tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52313564159554168802024-02-19T05:48:32.659+01:00Escape In A BookMari - Escape In A Bookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15597584812785465678noreply@blogger.comBlogger382125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-77799443001415099482016-07-05T23:41:00.001+02:002016-07-06T08:00:31.857+02:00Hidden gems: Underrated YA reads<h2>
I just love to discover the hidden gems of YA, so today was the perfect day for me to join in nd share a diverse mix of underrated YA with you dear readers.</h2>
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Today <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/2016/07/top-ten-books-we-enjoyed-that-have.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a> asked their readers to share much loved underrated books. Underrated is defined by B & B as books with less than 2000 ratings on Goodreads. Non of my top underrated reads has more than 1500 ratings(most of them way below that), so I'm well within the definition with my picks.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12213561-secret-diary">Secret diary(Lou #1) by Julien Neel</a> - </i>581 ratings on Goodreads<br />
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This graphic novel series by French author Julien Neel is just hilarious. The stories will make you smile and laugh even on a rainy day. Teenager Lou lives with her slightly 'crazy' science-fiction-author-to-be mum, and we read about their everyday life and their journey to love. I promise you won't regret picking it up.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688097.Chain_Mail" target="_blank">Chain Mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki</a> </i>- 484 ratings on Goodreads<br />
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Things get really scary when the lines between reality and fantasy is blurred in this novel. Four lonely girls in Tokyo, an email and a yet to be written thriller novel with available slots for four leading characters. Add a stalker into the mix, and you're there. In addition to being a thriller, this book gives insight into what everyday life might be like for young adults growing up in Japan.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1067346.La_Linea" target="_blank"><br />
</a> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1067346.La_Linea" target="_blank">La Línea by Ann Jaramillo</a> - </i>1026<i> </i>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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I tried remembering where I first discovered <i>La Línea</i> and I think it was quite by accident. It is rare to read a young adult novel that in such a true way evolves around a human crisis, social and political challenges. No, this is not a boring story, it is a very dramatic and painful story, It is an important one, when it comes to being able to see life from different perspectives. In this novel we meet Miguel and his sister, they were left by their parents to live with their grandmother. The plan was that the parents would work and save up money to build a new life for all of them in USA. Years have passed and Miguel is tired of living in a village in Mexico without any prospects for his future. So Miguel sets out on an extremly dangerous journey to be reunited with his parents. This is the authors debut novel, written in 2006, but is still very much relevant.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1613221.Butterflies_in_May" target="_blank"><i>Butterflies in May</i> by <i>Karen Hart</i></a> - <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2010/12/book-review-butterflies-in-may-by-karen.html" target="_blank">link to my review</a> - </b>95<b> </b>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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Perhaps some where scared off by the unfitting cover? I know it did not speak to me, but the content did. This is a contemporary YA where the subject is teen pregnancy. The author treated the difficult issue with respect and without moralising or draging politics in to it. I loved that. There is no sugercoating, just realism. Every character in this story has depth, even the minor ones.<br />
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The book was originally published back in 2006 it now seems like the author might have been given back the rights to the work and selfpublished it later on. <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13151254-the-intern"><i>The Intern by Dillon Kahn</i></a> - <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/05/book-review-intern-by-dillon-khan.html">link to my review</a> - </b>66 ratings on Goodreads<br />
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I loved reading every page of the <i>Intern</i>, eventhough I never imagined myself as interested in the 'behind the scenes' of the music industry. Wonderful humor, great characters, a story of what working as an intern might be like and last but not least a lot of great and diverse music(at least for me who was a YA in the 90's and 00's)!<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16682136-waiting-for-gonzo" target="_blank">Waiting For Gonzo by Dave Cousins</a> - </i>100<i> </i>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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This British YA is laugh out loud funny and has an incredibly charming main character called Oz. Oz and his family has moved and starting a new school can be quite challenging, especially when you fall out with someone on the very first day. This was a great read, not all fun and games but also a story touching upon some serious issues.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7633821-the-last-full-measure" target="_blank">The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi</a></i> - <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/03/book-review-last-full-measure-by-ann.html" target="_blank">link to my review</a> - </b>217<b> </b>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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Ann Rinaldi has written over 40 books, most of them historical YA. In this novel the setting is in Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. This is the story of the people who lived when the Battle of Gettysburg commenced, told through the experiences of a young girl named Tacy. The story is fiction, but some of the characters are people who actually did live at that time and place. Rinaldi's writing is so genuine, the littlest paragraph could make me sob. This is also the story of the 200-400 free black Americans living in Gettysburg, according to the author this is the first work of fiction that have addressed important piece of fact.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8515497-carrie-pilby" target="_blank">Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner</a></i> - <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/01/book-review-carrie-pilby-by-caren.html" target="_blank">my review</a> - </b>1306<b> </b>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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Carrie is a quirky character and a girl who just does not care about doing things to fit in. On a negative note, for Carrie, she is a person with some serious people issues. She actually reminded me quite a bit of Holden from <i>J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye</i>. As the pages go along and you settle down with Carries way of viewing the world you will fall in love, laugh and most certainly build your vocabulary, Carrie is just that kind of character. This one is more for the mature YA readers, or at least those who doesn't mind that sex is being mentioned.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11058320-all-i-ever-wanted" target="_blank">All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield</a></i> - <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/11/book-review-all-i-ever-wanted-by-vikki.html" target="_blank">my review</a> - </b>1126<b> </b>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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A contemporary YA from Australian author Wakefield. About 16 year old Mim who dreams about a better life, and most certainly she will NEVER be like her mother. <i>All I Ever Wanted</i> is a story about dreams and hope, family and friends that will keep you turning pages into the wee hours. This book has earned a place on my keeper shelf, not many books get to go there.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7000924-the-fiddler-s-gun" target="_blank">The Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson</a> </i><b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2010/02/review-fiddlers-gun-by-as-peterson.html" target="_blank">- my review</a> - </b>740<b> </b>ratings on Goodreads<br />
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Back in 2010 I claimed that this book should have a place among the classic YA/MG reads, six years later on and I stand what I said back then. This book has it all; adventure, America on the brink of war with England, piracy, friendship, love and redemption. I fell head over heels, so any fault in the story telling would be missed by me, it was just one of the books that was impossible to put down.<br /><br />I noticed that the novel was marked as Christian fiction, which kind of put me off before I ever picked it. I do not like books that I suspect is written to preach me any kind of religion. Luckily I can say that this was not the case with <i>The Fiddler's Gun</i>,<br />
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I do hope you will check out at least one of the titles on my list!<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you read any of them perhaps? Or do you want to?</span></b><br />
<br />Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-83031763641193931552015-08-12T06:31:00.000+02:002015-08-12T21:04:02.259+02:00Debut of the year? Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli<h2>Everyone and their neighbour have already read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Now I have as well, but did I like it?</h2></br></br></br></br></br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD30ReqBfJcK5J0Am5poGsLrVvXyqUwZMXy4Eid2hVtTJ5Y-Jj5n9TGASfo-BuvPMHep7SU_OuHyEqke9dT5Rzg-oAM_Xmf_OfgiL44LvKRtQjOD2sej0cWFADFcavlwKXrt4UQWbRZAr/s1600/simonvs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD30ReqBfJcK5J0Am5poGsLrVvXyqUwZMXy4Eid2hVtTJ5Y-Jj5n9TGASfo-BuvPMHep7SU_OuHyEqke9dT5Rzg-oAM_Xmf_OfgiL44LvKRtQjOD2sej0cWFADFcavlwKXrt4UQWbRZAr/s320/simonvs.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>As a side note, don’t you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it should be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I’m just saying.</blockquote><br />
<h2>My short, unfair and spoiler free synopsis:</h2><blockquote>Simon is gay. No one knows, except Blue. Blue is also gay, and the two boys have a secret, anonymous email exchange going on. A wonderful friendship is in the making. Only trouble is on the horizon. One day Simon forgets to log out of his email at school and the mistake will soon throw Simon’s world into chaos. </blockquote><br />
Well let me start by using the phrase “all the feels” for the first time ever, because truly <i>Becky Albertalli</i> writes the most genuine scenes. It was not a sad story, but the parts that were borderline sad, the happy scenes, the angry scenes and every other emotional evoking scene all felt so genuine. By the last part of the book I was a bit frustrated, angry, I laughed, laughed again, cried a few tears, laughed some more and then I cried again. I told my significant other that I would think myself a bit emotional unstable I had observed myself from the outside as he did. <br />
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<blockquote>All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.</blockquote><br />
<h2>Believeable characters</h2>Simon is a great character. He is not without faults, but he has this admirable ability to look back and reflect upon incidents where he did wrong. I loved that about him. Along with Simon, there are plenty of other well fleshed out characters. Even the ones just doing a guest performance in the story felt like real people. Well done, Becky! <br />
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There is a lot of love, caring, support and empathy between these pages, as well as there are a handful of people who contribute to evoke the opposite kind of feelings. Like in the real world, Simon have some encounters with people who are narrow-minded, but he slays them with his bravery (yes, that was just a silly metaphor, this is not a fantasy novel). <br />
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<blockquote>My limbs feel really heavy. I kind of want to go home and crawl into bed with my iPod. But the curtains start to open. And I keep moving forward.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>It’s not easier. It’s impossible. Because even though it feels like I’ve known Abby forever, I really only met her four months ago. And I guess there hasn’t been time for her to have any set ideas about me yet. But I’ve known Leah since sixth grade, and Nick since we were four. And this gay thing. It feels so big. It’s almost insurmountable. I don’t know how to tell them something like this and still come out of it feeling like Simon. Because if Leah and Nick don’t recognize me, I don’t even recognize myself anymore.</blockquote><br />
<i>Becky Albertalli</i> have created a fictional contemporary world that I fell in love with. The wonderful friends, loving family, the cutest love interest and a truly amazing teacher, I could have read on about them all for hours and hours. I was sad to let them go. <br />
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For those who find it of importance: there are some swearing, a tiny scene of underage drinking and references to sex. All addressed with the loving care, concern and advice of Simons parents. In my opinion, nothing to hide from a seventeen-year-old living in the real world. Then again, I live in one of the Nordic countries and scenes like described above very rarely shock us – is that an American thing? Some might find us weird, I mean we rarely to never ban books even. A real live book utopia that is ;)<br />
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I could have written more in depth about this novel, but I do not wish to do so. I just want the world to know, if in doubt, that I LOVED Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda! It is an important novel for young adults and adults alike. Not only does the books address the challenges of being gay and the huge deal everyone makes the “coming out” part out to be, it also addresses what it is like to be a teenager and how a parent/child relationship evolves through the years regardless of whom you love. <br />
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<b>Book source:</b> I bought the book.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VkhGqUbwPbDextQJFiqlfq2SM5i1py7re6El97EJZtySBxe64sBt1Mv8h_DYI7aAsrgiaamF91p8FVuCSwCOVqoOPtvJcjYNJ2pkudloLX7P4MimYV7jiwnnNhbng5h24BeS1u-NtXI/s1600/mari.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VkhGqUbwPbDextQJFiqlfq2SM5i1py7re6El97EJZtySBxe64sBt1Mv8h_DYI7aAsrgiaamF91p8FVuCSwCOVqoOPtvJcjYNJ2pkudloLX7P4MimYV7jiwnnNhbng5h24BeS1u-NtXI/s320/mari.png" /></a></div>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-379496095524539882015-08-07T12:13:00.001+02:002015-08-07T12:14:11.890+02:00In short: Rivers of London and wisdom of life from Peter Grant<h2>Some might know the name <i>Ben Aaronvitch</i> from Dr.Who. I myself am familiar with the author for his excellent <i>Rivers of London (in US known as Peter Grant)</i> series. In this series, we met young cop and wizard in training Peter Grant.</h2></br></br></br></br></br></br></br><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi8qub611OiZDMluvO3ZYKUv7WBbbRDRDRv1TLKZeMcpo_OWNyfMFrKvHuVHf5ZRKQtTlerk8BEtqO4Dz0HuPKYUMysMC4F4ga8M1hYx7WsIbJPgwwOEhgPYYhTpJJ1MoxFiGDIYO8YNk/s1600/rol-tile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi8qub611OiZDMluvO3ZYKUv7WBbbRDRDRv1TLKZeMcpo_OWNyfMFrKvHuVHf5ZRKQtTlerk8BEtqO4Dz0HuPKYUMysMC4F4ga8M1hYx7WsIbJPgwwOEhgPYYhTpJJ1MoxFiGDIYO8YNk/s400/rol-tile.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The UK covers reminds me of the BBC series called EastEnders. <br />
