On Reading YA

The internet is in another tizzy.

Yesterday, an article was published about YA books and how adults should feel embarrassed for reading books "written for children"*.As a big reader (and wannabe writer) of YA books, I should feel outraged, right? I'm not, though. Don't get me wrong, I think the article writer's thoughts are ridiculous, but she  doesn't control what I read and her thoughts won't affect my book decisions at all. I hear stuff like this a lot though, as I work with books and read a lot in my spare time.

I've heard the critique a lot that adults shouldn't read YA books and that these readers need to grow up and read 'real' fiction. I love that this statement seems to make a blanket acceptance of adult fiction all being more literary somehow. There are several problems with this way of thinking, of course.

First, genre distinctions are generally made by the publishers. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Chbosky is a book about teenagers that is in the regular fiction section of your local Barnes & Noble. Is the approval rating for that book higher because of where it sits on the shelves? Have you ever read "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie? It's in the teen section, yet it is a poignant, must-read that stayed with me as much as any classic has. "Catcher in the Rye" by Salinger is about a teenager, yet is in the adult section and considered a classic. If you threw a bunch of books into a pile, instead of shelving them into different genres, what criteria would you use to judge them?

Second, every genre has gems and duds. Is every YA book good? No. Is every adult book good? No. "You're an adult. Read a book written for adults." Oh, like "Fifty Shades of Gray"? Or maybe a nice Harlequin romance? Maybe some cat mysteries or the new Dan Brown? Oh yes! These are certain to change my life.

Last, what exactly makes a book good? What makes it more literary than something else? Is it big words? Big ideas? The inclusion on a university syllabus? And most importantly, does every book in our To Be Read piles have to be a potential classic? Because, that's not going to fly with this reader. I want to read what grabs my attention and if it happens to be a book about a teenager saving the world, then so be it.

Now, I have to get back to my book...


XO,
SVR


Now, full disclosure so I'm not a total hypocrite. I hate manga and totally judge people who read it. Well, at least, I totally judge people who only read manga. Yuck!





* I'm not linking to it because I dislike when people hate things yet draw a ton of attention to it.

American Boy

I read an entire book yesterday. And as much as I read, I typically don't do that as I have so many other things I want to do. But yesterday I started "Letters From Skye" by Jessica Brockmole and literally could not put it down.

I had first eyed this special gem of a book while perusing NetGalley for new ARCs to request and my eye totally caught the word Skye, which I immediately recognized as an island off the western coast of Scotland. "Could it be?" I wondered. A book that takes place in Scotland? If you know me even just a little bit you know that I am all about Scotland and with my upcoming trip there quickly approaching, I've been seeking out things that are Scottish-themed.

So yesterday, after finishing The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater*, I picked my nook back up with the plan to get the first few pages in before I dedicated the rest of my day to watching the US Open**. Next thing I knew, I was 60 pages in with no desire to take a break!

You know that feeling you get when you check the mail and you spot a cute little envelope with the handwriting of one of your favorite people on the front? Or when you open your mailbox and a beautiful postcard is sitting in there, waiting to be read? I love that feeling. Snail mail is awesome and this book was an entire story told in letters! I loved how the plot was moved, first by one character, and then continued by another. The only dialogue was that which was transcribed into a letter, making it a very different type of storytelling.

"Letters From Skye" is the story of a young American boy who, with a fan letter to his favorite poet in the 1910s, begins a many year relationship with a woman who has never stepped off the island where she lives. I found it so special to fall in love with these characters as they both did with each other. Both had such a way with words and I loved to imagine them written on pieces of gritty paper and then traveling across the Atlantic from Scotland to America and vice versa.

The  other part of the story takes place many years later and is told through the letters of another young woman and the man she plans to marry. Her mother disappears after a World War II bombing in Edinburgh, prompting the daughter to investigate the early part of her mom's life that had never been shared. While different kinds of letters, I enjoyed this part of the story, as well, and felt like the flow between the two time periods worked perfectly.

I finished this book late last night and my heart was just filled with loving thoughts towards love, life, and this story. I hope you read it, too...and then maybe you should write me a letter and tell me what you thought.

