Annie Cardi's Blog, page 27

Update #4: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

Another book down for the challenge.

Update #4:

3.5 hours reading time (10.5 total)
402 pages read (1316 pages total)
1 iced coffee (2 total)

The Books

Review #4:

After Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I was in the mood for something similarly exciting but outside the fantasy realm. Adaptation by Melinda Lo was always on my radar, but for some reason I hadn’t checked it out yet. Definitely glad I did! I was hooked immediately–planes crashing, government cover-ups, weird genetic experiments–and enjoyed that Lo also focused on the characters themselves. Lo handles Reese’s feelings toward both Amber and David with sensitivity, and I appreciated a cast of supporting characters (like Julian and her mom) who felt real as well. Another book in a trilogy (that seems to be the theme for my 48 hour book challenge), I’m interested to see where this story goes.

Note: this one I got as a library download this morning. Holla to electronic library resources!

Update #3: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

An afternoon of reading on the porch was the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Update #3:

4 hours reading time (7 hours total)
418 pages read (914 pages total)
1 break for sushi

The Books

Review #3:

This morning at writing group, Tara lent me Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Even though Tara and others had told me it was awesome and that I had to read it, I didn’t know much about it. Which ended up being a huge benefit to my reading experience, because I got to dive into a wild world and enjoy it without any preconceived notions. I loved the lushness of the story and the mythology, the beauty of the setting, and the expansive cast of awesome and memorable characters. (A blue-haired heroine was kind of made for me.) I would have been ob-freakin’-sessed with this book as a teen. Can’t wait to get Days of Blood & Starlight!

Update #2: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

I had writing group this morning, so reading started a little later, but it was filled with feels.

Update #2

1 hour reading time (3 hours total)
211 pages read (496 pages total)
1 cup of iced coffee

The Books

Review #2: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban has been on my shelves for a while, and holy cow why didn’t I read this little gem sooner? It’s full of humor and heart and makes me remember that time of life when things are changing on you and it’s hard to keep up and you’re just starting to navigate the world on your own. Zoe is hilarious and so relatable; her parents are so real and sad and loving; and Wheeler is a surprise delight. It builds beautifully and is so fair to all of its characters, while still touching on real sadness. A charming middle grade book.

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the 48 Hour Book Challenge!

Because I don’t tend to plan stuff and life’s been busy lately, I forgot about the 48 Hour Book Challenge until I saw Hannah’s post about it this morning. It got me thinking about what a great reading weekend it was last year and how I haven’t devoted that length of time to reading in a while. So I decided to jump in with the 2014 48 Hour Book Challenge. Here we go, readers!

Start time: June 6, 7:00pm

Update #1:

2 hours of reading time.
285 pages read.
Outfit: Ogontz Camp hoodie and shorts

The Books

Review #1: I read Shiver for last year’s 48 Hour Book Challenge, so it seemed like a good choice to start this year’s challenge with the sequel, Linger. It was great to get to return to Mercy Falls and characters like Sam and Grace. Although I think Linger meandered a bit more than Shiver, it kept me intrigued both character-wise and plot-wise. I especially liked getting to see the POVs of Isabel and Cole. I also dug Cole’s theories about what exactly was going on medically with the wolf-shifts. Even though I would have accepted “so there are werewolves,” I like that Stiefvater is concerned about the logic of the world in which her characters exist. Also lots of great swoony bits. Looking forward to finishing up the trilogy–hopefully earlier than next year’s challenge!

Links Galore

A few good links for today:

Can I get a literary vending machine for my office?
The movie is almost out, so let’s take a look at the Fault in Our Stars story structure.
The secret libraries of New York City.
Love this list of teen feminist reads. I could definitely add a few!
Filmmakers, get on this.
A cool look at what goes into library weeding.
Books that made readers love reading. Lots of great kidlit choices!
Why yes, children’s librarians are AWESOME.
Love this post about writing fat characters.
Great post on what exactly “middle grade” is.
A “best ever YA novels” list that actually includes YA novels? This shouldn’t be shocking or cheering but it is.
Wonderful story about how books touched a young migrant worker.
“Where do I want to be in 5 years and how will this choice affect that?” My new life strategy.

Ten Reasons Why You Should Read…Open Road Summer

Around this time of year, I start craving summer vacation, even though I’m way out of high school. Even if I can’t take a summer off, I can turn to some awesome summer vacation-y reading. One of my new favorites? Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. I’d been looking forward to this one for a while and it so delivered. Here are a few reasons to read Open Road Summer.

1. Not a Nice Girl

There are a lot of nice girls in YA–girls who are shy and do what they’re told and wish things could be different. Reagan O’Neill is not a nice girl and I love that. Don’t get me wrong–she’s loyal and funny and the kind of best friend you want around. But I love that she’s also bold and fierce and funny and flirty and makes mistakes. She’s the kind of girl I wouldn’t have expected to be friends with in high school, and would have found myself totally drawn to before realizing “Of course we’re friends!”

2. Nice Guys

Matt Finch, y’all. Meet your new YA crush. Matt’s a former child music star who’s trying to make it as an adult in the music industry. He’s talented and funny and and sweet and open. I just love his chemistry with Reagan.

3. Best Friends Forever

The romance in Open Road Summer is fantastic, but it’s just as much about friendship, which is so refreshing. Reagan and Dee feel like girls who have known each other forever and will always be in each other’s corners. Dee is such a fun character in her own right, too–she doesn’t exist just as a plot device for Reagan, which is how so many “best friend” characters end up feeling. She’s got her own stresses and struggles to deal with, like trying to figure out how to balance wanting a career as a musician with wanting a regular life at home with the guy she loves. (Okay, maybe I need a Dee sequel.)

