Breaking News!

So, after taking a long hiatus, I've decided to expand my horizons from just book reviews to reviews of all sorts of media. I've also pledged to myself to be much more detailed and thorough with each review/ recommendation post! Hope you enjoy the site!

xxx, Haley.

Exploring the Senses of Reality! Writing Advice!

This entry kind of explains the whole sense of “characterization, reality, relating the character to the real world.” And here’s how.

            I’ve basically covered the topic of making your character realistic. But now, you must also relate the setting to the reader. What do I mean by this?

            Well, what I’m getting at is this: I feel like a lot of authors nowadays do this type of writing. Here’s an example.

            So, let’s say, this character has just gone through a really depressing situation. And suddenly, they just break down. Instead of describing what the character is feeling, the author merely states something like “I couldn’t breathe.”

            Example: “When I saw her dead body on the ground, my legs collapsed beneath me. My hands went numb. I couldn’t feel anything.”

            While some readers, particularly not the hard-core analyzing ones, may find this phrase acceptable, writers know that this is not very good.

            This paragraph is too dry. It doesn’t say a lot. The whole point of this is to make the reader relate to what is happening. This doesn’t. It’s very specific to people who have felt like the character.

            Maybe I’m not making much sense. What I mean is, how many times do you remember ever feeling so depressed that your feet collapsed under you? Well, personally I haven’t (knock on wood.) And, I’m sorry, but numb isn’t acceptable.

            I feel like authors nowadays are so lazy with their writing. They don’t take the time to actually put themselves in the position of their character. Instead, they use the universal word “numb.”

            And I get that people do feel numb. And I’m sorry. But you can’t use that term all the time. Many people have never felt that way. You have to describe it to them.

            Don’t get me wrong, I am not a stranger to this type of writing. I pretty much took this excerpt from one of my manuscripts and changed up the situation; same wording, though. It was horrible.

            So basically the lesson here is, use your words. People want to know how the character feels; even if it’s nothing. Explain nothing. After searching in your mind, you can find some pretty deep emotions. Use them.

Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast book review!

Okay, the book I'm going to review is classified as Teen Paranormal Romance. Don't kill me. Please don't.

I know what everyone is thinking right now, "Teen Paranormal Romance consists of nothing more than Twilight junk, blahblahblah."

That, is completely inaccurate.

Sure, it's insane to have an entire section of Barnes and Noble devoted to such a specific literary group. And, yes, it's kind of a stretch to call these books literature. But, hey, sometimes you strike gold.

Believe me, in no way, shape or form, would I have bought this book on my own. My mom's friend (who also loves books, mind you) gave this book to her to read and I ended up reading it due to a reading challenge I imposed on myself.

The book is told by a girl named Zoey/ Zoe (I forgot how it was spelled) who is "Marked" by a vampire-hunter-dude and has to leave her regular highschool so she can go to the House of Night to transform from a newborn fledgling to a full-grown vamp.

What struck me as strange in this world was the fact that every single person on the planet knew that vampires existed and, besides being deathly afraid of them, they were indifferent everytime a vampire came up in conversation. I don't know if it was some type of dystopia or whatever but it was kind of irritating how there was no real world-building in this book. I don't know if I missed something but there had to have been some event that led up to this vampire-filled world. Maybe it's evident in later books. We'll see.

The plot in the book was kind of cliche; the whole, new girl comes in, turns all the boys' heads especially the hot popular dude even though she's not as beautiful as his old girlfriend who he doesn't like anymore, changes up the rules in the new place and makes the bad girl look stupid in the end. I've heard it, seen it, and even said it before. It was nothing new to me and for that I was slightly disappointed.

What put this book over the edge was the comedy. The book's narrator, Zoey/ Zoe is extremely funny and witty and even a little bit crude sometimes. Not to mention her friends: a Southern Bell, a Knowledgable Homosexual, and a pair of mixed-race twins. Plus, it's funny to see how she makes her parents squirm with anti-christ angst.

So this book was not horrible. I will definitley read the next books after this. You should read this book if you are looking for an O.K. storyline, some funny characters, and a paranormal romance, ha.

Buy it right here!

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The Winnie Years by Lauren Myracle book review!

The Winnie Years is kind of a guilty pleasure series for me. I don't usually admit to reading it mainly because it's a part of the chick-lit category on Goodreads. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate chick-lit. I don't. I just don't associate my bookshelf with that category and therefore am not proud of it.

Forget about my picky genre, the Winnie years was a series of books I started when I was younger and finished in my mid-tweens. I kind of cheated, though; I read Twelve first.

