Plot Twist.....tragic or brilliant?

    So, I noticed a trend lately in authors really hitting you right in the gut with their plot-twists. Wait,  is it a plot-twist if it's at the end? Is there another name for it at that point in the story? Is it just the end? The grande finale?

(Possible spoilers here....)

 Over the winter break, I read a couple of books that just blew me away at the end. I mean major book-SHOCK!  I had to just sit there and think and re-read the final chapter to take in all the detail and fit it in my head. I wasn't sure if I was mad at the author or if she is a genius!





     I noticed a trend lately of authors either killing the main character, or secondary character or even more interesting (spoiler here) messing with their brains. Not in just one book, but a few. At first, I felt cheated. After all that time with the character, she dies.or she's lobotomized. his personality is reprogrammed. And I wondered -  is that really fair to the reader?

     And then I thought about it a little more and realized that I think YA authors are reaching a new level of being true to their characters. They are going one step further to make the reader feel. And isn't that why we read?

     I don't think I can take anymore tragic endings right now. As a reader, a little goes a long way. But call me a little bit twisted, I think I'm ruined for happy endings.

Do you read a book without knowing if it's a tragedy? Do you just jump in blindly? Would you read a series knowing a main character is killed?

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A PARODY OF JANE EYRE

A Parody of an Easy Reader

Jane Eyre

This is Jane.

Hello Jane.

Jane is poor.

Her dress is poor.

Her shoes are poor.

Her hat is poor.

Poor Jane.

This is Mr. Rochester.

Hello Mr. Rochester.

Mr. Rochester is rich.

He has a big house.

He has a big dog.

He has a big horse.

He has a big secret.

What is Mr. Rochester's secret?

Jane cannot guess the secret.

Can you guess the secret?

This is Mrs. Rochester.

Hello Mrs. Rochester.

Mrs. Rochester is crazy.

She has a candle.

The candle is lighted.

Mrs. Rochester can laugh.

She laughs: ha ha ha.

RUN JANE RUN

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-Anonymous

Hastings, how do I love thee?

 Score!!! Went in to Hastings for a book for my 4th grader.......

..................Came out with a SIGNED copy of REACHED!!

If you haven't met Cassia, Ky and Xander in the Matched  trilogy, you have yet to read one of the finest modern dystopian teen-fiction. You can read my review here - Matched floored me with the subtle acts of resistance. I can't wait to finish the  trilogy with Reached.

Any Horror Genre Experts out there?

I need a horror recommendation for a 12 year old that thinks he wants to read Stephen King (so not happening!)

Lookie what I snagged at B&N today....

To quote Elana Johnson, "DUDE!"

Check it out on Goodreads

Elana's Blog

If I can't have......

Then I'll take the next best thing.....

and enjoy God's gift to student/mommies - the semester ending one month before the kids are out of school! YAAAAAY

Solstice by P J Hoover

And we thought summer coming was exciting - check out the trailer for P.J. Hoover's new book Solstice!




Dystopian Mythology Novel for Teens (and teen-readers)

Find PJ at her webpage Roots in Myth

Vocabulary and Turning Back Time..........

"Vocabulary, Vocabulary - how many words do you knooooow?" - Ever hear that song on PBS? 

Since the semester started at school, I am blown away by how many new words I've learned. The day my instructor rephrased what I was saying as "ambiguous" I thought, "I better step up my game, because I'm not sure what that means."

I found a new avenue for interesting words - turning back time. For one class, we studied a book written in the 1930's by a scholarly Native American. Not only did he use a Native voice in describing life, he also used a multitude of words that have grown out of fashion. Cravat?Treacle?Cosmograph?Cociferator? Some of these words don't even exist in my current Webster's online.  Another unexpected place I discovered a host of 1920's terminology used was in Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide by Tonly DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.  When I read this to my son I had to start a list of 17 unfamiliar words they used to describe "Fey folk". Now in the modern world, most people don't speak "Fey" ;0) but in the literary world, it may just come in handy someday should I ever have the privilege to listen to a conversation between DiTerlizzi and Black on a "spate of nixies", read the secret second volume of Arthur's Field Guide, or maybe even meet Brandon Mull.......

What do you do with words you don't know????

Out of the Mouths of Babes.......

Wow! I saw another interview where he said we are all young in heaven. I love how he describes everything.

see it on Goodreads

Diary of a Wimpy Mom.....

For those of you who are a fan of Greg Heffley and his big brother Rodrick, you are in for a treat March 25, 2011 when the new movie comes out.  You can watch one version of the trailer here.

 One preview showed a clip of when Rodrick sneaks an unwrapped candy bar under Greg's seat on the way to church - alas, "poop!" is screamed in church and all eyes are on Greg.

So, last night I'm getting ready for my shift and I load my pockets with all the necessary items to keep me going until break: keys, candy,gum, loose change. I'm set.  At the end of my shift, a friend gives me a few new pieces of candy and I stuff them in there too.  What do I find when I get home and unload 5 hours worth of front- pocket junk?  Something akin to this......

I'm pretty sure I'm related to Greg. After all, we once shared the same last name...distant cousins maybe? 

Librarians Hold the Powa'

They need to make a superhero cape with a big "L" on it for librarians!  Last year I was trying to help my nephew get into reading by suggesting the Hunger Games series and his mom even ordered a set. I showed her all the great website elements thinking that plus the edgy writing might get his attention.  No-go, he's just not that into any book at this time.

SUPERLIBRARIAN

So, I convinced her to send them to me because I really wanted to read them and hoped that my older son would too.  I showed him the website and trailer and he's borrowed them a time or two.

