Archive for Reading and Book Reviews

Bookanista Review: MAY B.

Full disclosure: Caroline Starr Rose is a fellow Class of 2k12er.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

MAY B.

I’ve known it since last night:
It’s been too long to expect them to return.
Something’s happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it’s hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May’s memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she’s determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose’s fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

****

This book in verses is kind of quiet and unassuming. Like a lot of my favorite books or songs, you have to be paying attention to every word. When you are, you’ll feel like you got punched in the gut because while Caroline Starr Rose is a minimalist writer, she is one who chooses each word with tremendous care.

Take for instance the second poem. May B. has just been told that she is to be sent away to work a stranger’s farm. She wonders why her brother is not sent instead and concludes: “boys are necessary.” Man, this just about ripped my guts out. Those three words say loads about how this young girl has been taught to value herself and how girls were viewed in this rough pioneer time. My heart broke for May B. in those three words.

But May B. is a fighter. She has dreams and desires. She’s told they are impossible, but she still believes in possibilities. While I’m not normally a big fan of historicals (somehow I missed out on falling in love with the Little House on the Prairie novels), this pioneer story gripped me to the end. May B’s struggle to survive on her own and the way the setting insinuates itself throughout the story are so well done.

Librarians should definitely get this book on their shelves. Both boys and girls will love it, and it’s perfect for struggling readers!

***

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Bookanista Review: THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST

Full disclosure: I picked up this ARC from the author as we are Class of 2k12 sibs, Sarvenaz Tash.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST

Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest. Intrepid, curious, and full of a well-honed sense of adventure, she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her idols, the explorers Lewis and Clark, and to map the forest right behind her home. This task is complicated, however, by a series of unique events—a chance encounter with a mysterious old lady has her searching for a legendary blue rose. Another encounter lands her in the middle of a ragtag gang of brilliant troublemakers. And when she stumbles upon none other than the ghost of Meriwether Lewis himself, Goldenrod knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer . . . or an ordinary quest. Debut author Sarvenaz Tash combines an edge-of-your-seat adventure, a uniquely clever voice, and an unforgettable cast of characters to prove that sometimes the best adventures of all are waiting right in your own backyard.

****

I don’t read a lot of middle grade books, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST. This is kind of an area of books that I skipped over almost entirely since by middle grade I was reading romance novels and Sweet Valley High books. With that said, I find Sarv to be very funny, and I couldn’t wait to see if they came across in her book.

I’m so happy to say it did. I was reading a copy that has exchanged hands between several Class of 2k12ers. We write comments to the author in the margins, and the comments were loaded with LOLs, smiles and other indicators that (a) we all have a juvenile sense of humor and (b) the author does an amazing job at making us all feel like kids again.

The characters in the novel are so fun to read about. Goldenrod, the intrepid explorer, with her quest to map her town. Her little brother who just wants to be brave enough for his sister to let him come along on her adventures. And then there’s the Gross Out Gang, a group of runaway kids who have formed a gang and made a home in the forest Goldenrod is exploring.

There’s just enough danger to make you worry for their safety – the Gross Out Gang is up to no good and led by a very bad teen – but not enough to worry a parent who watches over their child’s reading material. Mostly, though, kids are going to love the Gross Out Gang with their gleefully disgusting habits and kids will adore Goldenrod and her little brother as they try to outsmart the gang. Really great fun!

A big thumbs up for a rollicking adventure!

***

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Bookanista Review: THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU & ME

Full disclosure: I picked up this ARC at the Northern California Bookseller’s Association Trade Show.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU & ME

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning…. Welcome to forever.

BRIE’S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn’t love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she’s D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there’s Patrick, Brie’s mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick’s help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she’s ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

****

At the outset, the premise didn’t grab me. There, I said it. I know this book has a ton of buzz, but honestly, a girl dies of heartbreak? It didn’t snag me. But on a Sunday afternoon, I needed something different to read and I picked it up.

There is a lot to recommend about the book. First, the voice. Brie is fifteen and she dies at the start of the story when her boyfriend breaks up with her. We follow her on a journey through the five stages of grieving. She haunts her boyfriend, parents, little brother, and best friends, watching them grieve for her. This could all feel very maudlin, but Jess Rothenberg manages to steer clear of that. The voice is so exactly that of a fifteen year old girl, full of sass and sadness and naiveté and the odd moment of wisdom. That voice hooked me right away.

I also loved how we are carried through the five stages of grieving. There’s a lot of meat there for anyone to relate to, whether you’ve broken up with someone or lost someone close. Brie’s emotions bounce all over the place, but they almost always feel real. She’s not always a nice character, but she’s a believable one. In fact, she’s probably more believable because of her faults.

