Monthly Archives: February 2014

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Reader

5b4a8-toptentuesdayTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

For more information about Top Ten Tuesday and a list of upcoming Top Ten Tuesday topics, click here.

This Week’s Topic:
Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Reader

  1. Go Anywhere- Whether it be a country, time period, or a fantasy world, books allow you to travel anywhere.  Some of my favorite places I’ve traveled are: Hogwarts, a battle school in space, Prague, and a giant whale airship during WWI.
  2. Be Anything- At this point in my life, I know for the most part which careers I won’t ever pursue.  Writing is kind of my thing.  Working with teens is my thing.  Perhaps someday I’d like to make editing my thing.  But there are a thousand other occupations I can experience through the pages of a book: pilot, mad scientist, princess, detective, archeologist, astronaut, revolutionary… The list goes on.
  3. Using My Imagination- Who doesn’t want to be a kid again?  One part of what is so special about being a kid is not knowing life’s limitations.  Every door is wide open.  And part of that comes with the young’s unique imagination.  When I read, part of that essence of being a kid comes back to me.  When reading, I can suspend my disbelief and allow my imagination to open up possibilities that as an adult, I know now aren’t really possible.  Reading is still a place where anything is possible, with the help of a little imagination.
  4. Libraries are Free- As a reader, my entertainment can be 100% free–thanks to libraries!  I recently read this little anecdote in a speech by Lois Lowry (Arbuthnot Speech, 2011):

    Annika said something in German to my granddaughter, who translated for her. “She wants to know how much it costs to use the library.”
    I told them it was free.
    “Free?”
    Yes. Free.
    “Do other towns have free libraries?” they asked.
    By now we were in the car. I sat there for a minute, thinking about the geography of the area, then said, “I’m going to show you something.”

    Lowry goes on to drive them by several public libraries all within a small radius of her home, and at the end of the tour, while eating ice cream, the visiting German girls proclaim that libraries are the best thing in the United States.  Reading this story made me truly appreciative of the fact that I not only have a free library, but a stunningly beautiful one just two miles from my home.  I have thousands of books at my fingertips, which would certainly be more than people in other parts of the world have access to.

  5. Reading Fiction is Good for the Brain- A recent study showed that reading fiction boosts brain activity, and not just while reading, but for up to five days after finishing a book.  Scientists are calling it a type of muscle memory.  I always feel more positive, clear-headed, and productive after finishing a good book, but I always just attributed it to being in a good mood.  But this study would suggest that after finishing a work of fiction, your brain actually gets a power boost that goes on for days.  Who’s going to be making more time for reading?  This girl!
  6. Reading Makes You a More Empathetic Person- Another recent scientific study found that reading literary fiction improves a reader’s ability to understand what another person is thinking and feeling.  Nonfiction, popular fiction, and genre fiction did not have the same results.  But literary fiction showed a significant increase in empathy and understanding.  Perhaps the expression, “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes” should instead be “put yourself in someone else’s narrative.”
  7. Reading is Both Relaxing and Exciting- Reading is my form of relaxing in the evening.  Curling up under a blanket with tea and a book is idyllic.  But when I’m in the middle of a page-turner, I can tell you that my heart is literally racing.  The duality of a book being both relaxing and inciting racing heart-palpitations is a uniquely wonderful experience.
  8. Books are Better than Movies- Isn’t this a universal fact?  The book is always better than the movie.
  9. Never Ending Supply of Books- It is physically impossible to read every book ever written on this Earth.  How glorious is it that you will never run out of new, fresh stories to read?  While I sometimes feel daunted by my to-read pile, it is actually a wonderful thing to have so many great stories waiting for me to enjoy.
  10. Belief in the Power of Words- I believe that books have the power to change the world.  Whether it’s through spreading knowledge, creating empathy, inspiring the future, or simply providing pleasure, I sincerely believe in the power of words.

Whew!  What a Top Ten Tuesday!  I think this may be one of my favorites because writing the post has left me feeling so many warm, fuzzy feelings about reading.

Three cheers for being a reader!

Any great parts of being a reader I missed?  Please share!

Book Review: Cress

cressCress
by Marissa Meyer
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: Rebellion, Survival, Responsibility, Space, Love, Friendship

Reviews of Previous Books in the Series:
Cinder (5 stars)
Scarlet (4 stars) And… I can’t find my review ANYWHERE.  So confused.  Basically, from what I remember, I really liked this book, but parts were really scary and reminded me of a zombie apocalypse.  And I hate zombies.

