Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category
-
“Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi (a book review)
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
My first book review in 2012 is of the last novel I read in 2011. It was also the most beautifully written novel I read in 2011….
SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette has been locked away in 144 square feet of isolated space for 264 days. She sits. She counts. She writes on private pages, with a pen, in her secret notebook. She tries to keep herself from going insane in an asylum where she was incarcerated in order to protect her parents and society. A society devastated by pollution, wars, and population control, newly-presided over by a totalitarian regime—The Reestablishment. And while Juliette thinks she’s been locked up because of her dangerous “disease,” The Reestablishment has plans for her. They’re about to use her as a weapon of power. A weapon that can kill with one single touch.
Juliette has not been touched in 6,336 hours.
Until a boy enters her 144 square foot space of aloneness and single-handedly shatters her world into one million breathtaking pieces.
What I liked:
- The Writing. Between penning unbelievably beautiful prose, breaking a host of grammar rules, and employing gorgeous metaphors, Ms. Mafi has created some of the most exquisite passages I’ve ever read. As a writerly type person, I have a habit of dog-earing pages (yes, I dog-ear—don’t hate me) that contain a phrase or simile I wish I’d written. In the case of “Shatter Me,” roughly ¼ of my copy is dog-eared. No joke.
- Mafi’s use of strikethrough strikeout (<– yes, that thing), which is applied quite heavily early on in the novel, then lessens as the story progresses. Not only is it unique (in the book world) but it’s effective at showing the gradual growth of Juliette from a self-doubting, emotionally-interned girl to an individual discovering freedom and power. Love it.
- The protagonist, Juliette. She’s a beautiful balance of sweet vulnerability and a passionate conduit for power. She’s frank. She’s timid. She’s healthy. She’s broken. Oh, and the numbers thing… Juliette counts everything.
- The use of landscape as a character. The world surrounding Juliette’s cell is a heartbreaking reflection of her core. Stark. Slightly insane. Starving. Devastated by self-inflicted horror. Mafi’s use of the dystopian setting and bleak landscape to highlight Juliette’s emotional brokenness makes us love our heroine more.
- The superhero conflict. Juliette holds the power to do good and also harm, both of which tempt her in their own ways.
- The villain, Warner. So intriguing. So yummy. So creepy.
- James. Perfectly precious.
- The fact that the book has the dystopian feel of Lauren DeStefano’s “Wither” blended with the powers (and outfits) of X-men.
- The ignition of Juliette’s emotions in proximity to being touched. Left without physical contact, she’s wilting. With it, she’s a lighting rod. Very psychological. And, from a writerly perspective, it’s an excellent way to build sexual tension. Speaking of creating sexual tension, Mafi writes some incredibly sexy scenes without the main couple ever actually consummating anything (although they try too, which is why I’d agree with another reviewer who said she’d recommend this book to older teens on up).
Um…did I mention I LOVED it?
How about you, Preciouses? Have you read it? Thoughts??? ;0)
Tags: best books, book review, lauren destefano, Shatter Me, Shatter Me cover, superheroes, Tahereh Mafi, wither, x-men
Posted in Book Reviews | 15 Comments »
-
Tuesdays at the Castle (a book review by my kids)
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
You know when you see a book from a room-width away and KNOW it’s a going to be a good one? Like you can taste the quality? Yes. THAT. Well, that’s exactly how it happened with Jessica Day George’s TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE. I was furtively eyeing it on the Barnes and Noble Children’s shelf (while pretending to browse the Classic Literature section like any nerd who takes her book snobbery seriously) during a recent coffee date with the Husband. The book sang my name and I answered. I read the back cover, followed by the quaintly written first page, and then carried it to the Husband with the comment that, “This is written as a classic. Our children need it.”
Being my husband, he sweetly just nodded and tried to conceal the look on his face that said, “Uh-huh. Our CHILDREN need it? Riiiight.” So, of course, we bought the book. And I read it to our cute children, who loved it (so much so that one of them promptly reread it).
