2012 was an...interesting year for me. I feel like I have to divide it into thirds: San Marcos life, summer life, and being at home life. Looking back, I can't see how any of these have any resemblance to each other, except for the fact that I spend as much time as I can on books, TV shows, movies, and the Internet. It's a bizarre feeling. But anyways, I feel obligated to do a "year in review" kind of post, and since I haven't found much time for writing it this week, I'm doing it entirely in photos. Because I can, and because pictures are pretty.
I have now read all five of these John Green books
I feel like it couldn't have been a whole week since I last posted.
And then I remember that we had VBS at my church this week, and I was going to school, and I read a book, and I spent too much time on the Internet. And I watched Midnight in Paris which was really fabulous and I played Jeopardy with friends and I cooked and cleaned and wrote.
Then I don't wonder why I'm feeling so tired. Why my eyes are drooping even though it's only 9:33 and a college student should be able to stay awake until 3 in the morning [although my laptop providing the only light in my room could certainly be a contributing factor].
So first, let me apologize if you expect to hear from me more often. I don't know why I think you should have that impression since I've never been particularly conscientious about updating my blog. But I always worry that I'm letting people down so here it is in another medium.
Secondly, I don't have much of my own rambling to offer today. I am still having trouble getting back into the rhythm of having a computer around but not spending all day on it. I have to turn the modem/router dealies off so that I'm not tempted by the Internet.
But before I do that, I want to share something with y'all.
Let me preface this with a sort of lengthy introduction.
There's this awesome movie called Once that stars musicians Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard and they sing many, many lovely songs, one of which won an Oscar [hence my introduction to them]. They went on to collaborate as The Swell Season on two wonderful albums.
[Also, Glen Hansard is part of the band The Frames which is also amazing. I'm partial to their album The Cost after a funny turn of
events: I thought recognized Glen's voice in a song that played during a fantastic episode of Castle, so I looked it up. That song, played at the end of this clip, is Rise.]
I recently added Strict Joy to my iTunes collection and was originally kind of annoyed that they included a bunch of live tracks. I'm not a huge fan of listening to people talk when I want to be listening to their music.
BUT THEN I ACTUALLY LISTENED TO SOME OF THE TALKING.
Unbelievable, I know. But on two of the tracks, Glen [I feel weird using his first name but the alternative is typing his whole name 5 million times or calling him Mr. Hansard which is just bizarre] says some really poignant things. So I copied them down and here they are:
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops (Live)
This is about being in one of those relationships where you find yourself so insecure, so needy, so obsessed...and the idea is your heart is in a lot of pain, your heart is in a lot of pain it's not good, you're not happy. You're living your life in anxiety and stress.
Your head is so clear that everything is okay. Your head is saying, your logical self is saying, "It's grand. She loves me. We spend all of our time together. Her parents like me, even."
And your heart is a, an abandoned train that's speeding, being driven by a lion, just RUAAGH. On ice, CRUUAHH. Your heart is just out of control.
And the problem is - and I guess here is the essential problem with us humans, is that this muscle and this muscle don't communicate. They don't have a relationship. Most other organs in your body have some kind of relationship with each other, you know, that whole idea of I'll take it from here, passing it down, yep, got it, cool...
But these two muscles - the day you were born they stopped talking. Or maybe when you were three, if you want to get into actual proper psychoanalysis. Or four months old. Anyway, so they stop communicating. And so this is all about praying, putting your hands together, and praying to whoever it is to please turn off this muscle because it's crazy and mad and WAUGH.
Go with Happiness (Live)
[Note: Rare instance of profanity ahead. I think it's totally appropriate in context.]
It seems like the subject of the night, so far, has been two muscles. This is a song about, just a song about having trouble with love and being hurt, not knowing if you want to go back in or out.
Then you hear the song of the siren, the metaphor for, you come upon beauty by accident. And it's again how the speeding train driven by a lion on ice, suddenly - WAAUGH, PFFFH - comes into play and logic is suppressed.
