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What I’m Reading Now, Twitter-Style

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Welcome to another edition of reviews Twitter-style: a brief description of my current reads in 140 characters or less (sometimes I fudge a few characters, but you can forgive me).

Print Books

StarCrossed
Elizabeth Bunce

By the author of the first Morris winner, so I’m giving this one a shot, even though I didn’t really care for her first book. Magic, complex world-building, and a plucky heroine.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Depressing but also eye-opening account of women in the poorest areas and worst situations. I look forward most to the sections on how people like us can help.

Fables Vol. 14: Witches
Bill Willingham

The latest in Willingham’s comic book series doesn’t disappoint, with a focus on a few of the more interesting characters (the witches). A bit too much exposition, but still satisfying.

Red as Blood, or Tales From the Sisters Grimmer
Tanith Lee

A collection of re-told fairy tales from one of my favorite authors. Edgy but not true horror (so far). The source material is sometimes difficult to determine, but I enjoy seeing how Lee re-works the familiar stories.

Wither
Lauren DeStefano

Another dystopia. Another trilogy. Girls die at 20, boys at 25. Girls sold into marriage and forced to pop out babies. Weak world-building and a too passive heroine weaken the tale, but it will satisfy diehard fans of the genre. 

Audiobooks

Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver

Mean girl dies and re-lives the same day over and over again, a la Groundhog Day minus the comedy. Terrific narrator, excellent writing, I’m actually enjoying a contemporary YA!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie

Yes, it really is as good as everyone says. The story – Indian boy leaves reservation to attend a white school – is a bit slight at times, but the narration (by Alexie himself) is wonderful and it’s full of real humor.

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale (audiobook)

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She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place?


Summary from Goodreads
While I have read a few books by Shannon Hale before (Book of a Thousand Days and Austenland), I was truly blown away by The Goose Girl. Hale took a simple Brothers Grimm fairy tale, and created a fully realized world around that structure, truly making it her own.
Shannon Hale’s writing is lush and gorgeous, filled with stunning, vivid descriptions. Both Kildenree and Bayern become vivid, real places under her pen, and the simplest descriptions of forest trees or flowers bloom to life. On multiple occasions through the course of this audiobook, I actually stopped, paused my iPod, and thought over the phrase that I had just heard, marveling how a simple decision of word choice and word order managed to paint such a scene in my mind.
I wish I had read this book when I was in middle school. Ani is a strong, determined female character, one who saves two kingdoms from war and also manages to thwart a cadre of men and a devious ‘friend’ scheming to take her life. Yet she’s unsure of herself, shaky in her self-belief, and not at all confident that her meager powers are enough to allow her to either fit in or triumph over the forces pushing against her. It is quite refreshing to witness a character express that lack of confidence and to see a loner gradually opening up to people around her and finding a place in a world that welcomes her, exactly as she is. The fourteen year old me who was so anxious about acceptance would have found a kindred spirit in Ani.
One of Hale’s strengths in this book is pacing, as the action never drags, yet we still witness quiet moments of Ani settling in, exploring, and finding her place in her new environment and new role as a Goose Girl. On the surface, the plot of this books seems as if it should be so simple: Mutiny occurs, Ani becomes a Goose Girl, Ani regains her crown. As easy as one, two, three. Yet so much more happens within the lines of this novel, as twists and turns, complications and missteps occur, leading Ani to test her strength in new ways and to form new relationships. In addition to Ani, the supporting characters are quite well-developed and three-dimensional. I was especially impressed with the character of Conrad, the Goose Boy whose jealousy of Ani’s popularity with the fellow child laborers leads to unforeseen consequences. This character could so easily have slipped into the token antagonist role, yet Hale managed to make his motives complex and relatable. The villians, most notably Selia and Ungolad, are menacing, yet appear in the flesh rarely. Hale uses the threat of their plots and Ani’s fear to great effect, creating a sense of foreboding throughout the story.
The Goose Girl was my first experience with an audiobook produced by Full Cast Audio, which used multiple actors to play various roles, rather than just one narrator taking on the voices of all the novel’s characters. The result is a lush, fully realized production that feels more like hearing a stage production of a story than listening to an audiobook. The music is interspersed at the perfect moments, with lilting tunes accompanying Ani’s communion with nature and animals, and tones of foreboding announcing the approach of danger. The main narrator Cynthia Bishop’s voice is authoritative and commanding, grabbing the listener’s attention and blazing a path through Hale’s tale. Erica Lustig, the voice of Ani, has a sweet, melodious voice, one that seems ideal for communication with both nature and animals. Her intonation, while slightly timid, is able to gain enough strength to depict Ani’s transformation in the last half of the novel. I was also impressed with the work of Emily Holgate, the voice of Enna. Holgate perfectly portrays the strong, assertive character whose support and friendship gives Ani the courage to forge ahead and the acceptance to be herself.
I am looking forward to continuing with the next book in Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern series, Enna Burning. I would hand this to fans of Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, or Gail Carson Levine.

