U.A. Hall's Blog, page 2

On Personal Tragedy and The Beginning of Everything

 

Ezra Faulkner. Awesome name. Nice character. This was one of the few realistic YA fiction books that I wanted to read. It’s written by Robyn Schneider, who may or may not be in love with the Great Gatsby. I was captured immediately at the first couple of chapters. Basically Ezra believes that everyone gets his or her own tragedy. That no one gets to share a tragedy. Also, this tragedy is supposed to change us in some way and for Ezra his personal tragedy is a really bad car accident that shatters his knee and destroys his chances of playing professional tennis and any sport for that matter. Then he falls in love with a quirky yet extremely smart and witty girl and everything spirals out of control. I liked this story, but it tried too hard to make too many connections that didn’t quite fit in with the characters.

I understood Ezra’s way of thinking to a certain extent, because I’ve always looked at life as a sort of string of disappointments rather than tragedies. Maybe that comes with being naturally pessimistic, but it can easily be rephrased. (Life can be full of happiness that is constantly interspersed with disappointments and sadness. That doesn’t sound much better. Moving forward.) And I think that in some sense it is true that we don’t necessarily share tragedies because everyone experiences things differently and an event can have a completely different significance for the other person or people involved. It’s kind of like the tricks of memory in which a brother distinctly remembers his big sister throwing him off the first floor balcony when she distinctly remembers him agreeing to play firefighters and being lowered to the ground in a crate on a string and yes- the string did break and yes- he did fall, but no, he was never pushed. At the same time, discounting a horrible moment as something for someone else is nothing but a coping mechanism. But that’s the point isn’t it? Ezra explains his way of thinking but then admits that he got so many things wrong.

I like Ezra as a character because he opens up the story for reflection on what he thinks and how he goes about life. The only shattering thing about this story that wasn’t convincing enough was his larger than life philosophical epiphanies towards the end where we find out he is a freshman in college looking back at his senior year of high school. Ezra’s characteristics get lost in his revelations. (There are the Gatsby references and Foucault, which Ezra tries to fit into his thinking as a way to figure out things and it’s all really too much for him. The best thing the Gatsby references has going is that the dog takes on that voice, and I absolutely loved it. The author really didn’t have to take it further than that.) At the end of the story, I still don’t know who Ezra is except for a guy who learns not to detach himself from his friends when life gets hard. I still don’t know his likes and dislikes, what he decides to major in or anything. This is because he actually hasn’t figured much out and you know what? That’s okay. If it hadn’t ended with him in college, and making a grand statement on life it would have resonated better with his character arc because I don’t believe that Ezra changes that much. He still seems to be floating around in a cloud of just following along.

The thing about tragedy is that it’s supposed to make us stronger, make us better people, make us better decision makers, but it also breaks us and sometimes those breaks aren’t set right before they heal. Sometimes there are no grand statements, no epiphanies, just a relationship that didn’t work out.

If you loved this book and love Robyn or just want to learn more about her, here’s a link.https://www.youtube.com/user/robynisrarelyfunny

Miles and Miles of No-Man’s Land

uahall:

Fairy tales are wonderful things to talk about and analyze, but imagine actually dealing with one of those creatures in real life in the form of depression. Libba Bray’s blog took my breath away. It reminded me that I have been trying to fight my demons with my words and that’s okay.

Originally posted on Libba Bray:

This is the hardest blog I’ve ever attempted to write.

For the better part of eight months, I have been struggling under the thumb of a rather intense depression. This is a monster I’ve battled many times in my life; it is not new. Yet, this has been a particularly brutal one, and I’m not out of the woods yet.

As a writer, I try to write about everything. But it’s hard to write about depression. For one, there’s the fear that the minute you say, “I’m suffering from depression,” people will look at you funny. That they will nod at you with wincing, constipated face, place a hand on your arm and say, with all good intent, “How are you?” And your pain will war with your desire to be “normal” and not looked at funny by sympathetic people at parties. So you will answer, “Fine, thanks” while you’ll think of all the things you could say: “Partly cloudy with a strong chance of rain later?” “Mostly okay except for that silent sobbing I did on the F train this afternoon which frightened the school children.” “Well, I’m okay now but around 10 PM I could be drinking from a seemingly bottomless cup of self-loathing, so stick around if you’re into that sort of thing.” You do not want to be labeled “That Depressed Person,” which was not a show on ABC. 