So I would like to dedicate this song to the captains of all the, like the northwestern and all the ships off deadliest catch, only because it's a, because we've been watching it and also, because uh it's a lovely idea, you know. That you're captaining a ship and you hear the song of the siren and the rocks and you know that to turn your ship towards the rocks is very dangerous.
But the heart says, "Fuck the rocks."
The head says, "But we'll all die."
The heart says, "Poetically."
All this in an Irish accent. And that's the human condition, folks. I've got nothing more to add.
So the question: why do you need to buy books and read them over and over again? After all, what's there to anticipate? You already know how the book ends. Except...
Things I Remembered about The Hobbit from Reading It 10 Years Ago
Bilbo Baggins
Gandalf
Dwarves
Dragons and guarded treasure
Trolls
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Ponies being eaten
I had to reread it to prepare for the movie finally coming out.
Things I Realized I Should Have Remembered While Rereading
Unexpected dinner party at Bilbo's
Hanging out with Elrond
Gollum and the Ring
Goblins/orcs and Wargs and almost being eaten
The eagles saving the day, twice
Beorn, the bear guy
The sketchy forest, including giant spiders and almost being eaten
Wood-elves being rather silly
Floating in barrels
The secret door
Bilbo riddling with the dragon and almost being burnt and eaten
The giant battle at the end
Other things that I already can't remember happening
This makes me want it to be December, for once.
Even with a good memory, there's a lot you forget about books you haven't read in a while. There's a ton you forget about books you haven't read in a long while. But you'll always remember whether you liked a book or not, and sometimes you need to know ahead of time that a book is going to make you smile.
I mean, look at this.
And also, the publishing industry kind of needs your money.
In the spirit of finishing long-delayed posts, I bring you an update on the unarguably most amazing sport ever invented.
[If you haven't been paying attention to previous ramblings, I'm talking about figure skating.]
Way back in December, some exciting things happened. Mostly at Russian Nationals. That let to a month of me freaking out before the European Championships.
More freaking out occurred when I realized how beautifully Russia was doing.
The only problem with being concerned with European competitions is they aren't broadcast in the U.S. It's a tragic, tragic fate for poor American me. I have to content myself with relentlessly checking the live score updates. Pluschenko was a beast in qualifying, which reassured me. I missed the first half of the short program, but was rewarded for my diligence with this lovely gem.
My skaters, in FIRST, SECOND, FOURTH and FIFTH.
Now, this weekend happened to be the same weekend I was visiting family. So when I could tear myself apart from my newborn and toddler cousins, I got on the Internet to check scores. At one point, I decided to see if my aunt and uncle's TV had a channel that was showing the competition [they have some fancy Italian channels so it was a possibility]. That's when I discovered that the U.S. Nationals were going on at the same time. So I got to watch a bit of the ladies and ice dancers, even though I don't particularly follow any American skaters.
Although this beautiful man might be un-retiring which makes me endlessly happy.
The minute I got back from my lovely trip, I was checking final scores. And then freaking out.
My three absolute favorites, on the podium together ♥
Russian skaters also went 1-2-3 in Pairs and 2-3 in Ice Dance.
ALL THE RUSSIANS!
The ladies didn't do as well. Relatively: a 15 year old who was only 7th at Nationals placed 4th and the two I've been watching were 6th and 7th. But the amazing Elene Gedevanishvili from Georgia took the bronze, so I am completely okay with that.
Alas, the only podium with no Russians.
I really don't know how this post didn't get written sooner. Gushing about figure skating is in my Top-10-Favorite-Things-To-Do list, along with list making and reading magical books and watching figure skating.
I am not a big fan of inspirational movies. Or stupid comedies. Or chick flicks, clearly.
This is a shocker, I know.
[I must admit that although I do own several movies that fit into at least one of these categories, I haven't even touched them in years. Thank goodness I got past my sappy middle school phase.]
