Young Adult Anonymous

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Review: Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight by Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow

Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight
By Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow
Reviewed by Maggie: November 15, 2012
Published January 1, 2007 by Penguin Australia
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond ($15.97)

Remember the Britney and Justin Dance Off of 2002? (And Matt Damon's reenactment on SNL?) This book is the literary equivalent of that. Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.

Joel and Cat, classmates and enemies, are paired together for a tandem writing project. They have to write a story one alternating paragraph at a time. But the first rule of tandem story writing is that you do not talk about tandem story writing. They can't discuss the plot or characters. Any problems? Take it to the page! (Sidenote: No wonder Australian YA is awesome -- their English teachers kick ass. Mr. Ashton reminded me a bit of Mr. Botherit and his Joy of the Envelope.)

The 'enemies who are forced to work together' is one of my favorite tropes. Done well, it leads to great chemistry and banter, and the reader falls in love along with the characters. You already know how I feel about Rebecca Sparrow. (In case you don't, I ADORE her.) There's just something about her writing that I connected to immediately and I loved Nick McGowan from the first page. Imagine my surprise when I didn't connect to Joel and Cat right away. I don't get it. Did I stumble into bad lighting? I put the book down after about 40 pages. A few days later, I decided to pick it up again, and this time, I couldn't put it down until I was done. I didn't stop laughing until a good 30 minutes after I had finished the book. I think the beginning felt a bit disjointed as the characters, the authors, and I got used to the tandem style. Once we were all on the same page (hardy har har), it was so much fun. It's obvious that Rebecca Sparrow and Nick Earls had fun writing this. I can't even mention a scene without cackling like Julia Roberts and wanting to spoiler the hell out of it for you so we can laugh about it together, but I won't!

There's a distinctly Australian feel to the book. I had to google references to Megan Gale, Andrew G, and Mary Kostakidis. I cracked up after looking up 'Ken Done scarf', which is how Cat describes Joel's hippy dippy mother's appearance, because that's exactly how I pictured her. I was surprised that Australia has Sizzlers. Of all the restaurants America could export! There are still a few around LA -- to keep people like my grandma happy. I loved that Sizzler was also a turning point in the book. Seriously, so much fun!

If Sizzler doesn't tempt you to read this book, maybe Cat's dad will. Remember that episode of Friends where Ross goes tanning? "I'm an 8!" Cat's dad takes that as a personal challenge.

When Joel and Cat are first paired up, Joel throws down the gauntlet and challenges Cat with two words: Amaze me. Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow did. They each bring such a charming, unique voice to the story. I'm no Nate Silver, but I predict you will laugh your ass off while reading this book.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Our Bookstagram Life: November 3, 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Review: Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
(Lumatere Chronicles #3)
Reviewed by Maggie: October 26, 2012
Published September 26, 2012 by Viking Australia
To Be Published March 12, 2013 by Candlewick
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond • Preorder at Amazon

What can I say about this book but faith rewarded? How do I begin to talk about a series that turned me onto a new genre?

Marchetta took me on a journey through an unfamiliar genre and story landscape, through curses and the Citavita. Looking back on Finnikin, I couldn't even finish my review because I was so unused to fantasy. I was exhausted by the little I did manage to write. By the time I read Froi, I was better prepared and any exhaustion I felt was due to the emotional ride from the book.

With Quintana, I could talk about how Lucian and Perri should star in their own buddy cop show, or how being in Quintana's head seemed like the most natural place to be. I loved so many of the characters, but for me, this series comes down to two people -- Isaboe and Froi. The things that bond them are at the heart of the series. They are the faces of children of war.

In Isaboe, we see what war does to a once beloved, sheltered child. Her experiences in Sarnak and Sorel shape the fierce queen she’s become. She’s unflinching. However, sometimes that results in a harshness that had me wincing. It's how she survived on her own, but it may not be the best way to ensure her people's survival.