The show aired in Norway during the 80's when I was a kid.</td></tr>
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<h4>If there's something strange in your London neighborhood. Who you gonna call? <br />
Peter Grant of course!</h4><br />
Rivers of London is a well-written, funny and smart urban fantasy series for adults. The books contains references to music and literature, I like finding hidden treasures. I just discovered the other day why Kansas is a reference used a countless number of times (thanks to my American friends). I have not read or watched The Wizard of Oz yet so that reference has been flying over my head for years, I guess I should consider being embarrassed because of this, but hey, I am just thankful for adding some useful knowledge to this brain of mine. <br />
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I am rather sad that I have not written about any of the four books that I have read. I guess I am trying to make up for it with this post. I have devoured all four books in audio book format, purchased on Audible. The reader of these books is the magnificent <i>Kobna Holdbrook-Smith</i>, he adds an extra dimension to the novels with his talent. <br />
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Without further ado, here are a handful of quotes full of wisdom for you from <i>Peter Grant </i>:<br />
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<blockquote>...good-Samaritanism in London is considered an extreme sport - like base-jumping or crocodile-wrestling.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>Keep breathing,’ I said. ‘It’s a habit you don’t want to break.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>Despite what you think you know, most people don't want to fight, especially when evenly matched. … That's why you see those pissed young men doing the dance of "don't hold me back" while desperately hoping someone likes them enough to hold them back.</blockquote><br />
From Rivers of London(Peter Grant/Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch.<br />
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<blockquote>Every male in the world thinks he's an excellent driver. Every copper who's ever had to pick an eyeball out of a puddle knows that most of them are kidding themselves.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>We were aiming for a cross between Kafka and Orwell, which just goes to show how dangerous it can be when your police officers are better read than you are.</blockquote><br />
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<blockquote><div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: justify; text-indent: 33.215999603271484px;">I decided to invent some rules just so I could add a new rule to the rules: Never diss somebody’s mum, never play chess with the Kurdish mafia, and never lie down with a woman who’s more magical than you are.</span></div></blockquote>Moon Over Soho(Peter Grant #2) by Ben Aaronovitch.<br />
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<blockquote>Like young men from the dawn of time, I decided to choose the risk of death over certain humiliation.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>It was a good plan, and like all plans since the dawn of time, this would fail to survive contact with real life.</blockquote><br />
Fra Whispers Under Ground (Peter Grant #3) by Ben Aaronovitch.<br />
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<blockquote>“That which does not kill us,” I said, “has to get up extra early in the morning if it wants to get us next time.” </blockquote><br />
<blockquote>A lifetime of disappointment had made him cynical, but you don’t stay an activist without a core of stubborn belief that things can get better – it’s a bit like being a Spurs supporter really.</blockquote><br />
From Broken Homes (Peter Grant #4) by Ben Aaronovitch<br />
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<h2>Have you read any of the books in this series or are you tempted to do so in the future?</h2><br />
Happy Friday, make the best of it =)Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-86178771206631701882015-08-04T15:04:00.002+02:002015-08-07T13:02:45.311+02:00#bookreview - Golden boy by Abigail Tarttelin<h2>I read <i>Golden Boy</i> by </br><i>Abigail Tarttelin</br></i> last summer.</h2></br></br><br />
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<h2>Now even a year after reading the book</br> the story is still fresh in my mind.</br>To me that is a sign of quality.</h2></br><br />
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<h3>Golden boy in my words:</h3><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">On the outside Max is a boy, but biologically he has both male and female reproductive organs. Max is born intersex(there are various kinds of the condition this is just one of them). Even if he might be different underneath a few layers of clothing Max leads a life no different than other teenagers. That is until one day when his best friend from childhood oversteps all boundaries. A friend who knows everything about Max turns his world upside down and shatters it. To Max intersex has been his normal, as well it should, and he lives just fine with the condition. Now Max starts to doubt himself and wonder if he is a freak of nature. </blockquote><br />
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<h3>A golden boy</h3>First of all my heart bleeds for those who in real life experience the difficulties of feeling that they are born different and those struggling coming to terms with the fact that we are not all made the same way. Luckily each day shows us that 'normal' is a concept far broader than the world perhaps initially defined it as. Max is intersex yes, he happens to be biologically parts boy and girl, but that does not define who he is as a person. Max is portrayed as generous, loving and kind - if he were a living, breathing human, and not letters on paper, I would love to have Max in my own life.<br />
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<h4>In the news:</h4><br />
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0563oIKgMcM?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></center><br />
As I am sure you have picked up on by now <i>Abigal Tarttelin</i> made sure that Max is a character the reader cannot help but fall head over heels for. Max is such a sympathetic and strong boy, even when people try to break him down. When Max is brutally forced into learning more about his condition he is quite shocked by what he learns and also to discover what has been kept from him all his life. Some of the people in Max life,that loves him dearly has made some less than wise choices in the name of love and for what they thought would protect him from harm. <br />
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<h3>Multiple point of view</h3><br />
The story is told to the reader through the eyes of Max and those closest to him and that makes it possible to view things from several angles and to understand some of the choices that was made. I am glad for it and in my opinion it works quite well. Everything is illuminated, so to speak. Things have been said, done and kept from Max out of love and good intentions, but there is a time and a place for everything. A parent cannot protect his or her child from difficulties forever, especially not when the problems are related to the child's physical and psychological well being. Sometimes on has to face the difficulties and work it out in the best possible way, teenagers has a right to be heard in matters concerning his or hers future.<br />
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<h3>No justice</h3><br />
<i>Golden boy</i> was an excellent novel, one I cannot do justice by mere words from the English vocabulary of a Norwegian. I enjoyed the writing and the theme(s) addressed in this novel, it makes a person more able to understand and empathize with the difficulties that can arise concerning gender identity. In addition this book is important for those who might be intersex, you are not alone and you are not abnormal. Like I said I cannot do this story justice but I will treasure it forever. One of the best books I have read in the past year. I recommend this book to young adult and adults alike.<br />
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<h2>Have you read Golden Boy or will you sometime in the future?</h2></br></br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VkhGqUbwPbDextQJFiqlfq2SM5i1py7re6El97EJZtySBxe64sBt1Mv8h_DYI7aAsrgiaamF91p8FVuCSwCOVqoOPtvJcjYNJ2pkudloLX7P4MimYV7jiwnnNhbng5h24BeS1u-NtXI/s1600/mari.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VkhGqUbwPbDextQJFiqlfq2SM5i1py7re6El97EJZtySBxe64sBt1Mv8h_DYI7aAsrgiaamF91p8FVuCSwCOVqoOPtvJcjYNJ2pkudloLX7P4MimYV7jiwnnNhbng5h24BeS1u-NtXI/s1600/mari.png" /></a></div>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-88032737694537039732015-06-18T13:21:00.001+02:002015-06-18T22:21:59.582+02:00My pet peevs: The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace<h3>A lost princess, a breach in a magical barrier, Keepers with an affinity one of the four elements and a handsome Lord. This is <i>The Storyteller</i>, more or less.</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzYPHIBIZ0BPhbpiY_BjM7et38_njlO6lbaseOZCMo4kWmcQ0cV4C_c5CpSkSA3mbTmh9TnW12gdedQ-53gNojRFs1jeTnsAxCovu9VhQLElMpLKX3N0PueO24NSss2cuSK3A79hXKFnW/s1600/story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzYPHIBIZ0BPhbpiY_BjM7et38_njlO6lbaseOZCMo4kWmcQ0cV4C_c5CpSkSA3mbTmh9TnW12gdedQ-53gNojRFs1jeTnsAxCovu9VhQLElMpLKX3N0PueO24NSss2cuSK3A79hXKFnW/s320/story.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18488433-the-storyspinner" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia99oYRR1pQbFMLSnALFg9PUowdjgkNa4e5wf9U5xiPoFmT64O5oICdRU_Zp8mWc_2Neblj5tlaaHNo8dM7BBWt9wpOpH4NJnFYaeTTy9WYqYmBmVAc5z8Ew_ZKr5DlxKxNU8M6DlaU9rT/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the Goodreads button to read more about <i>The Storyspinner</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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The Storyteller is a high/historical fantasy novel with all of the classical ingredients. Team good vs. team bad, ordinary people vs. people with magical abilities. Nothing new there really, but I still enjoyed the story. I have to underline my liking of the novel before I start listing my pet peeves, because <b><u>I did enjoy the story and I want to read the sequel</u></b>. Alas there are things to be said about the story and the use of language that is not positive. <br />
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<h4>The Edward Cullen complex</h4>Why did the heroine of the story have to fall for the guy who throw punches before using his vocabulary? He beat you up girl, there is no excuse for that even if he thought you were a thieving boy. His brother is so much nicer! I cannot forgive the author for this, and I feel it sends out all the wrong signals to young girls. Never forgive a guy that punches you in the face. <br />
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<blockquote>A smile curled the corner of his mouth. “But if you can think of a way to sneak me out, I’d love to go slumming with you.” “I’ll think on it.” She didn’t mention that she had a mother and older brother who kept her far from the pubs and inns, fairly trapping her at their wagon. “Although,” Dom said, his face suddenly serious. “We couldn’t really call it slumming. I bring the quality of everyone up a few notches.” Johanna laughed and caught a glimpse of Brynn’s grim face as she added scented oil to the lanterns bracketed around the room.</blockquote><br />
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<h4>Words belonging to another era</h4><br />
Also I found some words that I reacted to, like the use of the word cupcake(did you know the word cupcake was first used in 1826? It is so according to Wikipedia). It felt totally misplaced in this kind of fantasy setting:<br />
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<blockquote>Other young ladies and at least one lady’s maid speckled the ground around her like cupcakes fallen from a tray.</blockquote><br />
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<h4>An exotic girl </h4><br />
Why does a woman of color have to be described as exotic just because she isn't white? Or? Don't use the word exotic to describe people and I think you'll be alright, Wallace. Lots of bloggers and authors have written about the use of the word exotic before - <b><a href="http://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/121712966002/we-recently-received-a-message-asking-why-the-word">here is useful advice</a></b>.<br />
<blockquote>Maribelle shook the maid away and ran her fingers through her hair, letting it cascade down her back. She was beautiful. And exotic. And noble.</blockquote><br />
Seeing the paragraph above in combination with this sentence makes it even worse:<br />
<blockquote>The girl was attractive in an obvious way, petite and fair-skinned, with small hands and delicate features. Pira wanted to hate her, but she had to give Johanna credit for a toughness that belied her size.</blockquote><br />
I am sure that the author has just been a bit thoughtless here and meant no harm, but it is best just to avoid setting people against each other like this based on skin tone. The tone of ones skin is not what makes a person more or less beautiful, kind. mean or any other personal trait.<br />
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<h4>Cliches and body perfection focus:</h4><br />
I am just fed up with perfection, nothing wrong with being perfect but the world isn't like that. Please spread body positive vibes instead please, for both boys and girls alike. <br />
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<blockquote>Her bare legs were pale and well shaped against the dark gray river rocks.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>The evening stars crowned his dark head with pinpoints of light, casting a shadow over his eyes. The effect was stunning, highlighting his straight nose and full mouth.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>The sun glinted off the planes of his high cheekbones, kissing his face with morning light.</blockquote><br />
All the negatives aside, Wallace did a good job with her story. I was hooked from the beginning and when I felt my interest starting to fall it was always a new hook there to keep me reading. It is not just the main character of this story that is a storyspinner. I am looking forward to more books from Becky Wallace and I hope my advice will be taken into consideration so there is no pet peeves to be seen in the sequel ;)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you read The Storyspinner? <br />
What did you like/dislike about it? <br />
Do you agree with my pet peeves or do you think I am overreacting?</span></b>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-21890524459611298562015-04-20T18:30:00.001+02:002015-04-20T18:30:16.341+02:00Tag: Burn, rewrite or reread?<h2>A keeper? A book that needs to be rewritten? <br />
A book to burn, so that you can keep you warm on a cold winter night?!</h2><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCGXq4d5puvzS3W4iVv1PAhu1T53u9KOZjx1WSwENzVjpMeKGZjN9ltKcqSmdXsJylV7lYdvGD1_BXJW7vM398h0fjooVCqB1u2-B3YgK8sUsdSHRR05IFr-Qe1eaQmUWSoYE1o-4Pily/s1600/burn-rewrite-reread.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCGXq4d5puvzS3W4iVv1PAhu1T53u9KOZjx1WSwENzVjpMeKGZjN9ltKcqSmdXsJylV7lYdvGD1_BXJW7vM398h0fjooVCqB1u2-B3YgK8sUsdSHRR05IFr-Qe1eaQmUWSoYE1o-4Pily/s1600/burn-rewrite-reread.png" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image courtesy of <b><a href="http://www.snugglyoranges.com/2015/04/tag-burn-rewrite-or-reread/" target="_blank">Debby from Snuggly Oranges book blog</a></b>.<br />
Not to be used without permission.</span></td></tr>