And they are here today to review it for you.
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
(as reviewed by Rilian, Avalon, and Korbin)
Our Summary: Castle Glower is full of fun personality, especially on Tuesdays when it decides to grow another room or secret passageway. Eleven-year-old Princess Celie, daughter of King Glower the seventy-ninth, likes to explore the changes and add them to her atlas. When Celie’s parents go missing and some unwanted visitors try to take over Castle Glower, Celie and her brother and sister must defend the Castle at all costs until they discover what has happened to their parents and older brother, Bran.
What We Liked:
- “I liked everything, especially when the girls are in the tower.” (Korbin, age 6)
- “My favorite parts in the book were the pranks.” (Avalon, age 9)
- “Mine too!” (Rilian, age 12) “I thought the author wrote the story so well—the excitement kept up the whole way through.”
- “Yeah, I thought the book was exciting and fun and full of action! And I loved Castle Glower, especially how Celie could talk to it and it would do stuff. I like that it had feelings.” (Avalon, age 9)
- “I loved that the castle was alive too. That made it so much cooler than if they’d just lived in a regular old castle.” (Rilian, age 12)
- “My favorite room in Castle Glower is the throne room.” (Korbin, age 6)
- “My favorite character was Celie.” (Avalon, age 9) “I loved her relationship with the castle. I also liked her and Rolf’s relationship.”
- “My favorite character was Prince Lulath. He’s so humorous, and his accent makes it even better. Oh, and his affection for his dogs. I liked Lulath’s dogs.” (Rilian, age 12)
- “My favorite part is when the dog pees.” (Korbin, age 6)
So, basically, we’d recommend it. ;0)
And now Dear Readers, we’d like to know: What was YOUR favorite book as a child?
What’s the mood noise of the moment? Sarah Mclachlan: Happy Christmas
Tags: Barnes and Noble, book review, book reviews for kids, Castle Glower, children's authors, fairytale book review, Happy Christmas, Jessica Day George, kids books reviews, Literary Classics, Sarah Mclachlan, Tuesdays at the Castle
Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 16 Comments »
-
Six Degrees of Interesting
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
While I rarely do roundups, bookish or otherwise, this week was all sorts of intriguing! So, I thought I should share and you could enjoy. (Just click the links as you please.) Because, seriously, how can we bypass the news that Jane Austen might’ve died from arsenic poisoning? I’m totally convinced.
And doesn’t it only seem appropriate that, in light of BREAKING DAWN hitting theaters this week, we read Sarah Blackwood’s fantastic post in defense of Bella Swan’s character? Yes, it does. (note: post includes some swear wordage)
Also coming out, in books not theaters (yet), is my friend Jay Asher and his coauthor Carolyn Mackler’s book, THE FUTURE OF US. It releases next week. You can read their silly interview here and my book review here.
And for those of us who obsess over the HUNGER GAMES more than coffee itself, the Examiner offers us a Hunger Games Holiday Suggestion list of dystopian books that fans might enjoy. Um, yes please!
Which leads us to the HUNGER GAMES MOVIE TRAILER!!! Good gracious it’s incredible! To the point that it exceeded all my expectations. Thank you Hunger Games movie people.
And finally…I had a birthday this week along with my son. Which we combined into a vacation last week. One of the perks of homeschooling is that you get to take time away in the off-season when hotels are cheap and theme parks are empty (plus, we had free tickets!). Here are a few of my favorite moments:
Yep, that’s me.
And that’s a giant Orca.
And that’s Mission Bay.
And that’s some strikingly handsome guy I have a rabid crush on.
And this is PubCakes.
And they make beer batter cupcakes.
And here is my favorite birthday gift from Wolverine.
