Annie Cardi's Blog, page 39

Friday Fifteen

So glad to see Friday! Here are the best(?) of this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle

Not as memorable as later Austin books, but a good intro to the Austins.

2. Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room Cookbook: How to Have People Over Without Stressing Out by Kevin Mills and Nancy Mills

Kevin and his mom are back to help you win friends by cooking for them.

3. That Mushy Stuff (Pee Wee Scouts #8) by Judy Delton

Only one of the series I read, mostly because it was a Valentine’s Day book.

4. Austenland by Shannon Hale

Light-hearted romance; fun for anyone who has a few BBC miniseries on their shelves.

5. Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Beautifully written and super creepy. One I’d like to reread.

When It’s Done

New favorite bookish song parody:

(H/T inkygirl by Debbie Ridpath Ohi)

Links Galore

Lots of good links for today:

Shakespeare as a financially successful writer.
Also, totally geeking out over this video on how Shakespeare’s plays would have sounded. Guys, there are Shakespearean puns I didn’t even know existed!
You can find Dickens in the club.
Standing up for YA romance.
Sharks can’t swim backwards other random things we’ve learned from books.
Taking risks and writing outside of your cultural comfort zone.
Great post on the problem of gendered reading.
Beautiful gift from a librarian who recently passed away.
As a major fan of fun nail polish, these literary manicures have my approval.
In case you need a recap of The Raven Boys in preparation for The Dream Thieves.
Free samples of the National Book Award Young People’s Literature long list, aka all the things to add to my to-read list.
Dos and don’ts for a query bio.
I am all for more roller derby books.
Rainbow Rowell on censorship and Eleanor & Park.
The author travel survival guide.

What’s in a Name?

I love this who were almost named something else. I can’t imagine the brightest witch of her age being called “Hermione Puckle.”

When I first started The Chance You Won’t Return, main character Alexandra “Alex” Winchester was almost called Winnie. As in Winnie Cooper or Winnie Foster. Both of which are characters that live in a historical setting.

Not exactly what I was looking for in my contemporary YA novel.

I can’t remember how I settled on Alex, exactly, but that was what she became almost immediately after I decided I needed to change her name. It felt like her–casual, kind of sporty, someone who’s used to blending in while still being a thoughtful observer.

I settled on Winchester pretty quickly, too. The story’s set in a fictional small town in Virginia and, while driving down for my second year at UVa, my car broke down in Winchester, VA. It felt like a little high five to a town that got me on the road again.

Do your character names tend to evolve over time, or do they spring to mind fully named?

(image: multisanti)

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! Let’s kick things off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Great adult-YA crossover, thoughtful exploration of grief and connection.

2. Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A solid fairy tale adaptation/sequel, but I remember feeling kind of “meh” about it.

3. The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert

Never expected to have all the feels about a mummy. Beautiful art.

4. Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

Super cute story of a family preparing dinner, with bee-bim bop recipe at the end.

5. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

You should not throw yourself off a cliff to get your ex-boyfriend’s attention.

Links Galore

Lots of good links for today:

YALSA’s booklist wiki is where I’m going when I’m not sure what I want to read next.
Excellent post by Christa Desir and Alina Klein on the responsibility we all have to stop rape.
Sometimes I do want to write an analytical essay comparing two works of literature just for fun.
Sympathy for the devil.
Literary-inspired television shows win over reality shows any day.
I’ll tackle a Shakespearean drama if no one else wants it.
Great post about girls and the “brogrammer” world of technology.
Learn about haiku / From this cool infographic / High fives to Tweetspeak
Love this series of books as their color palettes.
Surprise book edge art.
Go behind the scenes of the Paris Review with a staff Q&A.
Get your cardigans ready for autumnal reading.
Glad to see an expanding list of YA/kidlit titles featuring gay or lesbian parents.
Do you write in longhand? (With my bad handwriting, I think I write slower; won’t be giving up my keyboard any time soon.)
“X-Land” is the new “X’s Daughter/Wife” in title trends.
I love writing to playlists.
I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited.