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<h3>Last summer booktubers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMhMxeJQPk">Lauren Ann and WhittyNovels</a> invented this fun book tag called burn, write or reread. Let the book battle begin! </h3><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">I have chose nine random YA novels from my Read shelf on Goodreads and dived them into groups of three. They all battled for the reread victory, the outcome was inevitable only three books could be left standing. </blockquote><br />
<h3>Round one:<br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">(Click the cover if you want to check out my original review)</span></h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/03/book-review-giveaway-glee-foreign.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeQqsyt5EXKGuvupTS0egRc4q1IxLbWjOaSn5vfl7PPJZAQWe9mHNaljJGvG89sLsr6Na8bdQrsdab6ZXdhvlM46RIIJO2dWKdfwHofH6rlhjMnUFImPjW8tZWO72_FfdskH3wU-sWN-v/s1600/glee.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/03/book-review-lipstick-laws-by-amy-holder.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTAaxo3Oc13nhhF-0DWmlfJ5NIPua-iLfFjG2hLqkp5_96w5Li4u4ikVGmgIpmi002iY7FMVfpgHAi0eEWxGLZhdw8PmhKcCiSU0F36ghNzdNvomnDLdv1kispGuPVwaig-9dSGprwqSt/s1600/lip.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/02/book-review-name-of-star-by-maureen.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs2r4tWVajpTnVMIx6CYyMqNLnHN5bg5Zpsdww7aYYdJLfXZqLA5Ksxpja_TdHhfMK-PZfCjaq7F6QumNgqhKHuW15Grb45fIFT2pT3v0bhg93BZxQWsqiAR5uXyFHAwXabucNqa-V383/s1600/name.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Burn:<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Sorry <i>Sophia Lowell! </i>fun and cute as these reads are I can watch the show instead!<br />
</span></h4><br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Rewrite:</h4><span style="font-weight: normal;">This one was easy! The main character in </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Lipstick Laws</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> was taken under the wings of the popular girl, she very much wanted everyone to love her. Then she turned around and treated the sweetest guy like shit, just the way she felt the in crowd treated her. Talk about irony. I would have wanted to change that and the love interest would have to go - soooorry!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><h4>Reread:</h4></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So much for easy, I have to eat my words now. <i>Maureen Johnsen</i> in all honesty I would have wanted this to go in the rewrite pile as well, but that spot was already taken. Reread it is then. I appreciate the authors effort to keep it historical accurate and I loved the flashbacks to the main characters eccentric family.</span><br />
<h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</h3><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Round two:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQhel8Gn5ZxLXqyHBeJjdgCx89ws00NY-K5FRcSx4LqL-R8cEbsD7in2si0VAE-dppqbnSTXpo-4ZWb0L-ZkV5OKo_LzayzmrKZKQOi7Slaj-e3ipm88Xo_tZBelmdUpOWb8JGn0vQtaP/s1600/gonzo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQhel8Gn5ZxLXqyHBeJjdgCx89ws00NY-K5FRcSx4LqL-R8cEbsD7in2si0VAE-dppqbnSTXpo-4ZWb0L-ZkV5OKo_LzayzmrKZKQOi7Slaj-e3ipm88Xo_tZBelmdUpOWb8JGn0vQtaP/s1600/gonzo.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsN3QZBCRaeKHQYBQ7pV3RNLh8Y9EzkcDGP07YD0znY5IpwdU4Bc8MfkfQFVClQy-EFa7XAXzC0tTmyJfMLUWOnhSYP4ZMF1iGnyP9nkaijwyVlYvJSzK4YJVd65_XQheTGlTBcBTZtq3/s1600/Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsN3QZBCRaeKHQYBQ7pV3RNLh8Y9EzkcDGP07YD0znY5IpwdU4Bc8MfkfQFVClQy-EFa7XAXzC0tTmyJfMLUWOnhSYP4ZMF1iGnyP9nkaijwyVlYvJSzK4YJVd65_XQheTGlTBcBTZtq3/s1600/Good.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/01/book-review-angelfallpenryn-end-of-days.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VN5mLHGdlIFnzI7_cmd58KD4dRhWWqJm6KeWQMuYBoX5TyRFnDtH1FlP2FR1bUj5VEiJZAFniWpVA9k0haSE6XUHBeTGL0p4a-xw6BKTqSMocps8bw6gEuGXr35bN8ArjjlG1NJCDStC/s1600/angelf.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div><br />
<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Burn:<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Angelfall </i>was such a surprising read, in a good way. Action filled and addictive, pure entertainment not too much substance for that this dystopia have to go. The competition in this round was just too hard.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Reread:</h4><span style="font-weight: normal;">All I really want to say is that more people need to read this excellent UKYA novel by <i>Dave Cousins</i>. <i>Waiting for Gonzo</i> was laugh out loud funny as well as addressing some serious teen issues. I heart this novel, and I feel like I need to buy a physical copy in addition to the audiobook I own. Do you by any chance know<i> Carter from Brent Crawford's novels</i>? </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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Who wants to see a book trailer where the author wears a fake mustache?! I knew you would be interested, here you go mye friend. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rZfsv2S5w-g?rel=0" width="440"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I will forever be curious as to what band Dave was playing in, his style in the video makes me think I would have liked the music. Rediscovering Gonzo with this tag made me aware of Dave's new MG novel, which I of course had to buy. So careful when you do this tag, it might have consequences for your TBR pile.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><h4>Rewrite:</h4></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry again <i>Laura Buzo</i>. I have been 15 years and in love too, just like Amelia! In Amelia's case a relationship is out of the question, in my case we are still together. The guy Amelia meets at work in the grocery store is such a sweet guy, and the story is just about their everyday life and some feelings, ya know. No, not boring at all! This was such a bittersweet read and in truth not all that far from hijacking the reread tag. If I were to rewrite this novel it would be with a guarantee that there was to be a sequel. Pretty please, Laura, I am begging you.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Round three:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/05/book-review-betrayal-of-maggie-blair-by.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGyjVZO0hV06-TwmWmeT0zwgQEds6fPGb8Jc4GZIkJ_kPmOiic-TbVZFcyWdJV1CsrfudOTKoEzNOMwnigbxHofXOLZuKG4BE-yYwsFn4cq4ebfRWSf3yxMDj5HTmxUTgCg8UMIhOEel4/s1600/maggie.jpg" height="200" width="134" /></a><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2011/07/book-review-starcrossed-by-josephine.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6rzcjy4TAmr5zyU8pIA6UsPjJnX8NUCav5XpmlMXCfAbrTabfR6SPLoY2sHWLOChZIwqoDHaB7Bh64h8rhMZXXSiunyT2Uncm_3H5yz0Wr-OX8VuZN4ixOS4TIkEGqYfVd_pho8z/s320/star.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/10/banned-books-week-speak-by-laurie-halse.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3b6GBs6RUAEkd6pERo5Np0qAGZ6f1YTNZURr3mKyLBDgy6ejf-TdFZGCZEPRGtj2t-dD15jwz6X73EDi1JdgK4EeR9IujGauAghhccHpaIGgUP0YYFXTElF0l_G64G5CULgJT0zvJ3Yw6/s1600/speak.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><br />
<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Burn:<br />
<i style="font-weight: normal;">Starcrossed! </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">I was not a huge fan of </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Angelini's</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> verson of The Cullen family, sorry </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Josephine</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">. That being said I appreciated the Greek mythology in this novel. Lazyness came over me so I am adding the burn arguments from my review:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(...)the love story that was a bit of a let down. I couldn't feel the chemistry also I'm going to be very honest; I'm a bit tired of the "girl meets boy, boy and girl has to break up even though they are madly in love each other"- formula.</span></blockquote></h4><br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Rewrite:</h4><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>The Betryal of Maggie Blair</i> was in truth a fine historical YA. My only complaint would be that Maggie, the main character, was too free for a woman of her time. I could not buy in to just that part of the story. The novel is set in Scotland during The Killing Time, a time period I knew nothing about before reading <i>Elizabeth Laird's</i> novel.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><h4>Reread:</h4></div><br />
<i>Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson</i> is a novel often challenged, narrow minded people feel that the story is unsuitable for teens. I find that incomprehensible. If you have yet to read the book you should know that in truth this is a realistic, gripping and believe it or not humorous young adult contemporary about a young girl working her way back to life after being raped.<br />
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Speak is an important read for all genders alike. You get to travel inside the head of a young girl, you experience how life can feel, how this kind of secret tears on the inside of a person and changing his or hers personality. I was never sure what ending I could expect from <i>Speak</i>. A fine book and it has been turned into a movie with <i>Kirsten Stewart</i> as the main charactere Mel.<br />
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<i>So there you have it, three rounds of book battle, some easier than others. Thanks to <b><a href="http://readeroffictions.com/2015/04/tag-burn-write-or-reread/">Christina from A Reader of Fiction</a></b> for challenging her readers. I challenge you to do the tag as well, if you like.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-66679383274264613902015-04-16T10:49:00.000+02:002015-04-16T14:20:22.356+02:00Bookish delights in May 2015<h2>
Are you ready to check out the May releases on my wish list? Please do share your own anticipated reads in the comments. I am always scouting for great young adult novels.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5Ku7k4bk_gKsZhSxdowfJKDJSLdJ86_WRRap5TuuF4KGt69aY8mF_c6zYhtczxu_ncIgSFkiyaFeDxUo4fs3DXiOZJWcyEg4PwHs_92Jlabj7wck5bVfFLJY3n9jywZlXVAo7iO0NAqu/s1600/summer-horz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5Ku7k4bk_gKsZhSxdowfJKDJSLdJ86_WRRap5TuuF4KGt69aY8mF_c6zYhtczxu_ncIgSFkiyaFeDxUo4fs3DXiOZJWcyEg4PwHs_92Jlabj7wck5bVfFLJY3n9jywZlXVAo7iO0NAqu/s320/summer-horz.jpg" /></a></div>
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<h4>
In my bookish delight posts are books I feel might be worth reading. That being said I do not know when, or if I ever, get to these books. Life is full of great books, but time is too short to read them all. I will not be pestering you with long synopsis, I have just added some keywords that might inspire you to find out more about the books on your own.</h4>
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<b>May 12th:</b></center>
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<b>5 to 1 by Holly Badger</b>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9OxqRk-j5adsvSJlBVI0bV0VrZ7alnnSYV_wPXdFFQfNCcuy9qxx4172GeScrst4E_gB9hmR1EoCOFyrUs52UhCNtquyw_13We0ENH9jQcooF5eV23-oXvDJO89YuuSZlXCI03R9dIas/s1600/5+to+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9OxqRk-j5adsvSJlBVI0bV0VrZ7alnnSYV_wPXdFFQfNCcuy9qxx4172GeScrst4E_gB9hmR1EoCOFyrUs52UhCNtquyw_13We0ENH9jQcooF5eV23-oXvDJO89YuuSZlXCI03R9dIas/s1600/5+to+1.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18588998-5-to-1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia99oYRR1pQbFMLSnALFg9PUowdjgkNa4e5wf9U5xiPoFmT64O5oICdRU_Zp8mWc_2Neblj5tlaaHNo8dM7BBWt9wpOpH4NJnFYaeTTy9WYqYmBmVAc5z8Ew_ZKr5DlxKxNU8M6DlaU9rT/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></center>
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<blockquote>
India year 2054, five boys for every girl, alternating between prose and verse, a new country is formed, nobody's wife.</blockquote>
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<b>May 14th:</b></center>
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<b>Read me like a book by Liz Kessler</b>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQvzbea4mceOwJqw-HK4uRcwJeWij3cYMA4ZKtULbrUYo_ptZ-ayOlyCynKIsuWxT4mYdM_gbq1Lby2BnMEQlctDLm0Q6_otetxlRucM-1liKnZLAy2AwDk4e30-ZcVXgVzMjKbb6Unjo/s1600/read.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQvzbea4mceOwJqw-HK4uRcwJeWij3cYMA4ZKtULbrUYo_ptZ-ayOlyCynKIsuWxT4mYdM_gbq1Lby2BnMEQlctDLm0Q6_otetxlRucM-1liKnZLAy2AwDk4e30-ZcVXgVzMjKbb6Unjo/s1600/read.jpg" width="136" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22352840-read-me-like-a-book"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia99oYRR1pQbFMLSnALFg9PUowdjgkNa4e5wf9U5xiPoFmT64O5oICdRU_Zp8mWc_2Neblj5tlaaHNo8dM7BBWt9wpOpH4NJnFYaeTTy9WYqYmBmVAc5z8Ew_ZKr5DlxKxNU8M6DlaU9rT/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></center>
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<blockquote>
All consuming love, feelings not for boyfriend but for English teacher Miss Murray.</blockquote>
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<b>May 19th:</b></center>
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<b>Three day summer by Sarvenaz Tash:</b></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQiIEFjxNizI5tHY70jdHsduiIgc4GoLogjb0jAnbq0EzbZI7qW2YZAm13aYVdxqV-at9-WeVk_Blm347AsiwGgHOg8MLpgtleagJmEQ44lLdA0NP7nQ4GSFoitGBA6Co9FFCTW8iV2d6/s1600/summer.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQiIEFjxNizI5tHY70jdHsduiIgc4GoLogjb0jAnbq0EzbZI7qW2YZAm13aYVdxqV-at9-WeVk_Blm347AsiwGgHOg8MLpgtleagJmEQ44lLdA0NP7nQ4GSFoitGBA6Co9FFCTW8iV2d6/s1600/summer.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23232396-three-day-summer"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia99oYRR1pQbFMLSnALFg9PUowdjgkNa4e5wf9U5xiPoFmT64O5oICdRU_Zp8mWc_2Neblj5tlaaHNo8dM7BBWt9wpOpH4NJnFYaeTTy9WYqYmBmVAc5z8Ew_ZKr5DlxKxNU8M6DlaU9rT/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></center>
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Boy, unsure of future, big concert, volunteer, good girl, lovestory.</blockquote>
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<b>Hold me like a breath by Tiffany Schmidt:</b></center>
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</b> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbhtxXeZOB3fXQTAysH1Sh6wI6EFuP9AsftDc-5wcqvO4tQNPv0VFk0jpL8w7FgII5xeF4rdiWB3v2uFETjmtVz5NMaasfMCuVnRuQLv_e8qXW7x1Hul6tRzVQMQIP5pq1aT89TWSmLMl/s1600/breath.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbhtxXeZOB3fXQTAysH1Sh6wI6EFuP9AsftDc-5wcqvO4tQNPv0VFk0jpL8w7FgII5xeF4rdiWB3v2uFETjmtVz5NMaasfMCuVnRuQLv_e8qXW7x1Hul6tRzVQMQIP5pq1aT89TWSmLMl/s1600/breath.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18584521-hold-me-like-a-breath"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia99oYRR1pQbFMLSnALFg9PUowdjgkNa4e5wf9U5xiPoFmT64O5oICdRU_Zp8mWc_2Neblj5tlaaHNo8dM7BBWt9wpOpH4NJnFYaeTTy9WYqYmBmVAc5z8Ew_ZKr5DlxKxNU8M6DlaU9rT/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></center>
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Black market, organ transplants, no one is safe, crime families, autoimmune disorder.</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What is on your May wishlist?</b></span><br />
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I was surprised to see how short my wish list was this month. There are sure to be some goodies out there that I have missed. In one way that is good, if I had no other books to read it would be a realistic assumption that I could read these three books in May. Alas my book shelf is full, as well as my Audible library and Kindle. So I'll wait and see, but I do really want to read these three.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPwd-_zgDLcA5OgojhUZyoNKhQZCvIgvt_OUHANAvpmAJy5ah1AQ_CAsKtyutfRXoxStXZnrESIDoI10kaE9dlz9wV7ISugkVdZ1E-zhYu-OXLW6ePvJ4NkIBGro4TVaZhybzV6hnn890/s1600/nubb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPwd-_zgDLcA5OgojhUZyoNKhQZCvIgvt_OUHANAvpmAJy5ah1AQ_CAsKtyutfRXoxStXZnrESIDoI10kaE9dlz9wV7ISugkVdZ1E-zhYu-OXLW6ePvJ4NkIBGro4TVaZhybzV6hnn890/s1600/nubb.jpg" height="363" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of Nubb.nu - the project I am fortunate enough to be a part of.</td></tr>
