I have been thinking a lot about writing lately. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in a story, so much that you don't even know notice if it is well or badly written. I was talking to a friend about Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins yesterday, and I admitted that the first time through, I probably only read about 1/3 of the words. I was flipping pages at a frantic rate to find out what happened, who would live, and who wouldn't make it to the last page.
Earlier this week, readers everywhere were saddened to hear about the death of author William Sleator.
The Harvard graduate, and classical pianist, was well known for writing macabre and scary stories for kids and teens. His book House of Stairs was widely read and critically acclaimed book about a group of teens who are trapped in a house containing nothing but endless flights of stairs. Sleator described his books as "gleefully icky", and that they were, creepy and gross and fantastic!
There really isn't anything better than a good zombie story. I can't tell you how many times I have lost myself in the story of the undead plague. I think of this as research for the future. It preparation for the inevitable. I have my escape all planned out (and no I won't tell you my plans!), have you throught about packing your outbreak bag and figuring out where you will go? Maybe you should read some of these books and figure it out!
Some authors are like home, you know that they are always going to be there for you. When you are sad, or happy, or nostalgic, you can always pick them up and enjoy them. I am pretty picky about what books get space on my bookshelves. To get on the shelf they have to meet one of two criteria: 1. I know I will reread them. 2. I want to be able to loan them out to friends. So you know if it is on my shelf, it has got to be good. I have a few authors who's entire compendium is on there, and I want to share them with you today.
So yesterday I was reading at the gym, and I am just about to the end of my book and something horrible happens. It starts with a little catch in my throat, then I can feel my eyes starting to fill up...and I realize that I am about to cry over a book in public. And not just anywhere, at the gym, in front of all the ladies going to zumba and the body builders lifting weights.
So six months ago I got really excited because they were turning Beastly by Alex Flinn into a movie. I knew the book was based on the tale of Beauty and the Beast, set in modern day New York City. I immediately grabbed the book, and although it wasn't all that great, I enjoyed it for what it was. Then they delayed the movie, then they delayed it again.
Have you ever read a book and been completely amazing but also completely unable to describe it? I have a feeling that this is not going to be the best review I have ever written because I lovedPlease Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King, but I don't even know where to begin telling you about it. In a nut shell the story is about love, in all its messed up forms. As it is almost impossible to describe I will tell you the facts:
I am going to write about something near and dear to my heart, Buffy. I don't know about you but I tend to move from one obsession to another and for several years I turned my attention to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Joss Whedon in general. If, goodness forbid, you are unfamiliar with Buffy allow me to enlighten you: Regular California teenager Buffy Summers discovers she is the chosen one, destined to bring about the end of vampires and evil in general.
Catfish is a new documentary taking the world (and internet) by storm and I highly recommend that everyone see it. The story begins when Nev Schulman (a photographer in NYC) has a picture of two dancers featured in the New York Sun. A few months later, Nev receives a package from a small town in Michagan containing an oil painting from 9-year-old Abby, an aspiring artist who used Nev's picture as inspiration.
I approached Mockingjay with a bit of apprehension. You know when there is something you really love you worry that the author/creator might ruin it with one swift stroke of the pen? That is the anxiety I felt leading up to the release of Mockingjay. How could you possibly end a series as great as the Hunger Games? Would Katniss survive? What would happen to Panem!? Although I liked Mockingjay it was certainly not a satisfying book.
