Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It
by Sarah Mlynowski
Pages: 336
Published: March 11th 2014 by Delacorte Press
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Description: Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

MY REVIEW 

One fall morning a group of high school students are set to get their flu shots for the fall. However, there is a problem. The flu shots ended up giving them the ability of ESP. They can read each others minds. The story is centric around students of homeroom 10b. There are 23 students and 21 received the shot. This is a story of Tess who is in love with her best friend Teddy (no Espie), Olivia who is extremely shy, Pi who is the second smartest in the class, Mackenzie and Cooper who have been dating forever, and a few others. 

Now this book isn't going to be for everyone. If you look at the logic of the book, yes it doesn't make sense. How can someone write a novel when everyone can read each others minds. I though this book was a cute read. If you go into not expecting much from it, then you will enjoy it. If you're looking for a book that isn't going to be complicated, but enjoyable this will be it. 

The book is told from a point of view of an Epsie and we don't know who it is. At parts it can get a tad confusing, but getting past it, it works. Every character I enjoyed reading about. I did have a favorite and that was Olivia. 

Don't Even Think About It is a great guilty pleasure book. I was a little excited to see that this was book one because how it ended you wanted to know more of what was going to happen. 

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Bird Box 
By Josh Malerman
Pages: 262
Published: May 13th, 2014 by Ecco

Summary: Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn't look outside anymore. Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors. The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows. They are out there. She might let them in. The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall. Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them. Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.

MY REVIEW 

Bird Box is a story about Malorie who witnesses the world go to pieces. It all starts with someone seeing something and then going completely mad. Not thinking much of it at first, she doesn't fall into the hype. She doesn't start to panic until the hysteria falls on US soil and she witnesses it with her sister Shannon. Responding to an ad in the paper, Malorie; who recently found out she was pregnant, adventures to a house where she will live for four years. The housemates: Tom, Don, Cheryl and Jules all accept Malorie into their home. While she lives there, they have curtains on windows and always wearing blind folds. After an event at the household, Malorie finally adventures out into the new world and finds a new safe place to raise her children. 

I had two main reasons for picking up this book. One it was compared to The Road which is one of my favorite books and also I was looking for a good quick horror book to read. I wanted something different. I got one of those reasons. I do see the comparisons to The Road, but it's not quite like Cormac's. This is a book in it's own right. 

The story jumps from Malorie leaving the house and to why she left. It was organized enough so you didn't get lost with the jumping back and forth. It ran smoothly. I had a difficult time enjoying any of the characters. Malorie annoyed me especially when she was calling her child 'boy' and 'girl' the whole time. It felt she had no sympathy for them. I saw the point of this at the very end of the book, but I couldn't get past that. 

When I was looking for a horror book, I definitely got it with Bird Box. I found myself only reading it during day light because some parts where terrifying and graphically detailed. I don't get scared easily when it comes to novels, but this was one that did it for me. It was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be scared and questioning my familiar black shadows. 

This book is DEFINITELY not for everyone. I would say if you can handle The Road or some of King's horror books then you will be fine reading Bird Box. 

The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn

The Last Summer 

By Judith Kinghorn
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Published: December 31st 2012 by NAL/Penguin USA
Pages: 433
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Summary: Clarissa is almost seventeen when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled. Tom is handsome and enigmatic; he is also an outsider. Ambitious, clever, his sights set on a career in law, Tom is an acute observer, and a man who knows what he wants. For now, that is Clarissa.

As Tom and Clarissa's friendship deepens, the wider landscape of political life around them is changing, and another story unfolds: they are not the only people in love. Soon the world - and all that they know - is rocked by a war that changes their lives for ever.

MY REVIEW

The Last Summer is a story about an upstairs / downstairs relationship between Clarissa and Tom Cuthbert. Clarissa first meets Tom when she is just seventeen years old and have a romance that isn’t what Clarissa’s mother wants. Throughout the novel, you live the affair that Clarissa and Tom carry out throughout their whole lives. Clarissa struggles through her life trying to please everyone else but herself and during this struggle she suffers; not only with her heart but physically as well. 

