Mini-Review: Miracle

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Miracle, by Elizabeth Scott. The GoodReads summary:

Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.

Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved....

The mini-review:
This was my first Elizabeth Scott book, and I can tell that I need to get crackin’ on reading her other books, because I like her writing and story-telling style. But . . . this particular book didn’t quite click for me—and honestly, I’m willing to admit that’s because I wasn’t in the mood for an emotionally trying book. You see, Megan is the sole survivor of a plane crash, and she is completely (and understandably) messed up by it mentally and emotionally. And since the book’s in first person, it got harder and harder for me to deal with her skewed and traumatized viewpoint—I just wanted to tell her to go get professional help already. So while this particular book wasn’t for me, I will admit it was well done, so I think I need to see if this author has written any . . . fluffier . . . books.

Rating: 3 / 5

The quote, pg. 31:
That’s when I knew things weren’t ever going to get back to normal. My parents hugged me plenty, but they’d always given parent hugs, those squeezes that make you feel safe but also judge a little, a reminder that you’re still loved but the fact you forgot to take out the trash has been noticed.

Now they hugged me like I was made of glass. Not like I might break, but like I was something priceless. They didn’t hug me like they used to and that’s when I knew I wasn’t Meggie anymore. I wasn’t even Megan.

I was Miracle.

Mini-Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The GoodReads summary:

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

I’m in love with this book--it’s so ridiculously much fun to follow Lily and Dash around New York at Christmas. I really enjoyed Lily and Dash. They’re a little more self-aware and articulate than real teenagers probably are, but they have their fair share of problems and self-doubt too; and though they don't always deal with their issues in the best ways, you don't doubt that they learn a little more about themselves from their mistakes. And I really love the narrative voices--Cohn and Levithan have created these characters that just talk and sound like the quirky, awesome people they are. I totally recommend reading this book during the holidays this year--in fact, I’m pretty sure I’m going to re-read it for Christmas.

The quote:

Imagine this:

You're in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author's books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines sits a red notebook.

What do you do?

The choice, I think, is obvious:

You take down the red notebook and open it.

And then you do whatever it tells you to do.

Mini-Review: The Body Finder

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting. The GoodReads summary:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies--or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer--and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

So on the one hand, I liked this book because it was a mystery/suspense, and that’s a YA genre that there isn’t nearly enough of, in my opinion. I also liked that the two lovebirds, Violet and Jay, have known each other their whole lives before deciding they’re madly in love--it’s definitely not insta-love, and I really appreciate that. However, I’ll admit that I never got around to liking Violet; she just annoyed me for large chunks of the book--like, “Oh, there’s a killer attacking teenage girls. Yep, it’s definitely a good idea to go off places by myself.” I also think the writing style was kinda over the top; I just felt like the author took three times as long as she needed to say anything. Overall, it was fun to get to read a YA thriller, but neither the characters nor the writing style sucked me in enough for me to really be in love with the book.

The quote

Violet stood up on the watercraft as she came to a stop. Multihued light seemed to be radiating up from beneath the water, centered among the reeds, and then diffusing outward as it reached the surface. Violet had never seen anything like it, and she knew that the spectrum of light was defying its very nature by behaving that way.

It could only be one thing.

There was something dead down there.

Mini-Review: Forgive My Fins

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs. The summary:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid--she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems--like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher--but it has that one major perk--Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type--when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

If I had to pick one word to describe this book it would be “cute”; this book was just so adorable and light and fun. There isn’t much substance to it, but I don’t think all books need to be deep or meaningful or action-packed--sometimes it’s nice to be able to sit down with a book that doesn’t demand anything from you, you know? I liked Lily as a main character generally, but it drove me absolutely crazy that she couldn’t tell that Quince was totally into her--I mean, who’s actually THAT oblivious? But that’s the only thing that bugged me, so definitely pick up this book if you’re in the mood for a fluffy, fun read that you can get through in two hours.

The quote:

“Lily”--his voice drops to an unusually serious level--“was there something more you wanted to tell me?”

“Well, actually,” I reply, unable to look him in the eye any longer, “there was one thing. . . .”

When I don’t finish, he says, “And that would be. . . .?”

I drop my head and mumble into my chest. For the love of Poseidon, this is harder than I ever imagined.

“What was that?” he asks, cupping my chin and forcing me to meet his questioning gaze. “I didn’t quite catch it, since you were speaking to the sand.”

