WWW Wednesdays

Hosted by Should Be Reading.

So I have 3 questions to answer, and if you want to play along, you do, too!

What are you currently reading? I'm currently rereading The Elite by Kiera Cass.

What did you read last? Twigs by Alison Ashley Formento

What do I plan to read next? Likely Wither by Lauren DeStefano or one of the books I need to review (NetGalley or an ARC from my local indie bookseller)

By the way, today is the 12th anniversary of 9/11, so let's all take a moment to remember those who lost their lives.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Love to See as a Movie and Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

There's a reason I'm working on a screenplay for it... Now I just need to find a production company who's willing to buy the rights and use my script.

2. Heist Society by Ally Carter

And, yeah, I know there are people currently working on the adaptation.  But I really want a GOOD movie of Heist Society.

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

How insanely awesome would this movie be?  The fairytale aspect would pull a female audience, and if they showcased it right, the futuristic and sci-fi elements could attract guys.

4. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

It's one of the best-written fantasies I've read, and I think they could do a lot with a movie version.  King Under Stone and his world would look insanely awesome on a big screen.

5. The 39 Clues series

It has the potential to be a blockbuster film series.  What would be best, though, is if they combine 1 or 2 books into one movie.  And I'd just want them to do the first series.  The second series is good, but I think it gets just a tad too unrealistic and melodramatic.

6. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

'Nuff said.

7. Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace

This is the second week Betsy-Tacy has ended up on my TTT list!  I'd absolutely love to see them made into movies, even just the high school books, Betsy and the Great World, and Betsy and Joe.

8. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

If you didn't read this book in your childhood, you need to read it.  And someone needs to make a movie.

9. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Basically, everything I said about Mixed-Up Files applies to this book, too.  Including that you should read it.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'm kind of cheating with this book, since there is a movie of it.  It's going to be a long wait until March 2014, though, and I'm very excited!

Hosted by Should Be Reading.

Technically this is a re-read, but whatever. ;P

"'Not a lot of people know we're in the palace in the first place, just a few of the cooks I work with, one of the nurses, and Maxon.  I don't even think the guards know because they have to answer to the king, and he wouldn't be pleased to find out."

-page 194, The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Journey of a Story

So I haven't talked about my writing in quite a while.  Things are going well.  I'm polishing up one book and trying to work up the courage to start querying agents with it.  I'm working on two others (one which I'll be majorly changing the direction of since I decided half of the plot didn't feel right, and another which I need to work on more dedicatedly).  And I'm planning one more that I'd like to start working on soon.  But with this post, I want to talk about how the writing process happens for me.  It's so different for each writer!

First, I get an idea.  It could come from something as small as a comment a friend makes or something I see on TV or even something I think of while working on school.
Next, I'll write down the idea.  I'll generally do this in one of three pages in my iPad Notes app, or, if I don't have access to my iPad, I'll scribble it down on some nearby paper.
The next step varies.  If I'm working on enough stories at the moment, I'll just write down as much relevant information as possible and store it for later (this is something I've gotten better at; I used to just start working on a book as soon as I got the idea).  However, if I don't have too many projects already, I'll start working on the book immediately.
After that, I generally like to plan out the main characters.  The protagonist, the antagonist, the best friends, the parents, the love interest, etc.  They often don't always end up like I plan them to (there's a guy in Teen Author who was originally supposed to be the love interest, but then things went another direction and there's an entirely different love interest...), but it's nice to have them thought out.
Sometimes, I have to outline.  For Teen Author (which was my 2012 NaNo book, for those who are wondering), I kept a detailed page in my Notes app about future chapters, symbolism in the book, and what I researched.  For one of my current projects, it's heavily based off of my life at the moment, so I just make sure I have access to diary entries during the time I'm working on and I always have friends I can turn to.  There are also a LOT of characters in that story (most minor but all important), so I pulled my old white board off the schoolroom wall and brought it upstairs.  Currently, it holds the character web.  In the center is my protagonist.  Then all around her name are the other characters.  Lines connect those who are friends, love interests, and siblings.  See the picture below.