Overall I enjoyed this novel. I loved how the novel started off with Clarissa’s innocence and we got to watch her grow into a woman at the age of forty by the end of the book. The only downfall to this growth was that I felt it made the book drag on. It was always about her longing for Tom and wishing to be with him, and her struggle of being unable to do so. 

I did enjoy reading the times Clarissa was with Tom. I also did enjoy her relationship with Antonio. I believe that was when Clarissa was truly allowed to be herself. She stopped caring what her mother wished, and it was nice to see that finally come out. Such a shame it happened much later in the book. Antonio was the perfect person at the perfect time for her. 

I loved how Judith writes and describes things. It has been a long time since I’ve wanted to sit with a blank notebook next to me while reading to copy down quotes or passages that I enjoyed. The Last Summer was full of them. My favorite was this 

"No, there's nothing to be afraid of, other than the stars, the universe, and the sense of being infinitesimal."

Overall, this book was enjoyable. Definite recommend to those who like historical fiction or Downton Abbey.

The Rule of Thre3 by Eric Walters

The Rule of Thre3
By Eric Walters
Published January 21st 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 405
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Summary: One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe. At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley’s high school, the problem first seems to be a typical electrical outage, until students discover that cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and a few computer-free cars like Adam’s are the only vehicles that function. Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and fear as the region becomes paralyzed. Soon—as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends—he will see his suburban neighborhood band together for protection. And Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government spy living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys to his survival

MY REVIEW

The Rule of Thre3 is a story about sixteen year old Adam who one day at school experiences a shut down of electronics; computers, cell phones, and anything in the 21st century loses it's power. While at first it seems like it just be their side of town, the students find out that the electronic shut off isn't just on their side of town. It's across the globe. Adam's family and town struggle with their new way of living with out communication, and find the best way they can to survive. 

While this book didn't really grab out at me, I felt like it wasn't a complete waste of my time. Sometimes when books don't pop out at you, you feel you want that time. This series definitely has potential once I stopped comparing and just enjoy the book for what it was. I compared it too much to Revolution's general set up, but there's a lot of difference between the two. The writing is great for a young adult novel, and the writer knows a lot of background for what was needed in the novel. 

A couple other things that bummed me a little was that Todd and Adam didn't have a lot of time together. I though their banter was great, and when it died out towards the middle of the book I wish it stated. They went their separate ways as jobs needed to get done, but I think it would have been great to have the banter keep the humor in between. They were thrown randomly together in the book at times, but I wanted more of their friendship to unfold. The other issue I had was that I didn't find a character that stood out to me. I usually find at least one that I enjoy, and this I didn't. 

Overall, I found this book enjoyable for a dystophian read. I will definitely read the second one. I'm hoping this is a series that gets better with each book in the series. 

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Title: 4 to 16 Characters
Author: Kelly Hourihan
Pages: 314
Published November 7th 2013 by Lemon Sherbet Press

* This was given to me thanks to Lemon Sherbet Press & Netgalley for an honest review.

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Jane Shilling’s best friends don’t know her real name. In fact, they don’t know anything about her at all. Jane’s life has collapsed in the last few years; following the death of her mother, her father turned to drinking, and Jane is reeling from the double blow. To escape, Jane devises a number of online personas, each with a distinct personality, life history, and set of friends. But things become trickier when she finds herself drawing close to some of her online friends, and winds up struggling with the question of how to maintain a real friendship while masquerading as a fake person. With the help of Gary, a socially awkward classmate and competitive Skeeball player who is Jane’s only offline friend, and Nora, her therapist, Jane begins to sift through her issues. The only catch is that that involves taking a long, hard look at what her life’s like when the computer is shut off, and that’s a reality she’s been fighting for years.

MY REVIEW

4 to 16 Characters is a story of Jane who loves being online and creating fake personalities mixed with her own reality to not face her own world. 