XO,
SVR




* Also really good!
** Super obsessed with tennis, y'all. 

+ Title from Kanye West

Film For The Future

I happened upon an article just now about which books to be sure to read before their movies come out on the Random House Tumblr and it made me grr just a little bit. Not that this is a new thing. The majority of book readers want to read the book before they see the movie and I do see the benefits of that. It's great to read a book and be able to create the world and characters in my own mind before seeing the vision of someone else. And nothing beats flying through a book that is written so well that it makes the reader feel something through just words, as opposed to film which uses sight and sound.

So, while there are many books that I've read before their adaptations have come out, it's not really my favorite thing to do. A film will almost never go as deep as a book can so I feel like I'd rather read the book after I watch the movie. That way I get to expand upon the story instead of reading the book and then potentially feeling let down by the film.

It also happens that I usually read a book years before its movie comes out, which is  the perfect scenario, in my opinion. This way I have experienced the story in its original format and have been able to use my own mind to create the book's world and then I have enough time before the movie for it all to fade a little in my memory. A good example of this was The Hunger Games. I read the first book 3 or 4 years before the film adaptation came out so I knew enough to be properly excited, but I didn't spend the entire time in the theatre thinking, "This is different than the book." and "They left that out from the book."

So why did the Random House article annoy me? Because at this point, these movies are coming out too soon to try to read the book and be able to see the movie and be pleased. It is so rare that I hear of anyone going to a movie based off of a book and not having some sort of comment about it. (I definitely am one of the rare ones who can easily separate the two.) It is my recommendation that movie watchers see these movies and then, if they like them, they can head to their closest Barnes & Noble and pick up the book.

So, which movies will I be seeing?

• I am currently so obsessed with The Spectacular Now and can NOT wait to see it. I saw the book the other day and made a mental note to pick it up after I see the movie, which I will love. (How do I know I'll love it? Well, I love most things.) I think Shailene Woodley is incredible and I can't wait for more of her films. 
• Carrie- I've seen the original film, but have never read the book. Not sure if I'll see this.
• I definitely want to see The Wolf of Wall Street because I love Leonardo DiCaprio! The trailer looks so good. 
• The Book Thief has been on my To Read list for quite awhile, but I keep putting other books higher on my priority list. I honestly haven't heard much about this film! Have you??

XO,
SVR



+ Title from Idlewild

Fiction

The subject of fan fiction comes up a lot in my life as I work in a bookstore and most of my friends are voracious readers. I first became aware of it when my younger sister would look up stories that continued the Harry Potter series. I thought it was cute that her interest in that world could be continued via works written by other huge fans. Soon after, though, I learned that these 'fan fic' writers didn't always just imagine what happened between Ron and Hermione after graduation or what the children of Harry and Ginny would be like*. A lot of these writers took things in entirely different directions, often completely changing fundamental parts of the characters. Fan fic that makes Ron and Harry lovers? No. Neither Ron, nor Harry are gay. And nothing would be wrong with it if they were! But they're not, so I have a problem with writers completely changing these characters. At that point, it feels more like they're stealing characters, rather than being inspired by them.

One of the now most famous works of fan fiction is the bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I haven't read the books, but I've thumbed through them enough at work to know that they have very little to do with the Twilight series, from which Fifty Shades was inspired. (Granted, I've never read the original works so maybe the publishers changed more of the details.) What I don't get about this series is why E.L. James ever even associated herself with Twilight? I get that she was inspired by them and was, I guess, writing on a Twilight website or something, but if I had written the series, I would rather have said I was inspired by Stephenie Meyer rather than call my project fan fic. To me, it sounds like she was too lazy to think up her own characters.

Recently, the subject of fan fic came up with a couple of my friends, and even though we squashed the conversation quickly (as to avoid an argument), I definitely thought about it more later, trying to get my thoughts in order. I started by comparing it to other works of art: music and movies. Both of these creative outlets have their version of fan fic: musicians cover songs all the time and how many movies nowadays are remakes of prior versions? So why does it feel so different?

