Welcome to Hank Kirby’s life. His wisecracks occasionally get him in trouble with his overbearing, alcoholic father. But not nearly as much trouble as his attempt to ask the most popular girl in school to prom. With sparklers. Underneath a very flammable tree…. When the house almost catches on fire, Hank ditches his plan and flees the scene of the crime.
Too bad Peyton Breedlove saw the whole thing. She takes an interest in Hank and his “work,” and soon he finds himself involved with the quirky, secretive Peyton, whose issues make Hank’s trouble’s look like child’s play. Are Peyton’s secrets more than Hank can handle?
My Kind of Crazy is a thought-provoking read about characters that are deeply flawed but struggling to survive. Neither Peyton nor Hank come from a happy home and family, and their fight to adjust and thrive takes them places they never considered. But they are more than just their pasts, a lesson that is painful and dangerous to learn.
(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)
Cori McCarthy was born in Guam, has lived in New England, the Midwest, Ireland, and Michigan, and has traveled all over, although she loves Washington D.C. She is the author of The Color of Rain, Breaking Sky, and her new novel, the multimedia You Were Here.
Jaycee has accomplished what her older brother, Jake, couldn’t: live past graduation. Five years ago, daredevil, adventure-loving Jake died the night of graduation, and Jaycee’s whole world crumbled. She lost the brother she adored, and her best friend drifted away soon after. She feels lost, disconnected, and plans to reconnect by visiting some of the places Jake enjoyed going.
She doesn’t expect to have help, but her former best friend, a heartbroken poet, and her friend’s usually drunk, always childish boyfriend go along for the ride. And Mik, the enigmatic, selectively mute guy from Jaycee’s childhood, once Jake’s friend, now the one person who gets Jaycee to reveal more of herself than she thought possible, the one who gets her.
If you’re exploring an old asylum and an abandoned amusement park, it’s good to have company. No matter how crazy.
You Were Here explores many nuances of grief, and how people deal with it. It is not for the faint of heart, the characters are broken and flawed, but they learn to deal with those flaws and heal each other. Full of “Don’t try this at home” stunts and beautiful art, You Were Here is well worth the read.
I loved this book. From the first page, I was hooked, and I stayed up hours finishing it. The characters are fantastic, warts and all, and Jaycee’s growing relationships with the others, as she lets them into her wounded heart, are beautifully done. If you love YA books, you should definitely pick this one up!
(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)
Jeff Strand is the author of numerous novels and short stories, many of them macabre. And funny. His new novel, The Greatest Zombie Movie Everhit shelves on March 1st.
Justin and his buddies have been making movies for a while. Well, they’ve been starting movies for a while. But now they’ve decided to actually finish a movie: The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever.
They have a month to make the movie, the script is initially unfinished…and then merely horrible, a budget that depends on the goodwill of family, and they don’t have permission to film in the high school. Not to mention, Justin’s crush has been cast as the star, so he really needs to make this happen if he has a chance with her. What could possibly go wrong?
The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever is a hilarious misadventure of filmmaking at its best, er, worse.
(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)
This morning, I finished reading one of the books for my American Women Writers class, The Coquette, by Hannah W. Foster.
(I do not own this image.)
Have you read this book? I had never even heard of it before seeing the reading list for this class. It was written in the very late 1700s, and is about a woman trying to choose between two men: a minister who wants to marry her, and a rake. She ends up alienating the minister, who marries someone else, and so does the rake. However, she ends up pregnant from an affair with him, and dies alone in childbirth. The tale is told in a series of letters between the characters, giving a good view of the characters true emotions.
And here’s where I had a problem with this story, because some of the letters are written from the rake’s point of view, and he’s a complete and total jerk, who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions.
He makes a concerted effort to come between Eliza and her other suitor. When that relationship goes down in flames, he marries a heiress, and says she can’t blame him for his actions, because she knew how he was. What? He pursues Eliza unmercifully, and when she eventually gives in, he blames her and loses all respect for her. The pregnancy is all her fault. When his wife finds out and leaves him, and he loses everything, still he doesn’t want to accept blame. He does seem remorseful after Eliza dies, but still doesn’t really own up to his faults.
I enjoyed the book somewhat, but this character drove me mad. Deliberately hurtful, selfish, greedy…everything was her fault, even though she repeatedly rebuffed him. When tragedy struck, he still wasn’t fully ready to accept blame. I found him entirely unlikable and criminal.
And to be honest, his attitude and behavior is quite reminiscent of some of the prevailing attitudes in society today. That girl in the provocative clothing who was the victim of sexual harassment, abuse, and/or rape? That was all her fault, for dressing like that.
What?
Since when are people not responsible for their own actions, including hurting other people?
This week, I’m on Spring Break, so technically I shouldn’t be doing homework. And I’m not doing a lot, but I’m doing some. Working on an essay for grad school. Outlining the short story that is my final paper in my capstone English class. Reading.