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Valentines Day YA Sci-fi/Fantasy Favorites

Valentines day is coming up soon and whether we love the holiday or abhor it, we still appreciate a good love story mixed in with our magic, legends, paranormal, or action packed dystopian novels. Falling in love for the first time is usually the theme in YA, but add that to the characters extenuating circumstances, (being in the hunger games, being in love with a caster, or being on the run) emotions can get muddled while surging and crackling like an overloaded breaker box. It’s a lot to take in and as readers, we find something extremely human about the power to love so strongly. As an adult, it’s about reminiscing or maybe still wanting that feeling. As writers, we try to convey not only the emotions our characters our feelings, but also the minor details that spark a relationship and the surrounding world that has an effect on those characters. Either way, no matter how commercial Valentines day is, Love- in these stories often times comes at a much higher price than an expensive box of chocolates.

I’ve come up with some categories that were hard for me to decide who would come in as my number one favorite, so I thought I’d post this and get some feed back. What’s your opinion?

The Guys

Sexiest Male in YA Fantasy? I think that Indian Prince Dhiren (Tiger’s Curse), who is also cursed to be a beautiful white bengal tiger may take the cake in this category. He is described as having these miraculous blue eyes because he’s actually mixed with Asian, while having dark hair that curls right by the ear. Also bronze skinned and toned, and his gracefulness rivals that of a vampire, so yeah, sexy.

Most Charming Male in YA Fantasy? It could easily be a tie between Ethan Wate (Beautiful Creatures) and Simon Lewis (The Mortal Instruments). Ethan can be a down right proper southern gentleman and with the story being told from his point of view, you know he’s not a jerk that just wants to get in Lena’s pants. Simon’s unrequited love of Claire is heartbreaking, but he is the best friend ever and stands by her side no matter what. Now that’s charming.

Dystopian Male Interest? I might have to go with Peeta (Hunger Games) because he’s such an underdog and living in these dystopian worlds are harsh, but he (spoiler alert) gets the girl. That says alot about his tenacity, charm, and willing to fight. A runner up could be Day (Legend) because he’s got SO much to lose but still he stays strong and of course finds love.

The Girls

Beautiful Girl in YA Sci/fi? This is very difficult because so many of the main characters are girls and told in the first person, that her looks at times, play second fiddle. This might have to go to Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) because she’s not human but was still able to grab the attention of Prince Kai and also I think her beauty and self-worth is a big deal for Cinder, and her willingness to accept it will play a role in her ability to be able to help earth.

The Girl you wouldn’t want to make mad on Valentines Day? OMG, good job YA authors for creating such strong female roles in your stories. It would be Lena Duchannes (Beautiful Creatures) because seriously, she can split the moon and upset the order of things. That’s pretty powerful.

Conversely, The most Kick-Ass Girl? She’s a fighter, a survivor and would kill anyone trying to harm her or her man. Yeah you don’t want to mess with Katsa (Graceling), Tally (the Uglies), Scarlett and Rosie March (Sister’s Red), and I can’t forget Katniss (Hunger Games)

Favorite Couples YA Sci-fi/Fantasy? Some relationships are slowly built, some are love at first sight or smell, and some are damned from the beginning. That’s why I want to start with Grace and Sam (The Wolves of Mercy Falls) they spend the whole series trying to be together. Then theres Lena and Alex (Delirium). In a world where love is outlawed and considered a disease there is no way I wasn’t rooting for them.

I know there are plenty more characters that could fit into these categories or ones similar so I’m eager to hear back from you. Lastly before I go, I know there has been a lot of talk recently about how Harry should have ended up with Hermoine, and even the author agreed, but when I found out that Ron and Hermoine liked each other, I summed it up to the fact that Hermoine and Ron spent summers together in the Weasleys home and frankly I think without a ton of supervision. So I figured they were spending a lot of time alone, and even though Hermoine and Harry could have had some sparks, Ron is the sweet nervous one, faithful, even though a little scary at times, still very brave, and still a Gryffindor.