Here is the correct chronology:

Ten (although it was written after the rest)
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Thirteen Plus One

I read Twelve and liked it a lot. The book was not typically written but did have the same key elements as Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. This book helped me a lot during my 'Winnie Years'.

Then I read Eleven. I was kind of disappointed. The previously hilarious Winnifred Perry was replaced by a young, awkward, slightly rude Winnifred. I didn't really like her in this book. Maybe it was just her age, maybe not. She kind of ruined the book for me.

After being slightly disappointed with Eleven, I was really pumped up for Thirteen. I did like Twelve better, though, because it addressed more of my issues and Thirteen  was a little too cliche for my taste. But it got the job done.

In Thirteen Plus One Winnie is a much more mature young lady with a boyfriend. She deals with real relationship issues and is much more respectful. However, I didn't care for the lingo Myracle wrote in, i.e. awesometabulous.

The books are really good if you are young enough to enjoy them. I still read them from time to time if I ever have an issue that Ms. Myracle needs to solve!

Buy 'em here on Amazon:

Start out with Ten!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart book review!

This may sound really OCD, but I absolutely love the cover of this book. I love sending letters and receiving them and the basset hound seal really ties it together. Plus I love the color blue. :)

Source

But, the cover does not make the book. Luckily, I really enjoyed it.

The book follows Frankie Landau-Banks (shocker, I know) on her secretive adventures as she spies on her boyfriend and his all-male secret society. Sounds sneaky.

This book has femininity written all across it. The great thing about it is that it's none of that whiny crap a lot of books have these days. What I love about Frankie is that she takes action. I feel like a lot of girl heroines are missing that these days.

Another thing I love is that all this is happening while Frankie is at school. However, unlike most books, the lessons aren't thrown away; they play a real part in the story. I also felt really studious while reading it and liked how Frankie balanced her high-school love life while passing her classes.

I really love this book. Her boyfriend, Matthew, is quite irksome to me, personally. Frankly, even Frankie thinks so. I don't think his 'couldn't-care-less' attitude and the way he looked down to Frankie.

The setting was also a plus for me. I like how the action takes place in school rather than the actually story happening after-hours and on weekends and holidays. Such an amazing book! :) I will definitely read more of E. Lockhart!

That being said, the book was extremely funny, extremely motivating, and extremely elusive...

You can buy it right here on Amazon!

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The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler book review!

Daniel Handler (AKA, Lemony Snicket) is a great writer. Let me just start out with that. He's extremely funny and sarcastic and has surprisingly crude humor. The Basic Eight was his first novel. Don't get me wrong, this book did not disappoint. Hear me out.

I originally heard about this book from a YouTuber named Whitney Milam (http://www.youtube.com/user/whitneyleemilam). She claimed it was a knockout, however, I didn't encounter that at all.

First of all, if you are not familiar with the consequences of absinthe, I don't recommend you read this. It contains a lot of absinthe-induced weirdness. Second, if you are squeamish, don't read it. Third, if you are under the age of 14, don't read it.

This book was chock-full of inappropriateness, not that I particularly minded. I just want to supply you with a precaution.

Not to mention, the very vivid murder and other suggestive scenes. Some were definitely cringe-worthy.

Now, the story: the story is told by high-school senior Flannery Culp. Her love of writing and literature is definitely embedded in her 'voice'. She conspires with a group of her friends ( and her current target, Adam State) where they host garden parties, drink wine, and absinthe it up. Things start to finally pick up when Adam State starts dating her friend. This eventually leads to Adam's death. But Flannery can't be the culprit. Could she?

The narrative switches between past tense ( it's in journal form) and present tense ( the allegations or Flannery).

Overall, you can't go wrong with this book. But, I'm not going to recommend it. Why? I thought the plot was a little confusing and was really confused about all of the Natasha scenes.

You can buy it right here:

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Writing Advice-Being Afraid

Okay, maybe a brief intro. So I began writing when I was 11, mostly essays, articles, summaries, letters, basic 6^th grade writing assignments. At first, I wasn’t great. In fact, I sucked. But then my writing teacher brought me out of my logical shell and into a completely different one. A creative shell. But this shell only traveled as far as the page limit did.  I was limited. I felt confined, but I was safe. And, for that, I was happy.

            I began writing poetry, little stories. Nothing major, I wasn’t really an established author at that time. But it was fun.