Memory and Story

On McSweeney’s, a touching piece by John Hodgman, delivered at a literary reading shortly after September 11, 2001. Definitely read the whole piece, but one part that particularly struck me:

“So if art cannot contain or describe this event, and if for now the suffering is too keen to be alleviated by parable… if stories are for the moment not as critically needed, as courage, as medicine, as blood, as bacon, they can at least revert to this social function. As time goes on, this will all pass away into memory, into a story with a beginning and a middle and finally an end. And that transition from the real into fable will bring its own kind of comfort and pain.”

It’s been twelve years since that day, and I like this idea of the transition to stories being needed. It’s hard to comprehend tragedy, especially in the moment, but as we move further and further away from the event itself, stories become more relevant. Memories become story and stay with us and transcend the individual. That means dealing with both the good and the bad, or “comfort and pain,” both of which are needed through the passing years.

Also, School Library Journal suggests resources for 9/11.

You Asked, I Answered: My First Vlog!

Today I join the ranks of Grumpy Cat, old episodes of 80s television shows you probably didn’t watch, and scores of people drinking Diet Coke and eating Mentos–I have my first video! That’s right, I’m not just a disembodied hand typing away at a keyboard. Check out the video below, in which I answer questions about writing, plotting, and where to find good pizza:

Special thanks to Mary, Ghenet, and Stephanie for their wonderful questions! Tune in next time for more writerly video fun.

Ten Reasons Why You Should Read…Sekret by Lindsay Smith

My second Fourteenery read was Lindsay Smith’s Sekret, which I was so looking forward to after seeing fellow Fourteener Emily Kate Johnston read it and love it during the retreat. Needless to say, it totally lived up to expectations. So here are a few reasons why you should read Sekret.

1. Back in the USSR

This is one book with a stand-out setting. Yulia is growing up in Communist Russia, under Khruschev’s rule in the mid-1960s, and the setting almost becomes another character as Yulia deals with ration lines, the black market, politics, and the space race. Lindsay’s done her research and it shows.

2. Tinker, Tailor, Psychic, Spy

How does the phrase “psychic spy” not hook you? Add the fact that this is kind of based in reality is even cooler.

3. Trust No One

I spent most of the book not having any idea who Yulia/I should trust. Valentin and Sergei, fellow psychic spies? Her mother? The KGB operative in charge of the program? Lindsay works in lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing.

4. Yulia

A kickass main character who’s had to risk danger even before she was “chosen” for the special KBG operation, I liked how Yulia always tried to stay a step ahead of her enemies–whomever that may be.

5. It’s in Your Genes

A theme in Sekret is genetics and how we’re programed to be the kind of people we are. I loved seeing Yulia try to figure out who she is and what her place in the world is, considering her powers.

6. What’s My Name Again?

In Russian culture, people go by first names, patronymic names, last names, and middle names. Lindsay doesn’t make this complicated for the reader who (like me) doesn’t know much about Russian. But I loved seeing this cultural norm pop up in the plot in really cool ways.

7. Music Major

Music plays a big role in Sekret and I love how so many different kinds–classical, jazz, rock, traditional folk songs–come together in such an interesting way. It connects so well to the blending of the old and new and formal and informal in Communist Russia.

8. That Jaw-Drop Moment I Had

No, I’m not going to tell you what it is. But I will say that I loved the plot’s twists and turns, especially one big moment.

9. Lindsay Smith: Most Likely in the Fourteenery to Be a Badass Secret Agent

Lindsay writes about the Cold War and spies and Communist Russia so well because she knows these subjects really well. She works in foreign affairs, has studied Russian, and has walked the streets of Moscow.

10. But Wait, There’s More

Did I mention it’s a series? That’s right–you don’t have to feel too sad once you finish this one because we get to read more.

Sekret is being released on April 15, 2014, but you can look into the future by preordering it now. (I had to get at least one psychic joke in there, right?) Happy reading!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s starting to feel like fall, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Other things I’m happy about? Book reviews in fifteen words or less. Onto the reviews!

1. Three Junes by Julia Glass

Clear, elegant prose. The second June, from Fenno’s POV, stayed with me most.

2. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Quiet, lovely writing. Expected something different, but would like to reread.

3. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Beatrice and Benedict might be Shakespeare’s best couple. “Another Hero!” line is a clunker.

4. Felicity Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Felicity #2) by Valerie Tripp

I still think about Felicity when I say no to more coffee/tea.

5. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The costs of urbanization as only Burton can tell it. Great illustrations, of course.