If You Like This, You'll Like....#1

 

 



 

The hardest part about finishing a good book is figuring out what to read next, or finding a similar book when the subject matter really touches you. I read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher in 2010 and it tore me in half. It's about a young man named Clay who comes home to find a package containing seven cassette tapes each numbered one through thirteen and a map. He presses play and it's Hannah Baker, a classmate and crush who killed herself, telling him that if he's listening then he's one of the thirteen reasons she killed herself. He follows the map as he listens to her downward spiral all the while wondering what he did wrong. This is a book that has saved lives and started much needed discussions.

If you've never read it, you should. If you have read it and you liked it, then you'll like....

The Program by Suzanne Young is a semi-dystopian sci-fi novel about a young girl named Sloane and her boyfriend James. In the not-too-distant future suicide is an epidemic among teenagers and the only cure is The Program. If you're sad, you can't show it. Keep it to yourself. Tell no one because wherever you are they'll come and take you away, and when you return you'll never be the same. It's so realistic it's terrifying and it almost hurt to read.

Where Jay Asher took a psychiatrist waiting room pamphlet and put it words we could we barely digest, Suzanne Young took suicide and gave it flesh and blood. If you don't mind the ugly cry or being emotionally challenged, looking into the mirror as you read, I highly recommend these.

Down from the Mountain - A Review

Every cult has that one member who can't get with the program, who is too bold and too smart for their own good. That's Eva. Not only is she intelligent, but she enjoys learning and she's frustrated with an education that's plateaued. Eva finds out the hard way knowledge is power. The story isn't an original concept, and since we know Eva is that person, you can tell from the beginning how the story is going to end. And that's fine; it's the journey in the middle that makes all the difference.

Set in the Colorado Rockies on a farm outside of Boulder, Down from the Mountain by Elizabeth Fixmer is about a young girl who finds herself at a crossroads as she navigates between being herself and being obedient. She's isolated from the outside world, away from the heathens who aren't chosen by God. Things take a turn when Reverend Ezekiel becomes increasingly paranoid, wasting the compound's money on guns and target practice. Watching Eva discover the outside world for the first time is like watching the Wizard of Oz go from shades of gray to color. Her eyes are opened to new sights and sounds, new customs and ways of life. She's fascinated by the culture shock, unafraid despite everything she's been told since she was little.

Elizabeth Fixmer likes C.S. Lewis. The Reverend speaks about a God who punishes, who blesses only when you do what you're told; a God who wills his people to suffer when they've done wrong. Eva believes this, but she also remembers Aslan who speaks softly, and loves so gently. She remembers an Aslan who sacrificed himself for those who didn't deserve it and walks with those he's chosen. I'm a Christian and analytical by nature, and though I'm not sure if Elizabeth Fixmer intended it I couldn't help but read this book from that perspective.

Stories like these hit a nerve, but not in a bad way. I love my faith, but I know there are evil people who can take my God and turn him into something he's not. Christianity says to guard your heart, but it does not isolate. Instead it encourages stepping into the world in order to save it. It does not punish because Jesus's death was punishment meant for all and his resurrection is a sufficient victory. It broke my heart watching Eva believe the lies, but I was excited to see her walk in her own faith. Often we're warned as Christians to beware of wolves in sheep's clothing, charlatans, people who seek power and will fill your head with lies to line their pockets. Ezekiel is a charlatan, a sexual predators, and a con artist. Like many leaders he drives away the men and surrounds himself with women and children. The power to make them do whatever he says, when to eat and when to sleep, is his job. The sex and admiration is his reward. Eva threatens this, and he makes the mistake of trying to tame her.

This is a subject Ms. Fixmer is passionate about. It's clear she's not just telling a story, but she's sending a message and warning to young women, and giving a testimony about her faith and who she believes God is. Down from the Mountain is a story about freedom, and strength, and faith. It's about a girl who believed in God her whole life discovering God for the first time. This book hits stores March 1st.

Goodreads

Official Website

#MusicMonday

 



Only because I love her. I think the video is mediocre, and a little lazy, but I love this song and I love her voice.

UPDATE: You can now pre-order her debut album on iTunes! "Eyes Wide Open" drops on April 21, 2015.

 

I'm a DUFF

Some books are good for escaping, and others take you to less than pleasant times. I was a DUFF in college. My two best friends, Carly and Jessica, were the hot ones and I was the loyal one. They got all the attention and I was the designated driver. They were tall and skinny, and I was short and chunky. They got attention from basketball players, and I was propositioned by an alcoholic. You get the picture. Being their friend could be exhausting at times, but I tried to own it. I loved being the one they could call when they needed someone to pick them up. I didn't mind being the one who didn't get drunk. I especially loved the lack of relationship drama. They were amazing friends, some of the best I've ever had. Of course there were PLENTY of times I wished I could have been as outgoing as Carly, or as pretty as Jessica. But I'm me. Savannah is introverted, uniquely beautiful with her mother's cheekbones and loyal to a fault.

