Book Recommendation…”Anna and the French Kiss” by Stephanie Perkins

So, “Anna and the French Kiss.”  This is a book I’d heard a lot about from a group of ladies on a forum I belong to.  Some of them loved it some thought it was just good.  I don’t read a lot of YA contemporary, so I didn’t quite know what I’d think.  However, from the very first page I was hooked.  Here’s a blurb from Amazon before I go any further.

Anna is not happy about spending senior year at a Paris boarding school, away from her Atlanta home, best friend Bridgette, and crush Toph. Adapting isn’t easy, but she soon finds friends and starts enjoying French life, especially its many cinemas; she is an aspiring film critic. Complications arise, though, when she develops feelings for cute—and taken—classmate Etienne, even though she remains interested in Toph. Her return home for the holidays brings both surprises, betrayals, unexpected support, and a new perspective on what matters in life—and love. 

Ok, so girl goes to boarding school, likes guy with girlfriend…in Paris.  Not the most unique premise ever.  BUT, it’s’ hilarious.  The first paragraph of the book talks about all the things she knows about Paris, which is really very little and revolves around pop culture.  It just gets better from there because  Anna’s voice and her outlook is just so enjoyable to read.  I found myself laughing out loud more than once — and one time in particular I was laughing so hard I was crying and my husband was looking at me like I’d lost it.  :).  But the humor isn’t the only thing about the book I enjoyed.  The characters felt real, the intricacies of teenage romance believable, and the misunderstandings relatable.  All in all, one of my few ventures into YA contemporary was very enjoyable.  Maybe I’ll even try again.  :)

One note:  I know there are some of my blog readers who are more conservative than others.  There is a tiny bit of strong language and sexual reference that might be offensive to some.

 

Book Recommendations…”Matched” by Ally Condie”

Yes, I’ve decided not to call them “book reviews” any longer.  I think it’s better for me to call them book recommendations and then only let you know about the books I would actually tell someone to read.  It’s not that there aren’t books I don’t like, I just don’t want to publicly say bad things about other authors or their work.  Heck, if I’m lucky, I might meet some of them someday.  On Goodreads, I do rate books, and some have higher ratings than others, so take that however you want.

Anyway, I have a list of about seven or eight books I’ve read and haven’t posted here.  I’m going to start today with “Matched” by Ally Condie.  Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

For Cassia, nothing is left to chance–not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the “burden” of choice. When Cassia’s best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until she plugs in her Match microchip and a different boy’s face flashes on the screen. This improbable mistake sets Cassia on a dangerous path to the unthinkable–rebelling against the predetermined life Society has in store for her. As author Ally Condie’s unique dystopian Society takes chilling measures to maintain the status quo, Matched reminds readers that freedom of choice is precious, and not without sacrifice.

I really liked this book a lot.  It was written well and kept my interest.  It is very similar to “The Giver” by Lois Lowry if you’ve ever read that.  This felt very realistic, and the world was easy to get into and enjoy.  I also liked the main characters and their interactions and how they dealt with the issues that faced them.  Some really rose above and I found myself really rooting for them.  I’m excited for the second book in the series and would recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian, and even those who don’t.

If for no other reason, read it just because the cover is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

My own web site

Yes, I did it.  I broke down and bought a domain name and got a web site designed.  Please check it out and let me know what you think.  www.sharilambert.net.

Strong Female Characters

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about strong female characters.  One comment was about six months ago from a beta reader who mentioned that a particular scene in my book made the female character (who had previously been so strong) seem weak.  My first reaction was:  ”But, but, but…”  And then I looked at a few things.  There were some word choices in that scene that I obviously hadn’t realized were creating the wrong impression.  I changed those and it made a huge difference.

However, the actual events that played out in that scene weren’t things I wanted to change.  AND I felt they were exactly true to the character.  Yes, she’s a strong character.  Yes, she is independent and capable.  That doesn’t mean circumstances couldn’t be out of her control.  Which is exactly what is happening in that particular scene.

Which led to a few questions…  Aren’t there times when even strong characters are in over their heads?  Isn’t that when they show the most strength?  Does being strong mean you are always sure, confident, and under control?

My answer to all of those is that strength may not be just in the moment, but how you deal with that moment, what you learn from it, and how it influences future decisions.

And strength is different for different situations.  For example, in “Pride and Prejudice” Elizabeth’s strength was not going to come in fighting armed bandits.  She was confined by the world she lived in.  She had to be strong in her own circumstances.  On the other hand, a modern heroin might not have Elizabeth’s strength to make decisions even in the face of social disapproval and family concerns in a world where those were paramount.

I guess the point of all this is that your character has to be strong in their own way, in their own world, and in their own time.  As long as they’re true to who they are and act in a way that doesn’t make the reader say something like “well, she was a believable character until…”

A little bit of everything…

So this past weekend I was able to attend the LDS Storymakers writers conference.  It was really good.  I attended some interesting classes and met a lot of great people.  Here were a few of my favorite people to hear: James Dashner, Jeff Savage, Sara Megibow, and Dave Wolverton.  They all had great things to share.  James and Jeff talked about the “hook.”  It was really interesting, especially since James read his query for “The Maze Runner.”  Sara talked about the process of publishing and it was very insightful, albeit a little overwhelming when she mentioned how many rejection letters they sent out last year.  And Dave did a class on resonance.  It was fascinating and I learned a lot from his discussion.

On a completely different note, I had a beta reader who read my book who came up with the best comparison.  She said HEIR was like Shannon Hale meets Prince Caspian.  I couldn’t have said it better!!!

And finally, I think I’ve had a great idea for what I’m going to write next.  It’s a concept that’s been floating around for a while in my head, but I didn’t quite know how to add that something that would make it unique.  I hope I’ve found the answer.  It takes a dystopian theme of the characters’ reality not actually being reality and inserts magic instead of technology.  We’ll see how it turns out.  :)