Category: books

UCF Book Festival

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I went to the UCF Book Festival today, and had the best, most unbelievable time ever. I believe the experience can best be described by pictures.

The first event we went to was a YA author chat with (in order of above photo) Ellen Hopkins (!!!), Ty Roth, Allan Wolf and Jessica Martinez. In the end, I spoke with Martinez and Roth one-on-one. They asked if I wrote, and when I mentioned I just secured an agent, they literally cheered for me. We got to discuss the intricacies of the next stage, and they never made me feel like a fan, but more so someone in the same industry as them. Which was amazing. They are the nicest people ever, and if I could singlehandedly get the world to buy their books, I would.

We then saw a contemporary voices panel with Lauren Groff, Darlin’ Neal, and Michael Griffith. Here’s the thing – Groff’s first novel, Monsters of Templeton, is one of my all-time favorite books. So seeing her was like a dream come true. After, we went to her signing. Because I’m the biggest dork ever, I showed her the family tree I made while reading MoT (which thankfully she liked and didn’t consider me crazy) and then she, too, asked if I wrote. When I told her about my agent, she hugged me and my life suddenly felt complete. Biggest geek-out ever.

The last panel was another YA chat (with the same authors as above), where they discussed the importance of YA literature, and how it gets teens to read. And how books can help people. And how books create new, safe, exciting, worlds. I nodded along the entire time, and had to stop myself from screaming AMEN. Because these authors? They’re so inspirational.

The crazy thing is that if my book is published, I may be in their company one day. I may even be at this festival. Which is all so insane to even consider.

During the first chat,  Wolf explained that he wrote his book, The Watch that Ends the Night, because he liked the idea that different people get different stories from the same event. I’m sure many stories came from today’s book festival. Some may have enjoyed the other panels more. Some may have wished there was more. But me? I had the best day ever.

Oh, we also saw some mini ponies.

Road Trip Wednesday – Best Book of March

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Today’s prompt from YA Highway is: “What was the best book you read in March?”

This was actually kind of easy. I only read three books this month, so I didn’t have much to choose from, but my favorite was hands down Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, the second book in her Delirium trilogy.

I reviewed Delirium previous here, and as you can see, I really enjoyed it. So of course I was thrilled for the sequel to come out. With the popularity of Hunger Games right now, I’ve been recommending my friends to this series next, over the other YA dystopias out there. Why? I find this one so incredibly haunting and real. And Oliver is one of the best writers out there. (If you don’t like dystopian novels, check out her first novel, Before I Fall.)

I won’t write much about it because it only gives away the first book (which you should read), but just know it’s just as action packed as the first (if not more), and Lena, the main character, is so compelling and strong, it’s crazy. She’s a great heroine, and I can’t see what happens to her next. But what I found most relevant about it is that, especially right now with a conservative fight going on politically, I can almost see the country going “yes, i agree, we should get rid of love! It’s a disease!” Crazy, right?

Anyway, that’s the best book I read in March.

Music in Books – THE DISENCHANTMENTS

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After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, my first reaction was “That was AMAZING.” My second was “I need to make a mixtape.” It’s true; music played such a huge roll in that book, I felt compelled to hear the songs Charlie heard, so I rushed to Napster (kind of dates how old I am, doesn’t it) and downloaded every song mentioned in the book. I still have the mix CD. It’s fantastic.

I haven’t really been inspired to do that again…that is, until I read The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour. About a not-so-great girl band touring the Pacific Northwest, the book has it all – road trips, small towns, coming of age, and music, music music. After first reading the description, I knew the book was for me…and after actually finishing the book, I know I was right to assume that. I really quite loved it.

Colby and Bess had a pact since the end of middle school – once high school ends, they’re taking a year off and exploring Europe. But as they set off on Bess’s band’s tour, Colby learns Bess doesn’t plan on leaving with him anymore. She wants to go to college. What follows is Colby learning where everything went wrong, and figuring out what’s right for himself. There are realizations, basement gigs, kisses, photographs, graffiti, wrong turns, and everything else that makes road trips great.

So once finishing the book, I had to find all of the music that framed it – the songs by Sleater-Kinney (of which I already had), The Runaways, Heart, The Supremes. As it turns out, technology got the best of me. Apparently a playlist has already been created on Spotify.