There were some things – fairly big things for me – that bothered me about the story. A few scenes felt unnecessary or repetitive. Brie’s love of 80’s music didn’t ring true for a contemporary teen – I felt like it was author intrusion into the story every time they were mentioned. And, I hate to say it, but the love interest plotline fell flat for me, especially at the big dramatic moment at the end.

What saved the book for me, though, aside from the wonderful, engaging voice and interesting format, were the relationships Brie had with her friends and family and even her dog, Hamloaf. Before she dies, Brie has a kind of simplistic view of her world. After her death, when she gets peeks into the private lives of those she haunts, she learns that the world is not what she thought it would be. That people are more complex. That sometimes they are weak and fail you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. I thought Rothenberg did a fantastic job illustrating this, and despite the problems I noted, I think a lot of readers will love this book.

***

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Bookanista Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY

I love Veronica. Seriously, she’s one of the loveliest people you will ever meet. From the first time I met here, I could see that she was a thoughtful, intelligent person, and I couldn’t wait to see how that translated into her debut novel. Read below to see what I thought!  Full disclosure: Veronica Rossi is a friend and fellow Bookanista.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love – one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY

The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure.

****

Wow.

No, seriously. Wow.

When I get too much of a good thing, sometimes it makes me a little sick. Like how the Kardashians are EVERYWHERE, and I would really be happy if they disappeared from the media. Or how there are currently a 1,001+ dystopians out there right now. After the Hunger Games series and Veronica Roth’s Divergent, I wasn’t sure there was room for me to like another dystopian yet, even though I love Veronica Rossi to death.

But I picked it up anyway because the cover is stunning and the back cover copy intrigued me. I was a chapter in before I knew I would not be putting the book down until I’d finished it. Some novels have great pacing. Some have fantastic characterization. Others have a lot of heart. UNDER THE NEVER SKY had all three. The two main characters, Aria and Perry, start out with enemies with a very certain outlook on life. When they meet, they don’t like each other. It’s not even a “this hate is the flipside of love” thing. No, these characters misunderstand each other and judge each other quite harshly. It’s only through circumstance that they begin to show their true selves to one another, and the shift in their attitudes happens so gradually that it feels completely authentic.

One of the things I like least about dystopians are the long and/or frequent passages about how stark and bleak everything is. Again, Veronica managed to surprise me here because her world is so creative that I was never bored or hopeless. I wanted to know more, see more, understand more.

And then there are the relationships. I don’t mean just the romance, which is hot. I mean, the relationships between family and friends. A pure emotionality tugged me along through the story. These characters want so much to belong and to be safe. They are not merely hardened survivalists. Their desires are blatant and so very relatable, and the dangers the characters face are imminent and terrifying.

Normally, I strive to balance my reviews with of the things that I didn’t love about a book. The things that I wished had been a little different so a reader knows what they are getting into. I honestly can’t do that here. I truly loved UNDER THE NEVER SKY and thought about it in the days after I read it – something that happens less often lately. Five stars all around, and lots of air clapping for Veronica Rossi’s debut.

***

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Bookanista Review: EPIC FAIL

Claire LaZebnik’s EPIC FAIL is a recent release from Harper Teen.  Full disclosure: Harper Teen provided a copy of the book for review purposes.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

EPIC FAIL

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

****

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is one of my favorite books. I’m pretty open to reading Austen adaptations. But this particular Austen book is bound by the social mores and customs of Austen’s times. I wondered how LaZebnik would translate the themes into a modern book with teenagers.

What I found was a fun retelling. What makes Elizabeth Bennett so fantastic is how normal she is. She’s not pretty like Jane or musically gifted or any of the things her society values. I felt like LaZebnik did a great job of catching the spirit of this character with Elise. While frustrated by her sisters and parents, she obviously loves them and is loyal to them.

Then we meet Derek. He seems dismissive and arrogant much like Darcy does in P&P. But we get the sense that there are more layers to him. He’s a great foil for Elise. Interestingly enough, the society the author chose to use is Hollywood royalty. Derek’s parents, like Darcy’s relations, are wealthy and have reason to be guarded.

Here’s what I was missing in this retelling, though. The heavy handed disapproval of Elizabeth and her relations by Lady Catherine, Darcy’s aunt, which comes at a pivotal point in P&P, is missing. And, I hate to admit it, but the stakes were missing for me. Elizabeth and Jane have their reputations at stake, plus the entire weight of their family’s fortunes. It would be hard to make this come across in a high school equivalent.