I'm the kind of person who vehemently ridicules the Twilight movie trailers and snorts with derision at "love-at-first-sight-conquers-all" stories.
However, I absolutely LOVE a select number of films that are definitely aimed towards a female audience. Some of my favorites: Tangled, Once and Pride and Prejudice [I need to catch up on other classic-books-made-into-films]. I also have a soft spot for goofy telenovelas [umm, hello, they feature hot foreign boys!].
Why would you not watch this movie?
So because I need to be weird and analytical about these things, I thought up a few reasons for this seeming contradiction.
First, I can't stand bad acting. What can I say, I'm a film snob. [Well, okay, I'm generally fine with campy bad acting when it's done with a purpose. But the average rom-com movie is chalk full of really bland actors and I'm not paying money or wasting time watching their run-of-the-mill performances.]
Especially when you can watch performances like this. From people who aren't actors.
Secondly, I hate the normalcy these movies portray. Chick-flicks are typically set in some modern day city and feature some sort of plot premise that people can relate to - dating, miscommunication, kids, blah blah blah. Even the ones with an interesting hook are so formulaic. There's a limited number of ways to tell a love story and still make money. That's why the majority of books I read are not contemporary.
The exception: modern day somewhere else with really crazy story arcs.
Also, I think my own modern life is boring enough, so why would someone else's similar life be any more captivating? If I'm going to watch something set present-day, it has to involve the spies or musical numbers or explosions that I don't get to hang out with in real life.
Love stories are better with frying pans, thieves, singing and pretty lanterns.
Also, I'm a cynic. So maybe that's the reason and these other explanation are just me overthinking things.
This is the reason I read. The reason crazy people work crazy hard on crazy books and then deal with all the hassle and waiting and rejection that is publishing.
My darling sister once (recently) made fun of me for reading "silly" books. There's nothing wrong with reading literature or the classics or whatever you want to categorize as "not silly" books. But I can assure you - really assure you - that commercial/entertaining/silly books are just as meaningful and deep as those serious, esoteric novels.
I've read quite a few of these very well-done, highly intelligent books recently. Anna and the French Kiss, The Dark and Hollow Places, and Supernaturally aren't simply about kissing or escaping zombies or paranormals [kissing]. They're about finding a home, for the most part. They're also about the mistakes we make and the beliefs we hold and the people we meet along the way. Basically, about humanity. That's why I liked them so much.
And then we come to today. And oh my goodness the magic is just seeping through me making it impossible not to tell you how amazing The Goblin War is. MAGICAL. AMAZING. OMG. [I should remember this I-have-to-write feeling the next time I'm sitting not knowing what to write in my own book experiment...]
I've already mentioned how much I love this series and author. I love it for the plot and the world and Hilari Bell's awesome writing and the characters. The characters. I realize I may sound completely insane, but these people and goblins (the goblins!) are some of my greatest heroes. I wish so desperately that they were real so that I could meet them.
Most especially Makenna. [Yes, the one I'm naming my first kid after.] I didn't realize until just now, finishing this book, that my obsession with her is due to the fact that I'm just like her - or at least hope to be. She's [a misanthrope who saves humankind], uncompromising in her loyalty to her goblin friends/army, brilliant in her strategy, and always fights for those who don't have anyone fighting for them.
And she wins.
That's what I'm most afraid of in the future: that all my dreams and work and everything will have been useless. That I'll fail in attempting to finish my Personal Legend. (Oh, The Alchemist. Another inspiring book.) Sure, the attempt is worth a lot, but succeeding is worth so much more.
For Makenna's successes, I'm willing to put up with all the stupid happy endings literature has to offer.
I think it's good to have role models wherever you can find them - in real life, in gossip magazines, in silly books, in scholarly papers. Makenna, and all her literary and real comrades, is someone I know I can turn to for a bit of humor, a bit of steel, and a whole lot of dedication to my cause.
