What has happened to Ryn the Librarian?

Hey hey hey peeps! After 3 months I am writing a blog post. It has been a busy few months at work and at home. Now it is right smack in the middle of Summer Reading Program which has left me very stressed and running around like a crazy person.

In the meantime I have not had a chance to really read anything. Well that’s not entirely true. I am, as of right now, 24 weeks pregnant so mostly what I read has been in preparation for dealing with that!

Since April (my last post) I have read one YA book titled Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. That is what I will discuss with you today, but forewarned my posts may still be more sporadic as a baby being on the way will keep me quite occupied.  Some baby books and adult books may peak in there as well.

Synopsis via GoodReads. It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

When I first saw this book reviewed in the School Library Journal I thought the premise was very interesting.  I was looking forward to a chance to reading it myself.

After finally getting to it I would give this book a 3.5/5. I have the same problem with it as I do with a lot of YA fiction these days in that I think teens would love it and so I purchase the book mainly for them, but for me it is too much.

There is soooo much drama in this book. There is death, suicide, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, familial abuse, sibling abuse, rape, and divorced parents. The drama will keep teens engaged throughout the book, but my god it felt like too much for implausibility for my taste.

I did find the letters to the dead celebrities very interesting as each celebrity in a way mirrored Laurel and May’s lives. I thought it was a nice connection that helps Laurel handle her pain by writing to those who would understand it best. The letters were also a nice touch to Laurel’s character development. We get to see her unfold before our eyes and while some authors make this long and winded, Dellaira does a superb job of keeping the reader engaged during Laurel’s character reveal.

Again, not to my taste, but this book is definitely for your older teens as there are many times where the book can feel dark and heavy. A purchase for larger YA collections perhaps?

Audiobook Awesomeness AND Oregon: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Yeah I know. I skipped like 10-15 states in there and went from Michigan to Oregon, but seriously who’s counting or cares. I will get to those states no problem. In case you don’t know what I am referencing, I am talking about my reading challenge.

Via GoodReads. Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind? 

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make. 

(SPOILERS BE AHEAD MATEYS)This audiobook was really good, like The Fault in Our Stars good. I teared up at the end.

We are introduced to a teenager, Mia, who is in some sort of limbo after a horrific car crash that has killed both her parents and her younger brother Teddy. She is grappling with her choice to join them in “afterlife” or to stay and continue her own life.

The narrative is told throughout a 24-hour period of the car crash up to the point when Mia makes her decision while in limbo. Throughout we get the story of her family, her first love Adam, her best friend Kim, her struggles with the cello, and her love of classical music told in a flashback style. The stories of the past help us, the reader, understand why this choice is a tough one.

The narrator was, of course, amazing and I could feel tears welling up in her as they did with me, especially after learning Teddy had died and then again with Adam’s heartfelt speech at the very end.

Even occasionally throughout the story there was cello music in the background which was strange, but also rather nice.

I don’t know how to exactly classify this story. It’s not really a love story or a problem teen story. I guess the best description would be realistic fiction? This book is for your Fault in Our Stars fans most definitely. It should also be of note that there is a movie based on this book coming out sometime later this year so young adult librarians need to start stacking up their copies now. 

21 titles down, 29 more to go! Close to the halfway point.

Audiobook Awesomeness: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I am working on a few things right now. I had to finish The Selection quicker than anticipated and therefore I am still working the Memoirs of Lady Trent. I did finish this amazing audiobook just a few days ago and I wanted to write about it right away because, peeps, it is amazeballs!

Plot summary via GoodReads. I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

This story begins with a young lady whose code name is Verity. She has been captured in Nazi-occupied France in 1943 and this is her confession to the SS Gestapo. Halfway through the story our narrators switch from Verity’s confession to her best friend Maddie who tries to rescue her from the German compound.

It is during Maddie’s story that we learn more about Verity and that she is not a reliable narrator to us, the audience. I didn’t even think about it until now that we were looking at her confession that her German captors would be reading so of course she left stuff out.