Fast forward 6 months and my 13 year old, Josh, announces, "Mom, I really need to read the Hunger Games." I'm wondering if it was assigned at school so I ask, "Why?"  He replies with enthusiasm, "Because my librarian says they are so good!"

See, they got the POWA' !  I can talk about it, show him interractive websites, keep the books on the TOP of my coveted book stack but if SHE says they are good then they must be! Go superhero librarian! I can't wait for the day I get the power.......

The Fantastical Field Guide

The Guide (eeek!) Don't take it outside the circle!

Thank you Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi for creating the wonderful world of Spiderwick!  At first I was really creeped out by the movie, but this summer Dakota and I read all the books in the series and he just dove into them. He now chatters away talking about boggarts and goblins and the horrible Mulgarath.  I found a little foam circle and gave it to him for a "seeing stone" so he can see the goblins when he looks through it like Jared does in the book and sure enough he runs around with it all the time. His big brother, Dustin, even did him the favor of glueing it to his eyebrow!

Mulgarath

Not only has it uncapped his wellspring of imagination, he has also created his own Fieldguide from the website. Each day we'd print a different section and he'd do the activity or paint the picture, but then he started making his own drawings and writing in it like Aurthur Spiderwick. I bound it for him and he's been looking forward to sharing it during "show and tell" at school today. Even the big brothers are getting a kick out of it and feeding into his imaginative stories with the brownie, Thimbletack.

His birthday is just around the corner and he requested a Spiderwick Birthday. Well, they don't sell much with Spiderwick (which is one thing I love about it - forces him to create instead of buy), so we ordered the pop up Spiderwick board game and McDonald's Spiderwick figurines for him.....and of course an official eyepiece!

What books or series of books have encouraged you or your little ones to take it to the next level and make it "real" for you? Twilight? Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings?
 



Cheese-Touch!

Boy, I love that Jeff Kinney who that wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid for creating the "Cheese-Touch"!  For those of you who don't steal your kids' books or watch kid movies, the Cheese-Touch is an even more modern, hip, and effective way of playing "cooties". Any kid that touches the rotten cheese on the playground has it and immediately becomes a social outcast. Everyone screams and runs, leaving the cheese-touch kid aaaallloooooooone! If that kid is tired of being the outcast, all he or she needs to do is touch another kid and then THEY have the Cheese-Touch. So that's exactly what I'm going to do to get some alone/down-time. I'm off to the fridge. How long does it take for feta to mold???????

YIPPEEE! WAHOOO!! I just won the Minder Launch Giveaway!

Who wouldn't want a future character named after them? That is so amazingly awesome. Thanks Disgruntled Bear for offering such a great giveaway. I can't wait to read it...and all the other great books you are going to write (esp. the one with the character in it named Leah...or Leah Jo....or Leah Joanna)

  Meet the bear at  http://thedisgruntledbear.blogspot.com/  And read about Minder and watch the amazing book trailer at http://www.ganzfield.com/ .....goosbumps will follow......

Ever have a "Book Hangover"?

Have you ever read a book that was so great that you stayed up all night flipping the pages, sweat beading up on your lip, just to get to the end? Did you wake up with a mini headache? Heartache for the characters you invested so many hours of feelings in? Did the characters swirl around in your head all day, giving you occasional twinges in your chest or shortness of breath when you thought of their plight -  distracting you from balancing your checkbook? How long did you wait to pick up another book? Was it a sequel? Or did you reach for something opposit to distract yourself? What book did this for you? What's the cure?

Books in a landfill - the HORROR!

Have you ever thrown a book away?  I did - twice! Gasp!  I still feel guilty about it even though the past decade I have cherished the rest of them and collect them like trophies. I would NEVER do it again and quite the opposite, protect them and find the unwanted ones homes the day after I am done with them. I committed the crime before I had a conciousness about the life of a book. I remember buying a paperback one day, reading the first two chapters or so and being disgusted by the way women were portrayed in it - garbage can it went! I just couldn't bear to let another woman read it and knew no man would want it either. Recently, I saw that title mentioned as being a great book.  I've been taking a writing class and  have learned more about how stories often start with the opposite of what they are about to make a point. I remember donating my copy of Gone With the Wind because I couldn't swallow after reading the way the slaves were portrayed in the opening of the story. (I love the story now, but this was when I was trying to read it before seeing the movie). There was one more novel I really hated and with my mind a blur, tossed it because I was moving, overwhelmed with clutter, and didn't have the time to donate it (this was before all the awesome outlets for books came into my life).  Now, I won't even let one ripped up children's paperback get mixed in with the toys that get boxed up when they tire of them. I mend every book they've ever torn. Maybe I learned something from the guilt? How about you? Have you ever committed a crime against a book?

The Great Betrayal......the E-Reader

I blame my husband - the gadget-geek. At the mere mention of certain books being available only as e-books he hopped on his online rocket ship and ordered a used jetBook-lite from cyberspace. I'm already prejudice against it. I've been treating it like an unwelcome visitor. It's sitting here looking at me with it's blank stare, willing me to make it useful. So far I've only found two things about it appealing. I can load it up with the classics for free:Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes,Jane Eyre. It would be okay for a long plane ride I guess. But it didn't come with that great books smell, I can't thumb the pages and make that great, "Pffffth" sound. There are no pictures to refer to. I can't see my bookmark sticking out of the middle, challenging me to continue it's journey. So tell me, for the sake of those lonely e-books that were not given the privledge of paper by their publisher, should I make friends with "jet" or send him back into cyberspace?