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<h4>Nordic Young Adult literature</h4><br />
Since my last post I have accepted an offer to become editor/project manager of a website called <a href="http://nubb.nu/"><i>NUBB.nu</i></a>. NUBB is a volunteer site working to convey Nordic young adult literature and book bloggers across the Nordic borders. <a href="http://nubb.nu/" target="_blank">Check it out if you like</a> - we recently started to offer a short summary of our posts in English, so if your interest is peaked by the summary head on over to Google Translate. Not the perfect translating tool by any means but GT will give you the gist. So it might be needless of me to say that I focus primarily on Nordic YA literature these days, but I do have shelves and a Kindle stocked with YA, written in English, that I really want to keep up with as well.<br />
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<b>I am reading</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk62TUWQWDzNhmfajVl-maVr-pAfqIHz_uuU1pWeV_ULVy2ddEkct7EwNWheAFhR9nbdrCiwuE24HPAcbbI_JKeIvNdDV1EbtEX653VUd6sKb9tjvqkveRYSXAaxqJL1x4V_8IeTOaSm_/s1600/currently.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk62TUWQWDzNhmfajVl-maVr-pAfqIHz_uuU1pWeV_ULVy2ddEkct7EwNWheAFhR9nbdrCiwuE24HPAcbbI_JKeIvNdDV1EbtEX653VUd6sKb9tjvqkveRYSXAaxqJL1x4V_8IeTOaSm_/s1600/currently.jpg" height="175" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what my <b>Currently reading</b> shelf on Goodreads look like.</td></tr>
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<blockquote>“She doesn't believe in dogs," Bridget said. "Dogs are hardly an article of faith," Sylvie said.” <br />
From Life after Life by Kate Atkins.</blockquote><br />
Some of these books I have not opened for a while, although I liked reading all of them. This especially goes for <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15790842-life-after-life" target="_blank">Kate Atkinson's Life After Life</a>. </b>The book is like a never ending sliding doors project, well written, clever idea, wonderful characters and a, sometimes very, dramatic but believable story. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">You will be a wife and a mother, and that is all.<br />
From A Mad, Wicked Folly.</blockquote><br />
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079501-a-mad-wicked-folly" target="_blank">A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller</a></b> is the YA historical novel I am currently listening to on audio. Victoria Darling longs to be able to study art, but that is not an option for a proper young lady according to her parents. On her mission to become accepted into The Royal College of Art Victoria's path intertwines with that of the suffragist. The title plays on a statement made by Queen Victoria:<br />
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<blockquote>… this mad, wicked folly of ‘Women’s Rights’ with all its attendant horrors on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety.<br />
QUEEN VICTORIA</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>“When I hug trees, the bark marks my cheek and reminds me I'm alive. Or that my nervous system is still intact. The trees breathe all the time and no one really notices. They take in all the air we choke on. They live and die in silence. So I hug them. Someone should.” <br />
From Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos.<br />
</blockquote><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15764032-dr-bird-s-advice-for-sad-poets" target="_blank">Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos</a></b> is a contemporary YA novel with a male main character, James Whitman. I kind of rediscovered the book on my wish list once the paperback copy was being released. James is a quirky and lovable teenage boy, he loves Walt Whitman's poetry and a girl named Beth. Pretty much friendless and a family that so far seems to be dysfunctional I do not now how he manages to go through every single day as he does. Poetic language and great observations through James' eyes.<br />
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<blockquote>“Will I ever get the smell of formaldehyde out of my hair?” I needed to shout to overcome the wind blown directly into our faces and the “infernal combustion engine,” as my father called the Packard. I put my wrist to my nose. “I think the stuff’s in my skin as well!” “It is!” Father called out cheerily. “Formaldehyde is organic and seeps into the skin. You’ll smell like a cadaver for the rest of the term! Perhaps longer. Every year before the summer break all the anatomy students get together on King’s Court, set a huge bonfire, and burn their odious black coats!”<br />
From Jane by Robin Maxwell.</blockquote><br />
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13539193-jane" target="_blank">Jane by Robin Maxwell</a></b> is the story of Jane, you know the girl who loved Tarzan. Jane has struggles very similar to Victoria in <i>A Mad Wicked Folly</i>, natural of course since both stories are from the same period of time. Women struggle to be recognized as an equal part/contributors of society. I am not all that far into the story but I do find it rather fun that <i>Maxwell</i> has included the author, <i>Edgar Rice Burrough,</i> of the original Tarzan story,<i> Tarzan of the Apes</i>, as a character in this novel. It is good to know that the story is approved by the Edgar Rice Burrough's estate. Jane was released back in 2012, the year the original Tarzan story celebrated its "100th birthday".<br />
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<blockquote>“Fight me,” he said, tossing her the slab of wood. She caught it out of the air and weighed the sword in her palm. “Aren't I a little old for practice swords, Jacaré?" She never used his official title, no matter how many times he'd corrected her. The men she'd just defeated shifted nervously and took a few steps away to give the pair enough room to spar. “You're never too old to do as you're told. Now eaise your weapon."<br />
From The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace.</blockquote><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18488433-the-storyspinner"><b>The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace</b></a> is the first book in the <i>The Keepers' Chronicles</i>. A high fantasy YA with 3rd person multiple point of view. So far I have been using a few seconds to remember who is who when a new chapter begins, the chapter alternates between the POVs. Not a big problem though as all characters has a pretty distinct voice. Half of the narrators belong to one side of the wall, so the story lines are the same for each half of the cast(does that make sense?). Sucked in from the very beginning, even if I cannot point to something highly original so far it has been an enjoyable journey so far. <br />
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<blockquote>“When at last I came upon the right book, the feeling was violent: it blew open a hole in me that made life more dangerous because I couldn't control what came through it.” <br />
From Great House by Nicole Krauss.</blockquote><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7907782-great-house" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Great house by Nicole Krauss</a> is my second Krauss novel, I LOVED her novel <b><a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2009/05/history-of-love-by-nicole-krauss.html" target="_blank">History of love and I actually reviewed it here on this very blog six years ago</a></b>, I admire Krauss skill of writing. I would not say that this is a book for everyone as Krauss loves great, long phrases, and I know many a reader that do not, - I suspect that the dot is Krauss' least favorite punctuation mark. I have almost finished this one, but skipped to the next and left this one gathering dust. I do not know why I did that. Time to pick it up again and see where the one item(a desk) that is the common denominator in this story, knitting all the people together, takes the story next.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25208501-begynnelse" target="_blank">Begynnelse : noveller(Eng. Beginnings: Short stories) by Anne Connie Stuksrud</a></b> is an interesting find. I never read much YA when I was in my teens, so I decided to just search for some YA online at The National Library. <i>Beginnings</i> was one of the first books that caught my eye. The short stories focuses on subjects like love, friendship, sexuality and eating disorders and the two stories I have read so far were pretty great. In Norway we are super lucky, the entire national library collection are being digitized(<a href="http://www.nb.no/English/The-Digital-Library/What-is-being-digitized" target="_blank">read more about this project, in English, here</a>) and the books can be read online.<br />
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<blockquote>“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”<br />
From The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.</blockquote><br />
I very much dislike the term self help books, it makes me feel vulnerable in some way - like I can manage every thing on my own. Oh yes, I can see the irony in this hitting me like a train without breaks. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015403-the-gifts-of-imperfection" target="_blank">The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown</a></b> is a book bearing that very label and a great one indeed. I love how <b>Brown</b> shares from her own life and reminding us of what is important(and what is not). A lot of what her research involves common sense, but there seems to be a lot of things we humans forget on this road called life. Reading this book is like being given a reminder of things that can give us a happier life and for that I have fallen in love with Brown.<br />
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Listen to one of Brené's TED talks and you might understand why I enjoy her writing so much:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Perhaps you have read one or more of the books on my way to long currently reading list? What did you think of the books?</span> <br />
Or maybe you want to read one or more of them? I know I am far from the only one with a huge, huge wish list of books.<br />
<br />
So there you have it, you know what I am reading and news from my world. I wanted to say hello and see if you guys are still out there. Drop me a line and I will stop by your blog.Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-31298912376946991292015-02-28T00:08:00.001+01:002015-02-28T00:08:38.777+01:00Undone by Cat Clarke #bookreview<blockquote>
Every good story deserves a happy ending – it’s a basic rule of storytelling. The boy next door certainly shouldn’t die.</blockquote>
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<h3>
<i>Undone</i> tells the tragic story of a sixteen year old boy who commits suicide, because society cannot accept that he is gay, and how his best friend Jem copes with the loss. A well written YA contemporary from UK author <i>Cat Clarke</i>. </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpM5TER7Ez80pGBP65FfdCflNmEEEgV6LPnyZ0B-mVx3dEpnRrttCfUPuAv5QK_v8XYtw-el3a_R3PKD-7ECvF75AtBRwV0XuTTffssV4IkBu68nKYLbWJ2W_QGRl8RL4pys21AIF_PoY/s1600/und.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpM5TER7Ez80pGBP65FfdCflNmEEEgV6LPnyZ0B-mVx3dEpnRrttCfUPuAv5QK_v8XYtw-el3a_R3PKD-7ECvF75AtBRwV0XuTTffssV4IkBu68nKYLbWJ2W_QGRl8RL4pys21AIF_PoY/s320/und.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Undone, published in 2012 by Quercus. 502 pages.</td></tr>
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<h3>
Torn</h3>
I have so many conflicted feelings inside of me after having finished reading <b>Undone</b>. On one hand it was a great read, with an unexplainable hook keeping me invested throughout the story on the other hand there were some things that bugged me very much.<br />
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Kai was the best, and the only, friend Jem had and in her opinion the only one she needed. Jem loved Kai dearly, not only as a friend, but he could never give Jem what she wanted. Jem understood and kept loving Kai all the same. One day Kai's sexuality was being outed in the worst possible way, in the end he cannot bear to live with it.<br />
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<blockquote>
And I knew. She didn’t even have to tell me. I knew. But she told me anyway. I screamed. A raw, animal sound that I would never have imagined could come out of my body. Then I blacked out. When I woke up he was still dead.</blockquote>
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After recovering slightly after the horrible shock Jem decides that she are going to revenge Kai. And so begins the journey, a great drama, in some ways unlike things I have read previously but also other areas recognisable from films and other novels. Jem moving up the ladder in the social hierarchy and leaving who she once was behind for the sake of payback for the boy that she loved.<br />
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<blockquote>
He was the type of boy who would lie flat on his back in the middle of the lawn to make sure the sky above was still the same sky he’d left behind in Manchester.</blockquote>
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<h3>
Slut shaming</h3>
The story is told through the eyes of our main character, Jem, that means the reader is left to interpret her view of the world. It is soon established that Jem is not alway trustworthy in her judgment and that her view of friendship(with other people than Kai) is messed up. Jem is so judgemental, negative and suspicious. I have to say that I did not like the way Jem several times turned to slut shaming - like in this example(and this was not the worst one):<br />
<blockquote>
But she wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up, which was pretty much unthinkable to the popular, slutty girls she was friends with.</blockquote>
Wearing make-up does not turn someone into a slut, but in Jem's bitter mind it does. Also I found Kai's voice from the afterlife felt a bit stereotypical, it sounded a bit like one of the guys from the tv-series <i>Queer Eye</i>. Shopping, hair and make-up.<br />
<blockquote>
This month is all about SHOPPING! Your very favourite thing, right?!</blockquote>
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<h3>
Social media and intolerant people</h3>
To me this was the tale of coping with grief and also how hard it can be to have the world know about your sexuality if you are not yet ready to tell and I must add that there still is a lot of narrow minded people in our world, sadly. This story also does a great job showing how social media and cell phones can be used for bullying and that things that go viral cannot be taken back. In Jem's own words:<br />
<blockquote>
Kai and I would be living in a world where nobody cared about your sexual orientation. Being gay wouldn’t be gossiped about or frowned upon – it wouldn’t even be worth mentioning. It would just be a fact. A mundane sort of fact.</blockquote>
As a parent myself I think this is a good read for adults as well as young adults. It is a reminder that one should step up, care and see the teenager - our kids needs us way beyond the age of ten. I wanted to shout at the book why the hell haven't anyone fixed therapy for Jem? But I guess we would not have had this story if Jem went to a councilor. In my opinion there is some serious case of neglect or at least turning a blind eye from the parents in this story.<br />
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<blockquote>
‘I really, really like you, Jem.’ The way he says it makes it seem like a declaration of the deepest, most sincere love.</blockquote>
