The Fault in Our Stars

This is a SPOILER FREE review of the Fault in Our Stars by John Green except for the last paragraph (I have a warning before the spoiler)!

There are two things you should know about me at the outset:

1. I am not a very patient person

2. I do not like stories whose sole purpose seems to be to Make You Cry. For example- most stories involving animals & anything by Nicholas Sparks (full disclosure- I have never actually read a Nicholas Sparks book, but have several friends who have & who have cried every time and I have seen the Notebook. I bawled for ten minutes after that movie ended)

The first one is important because I was one of the Lucky (?) ones who got an early copy of John Green's new novel The Fault in Our Stars. When it came in I vowed to wait as long as I could to read it. I did, however, open it to see if my copy had been doodled in by John's brother or wife (I got a Hanklerfish!). My every intention was to wait until Jan 10, the official release date. I almost made it. I started Sunday & ended up staying up waaay past my bedtime to finish it.

On the second point- I know there are people who love those kinds of stories. I am not one of those people. I feel like a lot of those books are overly melodramatic just to get the tears flowing.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE BOOKS!

Sure, the characters have cancer and sure, there were a few tears, but it is handled with well and not in a stab-you-in-the-heart-and-twist kind of way.

The Fault in Our Stars is a story about Hazel. She has cancer and, as the book flap says, Hazel has been nothing but terminal. She meets a cute boy named Augustus at her Cancer Support Group & her outlook on life begins to change.

John Green has been one of my favorite authors since I read Looking for Alaska and discovered the VlogBrothers videos. Paper Towns ranks in my top ten favorite books of all time. Hazel & Augustus, like many of his characters, are people who I would have loved to have been friends with in high school (as a matter of fact, other than the cancer, I know people a lot like them). The quick wit, the humor, the heartbreak, are all great elements in this story. I laughed out loud quite a few times & teared up a few times as well. The way he handles these characters and the way they deal with their cancer, their families, and their friends is done with grace while allowing the them to be irreverent about their diagnoses. This irreverence was authentic to the characters.

When I finished the book I re read the last paragraph about five times because that is exactly how the story needed to have ended. This is one of the most beautiful stories I have read.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

I have to admit, when Hazel & Augustus talked about their favorite book -An Imperial Affliction & how it ended there was a small part of me that was afraid he might take that same route with this book.

Also I really loved the scene where Hazel & Isaac read their eulogies to Augustus. It was such a touching scene. My favorite part though is Augustus' letter about Hazel. So beautiful, so perfect.

After Obsession

After Obsession by Carrie Ryan & Steven E Wedel is a creepy supernatural story told from two perspectives. Aimee is a teenager who has the same psychic abilities of her late mother. Alan is part Navajo who is in tune with his mystic side. Alan moves to town with his mom to help out his cousin Courtney who happens to be Aimee's best friend. While they are drawn to each other, they also know they must work together to fight the River Man- an evil spirit who is responsible for deaths over the years & is taking over the town again.

I loved this book. The chapters switched between Aimee & Alan. Sometimes this can be distracting, but in this story it transitioned well. I cared what happened to these characters & would love to read more about them (maybe more mystical evil-spirit fighting!)

5 Stars!

2011-what I did & what I read

Every year I like to post a wrap up of my year- mostly so I can keep a record for myself.

2011 was a pretty good year overall I will have to say.

Theatre played a huge part in my year.

I was honored to play a role in two productions this year. The first was Bethel's production of All My Sons. That was possibly the best show I have been a part of. The cast, direction, set were all spot on. It was an intense story & I got to play a bitchy neighbor. :)

Probably the one of the biggest things for me this year was singing onstage in front of people I know. I have always loved acting in plays & one of my goals for a long time has been to be in a musical & be confident enough to do it with people I know in the audience. During the summer I was in a musical version of the Jungle Book. The show started with me onstage by myself.....singing in another language. I was so nervous, but I did it! I am so appreciative of the rest of the cast for being so supportive & encouraging, especially right before curtain that first night when I was about to have a heart attack.