Overall, though, I enjoyed the characters and had fun reading the book. I would definitely recommend EPIC FAIL to Austen fans and those seeking a lighthearted romance.

***

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Elana Johnson offers a preview of upcoming awesome!

LiLa Roecker dances for Audition

Christine Fonseca  is wowed by Witch Eyes

Beth Revis  features a guest post by Darkfall author Janice Hardy

Carolina Valdez Miller steps up to Audition – with giveaway

Shana Silver contemplates The Future of Us

Carrie Harris is dazzled by Don’t Stop Now

Shelli Johannes-Wells is psyched for some swell book launches!

BIG NEWS!  Gretchen McNeil, Stasia Kehoe, Sara Bennett Wealer, Jessica Martinez, Rosanne Parry and some other folks you probably know, are embarking on a LIVE BOOK TOUR!!!  It’s called, STAGES ON PAGES.  Click here to see a list of dates/times.

Bookanista Review: CRACKED

When I was in NYC earlier this month, my eyes spied the gorgeous cover of K.M. Walton’s debut novel, CRACKED. I coveted it immediately, and my editor was kind enough to slip me a copy. This book will be out January 3, 2012. Full disclosure: K.M. Walton is a fellow Apocalypsie and we share an editor. Read below to see what I thought.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

CRACKED

Sometimes there’s no easy way out. 

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother’s sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn’t stop Bull’s grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there’s no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….

****

CRACKED is about two guys who are polar opposites, one with less than nothing and one who seemingly has everything. Okay, I know what you’re thinking. These guys are going to find out that life sucks for everyone, kumbayah, and let’s all be friends. Lessons learned. WRONG. This book cannot be boiled down into a clichéd movie of the week.

Victor and Bull are so well drawn, so heartbreakingly described that the story gets under your skin. You’ll be glad to know that each voice sounds different – not an easy thing to pull off in a dual narrative. Victor has a tenderness to him that Bull lacks. They’ve each found different ways of coping with their home life. One of Bull’s survival mechanisms is to torture Victor.  I thought this would make it impossible for me to sympathize with Bull or want to root for him. Honestly, he’s not that likeable for a lot of the book.

BUT..Walton makes it clear that Bull is a product of his environment. He is what can happen to kids who aren’t protected, and survival isn’t always pretty. On the other side, a reader might not feel too sorry for Victor. Compared to Bull, maybe his problems aren’t as huge. Yet, I didn’t find myself making those comparisons. Being hospitalized forces these two boys to confront their problems…and each other. It isn’t nice when it happens, either, but it does feel real.

It would’ve been so easy for Walton to take the story to this melodramatic place where Bull realizes the error of his ways, changes his personality entirely, and comes out a better man for it. Or Victor forgives Bull for bullying him, and they’re like brothers. I’m not going to tell you what happens, but know that the resolution to this novel isn’t neatly tied up. It’s messy and real because life for these two boys isn’t a fairy tale.

Warning: I cried twice.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5. And yes, I am beaming with pride that this book is from my imprint and my editor.

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Elana Johnson interviews Elle Strauss, author of Clockwise
LiLa Roecker discusses S R Johannes’ e-book experiment
Christine Fonseca  is wowed by The White Assassin – with giveaway
Shannon Whitney Messenger loves Lola & the Boy Next Door – with giveaway
Beth Revis delights in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer – with giveaway
Shelli Johannes-Wells falls for Fracture
Carolina Valdez Miller adores Ashfall – with giveaway
Jessi Kirby marvels at The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Shana Silver steps up to Audition
Stasia Ward Kehoe swoons for Swan and To Dance

Bookanista Review: HEX HALL and DEMONGLASS

Yep, I’m late to the party. I’ve heard people talk about HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins. Lots of people recommended it to me, all of them saying, “Trust me, you’ll like it.” So I finally read it, and its sequel, DEMONGLASS. Read below to see what I thought.

Here are the official blurbs from the publisher:

HEX HALL

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father–an elusive European warlock–only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

DEMONGLASS

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. 

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth. 

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers. 

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

****

Soooo many people told me to read HEX HALL that I did that weird mule thing I do where I decide to do the exact opposite of what people suggest. Just because. And…I have to admit, the blurbs didn’t grab me. I thought, “Witches, faeries, and shapeshifters rolled into one book. Not my thing.” I added it to my Goodreads shelf, thinking I’ll eventually get around to reading that. And then didn’t. Until this month.