Summary:
The series continues, but this time adding to the cast of characters: Cress.  A girl who has lived as a hacker and spy for the past seven years from a satellite orbiting Earth.  But her satellite is a prison, and Cress feels no loyalty to those who have trapped her there.  With her hacking skills and knowledge from years of spying, she would make a fine addition to the rebellion against Queen Levana.

Spoiler Free Section:

If you like book series with a wide cast of characters and expansive world-building, Marissa Meyer is delivering.  Her characters are lovable, well-developed, and quirky.  The history and depth of the world she’s created makes this a great escapist novel.  But most of all, her series is FUN.  For me, this book was the perfect read to curl up with after a long day at work.  I caught myself actually smiling and giggling as I read.  Meyer is highly influenced by Star Wars, and it’s fun to spot parallels between the two.  If a grand space adventure with a fun cast of characters sounds like your thing, I urge you to give this series a shot.

If you don’t want the series ruined for you… then I suggest you stop reading.

What I Loved:

Characterization: What I find especially remarkable is how the friendships and relationships between characters is making each character stronger.  Marissa Meyer is doing a beautiful job of using characters to bring out the strengths and flaws of each other.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Thorne’s character until this book.  I felt like he was a bit of a caricature–too perfect, too handsome, and with too many one-liners.  But when paired with Cress, he became more human, more real.  Cress herself was quite naive and idealistic.  But when the two were paired together, it forced realism upon them.  Thorne couldn’t be as perfect as Cress believed him to be, and we saw his flaws.  Cress, seeing the bad in the world along with the good, grew into a character that was stronger as she shed some of her naivete.

Another dynamic that I think worked beautifully in this book is Cinder and Kai.  They started the series on unequal ground.  Kai as emperor and Cinder as the lowest of the low, a cyborg servant.  Despite this, there was still chemistry between them.  As the series has progressed, Cinder has grown not just in strength of character but also in what responsibilities she has undertaken.  In one of the final scenes, where Cinder and Kai have their first real talk since the ball in the first book, the sense of understanding between the two characters is breathtaking.  Both Kai and Cinder feel the weight of responsibility, and it brings depth and beauty to their relationship.

Cohesiveness of Plot and World: With each book, the world and plot get larger and more expansive.  Meyer’s ability to make it all work is impressive.  From the futuristic technology to the plague to the intergalactic war, Meyer has managed to not just have it make sense, but also to interweave these elements.  The addition of bio-warfare was a twist I didn’t see coming and it further tightened the plot.  I admire how Meyer weaves some science into a series of books that would be considered too light and fun to be hardcore sci-fi.

Raising the Stakes: Meyer does one of my favorite things: throws her characters into the worst possible situations.  I looooove this.  Oh look, the whole gang is safe together in space… LET’S SEPARATE THEM.  Cress is going to finally escape her satellite… LET’S CRASH LAND HER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SAHARA WITH NO SHOES AND A BLIND MAN.  Marissa Meyer is AWESOME.  I want the characters in the worst possible situation.  I want to be on the edge of my seat.  I want to see them fighting to get out of it, using their skills and wits.  And please, no magical resolution.  Make them work for it and make the resolution an earned pay off for all that struggle.  Meyer does this 100%.

Humor: If you like witty dialogue and banter…  If you like when each character has their own voice and quirks…  If you like when quirkiness results in humorous interplay between characters… Then you’ll love the humor that Meyer has going on.  One of my favorite bits in Cress was Iko, the robot with the ridiculously girlish personality.  The scenes with Iko provided just the right levity and humor.  Her character is absolutely hilarious.

HR sealofapprovalOverall: Five big beautiful stars and I’m giving this book the official Hughes Reviews Seal of Approval.  That’s how much I loved it.  This is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the Lunar Chronicles series.  It just hit all the right notes for me.  I’m anxiously awaiting the final book, Winter, though I can’t imagine it topping my warm fuzzy feelings for Book 3.

Cress on Goodreads

My post on meeting Marissa Meyer

Bits of Writing Wisdom (1)

Writing Wisdom
The first of a series of posts where I share writing quotes that inspire me.  Using crafty supplies, I create and mount the quotes in a vintage typewriter style.  Then I photograph the quotes to share with you.

