City of Thieves, My Favorite Book!

City of Thieves

David Benioff

So, I reviewed this book on Amazon years ago. But it is my absolute favorite book. I read it in my Fiction Techniques class.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a fairly simple story, two boys who have to find a dozen eggs and return with them in exchange for their ration cards, but the way the relationships are developed, and character interactions and just the general characters in general really make the reader feel for these boys and I don't want to say too much, other than you have to read it! You can tell it's written by a screenwriter because his attention to scenery (you can see everything so clearly) and dialogue (natural and perfectly balanced), the pace, tension, everything moves so smoothly that you might as well be watching it on screen.

I honestly think Benioff has perfected every aspect of writing in this book, and it's a great example for writers to read, and also just very entertaining and touching. It's a very quick read and very much worth it, one of my favorite books of all time.

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!!! You won't be sorry!

Get on Amazon here

Book Review: Bossypants

In my series of reviews, here is today's recommendation! 

Bossypants
Tina Fey

I usually don't like audio books, but I gave Tina Fey's Bossypants a listen on a long car ride. I think this is a terrific read (or listen to) for writers. As you know, Tina Fey is an actress, writer, producer, and comedian. I found myself laughing so hard and rewinding to re-listen to parts. Tina Fey is so funny, relatable, and honest. So many stories stick out in my mind long after the fact. I highly recommend the audio version, as she is the one who reads it, and her inflection and tone bring so much to the anecdotes. I loved hearing about the backstage world of SNL and 30 Rock, and also, as a writer, it was interesting to hear her struggles dealing with balancing her life and work. There's also a PDF that you will want to save to your device so you can refer to it because she mentions photos throughout. Enjoy!

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Today's Review: The Future of Us, Jay Asher/Carolyn Mackler

Quick Review of The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.

So, over the summer, I was searching for books that might fit side-by-side with the genre of my book series -- YA Time Travel. Reading the description, this book seemed absolutely perfect.

The general idea is that the protagonists get an AOL CD (remember those freebies in the grocery store? Get AOL today!), and they get so many free hours -- but the catch is, when they load it onto their computer, this weird thing called Facebook loads, and they can see their futures! I mean seriously, imagine being able to see and navigate through Facebook in the nineties, unfathomable. One similarity between my book and this book, my kids use Myspace to research, since back in 2005, Myspace was the thing. 

Similarly to mine, it's told in alternating points of view between a guy and a girl (mine goes back and forth between a brother and a sister). However, the "time traveling" is reverse from my book, mine goes back fifteen years from 2020, while this takes place in 1996, and looks ahead fifteen years. I know this is a YA book, but I think for readers in their late twenties, early thirties, this book is an especially fun read, because it takes place when we were that age (I was a 6th grader in 1996, so slightly behind these high schoolers, but I still remember the time), so the references are comical.

I really liked the idea, it was a quick read, and it was fun. It had a good pace. My only disappointment with this book was that I wanted it to be longer. I wanted a big ol' fat book that would let me live in this fun little world forever. It ended up being too simple for my tastes. Without getting too in depth into the plot, I wanted to see more ramifications for the characters' actions, get more into the characters' heads and their relationships, and I wanted something bigger and more drastic to happen and have to be fixed by the characters (I wanted it to be a lot darker). I thought some of the character development only touched the surface. I really just wanted the writers to push the characters a little further.

I don't mean to say I disliked this book, because I did like it, a lot. I liked it so much that I wanted more. It was cute and, like I said, it has a great premise. If you're looking for a quick YA read on the beach or just for fun and nothing too deep then this is for you. I would be interested in reading more by these authors, I heard Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why is a great book too. Going to stick that one on my list!

Today's Review: The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

So, last summer I read this book, and I feel like it ruined all other books for a while. From the perspective of another writer, it was just so well written. And go figure, it's Young Adult. And while it was a YA book, and it was sad, I think everyone should read it.

What book is this, you ask? The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green.

So, I posted my review on Goodreads back when I first read it. Here is an extended version of that review..Though I will probably be sounding kind of cryptic because I don't want to say anything that will ruin the story itself.

This book was very well written, I felt like it was a writer's read. I was recommended this book last summer by my friend, writer, and fellow JHU student, Amanda Hart Miller and finally got around to reading it this past summer. 

Back when I first read it, I thought, I don't think I'll watch the movie, because the book was good enough. And summer and fall have passed, and we're now into winter, and I still don't need to watch the movie. One of my favorite things about this book is the voice. I feel like voice never quite translates into a movie smoothly.

I love Hazel's attitude towards the world and her situation. It's a sad story, of course, but you expect that going into it. Spoiler alert, it's about kids with cancer, and Hazel's approach to the whole genre is entertaining, even though it is a coping mechanism -- the book follows a 'in a cancer story, this is where this happens...but here is what happens for us' sort of story line.

I love the literary and art references (The Treachery of Images!), the title taken from Shakespeare, 

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)

(taken from here: enotes.com)

It is not too complicated of a story line (which, actually, I envy that, and wish I could have more simplicity to my stories) but in general, in a sense of plot, it might not have been my favorite story ever, but in the sense of character (well developed, round, and distinctive), and prose (descriptive, real, and as I mentioned, the voice is great), and tone (sad, but not too sad, and very clever) --  the emotions are real and I genuinely felt for the characters in this book.

This book has been a problem for me....in a good way....ever since, I've been comparing everything YA that I read to John Green and nothing has quite lived up to this one yet. I guess I should get on it and read some of his other books soon.

Overall, if you're looking for a YA book that's also a great piece of writing, this one can't be missed. I definitely recommend this book!!!