On the Shelf: Looking for Alaska

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

LOOKING FOR ALASKA | JOHN GREEN | SPEAK | 2005

Before: Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. After: Nothing is ever the same.

I was hesitant about posting a review for Looking for Alaska because I wasn’t sure if I could say anything about it that hasn’t already been said. I must be the last book lover to pick up this YA novel. I avoided John Green for a long time (I’m usually wary when a book or an author gets too much hype) and when I finally did read one of his novels (The Fault in Our Stars), it wasn't for me. (You can read my thoughts on The Fault in Our Stars here.)

I didn’t want to give up on John Green altogether. I expected to appreciate the writing in Looking for Alaska, but not necessarily love the plot. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I think it has more charm than TFiOS and I’m looking forward to reading Green’s other novels to see how they fall on the spectrum.

Looking for Alaska reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye except no character in Green’s novel is as insufferable as Holden Caulfield. I loved the layout of the chapters (I kept asking "before what?!" as I read through the first half of the book – and I still didn't quite understand what was going on when the “event” arrived). The characters are complex and filled with flaws (I much prefer flawed characters to cookie cutter stereotypes). The story is sincere and balances philosophical questions with real-life events.

If, for whatever reason, you’re like me and have avoided the John Green craze, I highly recommend Looking for Alaska. It’s a short novel with a quick pace that has a story packed with emotion. I had no idea what direction the narrative was going to take and I think you’ll be surprised as well.

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On the Shelf: The Twelve-Fingered Boy

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

THE TWELVE-FINGERED BOY | JOHN HORNOR JACOBS | CAROLRHODA LAB | FEBRUARY 2013

Fifteen-year-old fast-talking Shreve doesn’t mind juvie. He’s good at dealing contraband candy, and three meals a day is more than his drunk mother provided. In juvie, the rules never change and everyone is the same. In juvie, Shreve has life figured out. So when he’s assigned a strangely silent and vulnerable new cellmate, Jack, Shreve takes the younger boy under his wing. But all Shreve’s plans and schemes unravel when he discovers Jack is different. For one thing, Jack has six fingers per hand. For another thing, he just might have superpowers.

I am so glad Bree Ogden randomly mailed me a copy of this book. It's probably not something that would have caught my eye, but it is so different from any other book I've ever read. After reading the back cover copy, a million questions came to mind: How is this juvie setting going to work? Why is having twelve fingers all that strange? What kind of superpowers? The book went in a completely different direction than I had imagined and for once I'm not put off by the idea of a sequel.

The characters in this book are exactly how I assume most fifteen-year-old boys act and speak and think. I'm not entirely sure if that's accurate, having never been a fifteen-year-old boy myself, but the characters are genuine and real and unique. They aren't cookie cutter stereotypes. Every character has his own past and issues and his own way of coping with them. I appreciate the realistic characters, with all their strengths and weaknesses.

Jack has six fingers per hand and this abnormality is what assumedly gives him superpowers. However, he's not the only one in the book who can do unusual things and the story spins out of control when others discover their own abilities. A very creepy man named Mr. Quincrux wants to get his hands on Jack and take him away from juvie. After a mind-reading event scarily reminiscent of rape, Jack and Shreve decide to make a run for it: they break out of prison and use newly found superpowers to survive on their own.

The end of the book is an obvious lead-in to a sequel, but I wasn't upset. Enough happens in The Twelve-Fingered Boy that I was okay with not figuring everything out by the last page. There was a ton of character and plot development that set up a great foundation for what's going to be an amazing series. This book is truly original with a great voice, one you should pick up if you're in the mood for something different.

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On the Shelf: If You Find Me

Thursday, 4 April 2013

IF YOU FIND ME | EMILY MURDOCH | ST. MARTIN'S | MARCH 2013

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey's younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won't let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn't spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

This book took me by surprise. I wasn't too sure what to expect going in to it, but I am so happy that I decided to read this book. I highly suggest going out and buying a copy, whether you typically read YA or not.

Emily Murdoch's grasp on voice is absolutely stunning. The protagonist of the book, Carey, comes to life in a different way than many other fictional characters. She is so unique in the way she talks, the way she acts, the way she thinks... While some of this is a consequence of her past, I think most of it is thanks to Murdoch's ability to really know her characters.

If You Find Me is a quick read, but there is a lot to be said in so few pages. The concept for the book is unlike anything I've ever read before. I really felt for the girls and loved seeing how life unfolds after they are rescued from the woods. Mixed in with flashbacks to the time spent in the woods, this novel does a great job at covering the events of many years without being monotonous.

The book deals with some heavy issues and treats them with care. It's a very realistic attempt at exposing those things that we take for granted as well as the things we all too often ignore. If You Find Me is one of the most powerful books about family that I've ever read.

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On the Shelf: The Book Thief

Thursday, 7 March 2013

THE BOOK THIEF | MARKUS ZUSAK | KNOPF | 2006

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.... Narrated by Death, The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meagre existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Wow.