For Froi, it was Sir Topher who prevented him from going down an irreversible path, but that and a belief in a girl with magic, shaped the man he became. His journey of redemption -- never once forgetting what could have been -- is about overcoming all the experiences that can break you and turn you into someone you're not. I loved seeing the person Froi came to be when given love and when he gave his love in return. It was so wholehearted and pure. It was devastating to think what war did to the boy with that much heart.

One character I didn't feel much affection for was Lady Zarah. To quote the great Dionne Warwick, I got your number, hussy!

Quintana of Charyn tested the bounds of loyalty, friendship, and family, and what it meant to be Lumateran, Charynite, Queen, husband, wife, lover, and friend. It's about having faith first, like a boy with cats once did, so it can be rewarded later. I loved being in this world and I hope Marchetta revisits it again, as I know I will.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

I leave the playlist-making to Noelle, but one song that played over and over in my head while reading Quintana was This Woman's Work by Kate Bush.

YAA Soundtrack: Lumatere Boxset

by Noelle

If you scroll through my favorite books on Goodreads, chances are I have a soundtrack for them on my iPod. And like any music-obsessed person, I live to force my favorite songs on others. For any other playlist aficionados out there who enjoy making and listening to book-themed soundtracks, you've come to the right place! We will occasionally be posting links to playlists from my personal soundtrack collection.

This is a very special multi-blog soundtrack collection that I'm super excited to participate in: The Lumatere Boxset! The idea came about chatting with the lovely Catie (of The Readventurer) and Reynje (of the brand new wordchasing) and our mutual love of book soundtracks. Before long, we decided to try our hand at a trilogy, specifically a playlist for each book in the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. I chose Finnikin of the Rock.

Visit wordchasing for Reynje's soundtrack for Froi of the Exiles and The Readventurer for Catie's soundtrack for Quintana of Charyn next!

First up is Finnikin!

Since the Lumatere Trilogy is a fantasy, I tried to go for cinematic soundtrack choices for my tracklist. I could imagine most of these songs playing in scenes from a Finnikin of the Rock movie or trailer. Besides that, I tried to choose songs about epic journeys and the ol' standby emotional ANGST.

Take a listen to the Grooveshark playlist or check out the tracklisting below:

1. O Death - Jen Titus
2. Endless Night - The Lion King Broadway Original Cast: What? First of all a) this is a total father son song for Trevanion and Finnikin and b) this entire show has something in common with Marchetta: they both make me sob.
3. Wading Deep Waters - Crooked Still
4. Ivory Tower - Tripod
5. Sorrow - The National: Sorrow found me when I was young...
6. Cold, Cold Water - Mirah: This song always reminded me of Evanjalin.
7. Poison and Wine - The Civil Wars: My Evanjalin/Finnikin song.
8. Do Not Hang Your Head - Elizabeth and the Catapult: Sometimes manipulating loved ones to achieve the freedom of your people can really wear you down.
9. You Will Be My Ain True Love - Allison Krauss
10. Just Breathe - Pearl Jam
11. Hold you In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne: Because I'm a sucker for ending on a happy note.

Thanks for listening! How'd I do? And don't forget to check out Reynje's Froi soundtrack and Catie's Quintana soundtrack to listen to the complete set!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Review: My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
Reviewed by Maggie: October 28, 2012
Published March 13, 2008 by Dial
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Book Depo (no e-book version)

When Flannery first recommended this book to me with the promise of Boston and baseball, my exact reaction was, "........" The opening paragraph of her review cracks me up because what I remember most about Boston is: rats. Lots and lots of rats. Since "everywhere" is too general, let me tell you 3 specific places where I saw a rat.

1. Subway (as in Eat Fresh®)
2. California Pizza Kitchen, Prudential Center
3. My dorm room

My friends refused to walk on my left because whenever I saw a rat charging out of the bushes, I'd push them out into the street. Excuse me for trying to save your life! Did no one see the episode of Little House on the Prairie where everyone in Walnut Grove nearly died of typhus?! That wasn't just a TV show, that was a PSA.