Some impulse (okay, I think I got it on sale) made me pick up HEX HALL. And I promptly read it in a single evening. After reading the last page, I immediately downloaded DEMONGLASS to my reader. I finished that book a few days later. Seriously, I ate these books up.

It’s easy to pinpoint what Hawkins is best at. Sophie’s voice is the perfect balance of attitude and vulnerability. Sometimes authors who write a character that sounds snarky can cross the line into bitchiness. I may not like the character as much because I feel like they are laughing at everyone, and to be in on the joke, I have to laugh at everyone, too. Hawkins avoids this trap. Sophie mocks herself more than anyone else – without really putting herself down. She is self-deprecating and ready to laugh with anyone who will get her joke. She just wants to be friends and to belong, instead of always being on the outside. That’s such a universal theme that anyone can relate. It was so easy to be in her head and watch her opinions about the supernatural world she lives in change as she grows.

As for my concern that all the different types of creatures would seem like overkill, it didn’t read that way. Instead, I would compare it to a couple of episodes of Buffy combined into a couple of books. We see different creatures and get to know their quirks. Since we are in Sophie’s head, though, the observations about them are always entertaining. I often felt like Hawkins was being very tongue-in-cheek about the mythologies surrounding her creatures and I liked that.

Add to that a hot love interest, the element of danger in both books, and a dash of daddy issues, and you have a couple of books I would gladly recommend.

***SPOILER ALERT***

While I really liked both books, I preferred HEX HALL. Archer, the love interest, who was my second favorite character in the first book disappears for a lot of DEMONGLASS. And though I like love triangles (sue me), Cal – the other boy – seemed to fluctuate at times between a manly man and a doormat. I couldn’t really decide if Sophie even liked him. And truly, my interest and hers doesn’t ever veer from Archer. I didn’t really feel the tension of the triangle in a way that I thought it was necessary. I wish she’d stuck with Archer. With that said, I still liked Cal, and it will be interesting to see what Hawkins has planned for the next book in the series.

I loved the introduction of the dad, and I enjoyed seeing he and Sophie begin to relate as he teaches her about her demon powers. I can’t wait to see more of this and I hope the mom and dad find their way back to each other.

I did see some plot holes at the climax of each book, but I didn’t really care because Sophie’s voice kept me so engaged.

***END SPOILER***

To sum it up, I would highly recommend both books. Unless you’re like me and that will stop you from reading them.

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Elana Johnson shivers over Shifting

Christine Fonseca  is definitely Falling for Hamlet

Shelli Johannes-Wells contemplates The Future of Us

Shana Silver finds Fateful Fabulous

Sarah Frances Hardy leads you into the Circle of Secrets

Stasia Ward Kehoe shares her passion for Possess

Bookanista Review: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER

First, to give full disclosure, I want to state that the author is a fellow Bookanista. Sometimes it can be hard to review books by friends. But to be honest, I forgot who wrote the book and fell into Michelle Hodkin’s THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER.

Here’s the official blurb from the publisher:

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

There has been so much buzz about this book. I’m always a little afraid of buzz, but the synopsis for this book intrigued me and the gorgeous cover sucked me in. I wasn’t disappointed by what I found inside.

First off, the author knows how to write suspense. I felt like I was holding my breath for much of the novel. The tension kept building and building, but I never really tired of it. I kept flipping pages wanting to know what was happening to Mara as much as she did. The mystery of what happened to her in those first chapters consumed me as a reader.

Second, Noah. I’ve read some reviews criticizing Noah as a Patch-like jerk who’s rude and condescending to Mara. I have to admit, I didn’t see the relationship like that at all. He’s arrogant, sure, but Mara has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Everything he dishes at her, she dishes right back. This girl can definitely hold her own, so I never felt like Mara was a victim or taking crap from a boy who treats her poorly. I thought they were pretty evenly matched, and their sparring was pretty hot.

Another thing..I loved Daniel, Mara’s brother. Siblings in stories can often fade to the background or seem to be cliched. I didn’t feel that with Daniel. He’s a little too good to be true, but Mara herself points that out about him. I liked their interaction and how they often teamed up when it came to their parents. This seemed real and like something I’ve done with my own siblings.

I have to confess that I wasn’t wild about the abrupt end of the book. I like a novel to feel complete even when I know a sequel is coming, and the last pages left me more than a little frustrated. A few times, I did get a little lost about what Mara was experiencing. But overall, I’d give this book a 4 out 5 stars and a “please write the dang sequel already!”