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<h3>
The cast and THE END</h3>
I sometimes wished the author had chosen another narrative point of view, the first person narrative in this story makes it difficult to get to know the other characters more intimately. Despite of the issues I had with this novel I still liked it. Jem irritated me so much, but I still could not stay away from the book - always wondering what Jem was up to. <br />
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The ending of the story was like it had to be, but still I would very much like a sequel to the story. I need more, pretty please Mrs. Clarke!<br />
<blockquote>
The sun’s coming up now. I was hoping for a proper, beautiful sunrise, but I think we both know you don’t always get what you wish for.</blockquote>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrlDr8NVFG0ne6eBUZJ4Mnp-BeDYo4AAsXNPNXmnK_ie-MEGVHsOhbFJYa5oIV_uiwOkM1SIHfHrrIAUgbNKqAW051nzXN02CmHpgaD3o5iSEGWFev6J7It6I0iwDw8rNfz4HZmIKqgxq/s1600/lost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrlDr8NVFG0ne6eBUZJ4Mnp-BeDYo4AAsXNPNXmnK_ie-MEGVHsOhbFJYa5oIV_uiwOkM1SIHfHrrIAUgbNKqAW051nzXN02CmHpgaD3o5iSEGWFev6J7It6I0iwDw8rNfz4HZmIKqgxq/s200/lost.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cat Clarke</b> was born in Zambia, but lives and writes from Scotland. Cat is publishing a new ya novel(already on my wish list), <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20685157-the-lost-and-the-found">The Lost and Found</a></b>, with Quercus this year, in May. </blockquote>
Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-17663825952131385292015-02-25T01:30:00.000+01:002015-02-25T01:30:00.986+01:00Cover This! On Top<br />
<h3 style="background-color: #3e3e79; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Cover This! is an irregular feature on Escape In A Book. Here we share trends that we have noticed or/and other cover related things. This is the place where we are allowed to judge a book by its cover.</h3><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I hope you are not scared of heights?!</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik42fvaSuVf3zVmmZdK4py90g9XEkza9jazp2_jOgWcVAn_7R4_KW_m_kFeU1uWcgn_qiuUeIZA0BZQ1M8fAVfIR-s59PvbrL6tPUXO5M_TL2RCok-C-HjIrFcI2Acd0ZnUBTD_7vVaN4C/s1600/ont1-tile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik42fvaSuVf3zVmmZdK4py90g9XEkza9jazp2_jOgWcVAn_7R4_KW_m_kFeU1uWcgn_qiuUeIZA0BZQ1M8fAVfIR-s59PvbrL6tPUXO5M_TL2RCok-C-HjIrFcI2Acd0ZnUBTD_7vVaN4C/s1600/ont1-tile.jpg" height="1100" width="440" /></a></div><br style="background-color: #3e3e79; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;" /> <br />
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<b>Have you read any of the novels featured here today?</b> I have not, but they are all on my wish list.<br />
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The self publishing industry is popular at the moment, but in my experience the good titles are few and far apart. The quality of self published novels is often lacking, there is a lot to be said for having a good editor and the traditional publishing industry on ones side when publishing a novel. This time however I have managed to find that rare piece of gold among the gravel!</h3>
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I bought <i>Flat out Love</i> after reading several good reviews from my Goodread friends. I felt reasonably safe that I could trust these reviewers as I just removed well over 600 friends whom for some reason or another did not fit my new criteria for GR friendship. So after my bout of cleaning <i>Flat out Love</i> still stood out as a good read, friends had given four and five star ratings to the novel. I was curious, could this self published YA novel really be that good? After having finished the novel, I wonder why on earth no major publishing house has bought the rights to this lovely story. Several self published novels that is lacking, compared to <i>Flat out Love</i>, has already been bought, so why ever not a novel that actually deserves it?!<br />
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Julie has been scammed, her supposedly nice little flat (one she found through Craiglist) is a restaurant. What ever should you do when you have no place to live in a new town? Julie calls her mother. Luckily, mom Kate is able to find a temporary home for Julie with a family of her best friends from her own time studying. The Watkins is kind and Julie quickly bonds with brothers Matthew and Finn, and their younger, quirkier sister Celeste. One of the strangest tings with Celeste is the fact that she is dragging with her a live size cardboard copy of her older brother Finn everywhere. The doll is appropriately named Flat Finn; it keeps Celeste company when Finn is out traveling the world. Julie finds it rather weird that this is how a thirteen year old copes with missing her brother. Could there be more too it? However nice the family is something is off and all family members are overprotective of Celeste. </blockquote>
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Julie moves from Ohio to Boston to go to college. In Boston, she houses with a nice but also a very dysfunctional family. The story is predictable and could perhaps have delved even more down into the more serious issues, that being said the story was so entertaining and addictive that I devoured it despite of some of the things that the author could have delved deeper into. What you see is what you get and sometimes that is all this reader needs. Nicely done characters, smart (sometimes perhaps a bit too smart on some areas in life and not so much in others) and evolving throughout the story. Jessica Park has a good vocabulary and a varied language, I enjoy that in a novel, it has a nice flow too it and I learned a few new words along the way.<br />
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“Only one more exit, and then we’ll be there. This will be worth the two-hour drive. Trust us.” “When you say worth, do you mean there will be cash incentives involved? Apple is having a press conference in a few days, and I’m sure they’ll be releasing some wildly unnecessary gadget that I need."</blockquote>
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Self published novels are often more unpolished than a traditional published novels. I find myself speculating how this novel could have taken the step from very good to excellent with the firm hand of an editor. <i>Jessica Park</i> has done an amazingly good job all on her own. It is important to remember that the publishing industry is a whole lot more than big budgets for marketing, at least in the early stages of a novel. Author and publisher works together to bring out the very best story that lives in the author, the see a good story and offers guidance on the road to a great story. I must not forget the wonderful people washing the manuscripts for grammatical errors and so on. Luckily, I cannot say that I noticed any grammatical errors in <i>Flat Out Love</i>. I give this sweet romance my stamp of approval. The sequel, I do believe it is the story of Celeste, is already added to my wish list. <br /><br />Have you read Flat Out Love? What did you think? What are your experiences with self published novels in general? Would you consider reading this one? Drop me a line in the comments.<br />
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Since the end of December 2014 my heart has been empty, not my whole heart but at least the part of it dedicated to excellent tv-series. All because of one new discovery; <i>The Newsroom on</i> <i>HBO.</i></h3>
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<i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001099/" target="_blank">Jeff Daniels</a></i> is more than fun and laughter with <i>Jim Carey, </i>not that there is anything wrong with being funny but Daniels character in this series is pretty far from Harry in <i>Dumb & Dumber</i>. In <i>The Newsroom</i> Daniels play the part as news anchor Will McAvoy. In the series we find a lot of talented actors, like <i>Sam Waterstone, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher jr, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Thomas Sadoski and Jane Fonda</i>. Combined these people make an excellent team on screen.<br />
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I know I came to this party fashionably late, but that meant I could watch a bunch of episodes - I could practically have my own Newsroom marathon if I wanted to. News, loyalty, romance, drama and friendship - the series had all the ingredients to turn out great. Too bad for me because it was a magnificent series, and just when I started watching it the final and third season was almost over. So I was able to catch up to the last season pretty quick. After watching the finale episode I felt pretty much like The Newsrooms own producer, Mac, in one of the episodes:<br />
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BRING THIS SHOW BACK!! And yes, for me it is important to shout it out in capital letters.<br />
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News Night</h3>
Newsroom takes us behind the screen of News Night, the flagship news program on the fictional cable network called Atlantis Cable Network. I loved to get a peek behind the camera, to see all the preparations done ahead of a news program, how one chooses what to give airtime, what is of greatest importance for thousands and thousands of viewers. Today important news might not be aired because some celebrity acceidentally flashed a boob, drunk to much,got married, got pregnant and so on. This is not what is important to know, what goes on in the world is of greater importance, what goes on in your local community, in your state and in your country - what someone wore to a party shouldn't be considered of greater importance then things that actually makes impact on our day to day life and our future. Is real news journalism a dying art? Let us hope not, then a lot of bad people can get away with bad deeds is no one is watching and reporting what they see and hear.<br />
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The show balances the news with corpeate politics as well as the employees private life. I like that balance, and I do believe it is necessary to forge a good bond with the viewers. All in all this is a smart and clever series which will make you think(you know just like a good book). Many of the cases reported on News Night is in fact real and most of us will recognize several of them even if we are living in other countries then USA(many people have heard of the Boston Marathon bombing, and perhaps that the real trial starts these days, and about Edward Snowden).<br />
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Why this show is being cancelled is beyond me(even if I understand the word MONEY). So I would like to recommend this series to everyone out there, it is wonderful drama on an important subject - a subject that has holds a lot of power over all of us.<br />
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From this moment on, we'll be deciding what goes on our air and how it's presented to you based on the simple truth that nothing is more important to a democracy than a well-informed electorate. We'll endeavor to put information in a broader context because we know that very little news is born at the moment it comes across our wire. We'll be the champion of facts and the mortal enemy of innuendo, speculation, hyperbole, and nonsense. We're not waiters in a restaurant serving you the stories you asked for just the way you like them prepared. Nor are we computers dispensing only the facts because news is only useful in the context of humanity. <br />
<b>Will McAvaoy in The Newsroom.</b></blockquote>
I only have one negative remark on the show, and that was the season finale. Most of the feedback I have read is unanimously positive, people feels that the ending was perfect. I however disagree, it felt a bit too easy, like cheating and the soul of the show was missing for me. Perhaps my vision was blurred by the loss of new episodes from the pen of its creator <i>Aron Sorkin</i>. Not to worry there was no loose threads, so if you hate that you will get closure in the final episode. On a positive note the series ended in a way that makes it possible to start back up again should that ever be an option. Although sadly it does not look like that will happen. This is the first series I've ever seen that made me want to just start over from the first episode when the last one ended :) I am sure the second time around will be just as interesting. <br />
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<b>What?! You do not wish to watch this series?</b><br />
Then my friend there is little left for me to say, forget it I will let Charlie Skinner(Sam Waterstone) do the talking for me:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you watched The Newsroom? </span><br />Let me know, drop a line in the comment box below.</b><br />
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Note for book lovers: <i><a href="http://www.americareadsspanish.org/amigos-del-espanol/one-by-one/2231-aaron-sorkin-confesses-his-admiration-for-don-quixote.html" target="_blank">Don Quijote</a></i> is of great importance for the series and its creator read more about that <b><a href="http://www.americareadsspanish.org/amigos-del-espanol/one-by-one/2231-aaron-sorkin-confesses-his-admiration-for-don-quixote.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
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<br />Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-35387164132327048232014-12-03T15:21:00.001+01:002014-12-03T15:21:51.853+01:00Book shopping can cure mood swings - graphic novels<h3>
I was recently in a bit of a bad mood and decided that shopping some books might make happy girl. </h3>
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The theme for my shopping basket was, obviously as you can see from the picture below, graphic novels. A world I am none too familiar with. I was thinking that I would love to add more titles, not for buying right now, on my ever growing wishlist. <br /><br />I love lots of things but superheroes, things that makes me laugh and strong female heroines(like in e.g. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177395.Castle_Waiting_Vol_1?from_search=true">Castle Waiting, vol. 1 by Linda Medley</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12159923-giants-beware">Giants Beware! by Jorge Aguirre, Rafael Rosado</a>). What I do not like is the stuff with very graphic violence like in say Sandman. I have only read Vol. 1 Preludes and Nocturnes. <br /><br />Can you recommend me some good graphic novels that might or might not fit the bill?<br /><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My shopping basket:</span></b></div>
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Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-84352153675387583082014-09-29T21:18:00.001+02:002014-09-29T21:18:30.564+02:00Historical novels put things in perspective <h3>
I am currently listening to a historical YA called <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13112915-in-the-shadow-of-blackbirds">In the Shadow of Blackbirds written by Cat Winters</a></i>. It is a historical novel with paranormal elements; spiritualism and spirit photography, set in October 1918 during WWI and the Spanish flu.</h3>
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The Spanish Flu was very contagious and often the outcome was deadly. The disease killed about 5 percent of the world's population. In the Shadow of Blackbirds some numbers were mentioned putting it into perspective:<br />
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They buried their gauze-covered noses in the San Diego Union, and one of them felt the need to read the October influenza death tolls out loud. "Philadelphia: over eleven thousand dead and counting - just this month. Holy Moses! Boston: for thousand dead." The use of cold statistics to describe the loss of precious lives made me ill. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Portland wasn't a big enough city to mention. Hearing the death toll up there - worrying about my father in that crowded jail - would have probably killed me. "New York: <b>eight hundred and fifty-one in just one day - eight hundred and fifty-one!</b> Can you believe that?"</blockquote>
