can afford. It's full of all sorts of life lessons as we watch the girls overcome their individual struggles. They each have such different personalities. I think that's part of what makes it fun. Also, the neighbor boy, Laurie, becomes a good friend of theirs. He's probably my favorite male character of the entire story.

Having seen the movie first before reading the book, I was curious how a certain relationship would work out. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you not familiar with the story. To try and put this simply, I was not satisfied with certain relationships in the movie, but as I read the book, the circumstances seemed more clear, and I was more readily able to forgive the characters for not behaving the way I wanted them to. Surely, I'm not the only one who's come face to face with that issue :)

My biggest problem with the book was its length. There were certain moments that just seemed to drag on and on! But keep pushing through it! There are good lessons and life experiences shared that I think you'll enjoy. I just would have liked it even better if it was 200 pages shorter :)

So read this book when you're willing to be patient. Like I said, it's good. It's just a bit long. I think I should recommend the movie also. It's been a while since I've seen it, and I know they made some changes to the story, but nothing major. If I recall correctly, it's a pretty good representation of the book. I can't believe I'm condoning this, but if you can't stomach the book, you should at least check out the movie. Or perhaps see the movie first then make your way through the book.

Technically the next book on the list should be Little Men, but I think I'm going to switch it up a little just because I want a little change of pace. So that one will be coming, but for now we're skipping to the next one: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. I haven't heard much about it, but here's what the back says:

Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night.... Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis--and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee's tough love, Josey's narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them--and who has a close connection to Josey's long-time crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that's just for starters.

Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of freindship, love--and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.

Sounds exciting, right? Okay. Enough chatter. Time to get some reading done!