Tags: books, books-to-movies, hunger games, Jay Asher, kid vacations, sea world, Twilight, vacation
Posted in Book Reviews, Genre Savvy, Uncategorized | 9 Comments » -
-
ROT & RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (a book review)
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
I recently met Jonathan Maberry at the Central Coast Writers’ Conference, and while I’m not a huge zombie-book-fan-type-person, Mr. Maberry’s humor was so contagious and his personality so open and friendly, I quickly suspected I’d probably enjoy just about anything the guy wrote (including Wolverine for Marvel Comics, ahem). Hence, I picked up his book ROT & RUIN.
Here’s the review. :0)
Benny Imura lives inside a fence-enclosed town in post-apocalyptic America where he semi-enjoys, semi-whines about the only life he’s known since First Night, when most of the world’s population turned zombified. As long as Benny and his friends stay within the compound (and away from anyone newly dead) they are safe from the billions of zoms free-ranging it across the great Rot and Ruin, which is fine with Benny seeing as he hates zoms more than anything. When his fifteenth birthday approaches, however, and Benny must find a job or have his food rations cut, his inability to get work forces him into the family business of zombie hunting with his Japanese, samurai, half-brother Tom, a man whom Benny believes to be a complete coward. Together, the boys take trips into the Rot and Ruin (Tom as a zom hunter, Benny as his apprentice) where they encounter zoms, zealots, and bounty hunters, the latter of which are far worse than the living dead. In this environment, Benny soon discovers just exactly what it is his brother Tom does that garners so much respect from the townsfolk, while learning what it truly means to be human.
What I liked:
- Tom Imura.
- The Lost Girl. Loved her. Loved her cave. Loved her books.
- The well crafted, well paced plot marked with characters I fully cared about and, ahem, might’ve cried for. In a zombie novel, no less.
- The whole awesome sword-wielding thing. I seriously need a samurai sword. If I had one, I’d be like, “Yeah, that’s right, look at my sweet fighting sword. I’m gonna wield it now.”
- The fact that the guy on the book cover kind of looks like Nathan Bransford as a zombie. (Am I the only person who thinks this?)
- The beautiful, seamless way in which Maberry inserts a powerful message regarding the value of human life, no matter what stage it’s at. This seems to be the underlying conviction of the novel—that the ability to be truly human is found in the heart’s intentions, specifically in one’s choices to show mercy. Tom Imura’s embodiment of this value was both fluid and extraordinary. From the first few chapters in, the message struck and kept me absorbed beyond all other plot points or personalities. Believe me when I say that the capability of pulling this off without soapboxing is the art of storytelling at its finest.
What’s the Mood Noise of the Moment? Michael Jackson’s THRILLER
Tags: book review, Central Coast Writers' Conference, Jonathan Maberry, Marvel Comics, Nathan Bransford, surviving zombies, wolverine, zombies
Posted in Author Tidbits, Book Reviews | 12 Comments »
-
The Silent Gondoliers (a guest review)
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Meet Kristen Evey, an old friend and new book blogger! Kristen is funny, sweet, and writes awesome book reviews over at her pretty website, and today we get her reviewing a book for us! **clap, clap, clap, clap, clap** *whistles* Check it out, leave a comment (have you read Goldman’s stuff?), and then go visit her blog and become a follower. You’ll like her cool style, I promise. ;0)
Hello, everyone! My name is Kristen. I’m a recent addition to the book blogging community and Mary is graciously allowing me to bestow her blog with a few of my words. I love books and writing, talking to others about books and writing, and of course (cuz’ I don’t think she’d allow me to post on here if I didn’t) I love food! Now without further ado, on to the review! (And, yes, sometimes I pretend to be a poet…)
-
By S. Morgenstern
Summary: Luigi is one of the most talented gondoliers in Venice, but his truest desire is to sing out loud with his whole heart, mind and soul. And since “everyone knows that the gondoliers of Venice are the greatest singers in the world,” Luigi must have a remarkable voice. Unfortunately, the Venetians do not appreciate Luigi’s singing. When he sings, Luigi’s gondola is pelted with fish and vegetables. Soon no one wants to hire him, and Luigi is forced to quit his profession. Thus Luigi begins a journey to fulfill his desire of learning the art of singing. He returns home years later in defeat, fearing that he will live out his days in mediocrity. But when disastear strikes the city, Luigi is quick to help, and he may just find his happiness where he least expects.