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851, 851, 851 - that is a lot of people, so many destinies, so many loved ones being left behind in a difficult situation and grieving. 851 was, according to le Internet, the record for an American city - a record I am guessing no city would ever like to be the holder of.<br />
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In 2014 we have diseases spreading and killing a lot of innocent people, some in areas where culture and traditions makes the spreading of the disease worse. The difference from the past is that in 2014 we have easy access to fast communication and transport. The medical expertise of the world can work together in a very different way to get important information across, to share findings and other information from their research. We have internet, we have telephone and we still have snailmail to name a few important tools for communication. A great many of the world inhabitants are being told about the importance of simple hygienic measures such as just washing ones hands properly. In 1918 one might be informed that eating a lot of onions anding keep raw potatoes in ones pocket might help prevent the disease. Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-60912215362946076812014-04-13T11:29:00.001+02:002014-04-13T11:29:14.511+02:00Video: A book bite - The Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I'll be reading a short bite to you from this lovely little book called The Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell.</h3>
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<b>So what did you think? Did I mangage to convince you as a mouse?</b>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-8036548956156638882014-04-08T09:35:00.000+02:002014-04-08T09:39:36.086+02:00Introducing the #bookalike hastag - challenge accepted?<h3>Most people have heard the old saying that dogs look like their owners. Have you ever wondered if the same saying can apply to a book lover and his or her book?</h3><br />
<div>I was dressing up on Saturday and an idea popped into my head. Did I have a book in my shelf with the same colors as my outfit that day? Well, yes indeed I had - so just for fun I did a bookalike and shared it on Instagram.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Can you find a book in your shelf matching your outfit/makeup today? </b></span></div>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-80553868862255547272014-03-21T20:51:00.001+01:002014-03-21T20:51:40.289+01:00Discussion: Possessiveness/jealousy in books - hot or not?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quote from Dancers in the dark by Charlaine Harris.</td></tr>
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<h3>
I dislike characters who suffers from what I choose to call the unhealthy kind of jealousy. Especially when that character is painted as the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend and no measure is taken to stop this kind of behaviour.</h3>
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One thing is to show the reader that this is not the kind of person you want to share your life with, and to show how far it might go. But when you don't let the character exposed for this kind of behaviour react to it at all, you are sending a signal saying "this is ok". Grr, I find that a lot in the PNR genre. This time it was one of <i>Charlaine Harris'</i> character's in <i>Dancers in the dark.</i> <br />
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So I love parts of the Sookie Stackhouse series, and more than one of her bailers is possessive out of this world. Still at least Sookie has the guts to say "I rescind your invitation!". Sookie tells the world that she will not be bossed around.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">What is your opinion on this kind of legitimation on this kind of behaviour?</span>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-74085574662791867362014-03-20T21:19:00.003+01:002014-03-27T09:31:09.263+01:00#bookreview - Cemetery girl by Charlaine Harris & Christopher Golden, ill. Ben Kramer<h3>From Sookie and her sizzling hot vampire crew in Bon Temps, to a young girl struggling with amnesia. I have read Charlaine Harris' first graphic novel.</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZbEw88lg8omcO_wrH_kGcXjpZM7gTWOtpxUqihNeJv_KeTuNdl7dAZadfmPIhtCfMhMRF9K5qjhMLVexa4VlsMAmqsQVUCi79V6LvL4jT307L3tzUk35rrQqrmVpT_AHqwzw4aZr3xlO/s1600/cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZbEw88lg8omcO_wrH_kGcXjpZM7gTWOtpxUqihNeJv_KeTuNdl7dAZadfmPIhtCfMhMRF9K5qjhMLVexa4VlsMAmqsQVUCi79V6LvL4jT307L3tzUk35rrQqrmVpT_AHqwzw4aZr3xlO/s320/cemetery.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<h4>The birth of Cemetery Girl</h4><br />
<i>Behind <b>Charlaine Harris'</b> light brown curls a mass of entertaining plot ideas abode. This time the idea was also a first for Harris - her first ever collaboration project.</i> <br />
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The ball started rolling when Charlaine conversed with <b>Christopher Golden</b> - known for, among others <b>Buffy, Baltimore-serien, Hellboy & X-men</b> - about an idea that she had. An idea the author felt had no format befitting it. Time went by and nothing happened with the embroy of an idea that Charlaine had. One day an email from Mr. Golden silently glided into Charlaine's inbox. <b>Should they work together on Charlaine's idea?</b><br />
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The result is as you probably all have guessed by now; Cemetery Girl. The first in a graphic novel trilogy illustrated by <b>Ben Kramer</b> - known for <b>Batman, JSA and a the Dr. Fate</b> miniseries.<br />
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<h4>The story</h4><br />
<center><iframe width="440" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/crEXwPlDoAE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />
As luck would have it an acquaintance of mine had this book in her possession. Some time ago we discovered our mutual passion for reading, and the love of the same genres, so she generously offered to Cemetery Girl to me. <br />
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The novel is a fairly new, published early in 2014. This time around Charlaine Harris is wooing to a younger audience than the one she normally caters too. In my opinion this novel is fitting for a lot younger crowed than just Harris' faithful fans. <br />
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<h4>This sounds familiar</h4><br />
The plot is perhaps not as original as many a reader might like when they pick a new read. If I was interested in originality I wouldn't have picked one of Harris' novels to read. When I read a Charlaine Harris I come for a light, entertaining read, and she usually provides(if one forgets about the last books in the Southern Vampire mysteries), Cemetery Girl is not an exception. <br />
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A girl, she calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill, loosing her memory and settling down in a crypt on Dunhill cemetery. After a close encounter with death Calexa Rose can see the soul of humans recently passed. One of these poor souls need Calexa's help to find peace. This might sound like The Ghost Whisperer or Harris' own Harper Connelly series. Still, I was buying into it and I stuck around until the last page was turned. The writer duo even managed to squeeze a couple of tears from my eyes. It was definitely a nice 20 minutes break from the world as we know it. This graphic novel debut gets a stamp of approval from me. <br />
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<h4>The illustrations</h4><br />
Below you'll see one of the illustrations from the novel. What is shown is a piece of memory. If you look closely you will be able to see that Ben Kramer added the illusion of broken glass over the memories, to show us, I guess, that this is only a fragment. A nice touche. I really enjoyed the way Kramer used that kind of effect throughout the story.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBDzVqnS1m75mZZajNfHR68C2Q1_DmCTHuTXG1IScP9oSzyqJRMGW_5vXtQmcd3ym85vmGsmUMGt1FiP5YNGjl-enCy2n4ZsjSTxI1xq9HLeZyUhRu3099SppWqd7xuzX5FUxTMOTwBA2/s320/blogger-image-514656688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBDzVqnS1m75mZZajNfHR68C2Q1_DmCTHuTXG1IScP9oSzyqJRMGW_5vXtQmcd3ym85vmGsmUMGt1FiP5YNGjl-enCy2n4ZsjSTxI1xq9HLeZyUhRu3099SppWqd7xuzX5FUxTMOTwBA2/s320/blogger-image-514656688.jpg" /></a></div>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-9540777254891222822014-03-18T12:06:00.000+01:002014-03-18T12:06:30.938+01:00More to look forward to for Marshmallows and book lovers in 2014It`s not exactly brand new information at this point but I still thought it deserved a blog post. Last friday, 14th of march, the Veronica Mars movie premiered all over the world. Many fans has seen it probably more than once already and I`m sure most of us already want more, right? At least I do, and that`s why I am so happy that already on March 25th the first of at least two Veronica Mars books will be released. The second one will come out later this year. The title of the book is "The Thousand Dollar Tan Line" and it will continue where the movie ended.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXxvXlUtSGuw0AuXgE_2dN1sIuuUkmkL2QKcl1Duh1LLV3FjzG5xNAQwmndS08s5UWhOfmGryZhvfLicFbleTfa2u9i2d7gln4y9KyZIcXTdQm5lpp65XUCAONLHd1nCSDyeKEJmAORY/s320/veronicamars.jpg" height="320" width="213" /><br />
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The creator of Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas, actually started out as a novelist and one of the shows strenghts is its excellent and witty writing so I don`t see the need to lower any expectations to this book. The story of the novel is a story he`s been wanting to tell since the TV-show got cancelled but when the time came to make the movie there was another story that needed to be told first, about how the character`s been doing and how they get back together. If there will be a second movie it is likely that it`s based on this book. If not, Rob Thomas promises that the story of the book will not be overlooked if a second movie is based on a different story. If there`ll be another movie is dependant on how well this first movie will do and so far it looks good.<br />
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If you haven`t seen the TV-show you should definitely watch it, but it`s not mandatory before watching the movie. I don`t know if you should watch the movie before reading the book but I will get back to you on that once I`ve read it:-)<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRwPquJ6G7hnmYMGvGDPPlLzrqG810qjQ8ZRBLNd0fW36Y1KziGxij9Q0oWHs_Rd8BcbJisYZ7nhXW4EL3ieJQCLNscAUDTFAIk4RRQQnCvJuaKyNt-ocAxUoa_1P8UW8jzqvy1MikSXZ/s1600/Silje.png" />
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In <i>Elisabeth Fama</i>'s world the population on earth is divided, in each country, by day and night. A measures taken to prevent further diversification of the Spanish Flu in 1918.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCAg82g1qtq88ly5ukWBzNLr0T6hGZZa4y9KT_HNuIuivqemttEADEkpa4htejIMZPWfyGyWainszIV5RM9EnlKwOOPrXQmJyGGzkiDzOAfle6-TbZjqrnp8VmAPpSbY2gTYprWwgxrx8/s1600/plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCAg82g1qtq88ly5ukWBzNLr0T6hGZZa4y9KT_HNuIuivqemttEADEkpa4htejIMZPWfyGyWainszIV5RM9EnlKwOOPrXQmJyGGzkiDzOAfle6-TbZjqrnp8VmAPpSbY2gTYprWwgxrx8/s1600/plus.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>You think the cover is beautiful now? <br />
Read the book and the story will bring a new dimension to the cover.</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15840891-plus-one" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s1600/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><br />
<i>Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux(Macmillan Children's Publishing Group) for providing me with a reading copy through Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion of Plus One.</i><br />
<blockquote>Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.<br />
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Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.<br />
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Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.</blockquote><br />
<h4>WOW</h4><b>Plus One</b> just threw me off track right from the very first sentence. I hadn't really done my research before starting this novel and I actually thought I was in for a story on teenage pregnancy. How wrong I was. The first ARC cover might have been a tad bit responsible for misleading me - one look at the pregnant O and I knew, well at least I thought so, what this story was about:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smart decision to change cover for this sublime story. <br />
Sadly covers matter a lot, unless you are as famous J.K. Rowling.</td></tr>
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<h4>When one right makes two wrongs </h4>You know how sometimes people do things for the right reason? Sometimes it just all gets out of hand no matter how good the intention was initially. In <i>Plus One</i> this goes both for our main character Sol and the society she lives in. Things get out of hand and in the dead of the night good intentions turns sour. This might sound like a dystopian but I wouldn't really say it is. <br />
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At its most visible level Plus One can be said to be a story about love in a family as well as broken families. Sol's love for her grandfather(and brother)is truly touching. It reminded me of the loss of my own beloved grandfather, a person that truly held a special place in my heart(as all of my family members do, but some people leaves a greater mark in our hearts than others). I'm not sure I would commit to kidnapping, like Sol did, to put a smile on someone's face. Kidnapping can seem <u>a little extreme</u>, but in Sol's case the situation is so special that I accepted that it had to happen that way.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"But after he tells you how they died, I want you to remember how they lived(...)"</blockquote><br />
Secondly this is a story about people being unfairly treated by the lawmakers. It is about how they react to it. Some just go with the flow, accept the rules, play by them and even find life good in some ways. The ones who never question why, how or whom. For Sol that is very much how life is, she is not out to change the world, she just wants one last happy moment with her grandfather, to see him smile out of pure joy once more.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>It was familiar, it made sense, it was permanent. It had never been presented as a point of discussion.</i></blockquote>Also we have these people's very opposites, the people who will fight for everyone elses rights at all costs. They will sacrifice their soul for the sake of others. People like that walk, and have walked, on this earth every day, not just in Fama's alternative version of it. In Plus One the people have started a demonstration against the government. The revolt on the division of hours is led by Grady Hastings and in him all great freedom fighters from our history lives on.<br />
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Thirdly this is a romance and that might I add is a wonderfully played bonus. <br />
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<h4>The not so insta-love</h4>Mrs. Fama has been clever and she never fell all the way down the insta-trap. Thank you! In a clever manner she drew, by short switches from present to past, an old connection between the two who were romantically involved. It made the whole thing a lot more believable and antagonizing at the same time. All the way through the story I felt that these two can never become one, this cannot possibly end well. I will not reveal the answer here, you just have to read the story to figure it out for yourself.<br />
