This week's Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Cry. Other then sad country songs and commercials for the Olympics that show parents of Olympians, books top the list of tear-inducing material.
1. The Fault in Our Stars. Does this even need explanation? The movie is also going to wreck us I am sure, the trailer did....
Greatly Anticipated! Much loved series (cough cough Four Forever). I was EXCITED to get my hands on this after months of library lists! The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. Originality: 6. For the last in the series, we made big jumps to the world outside the fence, though I kinda just wish we had stayed inside. Absurdity: 8. LOTS of revolutionary ideas here, LOTS of them, some of which were highly absurd, and brainwashy. Why did the peoples from inside the fence ever fall for the GP/GD schpeal? Four, you are better then that! I just found that hard to believe, which had cascading effects for the storyline. Level of Paranormal Romance: 9. O Tris and Four, your love and bickering in the middle of a revolution was an uphill battle, but I felt pretty swoony towards Four the whole time. "I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.” Staying spoiler free, but this book knocked me on my heels and left me with a lot of emotions. Level of Harry-Potterness: 6. I really loved Divergent, and happily plowed through Insurgent. Allegiant was not the same, and I think it took on too much outside the fence and never had enough time to build the plot, but just raced through with character choices that just weren't thought out or explained. I think I will stay back in book one, with the training, the meeting of Four, and the learning of the world that was Divergent.
Last night while a zombie movie played in the background and the Christmas tree glowed, and following an epic sneak from behind Catan win, I read "Transfer", the short story of Four's history. More Four! Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by "The Transfer," the first of four new short stories told from Four’s perspective. Each brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.
Mini Review: Was this a tiny tease while I wait on my library list for Allegiant? YES. Did I still enjoy it? YES. 34 pages of Four-ness and Roth's story telling. Go ahead and indulge a little.
In case you weren't catching up on high caliber news (cough cough trolling Buzz Feed) you may have missed the post "Buzzfeed's 14 Books to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen"
The moral? We are about to get a plethora of YA novels made into movies, an especially high percentage starring Shailene Woodley...and that us ladies here at YAF&WS are big fans of! Here is a selection of the 14 we are interested in.
Why you should read it: This will be the next Hunger Games, mark my words. A dystopian society with five factions and a courageous teen ready to change the future. Tris is the kind of protagonist you really want to root for, and there are no love triangles! You will not be able to put this trilogy down.
Movie release date: March 21, 2014 /Who’s starring:Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, and Theo James
3.The Mortal Instruments: City of Bonesby Cassandra Clare (our excitement over the movie)
Why you should read it: A story about a girl who discovers she has a supernatural bloodline after her mom is abducted by demons. It’s a very long series, but totally worth it. Let’s hope Hollywood does it justice!
Movie release date: Aug. 21, 2013/ Who’s starring: Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower
4.The Fault in Our Starsby John Green (are you even questioning our love at this point)
Why you should read it:A terminally ill girl unexpectedly falls in love despite her inevitable fate. Grab the tissues, guys.
Why you should read it:A bunch of boys are trapped in a maze filled with deadly creatures ready to kill. Their home is a ticking time bomb, and you’ll race through the book to find out if they ever escape. P.S. The movie stars DYLAN O’BRIEN, ladies and gents.
Movie release date: Feb. 14, 2014/ Who’s starring:Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Patricia Clarkson
Why you should read it: During WWII, a young girl named Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents. The book is narrated by Death, so it will be interesting to see how this translates to film.
Why you should read it: This is a classic I-unexpectedly-fell-in-love high school story that will have you rapidly flipping through the pages. The movie premiered at Sundance and received rave reviews, saying, “John Hughes would be proud.”
Movie release date: Aug. 2, 2013/ Who’s starring:Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller
While we don't have a cover till October (10.23.2013 if you are counting...), the name of the third book in the Divergent Series is....
ALLEGIANT
What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. via
On Sunday the ladies of YAF & WS had this email conversation: "Got any ideas of awesome characters that make you, in the words of Tom Cruise in Jerry MaGuire, make you want to be a better man?" AKA we are dedicating today's Top Ten Tuesday Rewind to Inspirational Characters. As always cheers to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting TTT!
