Memento Nora

What I hate about reading books right when they come out is that sometimes they are really, really good and sometimes you have to wait a long time for the sequel.  That is definitely the case for Angie Smibert's debut novel, Memento Nora.

I originally pre-ordered this book based on a short excerpt posted on the League of Extraordinary Writers blog.  In that excerpt, I was drawn in by the world--definitely a possibility in our future--of an America driven by consumerism, terror, and a lack of rights.  Every day we trade more of our rights for the latest technology or convenience.  We let Charlie Sheen get that far out of control because he entertained us.  Of course we could get to the point where there are TFC's--therapeutic forgetting clinics--where we can erase all the painful and stressful memories.  And of course, we'll see it as a good thing.

But as Nora finds out, erasing bad memories allows us to turn a blind eye on the bad that is going on in the world.  For Nora it starts with the realization that her father beats her mother.  Nora had no idea.  Nora's mother still has no idea.  Because she goes to the TFC at least once a week.  This one even leads Nora to a friendship with two kids outside of her social circle who are also seeing the problems in society.  Micah can't remember his father and refuses to forget anything else, Winter lives with her grandfather because the government is holding her parents in Detention for suspected terrorism.  Together they create a comic telling their stories, but it spirals out of control when they discover truths about their families and their governments that no one wants them, let alone the world, to know.

This book is short (about 185 pages) but it packs a real punch.  Mostly told from Nora's point of view, we also hear from Micah and Winter.  I loved how distinct each character's voice is and how their stories intertwine.  The book has a very quick pace.  I could not put it down, except occasionally to text people and tell them they have to read Memento Nora.  But for all the action, I still felt the characters were real.  I loved Nora's complicated relationship with her parents, for instance.

This book had a totally creepy feel at the end that suited the story perfectly.  It could have ended on that as a stand alone book and I would have been satisfied.  But the author added two pages that so perfectly mirrored the inciting incident of the book that the story ended on a high note and I am left with nothing but excitement and anticipation for the next book.

Memento Nora counts toward the following reading challenges: 100+, and Muggle Studies for the Harry Potter Reading Challenge.  Follow my progress on the 2011 Challenges Page.

Weekly Geeks - Books and Movies

 This week the Weekly Geeks asked: I thought this week we could talk about books and movies. Do you have a best list? a worst list? Perhaps a why-oh-why list? Which movies (based on books) would you recommend most? Do you always compare the book and the movie? Or are you able to enjoy each separately? Does a film have to be faithful to the book to be good? Are there any films that you like better than the book? Has a movie ever inspired you to pick up the book? Are there any books that you'd love to see as a movie? Do you have a music playlist--soundtrack--for a book? 

My biggest pet peeve is when someone tells me that I didn't like a movie because I read the book.  I've been reading books my whole life, I've always wanted to be a novelist.  But I studied film in college, live and work in Los Angeles, and I fell in love with screenwriting.  I think I have the mental capacity and background to form well educated opinions about books and movies and adaptations.

This is what I look for in an adaptation:

-It's a good movie.  I need it to be well written as a movie first.  That means the movie structure is there and the story and characters are understandable whether or not you've read the book.

Orlando Bloom is entertaining to look at.

-It's entertaining.  Movies that aren't entertaining very rarely keep an audience and what is entertaining in a book is not necessarily entertaining on screen.  The filmmakers can't be afraid to make changes that will make the story a better movie.

-It keeps the spirit of the books.  A book and a movie are totally different formats.  Imagining shooting a movie straight out of a book should make you laugh.  Very hard.  But if the filmmakers change too much, they isolate their built-in audience.  Which is bad (The  Twilight franchise knows it doesn't need to be any good to make bank at the box office).  But keeping the spirit of a world or story will usually keep fans of the book happy and will probably help preserve whatever it was that made someone think the book would make a good movie in the first place.

Lord of the Rings was a great book, but it was also a great movie.  It was easy to follow (which is helpful even for those of us who have read the books, because... hello, complicated!), beautiful to watch, and highly entertaining.  But it kept the essence of the books; it really captured Middle Earth.