One of my most memorable moments was the last night of dress rehearsal when I missed a cue & didn't come out during my song with Rene (the mother wolf). Thank goodness that was just dress rehearsal.

I also learned to knit this year. My friend Jessica showed me how to cast on (which I can never remember so I have to look up videos on it) & the knit stitch. I learned how to do other things by watching videos. My current project is a mini Ravenclaw house banner that I am double knitting (where the image shows on both sides, in contrasting colors). Knitting is something that I have been wanting to learn to do since I learned to crochet many years ago.

This year I was introduced to the roller derby. I love the Nashville Roller Girls & look forward to watching more games this coming season.

I saw only one show-Wicked- this year. I need to see more.

I made some new friends (mostly thanks to the theatre) who have become some of my favorite people on the planet.

I MET JOHN GREEN! One of the best things about the NCTE conference is being able to hob-nob with some of my favorite authors. John Green happens to be very close to the top of that list & I was excited to hear him speak & get my picture with him for my author wall at school.

Also at NCTE this year I rode in a limo to get real Chicago pizza. This was quite an exciting adventure for me & the other 11 teachers that crammed ourselves in that car.

I read 41 books this year, far less than my goal. I abandoned many books. I may pick some of them back up & give them another go, or I may not. We'll see. My to-read pile is quite huge at the moment.

Now, on to what I read in 2011. I have been in a reading funk the last year or so. I WANT to read, I just think I may be overwhelmed at all the good books to read I just don't know where to start ;)

January
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Awakened ~ PC Cast & Kristin Cast

Old Habits: A Wicked Lovely Story ~ Melssa Marr

Zombiecorn~ John Green
Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)~ Holly Black
February
Bird in a Box ~ Andrea Davis Pinkney
Dead is Just a Rumor ~ Marlene Perez
Dead is Not an Option ~ Marlene Perez
Dead Tossed Waves~ Carrie Ryan
All My Sons~ Arthur Miller
The Dark & Hollow Places~ Carrie Ryan
March/April
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Last Little Blue Envelope ~ Maureen Johnson
Eighth Grade Bites ~ Heather Brewer
Hare Moon ~ Carrie Ryan
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone ~ JK Rowling
May/June
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets ~ JK Rowling
Wings ~ Aprilynne Pike
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ JK Rowling
Clockwork Angel ~ Cassandra Clare
Boy Meets Boy ~ David Levithan
Unwind ~ Neil Schusterman
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire ~ JK Rowling
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix ~JK Rowling
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince ~ JK Rowling
Forest of Hands & Teeth ~ Carrie Ryan
Evermore~ Alyson Noel
July
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk ~ David Sedaris
Forever ~ Maggie Stiefvater
Beauty Queens~ Libba Bray

Great & Terrible Beauty ~ Libba Bray
Daughter of Smoke & Bone~ Laini Taylor
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl (audiobook) ~ Barry Lyga
Dumpling Days~ Grace Lin
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows~ JK Rowling
The Name of the Star~ Maureen Johnson
Wake~ Lisa McMann
Black Heart ~ Holly Black
Every You, Every Me ~ David Levithan
Future of Us ~ Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Chime ~ Franny Billingsley

Mini book ornament how-to

Author Cheryl Rainfeld posted on her blog how she made book ornaments for her own books. This gave me the idea to make mini books of some of my favorite books to use as ornaments. My goal is to eventually have most of the ornaments on my tree be literature related.

After looking at several how-to blogs for making the mini books I decided to try my own way.

1. Scan the dust cover of your favorite book. I laid it out flat so that the front, spine & back are scanned at one time. If you have a paperback, you can open it & scan the whole cover that way.

Because the dust covers are sometimes longer than the scanner, some of the edges will be cut off.