Thoughts: William Goldman is my inspiration as a writer. Every book and screenplay he writes is genius, in my somewhat biased opinion (e.g. The Princess Bride is the best book and movie ever written/made). The Silent Gondoliers is short, sweet, and funny. Goldman is a master of creating offbeat characters, to the point of making them almost ridiculous, but stopping just shy of over the top. (Okay, so some of them may be over the top. A deaf music teacher, perhaps?) In any case, we come to love and admire these characters, yet we laugh at them as well. So it is with Luigi, the lovable gondolier who wants to sing, even though he has no talent whatsoever. He shows us the heartache, struggle, beauty, and satisfaction of reaching for the stars.
Some of my Favorite Things:
- William Goldman’s writing. Wonderful and witty.
- Luigi. He is lovable and ridiculous at the same time.
Criticisms: None.
Recommended For: Those looking for a quick and entertaining read by a master craftsman.
Quoteworthy: “A girl and a boy bump—surely an accident. A girl and a boy bump and her handkerchief drops—surely another accident. But when a girl gives a boy a dead squid—that had to mean something.” – William Goldman, The Silent Gondoliers
Oy! I can’t believe I’ve never read this book! *kicks self in annoyance and promises to grab it from the library* It sounds super fun and witty! THANK YOU KRISTEN!!! -m
Tags: blogs, book review, books and bios, guest book review, Kristen Evey, The Silent Gondoliers
Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 9 Comments »
-
A Wrinkle in Time (a book review – well, sort of)
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
So, I’ve just finished reading Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” for the first time. Yes, you heard that right: FOR. THE. FIRST. TIME. Why I never read it in grammar school is beyond me; currently I’ve decided to blame my mother for this oversight, which I’ll be reminding her of from here on out every time I need to borrow her Amazon card (right before I hold up a photo of her grandchildren looking all book-needy and cute).
Anyhow, a few days of pondering this Wrinkle in Time book, and I’ve decided that my issues with it boil down to one major complaint: Basically, my parents intentionally ruined my life. My proof? Why did they not become government scientists housing a secret lair in our basement while indulging in a little tessering now and then? I know, right? Instead I grew up in a world devoid of off-planet vacations, fuzzy alien encounters, and the chance to battle a gigantic oozing brain nicknamed IT. I feel robbed.
And while we’re on the subject, would it have hurt them to produce among their offspring a small genius boy who was all contemplative and charming and could’ve been fondly referred to as Charles Wallace? I mean, they had six of us regular kids, after all. They couldn’t pop out just one highly-intelligent boy child? No offense to my brothers but…well, you know. And for the record, having our fair share of creepy witch friends didn’t actually count like the Wrinkle in Time ones did since ours weren’t actually magical. They were just creepy. As were the large, furry blind beasts who used to feed and rock me to sleep.
Anyhow, enough of my complaints. I’ll be working past them once I find a good therapist.
In the meantime, mom and dad, I love you. And if either of you HAD been locked in a cell for years and years on another planet and everyone began doubting you’d ever come home, and then you almost gave in to the oozing brain’s mind control? I would’ve tessered to save you.
Tags: authors, best books, book review, Madeleine L'Engle
Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 14 Comments » -
-
Little Free Libraries
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
A concept this magical hasn’t captured my attention on such obsessive proportions since the discovery of fairy steampunk tea parties, unicorns, and snickerdoodles dipped in white chocolate.
Little Free Libraries. Promoting “literacy and the love of reading” while building a sense of community through sharing. Suggestions for placement are in community gardens, parks, hospice and health centers, and neighborhoods. Give a book, take a book, with the idea of paying it forward.