So I will proudly keep reading and writing silly Young Adult novels that mean a whole lot more to me than a bunch of intellectual tomes.
[My word count, for those of you keeping track, is still the same BUT I have been working on the book. In a non-writing way. While I get back into the swing of getting things done. And quit making excuses. I am also trying to figure out a way to put it in a sidebar so I don't have to keep tacking it onto the ends of all my posts.]
I'm debating whether or not to dedicate another whole post to my second favorite books of the year. Maybe just the covers? I'm feeling a little Internet-weary, despite my lovely computer free Christmas. BUT I'd still like to wish y'all a very Happy New Year (I'm even early, how about that?). So, as a present to the universe, here are some of the lovely things I enjoyed on vacation.
Sherlock Holmes 2
Noomi Rapace was fabulous, of course.
I was just talking about how awesome it is when a sequel ends up being as good as the first book/movie. Well, this sequel is EVEN BETTER than the first Sherlock. (Unless you want to get all snippy about how the plot doesn't follow any of the books. Which I don't.) So much wittiness! So many explosions! SO MUCH AWESOMENESS!
Blackened Alligator
Yep. I ate that thing.
This has ended up being the year that formerly-picky me got adventurous with food. First, I ate guinea pig in Peru, and then I tried alligator for Christmas (because if you're going to eat alligator, you should do it somewhere they know how to cook it - like Louisiana). I also got to hear the story about the time my dad went alligator hunting.
Vintage Dresses
Too bad I can't afford to buy one.
Despite being a pretty adamant feminist, or really because of it, I am not at all ashamed to admit my undying love for fancy 1950s dresses. I almost bought a $44 dress that was so pretty and so swooshy, but it had Velcro instead of a zipper. Not quite perfect. Someday, I will waste a lot of money on one of these. Or learn how to sew...
Family
In the interest of privacy, I can't post pictures or name names, but let me assure you that I have been having a ton of fun with quite a few awesome family members in the past couple of weeks. Amazingly enough, I managed to see...29 (and two halves!) people I'm related to, one way or another. I think that's an all time record for Christmas.
Figure Skating
Left and center. These guys are incredible.
And now that I'm back, I got an unexpected present: Evgeni Plushenko got yet another gold medal at the Russian Nationals. Thank goodness for YouTube videos of his brilliant performances. In other great news, a couple of my other Russian favorites placed as well - a silver (men) and a bronze (ladies). And to top it all off, Plushenko is eligible to compete at the European Championships!! With a bunch of other ridiculously talented guys. After that, there's only two more years to wait for Sochi :)
I hope each and every one of the lovely people who read this have had an equally wonderful end of the year!
More Blessed Word Count: 17,029
That thousand words? All done in the space of an hour. You can get a lot more done while writing in the car without the Internet to distract you.
To round out the massive numbers of books I've reviewed, I'm going back to some more of the fabulous adult books I've read this year. I read a lot more YA because A) that's my actual age, not that I've ever stuck to reading just my grade-level books and B) that's what I'm writing. Still, it's nice to break away from the same style of books and read some more nonfiction.
Eat, Pray, Love
I mentioned Eat, Pray, Love when I was reading it and I feel the same way about it as I do know. I realize the whole "journey to find myself" is a very privileged white European/American kind of thing, but this book does make some excellent points about what we should all value in life. I especially love all the diverse people that Gilbert meets in her travels.
Plus, the way she writes is so witty and friendly. The book itself is pretty big but it took me very little time to speed through its three sections. This was made easier due to the fact that she went to three beautiful countries and I'm very jealous of all the things she got to see (although I have been to Italy before, it wasn't for months and months).
Committed
So Elizabeth Gilbert meets a guy at the end of Eat, Pray, Love and due to his foreign citizenship, they have to deal with their negative feelings about getting married so that he can live with her. This book got me thinking even more about my own life and the various goals/dreams that I have. I guess from the various family-oriented classes that I've taken (diversity, relationships, etc.) I have a better understanding than she did of what to expect from a marriage, but I still learned a lot about the institution from her research.