2. Open the scanned images using a photo editing software (I use Photoshop Elements). Print on white cardstock at 2in x 4in.

3. Cut out the covers & fold into book form so that you can see the spine. Lay out flat & paint on a thin layer of ModPodge. This will help seal in the color & make them shine more.

4. For the inside pages I used a beat up extra copy of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. (It almost killed me having to tear up a book, btw) Cut the edges off the sides using a paper cutter then fold the page in half twice. Cut these strips & fold them into thirds & cut. One page is enough for a mini book.

5. Once the modpodge is dry, squirt a layer of hot glue into the spine. Make sure all the pages are turned the same way and stick them in the book. Tap them in place to make sure all of the pages get in there.

6. Trim off any excess. Punch a small hole in the back. Tie a string through the hole & you have an ornament.

OF COURSE I had to make an entire Harry Potter collection.

In which I rave about Barry Lyga's books & give one away

I first picked up a copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga at a used book store because of the title (yes, I do sometimes judge a book by it's cover & title). It is told from Fanboy's point of view. Fanboy is a nickname given to him by Kyra, a Goth girl that befriends him at school after seeing a bully hit him in gym class. Fanboy tries to lay low in school. He's a smart, comic book nerd and that is a recipe for torment in most high schools. He is working on his own graphic novel & plans to show it to a big name comic book writer at the convention he is planning to attend.While Kyra encourages Fanboy on ways to improve his comic, she has her own issues. I loved this book when I read it and even more so listening to the audiobook. I was cackling out loud in the car when Fanboy sees a part of a certain female's body. Just the way that whole scene was written makes me laugh now thinking of it.

One of my favorite scenes (and probably the most heartbreaking to me) is when Fanboy is mentally beating himself up in the bathroom at the convention. I won't give anything thing away but I could relate to him.

I loved flawed Kyra and was quite excited when I found out that she got her own book. Goth Girl Rising is the follow up to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl. It is told from Kyra's point of view & begins after she spends six months in a psychiatric hospital. She comes back to school expecting everything to be like it was only to find that Fanboy isn't quite the same nerdy guy she new. I know people like Kyra. People who jump to conclusions and think everyone is out to get them. You know Kyra is hurting but at the same time you just want to shake some sense into her.

Barry Lyga has created some wonderfully flawed characters here. Another of his books, Boy Toy, is one of my favorites. That story centers on a high school kid dealing with the aftermath of an affair with a teacher.

Barry also likes Book Bloggers & often gives books & things to bloggers to give away on our blogs. I have a *signed* copy of Goth Girl Rising that I am giving away RIGHT HERE! (For the record- it pains me to give this away! I love this book & I don't currently posses a signed copy of my own.) And since I love these books so much I am throwing in one of my copies (unsigned) of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl because you need to read it first.

Here's how you enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me something you enjoy or enjoyed from high school (me- I was a band nerd. I loved going to competitions on Saturdays)

2. I will give you an extra entry if you post about this contest(facebook, twitter, your own blog, etc) Just let me know where you posted.

I will use an online Randomizer to choose the winner.

Good Luck & Happy Reading!

Contest ends on November 5.

WINNER! JESSICA MERRELL!

Thanks to all who entered :) Be watching for more contests soon.

The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

I always stay up way too late reading. Last night I finished Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star around 1:30. It is set in modern day London. Rory is an American girl attending a boarding school & copy cat Jack the Ripper murders start occurring. Also, Rory starts seeing ghosts & she gets mixed up with a secret government police force.

I love Maureen Johnson. I love her books, her tweets (seriously, follow her. She's is the funniest thing on Twitter), & her cat pictures. One of my all time favorite books is Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by her & I've really liked everything else I've read that she's written. I knew this one would not disappoint. I was 50 pages from finishing and put off reading for a day because 1. I didn't this story to end and 2. it was INTENSE! I loved loved LOVED the ending & how it sets up perfectly for more.