Early this year I read "The DUFF" by Kody Keplinger only because I heard it was going to be a movie and I love Mae Whitman. Bianca (Mae Whitman) gets a rude awakening from the school hottie/man whore, but then finds him as an unlikely ally as she uses him to escape from her home problems. The movie plays a little bit differently, instead of using Wesley Rush (the hottie man whore) for sex, she uses him to make a change. In both the book and the adaptation she learns to embrace herself and her "duff-ness".

Most people cringe when movies are different than the books, but I'm glad. I think the book without changes would have made a depressing story and as good as it was, it was very singular in its focus. The movie took an extra step and decided to tackle an array of teen issues: body image, self esteem, bullying, relationships, labels, and insecurities. The moral of the movie is "everybody has problems."

Mae Whitman is not a dog or fat by any means, but she's not Hollywood standard beautiful, either. She's not a knockout by any means, but she is adorable and funny. She captures the vulnerabilities of being a teenager and having to navigate what can be a hostile social setting. She helps send a powerful message to young women how you carry yourself reflects how you see yourself and who you are inside. Bianca starts out changing herself to impress a boy until she realizes she needs to make a change for herself.

It's not up there with Mean Girls as far classic teen movies go, but it holds it's own. There aren't any memorable quotes, people won't remember Bella Thorne as the new Regina George. I'll never understand why they didn't give this a summer or fall release, but it's a cute little film and a great book.

Haunted - A Review

This was a doozy. I'm a sucker for ghost stories, and this was a psychological horror wrapped in a schizophrenic nightmare that is beautifully written. This story follows Phoebe and her family who move to her step-father's ancestral mansion in England. Not only can Phoebe not remember the awful thing she did which caused her family to move in the first place, but she's seeing and hearing things, finding herself going from place to place with no memory how she got there. On top of that she's being haunted by an evil beyond imagination.

I am not familiar with Lynn Carthage's work, but I especially love the way she uses all five senses to bring you into this world she's created. Set in a small town English countryside, it's isolated and dank with a fearful emptiness. The manor is a living entity modeled off the French Versailles. You can hear the organ playing when you shouldn't, feel the whisper of someone who shouldn't be there. I've said before I don't like it when author's baby the readers and tell us how the character feels instead letting the character speak for herself. Phoebe feels guilty, scared and discombobulated and we know this because Carthage lets us "travel" with Phoebe as she goes from random memory to memory, from the pool to her baby sister's bedroom with no control of where she goes and who or what goes with her. When she sees a ghost for the first time, it's scary because everything seems so real. Phoebe becomes an unlikely hero for both the living and the dead, along with her new friend Miles. The love story with him is incomplete and a little awkward, given the circumstances, but it works.

Madame Arnaud is an unseen enigma, you can count on one had how many times she physically appears to Phoebe. The rest of the time she's a notion or a memory through a diary entry. She's not one of those villains where you might feel sorry of them, she's just evil. Carthage made her beautiful, alluring, and tempting, someone children wouldn't resist and adults would never say no to.

I thought this was a well-rounded story that had my emotions all over the place. I was scared and confused, but by the end I was crying. For a minute I thought the ending was dragging out, but it was perfect. Apparently this is book one in a series, and I'm curious because what else could possibly happen? But I can't wait. Haunted hits stores February 24th. You can check out Lynn Carthage on these websites:

Official Website

Goodreads

Jolted and Impacted - A DOUBLE Review

 

I'm apart of a group on Goodreads that allows it's users to read and review New Adult Novels, some of them ARCs, so that's where most of these come from. A week or so ago, Alyne Roberts offered Impacted for review, as well as the first book, Jolted, for those who didn't read it. When I read the description I immediately thought of The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski, which is an amazing book if you've never read it. Impacted is about a young rich girl named Kallie, Georgetown graduate, who lost her boyfriend in a car accident. She can't grieve in the space she's in so she runs away and ends up in a small town. In a bar drinking like she never does she meets Ryder, who doesn't expect to see her after that night. Unfortunately her car breaks down and she stuck, so Ryder and his twin sister, Scarlett, take her in.

So many books try too hard to do the "good girl breaking out of her shell" bit, but this was perfect. Roberts doesn't walk you through it or baby you, she lets the characters speak for themselves and Kallie's emotions are so clear. She's grieving, she's depressed, she's confused and she's lusting after this troubled guy who doesn't want to be bothered with her. Kallie was always "Kallie with Carter," but Carter is dead and she doesn't know who she is. I love that the story is two books, because Kallie isn't finished growing up at the end of Jolted. She know has to figure out who she is without Ryder. Ryder is all man. He's tenderhearted, sexy and moody. Alyne gives us a hint that his friend is dealing with a problem, but it's not until the end of Jolted when Ryder's behavior starts to make sense. 