Okay, seriously? What more magical way to spend the autumn season, with its cozy crackly fires and damp leaves and afternoon tea with the neighbors, than by putting up a cute little neighborhood library to share BOOKS with said neighbors? I want one. On my street. In my driveway. In fact, excuse me while I go find my husband and plead with his engineering self to build me one for my very own.
In the meantime, you must read about these Little Free Libraries.
And then you must visit their website.
And don’t eat my white chocolate snickerdoodles until I return.
Tags: Book Nooks, cookies, little free libraries
Posted in Book Nooks, Book Reviews | 18 Comments »
-
The Adoration of Jenna Fox (a book review)
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Well? How goes the end-of-summer reading? Mine is playing out quite nicely thank-you-very-much. In fact, I’ve got a new book recommendation for you! It’s Mary E. Pearson’s “The Adoration of Jenna Fox.” Is tres yummy.
Jenna Fox wakes from a coma one day (in the not-so-distant future) without a single recollection of who she is, let alone who the people claiming to be her parents are. Kept on a strange diet and observed intently, to the point of paranoia, Jenna is coached to watch home videos that range from her childhood all the way up through her birthday a year ago, when the accident that took her friends’ lives nearly stole hers as well. Little by little, memories begin to inject their way into her consciousness, as do the voices from the dark emptiness asking her to help them. When Jenna discovers that her father is the inventor of a bio gel that can effectively (and illegally) create synthetic beings based upon a mere fraction of a human’s original genetic material, she gradually becomes suspicious.
And believe me, she should be.
What I liked:
- The voice. Ms. Pearson does a fantastic job, particularly in the way she continues to make Jenna’s voice fuller throughout the story as her personality, suspicions, and memories begin to emerge. This is first person, present tense done REALLY well.
- The poetic inserts (given as Jenna’s thoughts) at varied points throughout the book. So lovely.
- The premise. Me likes the creep factor.
- The layers that develop into intriguing story elements then catch you by surprise.
- The relationships. Believable and complicated.
- The pretty world Jenna is surrounded by. Sweet and subtle descriptions.
So…yes. You should definitely read this one.
No, seriously. What are you waiting for?
What’s the mood noise of the moment? Edith Backlund
Tags: authors, Book Reviews, books and authors, Mary Pearson, YA, young adult books
Posted in Book Reviews, Genre Savvy | 10 Comments »
-
Crocodile on the Sandbank (a guest review)
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Meet my friend Mekenzi Stephens. She’s sweet and silly and marvelously full of spunk, which is why I like her and why I’m thoroughly convinced you will too. I recently invited her to write up a book review for us, and shortly thereafter she sent me her thoughts on Elizabeth Peters’ “Crocodile on the Sandbank.” I actually squealed when I got them and ran off to grab my sister’s copy of the book, which I hadn’t read in YEARS even though it’s one of my all-time favorite adventures! If you haven’t checked it out, YOU MUST DO SO. And in the meantime, have fun with Mekenzi’s review!
Hi Everyone!
So when Mary offered to let me do a book review for her blog, I was first of all psyched out of my mind that she offered cuz I think she’s basically really super cool, and second, I was convinced THAT would never happen. Me, with the three amazing and crazy kids five and under…with the bedroom floor covered in laundry needing to be done…with free time between 12am and 6am? Do a book review? Ha! Yeah right! Or…maybe I was just a chicken.