Grad Student:
1. The teacher in The Perks of Being a Wallflower(and Paul Rudd playing him in the movie is only an added bonus. Teachers that make kids believe the are in fact smart are so important!)
2 and 3: Maddie and Julie from Code Name Verity.I am inspired by their friendship and their bravery. Cue the tears!:
“And this, even more wonderful and mysterious, is also true: when I read it, when I read what Julie's written, she is...whole and undamaged...Gloriously daft, drop-dead charming, full of bookish nonsense and foul language, brave and generous. She's right here. Afraid and exhausted, alone, but fighting.”
Crazy Camper:
4. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief, because in the face of Nazi oppression, she believes in the power of her words.
Goosie Mama:
5-6: I think you have to include Katniss Everdeen because she's a really strong female role model who is badass, but not at the expense of others. She's one tough, flawed cookie, but has a heart at the same time. I would actually couple her and Tris from Divergent/Insurgent in the same bucket.
7.: When I told Crazy Camper and Goosie Mama that I wanted to pick some great parents that are role models for happy homes, CC suggested "can we do the parents from Easy A? Because I loved them." GM says "YES EASY A IS THE BEST!: I agree with this over-application of capital letters and inclusion of movie-characters rather than book characters. We tots want to be adopted.
A little late to the game, I just read Insurgent and Divergent, as reviewed by Goosie Mama and Grad Student a year ago. MAN were they right! THIS STORY IS COMPELLING AND AWESOME.
If any of you are behind like I was, this is a reminder to READ these books, especially with the casting of Divergent beginning! Most importantly we now have a Four: Four running, Four mildly confused by a question (though I am not sure this has ever happened to him) and Four with a horse in a top hat? Thanks Downton Abbey for that one.
Happy Top Ten Tuesday, blog world! We love TTT (and The Broke and the Bookish for hosting it.) This week's list-mania is devoted to the Top Ten Books Read During the Lifespan of Your Blog. Now YAF & WS is still growing up, so our ultimate top ten is still in formation, but here are the books that we have spent the most time loving/discussing as a group. It is a big sign when not one of us but all of us read the same book.
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. BAT BAT. BAT. I had to buy a copy to have on hand, just in case.
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Ditto on wanting to own a copy.
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. I just gifted Crazy Camper this book this weekend. I love it that much!
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Crazy Camper peer-pressured me into buying this one -- she literally cannot stop talking about how great Rose is.
Divergent by Veronica Roth. Our debates on this have been epic, but Goosie Mama truly stands behind this read.
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Crazy Camper and I enjoyed the heck out of this cowboy story. Will it stay on the ultimate top ten forever? Who knows, but it was a lot of fun.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. It instantly feels timeless.
I arrived at my parent's house on Wednesday and my Mom was all, "Hi hunnie, I saw the new Sookie Stackhouse at the library, so I picked it up for you." And I said, "Gee, thanks!" Then I came into the kitchen to this:
MOM IS AWESOME. Then I turned the books over and almost died:
I followed her around the kitchen holding this to my face pretending to be Charlaine, but she would not participate (we could BOTH do it with our Mommy and Me books). Moral of the story, Mom didn't want to have to fight me for Deadlocked. 'Cause shiz would have gotten real fast. I told Crazy Camper, and this is the g-chat conversation that followed:
Crazy Camper: can you finish it so i can take it home? [CC comes to NYC this weekend. Huzzah!]
me: its a lib book
Crazy Camper: SOUL CRUSHING
i could mail it back?
me: 7 day loan- sorry to be a dream crusher
Crazy Camper: library book woes
Meanwhile in Insurgent library news.... Goosie Mama needs to GET HER ACT TOGETHER because I am #130 on the list* to get Insurgent by Veronica Rothfrom the NYPL. And that list is not getting any shorter. Goosie Mama is a much bigger fan than me. What is she thinking!?!
(Note: We are hoping the library buys like 80 more copies of this book. They do that sometimes, because libraries are awesome.)