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<h4>Characters</h4>Elizabeth Fama has done a thorough job with the characters, they are well fleshed out on the page. They are all human - they all have their strengths and weaknesses and the good guys can be bad and the mean ones nice.<br />
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<h4>Language</h4>I love Elizabeth Fama's language in this novel, there is no dumbing it down. The author trusts her audience to be able to read the text without it being simplified in any way. The language is rich and Fama leaves little doubt that she has a vast vocabulary to work with. Fama and her likes should be an example to others, most young adults and adults needs, and enjoys, the text to challenge them in some way. As I mentioned in the first lines in this monster of a review I adore the prose that can be found in the text. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">Powerless But for the star destroyer Unknowing She crash-lands in his heart.</blockquote><br />
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A huge bonus for those of us always happy to learn new things was that Fama had interesting tidbits hidden in the text educating me without it being obvious. I now know about <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/pavlov/readmore.html" target="_blank">Pavlov's dog</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash" target="_blank">the green flash</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ink_Spots" target="_blank">The Ink Spots</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia" target="_blank">hypnagogic</a> twitch - the latter has happened to me for as long as I can remember, but I never knew there was a word for it. I bet some you know the feeling of falling down in your bed before sleep - well that my friend is the hypnagogic twitch.<br />
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<blockquote>“Look at the mid- sky, about halfway up from the horizon, and wait for your eyes to adjust,” I said softly. “It will take five to ten minutes.”He was quiet. The sky was full of stars; and the spaces between them were not fully black, because the longer we stared, the more the pricks of other stars peeked behind and next to them. I stole that time to listen to him breathe. I soaked up his presence, storing it for the future, burning it into my memory.</blockquote><br />
<h4>Surroundings</h4><blockquote class="tr_bq">The bridge was geologically ancient, an impassive observer, surrounded by life that was fleeting in comparison: trees that would only survive hundreds of years, tourists who would only live decades, insects that would thrive only for weeks.</blockquote>The description above is both wonderful and philosophical, and perhaps not the best example of Fama's wonderful work describing the characters surroundings throughout the novel. But hey, it was a very lovely sentence, I had to incorporate it somewhere in my review and this was as good as any. Fama has a way of describing places that makes you want to go there right away. To see what the characters of the story sees, and feel what they feel. I now have an urge to go to the Maquoketa caves state park in Iowa, the Noma camp(sadly it won't be there) and The Harper Memorial Library in Chicago.<br />
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<blockquote>Soon the sky had become a blanket of stars; and then it became heavy, bulging down on us, so thick it was like soup that I might reach up and stir with my hand if I tried. And finally, to my relief, Cygnus the Swan and the Great Summer Triangle began to emerge from the cosmos with the faint, cloudy dragon spine of the edge of our galaxy.“Oh my god, is that the Milky Way?” he whispered. My throat got hot. It was the most beautiful thing I could ever have hoped to show him.</blockquote>There is one incident of sex in this story, but it is nicely done and nothing too graphic. It feels a bit weird to just have to state it in the text, as sex, drugs and swearing is not that uncommon in Nordic YA(those of you who've read <a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/06/book-review-page-turner-circle-by-mats.html" target="_blank"><b>The Circle</b></a> will have an idea about what I mean).<br />
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The only negative thing I can say is that I feel that some of Sol's reflections might seem a little too adult for her age, but that is just a minor hitch nothing that sets back the quality of the overall story.<br />
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<center><b>Elizabeth Fama<i></i></b></center><blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwVUJt3bQGN9bxsNf85dySe44zcLXC2MYaOr5UCRy9C-exCKz4tvkDm4IAEEhpwbn_oEj-oIHJ7WK-o3Hz1AnoL_ua2uixKVIKJ5rYXRxuefjYg_ibRPN0k1sQw5E875-6IdU0zkneTcz/s1600/FamaEliz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwVUJt3bQGN9bxsNf85dySe44zcLXC2MYaOr5UCRy9C-exCKz4tvkDm4IAEEhpwbn_oEj-oIHJ7WK-o3Hz1AnoL_ua2uixKVIKJ5rYXRxuefjYg_ibRPN0k1sQw5E875-6IdU0zkneTcz/s1600/FamaEliz.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/genefama/page1/" target="_blank">Gene Fama Jr.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>is Italian, married and has four wonderful young adult children </li>
</ul><ul><li>is <i><b><u>well</u></b></i> educated</li>
</ul><ul><li>likes to jog, swim and play tennis</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2013/" target="_blank">her father won the Nobel Prize in Economics 2013</a></li>
</ul><ul><li>asked a very <a href="http://www.elizabethfama.com/2013/05/ridiculous-hair-and-other-photoshop.html" target="_blank">good question on YA book covers</a> that publishers ought to ponder.</li>
</ul>Check out <a href="http://www.elizabethfama.com/"><i>Elizabeth's homepage</i></a> for more information. Also check out her <a href="http://www.babybeebooks.com/index.htm" target="_blank">family's page</a> for comics and Elizabeth's Hippo.</blockquote><br />
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<h5>Other books by Elizabeth Fama:</h5><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12971662-monstrous-beauty" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0nI3NDPSM6cSA5P8SU-oG1Yq0YZfzaknGEZIjadKS6oUwBWEJF7GIOxFI7F3EdnRAMlYbK3gP_yh9MNvTebqaZI0dYSA0NW1gKCkQr9AWca4EJ1x3DAidKe2d6AXRieLLs0GTagGEgRo/s1600/famamon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0nI3NDPSM6cSA5P8SU-oG1Yq0YZfzaknGEZIjadKS6oUwBWEJF7GIOxFI7F3EdnRAMlYbK3gP_yh9MNvTebqaZI0dYSA0NW1gKCkQr9AWca4EJ1x3DAidKe2d6AXRieLLs0GTagGEgRo/s1600/famamon.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15795030-men-who-wish-to-drown" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zeuiORfUPilDYIS2YFTDx8xe4BOPHP2W5h8sSlbL4SQx5N-ulBziIVGNHV6JsogzUzx3YwQquc8u3FeQfDX0LiBBz1ynrNOLbCNPwzxpn8TEflLpHhPy-WwjBNhzg2ji6CztbsDbSojO/s1600/famamenwho.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/727766.Overboard" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4v4dEzErbQlHtDnDLPcEPQ44xMB4r8oHE1AFYhAOL5ktoTbE54YkFlclO29hQyrjDeUAXThmvgxiDwhYn3CNYbghn_COUldOI8yo9AYtGv9ol_addpkcftPohZHv2Zw7DeXd7DLNJTNc9/s1600/famaoverb.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div><br />
<h5>Upcoming books by Elizabeth Fama:</h5><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20927663-noma-girl" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspfaF7egECcM9x7J3xHU_FvcfFvwKlyf7voD4_kA1zzNhfabbWQYNNfcnLl4m4ZA4zxmVhdPoy1GK7ho7yoUNJxf21juVLfXBuEK_sBBop4t90foABOCOUJkm0nBaCFcApitiNU1WNLv6/s1600/famanoma.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-71866443202294251162014-02-03T21:02:00.000+01:002014-02-03T21:02:02.131+01:00Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow RowellEleanor just moved to a new place with her mom, stepdad and younger siblings. Park has lived there forever with his korean mother, american father and younger brother. He likes his spot alone on the school bus where bullies like the neighbour Steve leaves him alone. For reasons he doesn`t understand he offers the seat next to him to the weird looking Eleanor when noone else will on her first day. And this is where the story about the two of them starts.<br />
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<img alt="Eleanor & Park" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1341952742l/15745753.jpg" /> <br />
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The story about Park and Eleanor is cute, real and heartbreaking. They are in a way two lost souls that find each other over comic books and music on the school bus. Eleanor is the new weird looking girl with clothes that don`t really fit and big read hair. Park is the half-Korean kid that tries to be left alone most of the time and is in sharp contrast to his brother who looks and act more like his all-american macho father when he himself looks more like his feminine korean mother. At Eleanor`s house they all have to tip-toe around the very moody and abusive stepfather. Eleanor has been sent away before for being rude and even though home is not a happy place it`s still home. She also has way too much responsibility for her brothers and sisters, that all sleep in the same room, for keeping them of the stepdad`s radar. This way of living has made her very tough and her shell is not easy to break into.<br />
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The story`s told form both Eleanor`s and Park`s perspectives divided into their own chapters. It`s set to the 80`s with a lot of popcultural references from that era but it doesn`t seem to matter to the younger readers nor should it. I guess when an author writes about things they know it usually feels more real than if they try to write about the things that young people care about today without really getting it. Music and comic books are the most important way for Park and Eleanor to connect and communicate. Park provides Eleanor with mix-tapes and comic books to take home and they`re definitely her comfort in a home where nothing`s like it should be. And then they talk about it on the school bus the next day. Eleanor also finds a way give something back when she realizes Park isn`t that updated on older music. So I guess the main reason why the era doesn`t really matter is that all readers will get their way of communicating and finding someone who cares about the same things you do.<br />
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The best part of the book is the way Rowell gets you to really care about the characters. They are so well described and seem so real to me. My heart just breaks for Eleanor and all the things she had and has to go through. And even though Park`s problems in comparison doesn`t seem as major you still gets his struggle because I think a lot of us can relate to feeling like an outsider, not being or looking the way you want or are expected to especially in those challenging teenage years.<br />
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What makes this book stand out is the way it combines the heavy issues with the more plain but still important issues of being a teenager. And this is not your typical romance or love story where the girl is swept away. It`s just as much about friendship and finding someone who gets you, for both of them all told in such a cautious way that makes it such a tender experience. And even though I constantly wanted to help Eleanor, hug her and tell her everything would be okay, she manages to find her own way and strength. And unfortunately this is the reality for many people that struggle, there are noone there to save them or even help them. The story gets to me as my teenager self, and as a mother and human being and it`s the beautiful and strong Eleanor I will remember the most.<br />
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Eleanor & Park has won several awards, both literary and given by the readers. Amongst them YA-book of the year on Goodreads and just last week it was recognized as an Honor Book at the Printz awards. I did really like and enjoy this book despite all the fuzz because fortunately quite a few books actually deserve it. I am very tempted to read more by the author and since I already have Fangirl at home it`s very likely this will happen. I am also very happy tø say that I recently discovered that this book will be published in norwegian later this year.<br />
<br />Siljehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052343427280554419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-29685914495448354632014-01-30T13:06:00.002+01:002014-01-30T13:06:33.628+01:00#Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood<h3>
<i>Jessica Spotswood</i> wielded her magic pen and out came a debut novel she can be proud of. Endangered witches, a sweet romance in a depressive historical setting and some strong female characters to boot is some of the things packed into this novel. </h3>
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<blockquote>
Sixteen year old Cate rules the Cahill household after her mother died three years ago. A hard enough task on its own, but extremly difficult when Cate and her two younger sisters are all smart young women and witches. <br />
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In a socity where women is denied knowledge and power by The Brotherhood the Cahill sisters true nature must remain a secret. If they are discovered then it's Harwood asylum, or worse, next. An additional challenge is coming up for Cate; at seventeen she has to decide on a suitor and get married or she will be forced by The Brotherhood to join The Sisterhood.</blockquote>
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<i>Born Wicked</i> was a fast and fun read - a perfect blend of historical fiction, kissing and magic. <i>Jessica Spotswood</i> knows how to entertain and she has done a good job by mixing up an alternative reality with history. I could tell that she had done research on the late Victorian-Era and that the story was influenced by <i>the Salem witch trials</i>.<br />
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The setting is perfect, New England in the late 1800' early 1900's, I believe. It is in the same area where the witch trials took place in the 17th century. A place where the supernatural was something they believed in and feared.<br />
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What I loved the most about this novel was all the strong female characters in a puritanical world, a world were women were being suppressed. It really upsets me to think about the fact that some places in this world this is not fiction, places where women still is far from being seen as a mans equal still exists.<br />
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The main character Cate was a refreshing change from a great deal other YA heroines, they sometimes seems to be lacign a bit in the intelligence department when it comes to making important decisions. And here comes the trait I loved the most about Cate, she asks for help and she confides in people. That is admirable, one cannot tackle every problem out there alone. Admitting that one isn't Superman/women is a character strength, non of us are perfect.<br />
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Oh, also, there is a few excellent kissing scenes here to get those butterflies in your stomach fluttering about.<br />
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Now I need to hit The Book Depository and order up the next two installments in this trilogy(I am pre-ordering the third one as I am pretty sure it will be worth the read).<br />
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<center>
<b>Jessica Spotswood<i></i></b></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Anne Chan</td></tr>
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<li>got caught reading under her desk in fifth grade</li>
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<li>is married and living in Washington DC</li>
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<li>has a cat named Monkey</li>
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<li>is a full-time author</li>
