The Wild Things - Dave Eggers

Growing up, I always loved the children's book Where The Wild Things Are. As an adult, I fell in love with the writing of Dave Eggers. So when I heard that Dave Eggers was going to be writing the screenplay, and subsequently, a novel, based on the children's book, I knew it would be something I would be interested in.

I haven't seen the movie yet, since I hardly go to the movies, but I couldn't resist this groegous book cover, and I grabbed it from the library as soon as I could.

In this book, Eggers fleshes out the story of Max. Max's family life isn't ideal, being raised by a busy, divorced mother, and living with his teenaged sister, both of whom are so wrapped up in their own issues that they don't always see him. Max finds himself acting out in ways he doesn't even understand, and feels lost and alone in his own home. In a fit of frustration, he leaves his family behind, sailing off the the dock on the lake near his house, and ending up on an island filled with strange creatures. The strange beasts soon crown Max king, and it is now up to him to complete the impossible task of keeping everyone happy all the time.

I loved the character of Max. He was so complicated and in such turmoil, but so sympathetic. From the first page to the last, I just wanted to give him a big hug. I also liked the different personalities of each of the beasts. They all had traits that were alive in Max, and are alive in all of us, jealousy, unxplained rage, distrust, neediness, and the desire for fun. However, because these beats are so large, their emotions and personalities are large as well. Max develops a unique relationship with them, and it's exciting to see how their dynamic changes and grows.

My main complaint is that the end felt rushed and, because of that, I don't feel like I got to know the Wild Things as well as I wanted to. There were issues of their that were hinted at, but never fully developed, and that made me sad. I could have spent a lot more time in their world with them.

Honestly, though, my favorite part of the book was in the Acknowledgements at the end. This book wasn't published as YA, but it seems YA to me, with Max being a kid and it being based off a chiclren's book and all. And Dave Eggers acknowledges the power and strength of YA fiction, saying, "Books for young people have a rich and I daresay limitless future -- knock anyone who says otherwise into a ditch..."

I knew I loved you, Dave Eggers.

The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray

So, I FINALLY read this book. It has taken me forever to get to, mainly because it's just so LONG. I was trying to read 200 books this year, so when it came down to the choice of reading four 200 page books or one 800 page book, this one always got pushed to the side. Once I realized that 200 wasn't going to happen this year, though, I decided I should finally sit down and see what would finally happen to Gemma Doyle.

The first two books in the trilogy really leave you with a lot of questions, and this book does a great job of wrapping everything up. What's going on with the magic in the realms? What happened to Circe? What will become of Pippa? Will Gemma ever feel like she fits in? And, the most important for me, what's going on with that sexy Kartik?!?

It's no secret that I have a weakness for a hot boy in a book. But Libba Bray had to go and make that hot boy Indian, which was really just too much for me. One of my first HUGE crushes was on an Indian boy named Amol, so I totally pictured Kartik looking like Amol, but more buff, and with an English accent. (Do you picture Kartik with an English accent or an Indian accent? I think an Indian man with an English accent is hot, so that's how I imagine him. Mmmm. Kartik.)

This book had a lot of action, and really tied up all of the loose ends from the first two books, but I felt like it didn't do any of that until the second half. The first half of the book (aka two entire 200 page novels) really dragged for me. It was like, oh, Gemma and Felicity and Ann are going back to the realms...AGAIN. But once it got going, it really got going, and the last half of the book was a total page turner for me. I'm not usually big on fantasy, and it really does get fantastical there at the end, but I was still so engrossed in the plot and the action that I didn't even mind.

I enjoyed this series a great deal, and I really liked how Gemma developed as a woman from the first book to the last one. It's a great trilogy for someone looking for a strong teen role model...or a hot Indian guy.

David Levithan Signing

So, my friend Amber e-mailed me a few weeks ago to let me know that David Levithan was going to be doing a signing by her house, and would I want to go? Well, if you have read any of my reviews of his books, you know I LOVE him, so this was a no-brainer. Screw my appointment, screw the traffic from OC to LA. David Levithan is doing a signing...I'm there.

I've been dying to read Love Is The Higher Law since it came out. I have been harassing my library over and over to get a copy in, but they still haven't ordered it, so I have yet to get my grubby little hands on his newest book. Lucky for me, I could finally get myself a copy of the book, AND hear him read from it AND get it signed. Take that, slow library!

So, here's a video of the man himself reading the first chapter from Love Is The Higher Law:



I got chills listening to this. I can't wait to finally read this book!

Then he gave us the news that he recently sold a book about adults, called The Lovers' Dictionary. It likely won't be out until early 2011, but he read us the second chapter and it was killer! I tried to get a video of him reading, but he said no (and I don't blame him), so I just listened to him read and, MAN, that's going to be an awesome book. Amber turned to me when he was done reading and said, "I'm sold." Me, too. That book is totally on my radar.

He also has a book coming out in April that he co-wrote with John Green called Will Grayson, Will Grayson that his publisher was giving away ARCs of. Oh man, did I want to get my hands on a copy of that book. David Levithan AND John Green? I die! Sadly, I didn't win, but I will get my hands on that book one way or another.

And he mentioned he has another book with Rachel Cohn coming out soon. Geez...I think he is trying to kill me. I'm just so excited.

