Top Ten Tuesday (12)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week will feature a new Top Ten list . Everyone is welcome to join.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Characters I Would Like To Trade Places With For A Day


1. Anyone at Hogwarts: it doesn't have to be one of the big 3, anyone attending the school would do.  Though, I'm not sure I could give it up after just 24 hours.

2. Anna in Anna Dressed in Blood: She is one seriously freaky deaky ghost and I would love to have my ethereal hands on those powers for while.

3. Any of the kids in Narnia: Again, like Hogwarts, I'm not picky about who - I just want in!

4. Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: A chocolate factory AND I don't have to worry about the candy hangover the next day? Gimmie!

5. Aura in Shade: A few hours with Zach. Yes, please.

6. Biff in Lamb: hanging out with Christopher Moore's version of Christ has got to be the ultimate "you're never gonna believe this" story. 

7. Francesca in Saving Francesca: I loved the characters in this one so much that I would kill to spend one day with them.

8. Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love: Only while she is in Italy.  None of this self sacrifice and meditation for me, I want to eat every dish that she mentions in the book!

9. Any of the kids at Camp Half-Blood:  This place fascinates me.  I would love a chance to explore and be claimed by my mythical mother or father. 

10. George in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: MUST. WARN. FRED. (seriously, I am still heartbroken over his death - if there is a way I can fix it - I will.)

Book Review: Rape Girl by Alina Klein

Title: Rape Girl
Author: Alina Klein
Publisher: Namelos
Release Date: June 4, 2012
Rating: 5/5

Cover Impressions: I will be honest, the cover didn't wow me.  It was the title and synopsis that got me interested.  Perhaps it looks different on the physical copy, or perhaps there is some symbolism behind the cover image that I missed.  Either way - do not judge this one by it's cover!

The Gist: Valerie wanted to throw a fun party and maybe flirt with her crush.  She didn't know that within 24 hrs she would be labeled as The Rape Girl and that she would lose her friends, her reputation and her sense of self. 

Review: Rape Girl is one of those rare books that wraps it's tendrils around my heart and refuses to let go.  I read it in pretty much one sitting, over a few hours and am still left with an overwhelming need to re-examine and discuss it.  I want to make my friends read it, I want to bombard the author with my questions and, more than any of those, I want to get multiple copies for my classroom. 

The first few chapters of this book are divided into Before and After.  This is incredibly effective and reflects the way that many victims will always structure their memories.  While we follow Valerie's rape and the aftermath, we do not get the graphic descriptions that can be common in other books on this subject and this allows it to maintain appropriateness for teens.  Throughout this novel, we are privy to Valerie's inner thoughts and feelings as her friends desert her and her family struggles to deal with their own sense of guilt.  The pain from each of these people is palpable and poignant.

The actions on the part of Valerie, her mother, best friend and even her rapist feel incredibly realistic.  At one point, we hear from this young man and my stomach turned to ice simply reading his justifications for his crimes, knowing that a person with this deluded sense of entitlement as a man will most certainly assault another woman.  While his words are chilling, they seem typical of a person who has convinced himself that he has done nothing wrong.  I was also seriously disturbed at the actions of the principal.  As a teacher, the thought that a man in that position could so blatantly side with the perpetrator of a rape makes me ill.

Rape Girl has easily made my list of top books for 2012 and is one that I highly recommend to both teens and adults. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 13 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing, Talk of Sex
Violence: Rape - No Graphic Descriptions
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Fuck, Ho, Dildo, Ass, Whore, Shit, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

Stacking the Shelves (7)

Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

EARCS I Got This Week:

Books Bought This Week:

Feature & Follow Friday (9)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is:

Q:
Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

 

Now this is an interesting question for the English teacher over here.  As such, there is no way that I can write a simple answer and move on, so I am going to complicate things a little:

 

My favorite required reading from my schooling:

 

 

 

My most hated required reading from my schooling:

 

 

 

The books that I require my students to read: 

 

ARC Book Review: Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Title: Scarlett Dedd
Author: Cathy Brett
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: Aug 14, 2012
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover does not even scratch the surface of the awesomeness that is inside.  See those fantastically creepy drawings? Those are EVERYWHERE and they get even better.

The Gist: Scarlett was dead, to begin with.  Heh, always wanted to start a review like that.  Anyway, in attempting to avoid a painfully awkward class trip, Scarlett Dedd accidentally kills herself - and her entire family.  In finding herself Bodily Challenged, Scarlett does the only sensible thing and attempts to gain some ghostly pals - by killing her old friends.

Review: I cannot possibly go any further in this review without mentioning the illustrations in this book.  Not only are they clever, creative and deliciously gruesome, they are also integrated into the text in a way that I have never seen before.  The storyline is melded with pictures, doodles, membership cards and coffee stains.  The way that the author plays with words and pictures (see below) is fun and keeps the reader entertained.  Elements like these add a sense of whimsy and macabre and would certainly enthrall any young readers.

The story is told through several sources.  Along side the traditional narrative style, we see Scarlett's blog, online conversations and even an interview transcript.  Personally, the constant changes in perspective and style took some getting used to, however, I can appreciate the creative effort and I know that my students would find it fun and refreshing.  The plot took an interesting twist when Scarlett decided to try and kill her friends so that she would have some company, but otherwise was fairly predictable.

The characters are an interesting bunch.  They are the artsy kids.  The ones who tend to dress in black and compare recipes for fake blood rather than the latest party.  While the "teen speak" feels a little forced, the characters feel like a realistic portrayal of typical teenagers.  The only part that really bothered me about the secondary characters is that they don't seem particularly affected by the death of their friend.  They also seem determined to exploit her current situation for fame and popularity rather than try to communicate with her.  For her part, Scarlett incredibly self-absorbed, whiny and exceedingly dense.  This is rather annoying for about the first half (how long does it take her to realize that her parents are also dead?) but it does get better.  Eventually, she gets over her naivety and is able to put the needs of others before her own.  

Scarlett Dedd is certainly a book that will appeal to fans of graphic novels and to those readers who can appreciate a little blood and gore.

For a taste of Scarlett Dedd, you can also follow her blog: ScarDeparted 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Death by poisoning, several attempted murders
Inappropriate Language: Retard, illustration of character gesturing with middle finger
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake which is due to be released on Aug 7th, 2012.

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

I LOVED Anna Dressed in Blood.  In fact, I am planning on re-reading and reviewing it before Girl of Nightmares is released.  This is, quite possibly, my most anticipated book of the year.  I am more than a little obsessed and keep checking back to the Goodreads page, just in case the release date got moved up.  

This will be me on Aug 6th:

 

Top Ten Tuesday (11)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week will feature a new Top Ten list . Everyone is welcome to join.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings


In the case of a series, I have included the first book that I read (and thus my introduction into that particular world).  I also included a freebie, because I could not decide between Room and Fog Magic.