Second only to rats in Boston are Red Sox fans. The SAWX. I grew up watching sports (not baseball, as if) but nothing in my life prepared me for Red Sox Nation. I lived 5 minutes away from Fenway Park and got a very rude awakening the first (and only) time I tried to take the T after a game. My PTSD still prevents me from talking about it.

Imagine my surprise when not only did I end up finishing this book, I loved it. It reminded me that aside from the rats and the Sox, Boston was also where I first fell in love, strolled through a park at night while someone played the saxophone, and had a chocolate chip cannoli from Mike's Pastry. (Don't knock it til you've tried it! My love for Mike's has outlasted that first love.) Every so often, I need to be reminded that hope exists. I need it to wrap me in a bear hug and refuse to let go until I surrender because anything less won't work with me. Some Disney magic also helps.

My Most Excellent Year refers to the year Alejandra Perez and a 6-year-old named Hucky entered the lives of T.C. Keller and Augie Hwong. T.C. and Augie declared they were brothers in 1st grade and never looked back. T.C. had just lost his mother and he bonded with the quiet kid who was the one person who didn't look at him like he'd just lost his mother. Of course, Augie didn't stay quiet. Have you ever met a quiet Ethel Merman fan? While Augie shared his love of musicals during their weekly sleepovers, T.C. shared his love of baseball. When Alejandra (that's Alé with an é) transferred to their school freshman year and politely rejected T.C.'s offer to consider a relationship with her, while talking to Augie about musical theater, both boys were goners. Their story is told through journal entries, emails, IMs, and texts.

First, I loved that two of the main characters are minorities. This was such an issue for me growing up, and it's still an issue for me now, but it's so important to see last names like Hwong and Perez and not deal with stereotypical characterizations. Augie is the son of a Chinese immigrant mother and American-born Chinese father. His mother terrorizes the Boston theater community with her reviews for the Globe. Here's a sample of her review of Carousel:

"Nice songs to beat your wife to. Attend at your own risk."

She instilled her love of theater in Augie, but made sure to warn him about Carousel when he was 8. Alé is the daughter of diplomats and her father was the ambassador to Mexico until he accepted a position at Harvard. She's used to hobnobbing (and accidentally insulting) diplomats, actors, and (I'm assuming) Bono. Her closest friend before moving to Brookline was a Secret Service agent.

Second, I loved the fathers in this. T.C.'s dad, Ted, named after Ted Williams naturally, and Augie's dad, Craig, are such presences in their sons' lives. T.C. uses a vocabulary word in one of his journal entries and a few pages later, Ted ends up using the same word in an email to T.C.'s counselor. You can just see T.C. using it around the house with Ted, making up ridiculous sentences along the way.

Third, Augie Hwong is who I tried to get my little brother to be. Yes, the one who is now a big bad cop. I just think children, particularly boys, need a well-rounded education, especially of the musical variety. Also, I knew even back then that he was destined for a career involving weaponry so I wanted to get to him before the mouthbreathers did. Since I controlled the radio in the car (ah, the perks of being the oldest), I played a steady stream of Rent, Les Miserables, and Ragtime. (Wicked came later.) I was so proud when I heard him humming "Would you light my candle?" I was even prouder when Rent the movie came out and he went to watch it on his own.