After the Q&A session, where people asked some really thoughtful questions about his books, his writing, and his other job as an editor, we got to get our books signed! The cool part was that he said he would make a CD mix for everyone who told him on facebook that they would be there. So, not only did I get my book signed, I also got a CD! And let me tell you, David Levithan has excellent taste in music.

It's so great to meet someone who entertains and inspires you and find that they are just as cool as you thought they would be. Thanks for the awesome evening, David Levithan!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

It's only been a little over a year since I first read the Harry Potter series (I know, I know, I was late to the game), and I really wanted to re-read all of them as soon as I was finished. Unfortunately for Harry, though, there were so many other books clamoring for my attention that my re-read got pushed to the back burner.

Then I got the brilliant idea to get the books on audiobook and listen to them while I worked out at the gym! Audiobooks and working out are an amazing combo for me...for whatever reason listening to Jim Dale do his voices keeps me so much more engaged on the cardio machines than just plain ol' music.

I re-read the first book way back in January, and then it took me awhile to get the audio book and, you know, actually go to the gym. I've been doing about 30 minutes of cardio per session, and that gets me through about one chapter, so it's been quite awhile that I've been listening to this second installment. It's been fun, though.

I feel kinda bad for this book. It's so often at the bottom of everyone's "What's your favorite HP book?" lists. It doesn't have the initial magic of the first book, and the third one is where things start to get more serious, so this one gets swept under the rug a bit. But it's still a totally fun story, and, knowing where the rest of the series goes, so many cool things are thrown out in this book that come in to play in the later books. (This is the sheer brilliance of JK Rowling...that something that is mentioned in passing in the earlier books ends up being a huge deal in later books. I love it!)

Harry's second year at Hogwarts is another tough one. A monster is attacking Muggle-born students at Hogwarts and Harry is trying to figure out what and who is behind the attacks. It is said that the heir of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin is behind the attacks, aiming to rid the school of anyone who isn't of wizard ancestry.

What I like the best about this book is the introduction of Dobby, the house elf. Dobby is an odd little character who can be somewhat annoying at times, but he's such a sweetheart and he just idolizes Harry so much that you just can't help but love him. Well, maybe you can, but I can't.

I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series on audiobook at the gym. As the books get longer, I know it will take a lot longer to get through them, but at least I know I will have lots of motivation for my workouts!

Writing Stuff

It's November...and you know what that means! It's time for NaNoWriMo! Is anyone participating?

I did my first NaNo last year, and I loved it. It's really what got me back into writing, and it really got me reading YA like crazy. It was such a fantastic experience, and I'm so glad I did it. I ended up with 54,000 words of total crap, but it was all about the journey, you know?

I'm not NaNoing this year, but only because I am still working on that same dang story. I decided to go back and turn that crap into gold, and that is a lot easier said than done. ;-) But I'm trying to ride the NaNo motivation wave and keep pumped about my writing. It's so easy to get discouraged.

Oh, and speaking of writing...I've seen this posted on a few blogs and thought it seemed kinda interesting.

Young Adult Novel Contest

I was tossing around the idea of entering, just for grins and giggles, but I just did a word count on my first chapter and my first 250 words are nothing to write home about.

I kinda just want that book.

For now I should probably just focus on spinning that crap into gold and reading as much as I can. You know, sticking to what I'm good at. ;-)

October Recap

So, let's look at 2009, shall we? My original goal was 200 books this year, and I was on track for awhile there. Life got in the way, as it often does when it comes to goals like that, and I got blown off track.

Here we are, the end of October, only two months left in 2009.

I've read 118 books.

Clearly, something went terribly wrong.

I'll take it, though. That's still way more than most people.

I was going to try to re-set my goal for the year. 125? 130? But then I realized I don't care. I'll just read as many as I can in the next two months and see what happens. I have some good books in my pile...and I get to read a book that my friend's mom is trying to get published! That will be fun!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

Dear John Green,

How did you get to be so clever? And witty? And why are you such a good writer? You make me feel like such a slouch.

I'd read Looking For Alaska, and I liked it. I did. It was a good book...I even bought a copy for my classroom library and my students started fighting over it. To be honest, though, I didn't even realize you had any other books published until one of my students demanded I read Paper Towns, and when I put it on hold at the library I saw you had this one, too, so I held it as well. This one came in first, so I thought I would give it a shot, and I was hooked from the first page.

First of all, I love Colin as a protagonist. His nerdiness and his Jew-fro have me hooked, since I love me a dork. I love his anagraming, I love his knowledge of so many languages, I love that he has been dumped 19 times by girls named Katherine, and, yes, I even love his dupmee/dumper theorum, even though I hate math and don't understand it at all.

And Colin's best friend, Hassan...oh, how I love Hassan, too. I love their road trip to help Colin recover from being dumped by K-19, I love Hassan's comic relief, but that he is still a poignant character that I want to get to know and spend time with.

I just loved this book. So funny and clever and witty and touching and original. I spent the whole time reading this book wishing I was a better writer. Love, love, love. I read at the end that the movie rights have been optioned, and that you're writing the screenplay, which makes me squeal with delight.

Keep being awesome, John Green. I can't wait to read Paper Towns.

Love,

Jessica

(I tried to anagram this, but I spent about 2 minutes on it and gave up. I don't know how you came up with so many anagrams in this book...it would have made my head hurt!)