This one gets my stamp of approval :)

(in a week or so I will be hosting a contest to win a signed copy of Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising. Be on the lookout!)

Harry Potter & the Epic Conclusion

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS! HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt2

I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows pt2 last night with several friends. It was amazing.

It picks up right where the last left off (so you really have to watch pt1). From the first moment to the last it was quite a ride- suspenseful, scary, touching, funny, sweet...

It wasn't the sob-fest I had thought it would be. I got a little misty-eyed a few times, though. I am ready to see it again! & I really would like to see it in regular-D instead of 3-D. I went back & forth with the 2D glasses at first but the 3D ones worked better here. I think something was wrong with the projection or something bc part of the screen stayed fuzzy.

Here are some of my highlights from my first viewing (in no particular order):

*Daniel Radcliffe absolutely killed as Harry Potter. He has improved so much over the years & I think he was channeling the boy wizard straight from the pages of the novel. When he stepped out from the crowd during Snape's assembly I cheered (which I did quite a few times throughout)

*I simply adored every moment Professor McGonagall was onscreen- from her duel with Snape to her awakening the suits of armor (and that coy little way she delivered that line! "I've always wanted to use that spell") to her absolutely heartbreaking expression when she thought Harry was dead.

*Molly Weasley got her moment! "Not my daughter you bitch!" Way to kick ass, Molly! more cheering for you!

*Neville! Not only has he become a hottie, but he ain't taking no crap! Loved loved loved where he said something to the effect of "Where's Luna? I got the hots & I want to tell her since we'll probably both be dead by morning." AH! & their sweet moment at the end.

*Oh Luna- "you listen to me, Harry Potter!" You tell him, girl!

*Every single scene with Harry & Ginny. (& her agonizing cry when she sees Harry dead)

*Helena Bonham Carter as Hermione-as-Bellatrix.

*Snape's last moments- Alan Rickman is amazing & I have a crush on him.

*Ron & Hermione kiss! & the audience cheers!

*The Forest Again- My favorite chapter in the entire series (really, in any book I've ever read) is chapter 34 of the Deathly Hallows, when Harry makes his final walk to meet Voldemort. "Does it hurt when you die?" <-- that line got me in the book AND the movie. That whole scene is heart-wrenching.

*King's Cross scene was well done also, but EWWW Horcrux Voldy was gross.

*I am SO GLAD they refilmed the Epilogue. They looked so much better than the early pictures....and looked closer to the correct age!

My not-so-hi-lights:

*My only complaint, really, is that Harry did not use the Elder wand to repair his own. Um, that's kind of important.

There were a few other things that I either wished they had done differently or wish they had included. I'll try to add more to this as I think about it (with my fuzzy, sleep deprived brain).

My letter in response to the "Don't say gay" bill

As you may have heard, a senator in my state of Tennessee is trying to get a bill passed through the senate (and it's already passed a committee) essentially saying that discussions, books, or any other material that mentions anything other than heterosexuality are not welcome in elementary or middle schools.

My very first thoughts went to the kids who have committed suicide because they were bullied. In some cases those kids were just perceived to be gay.

I have heard of letters that authors like Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson, Maureen Johnson & countless others have received from kids thanking them for their books because they gave the kids a voice & showed them that they were not alone.

How can anyone who cares for the well being of kids think this is a good idea? I see my first job as a protector of these kids-whether they are in my classroom or not. That's why I wrote a letter to my senator and representative (because the House has a similar bill that hasn't moved yet-HB0229).

If you live in TN, please contact your senator and them him/her to STOP this bill.

Here is my letter:

As a middle school teacher in a TN public school I am deeply concerned about this so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill (SB0049). It is my understanding that as an educator I wouldn't be allowed to acknowledge the fact that students are gay. Please don't forget the recent headlines where kids- some of them in middle school- committed suicide because they were gay or just perceived to be gay. Don't tie our hands where we cannot
address these situations. Don't silence these kids who are struggling with who they are by banning novels that deal with similar situations.
Ask any young adult author who writes on these subjects just how powerful & lifesaving their novels are & ask them how many kids write to them to tell them that.