This book had the same energy of Sorta Like a Rock Star and it was what I hoped Will Grayson, Will Grayson would be. The format of journal entries and emails and texts made it an easy, fun read. You don't need to know all (or any) of the baseball and theater references to get this book. Just read a short synopsis of All About Eve so you understand one of my favorite Augie moments. I know it's not perfect, but it had so much heart that like Mary Poppins, My Most Excellent Year is practically perfect in every way.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

This was my last book in The Readventurer challenge and it was the perfect book to go out on. Thanks for the recs, Flann!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Review: The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

Review: The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy #1
Reviewed by Noelle on October 25, 2012
Published September 19, 2006 by Henry Holt and Co.
Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

Kate and Emily have just inherited the estate on Hollow Hill but have no idea of the land's cursed history. Girls have been disappearing off the property for centuries with only crazy legends about magic and goblins for explanations. Kate begins to realize just how true the danger is once Marak the Goblin King begins to woo her. Goblin Kings court by kidnapping and the bride is destined to spend the rest of her life below ground. Kate is desperate to save herself and her sister, but dangers develop from unexpected sources--and sometimes, so does love.

The Hollow Kingdom was one of Catie's book choices for me in The Readventurer's She Made Me Do It Challenge. Catie wasn't sure how I'd go for the Beauty and the Beast aspect of the story and I must admit, I've been hit and miss with B&B stories in the past. Luckily, The Hollow Kingdom has several important differentiations from the trope that makes it one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast retellings to date.

First of all, Marak (the Beast in question), isn't an isolated brooding, angsty or self-pitying alpha male. He's a pragmatist and a confident and compassionate leader. Above all he's amused and delighted by most things---especially Kate. He's friendly, he cracks himself up and it's pretty well known how much I enjoy a happy smartass.

Secondly, I appreciated that the Beast was actually, you know, a beast. I roll my eyes when the Beast has like one scar and everyone screams monster. Marak has six fingers, silver skin, horse hair, chrome teeth and unfortunate bone structure. Yet I was also relieved that he wasn't so much of a Beast that the story necessitated him changing into something more socially acceptable for a viable romance to occur.

Although there were No Regrets, I'm not sure I could call The Hollow Kingdom a full on Disco Chicken, Catie. For the first half of this book I was stressed out of my ever loving mind! (You can't yell "Wheeee!" when you're busy breathing into a paper bag.) Yes, there was an inevitability about Kate's situation but her panic and desperation were so visceral that I couldn't help but be swept up in those feelings.

I appreciated that Kate's struggle with Marak was a battle of wits rather than a battle of physical strength (another welcome differentiation to the Beauty and the Beast trope). I was also impressed with Kate's resourcefulness in resisting the Goblin King's abduction attempts but Marak had just enough of a magical and tactical advantage for the whole thing to be truly unsettling.

I also loved that no matter how quick thinking Kate managed to be, she had to constantly worry about being foiled by her sister's naivete. As someone who growing up constantly had dreams of my sister inexplicably ignoring warnings and jumping into a shark-filled swimming pool, I could relate. The supporting characters' "back away slowly from the crazy person" attitude toward Kate also added to the uneasiness factor. I mean, even knowing what the plot was and what would undoubtedly happen, I couldn't ignore that "last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again" feeling in their interactions.

From the book summary I was surprised that more than half of the story was devoted to Kate's resistance of Marak's marriage attempts. I expected more time to be spent in the development of Kate and Marak's spousal relationship. I wish the reader got to witness more of the bonding scenes alluded to (I swear I'm not just being a perv) rather than just mentions of the milestones and time jumps. The reader spends so much time viewing Marak as an adversary and the time between their marriage and the crisis that catalyzes the plot is a pretty small window to adjust to their new relationship. While Kate has years, the reader has a chapter or two.

Still, I was charmed. The writing was lovely and I was enthralled by the goblin world building. Little details like the reason a goblin baby looks the way it does were just unbelievably endearing. I'd call this recommendation a big success, Catie! Rating: 4/5 stars.

Has anyone read the rest of the series?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Adventures in the Bargain Book Bin: October 24, 2012

By Noelle

I admit it: I spend at least a couple hours a month in the Amazon Bargain Book section. I generally look for hardcovers under $8, paperbacks under $5 and e-books under $4. Just in case clicking through 100 pages of book links isn't your thing, here is what caught my eye this time around.

How about starting off with some ridiculously low-priced hardcovers?