I hate to admit this, but I related to Jane A LOT in this book. A few years ago I was apart of the very popular fandom of LOST, and would often role play characters from the tv. While I didn't do the fan fiction writing of it, the role play was very much in the same sense. I was glued to my group of online writing fans and we would talk about the show and talk about up coming lines we would have in the writing group. It was a lot of fun at the time. It's something that was a lot of fun, and allowed you to connect with other fans in the same fandom. Unlike Jane, I didn't have multiple personalities online. Just the one I was writing in the group, and when I was talking "out of character" I was true to who I was. 

I thought this book was entertaining and a quick read. This was told through emails, posts, and other forms of online which makes the book quick.  The only thing I would complain about is that the adults had voices like children. Sure the father did lose his wife and was a drunk, but how it was written he sounded like a whiny teenager. Overall, not a bad book. Enjoyable. 

 

The Parts I Remember by A.K. Mills

Title: The Parts I Remember

Author: A.K. Mills

Pages: 236

Published: March 1st 2013 

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Notes: This novel was given to me from the author for an honest review. 

Summary: Act first. Think never. Remember nothing.

Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.

When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can't remember what happened.

As she hovers along the edge of consciousness, Kelly forces herself to think past her pain to piece together the shards of her life. This is her story, told in her words: The Parts I Remember.

MY REVIEW 

The Parts I Remember starts off with Kelly entering college with the Dean stating that one in three do not finish their college education. Of course being freshman, Kelly and the other freshman laugh this off. You watch Kelly get into the party scene, and sleep with random guys. 

Things start to get out of control for Kelly when she hits  her junior year. Shots are being done constantly and the experiment with hard drugs come into play. Her sister and her boyfriend don't buy into Kelly's act of partying which puts a thorn in their relationship. 

Tradgey strikes towards the end of the book, and we see where Kelly's drinking and partying plays an important part and how it effects everyone. 

 This was my first 'new young adult', and I rather enjoyed it. While I couldn't relate to Kelly since I'm not a partier myself I did enjoy her as a character. She was likeable from the start, and kept true to herself in towards the end. You started to wonder what it was going to take to get her to change her ways. 

The writing was wonderful, and I was hooked. It's a good read for those who like the party scene, but it's also a good read to show how your choices effect other people. I also liked that it wasn't preachy. Sure there is a moral to the book, but it wasn't smack in your face like some of them can be. Everything meshed perfectly. Very enjoyable. 

 

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland

Title: Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way To Success

Author: K.M. Weiland 

Pages: 191

Published: 2011 by PenForASword Publishing

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Summary: Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

Help you choose the right type of outline for you
Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
Aid you in discovering your characters
Show you how to structure your scenes
Explain how to format your finished outline
Instruct you in how to use your outline
Reveal the benefits:
Ensures cohesion and balance
Prevents dead-end ideas
Provides foreshadowing
Offers assurance and motivation
Dispel misconceptions:
Requires formal formatting
Limits creativity
Robs the joy of discovery
Takes too much time
Even if you're certain outlining isn't for you, the book offers all kinds of important tips on plot, structure, and character. Includes exclusive interviews with Larry Brooks, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Lisa Grace, Dan L. Hays, Jody Hedlund, Carolyn Kaufman, Becky Levine, Roz Morris, John Robinson, and Aggie Villanueva, answering important questions:

Can you describe your outlining process?
What is the greatest benefit of outlining?
What is the biggest potential pitfall of outlining?
Do you recommend "pantsing" for certain situations and outlining for others?
What's the most important contributing factor to a successful outline?

MY REVIEW

As a writer the only outlining I do is on my character's back history. I like knowing every little detail about them. What makes them tick, what kind of music they like to listen to, what is their flaw. However, I never did care much for outlining my own projects. That might be one reason they never get finished. With Weiland's book you are taught the best way to outline a novel. 

I found this book very useful. I like to just write. I have no outline and just see where the story takes me. Often with this method, I find myself in a writers block. I've been in a block for a few months now, and it's driving me crazy. This book was a great tool as how to still be able to use that 'just writing' method, but also do some intense outlining. 

In the next coming days I hope to use some of the advice for my own project and hope that it takes me out of this writers block that I've been in, and help me get back to the project at hand. This book is highly recommend to writers.