I love when other people do the hard work for me - researching the historical background and looking through statistics. I found her findings (and again, the interactions with people all over the world) endlessly fascinating, especially the idea that a marriage can be revolutionary, in that it's the one place where governments cannot exert total control over individuals.
Room
Man abducts woman. Man rapes woman. Woman has baby boy who grows up thinking everything outside Room is Outer Space. You might think that a book that explores such dark aspects of humanity would be hard to read, but Room was so compelling and honest that it was difficult to put down. I think that's because it's narrated by an innocent 5 year old boy, who doesn't realize that his mother has been kidnapped and imprisoned for seven years in the shed he calls home.
It's all too easy to forget that there are people behind breaking news stories - mothers and children dealing with the fallout of being held captive, raped, sold as slaves, etc. It's so easy to forget that they have permanent scars, physical and mental, that trump our morbid curiosity and deserve more than passing pity.
Because it's Christmas and this is only supposed to be a book review, I'll spare you my whole rant on this subject, but you can expect me to bring it up again.
More Blessed Word Count: will probably not be updated before this automatically posts
First, Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or Happy Chanukah, or Happy Whatever-You'd-Like-To-Celebrate!
Now, onto the books. I wasn't sure that these two fit in the same category, but I had nothing else to pair them up with. The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense to me. Both have elements of sci-fi/fantasy and a character or two with serious mental issues. And both have GORGEOUS covers.
So beautiful I want to post them multiple times.
Bleeding Violet
I have read some strange books in my life, but this is the most beautiful insane creation I've ever read. And may just be the best book I read all year. I don't even know what genre it fits under. Fantasy? Contemporary? Sci-Fi? Paranormal (romance) is the only title that could encompass all of those.
Hanna is half-Finnish and half-small-town-Texan, which already gives her several cool points. She's also biracial and mentally unstable and obsessed with the color purple after her father's death. And determined to make her Momma love her and fit in after moving to her mother's very, very strange hometown. This place is just dripping with unquiet spirits, monsters under the bed (and in the windows and in the hedges and parks), etc. Plus, a cute boy. It never hurts to have a cute boy.
So beautiful I can't stop looking at them.
Across the Universe
You can't get much more sci-fi than a book set in space, right? Amy and Elder are both passengers on the Godspeed, but Amy has been cryogenically frozen along with 99 others, including her parents, who are going to be the scientific and military leadership on a new planet. Elder is one of the thousands of inhabitants of the ship, descended from the ship's non-frozen crew. The ship was supposed to have an uneventful 300 year journey, but then...a bunch of things happen that I won't tell you about :)
The story is told in alternating viewpoints, switching from Amy to Elder. It works really, really well - they even switch narrating during the same scene WITHOUT it interrupting the flow. I think it actually works better this way, because at different points (like in a conversation), you really want to know what the other one's thinking. And then you get to hear it from them!
I know Across the Universe has a sequel coming out in January and Dia Reeves has written a couple more books set in Portero, the crazy awesome setting of Bleeding Violet. So you can fully expect those to be on my reading list for next year.
More Blessed Word Count: may or may not be changing due to holiday fun
I was going to call these dystopian books, but the other day I read (somewhere) a post complaining about how everything is getting called dystopian today (I think mostly because of the Hunger Games) even when they don't fit the genre. So these are actually post-apocalyptic (harder to spell) because there's no evil government masquerading as a utopia.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
We start this novel with Mary and her brother facing some family issues. Then there's the Sisterhood, the nun-like group who controls the fenced in town where she grew up. There's also Henry and Travis and Cass, her closest friends. And of course, a horde of Unconsecrated (AKA zombies) waiting outside the vigilantly guarded fence.