“I said”--I twist out of his grasp and face him with as much fake boldness as I can muster--“I’m a mermaid.”

Mini-Review: By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead, by Julie Anne Peters. The summary:

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for “completers”--www. through-the-light.com.

While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge.

Obviously this book was a bit of a downer; it deals with suicide and bullying and self-hatred, and since it’s all from the first-person perspective of Daelyn, it’s pretty intense. It was a bit like watching a car wreck for me--really tragic but I couldn’t look away. Since I’ve been lucky enough not to have to deal with the issues Daelyn does, I found it kinda hard to connect with her; sometimes I really didn’t understand her way of thinking or her motivation, and that made it tough for me to empathize with her. And I felt like the resolution at the end was too rushed, which is a little sad because I felt like after all Daelyn’s been through, she deserved way more than that. Overall, I think this is a book that should be read, because it deals with tough subjects that I don’t think get brought up enough, but it’s not exactly the easiest book to read due to the intense subjects and emotions.

The quote, p. 67:

I wish I could tell my parents, “If you want to help me, help me die.”
I wonder, Are they required to fill out a 24-hour suicide watch form? Is The Defect at home? Check. Is It alive? Check.

Why did they bother with the corrective surgery on my throat anyway? Waste of money. They threw away, or hid from me, everything with sharp edges, or breakable. Picture frames. Pottery. Did they think they could suicide-proof this place?

I want to tell them, “Chip, Kim, there is no way to suicide-proof a person.”

Mini-Review: Supernaturally

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Supernaturally, by Kiersten White. Sequel to Paranormalcy. The summary:

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed by this one; I loved “Paranormalcy” so, so much, and I was hoping that “Supernaturally” would be just as good. I mean, it was fun to hang out with Evie (“oh bleep!”) and Lend again, and I’m definitely still keeping Evie on my list of literary bffs because she’s so snarky and down to earth. And I did enjoy meeting Jack and getting to getting to know Arianna (I think that’s her name) better. But I felt like this sequel didn’t have much substance--like it was all filler and the whole time was spent with Evie discovering stuff rather than things actually happening. It was kinda like getting cotton candy when all I really want is double-fudge mocha ice cream--fluffy and sweet but nowhere near as satisfying.

The quote:

Since school started a month ago, there hasn't been a single catfight. No wild parties where the cops got called, either. And as far as masquerade balls and moonlit rendezvous and passionate kisses in the hallways, well, all I can say is Easton Heights, my former favorite TV show, has taken a serious hit in my estimation.

I still think lockers are awesome, though.

Don't forget to enter my Heck-yes-it's-my-birthday Giveaway! Open until September 30.

Mini-review: Once Was Lost

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Once Was Lost, by Sara Zarr. The summary:

As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy into the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reasons to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI, and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town goes missing, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed--about God, your family, and yourself--is transformed.

Mini-review:
Sara Zarr is one of those authors who tends to write books (“Story of a Girl,” “Sweethearts”) that I appreciate but don’t fall in love with--like, I enjoy them once but don’t read them again, or if some asks me I’ll be like, “It was good” but I don’t go out of my way to recommend them to everyone I meet. And “Once Was Lost” falls into that category too--it was good, but we’re not setting a wedding date or anything, ya know? But it was definitely a solid book--well-written, great characters, tough issues--and I honestly can never figure out why I don’t adore Sara Zarr, since those are all the things I love in a book; we just don’t click I guess. I thought it was pretty gutsy for Zarr to deal with teen spirituality, since it’s a subject most YAs don’t ever deal with; and Zarr deals with it fairly well--it doesn’t feel like the author’s pushing one way or the other about religion, but still Sam’s struggles feel honest and understandable. Overall, a really great book, especially considering it deals with religious faith, a fairly taboo YA subject; the ending was maybe a little too perfect, but since I like happy endings I was willing to overlook it.

The quote, pg. 100:

All I can do is nod. He touches my hair. I look at him. Considering everything, he might actually be doing his best. I’m disappointed but also know that if I really thought about it, I could probably come up with at least as many times he’s kept his word as times he hasn’t. Most of all I want to believe--in him, in God, in our family--the way I used to. It used to be that there was always one of them I could count on. If Dad was lost in his work, Mom and I had each other, even if it wasn’t perfect. If Mom was lost in her drinking, Dad would pull us together and get us back on track. And I was always sure God hovered around there among us, somehow.

