I Read a Book: The Big Crunch

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

This was another one of those books that my boyfriend read it first. He proceeded to rave about it and wave it in front of my face repeatedly. I resisted for a bit but picked it up a few days ago. And I loved it. I suppose I need to give him some credit.

The Big Crunch (awesome science reference, btw) follows June and Wes and their dramatic high school relationship. The story is told in four parts (fall, winter, spring, and summer). June is a nomad, whose family moves from city to city. Wes has lived in the same town his whole life and has dated the same girl for years. When June first meets Wes, nothing happens. Not your typical love story, but as these things tend to happen, they are repeatedly drawn to each other and eventual start dating, but then things get complicated.

I loved that the book depicts goofy, realistic love. We follow Wes and June's adventure, from butterflies to realities. I also really like June as a character. She's not the girliest and she's not a helpless romantic, but she wants to find love. I relate to her a bit, having moved so many times while I was growing up; I think it's a very accurate portrayal of what can happen.

The Big Crunch features super short chapters and a narrative rapidly switches focus from June to Wes (even as quickly as every few paragraphs). The style kept me on my toes, and kept my fingers flipping those pages.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published January 2011

I Read a Book: Matched

Remember that time I was going to read a YA book and post a review every week or so? Good, neither do I.

But I am super thrilled to finally post another review. This time I read Matched by Ally Condie.

Cassia is a happy peon, living under the watchful eye of The Society. She works hard at her job as a "sorter," enjoys the same three free-rec activities when she gets a chance to hang with her friends, and anxiously awaits the big day when she’ll meet the one. Except, Cassia doesn’t get to choose who to love. The Society takes care of everything from what its members eat to who they marry.

Confession time: I am "streets behind" when it comes to dystopian YA lit (any other Community fans out there?). I may be the only person on the face of the planet who has not read The Hunger Games yet. So, I can’t comment on any similarities/differences, but what I can comment on is how much I enjoyed Matched.

The book has two plots running in parallel: one, a teen romance, and the other, a story of a girl learning to question the world she lives in. The romance is a typical boy next door-girl-boy from the wrong side of the tracks love triangle. It's not earth-shattering, but it's entertaining. In my opinion, the stronger arc focuses on Cassia's growing curiosity about why things are they way they are. There were times I wanted to grab her and smack her and other times when I pitied her. The writing is beautiful, and I am dying to find out what happens next (second in the series due in Nov 2011). The ending is a cliffhanger, and those usually annoy me, but it works for Matched. It reminded me a lot of the end of the Golden Compass (book, not the movie).



Hardcover, 366 pages 

Published November 30, 2010

I Read a Book: As You Wish

For my second review, I grabbed As You Wish, by fellow Alantan Jackson Pearce. A-town down!

Viola, a 16-year-old struggling artist and high school student, feels invisible. She's smart, but school doesn't hold her attention. She's artsy, but not cool enough to run with that crowd. She has a loving family, but who cares about them! So, Viola is left with only one friend, Lawrence, her ex-boyfriend and gay bff all rolled into one. One day, Viola wishes things were different so hard that a jinn from a parallel dimension pops into existence to grant her three wishes.

As You Wish takes a cute premise, throws in a funny scene or two, and adds more than a heaping glob of teen romance.

The big dilemma is that Viola can't decide what to wish for, and she won't use her wishes until she's certain. Really? You expect me to believe there are people out there that haven't already imaged this exact scenario and settled on their wishes? Doubtful. Here are mine, for example:
1) to be completely healthy and fit, no matter what I eat,
2) an unlimited supply of perfectly cooked Totino's pizza rolls, and
3) world peace.
Easy! Come on, Viola, get it together.

As Viola struggles to find the perfect wish, she and the jinn (now affectionately called Jinn) become better acquainted. He desperately wants to return to his home, but is also drawn to the enchanting loner who summoned him. She finds his gruff personality oddly appealing. Eventually, Viola does settle on a wish and learns that what you want isn't always what you need (maybe I should rethink my Wish #2?).

As You Wish felt much shorter than its 300 pages, even with the occasionally slow pacing. The plot was predictable at times, but there were definitely high points. One scene in particular, a conversation between Viola and Lawrence, was so honest and well-written that I thought about it for days after.

Alternating between Viola and Jinn's perspectives, As You Wish provides insights into both characters' motivations. The downside? Because of all the hopping around, I found it difficult to connect with either of them. That style of storytelling (in general) makes me feel like I'm suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Maybe there's a way to do it well, but I can guarantee that I'll never try it myself.

Overall, the message was cute, and the ending was not what I was expecting.

Hardcover, 304 pages
Published August 2009

I Read a Book: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

As you may be aware, I'm having some trouble finishing my story. Instead of plowing through the last few chapters, lately I've been tweaking the other, more completed parts of my book as a form of "useful procrastination." The downside is that it has caused me to question the value of finishing the story in the first place, which I hear is normal when critiquing your own work.

So, in an attempt to improve my writing skills (and to curb my TV watching habit) , I'm setting a goal of reading one YA novel a week and reviewing it with a critical eye. It's like dating... before I was doing it for fun, but now I'm actually trying to learn more about what I like and what I don't like. All on my quest to find my ideal mate, um, I mean, book.

I decided to start with The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June, Robin Benway's second novel.

April, May, and June are sisters who are going through a lot: their parents just divorced, they've moved to a new town and are starting at a new high school, and they've discovered that they have supernatural abilities. April, the oldest and most responsible, can see the future; May, the rebellious middle sister, can become invisible; and June, the popularity-seeking youngest sister, can read minds.

I chose this novel because it's similar to my current project, and I thought it might be interesting to see how someone else approached  fantasy YA about girls with superpowers. Also, I loved the cover. Not only is it pretty, but the colors are reminiscent of the old Marvel and DC comics.

The novel rotates between the girls' perspectives, which makes it easy for the reader to find one they can relate to (I'm an April!). It's a bit like Sex and the City, in that the girls are a little one-sided, but more of archetypes than stereotypes.

Now, I don't have a sister, so maybe this is my inexperience talking, but something about the sisterly bond seemed off to me. Their interactions are minimal, even after they realize they have superpowers. I would have loved to see them sit down and try to figure out what was going on, but they were to distracted by their own drama (stemming mainly from boys and the popular crowd).

The pacing of the book is slow at times, and it sometimes feels more like contemporary YA than fantasy. Although it was different than what I was expecting, The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June was definitely a fun, and worthwhile, read.



Hardcover, 282 pages

Published August 2010