About this point, I start feverishly working on the book.  I'll try to write a little bit every day until I know it's done.  I've never had a moment where I'm uncertain if the story is finished.  I don't always know the middle details, but 99.9% of the time, I know at least the general details of what the resolution should be.
Editing. I usually edit as I go just because it's in my nature.  I cut back on this a bit during NaNoWriMo, but it's pretty hard to not reread and change things.  But after the book is completely done, I'll shove it aside for awhile (I didn't look at Teen Author from February to May).  Then I'll go over it and try to catch grammatical and spelling errors while fixing phrasing and changing content.
Next, I submit it to my beta readers.  Currently, I only have one reliable one. (Shout-out to Hannah!)  I asked two other non-writer friends to critique Teen Author, too.  That was back in June.  Neither has sent me their critique yet. (You know who you are.)
The last step. Eventually, I want to start querying Teen Author.  Or maybe I'll realize how terrible it is and wait until I finish one of my current projects to begin querying.  Who knows?

Random Fridays: Back to School Thoughts

Happy Friday, everyone!  I'm halfway through the school day at co-op, and that's perfect since today's topic is back to school thoughts.

Random Friday rules!  Include the above image in your post, and link to my blog (or this post) somewhere in your post.  It's that simple.  Anyone can join in if you follow those simple rules.

So, back to school thoughts...

1. I'm more confident this year.  I'm usually pretty quiet in group settings, but already this year, I've been a bit more vocal.  And very sarcastic.  My friends can attest to that.  Of course, I have a cold so let's see if, when I'm feeling better next week, I act the same.

2. Second period is quickly becoming my favorite period.  I don't have class from 9:30 to 10:25, and several of my friends are free, too.  So we already hung out, joked, poked fun at each other, and debated the most random things. (Moccasins, Star Wars, me killing people in my books [I swear, Chris is the only one who's had an actual death!]...)

3. English is more difficult than I thought.  The papers haven't been too hard, but we're supposed to respond to at least one peer post (and for one assignment, we're supposed to respond to all three peers in our group), and some of my group members aren't posting until late on the due date.

4. Civics has not been as fun as I was expecting.  I love political science and American government.  But so far, civics has been kind of boring with lots of awful papers.  I'm rethinking my decision to minor in political science.

5. Geometry is awful, like I was expecting.  It's math.  I have the best teacher in the world, and two of my friends are in the class, but IT'S MATH.  At 8:30 in the morning.  I'm not sure I'm awake enough to function properly.

6. This is kind of bittersweet.  It's my last first day at co-op, and it's hard to imagine things without me.  Or me without co-op.  I've been attending for six and a half years (it'll be seven in January).  Next year is going to be vastly different.

7. Writing club is after lunch, and at the moment, I'm not sure how much I'm looking forward to it.  I'm hoping the assignments aren't too specific, as a true writing club would be students bringing in whatever genre they work in (novels, poetry, screenplays, etc.) to have critiqued.

So, how are y'all feeling about going back to school?

Edit: Next week's topic is pretty hairstyles. :)

Review: Jane

Jane by April Lindner
Grade: C+
Summary: Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. 

But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

The Good: Pride and Prejudice is retold so often, and while I love P&P, it was refreshing to find a retelling of another classic.  How Lindner transferred the book to a modern setting was interesting, and I'll talk about that more later.  Since I haven't read Jane Eyre yet, I can't say how it really compared to the original.  I do know some things about Jane Eyre, though, thanks to Wish You Were Eyre.  The best characters were the St. Johns.

The Bad: Jane was a bit too flat.  She didn't grow and change.  The progression of the plot didn't flow well.  I know in the original, Jane's childhood is included and I feel this might've been important to her character development.  In this book, when she finally meets Nico Rathburn, I have no clue how she went from not recognizing him on the road to suddenly knowing who he was.  It's pretty much impossible in this day and age to not have seen at least one picture of the top stars.  I also feel the romance moved much too quickly.  Is it like that in the original?

The Ugly: Nico swears quite a bit (f-words, s-words, etc.), although it's something Jane doesn't like.  There's a character who calls Jane several inappropriate names (can't say who, without spoiling something from Jane Eyre and Jane).  Romance felt, unfortunately, very modern YA with several things implied in conversation and then later done by Nico and Jane.

The Verdict: I was so eager to like this book.  I went into it knowing nothing but the synopsis and that my friend recommended it.  Unfortunately, it fell very short of my expectations.  If you're okay with all the things in "The Ugly," I'd say give it a try and let me know if you felt differently.

Also, tomorrow's RANDOM FRIDAY topic will be Back to School thoughts.  My post will be up in the afternoon, since I have co-op from 8:30-2:00, and I'll also have thoughts from my first Friday back.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish Were Required Reading

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I'm homeschooled, so my list may not entirely be accurate.  I have read classics for school and also had a summer reading list a couple years ago, so I'm hoping it won't include any already-required books.