And how cool is that? With books and technology changing, what a neat way to keep up with the times.

That said, I highly recommend The Disenchantments if you’re looking for a fantastic coming of age young adult novel. And while you’re out it, check out the playlist to soundtrack your reading experience.

Unremarkable

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This past weekend I read John Green’s latest novel, The Fault in our Stars. I laughed, I cried (just ask S – he was a bit nervous when I looked at him with red, watery eyes), and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I still can’t. It’s one of those novels that becomes part of you, embedded in your brain and heart.

And yet, I can’t seem to write a review for my book blog. I can’t form the words I want to say, or discuss the themes that are so important to the work. So I thought I’d write my thoughts here, where, hopefully, someone else might want to contribute.

When reading The Fault in our Stars, I was reminded of a quote from John Green’s earlier novel, An Abundance of Katherines.

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”

Green’s stated a few times that, despite the overall wide-spread love of the quote, he himself doesn’t quite agree with it. I think, in a way, TFioS is his way of reversing the quote, showing that sometimes a life thought to be unremarkable can still be quite the opposite.

Being remarkable is hard. We can’t all grow up and be the heroes we read about when younger. The knights who defeat the dragons, the warriors who jump onto the grenade just in time, the superhero who saves the orphans from the burning bus. It’s all imbedded in our brains – we must be heroic. We must be remembered. We must do something extraordinary and leave a mark.

And yet, on the other hand, an unremarkable (or, more accurately, a normal) life can be just as meaningful. In the book’s case, Augustus saves Hazel. Not in the same way his video game character saves the prisoners from impending doom, but he saves her from herself. He takes her away from the everyday sorrow she suffers due to her cancer. He shows her that life can be fun, and she doesn’t have to hide. He, in that sense, becomes remarkable even though he doesn’t believe (or even see) it.

And I love that thought. That we can all be remarkable in our own ways. Little actions are important, sometimes a small gesture could mean the world.

I’m reminded of a time, back when I was a teenager, when I really felt down. I was early in college, living in a house full of people I loved, and just couldn’t find a way to be happy. I just felt disconnected, alone. A friend, completely unaware of my mood, sat next to me and asked how I was doing. It was such a simple moment, but it meant everything to me. Finally, someone just asked.

To this day, the guy hasn’t saved a person’s life or fought off a dragon, but he did make me feel infinitely happier in that split second. And, to me, he’ll always be remarkable for it.

Back to John Green, the book says –

“The real heroes anyway aren’t the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the smallpox vaccine didn’t actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn’t get smallpox.”

I’d never tell someone to stop striving for extraordinary. I think striving for it makes us greater, pushes us further. But never be disappointed if extraordinary doesn’t come. I think that noticing those around you and living a good life, one full of small seemingly unremarkable moments, is just as magical. Just as heroic.

[This is one of the many themes of the book. I’ll more than likely discuss the others later. Not to sound like an advertisement or anything, but if you haven’t read the book, do. It’s beautiful.]

Every Me

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Last year I read David Levithan’s Every You, Every Me, a book that chronicles a boy as he discovers various mysterious photographs left for him by, who he assumes to be, his best friend. As he investigates, he learns more about himself, as well as his best friend. The book, as well as the title, refers to the fact that every person has many different versions of themselves. And that idea completely fascinated me.

It’s not that I don’t agree – I totally do – it just it brings me back to my wedding. Prior to getting married, I thought about this very idea – about how I, too, have different versions. Much like a Barbie, there’s Diligent Worker Lauren, there’s Hanging Out With Close Friends Lauren, there’s Impress the In-laws Lauren, and so on. So as my wedding day approached – the most personal day i’ll ever experience – I started to wonder (and, in a way, fear) which Lauren would come out. I most wanted the real Lauren, the Lauren I am around my closer friends, to be there. But would everyone else accept that version of me?

The thing is – I didn’t have to think about it. Almost instantly, the real me came out. I laughed during our ceremony, actually laughed, not caring that it might sounds weird surrounded by the sanctity and everything else important. I didn’t worry about being too cordial, too stuffy. I felt like myself, the best version of me. Because I was me, and Samir was Samir and we were just fine with that.

I feel like, sometimes, this is such a hard thing to accomplish. To be you in a sea of other yous.

Have you ever experienced a similar situation? Where you had a choose a version of yourself?