Fairytale Renditions Part 1

This year I’ve decided to share my love of fairytales with everyone right here on chasingsheherazade.wordpress.com The first fairy tale rendition that I read this year was Cinder by Marissa Meyer. As the title shows, this one was a super fantastic take on Cinderella. As a culture, we love Cinderella since it is the true underdog story or we hate her for not being what we think an independant woman should be. Hence, over the years the theme has been that Cinderella saves herself and doesn’t get help from a fairy godmother. I’ve read and seen several Cinderella stories and this one is a hit. Cinder is no different. Told in a third person point of view in order to keep a traditional story teller feel, but extremely close that it has the immediacy of first person, the reader is thrown straight into Cinder’s world.The futuristic world that Marissa creates is so interesting and real that the references to the original Cinderella story is actually not needed, but I see why they are there. It gives the story that is so far in the future, a feeling of an old tradition. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing. She works a booth in the market with her android, Iko, who has an endearing personality. Of course there are the regular cast of characters that one would expect: Stepmother-Adri and two step sisters- Pearl and Peony. New Beijing is run by an Emperor, hence enters the handsome prince, Kai. But there is more mystery surrounding Cinder than she originally thinks. Then with a deadly pandemic raking earth, and Cinder’s acceptance to fix the prince’s broken android are the start to a chain of events that will change her life forever.

 Reading Cinder while daughter watches Mickey Mouse

I love Cinder as a character mainly for how deeply her emotions run, which is her proof of her humanity and her determination to make her life better. She reminds me off Tally in Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series and the setting of this futuristic New Beijing reminds me of Extras the companion book of the Uglies series. Also if you like Legend by Marie Lu then you will definitely love this story. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Scarlett, Cress, and Winter, which will be renditions of other well known fairy tales.

Lastly, Marissa Meyer as an author seems like a really cool person. Apart from coming up with the idea that Cinderella as a Cyborg would be awesome, she also read a lot of anime in high school (Wonder if she’s heard of the anime Fairytail) and wishes she could draw her characters.

Learn more about Marissa Meyer in her Goodreads interview here or her website here.

For the Love of Fairy Tales

For a traditional yet epic style fairy tale, Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie was indeed a book that spoke to my love of fairy tales. As a lover of magic and fairytales this book reminded me why I became an author. Young Luka, having grown up around stories and myths his whole life, encounters the magical world only after his father Rashid Khalifa falls into a deep sleep. Luka has to enter the magical world in order to save his father with a creature he doesn’t fully trust, Nobodaddy, and his talking dog, Bear, and his talking bear, Dog. Through this epic adventure, Rushdie addressed the “usefulness” of magic and myths in the Real World, but also more philosophical topics like the meaning of time and life and death.

 

Unfortunately, it took me several months to finish Luka and the Fire of Life for one main reason. I think my daughter had something against the book. Without fail, every time I sat down to read she would grab at the book, try to climb in my lap and sit on the book, bite the book, and rip the cover. I even took the dust jacket off, hoping she wouldn’t recognize the book, but it didn’t work. What made all this worse, was that I really wanted to read this story, but Rushdie’s writing style was going to take my concentration off her and completely on the story. His writing style is repetitive for starts. Every character, scene, and action is described several times with a plethora of adjectives that shift and change each time the thing is explained or rather is kept the same, which creates a hyperbolic affect. His use of lists were at times tedious, but made me smile. Especially when it came to mentioning the gods and goddesses of the Magical world. It was like he had to put every single one he had ever heard of or researched, but it was fun. When I recognized a name I was like hey, I read about that before, or if I hadn’t, it made me want to look it up. There is literally a whole page of names of wind gods from across legends. Even though you wouldn’t be able to find this book amongst those in the children’s section, it is a book encompassing fairy tales, legends, and even new myths that every fantasy lover would appreciate.

I thought this link would best fit here because this publishing group is dedicated to remade fairytales. Beauty and Beast is one of my absolute favorites. More on that another time. Enjoy!

http://surlalunefairytales.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-dragon-prince-chinese-beauty-beast.html

Remembering Calvin and Hobbes

I own seven Calvin and Hobbes collections written by Bill Waterson. I bought several from the Walden books in Woodfield Mall when I was in grade school. It’s my favorite comic series followed by Baby Blues. I used to cut the strips out of the Sunday comic pages and try to collect them, but the paper was so flimsy that they were soon ruined or lost. I knew the day would come when my son would want to read them. I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn’t want him to mess them up. But I’ve also learned that since I have a growing children’s library, who else to share my books with than my kids. I watched him pick out Revenge of the Babysat and remembered wryly why I bought that particular one. I’d never had a babysitter growing up so automatically this particular collection of Calvin and Hobbes stood out to me. I loved Calvin’s antics with the babysitter, Rosalyn, and how he tried to get the best of her but only got to stay up thirty minutes later. The dynamic between her and the parents was hilarious. They knew she was in for a rough night and she did too, sometimes holding out her hand for more money.