But I should note, I'm not a fan of required reading.  I feel it can turn so many students off of books, especially when they have to analyze the novel's content instead of just enjoying it.  I hated pretty much every book I read in American literature.  The only high spot was To Kill a Mockingbird, which I have reread time and time again.

But without further delay, my list. :)

1. Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

This book is more middle grade, but middle schoolers have required reading.  I loved the setting in FH&IJ, but the young characters were also spectacular, along with their parents and grandparents.  There were characters I rooted for and those I booed.

2. Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace

Yeah, it's a bit girly for guys, but the books are a fun representation of life in the early 1900s, all from a child to a young adult's POV.

3. A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin

Kids love dogs, and the book is fairly thought-provoking on how humans treat dogs.

4. Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

I put off reading Divergent for so long, and now I love it.  It's well-written, it's about the future of a city I know well, and I love that it shows how people are often divided by our abilities, our mindsets, things along those lines.

5. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Like Divergent, this is one of the best examples of modern dystopian fiction.  Of course, it can be a bit dismal sometimes but the trilogy has a well-crafted world and characters.

6. Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

After reading Hamlet (if high schools require that, which they should), students should read Falling for Hamlet.  It's an excellent modern retelling from Ophelia's perspective.  I often wonder, when reading books, how the book would've gone when told by the villain or a secondary character.  I can't be alone.

 

7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I'm sure this book might appear on many lists, but I believe it belongs on mine.  There's so much emotion and reality in this work of fiction that it needs to be read.

8. Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series

I love how she started out retelling a fairytale and then it branched out with original fantasy novels.  This is a series that I feel isn't overly girly, so guys could enjoy it, too.

9. I.Q. series by Roland Smith

Fun adventures that give an interesting look at terrorism and at history, a bit.

It was a fight to the finish, and I had a hard time choosing this final book.

10. Starstruck by Rachel Shukert

Y'all may remember when I read and reviewed this book, and how, in the end, I really didn't like it.  But I think it does give a fairly accurate portrayal of Old Hollywood, which would be interesting, different, and fun for students to read about.

Honorable Mentions: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Heist Society series by Ally Carter, Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter, Golden by Jessi Kirby

The Chaos of Stars

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Grade: B+
This book was an ARC provided by my local indie bookseller in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

The Good: Oh my gosh, I did not see part of the ending coming.  And that was one of the best parts.  I'm not going to spoil it for y'all, but I literally had to reread a section because I was so shocked.  Endings with such a twist are awesome.  The characters were good.  I would've liked to see a little more of Isadora's dad, Osiris, but I thought Isadora was well-developed (she had her faults, but she had her strengths and an interesting personality).  This girl loves interior decorating, for goodness' sake!  How many main characters are into that?  The plotline was intriguing and very good (I don't really want to spoil anything, so I can't say much).  I definitely didn't expect the climax.

The Bad: Pertaining to other characters, I didn't really like Isadora's first friend in San Diego, Tyler.  I don't know why, but that girl just got on my nerves.  Overall, the writing didn't really feel YA, but a bit more middle grade, and I really can't fully enjoy books that seem a bit below my reading comprehension level.  Technically, Rick Riordan's books are middle grade, but he doesn't write condescendingly, so I enjoy his novels. (Just an example to show that it's not middle grade fiction in general).

The Ugly: Definitely some foul language, although nothing was too bad, I believe.  In talking about the Egyptian myths, there is some talk of sex and that sort of thing.  Isadora and the characters in San Diego don't really go any further than making out, though.

Just a note: if you're uncomfortable with mythology and magic to an extent, then this book should be avoided.  I didn't find magic to be the main focus.  It felt very Percy Jackson-esque, like how the gods make random stuff appear, battle each other, etc.  Isadora and her family do use protection amulets, however.

Verdict: Good book.  I'd definitely suggest checking it out, come September 10th. ;)

Random Friday: Dream Jobs

Random Fridays is a new, original weekly feature on Bookworm/Future Author.  Each Friday, I'll have a random topic (I hope to get these topics chosen in advance and have a list for y'all to see) and I'll blog about that.  Y'all are welcome to join in, using my pre-chosen topic.  Just, please, use the image above and link back to my blog somewhere in your post. :)

This week, I want to talk about...dream jobs.

1. Assistant to Taylor of Taylor's Thingamabobs



Seriously, how fun would it be to be her assistant?  I'd go on supply runs for her, mail packages, handle orders (except custom orders, since she would need to discuss designs with those customers), and be willingly paid in bows.

