Review of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

You guys, I have many THOUGHTS on Clockwork Princess. Strong thoughts.

I'm just going to come out and say it...I was disappointed by this book, overall. Then again, I still cried like a baby during the prologue.

I felt like the book dragged a lot. The plot was slow-moving. What even was the plot!? The hunt for that guy with the automatons, I guess. The fact that I'm still not sure is not a good sign!

I think maybe I didn't like it because it's been so long since I read the last one, and now I'm no longer invested in the characters. Maybe that's it. But there have been other series where I'm immediately pulled back into the world of the book so....I don't know.

Also, I just felt like there was too much brooding. So much brooding! Tessa was constantly worrying about hurting Jem and Will's feelings, and Will was moaning about how he would hurt everyone and how Jem was his other half...on and on and on. Seriously, Jem and Will spent so much of the book talking about how much they loved one and other...I started to wonder if the surprise ending would be that they both ditched Tessa and ended up with each other!

I'm kidding, but I did feel like the characters spent too much of the book just sitting around talking or thinking about their feelings. Come on, I want some action!

Also, I felt that the surprise of who becomes a Silent Brother was ruined by some heavy foreshadowing in the beginning. There's foreshadowing...and then there's giving away the surprise ending!

However, I did really all the parts with the Lightwood brothers and their new leading ladies! Maybe I liked that because it was new and exciting, whereas the Tessa/Jem/Will plot is getting a little tired. Maybe it's just not possible to sustain a story line like that through three books!

In any case, I did like the prologue and I thought it wrapped things up nicely. The image of Tessa and Jem meeting on the bridge, year after year, on into eternity...that was very powerful. It just makes me want to cry, thinking about it now!

Even though I was disappointed by this book, I'm still excited to see what happens in Cassandra Clare's next Mortal Instruments book, and in her new series. Only about a million more years to go!

The Future of Publishing

Sometimes I wonder about the future of publishing.

I wrote earlier about how I'm always obsessing about getting published...but what if one day there are no publishing houses to obsess over? What if one day everyone self-publishes? What would that look like?

I think there are pros and cons to this model. On the one hand, it allows more people to get published, since there are no "gate-keepers." Some have argued, though, that publishers are good for readers, because they keep junk from getting published. I would say this is sometimes true, but publishers still print a lot of crap, and sometimes good writers can't get published.

I do think, though, that in the future there will be a ton of books to navigate through, and it might be harder for readers to find what they're looking for. But then, I think there might be people whose job it is to help readers find good books...like librarians! Or book bloggers! Or both!

I also think this model has some draw-backs for writers. Writers will be responsible for their own publicity and business and all that, things that publishers do right now. Won't that take away from their writing time? It's possible, but again, I think it's also possible that writers will start hiring people to do that kind of stuff for them, like assistants. But then...will writers be able to make enough money from self-publishing to afford to pay assistants? I suppose some will...

I don't know. What do you guys think?

Reasons for Writing

The other day, I started to panic.

I started feeling really bad because I haven't published anything, and I'm not really doing anything at the moment to further my writing career. I'm not getting an MFA, I don't have an agent, all I'm doing is writing, and honestly I'm not doing much of that these days either. In fact, I'm way more focused on my library science career. But then I think...What am I doing!?! I never dreamed of being a librarian!! And I've wanted to be a writer since I was in kindergarten!

Of course, all these thoughts hit me in the middle of the night, as bad thoughts tend to do, and I couldn't sleep. The next day, I felt so bad, partly because I was tired, and partly because I felt like I was wasting my life and I would never achieve my one true dream.

Stuff like that can get a girl down sometimes.

So then I called my dad. We talked for a while, and the main thing he said was that I have to be writing because I enjoy it. And only because I enjoy it. Not because I want to get published. I might get published along the way, but that can't be the only reason I'm doing it, because if it is, it'll just lead to disappointment. But if you write because you enjoy it, you'll be happy writing no matter what.