A very different example is A Series of Unfortunate Events.  The books and the movie were so different but I loved them both.  The movie changed a ton, because they combined the first three books.  There just wasn't enough in one (very entertaining) book to make one (very entertaining) movie.  But they kept the spirit of the books--that dark, dark comedy--and it made the movie work for me.

I usually only post about movies when things don't work, and even then I only post about it rarely.  Check out my posts on casting Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games, My letter to Chris Columbus after I watched Percy Jackson, and Why Part of me hated Harry Potter 7 (I know, I couldn't believe it either).

Book Blogger Hop 3/25-3/28

 It's been a while since I've participated in the Book Blogger Hop, but it's just been a crazy few months.  Things are starting to slow down, but honestly this weeks question is just too good not to participate in.

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

Part of me really wants to jump up and down yelling I WANT TO GO TO HOGWARTS FOR REAL!!!  But for a children's book, those death eater's pulled some really sick s**t.  That world gets incredibly dark, both in Voldemort's camp and in the Ministry of Magic before it crumbles.  And what if I ended up a squib?  I'd be the first to die.

So I'm going to have to go with Gallagher Girls.  Yeah, there is still danger, but at least in that series I'm trained to fight.  Small price to pay for magic.  At least I'd be multi-lingual.  And with my brain... that would be magic.

Deal Breaker

I have alluded to my sister getting married on a previous post.  One of the gifts she gave me at the rehearsal dinner (as if open bar weren't enough along with the "consolation drinks" at being the single sister) was a mystery book basket.  Best. Gift. Ever.  Mystery books, chocolates, and a huge, wonderful mug that I have been drinking too much tea out of all week.  One of the bookss in the basket was Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben.  Apparently he is a best selling author, but I had never heard of him.  I almost didn't read this book because there is no description... just lots and lots of reviews.

But I'm glad I did start reading it.  From the very beginning the book is funny and fast.  The reader knows enough of what's going on to keep up with the story, but never have enough of the pieces to see where it's going.  The pace is non-stop, but it works because the humor allows an almost non-stop release for the building tension.  I never had time to stop and try to fit the pieces together, which played a big part in my going into the ending having no idea who the killer/would-be killer is.  Yes, part of the mystery is whether the victim is actually dead, which made it much more interesting, but I won't give that away.

The characters were real... for the most part.  In hindsight all of the main characters were a bit too perfect.  Yes, Myron still lives with his parents and had his heart broken, but he was drafted to the NBA before a serious injury.  Then he joined the FBI.  Then he got a law degree from Harvard (I'm actually not clear on the order because every time his resume came up, I rolled my eyes).  Then he became a private investigator.  And that is all before his current job as a sports agent negotiating the biggest rookie deal in NFL history.  Oh, and he has a cute butt, too.

Normally, I can't stand characters like this, but in Deal Breaker it works for three reasons.  First, the pace is so fast, you don't have time to think about him being a black belt in judo (did I forget to mention that?).  Second the tone is fun.  Books that don't take themselves so seriously can get away with a lot that would be considered over the top in other books.  Finally, the sidekick and the love interest were equally over the top and managed to balance Myron out instead of overwhelm the reader.  Jessica is always the most beautiful woman in the room... and smart, but somehow Coben manages to keep her likable.  And Win is richer than god, also a black belt in judo, a skilled golfer, and a grade A D-Bag.

I suspect if anyone else tried this combination they would fail miserably, but I loved Deal Breaker and can't wait to pick up the next in the series: Drop Shot.  Deal Breaker counts toward my 100+ challenge and toward the Hide and Seek mini-challenge at the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.  Check out my progress on my  2011 Challenges Page.

This is not a normal post...

I'm seeing a lot of complaining about Jennifer Lawrence (recently cast as Katniss in the Hunger Games) being blonde and thought I would weigh in...

Need I remind anyone that Jake Gyllenhal was the Prince of Persia?

Seriously people?  THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT???????