Impacted opens with Kallie realizing she's been away from Small Town Ohio for too long and she got sucked back into the life she never wanted. It's fun watching that internal switch kick in when she realizes, "This isn't me, I'm not this person, I don't want this life." It's a moment everyone faces at some point. Jolted was Kallie's story, but Impacted is more about Ryder. Kallie went back home and was gone for six months. When she returns he doesn't know what to do. He loves her, but he's afraid he'll hurt her, and he doesn't want to feel pain anymore. Throughout the book you're telling him to get over it and suck it up. This is a couple you can root for, two characters in which you can see yourself. Kallie had to learn to be herself without being tied to anyone else, and Ryder need to learn to forgive himself and free himself to love. This is a story about letting go of what's dead and embracing the opportunity to start over.

I think Alyne Roberts is very talented. The books are well written, the story beautifully told. She has a way of expressing herself without saying too much, letting actions speak for themselves.

Goodreads
Official Website

Crashing Down - A Review

Kathryn is a straight-and-narrow business student getting ready to start an internship she's not sure she even wants, and Noah is a dropout looking for a good time to help him forget his pain. A bet forces the two to meet, but things don't go according to plan, and certain demons refuse to stay in the dark. My honest opinion of Crashing Down by Cathryn Fox is a bit conflicted. I enjoyed it, and I'd recommend it, but I have some issues. I don't expect New Adult novels to be literary rock stars, but I do expect them to hold some kind of weight.

The novel is told from dual perspectives, which I felt was pointless. It's all about Noah, and Kathryn is almost secondary. She doesn't go as deep as she could with this character. We know what Kathryn struggles are, but she never hits a brick wall. It's almost too easy for her. It was as if the author felt Kathryn had to have issues, so she gave her a few. On the other hand, Noah is great. He's a layered, three-dimensional character, but he's almost unbelievable. The story is centered around his pain and him being forced to deal with things he's been using sex and violence to ignore. He's one of those people who can't help himself, so he helps everyone else. His friend needs money and Kathryn needs to be who she is, and he finds a way.

The beginning and the end are the "to each his own" kind of deals. I felt they were cheesy. I don't like the author telling me everything I need to know about a character in the first two pages. After his mini psychological biography, she jumps into a sex scene and a fight with Noah which told me everything I need to know, so everything she wrote about him before that was just words. The ending was rushed. Things explode, but there's no clean up. Everything goes wrong and everything is fixed in a day. The "I want to root for this couple" that's classic in New Adult isn't there, and that was such a letdown.

Overall I thought it was too short, but it's a juicy little novel and a really fun read. Would I read other works by Cathryn Fox? More than likely.

Enlighten Me, Then!

 

First and foremost: If you're one of those angry for whatever reason, never read the book but your opinion is super strong kind of people, then go away. This isn't for you.

I spent my Valentine's Day morning with Christian Grey in a theatre that was surprisingly full. I thought I was the only person lame enough to wake up early on a Saturday and go to a 10:20am movie by myself, but what do I know? It's mediocre and it's erotica, but I love the book. I was very curious to see how they would take an X-rated book and turn it into an R-rated movie. Personally, I think they should have gone with Not Rated or NC-17 and taken the risk, but I think the transition was just fine. If I'm being frank, I thought the movie was better than the book. My expectations were pretty low, though I was expecting to enjoy it, but I didn't think I'd love it and want to see it again. It's not a masterpiece, nor will critics rave about it, but it's fun. It has a lot of the flaws specific to adaptations with a loyal follow, but I really loved it. It was awkward, it was funny, and adorable.

Fifty Shades of Grey was my introduction into Erotic Fiction, which I appreciate because it's not that heavy. I love the series. I'm not ashamed of it, and I'm not going to apologize for it. So much of the outrage over the books are from people who haven't read it, or they're going off of someone's opinion. If I'm going to have an opinion about something, it's going to be mine. I don't understand where the charges of rape or abuse comes from. Objectification, yes. Welcome to erotica, are you new? Got read a Maya Banks book then come back and talk to me about objectification of women. BDSM is a lifestyle. There are women who like being a submissive, who enjoy being dominated, objectified to an extent. There are women who like to be beaten, tied up, feel helpless, wear collars signifying they belong to someone. To each his own. Not everyone has the same definition of love. Not everyone receives or gives love the same.