I heard this same thing, basically, from writer Sara Zarr. A few weeks ago, I was feeling sad about publishing again. Several agents had read my manuscript and said that they liked it but that they didn't think there was a market for it. I wrote to Sara with my worries, since she writes books that are amazing but not exactly "trendy." She said if you're writing something you like, you should ignore the trends and stick with it. After all, trends come and go. She also talked about how she used to obsess about getting published, and tell herself that she needed to be published by the end of the year (I do the same thing! Except my marker is always my birthday, not the end of the year.) She said that once she stop obsessing like that and focused on writing, her writing got a lot better...and she got publsihed!

Everyone keeps telling me this: Your goal has to be to enjoy writing, not to get published. If you enjoy your writing, maybe other people will enjoy reading what you write, and then you'll get published. Or maybe you won't. But at least you'll be enjoying what your doing.

As for the librarian thing...even though I never *dreamed* of being a librarian, I do like it, and it's a practical job. It's not exactly a cake walk to get a library job, but it is easier than trying to get published. It's something I can do and enjoy and make money at while I'm writing on the side. I do enjoy eating, after all...and buying clothes.

So I'm going to try to slow down a little bit and enjoy my writing. For so long I've said to myself "I have to get published by my next birthday....I have to write 1,000 words today so I can finish this book and publish it." But for now, I'm going to just try to enjoy writing.

Two Books I Didn't Finish

I think there might be something wrong with me.

Lately, I have started reading books that got RAVES from other bloggers and readers and writers that I like....and I haven't been able to finish them. I can't get in to the books, and I just don't like them.

The first book was....I'm almost embarrassed to say it...Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I loved the first two books in this series (Delirium and Pandemonium). When I finished the second one, Pandemonium, I couldn't wait for the third one, Requiem. But when I finally got my hands on Requiem a few days ago, I just couldn't get into it.

Maybe it's been too long since I read the last book? I couldn't really remember who all the characters were, or what had happened between them. I think that was part of it, but also I think that there was really no strong central love story in Requiem. That was a big part of what I liked in the first two books, and it wasn't really a focus in the third book.

I did like how the book switched perspectives. But actually...I thought Hana's story was more interesting than Lena's. I think that's a sign that something is wrong!!

The second book I couldn't get into was Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

Crazy, I know!! Everyone loved it! It got starred reviews everywhere. But...I just couldn't get into it. I didn't make it past the first few pages, honestly.  Life is just too short to keep reading a book when it's not enjoyable, even if everyone else liked it. If I did, I would never get through my giant to-read list.

Review of Why We Broke Up

I loved this book!

Why We Broke Up tells the story of Min (short for Minerva) and Ed, who have recently broken up. Min is taking some stuff back to him in a box and she writes a letter to go along with it. The book is that letter, basically, and so it tells the story of their relationship, bit by bit. Even though I knew they were going to break up in the end, I wanted to keep reading to find out how it happened!

I also thought this book was a really realistic portrayal of high school. There is one part where Min is talking about how monotonous it is, and how you're hungry all the time and everyone is bored, and that part completely reminded me of my own high school. Also, I thought Ed's dialogue sounded pretty close to a real teenage boy.

A few things I didn't like: The book was written in a very rambling, almost stream of consciousness way. Sometimes I liked this but a lot of times it made the book hard to follow.

Back to the things I did like: I LOVED this illustrations! It was just such a pretty book, with nice glossy pages. Plus, who doesn't love reading a book with pictures every once in a while? Also, I really liked the character Min and she felt very realistic to me. I saw that many people on GoodReads hated Ed....and I did in the end, after the break up. But in the middle, when Min liked him, I liked him too, which I think just shows what a good narrator she was.

I'm not sure everyone would like this book. I've met a few people who hated it. But I really liked it and I think everyone should at least give it a try. Also, it's different from a lot of what is on the shelves for YA, and I like that!

 

DNF: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

A few months ago, when the Printz award nominations came out, everyone was buzzing about this book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It was a Printz Honor book, meaning that a committee of youth librarians (and someone from Booklist magazine) had determined this book to be one of the best of the year. So with the combination of the award, plus the hype, plus the great title and beautiful cover...I couldn't wait to read this book. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.