I am absolutely in love with this story!  I was hooked the entire time. I do not always enjoy historical fiction, but this was so beautifully written that even I liked it and learned something from it. As much as history is involved in the story, it is really a story about two best friends.  Their relationship makes us all think about our best friends and how we would do anything for them even if we don’t see them all the time.

The story was of course amazing, but the audiobook was beyond the best I have ever heard. The narrators felt extremely real and even left me in tears at one point (which I can’t reveal as it is a spoiler).

Not only is this book great for reluctant readers, but any high school World History teacher or literature teacher should consider this as a supplement to any lessons on World War II. The descriptions of British Air Force procedures and technology at the time extended this book to not just entertainment, but educational as well.

Again, a great example of how audiobooks can help reluctant readers become expert readers.

Where Did March Go?

So April is coming up in a week or so and I can’t believe I haven’t written anything let alone finish any book I have started this month. Since I should post something, let me do my classic “here is what is currently on my plate” list!

Audiobooks

Currently listening to Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I am currently on disc 5 out of 9 so I should be finishing up soon. This audiobook, so far, is amazing and could become my favorite audiobook of all time. Wuthering Heights and The Book Thief were fanstastic, but Elizabeth Wein’s WWII drama is blowing me away. The narrator does perfect accents, inflections, and I am totally engrossed during my commute. I can’t wait to see how it ends!

On waitlist for Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  I am number 5 on the waitlist and there is only one copy. I see this taking a while.

Finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Housseini. I won’t spend time writing an individual post for this one. This was for my adult book club meeting later this month. I liked the book in general, but the audiobook was difficult to follow sometimes. All the narrators had a strong Arabic accent which works for the setting of the novel, but not for the listener.  All in all, I should have just grabbed the novel. The pieces of the story throughout the book were nicely woven together and I enjoyed many of the characters. Not a YA book.

Books

 

Currently reading A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I saw this novel posted on a friend’s GoodReads review. She seemed to like it and after I read the plot summary I figure I might like it too.  I am not too far into it, but I am looking forward to finishing it. Lady Trent is not your typical medieval lady. Though she is pressured by her family to behave appropriately, she is more fascinated at following and researching dragons more so than anything else. I am enjoying reading about this medieval nerd and her obsession to be treated like one of the boys. This is not a YA book.

About to start reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. This is a book that I have been semi-excited to read. About once a month I write a book review for the local newspaper and in general I have gotten some positive responses. I generally review YA books. I am excited for this one because there has been so much controversy over it. People either really liked it or people really hated it so I want to read it and make the decision for myself. The tag that many reviewers on GoodReads use to describe The Selection is Hunger Games meets The Bachelor. Sounds cheesy enough for me!

On waitlist for Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Since I fell in love with her YA novels, I figure her adult novel will be amazing…right? Please be right!?

And the ones I just gave up on

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini. This is the selection for Massachusetts in my challenge and after reading the first 50 pages, I could not get into it. So I had to let it go.

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore. Again I got 50 pages into it and it wasn’t what I was hoping for so I had to let it go back as well.

Personal note about reading. Here is the thing folks. You may notice that I tend to not finish a lot of books I check out or list here. You may think that I have a problem and could be labeled a chronic non-finisher. I firmly believe that if you are reading a book and you have gotten to a point around the 30-70 page mark where you just can’t take it anymore, then you need to let that book go. Pushing yourself to read something that you are not enjoying takes the joy out of reading.

This philosophy is also applied to when I do reader’s advisory at the library. I tell every kid to get as many books as they can and that if they do not like a book after the first two chapters it is ok to return the book unfinished. It is tough to force a kid to read something they are not enjoying and the fear is that it may turn them off from reading anything. I know some titles are required and I am not talking about those. I am referring to when children need to read something at home for 30 minutes every night. This is usually (not always) the only time they can read for fun. So my advice to parents - let them read what they want. Do not force them to read classics if that is not what they are interested in or they may just not want to ever read.

This is why we librarians exist. If your child does not like the classics and you have no idea what to suggest to them that will be good for them, but also something they will enjoy, talk to your local children’s librarian ASAP. It’s why we are here.

That’s all for now. Later peeps!