Right now it’s like we’re three islands, and nothing but oceans between us.

Mini-Review: Stay

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Stay, by Deb Caletti. The summary:

Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

Mini-review
I love Deb Caletti, but her books can sometimes be a bit hit or miss for me; I’m happy to report, though, that “Stay” was 100 percent hit—I really, truly, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and it’s now probably one of my favorite of Caletti’s books. Clara, the main character, despite having a crazy stalker ex-boyfriend, was totally likeable and easy to relate to, and she made it so painfully clear how someone so normal could end up in such a screwed-up relationship. And her relationship with her dad was straight-up amazing—there’s a plethora of terrible or absent fathers in YA fiction, but Clara’s dad was funny and caring and involved, and I found myself looking forward to the scenes with him in them. Like Caletti’s other books, this one was full of gems of wisdom that had me nodding my head and going, “That’s SO TRUE!”—Caletti has some serious insight into what makes people tick. So overall, a completely awesome book; it maybe dragged a little in the middle, but as soon as things with Finn picked up and the drama with Christian got more intense, I didn’t want to put it down.

The quote, p. 179:

Finn helped the passengers off the boat, lending each his hand. He trotted over to me when he was finished. Every time I saw him it was the same. He was the same. He was his same, easygoing self with his wide smile and shy eyes. He didn’t become other, surprising things. I had realized what a great thing sameness was. You wouldn’t think it, but it was true. There was a shelter in certain rhythms—seasons and tides and boats that went out and came back in, people who were steady, who kept steady hands on the rudders.I guess that’s what safety is.

Sameness you can count on.

Mini-Review: Abandon

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Abandon, by Meg Cabot. The summary:

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

Mini-review:
First of all, I’ve read like 95 percent of the books Meg Cabot’s written, so I like I'm qualified to say that “Abandon” isn’t like any of her others; it’s . . .darker? and not as funny. And I didn’t think Pierce was especially likable as a main character--I seriously couldn’t understand the reasoning behind why she did half the stuff she does; not to mention her flashbacks were a frustratingly slow way to learn what was really going on. And John (the love interest) . . . I feel like I could like him, except he’s not in much of the book--and when he is, he’s injuring people or fighting with Pierce. And why is he so into her anyway?--they’ve spent a cumulative total of like two hours together. Basically, this book wasn’t really my thing, but I don’t know if it’s because it’s a paranormal (a genre don’t tend to like), or if it’s because the book legitimately wasn’t as good as Cabot’s others.

The quote:

Did you see a light?

That’s the first thing everyone wants to know when they find out I died and came back. It’s the first thing my seventeen-year-old cousin Alex asked me tonight at Mom’s party.

“Did you see a light?”

No sooner were the words out of Alex’s mouth than his dad, my uncle Chris, slapped him on the back of the head.

“Ow,” Alex said, reaching up to rub his scalp. “What’s wrong with asking if she saw a light?”

“It’s rude,” Uncle Chris said tersely. “You don’t ask people who died that.”

Mini-review: Hex Hall

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins. The summary (from GoodReads):

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Mini-Review
To be honest, I don’t have that much to say about this one: I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, but I didn’t dislike it as much as I feared; it was just kinda middle of the road, neither good enough nor bad enough to make a lasting impression. I did like Sophie, though; I thought she was entirely likeable, and I loved her sarcasm. But overall, the book felt, I don’t know, short?--like there wasn’t enough time to really develop the characters and storyline. And honestly, her relationship with Archer bugged me--not from her side (because who hasn’t had a crush on an unavailable guy?), but what the heck was he doing flirting with her when he had a girlfriend? But anyway, the book was fine, but I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel.

The quote:

She unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Welcome to The Twilight Zone!”

The “Holy-crap-that’s-a-lot-of-pink” Zone would have been a more accurate description.

I don’t know what I was expecting a vampire’s room to look like. Maybe lots of black, a bunch of books by Camus . . . oh, and a sensitive portrait of the only human the vamp had ever loved, who had no doubt died of something beautiful and tragic, thus dooming the vamp to and eternity of moping and sighing romantically.

What can I say? I read a lot of books.

But this room looked like it had been decorated by the unholy lovechild of Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake.

Mini-Review: Mostly Good Girls

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too lazy or too busy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Mostly Good Girls, by Leila Sales. The summary:

It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, her crush’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.

When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success--but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge epic failure?