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<li>loves Earl Grey tea and Snow Patrol</li>
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Check out <a href="http://www.jessicaspotswood.com/about.php"><i>Jessica Spotswood's bio</i></a> for more information.</blockquote>
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<b>Have you read <i>Born Wicked</i>?</b> What did you think of it? Feel free to add a link to your review of this novel in the comment section and I'll stop by your blog to read and comment your review.<br /><br /><b>Haven't read </b><b><i>Born Wicked</i></b><b>?</b> Is it on your wishlist perhaps or are you considering it after having read my review?<br />
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Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-3120678407018323222014-01-20T13:04:00.000+01:002014-01-20T13:16:41.750+01:00Favorite YA novels from 2013<h3>
Silje and I have put together a post of our favorite YA novels from 2013*. We cheated a bit and sneaked in a few adult fantasy titles on the list as well, we hope you don't mind. Did any of these books grab a spot on your list of favorites?</h3>
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*The favorites listed below are not necessarily published in 2013, but read by us in 2013.</div>
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Best sequel:</h4>
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<br /><i>LOVE, LOVE, LOVE</i> Laini Taylor's prose and imaginative story.<br />
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I am thrilled to say that <i>Fire</i> more than lived up to it's big sister <i>The Circle</i>. If you haven't heard of this trilogy you might want to <a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/06/book-review-page-turner-circle-by-mats.html" target="_blank">read my review of the first book by clicking here</a>. This is a bit of a Swedish sensation really a YA fantasy sold to 29 countries all over the world. The first book kept me up all night and that was just the case this time around as well.<br />
<h4>
Best series starter:</h4>
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<h4>
Best standalone contemporary</h4>
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<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/10/review-hate-list-by-jennifer-brown.html" target="_blank">Check out Silje's review here.</a></div>
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<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/05/book-review-wonder-by-rjpalacio.html" target="_blank">Clickety click to read Silje's review.</a></div>
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<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/05/intelligent-and-moving-ya-please-ignore.html" target="_blank">Click here and the magic will trasport you to my review of this wonderful novel.</a></div>
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<h4>
Best historical YA:</h4>
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<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/06/good-better-best-out-of-easy-by-ruta.html" target="_blank">Lovely characters stole my heart and the setting was a fascinating and realistically painted. Check out my full review by pressing this link.</a></div>
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A gripping historical read that alternates between our time and the time of The French Revolution. The main character is struggling to come to terms with the passing of her younger brother. When traveling to France with her father she stumbles upon the diary of Alexandrine Paradis who lived and worked with little Prince right until the very end. Take a trip down into the catacombs of Paris with <i>Revolution</i>, you won't regret it.<br />
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<h4>
Favorite adult fantasy:</h4>
As you can see we're on the Song of Ice & Fire wagon<br />
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This urban fantasy-series was a new discovery I made last year. In style it kind of reminds me a bit of the Harry Dresden files by Jim Butcher, it is fun and a bit Harry Potterish for grown ups. This series is set in London in our time.<br />
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<h4>
Best series ender:</h4>
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<h4>
Most entertaining:</h4>
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<b>Stay tuned for I might just post a book review this week. I am almost finished with <i>Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood</i>. A very entertaining read about strong young witches in a time where females were to be seen and not heard. Love that the book has given me that delightful butterflies feeling several times already. </b><br />
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Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-64434353906118723012014-01-16T20:59:00.001+01:002014-01-16T20:59:21.330+01:00Favorite graphic novels from 2013<h3>Happy belated new year everyone! Check out our favorite graphic novels from 2013! Please leave a comment and tell us what you think of those of the novels you might have read. Agree or disagree perhaps?</h3><br />
<h4><u>Mari's favorites</u></h4><br />
Well this have been a very good year when it comes to graphic novels on my part. I have read so much good stuff and I have a secret hope that some of you will check out one, or more, of these novels after reading this post.<br />
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<h3><center>Lou: Secret Diary by Julien Neel</center></h3><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfKZalV-ZGmqEPOtUxBfhbtCc6KWmkAse1Yw8GuWFiYo8RHvXgnRxtxlDrUwDRT9gIuV9aoeogh_CjYqX802w9eAGfMux4BcrMxJTWgcqtRirAwFL_mQtyYi-oiQQ-JtG3b6LAh1gfFj5/s1600/lou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfKZalV-ZGmqEPOtUxBfhbtCc6KWmkAse1Yw8GuWFiYo8RHvXgnRxtxlDrUwDRT9gIuV9aoeogh_CjYqX802w9eAGfMux4BcrMxJTWgcqtRirAwFL_mQtyYi-oiQQ-JtG3b6LAh1gfFj5/s1600/lou.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12213561-secret-diary" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s200/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Lou is just the sweetest, funniest and coolest girl ever. If you are or ever have been young, you'll love this series about Lou and her mother. For young girls and adults alike.</blockquote><br />
Also I am very impressed by the fact that a male author can pull off writing a believable teenage girl like Julien Neel does here with Lou.<br />
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<h3><center>Baby's In Black by Arne Bellstorf</center></h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz-YwbPpK-9-v7CyTWa0Lmt3q6ATpj_9YZCvj56ZwS-0AVbG0baKa7k9BDWOR6zjB4zNxG_N9gO5K-EaAj0n6fCJIz1VmTFCi-3Om7ZJMrPygyOtW401VmK9KL5v7cMLBsyjstVGQgGLg/s400/Cover+++bok.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz-YwbPpK-9-v7CyTWa0Lmt3q6ATpj_9YZCvj56ZwS-0AVbG0baKa7k9BDWOR6zjB4zNxG_N9gO5K-EaAj0n6fCJIz1VmTFCi-3Om7ZJMrPygyOtW401VmK9KL5v7cMLBsyjstVGQgGLg/s400/Cover+++bok.JPG" height="200" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12510887-baby-s-in-black" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s200/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>Reading fiction and learning new stuff at the same time is never wrong. <i>Baby's in Black</i> can be read as a romance or a true story, because it is, or both. I never, it never gets old. There is just something magical and universal about their songs.</blockquote><br />
<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2013/04/graphic-novel-babys-in-black-by-arne.html" target="_blank">Check out my full review by clicking here</a>.<br />
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<h3><center>Castle Waiting, vol. 1 by Linda Medley</center></h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXBSFSftbxH_8kgfBKALyfM7txofhKc3PLjQceq8PfgedYf1IjwmVfrY0uSb5zoTd7h4wA09pIEAT5zW3cWyrBCUBA0S9BsGBDk5ftxX5FemhLL4VcG6Tk87i-WSoFwTupfbZMA06y_la/s1600/castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXBSFSftbxH_8kgfBKALyfM7txofhKc3PLjQceq8PfgedYf1IjwmVfrY0uSb5zoTd7h4wA09pIEAT5zW3cWyrBCUBA0S9BsGBDk5ftxX5FemhLL4VcG6Tk87i-WSoFwTupfbZMA06y_la/s200/castle.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177395.Castle_Waiting_Vol_1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s200/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">My biggest blogging shame from 2013 is that I failed to review Castle Waiting. That is so sad, because every lover over fantasy and fairy tales should read this book. The story takes a bit of this and that from known stories and Medley puts her own spin on things. The story has a strong touch of feminism in an excellent way. READ THIS, please, because this is a <u>hidden gem</u>.</blockquote><br />
<h3><center>Blue is the warmest color by Julie Maroh</center></h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCYHe56IIjSYHcm-R6q4lKmZ8HZyVwS76fgQvSLG9nBWtCeoyJUQnx0zGb5CCCJoMddl163R3iVKCKuK9yyvAW1CjDsDbhucdRGAE9jI_I-wkDJmj9vlS2V7L8LQK7stZvNbC5tCWOIcD/s1600/blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCYHe56IIjSYHcm-R6q4lKmZ8HZyVwS76fgQvSLG9nBWtCeoyJUQnx0zGb5CCCJoMddl163R3iVKCKuK9yyvAW1CjDsDbhucdRGAE9jI_I-wkDJmj9vlS2V7L8LQK7stZvNbC5tCWOIcD/s320/blue.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465574-blue-is-the-warmest-color" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s200/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Blue is most certainly the warmest color</i> from now on. The last book I read in 2013 ended up being one of my favorite reads. Love can be painful sometimes and becoming an adult can be difficult. You have to make the choices that is true to who you are. Sailing up to be one of my favorite love stories of all times. Oh and yes this is a LGBT read. I hope it can bring more understanding to those people who judge people for loving a person of the same sex.</blockquote>This novel has been adapted into a movie, and I want to see it. Bring tissues might be a good advice to those thinking about watching the movie. I cried when I read it and will surely cry some more when I watch the movie.<br />
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<h4><u>Siljes favorite:</u></h4><br />
<h3><center>Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet</center></h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmkQQftt-dRGxAcj9a98BvcA24LdRKJ8XnlYFLnhKeVpMDC-Lxn5fwN6ml8AkqxnWSCsSQbLsE8utF5YSmc1HXjvmO6Ok4Rs0gcQGSZxUepIjAzaK1tWBJSu8bnEno4zGm0JCAyQElFXw/s1600/aya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmkQQftt-dRGxAcj9a98BvcA24LdRKJ8XnlYFLnhKeVpMDC-Lxn5fwN6ml8AkqxnWSCsSQbLsE8utF5YSmc1HXjvmO6Ok4Rs0gcQGSZxUepIjAzaK1tWBJSu8bnEno4zGm0JCAyQElFXw/s1600/aya.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3392178-aya-of-yop-city" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8sYCKJLwf3KPSSnf9SwhIh11Kb9ojRSqK0o7dzsVDjajf4ZCb64SVuQsqkb-0jQr7kilVJM1gbptP9MertWREyThKPgl5P172Cz1HG0sgPgZDM2y9eXdSXD8KbfLJC70lF32QGk65O_/s200/AddtoGR.png" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">In the series about Aya you get to see a side a side of the African country the Ivory Coast that is warm and full of life. The story is funny and the illustrations are colorful and sets the mood of the story. </blockquote><br />
<a href="http://escapeinabook.blogspot.no/2012/08/book-review-aya-by-margaret-abouet.html">Click this link if you want to read Siljes review of the first novel(of five) in the series about Aya.</a><br />
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Stay tuned for more posts on our favorites from 2013. Have a great weekend when the time comes. Marihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340060809181439236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5231356415955416880.post-86307471882990922872013-10-11T11:10:00.000+02:002014-01-20T12:16:54.920+01:00Review: Hate List by Jennifer BrownFive months ago, Valerie Leftman`s boyfriend Nick opened fire in the school cafeteria and killed and injured several teachers and students including Valerie. Most people initially thinks she was in on it or at least that she knew about her boyfreind`s plans. Both Valerie and Nick were outsiders at school and together they created a "hate list" with names of people and things they really disliked or hated. This list were found by the police and known by the public shortly after the shooting. Nick obviously used this list to target his victims so no wonder people blame Valerie. When her stay at the hospital and the summer holidays are over she is forced to confront her guilt and fear and return to school. Old friends and even family turn their back on her and some new and unexpected people welcomes her. But will she forgive herself and move on with her life?<br />
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<b><u>My thoughts:</u></b><br />
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First and foremost Hate List is about Valerie and she is a very complex and interesting character. She is confused and broken because she still loves Nick but cant`t tell anyone. She blames herself on one hand and on the other she does`t. She doesn`t in any way understand why Nick did this terrible thing but feels she probably should have known. She thought he was messing around when he talked about wanting to hurt people or is this something she keeps telling herself to justify why she didn`t contradict him? Recently before the shooting he`d started to hang out with an older guy and Valerie felt left out because Nick didn`t share as much with her anymore. Still she didn`t suspect anything. The way people treat Valerie made me really angry but Valerie`s way of thinking and denying that she had any part of this also made me angry. She didn`t shoot anyone but she was part of creating the list of people that were targeted. In fact she was the one that started it. Even after reading the book you don`t have an answer to why this happened and how guilty Valerie really was. It is up to the reader to decide and personally I`m not sure. Her perspective gives the book something special and makes it such an interesting read.<br />
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Even though Hate list is an easy read and written in a way that really captures you the content is obviously not to be taken lightly. The story about what happened on the day of the shooting, earlier stories of incidents that made some og the people get their names on the list and how Valerie copes with it are given to the reader bit by bit in separate chapters. This is very effectful. You don`t get the whole background story at once and all the pieces come together in a puzzle that is not at all black and white. It`s like we process things together with Valerie and your initial thougts might change. Is she without any guilt? Are the people on the hate list without blame? And is Nick only an evil guy? The author makes us feel both sympathy and anger for Nick because he was also a victim but his actions are of course in no way exusable.The book doesn`t give us the answers to these questions because as in real life situations, things are very complicated. Hate List both allows you to and makes you think and that is what makes this a good book. High school bullying definitely occurs and hate and anger amongst the ones that are bullied rises even though fortunately the consequences rarely gets this extreme. Bullying is not really the main issue of the book though but it is definitely an important topic and the school didn`t handle the issue of bullying or the situation very well. In extreme incidents like this people easily get blinded by hatred and the importance of placing blame instead of dealing with what created the situation. And I guess placing blame is a main issue here, how difficult it often is. By not really giving us any answers only more questions this book is one you don`t forget that easily.<br />
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<b><u>My rating:</u></b><br />
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<b><u>Source:</u></b><br />
I bought my own copySiljehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052343427280554419noreply@blogger.com3