Katniss's haircolor, while referred to often, really has no meaningful relationship to transitioning the story to film.  I promise, promise, promise you that when you are watching the movie, her hair color will be meaningless if her acting is so bad that you can't get into the story.  And let's face it, she'll be covered in coal dust and dirt most of the movie anyway.

Ultimately Katniss is a girl who had to grow up quick.  She's not hard--she could have been a sweet girl--but she is calloused by her dismal situation.  She's a strong person who risks everything for the people she loves.  That is exactly the character Jennifer Lawrence played in Winter's Bone.  And she rocked it.

So let's all calm down and judge her acting (hopefully she's great and we won't notice her acting at all!) instead of her hair color (in the age where anyone can dye their hair at home).

It's That Time Again!!

Yes, it's time for the 24 hour read-a-thon.  I'm excited... and you should be too!

Last year was my first year.  I got my butt out of bed at 5am and read my heart out.  And blogged... a lot.  I worked out while listening to book on tape, ordered pizza to get me through the night, and made it the whole 24 hours.  It was exhausting, but exhilarating.

I had so much fun that I'm a volunteer this time around on the prize and cheer-leading committees.  And there are over 200 people already signed up to participate.

Go sign up on the sign up page.  Even if you can't make it the whole day, the event is like speed dating for book blogs.

The Westing Game

The Westing Game follows a group of 16 heirs as they compete in a game with ill-defined rules to take over the Westing Empire.  The goal is to win, but half the game is figuring out how to do just that.  It's one of those books that I remembered fondly for years, but just didn't enjoy that much when I got around to rereading it.  Yes, it's a classic.  Yes, it won the Newbery Medal.  But...

I just couldn't care about the characters.  They were all shallow and self-ish and a little bit crazy.  The whole game seemed orchestrated to bring out the worst in them.  Even Turtle, who I was eventually able to root for at the end, is annoying at the beginning.

I also couldn't figure out the point.  The game was interesting during the last 40 pages, but I don't understand why Sam Westing organized the game in the first place.  It just doesn't make sense and it seems irresponsible for someone so smart and calculating.  Yes, it all worked out with Turtle, but keep in mind that he doesn't get to know Turtle until the game is underway.

I did enjoy seeing the relationships between the characters unfold, but everything wrapped up a little too nicely for my tastes.  Now, I'm nervous to read any more of my childhood favorites, so I may be sticking with some new titles for a while.

This post is a few days late.  I read this book for the Book In the Day Mini Challenge for the Hogwarts Reading Challenge, but I finished it on the plane and was too exhausted to post until today.  I rearranged some of my books (moved Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging to count to this mini challenge instead of the seven in a series).  I changed it all up very late on the last day, so hopefully it will all count, but I'm okay if I lose out on the mini-challenge: my sister's wedding was awesome... and so was sleeping the past two days.

This book also counts toward the following challenges: Read Me Baby One More Time and 100+.  Track my progress on the 2011 Challenges page.

Three to get deadly

I'm going to go through later and add my links and pictures. Right now I am updating from my iPhone. Mostly because I am traveling without my computer and dont want to miss my Harry potter reading challenge mini challenge. I am a nerd. Also... This may force me not to be so wordy.

Three To Get Deadly is the third book in the Stephanie Plum series and since it was published in 1997 it counts toward this mini challenge (which I will name when I get to a real computer). It follows Stephanie on yet another misadventure tracking down a bail jumper. This mystery was funnier in the set up than the previous two because the bail jumper, affectionately nicknamed Uncle Mo, is the owner of a candy store and a pillar of the community. When the town learns that he is involved in the death of several drug dealers, it makes him even more revered and turns Stephanie into the bad guy.

Like the previous books in this series I laughed out loud on lots of places and loved the sexy love interests. Yes that is plural and not a typo from typing on my iPhone. All of the minor characters are fully fleshed out and hilarious in their own way. This book we got to know cousin Vinny the bondman and lula the former prostitute more but there were still appearances by the brilliant Grandma Mazur.