4. Music and Lyrics

Emery Lord, are you secretly a country-pop-folk music guru? Music pervades Open Road Summer, which makes sense as the main characters are all on a cross-country music road tour. Usually I feel like music lyrics in books fall flat, but Emery seriously nails them. Whenever characters are singing/playing/listening to music, I felt like I could hear the song myself. The only other time I can really think of this happening was with The Commitments by Roddy Doyle. This is major praise coming from me, guys.

5. Road Trip

Reading Open Road Summer was like getting a mini-vacation. The characters cross the country, hitting Memphis and LA and Charlotte and Chicago and lots of stops in between. Even (especially?) if you’re not taking your own road trip this summer, this book will give you all those good travel vibes.

6. Behind the Scenes

Emery does a great job of looking at the life of a rising musician and what challenges, excitement, and stresses go along with that. We get to see the good things, like adorable fans who are just so freaking excited to hear their favorite songs, and the bad things, like pregnancy rumors and being trapped in a photoshoot without getting to eat any of the craft service food without risking makeup ruin. I love that Dee understands that this life has major ups and downs, and her frustrations never feel whiney.

7. Family Ties

For a book largely about friendship and relationships, there are also a lot of awesome family dynamics in here. From Reagan’s complicated family situation to Dee’s supportive family to Matt’s situation with his mom, there are a lot of interesting looks at what it means to be a family and how we connect when times get tough. A majorly pleasant surprise.

8. Photo Opp

Dee’s not the only talented friend in the relationship–Reagan’s a photographer who documents her time on the road. I loved this aspect of her personality, and also that Reagan mentions things like particular types of cameras and having taken classes at school and photo editing. It wasn’t a major plot issue, but it made Reagan feel that much more real.

9. YA/NA

“New Adult” has been a phrase that’s been batted around a lot over the last couple of years, and I feel like reading Open Road Summer made me think “oh, this is kind of what it is.” Dee and Matt are navigating their careers, and Reagan is figuring out where her life is going next. Although I’d still classify Open Road Summer as pretty clearly YA, I can see it having a lot of crossover appeal to slightly older fans, and I think it’s a good indication of what New Adult could be.

10. Emery Lord Is Awesome

Emery and I are agent-sisters (yay Taylor Martindale!) and she was one of the first people I interacted with post-signing. From the first email exchange, Emery has been one of the sweetest, funniest, most genuine people in the YA world. I’m so excited for readers to experience her lovely book and to see her career grow.

Open Road Summer is available now, so make sure to add it to your summer reading list!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! I’m psyched to head into the long weekend, and psyched to share this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or under.

1. King Rollo and the Bread by David McKee

The adorable, illustrated version of “let them eat cake.”

2. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

I like a girl with vengeance in her heart. Well crafted, lots of feels.

3. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Try not to fall in love with this one. A classic for so many reasons.

4. United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South by Adrienne Kane

Fun to learn about lots of regional favorites–from shore to shore, pie’s a winner.

5. The Baby-Sitters Haunted House (Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery, 1) by Ann M. Martin

What I think of every time I see/hear about a widow’s walk.

Libraries Are for Everyone

A moving video about all libraries do for everyone in their communities:

Libraries are for readers, for the young and old, for people who are searching for jobs, for people who are learning new languages, for people who are new to their communities, for people who can’t leave their homes, for people who need some help, for people who want to share their knowledge.

Libraries are for everyone.

Let’s make sure our libraries get the support they deserve.

Friday Fifteen

Hurray for Friday! Let’s head into the weekend with a few book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Wild Magic (The Immortals #1) by Tamora Pierce

I never got into the Daine books like I did with the Alannas, but fun.

2. My Family Plays Music by Judy Cox

Super cute way to introduce kids to many kinds of music.

3. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Old-school charming–love the Fossil sisters and their many talents.

4. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen

Being a woman in Salem was the worst.

5. Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum by Ann M. Martin

One of the few BSC mysteries I read. Really liked the idea of tactile art.

Wood Sculptures, Books That Make You Cry, and Writing Sympathetic Characters: A YA Panel in Barrington, RI

The Panel!

Last night I was part of my first YA author panel, hosted by the Barrington Bookstore and the Barrington Public Library. Having grown up in Rhode Island, this was a really fun and exciting opportunity for me.

On the panel with me were Tara Sullivan, author of Golden Boy, Katie Cotugno, author of How to Love, Bianca Turetsky, author of The Time-Traveling Fashionista series, and Katie Davis, author of Dancing with the Devil. Our moderator was the wonderful Alyisha Foley, librarian and blogger and kidlit enthusiast. Alyisha had great questions, and I loved hearing my fellow panelists talk about their own experiences writing books for teen readers and about their own young reading experiences.

A few favorite moments from the panel:

All of us agreeing that middle/high school are so freaking hard and basically when you need books the most.
Also agreeing that sometimes spoken communication is hard–long live the text/email!
Talking about what why flawed characters are compelling and real.
Tara Sullivan sharing an ebony wood sculpture. (Made me flash back to all those good Habo and Kweli moments!)
Bianca Turetsky’s shoutout to the Baby-Sitters’ Club.
Getting to sign The Chance You Won’t Return for RI family and friends, including the parents of some of my friends from high school.

Thanks so much to Anika Denise and Barrington Books for organizing such a great panel, to the Barrington Library for letting us use their wonderful space, and to everyone who came out on a Wednesday night to hear us talk about the awesomeness of YA!