Audiobook Awesomeness: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Though I read and devoured Divergent back in May of last year, I have waited (OK procrastination was involved) to read this sequel for a while. BUT then I thought this would be a great opportunity for an audiobook. So I got on the waitlist back in December and am now just getting the chance to listen to it. Check out my thoughts after the summary.

Book Summary via GoodReads. One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. 

Not really the most descriptive plot, but then again this sequel has A LOT of plot in it. It is nonstop action. Tris and Four go to pretty much every faction (sorry for my series lingo) and there is constantly a fight scene. I enjoyed this as a sequel as it picks up right where Divergent left off with Tris and company on their way to the Amity compound. Additionally, the ending has a slight plot twist/cliff hanger which just makes me want to get Allegiant right away.

The audiobook itself was solid. The narrator had a nice inflection in her voice for the characters and kept me hook throughout my long commute. There were occasions that I could not tell if Tris, the character, was speaking aloud or if it was Tris’ thoughts, though that may not have been the narrator’s fault.

Any YA librarian knows that they must have several copies of this series, especially with a movie coming out in late March.

Speaking of which, I have some beef with that movie poster. For example, why is that the only part of our kick ass heroine we see is Shailene Woodley’s butt? Really marketing team, what the hell does that say? That we should only care about how Tris looks? That we shouldn’t focus on Woodley’s awesome acting ability, but her body instead? Also, the actor who plays Four gets a full frontal pose and he isn't even the main character…wha? Rant over for now, but I can't guarantee I won't bring it back up. 

I can’t decide if I will see the movie or not, but as soon as I see a trailer for it and research which theaters will show it I will make a decision. In all honesty, I will probably not bother with the money to see it and instead listen to Allegiant when I get that audiobook.

Michigan: Wake by Lisa McMann

Finally, at long last, a post about my Reading Across United States of YA challenge. It has been months (September!) since I read a book in the realm of this challenge I designed more than a year ago. Here is my review and thoughts on Wake by Lisa McMann.

Book Summary via GoodReads. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant.

This is the first in a series (can’t quite decide if I will continue) where a teen has an ability to be sucked into dreams of those around her.  The paranormal mystery behind Janie’s strange ability is intriguing to the reader and definitely kept me interested throughout the book. There is also a little romance between Janie and Caleb that isn’t the focus, but still helps to keep a teen’s interest. Definitely helps broaden the audience, making this a general crowd pleaser.

This isn’t necessarily a standout work of art for me, but I think with its smaller size (225 pages) and action-packed plot, this book is perfect for a reluctant teen reader. Recommend this title to those who love Rosemary Clement-Moore’s The Splendour Falls (AKA the Alabama Read) as it has the paranormal mystery surrounding the main protagonist.

Keeping it short! That’s 20 down, 30 more to go!

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Since the Snowpocalypse has hit my city in North Carolina (took four hours to get home), I had some downtime today to read some books. This is the Newberry Award winner for 2014 and I was originally 4^th on the waitlist, but it went by so quickly that the book plopped into my hands and I had to read it as quickly as possible. There were more people waiting of course.

Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K.G. Campbell.

First off, the images done by KG Campbell were so cute and perfect for the book. Flora and Ulysses were drawn perfect to what I thought they would be and Flora was so adorable. If I have a daughter, I would want her to be like Flora. Cynical, rational, loves comic books; she would fit perfectly with me and my husband.

Secondly, the story was incredibly sweet. Flora and Ulysses support one another and love each other like I figure a pet and an owner would if they could talk to one another.  I also like that Flora grows as a character to include more friends in her life. Kind of gives me hope for my literary fictional daughter to have a great life with more friends.

I will say that I was not a fan of the mother, but then again she is Ulysses’ arch-nemesis. It was hard to even tell the fact that she loved her daughter until the end. I’m with you Flora, go live with Dad. The side characters were pretty funny, but this book is really more about Flora becoming a believer and geting over being a cynic.

I highly recommend this book for reluctant readers of all ages. The graphics feel like a comic book, but Flora and Ulysses is not even close to a graphic novel so parents can rejoice when their kids want to read it.