I love covers! Some of my favorite songs are covers of already well-known songs. Sometimes the cover is even better than the original! (Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah"! The Smashing Pumpkins "Landslide"!) The difference with covers is that the original creator of the song is going to be credited and compensated. Sure, an amateur musician can play another person's song in a show and make money, but they could never record that song without getting permission from the original artist and paying them for its use.

Music is so protected that even some hooks are protected! It was just a few years ago when the Red Hot Chili Peppers sued someone for having a song that sounded like one of theirs. Why is that protected, yet using a writer's characters aren't?

Did anyone see The Great and Powerful Oz? Did you notice that they never showed the ruby slippers? That's because the Wizard of Oz and certain specifics are owned by Warner Bros. Disney was allowed to create a story set in the same world, but were not allowed to borrow all aspects of the original.

And in a different route, movies are made from books constantly. There's an entire category at the Oscars for adapted screenplay, which, essentially, is an award for fan fic. Production companies have to buy the rights for books and depending on the contracts made, have to stay true to the work, so why is it different when a writer creates something new from a book they've read?

Before I explain the situations where I think fan fic is appropriate, I would first like to say that "Fan Fic" is a terrible name. I hate it. I think it has evolved and become a catch all for anything written based on something else. A lot of people (including myself) roll their eyes when they hear that something is fan fic and maybe we're all just  jealous that E.L. James is a millionaire now, but let's take this time to change it. Let's just call it: Fiction. And then if the writer feels so inclined, they can mentioned what work inspired them.

Now, appropriate situations for fiction that is inspired by other works. I think that timeframe has a lot to do with it. I had no problem with that trend a couple of years ago of remaking classics and including zombies and vampires or whatever else seemed like fun. I feel like it seemed okay because the essence of the original work was still there and I think a lot of those aren't even under copyright anymore, are they? I'm also okay with writers saying that they were inspired by a specific work, but I do think if it's going to be published and sold, that it needs to be an original work. For example, I think John Green is amazing and I would love to write my own version of Looking For Alaska, but it's going to be a little suspect if my novel takes place at a boarding school and involves similar characters and then I go on a book tour and talk about how much I loved Looking For Alaska. If a writer can't think of his or her own original idea...maybe they aren't meant to be a fiction writer.

So there are my thoughts. What are yours?



*Um, spoiler alert?

+Title from The XX

On The Road Again

Serena and I get a lot of crazy ideas and about 70% of the time, we follow through. One of the more recent ones was to research and find the fictional towns of a favorite book and a favorite tv show, both of which take place in Virginia.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater was my top pick for YA fiction in 2012. It's an awesome story that takes place in Heniretta, VA, which happens to be right where the ley lines are. What are ley lines you may be wondering? Don't worry, I'll answer that later. *wink wink*

The show that prompted our quest is The Vampire Diaries, which is based on a book series, but it's the show that has me mesmerized. It takes place in Mystic Falls, VA, which is even shown in one scene on a map as being between Charlottesville and Richmond.

It was tough to just pick a spot on the map and go there because in my mind I kept thinking I was going to see Damon Salvatore or Gansey walking down the street. I had to remind myself that both of these towns are completely fictional, but I will say, it did feel a little creepy being in the middle of no where, standing in a cemetery wondering if we were on a ley line.

Deadly Kiss

One would think, given my proclivity for love stories, that I wouldn't be so into a book where one of the main characters is prophesied to kill her one true love with her kiss. I typically read a book and spend much of it waiting and hoping for the main character to fall in love. But with The Raven Boys. I was put into a tricky situation because if I hope for Blue, our main female character to fall in love, then I am, in effect, wishing for someone else to die. And let's be honest, Maggie Stiefvater has written some pretty incredible male characters! I can't wish for any of them to die just so I have a love story. That would be selfish.
Luckily, there is way more to The Raven Boys than Blue not being able to kiss anyone. There is a Welsh king, the Aglionby school, and Blue's interesting family (and family friends) to sort out!
In book one (of what will be four), Blue meets and begins hanging out with the Raven Boys: Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah. These are the types of boys she has stayed away from her entire life. Raven Boys are dangerous. Yet Blue finds herself quickly integrated into their circle and they begin searching for the same thing, spending every free moment on the hunt for information.
This was one of my favorite books I have read recently and I highly recommend it for you, too!


