Making up for Monday #9

Making Up for Monday is a weekly meme hosted by An Avid Reader, A Wannabe Writer

This weeks question: Are there any books that made you angry? If so why?

Kill me Softly bu Sarah Cross, I had such high hopes, and it just fells short in every way that I could have imagined. I wrote a review and gave it 2 stars.

Skype chat with Brandy Colbert

When I get a long e-mail from a 14 year old girl ranting and raving about a Skype chat an hour after it's over, I know it was successful.

Wednesday at 4:30 EST I began a Skype chat with Brandy Colbert author of Pointe (her debut novel). The book was great, but meeting Brandy herself was even better. There were, of course, technical difficulties, but our tech person (who'd also read the book) was right there giving it her all, and eventually we got things straightened out. The first portion of out time with Brandy was spent with me typing questions fired off by teens behind me, and her verbally responding to us. When we finally got our mic up and running we were all able to talk together.

The teens were asking questions such as:
Was Donovan gay?
Why ballet?
Was it hard being an adult writing as a teen?
What made you want to write a book with this particular subject matter?
What are some of your favorite books?

There were also statements such as:
Poor Theo.
We hate Chris.
Tell us more about Hosea.

This why, by far, one of my most successful programs of the summer and I'm so glad Brandy agreed to meet with us this way. It's a true testament to technology that a room full of people in CT were able to speak with an author in LA. Bravo Skype.

If anyone is reading this and they haven't read Pointe, shame on you. Go to your local library and acquire it ASAP.

I'm Doing A Skype Chat with Brandy Colbert!!

 

I'm not sure if any of you read my review of Pointe by Brandy Colbert back in May. I loved the book. I though it was amazing. My review was short but that was because I felt so much I wasn't sure how to put everything into words that made sense anywhere outside of my brain.

Anyway, as you all know I work in a library, so after I finished the book, I found Brandy's website and sent her a message asking if she would be willing to do a Skype chat with my book club. She actually responded and said yes. I was so shocked and excited. The chat is later today and I can't wait to learn more about this amazing debut author. I want to know when she began writing, what it was like writing her first book, where the ideas for Pointe came from, and any other random bits of information she can offer.

Tune in tomorrow to hear about the chat. I'll be ranting and raving about it, I'm sure. If haven't read the book yet, shame on you. Go do that now.

Oh and here's her website!

Teaser Tuesday- Homicide in Hardcover

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•  Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teasers!

My Teaser

"I laughed. 'As long as you don't deal with those deep dark feelings inside, you've got no business criticizing anything I do.' She pointed her finger at me and gave it a shake. 'I have every right in the world to try and talk you out of getting yourself killed.' "

Pg. 142 Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

Making Up For Monday #8

Making Up for Monday is a weekly meme hosted by An Avid Reader, A Wannabe Writer

This weeks question: Do you typically agree or disagree with critics? Or are you somewhere in the middle?

I try not to pay much attention to critics. I don't want someone else's opinion to subconsciously sway my own. That being said, I do follow a lot of blogs and depend of them for book recommendations and the like, but I feel like there's a difference between someone who identifies as a critic, and someone who reads books and gives their opinion. I guess that puts me at somewhere in the middle.

Feature and Follow Friday #15

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.

Question of the Week: Post a funny Youtube video (doesn't have to be book related).

I love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. If you haven't watched them, you really should. It's a modern day web adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.Everyone should watch and love this with me.

Review: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pub. Date: June 17, 2014
Format: Paper back
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, LGBT
Source: Sent by Publisher

When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most. (Goodreads)

I can't remember how I wound up with an ARC of this book, I think I won a contest, I don't know, but thank goodness I did.

Jamie, this poor kid. He's in love with his best friend Mason, they've known each other since they were in the third grade, and although Mason's come out of the closet to his mom and step-father (which is cool and new), he hasn't told anyone else. He realizes, almost jarringly, the feelings that he has for Mason and everything begins to fall apart. Everything gets worse however, when Mason begins to fight for a graphic short that is submitted to the literary magazine that he is a part of, he wants it submitted, but other members of the magazine worry about parents and funding because the romantic characters in the short are two boys. Jamie begins to find it harder and harder to be around Mason and worry's himself almost sick when he thinks about coming out to him.  It was driving me crazy. I can't say that I understand how hard it is to have to explain your sexual orientation to someone, because I have no idea, so I'm not going to judge it, I don't have that right, but I guess I just wish Jamie had enough confidence in his friendship with Mason to tell him the truth, it would have saved the kid so much stress.

Mason, we actually don't see a lot of him. We know that his home life isn't the easiest because he had a MAJOR issues with some of the decisions that his father has made. I have to say that I wish Mason's home life had been fleshed out more. We see a bit of his brother and sister who actually seem to be pretty cool, and we see even less of his mother. It made it harder for me to connect with Mason. We saw just enough of Jamie's parents to be satisfied, but we were left hanging with Mason, which made the end of the book a littler harder to connect with.

Eden, not sure what to say about her. She became an important character in the book, kind of Jamie's confidant, but... I just couldn't connect with her, I was almost there, but not quite. I think a part of that comes from not really getting to know her home life and past (similarly to with Mason). I think part of that problem arises from the fact that the book is told from Jamie's point of view so we can't hop into her world. I don't know. I liked her and everything, but it was rather *blah*.

I will say that i kind of got tired of reading the words "art geek girls" it was amusing at first, then it kind of got irritating, but that was all made up for how Jamie stood up and did what he had to do in the literary magazine, and a few lines that I loved from the book. "I study the laces on my Converse, how they've gone gray near the eyelets. I wonder how much string I'll need to tie up the hole in my heart." and "He stands there, dripping rainwater like tears on the title," and "In the middle of the shittiest day of you goddamned life you pulled my graduation tassel out of the trashcan?" Those were a few lines that resonated with me, and it helps to balance out some of my other issues. Over all the book was pretty good even though looking at my review it may not sound like it. I think this is another book that falls under, good for reluctant readers, but it's didn't quite hit all of my buttons, so I give it 4 stars, because I know this book can be amazing for the right kind of reader.