Another aspect of Calvin and Hobbes that I adored was Calvin’s intellect. He was so freaking articulate for a six-year-old, but in juxtaposition that didn’t help him stay out of trouble or get good grades in school. It was baffling, but the contrast worked so well because it’s what made me root for Calvin. I never wanted Spaceman Spiff or Stupendous Man to get caught. I used to think Calvin spoke so eloquently because he’s named after a 16th century theologian John Calvin while Hobbes is named after 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, but it was actually Bill Waterson’s ideals and commentaries spilling through Calvin’s mouth. Either way, it made Calvin’s blunders and hypocritical actions funny. The only time I wanted Calvin to go down was where Susie Derkins was involved. She is by far an epitome of myself when I was younger, and I would have loved a short spin off comic involving her. She was also smart, but studious, and seemingly well behaved. She had a mean streak constantly putting Calvin in his place by clobbering him or making him play make believe games where he was not in control. She stood up for herself and wasn’t a push over, yet she also had an incredible imagination. In fact, they both do. Calvin and Susie’s imagination is what I think some kids lack today. Not because they don’tread, but simply because they aren’t challenged. Challenges cause us to get creative and creativity spurs from an active imagination. My imagination has always been a little out of control and like most children, I was impressionable.

Here’s a dark secret: a tale told late at night. I acquired a little stuffed tiger from a happy meal, I think, but never the less, I decided he would be my friend. When I finally got a K’nex building system, I put a tire around his neck and deemed him Petey the Keeper of K’nex. His job was to stand watch over my building systems so that my younger brother wouldn’t mess with it. Soon, I began taking him everywhere with me, which meant he would eventually get lost. It was a weekend over my cousin’s house that I lost Petey. Of course, back then I’d claimed he must have run away because everyone was so horrible and mean and always yelled. Yes, as my cousin would say, “I have issues.” The lost of Petey took a toll on me. I realized that he’d never actually talked to me and our relationship didn’t feel as real as Calvin and Hobbes did now that he was gone. Still, I never stopped loving those two, they are iconic and it feels good to see my son interested in my good ‘ol comics.

Related articles

Calvin & Hobbes Arrives on the iBookstore (iClarified.com)
What’s So Special About Calvin and Hobbes? (entertainment.time.com)
They’re Moving!: Beautiful Little Animation Of Calvin & Hobbes Dancing Around In The Woods (geekologie.com)
The essential Calvin and Hobbes (thehindu.com)
According to Calvin and Hobbes (accordingtosharon.wordpress.com)

The Unicorn Club

Oh My Goodness! Who remembers the Unicorn Club by Francine Pascal??

As I was packing up my books I came across three Unicorn Club books that I’ve had since I ordered them in 1994 when they were brand spanking new to the Scholastic Book Club. There’s some wear and tear on it but I keep my books in pretty good condition. The unicorn club was a spin off of Sweet Valley Twins and Friends. I mean the whole Sweet Valley franchise included so many books that I’m sure I only read about 50% of them- if that. The first book in the series starts off with Jessica Wakefield and Lila Fowler starting a dare war at school. They are now in seventh grade and the consequences of their actions are more than what they imagined. Could they be the reason for the Unicorn Club being disbanded? It’s told from the point of view of Mandy Miller and as the series continues, the friends take turns telling the stories. I really enjoyed the change in point-of-view about the books: it wasn’t just about Jessica and Elizabeth. Looking back at this cover, it feels so old school, but I like it because the girls aren’t sneering or rolling their eyes like The Clique series or like Gossip Girl (if they showed faces on the cover but they don’t on the original). There was a sense of innocence about the Unicorn Club that I guess readers got sick of. Maybe they felt the characters experiences weren’t as realistic, but that maybe why I’ve stopped reading as much realistic fiction. It became more about teenagers with major issues and “regular” kids got pushed to the back. I’m sorry but I don’t want everybook I read to be like “Push”. Instead, I’m grateful for newer authors like John Green, when I want to read YA fiction that’s not science fiction or fantasy centered.