Sounds horrible, doesn’t it?
Here’s what I’m supposed to be reading this week:
simplify, by Bill Hybels (for my monthly reading goal): 10 pages a day
Against All Things Ending, by Stephen R. Donaldson (monthly goal): 30 pages a day
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (for school): 35 pages a day
The Coquette, by Hannah W. Foster (for school): 20% on 5 days
2 chapters in Connected: living in the Light of the Trinity, by Sam Alberry (for school)
2 chapters and the introduction in Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism, by Douglas R. Groothius (for school)
The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever, by Jeff Strand (reading to review)
You see my problem? I love to read. I’m a quick reader. But….I’m where I’m supposed to be on #1 and #4. I intend to catch up on #3 and #2 today, and start #5. That leaves me #6 and #7 for…sometime.
I did pretty well with my reading goals for the month. I did not finish one of the books from my TBR pile, but I’m almost done with it, so I’ll finish it and another book this month to catch up. Here’s what I read in February:
1). Where My Heart Used to Beat, by Sebastian Faulks (read to review).
2) The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde (read for school, but worth a read, even if only at the sheer absurdity of the characters).
3) The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. (Read for my AWR class, but wow.)
4) Love Sick, by Cory Martin (read to review, but enjoyed a lot).
5) Suddenly Spellbound, by Erica Lucke Dean (read to review).
6) Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending up with More, by Erin Boyle (I’m a huge fan of her blog, and this encourages my goal to simplify.).
7) Stone and Silt, by Harvey Chute (read to review).
8) The Man who was Thursday: A Nightmare, by C.K. Chesterton (read for British Lit. Eh.).
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Red Adept Publishing.)
Harvey Chute’s first published novel, Stone and Silt, is a historical mystery set in British Columbia.
Sixteen-year-old Nikaia Wales has a white father and a native mother, so she’s always been called a “half-breed.” But her family’s love is strong, and she has a best friend that’s Chinese, so she’s used to being on the outside. Until she ends up on the bad side of the Doyles, a family known for their violent natures.
When she finds a hidden cache of gold and then a body, her troubles only grow worse. Soon her father is a suspect and Elias Doyle is eager for revenge on whoever murdered his brother. Nikaia races to find clues to clear her father’s name, before something even worse can happen to her family.
Stone and Silt is an entertaining middle-grade novel about the power of family, friends, and love.
Two weeks ago, I reviewed Love Sick, by Cory Martin. Today I have a lovely interview with the author, who was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions. Love Sick is a great read for anyone who has ever struggled with an illness, dating, or trying to find themselves. The author is open about her struggles, and this honesty shines through on every page. You can pick up a copy here.
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Write Out Publishing.)
(I was interested in reading Love Sick because I’ve been through health issues, too. I had a major stroke almost three years ago. Learning to live with a new reality is challenging, at best. If you’re interested, you can read about that here and here.)
Who is your favorite author and why? (Do you love being scared by Stephen King, inspired by Maya Angelou, loved by Nicholas Sparks, entertained by Jane Austen?)
You know what’s funny is I literally just looked at my bookshelves to find an answer, like I was just going to pluck one out of thin air so I could look smart, but the truth is I don’t have a favorite author. I have plenty of authors who I admire and whose books I adore, but there’s not one that I return to over and over. If I went through the books on my shelves I could probably give you a reason why I like, love or admire each and every author. But let me just give you a sampling…I love Erica Jong for her fearlessness and portrayal of women, and Curtis Sittenfeld for her well crafted character based stories, and Jeannette Walls for writing a memoir that felt like a piece of literary fiction and Jenny Lawson for making me laugh out loud on an airplane and Dave Eggers for taking his writing and parlaying that into a publishing company and an amazing non-profit (If you don’t know about his 826 program you should check it out.) and Tom Wolfe because he is such a part of history, and Fitzgerald and Austen and Hemingway and so many others. I guess I am a fan of writers in general and anyone who can persevere and not only finish writing a book but then put themselves and their art out there to be judged by all has my support.
What is your absolute favorite, read over-and-over again, book? (Mine is “Gone with Wind,” which I’ve read about 25 times, because the story and the characters are so real to me.)
The one book that has stuck with me forever is “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin. I have only read it a few times, but the way it made me feel the first time I read it has been imprinted on my soul. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to go out and change your life or do something grand and against the norm when you finish reading it.
The two other books that I have read over and over have more to do with me being a writer. They are Stephen King’s “On Writing” and Erica Jong’s “Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life”. If anyone reading this is a writer or aspiring writer, I highly recommend these books. They’re about the craft, yes, but they also make you feel less alone in your idiosyncrasies and habits that have to do with writing.
Where is your dream place to write? (Personally, I have visions of white sand and waves. Maybe a drink with an umbrella in it.)