Writing Wisdom #1:

Final Writing Wisdom 1

 

How this inspired me:
I’ve been in the middle of writing something and become totally and completely bored by what I was typing.  And when I stop myself from tapping away at those keys and think about what I’m typing–I usually realize that nothing about what I’m writing is moving the plot along.  Often what I catch myself doing is writing a description passage.  Or perhaps describing mundane details like what my characters are eating and how they’re dressing for the day.  Sometimes that boring stuff gets the words flowing, but deleting, regrouping, and coffee is definitely the best course of action.  Write exciting!  Not boring.

Thanks Maggie Stiefvater (author of Shiver, The Scorpio Races, The Raven Boys) for the great wisdom!

Share this bit of writing wisdom with a writing friend!
Or pin for later inspiration! 

May you have many exciting writing days!

Book Review: Austenland

austenlandAustenland
by Shannon Hale
Published by: Bloomsbury USA
Form: Kindle eBook*
Big Themes: Jane Austen, Obsession, Love, Authenticity, Identity, Regency Era

Summary:
Jane has an obsession with Jane Austen, but more specifically with Mr. Darcy and the BBC production starring Colin Firth.  Her obsession with Mr. Darcy seems to ruin her love life because no man can live up to Darcy’s fictional character.  A wealthy relative passes away and bequeaths to Jane an extravagant vacation: a three-week trip to Austenland, where women pay to live the Austen experience firsthand.  Jane hopes the trip will help her cure her obsession by getting her Mr. Darcy fantasy out of her system.  However, will the gentlemen remain just actors to her?  Or will something real, love perhaps, blossom in this fantasy land?

*I’ve had a fierce moral struggle with purchasing eBooks from Amazon.  However, I have a bunch of eBooks that I purchased before I started boycotting.  And I’ve decided to read those, since I already paid for them.

Reading an ADULT book?!  What?!
I don’t normally read books aimed at adults.  I’m normally a middle grade and YA reader.  But I met Shannon Hale at the National Book Festival and LOVE HER.  I’ve read nearly all her middle grade/YA titles, and knew she had this Austen-based series.  So I decided to give Austenland a shot, considering I’m such a devoted fan of her other books.

What I Loved:

Cute Concept: I think most girls who enjoy reading period piece or watching films set pre-1900’s would admit to fantasizing about wearing long, beautiful dresses and attending a ball.  We modern gals still love our blue jeans, yoga pants, and mini-skirts.  However, the 21st century certainly does not present a young lady with many opportunities to don a ball gown.  Hence, why I think many ladies out there would love the premise of Austenland: a vacation where you get to wear empire waist gowns every day and be courted by gentlemen in breeches, culminating in a romantic ball.  Uh yeah.  Sounds pretty fun to me.

Authentic Conflict: As fun as this whole Austenland vacation sounds, the conflict created by this very premise is what had me turning pages.  How would I feel playing pretend and knowing the gentlemen in Austenland were actors being paid to sweep me off my feet?  I empathized with Jane because I would have had trouble tricking my brain into buying the experience and playing along.  I would have constantly been questioning whether the men wooing me were just acting or if there were some real sparks flying…?  This was a very organic conflict that kept me reading.

Criticism:

Predictability: Readers with knowledge of Pride and Prejudice will be able to predict the story’s ending with ease.  That’s the tough part when you’re doing any sort of retelling–making the ending both similar to the original but fresh enough to be satisfying.  I felt like the ending wasn’t quite satisfying enough.  The final scene was cute, but lacked pay off for me because I saw it coming so far back.

Depth of Romance/Execution: I think the romantic tension could have been heightened had the author played around more with the fake actor/real love dilemma.  I felt like it was all too obvious who was real and who was just acting.  Jane was confused, but I wasn’t, so that leads me to think the drama was not executed as well as it could have been.  I wanted to be feeling the confusion and tension along with Jane, but instead I felt like I was simply watching her figure out what I already knew.

Overall:
Three stars.  It was cute.  Austen fans will likely enjoy it.  Not something I’d reread, and as much as I love Shannon Hale, I won’t be picking up the sequel.  I’ll stick with Hale’s wonderful middle grade/YA stuff.

Master Writer: Poe and Sound Effects

Poe Pic

(I drew this Poe head.
And I’m pretty darn proud of it too!)