When I was younger I gobbled these types of books up. I loved the Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin, read all the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, Anastasia Krupnik books, Boxcar Children, and I really enjoyed Alice’s world by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I used to walk around using the word “reluctant” from the title Reluctantly, Alice. Also, I can’t forget about Judy Bloom. It was something about all these stories that made me feel like I had friends and they were girls that had the same questions I had; even though I felt like I grew up in a world that was completely different from theirs. There will always be a need for stories like this and as minuscule as some of their problems are, they still represent what I consider the true coming of age story. I don’t think who we are as adults happens over the summer we were 18 or as we go off to college. Our experiences as children can have even a bigger affect. Who we are is an accumulation of our experiences. I’m not going to go into phenomenology or any of that but I’m glad I got a chance to read these books. The nostalgia surrounding them is so great, I might not ever get rid of them. I can even see where my former cat chewed at the corner.

Recently, Francine released a continuation of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield’s life with Sweet Valley Confidential. I haven’t read them yet, but I’m definitely curious.

Related articles

‘Sweet Valley High’ creator Francine Pascal on the sequel, the movie, and (perhaps) another book (shelf-life.ew.com)

Four Smashwords Fantasy Authors Featured in iBooks Promotion

Wonderful things abounds in the Self-publishing world.

Four Smashwords Fantasy Authors Featured in iBooks Promotion.

Fortunately, The Milk

While I was at First Aid Comics last week, I picked up a copy of Fortunately, the milk by Neil Gaiman. He is by far one of my favorite authors and it’s really difficult to pick a favorite author or wrap an author in that category when I supposedly, like my cousin says, “have a book addiction.” In all actuality, she doesn’t know the the half of it. I am one of those people that have been surrounded by books and the quest for knowledge from a very young age. If my parents did anything right, it was to instill in my siblings and I that being illiterate is not an option. I remember reading Shel Silverstein’s ” Where the Sidewalk Ends” over and over and then, as I got older, spending hours and days at the local Library. My brother always wanted to rent the “Rockie and Bulwinkle” tapes, but I got books. This may sound cliché, but by fourth grade I felt that I had read all the good stuff the children’s section of the library had to offer; so naturally, I moved on to adult fantasy, science fiction and paranormal. I didn’t want realistic fiction: my life was real enough. I never read really scary books -the scariest books I completed was about 13 books in the Goosebumps series cause everyone was reading them, but I loved vampires. Sometimes, this took me towards books that were just plain ole creepy, but in this I found my other all time favorite author Anne Rice. So for a while I didn’t even acknowledge children’s book. By the time I made my way back to the children’s section, there was a plethora of reads to add to my list and I dove in thinking to myself, “There weren’t books like this when I wanted them.”

Fortunately, the Milk is one of those books that’s fits right in with Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, and Luis Sachar’s Wayside School. It’s pure fun while highlighting the tradition of oral storytelling. Some of the timeless myths and legends we inherit were first told my word of mouth and like Sherherazade, telling stories saved her life. The book is full of illustrations, which makes it a great read for reluctant readers, but laugh out loud pictures that enhance the descriptions. So what is this book about? Basically, a father is left home with his children and despite the mom’s preparations and list of things to do, they run out of milk. The father goes to the cornershop to buy some milk and it gone a very, very, very long time. When he returns, he tells his children the wackiest story of why he was gone the whole time. There’s aliens, time travel, and of course the milk. Simple, straight forward, and with ridiculous twists that are bound to happen when telling a story, Fortunately, the milk will become a staple in anyone’s library that collects children’s books.

Related articles

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (goodreadswithronna.com)
Shel Silverstein’s Unlikely Rise to Kid Lit Superstardom (mentalfloss.com)
Neil Gaiman to Teach at Bard College in Spring 2014 (tor.com)

Catching Fire

Yesterday, I stepped away from my writing and happily skipped over to the theater to watch Catching Fire: the second movie installation in the Hunger Games trilogy. I was extremely anxious about seeing this movie as is with most hollywood movie adaptations. My fingers were crossed until they ached as I pleaded that I hoped they didn’t manage to screw up the movie. Did they leave some things out? Of course, it’s a movie and 2hr 26min one to boot. Was I pleased with the outcome? Hell Yes! I will probably be going to see it again while it’s still in theaters. It made we want to reread the third book again, which would make it the fourth time.

I devoured the first two books but had to wait for the release of the third book: Mockingjay. As soon as it came out, I was in line with the box set in hand, itching to reread the story. It’s such a fast read and was totally different from the series I had been reading at the time: Fablehaven. You know what, the two really can’t be compared. Within a short time, Suzanne Collins became another one of my favorite authors.

An interview with Suzanne Collins.