Oh my gosh, I’ve had visions of white sand and waves too, but I know me and I would get way too lazy and comfortable there and would probably never write another word. But take me to some old flat in Europe with character and history, somewhere like Prague or Vienna and I think I might thrive. Whenever I travel I love to research the writers who were from that place, or who were ex-pats there and I try to visit the locations where they lived or wrote or got drunk on a daily basis. I have always been fascinated with the lives of writers, and to be where they once were inspires me.
How has writing changed your life? (If I’m doing “character research,” people-watching is much more socially acceptable.)
I don’t know if it’s necessarily changed my life because I’ve always been an introverted observer who loved writing, but I can definitely see now how it has affected the way I interact with the world. I think being a writer has taught me how to empathize with people. To be a writer and to be able to develop characters and write dialogue you have to really understand the way humans interact and work and think and feel, and I believe that because of this I have become a great listener and I have learned to sympathize with someone before jumping to conclusions or passing judgment.
How is your health these days? Do you feel like your body betrayed you? (One of the reasons I wanted to read your book was because I have had a major health issue myself. Almost 3 years ago, at the age of 36, I had a major stroke without warning and almost died. Overnight, my entire world changed, and it felt like my body had tried to kill me, literally, so I had to relearn how to trust it again.)
Wow. How scary. I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like and all that you’ve probably had to go through and might still be going through as a result. That must’ve been so hard to learn to trust your body again. I hope you are doing much better and are as healthy as can be. Thank you for sharing that. Stories like yours and mine and so many others are the reason I wrote the book. I knew I couldn’t be the only woman struggling with an illness or betrayal of their body who was also trying to navigate life in the most normal way possible and I wanted to share my story in the hopes that it would at the very least make other women feel less alone.
My health these days is quite good and I feel very lucky. The one major thing I deal with is my cognition. I forget things or names of things quite frequently and there are so many mistakes in my writing these days that I swear I spend more time editing than I do writing, but this I can tolerate. However, and this is the thing that makes MS so hard to deal with, you can never predict what will happen next, so while I don’t feel like my body has betrayed me yet, I live in constant fear that one day I will wake up and it will have done so.
What is your advice for anyone interested in getting into yoga? (Because I’d like to, but I have limited time and resources. It seems like such a beneficial practice. And maybe my brain would stop talking to itself so much.)
Ah, yes, yoga is great for quieting the mind and getting your brain to stop talking to itself so much, but it definitely takes practice. My advice for anyone interested in getting into yoga is to not assume that it has to be perfect right from the get go. Try a class here and there, or just learn one or two poses you enjoy, or follow a video online or read a book (not to plug my own work, but I did write a book called Yoga for Beginners, which might be helpful). Also, know that it might take time for you to find a teacher or a type of yoga that you connect with and that’s fine. There are so many different types of yoga out there and you have to try them out to find out what works for your body. I think the problem now, especially in the US, is that yoga has become this big flashy thing you see on Instagram where yogis are tying themselves into knots or doing these poses that are displays of amazing feats of strength. And that’s great and I don’t want to take away from any of that, but the real yoga lies in being able to simply be in the moment. I practice yoga constantly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I get on my mat and move my body into the poses. The poses are just a way to help you get to the point where you can, as you said, get your brain to stop talking to itself so much. So truthfully if you can get into one pose, which might be Sukhasana, which is basically sitting Indian style like you did as a kid, and get your mind to quiet even if just for one second, you are doing yoga and that’s the best place to start.
Thank you, Cory, for taking the time to answer these questions. I purchased “Yoga for Beginners,” and I can’t wait to start reading it. I have some cognition problems, too, but they are sporadic–and without warning–which is quite frustrating. I still worry sometimes that something else will happen, so I understand your fear. I’m happy that you are doing so well, and I hope “Love Sick” does well. I recommend it to everyone.)
Starting over isn’t easy, but having a friend in the same boat makes it a little bit easier. For Nichole, that friend is her mother-in-law, Leanne. When Nichole learns that her husband, Jake, has cheated on her, she knows her marriage is over and decides to forge a new life for herself and her young son. Inspired by Nichole’s decision, Leanne decides to stop ignoring her own husband’s unfaithfulness, and starts over as well.
Nichole juggles work, her son, and volunteer work, keeping herself busy while she heals. Then she meets Rocco, her husband’s opposite in every way. Just when things begin to progress, Jake steps in with a last-ditch effort to get Nichole back. Will she give Jake another chance, or overcome her fears of the future and choose Rocco?
Leanne has finally had too much—decades too much—of her husband’s cheating, and begins a new life as an English as a second language teacher. There she meets Nikolai, a charming Ukrainian baker. Before Leanne can put her past behind her and move forward with Nicholai, tragedy steps in, forcing Leanne to face the most difficult circumstance of her life.
A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is a sweet, inspiring read. The characters are strong, with a few chinks in their armor, as they learn what starting a new life, and love, is all about.
(Galley provided by Ballantine Books via NetGalley.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 