The combination of the fabulous setting, complex characters and brilliant writing make this whole series stand out. It's brutal by nature, with many of the characters not surviving long past adulthood. It's also heart-breakingly beautiful, especially Mary's desperate desire to someday see the ocean.
The Dead-Tossed Waves
Many of the same elements of the first book appear in a different form in the second. This time, the narration follows Gabry and her best friends, brother and sister Catcher and Cira. It's not long before tragedy strikes, in the form of mudo (AKA zombies). And then the journey begins :)
I loved the change in setting (not that there was anything to dislike about the forest) - Gabry lives in a coastal city with a different set of zombie problems as the forest. As in, they wash ashore and have to be beheaded before they invade the town. And just like Forest, this novel has the same suspenseful energy that makes it impossible to put down.
And now I have to wait for the library to get The Dark and Hollow Places.
These two books are more that I would never in a million years have picked out for myself to read - it's not really a secret that I can't watch horror movies and I'm really jumpy when watching anything remotely suspenseful. I ended up reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth one night when my roommate wasn't home and I had to check the whole apartment for zombies, just in case but I still am SO GLAD that I read them. They would definitely be in my top 10 of the year, if I sat down to figure that out.
More Blessed Word Count: 16,117 (plus I've been working on a short story)
Please, please, please read these if you're planning on seeing the movie next March.
Just in general, if you know a movie's been based off a book, read that book first. Or at least read it at some point. It's driving me crazy that I haven't read Stardust or The Fellowship of the Rings, to name some famous examples, when I've already seen the corresponding movies (several times). I guess I should go back to the library, now that I think about it. But anyways...
The Hunger Games
The book begins with Katniss and her harsh existence, scraping by with hunting and trading in District 12, located in West Virginia. Ish. Her life is changed by the 74th (I believe) Hunger Games - the annual tournament where each district has to send 2 adolescent tributes to serve as gladiatorial entertainment for the Capital.
Basically the whole book centers on the Games. They're bloody and intense and horrific, yet totally believable. I think the different characters' reactions to this brutal situation are genuinely portrayed - the conflict between wanting to survive and retaining your humanity. That's what really hooked me. And Katniss is pretty darn awesome. She and Archer from Fire make me want to take up archery.
Catching Fire
We don't usually expect a sequel to be better than its predecessor (for example, just about every Disney sequel ever created). This one, though. You guys, this is one rockin' sequel. It starts out slow, but then there were SO MANY THINGS that surprised me, shocked me even. I LOVE not being able to guess what's going to happen.
First, though, I never could have imagined the world-wide ramifications of the end of The Hunger Games. It makes total sense though! I won't go into detail, obviously, but the choices the characters have to make and the brutality of the system are so much more important and ever-present.
Mockingjay
And then we get to the final book. I'm torn on this one. I love the series as a whole, but there were some elements of Mockingjay that really bugged me. Especially the ending. But I can't talk about that here so...well, I really can't talk about the plot at all because most of the surprising things that happen in Catching Fire are related to the action going down in Mockingjay.
My memories of reading this are kind of vague, I guess overshadowed by the inconsistencies and obviousness I saw. I do want to point out that Suzanne Collins has an incredible voice throughout the series. They're very easy to get lost in, whether it's an action segment or a sentimental segment or something in between.
I have a confession to make, though. I put off reading The Hunger Games just because the series was so popular and I often have low expectations for more "mainstream" books. I don't know why - I end up liking most of them, which was certainly the case for this trilogy. I should have known. After all, I LOVE dystopias. (How ironic - Firefox thinks "dystopias" is misspelled. It wants to correct it with "utopias.")
I've come up with another way to stave off those writer's blocks: staying up really late. I wasn't up until 3 last night writing (I was reading book #100) but I was reminded just how much energy I typically have left despite it being the middle of the night. I've been physically incapable of waking up on time for most of the past week and a half. Not even kidding.
(Thank goodness I woke up for my 8:00 exam last Tuesday. I had a dream last night that I forgot the time and showed up in the afternoon.)