Be bold enough to say no to this intolerance. Say no to this dangerous bill.

Severe Weather Testing Procedures

We had our TCAP meeting today since our tests are next week. You know the drill-

make sure everything is covered up (bc my Harry Potter poster might give someone an answer)

they aren't allowed to have a book in case they finish early (bc the book might give them an answer)

walk around & make sure they are putting the answers in the correct section but DO NOT look at the test! (bc we'd hate for the teachers to know what the kids are tested on)

lock your door when it's break time (bc a troll might break in and eat the tests?)

etc, etc, etc,

But this last part really takes the cake. Because this is Severe Weather Time, they decided to give us procedures on what to do if weather hits during the test. This is getting ridiculous..........

SEVERE WEATHER TESTING PROCEDURES:

1. Should a severe weather situation occur during testing, please remain calm. To display any kind of anxiety would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

2. Please do not look out the window to watch for approaching tornadoes. You must monitor the students at all times. To do otherwise would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

3. Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of tears and sinus drainage.

4. Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet or an answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.

5. Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room, have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure that no one accidentally bleeds on the answer documents. Damaged answer sheets will not scan properly.

6. Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test booklets and answer sheets into their shirts…being very careful not to bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.

7. If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please make sure they mark at least one answer before departing…and of course make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You will have to account for those.

8. Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all of your testing materials when you land so please take extra precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never leave your hands.

9. When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make sure that they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not be allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests…unless of course they have been through standardized test training.

(BTW, my principal has a great sense of humor. Honestly, I was buying it for the first 3 because it's about this bad. I needed this laugh today) :)

Red Glove by Holly Black

Oh that Holly Black is a tricky one. I almost think she is an emotion worker but has a way of working through her words. At the end of White Cat it was like she stuck a knife right into my heart and twisted it just a little, and, just when you think the worst is over and things might actually be looking up for Cassel in Red Glove, she punches you right in the gut.

I have never been one to watch mob-related movies. I have never seen the Godfather movies or Goodfellas (though I use to watch the cartoon Goodfeathers, if that counts for anything). So I wasn't sure how I would like the Curse Worker series. I knew I loved Holly's storytelling and White Cat probably had a CAT in it, so I figured this would be good. And let me tell ya- I LOVED IT. It was probably my favorite book that I read in 2010. I try to get everyone I can to read it. I was able to get my grubby hands on an advanced copy of Red Glove thanks to the kind publisher who loves teachers who ask nicely. I got this book Monday and while I whined about having yet another snow day that closed schools today (because I have A LOT left to cover before those tests, but I digress) I stayed bundled up in my house and finished it.

(Slight Spoilery)

In White Cat Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers and feels left out that he isn't one, only to discover that he was being worked himself and is one of the most dangerous ones. Red Cat picks up a few months later. Cassel is dealing with a work his mother had done that left him wondering if Lila's intentions are true, his brother Phillip is murdered and the Feds want him to help find the killer, he is being recruited by some of the top mob families, all the while trying to find a way to pass physics. He doesn't know who, if anyone, he can trust.

There are so many twists and turns and discoveries. I was so drawn into this story. On the one hand I wanted to slap Cassel around for continuing to put up with his family's deceit and betrayal, but on the other, I can see how deeply rooted he was and how much he felt he had no choice. It breaks my heart that he felt so bad and not worthy of something good. I had Jesse Eisenberg's voice in my head which helped. He did an amazing job reading White Cat and he has a way of making Cassel sound just vulnerable enough. Hopefully they will get him to read Red Glove.

If you have not read White Cat, don't hesitate! Red Glove comes out in April of this year. This series is awesome. There are so many books coming out this year that I am looking forward to. If the rest are anywhere near as good as this one, I am in for a great year of reading.