I just finished teaching a unit featuring several works by Edgar Allan Poe.  If there’s anyone who teaches out there, you’ll know that teaching something forces you to not just learn the material, but become an expert.  Especially when you’re teaching something… times five classes.  And especially when you have 110 little heads asking you questions.

But as a writer, I’ve also found that teaching what are often great works of literature offers me amazing insight on the craft of writing.  At author events, people always ask for advice on becoming a writer.  And very often authors answer that you need to read a lot.  I think I’d go a step further.  Reading a lot is great.  But reflecting on and analyzing what you read is just as important to the growing process as a writer.  I think this is why so many writers benefit from a good MFA program–because it forces writers to use these analysis skills with their reading.

Anyhow, this post is intended to share one of the lessons I learned from Edgar Allan Poe.  A pretty cool one, I think.

Lesson from a Master Writer: Using consonance to create sound effects that mimic the action in your narrative.
Instructor: Mr. Poe
Required Text: “The Raven”

For this lesson, please read the following two stanzas from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”:

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there and nothing more.

-Stanzas 3-4, “The Raven”

Using these two stanzas, we are going to look at how Poe used consonance to create sound effects that mimic the noises in the narrative.

First, what is consonance?  Consonance is the purposeful repetition of a consonant sound.  (Assonance is the purposeful repetition of a vowel sound.)

In the first stanza above (stanza 3 in “The Raven”), the consonant sound “s” is repeated in the first line, “the silken, sad, uncertain rustling.”  What sound do you make when you want a person to be quiet?  When you want silence?  Shhhhh.  The “s” sound is a soft sound as well as one associated with silence.  And what is Poe describing using this soft “s” sound?  The movement of curtains.  Now say that line again.  Go on.  Say it out loud.  “The silken, sad, uncertain rustling…”  The very sound of that line mimics the soft sound of rustling curtains.

Absolute brilliance.  Let’s look at another.

In the next stanza (stanza 4 in “The Raven”), the consonant sound “p” is repeated in the lines:

But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

Especially when contrasted with the soft “s” sound of the previous stanza, the “p” sound is sharp and surprising.  Think of the word POP!  Or make the “p” sound with your lips.  It’s a quick burst of noise.  This “p” sound is again being used as a kind of sound effect for the narrative.  These two lines are describing the knocking sound at the door.  The quick, sudden burst of noise that has startled the narrator from slumber.  When I read this line, every time I get to a “p” sound, I feel as if I’m hearing that persistent rapping at the door.  The “p” sound even forms a sort of rhythm that one might use when knocking on someone’s door.

So while “The Raven” is known for its lyrical rhyme and rhythm, I’d venture to say that Poe was one of Horror’s first sound effect artists.  Poe knew how sounds affected a person’s psyche, and so he tried to imitate sounds with the words he chose.

POE = GENIUS

Thanks for attending my little lesson on Poe.
I’d love if you left a comment to tell me your thoughts on Poe, “The Raven,” or the lesson post in general!
Is this kind of post something you’d like to see more of on Hughes Reviews?

Author Event: February 1, 2014

DSC_0119 edit
Who (pictured above from left to right):
Megan Shepherd, Jessica Spotswood, Stephanie Perkins, Victoria Schwab, Ellen Oh
Where: Bethesda Library, MD
When: Saturday, February 1st at 2pm

Five YA authors results in a packed room:

Crowd 2/1/14

I was there mostly to see Stephanie Perkins, author of Lola and the Boy Next Door and Anna and the French Kiss. Perkins was on my “bucket list of authors to meet” and therefore, I was super excited!  I was also pleasantly surprised with the rest of the panel.  I was familiar with all of their books, even if I hadn’t read them.  And it is always nice to hear a variety of authors speak about their writing process.

If you’re looking for a creepy read, you may want to check out Victoria Schwab.  She was very fun to listen to and more of a veteran author than I realized.  I was only aware of her newer YA book The Archived, where the dead are stored like books on shelves, and the main character hunts down those dead that escape the library.  The premise is haunting and intriguing, and after hearing her speak, I’d trust her with my reading time if I feel like a thrills and chills kinda read.