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Elana Johnson and Scott Tracey find wonder in The Near Witch

LiLa Roecker sing out about Where She Went

Christine Fonseca adores A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie

Corrine Jackson delights in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Stasia Ward Kehoe marvels at My Life, the Theater & Other Tragedies

Veronica Rossi is wild about Wildefire

Bookanista Review: SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD

I’m finally getting back on track with my Bookanista pals. Today I’m looking at Lindsey Leavitt’s SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD. Read below to see what I thought, but note there are a couple of SPOILER-ish things.

Here’s the official blurb from the publisher:

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It’s supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold’s head. They’ve been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it’s an alphabetical order thing), but she’s never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father’s newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it’s working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He’s cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

As soon as I heard about the premise for Sean Griswold’s Head, I couldn’t wait to read it. I loved the idea of a girl taking a deeper look at a boy who’s been sitting in front of – literally – the whole time. I imagined the seemingly nice boy would have hidden depths and secrets, and the girl would learn a lesson about looking deep than a book’s cover.

That’s not the story I found when I opened this book on a train from New York City to Connecticut. Instead I was sucked into a story about a girl dealing – poorly – with the revelation that her father has MS. Payton doesn’t know how to deal with the emotions she has about her father’s illness, so she punishes her family with a wall of silence. It’s this silence that lands her in her guidance counselor’s office and with the assignment to find a Focus Object – some object she can focus her attention to gain a little clarity. Sitting behind Sean Griswold in biology, she decides to make his head her Focus Object. Of course, when she gets to know him a little better, she expands her interest – for scientific purposes – to his entire body.

I liked that the author gave me a little of what I expected and a whole lot of what I didn’t. I’m not sure I bought into who Payton was at the beginning of the novel, where she obsessed over details to the point of color-coding things and wanting a planner more suited to a thirty-something like me who works in the corporate world. Some of those details seemed a little far out, and I have to admit that Payton’s best friend, Jac, tended to steamroll over Payton in the name of friendship in a way that irritated me more than once. And part of me wished that Sean Griswold wasn’t *quite* so perfect through the novel.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this imperfect heroine and watching her fall in love for the first time at what seems like the worst possible time. And I appreciated the author’s portrait of a complex family dealing with an illness that is changing their lives forever. This book is definitely one I’d reread, which I think is about the highest form of a compliment you can give.

Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!

Elana Johnson  points you to Human.4
LiLa Roecker  glories in The Goddess Test
Christine Fonseca is impressed by Imaginary Girls
Shannon Whitney Messenger delves into The Future of Us – with giveaway
Scott Tracey and Shana Silver are wild about Wildefire
Carolina Valdez Miller shivers over The Eleventh Plague – with giveaway
Jessi Kirby celebrates A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie
Stasia Ward Kehoe embraces All the Things You Are

Read Outside Your Comfort Zone

Like most writers, I LOVE reading. Voraciously. Cereal boxes, notes abandoned on a sidewalk, and book after book after book after…  You get it. Most of us read for pleasure or entertainment, but then there are those books that make us feel or think. Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of the thinking books.  They were too hard. Too irritating to have to peel back the layers of what an author wanted me to understand when I wanted only to get lost in a new world or place. Yes, I read those damned thinking books, but I definitely didn’t enjoy them and I really hated those blowhards who thumbed their nose at genre literature. Yet, even while I hated to have my reading tastes judged, once-upon-a-time I felt ashamed to say I was reading a romance novel or an adventure story instead of Charles Dickens or Faust.

It took a master’s in English for me to discover that different types of literature spark different things in me—and that’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing to read a variety of literature. Especially if you are a writer. If you are a young adult writer, you should challenge yourself to read outside young adult literature. There is comfort in reading the same books as our friends and supporting our fellow authors. What an amazing thing it is to find a group of people – finally – who care about the same things we do. Man, I love getting together with other young adult writers and talking shop. I always find myself thinking, “These people get me.”

The danger comes when we are reading and discussing the same things. Groupthink is a very real thing, and the water of our little young adult pond can become stagnant if a new stream is never introduced. Often, the really exciting books and ideas come from outside the group. People who have been off in the wild blue yonder experimenting and trying new things, while we may be writing to please the people in our group.

Whenever I am struggling with my story – when I think I’m saying something that’s been said a thousand times before…and better – that’s when it’s time for me to take a break. Time for me to find a new author to love, or a new book unlike anything I’ve read before. Time for me to read a book that makes me think so maybe I can expand my horizons. That spark may come from a young adult novel, a non-fiction account of the war in Afghanistan, or a bawdy vampire bodice ripper. No judgments here.  The key is to find something different and new. Something that pushes you out of your comfort zone.

And when you come back to your work, you may find you have something new to say.