The Fourth of July happens to be my favorite holiday, besides Christmas and Easter, of course.
I don't know, there's just something magical about that day for me. It's summer, the air thick with the smoke of BBQ, and the static of fireworks. Everyone also remembers there patriotism on the fourth, I think that's important.
So to celebrate I am giving away special Swag from Stefne Miller's Salvaged, and her newly-released sequel Rise. The author created a leather cuff bracelet that reads 'Salvaged' and signed double-sided bookmarks for one lucky follower!
I am also giving away a brand-new, hardcover copy of Lisa Schroeder's The Day Before to another follower. Thanks to Simon and Shuster for this giveaway copy!
Rules of Entry:
Please see my Policy page for official rules of entry.
To enter you must be a follower of my blog. Leave your GFC name, as well as your e-mail address in the comments below.
Tag Words: Italy, drama club, coming of age, best friends, falling in love, cheating, travel, relationships, unplugging from technology, making mistakes, picking up the pieces, being an artist
My Summary:
Jess was suppose to travel to Italy with her boyfriend, Sean, not with a package from her best friend on the top twenty reasons Sean is a Slimy Jerk Bastard.
Reason one being that Jessa caught him cheating on her the night before in the costume barn with Natalie “The Boob Job” Sloane.
Jessa set out to Italy to prove to Sean she wasn’t as weak as she feels, but what she learns there will truly make her strong.
My Review:
I love it, I beyond love it, I personally connect to this MC, Jessa, to this story, to how she sees the world, to the longings of her heart.
The writing is also my kind of “fluff.” Culbertson isn’t trying to shove pretentious philosophy down your throat, but neither is she doing that incredibly annoying rambly teenage thing some YA authors do. Her writing is a combination of small doses of subtle, lyrical, poetic and smart. Instructions really hit a happy medium for me in all kinds of ways and I would sing it’s praises to anyone who would listen.
My favorite part of Culbertson’s second novel is the layered, subtle relationships between all the different characters. Culbertson made each of her characters human, including cheating Natalie and scorned Jessa. In the end Jessa apologizes for all the comments she has made about Natalie’s breasts, which I really appreciate for reasons that I won’t get into here. I was so surprised by this book, the characters and the writing style; I hope it surprises you too.
This book is like Anna and the French Kiss, mixed with Letters to Juliet and 13 Little Blue Envelopes. You should read it, and I really hope it speaks to you as loudly as it spoke to me!
Notes on the Names:
Jessa is really pretty, isn’t it? It can stand on it’s own just fine as a replacement for tired, androgynous Jessie and it can be a nickname for Jessamine, the British favorite slated to retire 90’s favorite Jessica.
I think I have a new name crush!
Thoughts on the Cover:
I think it’s pretty and matches the tone of the story. The colors are muted, but the character is all lit up and hopeful. There is a small green journal in her coat pocket. All good.
Parental Book Review *spoilers*
Sexual Content:
Moderate.
Jessa catches Sean and Natalie in the costume barn without clothes on.
Some mild sexual innuendo.
Language:
Moderate/ Heavy
B- 4
Bas***d- 2
D**k- 1
A- 18
D- 3
H- 2
Pr**k- 1
Violence:
Jessa throws a soda in Sean’s face.
Other Notables:
Everyone calls Natalie “The Boob Job” and this is personally offensive to me. I love the way Culbertson handles it though, in the end there are apologies all around.
Jessa kisses her young teacher and immediately realizes her mistake.
Tag Words: Australia, Cadets, the Territory Wars, The Prayer Tree, Best Friends, true love, death, grief, surviving, acceptance, leading, being strong, Favorites
My Summary:
Nothing is as it seems, and answers only lead you to more questions in this brilliant work by Melina Marchetta about overcoming grief, learning to accept the world around you, leading, even when you don’t know where to go, and finding love and keeping it.
My Review:
On my blog banner there is a quote in a script that some people can’t quite read. It says, “Sometimes a book becomes a part of your heart and soul. This blog is dedicated to those books.” Maybe I wrote the dedication in a crazy font so that when this day came I could just point and say, that’s what I meant. Or maybe I just liked the font, but either way, this book is what I was talking about, even if I didn’t know it when I made my banner.
It won’t make sense for a while, and once it all comes together you’ll be bawling. Still, you need to read it. You’ll sit still for a while when you reach a certain part, take a deep breath, and keep reading, tears streaming down your face. And then you’ll laugh, and a huge grin will break out over your face. You’ll close the book, hug it against you and after a while pass it off to the person sitting closest to you. You’ll say, “It won’t make sense for a while, and once it all comes together you’ll be bawling. Still, you need to read it.”
Notes on the Names:
I’m having an obsession with Tate because of this book, also Narnie and Jessa.
It’s a cover you appreciate after you read the book.
Parental Book Review *spoilers*
Sexual Content:
Heavy.