But since it's Winter Break and I can do crazy things like sleep in until noon, I've decided to experiment with staying up late to work on my book. I don't seem to get much done in the mornings anyways. At least I'm getting blog posts written!
Leviathan
Okay, first, I discovered a deep love for steampunk. The British/Darwinist clash with the German/Clanker perspective is such a perfect way to retell the World War 1 story. Second, I love Derryn-disguised-as-Dylan Sharp. But of course, I always love spunky girl characters. Especially when they hang out on airships.
As far as plot goes, the narrative basically follows the actual historical timeline. There are some inaccuracies that are necessary to the story - in this book, the character of Alek is introduced as Sophie and Franz Ferdinand's only child (they had several, none named Aleksander). As much as I love when authors stick to the history, I understood why Scott Westerfeld had to make this kid up.
Behemoth
The Darwinists and Clankers are busy fighting in Europe while the crew of the Leviathan heads over to Istanbul. They get their own share of surprises in the diplomatic fight over control of the Ottoman Empire - and in the resulting difficulties, we learn more about the brilliant lady scientist (with all her sneaky plans) the Leviathan has been carrying.
Again, there are some liberties taken with history, but that lets Behemoth include fun things like secret missions and elephant rides. And of course, lots of crazy plotting and antics from both Alek and Derryn. I don't want to say any more because I'd hate to ruin the twists, from this book or the first.
I had no clue what this series was about when I picked it up as part of my 300 book long To Read list. I can't even remember who first recommended it because so many authors and readers were talking about how brilliant Scott Westerfeld is. I get it now. The two books are so much fun to read and so marvelously crafted.
I mean, just look at that map. Yet another great thing about these books is all the beautiful artwork (meant to give the book a 1914 feel). The illustrations are invaluable for picturing some of the complicated machinery and "beasties" that the Clankers and Darwinists use, respectively. And they're pretty :)
More Blessed Word Count: 15,613
(Mind you, I have been doing other researchy stuff, so the word count doesn't reflect any of the work that's gone in behind the scenes, if you will. My notes and stuff take up several documents and thousands more words.)
No, this isn't a feminist rant (at least, I don't think it will be). Yes, that is the most fitting title for these reviews. Let me explain.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard of Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy. I finished the series this year, as well as seeing the first two movies. (The Swedish version, of course. I could write a whole post on how amazing Noomi Rapace is. Several, actually.) Lisbeth Salander is the most ethical character I think I've ever seen, even if those ethics don't always conform to society's. Hence, the reason for the trial at the center of Hornet's Nest. The size and breadth of these novels may seem intimidating, but they are totally worth it.
I am still horribly upset that Steig Larsson passed away before finishing all his work, writing and otherwise. I feel like he and I would be best friends. We both think giving women equal rights and saving the world from fascist right wing hate groups (among other issues) are incredibly important. That is why the first novel is really titled Men Who Hate Women instead of the more neutral The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
"There Are Thing I Want You to Know" About Steig Larsson and Me
The person most horribly upset by Steig's passing is his widow, Eva Gabrielsson. Because they never married due to concerns for their safety, she got shut out of his estate by his father and brother, who rarely saw him. This is despite Steig's wishes, set down in an unsigned will, and the fact that they were together for 30 YEARS. A very ethical person herself, Eva has always been more concerned about the intellectual/artistic rights and integrity of the series while her in-laws greedily grab up all the money that should have been hers and Steig's.
As a way of coping with this terrible situation, she wrote this fabulous book. She describes their life and activism together, as well as detailing portions of the trilogy that come from their direct experiences and friends. It's a fascinating and heartbreaking look inside Steig's mind. I hope someday she'll be able to finish at least Book 4 because I would love to read it and all the other books Larsson had planned.
