Today is the very first Fourteenery book release, with How to Love by Katie Cotugno officially out in the world for readers to enjoy. My feelings on the matter:
In case you need a reminder of why you need to read this book immediately, check out my reasons to read How to Love.
Happy Friday, everyone! Somehow it’s also the last Friday in September. Here are a few books I always feel like reading in the fall (even if they’re not really about fall).
1. Harriet the Spy by by Louise Fitzhugh
A heroine who lies, carries notebooks, and likes tomato sandwiches?
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Tore through this on a November afternoon. Remember being shocked at the Quirrell reveal.
3. Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede
My favorite in the amazing Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Made me want Morwen’s magic sleeves.
4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Basically a gorgeous, literary YA dystopian novel. Ishiguro, you know what I like.
5. Molly Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Molly #2) by Valerie Tripp
Molly’s kind of a dick in this one, but I liked learning about scrap drives and rationing.
Some good links for the afternoon:
This weekend I finally got around to updating my site, and I’m really digging it so far. A few changes:
Hope you enjoy all the new content! Let me know if things look weird or if links aren’t working. And don’t worry–even though the site has a shiny new look, you can still expect all the same fun bookish content you know and (hopefully) enjoy.
Lots of good links for today:
I love this list of beloved literary characters who were almost named something else. I can’t imagine the brightest witch of her age being called “Hermione Puckle.”
When I first started The Chance You Won’t Return, main character Alexandra “Alex” Winchester was almost called Winnie. As in Winnie Cooper or Winnie Foster. Both of which are characters that live in a historical setting.
Not exactly what I was looking for in my contemporary YA novel.
I can’t remember how I settled on Alex, exactly, but that was what she became almost immediately after I decided I needed to change her name. It felt like her–casual, kind of sporty, someone who’s used to blending in while still being a thoughtful observer.
I settled on Winchester pretty quickly, too. The story’s set in a fictional small town in Virginia and, while driving down for my second year at UVa, my car broke down in Winchester, VA. It felt like a little high five to a town that got me on the road again.
Do your character names tend to evolve over time, or do they spring to mind fully named?
(image: multisanti)
Lots of good links for today:
Today I join the ranks of Grumpy Cat, old episodes of 80s television shows you probably didn’t watch, and scores of people drinking Diet Coke and eating Mentos–I have my first video! That’s right, I’m not just a disembodied hand typing away at a keyboard. Check out the video below, in which I answer questions about writing, plotting, and where to find good pizza:
Special thanks to Mary, Ghenet, and Stephanie for their wonderful questions! Tune in next time for more writerly video fun.
My second Fourteenery read was Lindsay Smith’s Sekret, which I was so looking forward to after seeing fellow Fourteener Emily Kate Johnston read it and love it during the retreat. Needless to say, it totally lived up to expectations. So here are a few reasons why you should read Sekret.
1. Back in the USSR
This is one book with a stand-out setting. Yulia is growing up in Communist Russia, under Khruschev’s rule in the mid-1960s, and the setting almost becomes another character as Yulia deals with ration lines, the black market, politics, and the space race. Lindsay’s done her research and it shows.
2. Tinker, Tailor, Psychic, Spy
How does the phrase “psychic spy” not hook you? Add the fact that this is kind of based in reality is even cooler.
3. Trust No One
I spent most of the book not having any idea who Yulia/I should trust. Valentin and Sergei, fellow psychic spies? Her mother? The KGB operative in charge of the program? Lindsay works in lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing.
4. Yulia
A kickass main character who’s had to risk danger even before she was “chosen” for the special KBG operation, I liked how Yulia always tried to stay a step ahead of her enemies–whomever that may be.
5. It’s in Your Genes
A theme in Sekret is genetics and how we’re programed to be the kind of people we are. I loved seeing Yulia try to figure out who she is and what her place in the world is, considering her powers.
6. What’s My Name Again?
In Russian culture, people go by first names, patronymic names, last names, and middle names. Lindsay doesn’t make this complicated for the reader who (like me) doesn’t know much about Russian. But I loved seeing this cultural norm pop up in the plot in really cool ways.
7. Music Major
Music plays a big role in Sekret and I love how so many different kinds–classical, jazz, rock, traditional folk songs–come together in such an interesting way. It connects so well to the blending of the old and new and formal and informal in Communist Russia.
8. That Jaw-Drop Moment I Had
No, I’m not going to tell you what it is. But I will say that I loved the plot’s twists and turns, especially one big moment.
9. Lindsay Smith: Most Likely in the Fourteenery to Be a Badass Secret Agent
Lindsay writes about the Cold War and spies and Communist Russia so well because she knows these subjects really well. She works in foreign affairs, has studied Russian, and has walked the streets of Moscow.
10. But Wait, There’s More
Did I mention it’s a series? That’s right–you don’t have to feel too sad once you finish this one because we get to read more.
Sekret is being released on April 15, 2014, but you can look into the future by preordering it now. (I had to get at least one psychic joke in there, right?) Happy reading!
Happy Friday, everyone! It’s starting to feel like fall, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Other things I’m happy about? Book reviews in fifteen words or less. Onto the reviews!
1. Three Junes by Julia Glass
Clear, elegant prose. The second June, from Fenno’s POV, stayed with me most.
2. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
Quiet, lovely writing. Expected something different, but would like to reread.
3. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Beatrice and Benedict might be Shakespeare’s best couple. “Another Hero!” line is a clunker.
4. Felicity Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Felicity #2) by Valerie Tripp
I still think about Felicity when I say no to more coffee/tea.
5. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The costs of urbanization as only Burton can tell it. Great illustrations, of course.