+Song title from Kyuss

Age of Miracles

While I am beyond ecstatic to start Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, I am going to start Age of Miracles first. I have read so much good buzz on this book and it's outside of my usual genre so I think it will be a good break up between reading a book about vampires (The Hunt) and....a book about ... Vampires.
I also have a queue of about three teen books that are sequels that I am jazzed about and need to get to, too.

So much reading to be done!!!

Forever

I am soooooooo excited for this book to come out!!!!


Buy it here: Fountain Bookstore.


Check out this video:

Crown Of Love

Last fall I read a great book called Elizabeth's Women that analyzed the women in the Virgin Queen's life and how they influenced her. It was a fascinating read and kept with my tendency to be very interested in Britain's royal history.

While not of documentary accuracy, I also loved The Tudors and every week I would find myself googling different people to learn more about them. A name would be mentioned and off I went, following webpage to webpage learning about the history of a country I have never even been to.

When The King's Speech came out, I knew I would see it. Another story about royalty and involving people still alive was just what I was in the mood for and I came out of the theatre wanting to know more more more.

The Young Victoria was another movie I just loved and reading about her reign was like candy for me. Seeing her and Prince Albert in the beginning of their relationship on the big screen was like getting to see past the traditions and stuffiness, if you will. I know it was just a movie, but I loved it.

And that brings us to The Royal Wedding. I am so excited to see it! And it's not because of their celebrity, but because they are a part of history and tradition. Even though the monarchy is completely different than it was when King Henry VIII ruled, Prince William is still going to be in a line that comes from him (not by blood, but by reign) and I think it's really cool to see (albeit on TV) a moment in history.

And yes, it's a "Fairy Tale". A girl just like the rest of us (although much more wealthy than me!) is marrying a prince. I am not embarrassed to say that I want to see it and want to know what Catherine Middleton is going to wear. I want to see them walk into the church. I want to see Victoria Beckham in the audience! (Okay, so that part is a bit of celebrity fascination.)

So haters can keep hating, but I am going to be waking up early on the 29th to watch the royal wedding because I love tradition.

XO,
SVR

+Title from The Arcade Fire

The Blood Is Love

I don't care if people don't like Twilight. To each their own, right? And it's not like I like everything. I loathe ugly Betty, have never seen Lord of the Rings and really wasn't that excited about Transformers. But since Twilight is extremely popular right now, people love to hate it. And since I work at a bookstore, where every other request is for the books or movies, I hear about it A LOT. The following are the most common complaints about the story I hear:

1. Vampires Don't Sparkle

Ummm, vampires aren't real. It's like saying the Boogie Monster isn't green. Um, he's not real so if a writer wants to make him blue and yellow polka dots, he/she can.



What about Vampire Diaries which allows many of its vamps to be out during the day because of a special ring? It's just another element to the story. Not a big deal.

2. Edward is controlling.

I often hear people say that Bella is a horrible role model. I'm sorry, but last I checked the book was classified as fiction. I never read it for my own self help. And if you've read the books, you'd know that Edward is trying to protect Bella. She's a klutz and always getting hurt and then she has a crazed vampire after her! Of course he wants to be by her side all the time.



3. Robert Pattinson is not that good looking.

Um, you're wrong.



4. The book is not good for feminists.

THANK GOODNESS!

5. Stephenie Meyer is not a good writer.

Yes, she is. She's a good writer, not a great writer. Better than I am, for sure. Have I ever written a novel? Nope. Do I even have an idea for a novel? Nope. She wrote something that has engaged a gazillion people. Now, if those people don't realize there are bigger and better things out there, that's their fault!