2. Bridal Consultant

I love watching Say Yes to the Dress with my mom, and I think it would be really cool to help brides find their perfect dress.

3. Personal Stylist
I don't feature fashion too much on this blog because I'm too wrapped up with books and writing.  But I love figuring out what looks good on people and helping them shop.  This kind of fits with bridal consultant, too.

4. Professional Bookworm
Seriously, can I be paid to just sit around and read books?  Maybe bake once in awhile?  I could be paid in books and giftcards to bookstores.

5. Editor
My ultimate career goal, besides being a writer, is to work in the publishing industry and be an editor, specifically a copy editor.  Grammar and spelling are a couple of my strengths, but I do like analyzing content and making sure it sounds perfect.  Except for when it comes to my own books.  That's a headache. :P

6. So this one is going to be a combination of all my dream jobs from when I was little.
Ballerina.  I loved ballet class.  I had to take tap and jazz, too, but I really liked ballet.
Veterinarian.  A friend from second grade and I decided to be vets together and open a clinic.  That dream died long ago when I realized a) how much I hate science, and b) how squeamish I am.  Seriously, don't talk about your injuries around me.
Teacher.  This was during the period of about 3-4 years when I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life (mid-life crisis at age 10).
Interior decorator.  See below...

7. Interior decorater/designer.
I went through a phase where I was absolutely obsessed with interior design.  I think it started about the time we went to NYC and visited the Met and saw the gallery of furniture.  I would still love to do something like this, but that dream is deeply buried under my writing desires.

Hopefully, the first Random Friday is a success, and here's to many more!

North of Beautiful

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Grade: A-
Summary: It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

The Good: I found this book to be beautiful crafted.  Justina Chen Headley is a talented writer.  Her skills aren't John Green-level, but they're worth mentioning.  So many writers create a good story with their plot and characters but their writing is just so-so.  Also, every little bit of the plot is lovely.  There are so many little elements coming together to form the whole plot: Terra's harsh father, Terra's art, meeting Jacob, a trip to China, geocaching, etc.  I love how Terra discovered herself at the end and how she supported her mom.  I found Terra's brothers, Merc and Claudius, to be interesting characters who each reacted in different ways to their father.

The Bad:  The last chapter felt a bit off to me.  At least, the ending with Jacob.  I don't know, maybe I just didn't understand it.  Also, I think geocaching needed a bit more explanation.  It's widely gaining popularity, but not everyone knows what it is (I only know because of Switched at Birth).  I think the climax needed to come a little sooner.  There was a lot of build-up and it took too long to arrive with an ending that was a bit rushed then.

The Ugly: A wee bit of language.  Some sexual references, nothing vastly inappropriate, though.  Romance was pretty much PG.

The Verdict: Read this book.  It's not an epic like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or The Fault in Our Stars but it's still an excellent read.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Secondary Characters

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. May from The Selection.  I love her exuberance and sweetness.  She seems like a futuristic fangirl, which I love.

2. Hazel Hale from Perfect Scoundrels.  We never actually meet her, but she plays such a huge part in Heist Society's third book, and I love the bits of her personality that we get.

3. Dr. Erland from Cinder.  He kind of irked me, but I ended up liking him in the end, and I have a feeling we're going to-and we need to!-see more of him in Cress and/or Winter.

4. Mrs. Bergson from The Mother-Daughter Book Club series.  She doesn't show up until Dear Pen Pal, but she is a wonderful character and a great female role model for the girls.  Loving, strong, successful...

5. Ella from Heroes of Olympus.  She is, without a doubt, the coolest harpy ever. (And I'm saying this like I've met so many.)  I like how nervous she is and how Hazel, Percy, and Frank care for her on their journey in The Son of Neptune.

6. Uriah from Divergent. He's just awesome in general, but I'm very bummed they've left him out of the first movie.

7. Hazel's parents from The Fault in Our Stars.  Supportive, loving parents seem so rare these days in YA fiction, although I can name some.  TFIOS is a good example of parents who are present in their children's lives and really care about them.

8. Emma in Time Between Us.  Kind of because she shares my name but also because she's a good friend to Anna, and a decision about her shapes a big moment in the book.

9. Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice. Absolutely detest her.  But she's comical, memorable, and annoying all at the same time.

10. Valten from The Fairest Beauty.  I felt kind of sorry for him, but at the same time, I was rooting for who Sophie ended up with the whole time.

And there you have it!  My top ten favorite/most memorable secondary characters. :) Any you agree with?