And then I picked up an old book that I had first read forever ago, called “Crocodile on the Sandbank,” and reintroduced myself to one of my favorite heroines ever, Miss Amelia Peabody. I think she is also basically really super cool, and I was inspired by her dauntless courage and use of a parasol to put on my big girl panties, take a deep breath, and write a review already! If Amelia can take on an ancient curse and a long dead mummy come back to life, I can do one book review right? Right. So. Here goes nothin’…
The story starts out by introducing its heroine, Miss Amelia Peabody, an extremely intelligent, efficient, and capable wealthy lady of Victorian Era England. (Think bustles, imperialism, and tea.) As she has reached the ripe old age of 31 without finding a husband sensible enough to tempt her, Amelia has decided to spend her resources and time imbibing the decadence and wonder of Egypt and the archeological marvels of that time. She is in Italy, getting ready to embark on her tour when her hired companion deserts her, being too delicate for the vibrant germs and parasites of abroad. But fortunate enough, she comes across a young and beautiful lady who has just fallen unconscious in the middle of a public square. After literally picking her up and dusting her off, Amelia discovers the girl is a deserted lady of questionable past, alone and destitute. Amelia’s compassion and need for someone to dress up and set to rights motivates her to engage the lady, Miss Evelyn Barton-Forbes, as her new traveling companion, getting a sweet, gentle, and loyal true friend in the deal.
The story follows Amelia and Evelyn as they make their way to Egypt. Upon arrival in Cairo, they visit the National Museum of Antiquities where they have a run-in with two English archeologist brothers over some pottery shards. Well, technically, Amelia has a run-in with the eldest brother, Mr. Radcliffe Emerson, who is as formidable as Amelia herself. Evelyn, on the other hand, falls immediately in love with the younger brother, Walter Emerson, intelligent, gentle and handsome. You can see where this is going, I’m sure…
After the aforementioned run-in, Amelia and Evelyn continue on their pleasure cruise up the Nile. Determined to grant Evelyn and Walter a little more time to get to know each other (*wink wink*), Amelia schedules a stop at Amarna, the site where the Emerson brothers are excavating. Their “impromptu” visit turns much more serious as they find Emerson in the grips of a rampaging illness and it is only Amelia’s sensible and capable ministrations that save his life. A true hero in distress. Amelia decides to stay on for a week to make sure he doesn’t relapse and during that time discovers a love of archeology blossoming within her. And that isn’t the only thing she falls in love with…
However, the week is a turbulent one, as an ancient curse and a long dead mummy arise to haunt them! With the help of Emerson, Amelia uses her indomitable powers of reason, her dauntless courage, and her trusty parasol to solve the heinous mystery!
What I liked:
- Probably my favorite thing about this book is Amelia’s tone. It is a first person narrative so Amelia is telling the story from her own viewpoint. Elizabeth Peters, the author, does such an immensely entertaining job of giving Amelia the right balance of sensible practicality and delightful disregard for encumbering social precepts that you can’t help but love her! She has a will of iron, a capability to take on whatever is thrown her way and yet is completely proper at every turn. She always has everything under control, and if she ever has to wing it, she’ll never let on. (I think she would have liked to borrow your throwing knives, Mary.)
- Emerson is one of my favorite leading men EVER. He’s got that passionate, manly vibe that is just so sexy, you know? I also love the interaction between Amelia and Emerson. Watching Amelia awaken to the possibility of finding love is super fun, like, in a perfectly girlie, giggly type of way.
- I really like how Peters uses factual information in the archeological aspect of this book. The tools and methods Amelia and Emerson use in the book are the same tools and methods the actual archeologists of the day used. So you are learning and being entertained at the same time. Two-fer.
- This is the first of at least seventeen books in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. THAT is a selling point in and of itself—am I right? The rest of the series follows Amelia and her budding family through escapade after escapade with lots of romance, suspense, and laughter thrown in.
So I hope you pick up this book and check it out. Then you can be inspired by Amelia’s kick-butt attitude to do something epic too, like uncover a crumbling pavement decorated in the days of the pharaohs, or hike up a pyramid, or take out a zombie mummy, or write your own book review!
