Friday Five




1. Been training and scoring for Pearson this week.  Scoring 5th grade essays.  I admit I do like doing this as it keeps me up to date on educational things like writing.  This is one of my strengths.  Also the extra $$ helps toward purchasing things that support my own writing habit.

2. Very cool, just got an email from a publicist who 'noticed' my #Weneeddiversebooks posts.  He is working for an author and wanted to know if I'd review the book, which just the other day I picked up thinking it sounded intriguing.  I just think it's cool that yeah, others do read my tweets on Twitter even when I think no one does.

3.Finished reading this book that totally fits the recent #YesAllWomen hashtag from last week that followed the San Diego shooter's vlog that he targeted women after being rejected from them.



My YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/16918-the-truth-about-alice

Teaser: What worked: The viciousness of how a text message can spread rumors and gossip to the point of destroying the reputation of a girl. This is shown in a brutally raw way that is very painful. The 'truth' is slowly unraveled after we hear from different people who knew Alice. 

There are some very strong images woven throughout this story. It could have been so easy for this to be just 'Alice's' story but no, we see her through a number of others in her high school. I think this works as we can observe Alice and see the reasoning behind the slander. Each of the point of views has his/her own motivations behind doing their part in either spreading the rumors or being silent.


**Yes, a total must read!

4. Finished this one which is PERFECT for #Weneeddiversebooks

My YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/16926-like-no-other

Teaser: What works: I love the voice of this coming of age story. Set in NY, two teens from different cultures find themselves trapped in an elevator during a hurricane. Devorah is a Hasidic Jew who is forbidden to speak to any males other than family. Jaxon isn't Jewish. Sparks ignite between them and they find that they have to continue to see each other even when it's forbidden. Along the way each question everything they've known. Fearing the unknown but willing to take a chance at love.

I'm a total sucker for a bittersweet love story and this one delivers. Think modern day WEST SIDE STORY with an engaging voice and two characters that you hope will somehow overcome the odds against them. And the odds are huge for this couple.

5. Son had his play yesterday:



**Guilty pleasure:

This will have to be tomorrow as I need to catch up on scoring and later we're going to an Eagle's Honor court for a friend of son's.  But tomorrow I plan to watch THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AuVjGbncgQE" width="480"></iframe>

Yes, I'm still reading the book.  My only concern so far with the book is the characters sound like 20 something Young Adults discussing life in their dorm at college.  But that's just me and I haven't hit page 100 yet.  Everyone tells me it's an amazing read so I'll give it another try.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

YA Scavenger Hunt: Meet Amalie Howard

Image
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours! Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team and a gold team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books! If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list o...
Read more

Week #1 Motivation

Image
“You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something . It doesn't matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.” – Leonard Bernstein Welcome to: I admit it.  This last month I started off with the right intentions but my one part-time job held me back from doing all I wanted to do. I know, I know. For today I'll be using something out of THE POCKET MUSE by Monica Wood for an idea on how to help kick that muse into working. ...Set an egg timer for forty-five minutes, and don't get out of the chair until the timer dings.  Even if you sit starting at the page the entire time, you're ingraining a habit... What are some ways the rest of you help get the motivation feeling back? Remember I'm cheering for you! Also share what your weekly goals are this week.  Don't be shy! My goal is to finis...
Read more

Week #2 Revisions

Image
"I am hard at work on the second draft...Second draft is really a misnomer as there are a gazillion revisions, large and small, that go into the writing of a book." -Libba Bray Hi, everyone!  How did you do with your goals for last week?  I admit, I wasn't as good as I should have been.   But remember: Now that school and scoring tests is over, I can concentrate more on my writing. I noticed a number of you are working on revisions so I thought I'd make that our theme for this week. Is this you? Do you dread revising? Or do you have revision angst? I'm kind of in the middle.  I've been known to spend forever just on one paragraph to get it right. I love this other quote: "I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living sh*t out of it." -Don Roff In the book THE WRITER'S BOOK OF WISDOM 101 RULES FOR MASTERING ...
Read more