Mini-Review:
I’ll start off by saying that “Mostly Good Girls” is HILARIOUS; it’s probably one of the funnier books that I’ve read recently. I totally loved Violet and Katie’s friendship, and I think the author captures the casual banter between friends perfectly. However, I didn’t feel like the story progressed much further than funny--it never really achieved any depth. I think the whole thing with Violet’s friend Katie making bad decisions was supposed to provide the aforementioned depth, but in reality the book ended up reading more like a girl’s diary; it was very “day in the life.” So if you’re looking for a hilarious, light read, I definitely recommend this book—just don’t expect it to be much more than that.

The quote:

A lot of Harper Woodbane guys come to Westfield dances, so it’s also a great opportunity for Scott Walsh–watching expeditions. I don’t see nearly enough of him, because I can never think of a credible reason why I should be in his vicinity. (“Heyyy, Scott! Fancy running into you here . . . on the tennis courts . . . at Harper Woodbane . . . a school that I do not attend.”) In fact I hadn’t seen him since our ice cream date three weeks earlier--and by “our ice cream date” I mean “that time he and I and four of our friends went to get ice cream and Scott said my name approximately once.” Now that Scott had my number, I kept hoping he’d text me again. He could even text me by accident, like if he was trying to reach someone else whose first name starts with V. That would be fine too. That’s how unpicky I am.

Mini-Review: Between Shades of Gray

Mini-reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but am either too busy or too lazy to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I liked from the book.

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. The summary:

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

Mini-Review:
I was a hot mess when I finished this book--I cried for literally the entire last 1/4. And usually I hate books that make me cry, but “Between Shades of Gray” was just so painfully beautiful, I couldn’t help but love it; I think it appealed to the part of me that was addicted to books about the Holocaust in middle school. And the Holocaust comparison if fairly apt, I think, as the book tells the story of the horrific things Lina and her family endure in a Soviet prison camp. Before reading this book, I honestly had no idea things were so terrible in the Soviet Union in the 1940s--I mean, I knew Stalin wasn’t exactly a great guy, but I didn’t have a clue that he was responsible for the deaths of 20 MILLION people, or that he forced entire segments of the population of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia) into labor camps in Siberia, all so nothing would hinder the spread of the Soviet Union. If nothing else, read this book for the history lesson it provides--it’s a painful one, but one that everyone should know about.

The quote:

Sometimes kindness can be delivered in a clumsy way. But it’s far more sincere in its clumsiness than those distinguished men you read about in books. . . . Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness. There’s love and emotion trying to express itself, but at the time, it just ends up being awkward. . . . Good men are often more practical than pretty.

And if you’re not going to read the book (or even if you are), watch this video. The author gives an overview of the incredible history behind the novel:

Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

Mini-Review: Hate List

Mini-Reviews are where I write about books that I want to mention but don't feel the need to write a full-length review for. I say what I thought about the book in 5 sentences then share a quote I think represents the book.

Hate List, by Jennifer Brown

The summary:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman’s boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saves the life of a classmate, but is implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things they hated. The list her boyfriend used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Mini-Review:
I've been wanting to read "Hate List" for a while, but when I finally got a hold of a copy, I was a little nervous to read it, because I wasn't sure how it could adequately deal with such a sensitive subject as a school shooting. But Brown handles it perfectly: she does an amazing job at balancing how much (if at all) Valerie and those around her see Valerie as guilty for the shooting, and how much she is a victim. Brown also does an incredible job at portraying Nick, and how he did this unspeakably terrible thing, but that the shooting wasn't all he was--that he was funny and kind, but his rage overcame those good qualities. And oh my goodness, Jessica is a ridiculously good friend; I don't know how many people would put up with the crap Valerie gives her, but Jessica does, and I love her for it. The only issue I had with the book is that Valerie was supposedly really angsty and angry and bitter before the shooting, but the narrator Valerie seems . . . normal; and I'm not sure if that's supposed to be because Valerie outgrew those qualities after the shooting, or if they just didn't come through as they were intended in the writing.

The quote:

Stupid of me to think I could fit in here, even after all this time. Even with Jessica on my side. See what's real, that's what Dr. Hieler wanted me to do. See what's really there. Well, I could see what was really there now and none of it was good. It was all the same as it was before. Only before I would have written down their names on the Hate List and run to Nick for comfort. Now I was a different person and I had no idea what to do, other than run away.