Hello, hello! To balance the POV of Young Adult Fiction and Whiskey Sours on HG v. Divergent I have a story. I went to Spain last spring with Crazy Camper and some other peeps and we all read Hunger Games in such a major way, without being able to stop, (there was lots of public transit involved) that it became a verb. We Hunger Games-ed things. If you got really hungry and couldn't stop eating cheese, you Hunger Games-ed the cheese. There has been NO Divergent-ing in my life. Hunger Games for the win!
Now that that is out of my system (for the moment) I wanted to share a good article over at New York Magazine's Vulture blog. What Got Left Out of the Hunger Games Movie, and How Much it Mattered. This is a great recap--its like the journalist followed the people I saw the movie with down Second Avenue cribbing notes. WHERE WAS THE LAMB STEW, WORLD!?!
Gale=Hunky.
Things that should have been said in the Hunger Games movie:
“up you go, Catnip” and the entire post-HG interview.
Best additions:
Saucy notes from Haymitch and flashes to Gale every time Peeta
and Katniss kiss. I think someone shouted “oh, snap” in the theater.
Ah, the book that spurred Grad Student and Goosie Mama's epic bar discussion regarding Young Adult Fiction, female protagonists and angsty teen romance.
Okay, so I may get slaughtered for this, but I have to be honest with how I felt about the Hunger Games trilogy and specifically Ms. Katniss Everdeen:
The books were a good, quick read for sure, but something frustrated me so absolutely about Katniss that I had trouble really loving the series. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that bothered me, but her character never seems to really accept and/or realize her awesomeness. Clearly, she was a strong, independent young woman (should I be playing Beyonce in the background of this entry?!), but she was always so unsure and so afraid to admit that.
I'm not saying that lots of young women (women in general?) struggle with accepting their inner strength (Oprah-ness?), but it's frustrating when that insecurity is spread over 600+ pages. Get real, KE, you're effing boss! Own it!!
So, anyways back to Divergent, I was obsessed with this book. I'm just going to lay it all out here: I liked it way more than Hunger Games. I liked Tris's insecurity was transformed into confidence over time and, in my mind's eye, Four (slash Tobias. Yes, Grad Student, it is an awful name.) was way hotter - was it the tattoos? Prob. Whatever.
Divergent and Hunger Games had a lot of similar themes woven throughout, but I just felt like Divergent was more gripping in the character development and overall writing (yes, Hunger Gamers, I hear you gasping).
Clearly, Grad Student was in disagreement and we got into a heated discussion (at a sports bar, no less) about all the reasons why. Grad Student's final point was there were plenty of other dark, loner dudes to pine over that were way better than Four/Tobias, but I guess I'm a sucker for dark eyes and mysterious tattoos (note, I've never dated anyone with tattoos!).
I cannot wait until the sequel comes out (or, to be perfectly honest, until the NYPL gets an ebook version of it) and I hope it doesn't disappoint!
So without further adieu:
Originality: 5; I'm going middle of the road on this one because I think the teen-dystopian-strict-societal-order-forbidden-love genre is one that's being overrun, but I think Ms. Roth had this idea several years ago, so I can't speak to that influence on this book
Absurdity: 2; I have to borrow from Grad Student and say it's a dystopian fiction, it is what it is! Just go with it!
Level of [Paranormal] Romance: 6; Ignoring the paranormal part right now, there's some good "Does he like me? I like him. Should I tell him? I don't know ... HALP!!" aspects to the book - what's better than a little romantical suspense? Not much.
Level of Harry Potterness: I'll give Ms. Roth a nice solid 6/7 on this. I thought it was well written and kept the reader engaged.
I'm struggling reconciling how much I loved this book with the aforementioned ratings, so may this wasn't the right scale. End of the day? READ THIS BOOK.
That is all! :)
PS- addendum from Grad Student: How did these two sides ever reconcile HG v. Divergent? Three words: Carly Rae Jepsen. On repeat. On the corner of 7th Avenue. Enjoyed it just like my friend JBeibs here.
4. Allegient. Tears for Four always.
8. Jellico Road. (and here, we really loved this) We have gone on about those one before, but the relationships just hurt in a real way.
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