2011 Debut Authors Challenge

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I’m signing up again for Kristi‘s Debut Authors Challenge. I made it my goal last year to read 20 books and I surpassed it, reading 50 titles total. For me, this challenge is about learning new authors so I can be a better reader and a better librarian/collection developer.

This year, I’m going to aim a little higher and shoot to read 30 debut titles. I think I’ll be reading more than that, but I’m of the better safe than sorry camp. I’ll link all of my reviews to this post throughout the year and do a run down at the end of 2011.

Last year, I came up with this nice little list of titles I planned on reading, but as the year went on, I noticed I cared less about the list and more about my own reading needs. So, with good intentions, I post a list again knowing darn well it probably won’t all happen.

1. Entangled by Cat Clarke
2. Choker by Elizabeth Woods
3. Rival by Sara Bennett-Wealer
4. XVI by Julia Karr
5. Dark Mirror by MJ Putney
6. Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
7. Leverage by Joshua Cohen
8. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
9. Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
10. Bumped by Megan McCafferty (her YA debut)
11. Unlocked by Ryan G Van Cleave
12. The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner
13. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
14. Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
15. Popular by Alissa Grosso
16. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
17. Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
18. Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
19. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
20. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
21. And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky
22. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
23. Where Things Come Back by Corey Whaley
24. Lie by Caroline Bock
25. Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse
26. Orchards by Holly Thompson
27. I am J by Cris Beam
28. I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
29. Bunheads by Sophie Flack
30. Clarity by Kim Harrington
31. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
32. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
33. Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O’Roarke Dowell
34. OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy
35. Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia
36. Audition by Stasia Kehoe Ward
37. The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Stevenson
38. The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg
39. Frost by Marianne Baer
40. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
41. The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill (middle grade)
42. This Girl is Different by JJ Johnson
43. With or Without You by Brian Farrey
44. Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
45. Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
46. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
47. Divergent by Veronica Roth
48. Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
49. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
50. Flirt Club by Cathleen Daley (YA/MG Debut)
51. What Can(‘t) Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
52. Running Wide Open by Lisa Nowak
53. Bitter Melon by Cara Chow
54. I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler
55. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
56. The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante

Considering my original goal was 30, I think 56 is pretty good.

Reminder: Audiosynced & Catching up on Challenges

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Just a reminder that Audiosynced will be hosted here at STACKED this month. We’ll be running it a day late, too, since we have another post scheduled for the 1st of January. Look for Audiosynced on Sunday, January 2 right here, and contribute your audiobook news and reviews for us to share.

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Remember the debut authors challenge?

My goal was to read 20 debut author titles this year, and I announced that right here.
Well, I did a little better:

I read 50 debut author titles this year.

Obviously, I didn’t review them all (and unfortunately, with Cybils consuming my life in December, I didn’t review any of the December debut titles I read) but this challenge was excellent for making me read more outside my comfort zone. I’m so glad I participated since it pushed me out of my comfort zone, as well as exposed me to some new and upcoming voices I look forward to visiting in sophomore titles.

And with that, you can bet I’ll be joining the challenge again. My official post for joining will be up later today!

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I also joined in The Contemps challenge a few months back and finally got around to updating my reading on it. Of the 21 titles, six have been officially released, and of the six, I’ve read 5 so far. You can check out the links to the reviews here. You’ll see my review of Freefall, the one title I’ve yet to review of the ones I’ve read, soon.

Field Notes: A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

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Aura’s mother, Grace, is drowning in her own sickness. She’s schizophrenic, and each day has become a bigger and bigger battle between perception and reality. It’s been Aura’s responsibility to keep an eye on her as her only child, especially after he father left. He couldn’t handle the illness anymore after her mother chose to stop taking her medication.

Aura’s life changes abruptly after a horrible episode with her mother. Can she handle taking care of her or is she a lost cause? And what about Grace’s mother, Aura’s grandmother? She may be the glue to this broken family, despite not having been part of the family for a long time.

A Blue So Dark is a haunting, literary read, perfect for those who enjoy their stories to unravel piece by piece. While reading this book, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between it and Blue Plate Special by Michelle Kwasney. The use of an intergenerational plot line worked well here, and it’ll appeal to teens who like their drama family-style. Likewise, watching how Aura needs to take charge and clean up after her mother’s episodes reminded me of C.J. Omololu’s Dirty Little Secrets. Fans of either of those books would find a lot to love here.

What worked for me was the slow pace and the strongly written details of Grace’s descent into her illness. I thought Schindler nailed her metaphors here, using the sea and the beach to mimic drowning. Not only that, the ability to weave in a lot about art vs. reality and reality vs. perception will hit home with artistic types. However, throughout the book, I really wish I had gotten to know Aura more. This book felt at times more the story of Grace, told through the eyes of Aura. She worked more as a vessel rather than a participant in the story. I wanted to know more about her beyond the fact she likes art and a boy named Jeremy. But perhaps it’s because of how the story works — wherein she must be the mature caretaker of her mother — that we don’t get to know her better.

Pass this off to fans of realistic, literary reads. They will sink into this one. Likewise, this is a fantastic book to hand off to your adult young adult readers. The strong storyline and the intergenerational saga will stand out to them.