5. No sex.

This bothered me at first, too. Most know that Stephenie Meyer is very conservative in her beliefs and I was annoyed she wrote books with abstinence as the lesson. BORING. BUT storywise, it is explained: Edward is afraid he'll kill her if they get it on. Yes, it's also because he wants to be married, but what's wrong with that? Though not common, that is still the belief of many people. But mostly I just focus on the fact that he is afraid she'll get hurt.

6. Kristen Stewart sucks.

I don't think she does. Also, I think she's just really shy and awkward. How would you handle a million questions thrown at you and people falling over themselves to get to you? Um, scary. I say stupid shit all the time, but luckily no one is taping it and reporting it to the world.



Check this out: Shirley Manson likes her!

XO,
SVR

Linger

I absolutely loved Shiver and recommend it to everyone!


In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Fever

I'm not sure which booked triggered it, but for the past few months, I have been voraciously reading. Luckily, I work at a bookstore so I get a pretty sweet discount, always know what is coming out, and even get to borrow some books so I'm not totally breaking my bank account.

In an effort to surf the web while at work, I signed up awhile back to do book reviews for Barnes and Noble and have since have even been in the weekly email a few times*. They're not good reviews...just a few words about each one I've read and with a rating, but it's fun to finish a book and post a quick review on there.

I was thinking, though, that I should share what I've read here, too. Be warned, I get really into the teen books. They're fast, entertaining, and just oh so much fun.

Uglies- Scott Westerfield
Pretties- Scott Westerfield
Specials- Scott Westerfield
Extras- Scott Westerfield
The Strain- Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Gone- Michael Grant
Sookie Stackhouse (all)- Charlaine Harris
The Host- Stephenie Meyer
Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins
Her Fearful Symmetry- Audrey Niffeneger
In The Woods- Tana French
Open- Andre Agassi
High Society- Donald Spoto
Deadly Little Secret- Laurie Stolarz
Fallen- Lauren Tate
Impossible- Nancy Werlin
Shiver- Maggie Stiefvater
The Immortals- Alyson Noel
Blue Moon- Alyson Noel
Shadowland- Alyson Noel
Hush Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick
All Unquiet Things- Anna Jarzab


Oh, and I'm also on Goodreads...Are you?


*If you set your account for Fairfax, VA, you will see me there!

Speed Read

I've been on a reading kick lately. When I was little, I would read for hours while sitting under out kitchen table. I remember loving Anastasia, anything by Judy Blume and every series of Sweet Valley imagined. I blame high school for halting my reading. I always knew I should be reading what was assigned, but I just couldn't force myself to trudge through such boring atrocities (Flannery O'Connor, I am staring real hard at YOU!).

When I was a lifeguard for every summer during college, I finally found the time to devote to books again. There's nothing better to a lifeguard than a clap of thunder and a jolt of lightning and I can't tell you how many times we all sat around in lounge chairs reading all day long. We would set them up under the pavilion, snuggle up in towels, and all read. I miss those days!*

Grad school a few years ago once again halted my reading. I think I spent any free time I had frantically writing papers. And any other time was spent commuting all over the place or sleeping.

Anyway, so like running or swimming, the more you read, the fast you get. I've flown through a few books recently and I'd like to report on them now:

+ In The Woods by Tana French

+ Uglies, Pretties, and Specials (3 different books) by Scott Westerfield

+ Gone by Michael Grant

+ Dead And gone by Charlaine Harris

+ The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

+ Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

+ Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins

+ The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

What have YOU read lately? Any auggestions?

XO,
Scarlet



*Errr, but remind me one day to write about my coworkers, some of whom turned out to be extreme cunts.

Well Read

This is a book meme. What follows are six random bookish things about me!

1. If I don't like a book, I don't trudge through it. It's a waste of time for me. Maybe that's why I rarely finished books for school.

2. I prefer to watch the movie before I read the book if possible. That way, I won't be disappointed that they left stuff out and instead will be excited to get even more out of the story!

3. I.Love.Judy.Blume.

4. I hated To Kill A Mockingbird.

5. I have a list of books I want to write the screenplays for.

6. I think bookmarks are stupid and a waste of money.



And the rules are...

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random bookish things about yourself.
4. Tag sixish people at the end of your post. (Kristabella and Anna, via email)
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.