The Fifty Shades outrage reminds me of The Golden Compass, a children's book written by an outspoken atheist who decided to create an anti-Narnia series. People, Christians in particular, were outraged the book was being made into a movie. When the movie came out all the references to religion or atheism had been stripped and the movie wasn't all that great. That's how this is, people are in an uproar over something that isn't there. He never forces her. He spanks her, which she consents to, and people call that abuse. People are so concerned with what they THINK is abuse, they don't mention the physical or sexual abuse Christian suffered. I don't think it occurs to the angry people that Christian does what he does because his introduction to sex was statutory rape, but that doesn't get fleshed out until the second book.

What angers me the most are people shaming others for seeing it or telling people not to see it. I'm very conservative in pretty much everything, but literature and film are the exceptions. I love to read and write, and I think people say more about themselves when they're not speaking out loud. I have everything on my books shelves: Young Adult, New Adult, Christian, poetry, mystery, sci-fi. I love the written word. I love what can be done with a story, so it doesn't make sense to me to shelter or boycott. Fifty Shades of Grey is not a pamphlet on love or an online dating site. It's insulting to suggest women can't tell the difference between love in the real world and love in a fiction book. That's the point of erotica and romance, it's love that doesn't exist. It's a story about an insecure girl and a broken man learning how to love. Not every book you read will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, or reaffirm your beliefs. Some books will make you angry and uncomfortable. Some books will give you a hangover, leaving you for days wondering what the hell just happened and how you're supposed to move on with your life. The best books aren't the well-written novels with literary accolades, but the books that shift your definition of reality and force you to question your deepest convictions.

What is it about Christian Grey that women find so attractive? Like most men in romance and erotic novels he's physically perfect, except for that one flaw, and he's well endowed. Unlike most men in the real world, he knows his way around the female body. And he's a challenge. It's always a man who either doesn't love or believes he can't. Ana could be anybody: she's insecure, innocent, and ignorant of her own beauty. It's so easy for women to step into Ana's shoes and live in her world. It's fantasy. It's an escape. Even more than that, Christian is broken. Part of Christian's problem in the first book is he loves Ana, but he doesn't know how to love her. He's a grown man still dealing with the physical and sexual abuse he suffered as a child, who thinks he's so fucked up he can't be anything more than walking bulletproof glass. Yet in his brokenness he can not only function and be successful, but he can love.

Only because Sasha is my favorite BookTuber, I'm sharing her review:

Adaptations!

Happy February People! I love film adaptations. I love comparing and contrasting, and seeing how a director and screenwriter interpret an author's work. Two films coming out this month give me a reason to be excited.

1.) I'm not one of those fangirls who crosses their fingers and vows to say nasty things on Facebook if the film isn't exactly like the book. Sometimes the concept of a book makes a better movie than the actual story, like The DUFF, based on the novel by Kody Keplinger. I love Mae Whitman, I think she's adorable.

 

 

2.) Everyone has their opinions. Is it abuse, is it not. It's an erotica novel, not a Harper Lee classic meant to be studied and dissected in a high school AP English class. I think people put way too much energy into fiction smut. I'm not expecting cinematic genius; I think it'll be ridiculously fun and I'm curious to see how they turn an X-rated novel into an R-rated film.

 



 

 



 

Blue Crush - A Review

 

Gen Tierney, an educated fatherless-daughter of a woman who might be a professional Sugar Baby, has problems. She's getting over a bad break-up, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, and working at a casino with a boss who can't get keep his hands to himself. All she wants to not be the weakling men seem to think she is and be confident, and Lewis Sallee just might be the man for the job. Lewis Sallee may or may not be in a relationship, but he has a thing for Gen and it's causing him problems.

 

It's new adult, so the formula is the same: hot girl who doesn't know she's hot meets hot guy who is absolutely perfect, except for that one flaw and everybody has problems. This book deals with sexual assault in an interesting way, especially women who are sexually assaulted in the workplace. Gen works in a place where she has to use her sexuality so she wonders if she deserves it, if anyone would believe her, would anyone take her claim seriously, would she lose her job. Usually sexual assault in new adult is used as a back story, so I commend Jules Barnard for balancing the consensual with the non-consensual without being cheesy or insensitive.

 

For me, it's important to see characters change throughout the book. Gen starts out thinking she's weak, but she discovers her own strengths and faces her own reflection. She learns to be honest and shameless, and to love regardless of the consequences. Lewis learns to let go and just live. This book is about relationships, and not just romantic. Gen learns to be a better friend, she learns how to be a daughter (in more ways than one), she learns how to quiet her past and deal with her future.

 

Blue Crush is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I'm curious to read the rest of her collection. I think she's very talented, she's genuine and she's not afraid to go below the surface and hit a nerve.

 

Check out Jules Barnard:

Official Website

Goodreads