The only problem I had with this book is that sometimes Stephanie feels a little to needy. Yes she is in over her head but that's why it's fun to watch her succeed. In this book, while probably more realistic, it seemed like she needed Ranger or Morelli to save her every time she got on trouble. It made the end seem anti-climactic. But I still plan on reading the fourth book. And probably the fifth sixth and seventh too.

This counts toward the Harry potter reading challenge and 100+. Track my progress on my 2011 challenges page.

Knocked Out By My Nunga Nungas

Knocked Out By My Nunga Nungas is the third book in the series and the third post about comedy.  I'm loving rereading these books.  They were exactly the inspiration I needed to finish my comedy script.  So let's do this one more time, then a short break to catch up on the Harry Potter Reading Challenge and my approved requests at NetGalley.

One sentence summary/review:  Georgia is dating the Sex God (again), but keeps kissing Dave the Laugh... also Sven makes me laugh... this book makes me laugh out loud every time I read it.  (It only counts as one sentence if I use an ellipsis right?)

A Comedy Tool (Tool is so much better... Tools can be used, Rules can be broken) that Rennison uses in this book is to take a cliche phrase and flip it around.  Here are three examples:

Page 1: Looking out of my bedroom window, counting my unblessings.  I find this hilarious and think it's a great opening line.  It's unexpected and perfectly sets the humorous tone of Georgia's teenage angst-filled diary.

Page 62: Every minute without the Sex God seems about sixty seconds long.  Again, unexpected.  It's funny because Georgia is the most over-dramatic person to ever write a diary, but when she uses phrases that are traditionally linked to exaggeration, she is precise.

This tool is tricky.  It works for the tone and style of the Georgia Nicholson books, but I get nervous using it myself, because it's like wearing an outfit that is purposely mismatched.  If it's done right you look totally cool, but if done wrong or too much, people can't take you seriously, and usually can't even look you in the face.

This book counts toward the following challenges: Read Me Baby One More Time, 100+, and Harry Potter Reading Challenge - 7 books in a series.  Track my progress at my 2011 Challenges page.

Writing Update

I can't believe it's been an entire week of no posting.  I don't even know what happened this week it went by so fast.  But I did want to share a writing update today and I'm going to set up a post for later this week, because it's going to be another crazy busy and crazy good week (my sister's getting married!).

I finished the first project of the new year.  I'm very excited.  Granted, I'm still not totally happy with it, but if I work it anymore, I'm going to run it into the ground.  And honestly, I'm not sure I'll ever be totally happy with it.

This is what I looked like when I finished.

Except it was 3:30 in the morning, I wasn't a man, and I was wearing pajamas.

This is a more accurate depiction, except my computer wasn't off, I wasn't pretending to be asleep, and my lipstick was better.

Sometimes I can't remember a time before I approached writing like a second job, and so it always amazes me how every project and every new draft is just a little bit different in the writing process.  I wonder if it will always be that way or if eventually I will find "the process".  I'm hoping for the first option.

For this project, I set an arbitrary date with a writing friend.  We were both in the middle of projects and needed motivation, so we gave each other about three weeks to finish our current drafts.  We held to the date and gave each other feedback, then spent all of February rewriting like our lives depended on it.  It totally worked for me because we approach writing in very different ways.  His feedback is the kind I couldn't give myself even if I took a month away from the draft to come back with "fresh eyes".

Now it's March, my sister's getting married, it's the busiest time of year at my job, and I'm still figuring out my writing goals for the month.  I really, really want to rewrite my YA novel.  But I'm still waiting on some notes.  Right now, two people are reading it and both separately told me that they couldn't stop reading (technically, one said "I'm officially addicted").  I'm over the moon.  I still have lots of work to do on it, but now I know that I'm not crazy for trying to be a writer.  No matter what the rest of the comments are, I know that I can get my manuscript where it needs to be.

While I wait for notes, I still need March goals.  I might try to do a very rough first draft of my family action comedy that has been on my board for a few months, but maybe I will start crafting query letters.  If I write my query letter now, do you think it will make me too likely to query after the next draft, even if it isn't ready?  Or will it allow me to escape the pressure of the perfect query, since there won't be the pressure of getting it into agent's hands right away?  


Happy writing!