I hope I managed this post without sounding too ranty. I admit I felt compelled to cut a few sentences that seemed really angry. I just have really strong feelings about everything tied into the series' content (exposing the ever-present sexism, racism, homophobia, classicism, etc.) and its publication.
Oh look! I do read books with boy protagonists! This shouldn't be so surprising. John Green is one of several YA rockstars. For real. This man is one of the most witty, brilliant authors I have ever read. And that's not just an opinion - he's won all sorts of fancy-shmancy awards too.
An Abundance of Katherines
Child prodigy Colin has only ever dated Katherines. And not just a couple. Number 19 breaks up with him at the beginning of the book, prompting him and his best friend Hassan to take a random road trip. And then he meets a Lindsey... (who is dating The Other Colin). Plus, the grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
PLUS, during the whole novel, Colin is trying to attain "genius" status by perfecting a theorem to predict the outcome of relationships. Primarily, the 19 relationships he's had with Katherines. The math is even explained, more or less. It's funny and snappy and freaking hilarious.
Looking for Alaska
Still keeping the wit alive, John Green's debut novel is a bit heavier than Katherines. This time, the MC Miles is obsessed with last words. He goes off to boarding school - to seek a Great Perhaps - and makes a bunch of wild and crazy, serious thinking, pranking friends, including "The Colonel," Lara, Takumi and Alaska.
It's also very deep, but I can't tell you why or that ruins the whole book. Well, I can mention their English (I think) class where they discuss suffering and the meaning of life. But nothing else. Just read it. Please? Further justification - look at the fancy-shmancy Prinz Award stamp on the cover :)
A warning - in both of these and other books on my list, there's plenty of drinking, sex, smoking, kissing, swearing, etc. that some people have found offensive since they're about and for teenagers. Just so you know.
The problem with starting to review 2011's books before the year is completely over with is that you end up reading freaking fantastic books that will then need to be added to the absolute favorites list...so I've bumped another book to the Honorable Mentions list in favor ofnumber 98.
The Goblin Gate
My absolute favorite book when I was younger was Hilari Bell's The Goblin Wood. I was so ridiculously excited when I found out that she was writing not one, but TWO sequels. And the first of those definitely does not disappoint. (Depending on the library/bookstore, they might be considered children's books and not YA.)
We thought everything was resolved in book number one, but surprise! Incorrect. I loved that the world gets explained more and the stakes are higher and my darling Makenna gets even more awesome (yes, I'm naming one of my future children after her). Plus, there's a character with the same name as me, just misspelled :)
The Folk Keeper
Speaking of names - this book is the reason I also answer to Corinna. I first read it so long ago that I forgot about it, but one day I randomly read a Wikipedia article about selkies and it popped back into my brain. And I am oh so glad that it did. Franny Billingsley is an absolute genius. She writes beautifully and with such magic and emotion that it's impossible to put her books down.
Miss Corinna starts off disguised as a boy in an orphanage. She is the best Folk Keeper they've ever had, meaning she keeps the mysterious, powerful and rather ominous Folk from destroying the place. And then she moves to a manor. And then crazy stuff happens. Which I will let you read about.
(Also, I imagine this would also be considered a children's book, but I can still call it YA if I want to!)
Chime
And now...one of my new EVERYONE IN THE WORLD MUST READ books. Oh my goodness. I'm still feeling blown away. SO MUCH MAGIC. I'm jealous.
First, Chime is set in (next to) a swamp, which is bound to give it an eerie feel. But add witches, pretty boys, and Dark Muses, and you get a novel jam-packed with melancholy images and secrets and so much magic.
Second...nope, there is no second. Don't you want to read it already?! If for some bizarre reason you don't, you can fully expect me to buy it and shove it in your face. Or get it from the library and shove that copy in your face, because I'd never loan my own precious (future) copy to anyone.
I realize that all three of these (and the majority of the other books I read) are told from the girl's perspective. At least girls get one form of media to be the majority in :) But seriously, if guys want more male MCs, then they should read more.