            Then, in seventh grade, my English teacher had us do the basics. It was fun, I had more creative freedom this time and I was less safe. It wasn’t as formulaic as 6^th grade.

            Sometime over the winter break that year, I started writing my first ever story.  And it was fun. During that time, I had composed several short stories. One of them I showed to my friends.

            Now I’m not really the type of person who waves their banner in someone else’s face. Maybe I was proud, maybe I was excited, maybe I was relieved, maybe I was desperate. Whatever the reason, I showed it to my buds.

            The results? Well, technically it was intended to be a birthday present for my friend. I don’t think she loved it, but she obviously didn’t hate it. It wasn’t horrible at all. Then, my other friends read it. Some of them liked it. Some of them didn’t.

            Well, it seems I’ve left out a big part of this story. It was a horror story. Only about 4 pages long, but it was kind of scary. Not like a Stephen King novel but you get the idea.

            The friends who didn’t like it said that it was too creepy for them.

            When I heard this, of course I played it off like I didn’t care. But I did. I really did.

            It made its way inside of me and began eating its way down into my soul, then to my core.

            It hurt. I’m not going to lie.

            After months and months after showing my friends, I decided that my story was just no good. That’s it. That’s why they didn’t like it. It was all my fault.

            I contemplated my mental state for weeks after that. How could someone as seemingly ordinary as me compose such a grueling story?

            How I wish I could go back in time to tell myself what I know now. It would have saved me a lot of heartache. Don’t you ever wish you could stop worrying?

            Well, what I learned is—I happened to have done a very good job. I thought I was this evil person lurking in this twelve-year-old body. But I was merely a well-taught author. Here’s how.

            The friends who called it creepy acted like it was a bad thing. And maybe it was for them. But, for me, it was exactly what I wanted. Wasn’t it?         

            I mean, wasn’t that the whole point? To scare the crap out of someone? And in all honesty, this story really wasn’t scary. It was pretty dry. But, nevertheless, I had accomplished the goal hadn’t I?  Well, then why did I feel so bad for scaring her?

            The answer is this: all authors, composers/ artists/ musicians/ etc do this. After each presented work, you prime your mind with this type of paint, called failure. You know that someone somewhere is going to hate it. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Except sit, watch, and cry.

            I think the psychology aspect of it is that society nowadays is striving always for selflessness. This translates into: they didn’t like my story/ painting/ drawing/ song/ etc, so it must be my fault. I didn’t put forth my best effort to make it work for them. And for that, I should be punished.

            No, you shouldn’t. Everyone’s vision is different. If someone doesn’t want to read a scary story, they shouldn’t check one out. And that’s something you can’t control. You’ll just have to leave it to the reader. If someone doesn’t approve of the genre you write in—screw them. They obviously aren’t as brave as you.

            Don’t be afraid—that’s your reader’s job.

Divergent by Veronica Roth book review!

I think it's only fair to start my book reviews with my favorite above all books right now.

It's name is.....Divergent!

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.

(Source is Veronica Roth's official website: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/divergent-cover-and-summary.html
)

I'm proud to say that I was one of the many lucky readers who discovered it (well, actually my mom discovered it) before it became really famous.

But biased I am not. This book is completely worth everyone's valuable time and gets exponentially better every time I have read it (that's three times)!

You know that horrible feeling when a book that has been visible to the media for a while and has an enormous fan-base is completely bland and boring in the beginning of the book when the real story begins 3/4 into the book? Ok, forget that. Throw all those negative expectations in the trashcan (or recycle, let's be green)! The book punches you in the face from the get-go. Thirty pages in, there was never a dull moment.

Let me tell you, if I had any doubts about this book during the aptitude tests, all that was demolished in the train-jumping scenes and Stage One of Initiation. My heart pounded during every single chapter and I hurt ( was physically in pain) when I had to put the book down to eat or shower.

I read the book while on summer vacation last year and it really made my week! My parents are living, breathing truth that when you tear someone away from their baby ( AKA, this book), they get incredibley grouchy.

Please pick up this book. Just please. You won't regret it. It has some intense fighting scenes, really powerful romance, and interesting psychological tests.

P.S. There's a guy named Four.



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Hello!

Hi! I'm really excited to start this blog! On this blog you'll find detailed reviews daily on popular books, classics, and some indies. I also will post writing advice weekly (or bi-weekly). Not to mention monthly book recommendations.

If you have a social networking site (not a personal account) where you display your prized literature (i.e. deviantART/ tumblr/ etc.) and you would like someone to critique your work via email, contact me.

I hope you guys enjoy this blog!