Aristotle and Dante tells the story of two boys who meet one summer and try to figure out life together. Aristotle has never quite felt at home in the world, and over the course of the summer, it seems that he starts to figure out why...I'm not sure of the storyline, since I did not finish the book. 

So I will just tell you why I didn't finish it:

First of all,  I did not like the sparse way it was written. There is sparse and then there is too sparse. To me it felt like the author was being lazy, like he had just jotted down a bunch of thoughts and not bothered to flesh them out. The dialogue was a little too true to life and often boring.

My biggest complaint, however, is that Aristotle complained way too much. I understand that teenagers are angsty (although I think that stereotype is somewhat exaggerated) but Aristotle was downright depressing. Of course, I guess he was supposed to be depressed, but I just could not stand to read his voice. I've read books before with depressed narrators, such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and somehow those authors managed to pull it off. I think the key is that the narrator has to like SOMETHING, or they have to find some humor in their situation. Aristotle just complained, complained.

At first I was surprised that this book had been nominated for the Printz, since I thought it was poorly written. However, I think that the Printz committee generally likes to recognize books that deal with issues of sexuality and books that feature narrators who are minorities. This book had both those elements. While I applaud the committee's efforts to encourage diversity in YA... I have to ask, Isn't the most important thing that the book be enjoyable to read? That it be good and interesting? And to me, this book just wasn't and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think it deserved the recognition that it got. 

Thoughts on A Prayer for Owen Meany

My dear friends, I am embarrassed to say that I have just now, in the middle of March, finished a book for the first time this year. But, to be fair, it was a 641-page book: A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving.

A Prayer for Owen Meany tells the story of two boys, Owen Meany and John Wheelwright, growing up in New Hampshire in the 50's and 60's. Owen is quite a character: he's short and always talks in a scream (he can't help it) and, despite his size, he's very commanding. John, like many narrators, is more reserved and observant, but the two boys are best friends.  The story really just follows them as they grow up, and their lives are quite eventful...I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give anything away, but the book builds towards a big moment related to Owen.

A lot of people have said that they think this book is too detailed and rambles too much. I have to say, it did seem to take a while to get going, and I almost gave up towards the beginning, but in the middle it really picked up. After a while, the pages felt like they were just flying by. Sometimes I do think it was really detailed, maybe overly detailed, but it was also full of exciting twists and turns. Also, sometimes all the little details came together in a really AMAZING way. There was one chapter were, at the end, my mouth was literally hanging open. I got the shivers, as Owen Meany would say.  Also, the writing and the descriptions were just beautiful!

I also really liked the characters. They were very lively and life-like. I especailly like John Wheelwright's Grandmother, who is an old-fashioned, dignified Yankee lady and very opininonated. I could just picture her so well! She felt like someone I had met before.

The book is told by the narrator who is telling it from some future moment, years later. The narration mostly focuses on the past and the boys' childhood, but sometimes future-John interrupts. I didn't really like these interruptions at first. Future-John was much less interesting to me, and he mostly just rambled about politics. However, by the end, I could see why these parts of the book were necessary.

(Spoilers below)

To those who have read the book...I have a question for you. This book raised a lot of interesting questions, but the one I'm most interested in is this: Didn't Owen Meany create his own fate? He claims that what happened to him was pre-destined, that God was in control of his life, and that God meant for everything to happen to him the way it did. But, then, he was the one who turned down the scholarship from Harvard and instead enrolled in the ROTC at UNH. He was the one who was so determined to be in the army, despite all the things (like his size) keeping him out.  So was Owen really "meant" to be in the airport, or did he end up there because he thought he was supposed to and so he forced himself to be there? Personally, I think that he created his own fate. Of course, we could also say that no, God did not mean for Owen to be there, John Irving, the author, meant for Owen to be there, but maybe I don't want to get all post-modern right now...