This book took me so long to finish (I've been reading it for over a month), but not because I wasn't enjoying it. I think it was the opposite. I was trying so hard to really absorb everything in the book that I didn't want to rush through the story.

The narrative voice is incredibly unique and unlike anything else I've ever read. Although explained from the point of view of death, everything is beautiful - even the terrible - and it really questioned what  I thought of as good and bad experiences. I loved reading about the fragments of a life, not getting a full   narrative story. That's the way life is. We don't remember everything and the memories we do have aren't always the most important.

Having a narrator outside of the main character's frame of mind - outside of life itself - offers a new perspective. The story is heartbreaking and hopeful. Reading about how one girl finds solace in words was believable and inspiring.

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The 8 List: YA

Monday, 18 February 2013

Today's 8 List is brought to you by Jessica from Sweet Green Tangerine. She likes live music, strong coffee, and YA books. She also hosts The Book Chat every week (my very favourite link-up). She's wonderful & I fell in love with her blog at first view. I've asked Jessica to make a list of her eight favourite YA novels because I consistently fall short in recommendations for that category. She has some good ones for you (and I've already added a couple to my victim list).

#1 THE HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS.  I'd hate for people to think this is just some pop culture phenom thing now, but these novels are legit.  They are profound and altogether life shattering. Everything I look for in a good book.

#2 FIRE BY KRISTIN CASHORE.  This is actually the second book in the Graceling series, but this one really stands alone for me. Cashore writes kick-ass heroines, a fictional world I would die to live in and real, dimensional characters.

#3 THE FAULT IN OUR STARS BY JOHN GREEN.  I don't let the tragic subject matter grandfather this book into the AMAZING category. The writing and characters do that on their own. If you want a book that is funny, honest and heartbreaking, this is your book.

#4 THE BOOK THIEF BY MARKUS ZUSAK.  The same thing goes for this book. It's a book about the Holocaust without being a Holocaust book. It's original, charming and again, heart shattering.

#5 DELIRIUM (SERIES) BY LAUREN OLIVER.  This series was pleasantly surprising. The cliffhangers stole my heart.

#6 THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY.  I have a hard time saying this is YA, because I read it when I was YYYA, but most YA novels today owe this book more than half their salary.

#7 THE MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER.  This book is nonstop WTF around every corner. It's a wild ride and practically impossible to put down.

#8 SHIVER BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER.  This book doesn't get its due credit. It's really a beautiful love story with great story telling.

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On the Shelf: The Fault in Our Stars

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS | JOHN GREEN | DUTTON (PENGUIN) | 2012

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

I finally gave in to the immense social pressure and read a John Green novel. I didn't like it (please don't hit me). I know that Green is practically worshipped in the YA community, and I certainly understand why, but The Fault In Our Stars was not for me.

The dialogue was a major barrier for my enjoyment. At first I was entertained by the dialogue because it reminded me of an episode of Dawson's Creek. Unfortunately, the thesaurus talk really didn't work as well on print as it did on the screen. Teenagers don't talk like that. Hell, adults don't talk like that.

I'm not sure I'm the right person to appreciate the novel's level of sentimentality. I'm not saying I don't have a heart, but my concept of love - especially in literature - is found in much more obscure places. I had a hard time feeling for the characters, which seems absurd since this book is filled with reasons to sympathize.

John Green is clearly talented. I haven't given up on him completely as I have another one of his books waiting on my to-be-read bookshelf (yes, an entire bookshelf, albeit a small one). However, don't let my negative rating put you off. If you haven't read The Fault In Our Stars yet, you really should. I can't think of another person who didn't love the book (I'm truthfully the odd one out) and the book is a cornerstone of change in the literary world, directing the industry into a new direction ("Young Adult" is the shit, in case you didn't know).

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“Books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.”

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On the Shelf: This Dark Endeavor

Saturday, 3 November 2012

THIS DARK ENDEAVOR | KENNETH OPPEL | SIMON & SCHUSTER | 2011

Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother, Konrad, and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one. The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages, and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library again, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life. The elixir needs only three ingredients. But impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn. Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science and love, and how much he is willing to sacrifice.

I’ll be honest - I don’t read a lot of YA fiction. I’ve always found the writing too “simple” for my personal taste, even though a lot of the plots may sound intriguing. This book may have changed my opinion. Sure, the writing is simple, but it was nice to not have to guess at the story’s meaning - to have everything clear, in a way.

I couldn’t resist reading an interpretation of Frankenstein’s younger years. The story has the perfect blend of science, magic, religion, and love to drive the story forward. And the main character’s desire for power is something all readers will relate to - even if they don’t want to admit it.

The story is enticing. Oppel has a way with words that few other authors have. I’m certain that this story will become a contemporary classic. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

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“I held the candle high. We were in a surprisingly large chamber. Nearby was a torch jutting from a wall sconce, and I quickly lit it. The room brightened, an orange glow flickering over tables scattered with oddly shaped glassware and metal instruments - and row upon row of shelves groaning with thick tomes. ‘It’s just a library,’ I said, relieved.”

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