What’s the mood noise of the moment? The super cute Cleopatra Stratan
Tags: adventure, amelia peabody, Book Reviews, chick's rule books, Crocodile on the Sandbank, Elizabeth Peters, guest review
Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 8 Comments »
-
The Future of Us (a book review)
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
**Many thanks to Jay & JoanMarie Asher for loaning me their one and only ARC of “The Future of Us.” I owe you both more caramel lattes.**
What happens when uber-authors Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler decide to co-write a project together? They come up with “The Future of Us,” a creative concept novel set way back in the year I turned nineteen….
It’s 1996, and things like pagers, Wayne’s World, and boy bands are still riding their trend while cell phones, computers, and DVDs are the enviable luxuries of the cool kids in high school. When Emma gets a computer from her long-distance dad, she and her best friend Josh excitedly dial up the internet (remember that awesome squealing/whirring sound it used to make?) and log on using an AOL CD-ROM. There, they stumble upon something called Facebook, which hasn’t even been invented yet. Better yet, they find themselves ON Facebook—or rather they find their someday-selves on Facebook, status updates and all—fifteen years in the future.
Based upon his future profile, Josh is thrilled to discover his someday-self is married to one of the hottest girls in school, just as Emma is as equally disappointed to find her future full of heartache and seemingly unfulfilled dreams. In an attempt to alter her disappointing life course, Emma begins to implement small changes, hoping to induce the butterfly effect. But in doing so, she sees her future self gain and loose children, cycle through relationships with men, and move from one location to another as each new change she implements in the present brings about a dramatic result in her future. As if the pressures of teen life aren’t enough, she now has her adult life to stress out about as well. And the more she worries about her future, the more obsessed she becomes with controlling it. Except the changes don’t just affect HER future—they influence Josh’s as well (and vice versa). Which makes things strenuous with Josh since he is already taking measures of his own to initiate his happily-ever-after future with Miss Hottie.
And it’s not just Emma and Josh’s futures. What about Emma’s discovery that her best girlfriend has a kid in the future and the time-frame tracks back to becoming pregnant in the very soon present? And how can Josh and Emma justify purposefully altering their own futures when the effects will encompass others as well? And what if their fixation on the future prevents them from recognizing what they have now? To paraphrase Jay Asher, “Everything truly does affect everything.”
What I liked:
(1) “The Future of Us” is written from two different perspectives with two distinct voices (Mackler as Emma, Asher as Josh), and they alternate back and forth by the chapter. Having two separate authors write the characters infuses each one with unique personality and style, making them believable and easy to follow. Well done.
(2) The Sun-In reference. Oh man, I soooo remember using that stuff!
(3) While not quite along the same lines as Asher and Mackler’s other books, “The Future of Us” still takes a look at issues all too familiar to teens no matter what the decade. The pressures of family and friend relationships, the pressure to “make out” and have sex (when and with whom), the pressure to fit in or rise above, the pressure to obtain the “good life,” and the pressures concerning what the future holds.
(4) The reminder to value your present situations and the people you share them with. Basically, the reminder to live in the NOW.
(5) The way the authors portrayed the parents—realistic, involved (in their own ways), and (I felt) honored.
(6) The ending. I liked the choices they made and the sense of reclaimed innocence. Sweet.
What I’d mention as a parent:
Something I know Jay and Carolyn are continually commended on is their accuracy and what I’d call “rawness” in writing from teenage perspectives. In “The Future of Us,” one of the ways this “rawness” comes out is in the teens’ language, actions, and thoughts about the topics of making out, body parts, and sex. In my opinion, a teen’s individual stage of development will determine at what age a parent might prefer them to read it. While my preteen might not be digging into the book for a few more years, when she does, it’ll make for some good conversation opportunities between us. ;o)
To learn more about Jay and Carolyn, check out their blogs at: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.
And don’t miss my upcoming interview with the two of them! It’s hilarious. In fact, you may want to wear a pair of Depends or something ‘cuz…well, yeah.
What’s the mood noise of the moment? Dave Matthews: Satellite
Tags: book review, books, Carolyn Mackler, Facebook, Jay Asher, the future of us
Posted in Book Reviews | 10 Comments » -