The other author that I’m NO DOUBT CHECKING OUT is Megan Shepherd.
Megan Shepherd
She is one cool chick and a lot like myself.  Shepherd is doing gothic/sci-fi retellings of classics.  So freaking cool.  I’d already bought her first book, The Madman’s Daughter, but never got around to reading it.  The Madman’s Daughter is based off of H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau and her next two books in the series will be based off of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein.  She did not plan to write a trilogy, but at her editor’s suggestion, she developed this plan that incorporated other classics that were along the same “playing with science” vein.  I think that reading her books will be inspirational for my own writing, and I’m excited to check her books out!

And finally, there was the lovely Stephanie Perkins.  Upon meeting her, I’d planned to tell her that I loved how all of her characters (even the secondary ones) had their own interests and hobbies.  I found this made all her characters very endearing and lovable.  I was so pleasantly surprised when the topic of secondary characters came up in the panel discussion, and Perkins cited her inspiration for creating great secondary characters was J.K. Rowling!  I knew there was a reason I liked you Stephanie Perkins!  She talked about how she thinks it is so amazing that J.K. Rowling managed to create such a HUGE (thousands!) cast of secondary characters that are memorable in their own way.  Well, Stephanie Perkins, I believe you have successfully emulated J.K. Rowling because your secondary characters made your books stand out to me beyond the average contemporary fiction.  Kudos!

The only autograph I wanted was Perkins.  So I stood in line and had a short but lovely chat with her.  She has such a glowing, beautiful smile, as you can see in the pictures below!

Perkins 1

Perkins 2

Me and Perkins

Perkins Autograph

Love the message to be yourself, and very “Lola” appropriate!
Overall a great author event  🙂

Review: The Truth About Forever

truthaboutforeverThe Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
Published by: Penguin Group Inc.
Form: Kindle eBook*
Big Themes: Loss of Parent, Identity, Friendship, Falling in Love,

Summary:
After losing her father unexpectedly to heart attack, Macy struggles with her grief and her identity.  She strives to be perfect, but soon realizes that this fake perfection isn’t what makes her happy.  And perhaps, she’ll have to take some risks to find true happiness.

*I’ve had a fierce moral struggle with purchasing eBooks from Amazon.  However, I have a bunch of eBooks that I purchased before I started boycotting.  And I’ve decided to read those, since I already paid for them.

I’ve been wanting to read something by Sarah Dessen since I saw her speak at the 2011 National Book Festival in DC. She was just so adorable.  Below is a picture showing her adorableness:

03aa6-sarahdessen

What I Loved:

Characterization: There are some really memorable characters, but most of all the characters felt very real to me.  Kristy with her spunky personality, Monica with her limited conversation skills, Bert with his post-apocalyptic obsession, and Delia the pregnant caterer on the edge of disaster.  Most of all, my favorite character was Wes, and not just because he was the hunky romantic lead (though that helped).  I was pleasantly surprised by Wes’ character because he is a welder/metalworker/artist!  Was not expecting that hobby in this book!  I’m writing a character with the same occupation for my own novel right now, which gave me quite a soft spot for him.  I also really liked the Truth game that Macy and Wes play together because it’s sort of like a game I’ve played with guys I’m dating. And I think it helped show the two characters taking time to get to know each other, and not just highlighting the physical chemistry that is often associated with quick, teen romance.

Emotion: Sarah Dessen is an expert at the emotional journey.  This is something I really struggle with plot-wise, and I could probably benefit with reading more of her books and breaking down how she takes her characters on these emotional journeys.  The core of the emotional journey was definitely between Macy and her mother, and this mother/daughter relationship was well-done with the right young adult issues at its core.  Communication between mother and daughter is something a lot of teens struggle with, and I think Dessen handled this theme beautifully.

Criticism:

Heavy Flashback in Exposition: The book had an incredibly slow start due to all the flashbacks concerning Macy’s dad.  I realize that the flashbacks were essential to setting up Macy’s character, but I wonder if they could have been executed in a way that didn’t bog down the beginning of the novel.

Heavy Description: There were whole pages of description that I sort of just skimmed.  I have a low tolerance for description.  I think a few well-worded sentences or no more than three descriptive details is enough, and then you allow the reader to fill in the rest based on the mood you’ve created.  But that’s my personal taste.

Overall:
At first I struggled to get into the book because realistic fiction isn’t really my genre and the beginning of the book is heavy with flashbacks and description. HOWEVER, I definitely got into the book with time and can  say I enjoyed it and will read another by Sarah Dessen.  Four Stars.