Jonah and Taylor make love, and it’s Taylor’s first time. It hurts, but she knows it’s only the first time and it won’t hurt ever again. I say this to prove a point, it is sex between unmarried teens, but they aren’t doing it because “everyone else is.”
Narnie and Jude also have sex, but their love scene is more poetic, more heavy kissing than any description of the present moment, if that makes sense.
Jonah was at the train station the day he met Taylor to jump in front of it, but she made him get on, instead.
There is a serial killer on the loose in Australia at the time and he always takes two teens from the characters area every year. The serial killer never makes an appearance, or has any violent baring on the story, but he is mentioned often.
Fights break out between the Cadets, the Jellicoe kids and the Townies often.
I am out of my mind excited to have been able to interview author Suzanne Young, who besides writing the hysterical Naughty List novels also wrote one of my new favorite books,
A Need So Beautiful.
GC: Wow... let me just say wow. I am completely in awe of A Need So Beautiful, which is one of the most stunning books I have read all year. What inspired this novel and this new branch of guardian angel, The Forgotten?
SY: Once when someone close to me was sick and I felt really lost. I met this older woman while waiting in line, and we ended up talking for an hour as she listened to me cry. She gave me great advice and then told me to go home and be with the person I loved. I did. But after that, I actually thought—what if she was really an angel of some sort? The idea haunted my thoughts until I started writing A Need so Beautiful, and then it took on a life of its own.
With each pass, I added more to the story, creating a new being that wasn’t of any religion. A being that was from love; true, unflinching love. From there the world of the Forgottens was born.
GC: How was the writing process for Need different from your work on the Naughty List series?
SY: My first series, THE NAUGHTY LIST, was really fun to write. My family and I would randomly call out funny phrases like Good Gravy! or Snap, Crackle and Pop! for my character to say. And although TNL had some sad moments, it was overall a very enjoyable experience.
A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL was very different in that I held on to the idea for a while, twisting it in my head, writing random scenes here and there. It was a very personal story to me, the idea of a stranger being there to help you through a crisis, leaving you wondering if it was real at all. I loved the idea of this girl having the choice to give up everything or fight for her life. aNsB was definitely not dinner conversation. I wrote it very alone, very peacefully—sometimes crying.
GC: What was your reaction to the cover of A Need So Beautiful? Did you get any input?
SY: My editor and I talked about possible covers from the beginning. But after the photo shoot when I was able to see the actual model, I was near tears. She was perfect. The beauty of it all didn’t hit until I saw the finished jacket, though. All together, it just works amazingly well. I can’t think of a better cover for my story.
GC: I wept for a good fifty pages while reading Need, did you make yourself cry, as well, or were you super focused on the writing and in the moment?
SY: Oh, I cried straight through some scenes—especially the Need with Warren and the ending scenes. I was emotionally invested in this story, and I poured my heart and soul onto those pages. I’m glad it moved you (although sorry for the tears!)
GC: So what's next for Charlotte, Harlin & yourself?
SY: There is a sequel called A Want so Wicked which comes out next summer. It’ll have to do with the Shadows, so overall it’s a creepier book. After that I have a new series coming Spring of 2013 with Simon Pulse called The Program, which is about a suicide epidemic and the controversial treatment that will erase a person’s past to make them healthy again.
Tag Words: Supernatural, Love story, mystery, good versus evil, foster care, being forgotten, fear, best friends, family dysfunction, doing good, light, Best I’ve Read 2011
My Summary:
Charlotte has been suffering from the Need since she can remember.
She didn’t know what it meant when her skin began falling away, revealing a gold as pure as light.
She didn’t know what it meant when the Need became more urgent, less easy to refuse.
She didn’t know that it meant she was loosing the limited time she had left of being remembered.
Charlotte doesn’t know what she is, but it doesn’t matter, she will be Forgotten. It is her destiny.
My Review:
I wrote this review on Goodreads immediately after finishing A Need So Beautiful and when I sat down to write my full review for the blog I realized I cannot do any better then what I said just after reading the last page, tears streaming down my face.
And as a plus Suzanne Young, the author, saw it within hours of my writing it and she said it brought her to tears.
It's perfect, it made me ache, almost from page one.
I felt I was Charlotte, not simply reading her story. Just as Charlotte experiences visions and becomes her Needs through them, I became Charlotte.
I loved a boy named Harlin, more than words can describe. I had a mother named Mercy, and I never thought she was enough, until then end. My best friend was in agony and I could do nothing to save her, I could only wait for her to forget me.
I am not sure how Young did it, but tonight I was someone else, I was somewhere else and it was so Beautiful.
Today is my birthday (a good excuse to show off my new head-shot) and I'll not announce Month of Forgiveness winners if I want to! I've been whisked away on a road-trip for my day and am putting off the announcement for a week, hang in there, a personal message from the author-Janet Fox- is also forthcoming.
And now, a picture of a cat:
And another one:
This is not a cat:
And finally, my birthday present:
Aw, you really should have!
Even though it is my birthday I am hosting two contests full of amazing gifties for you! Click the links:
EEP! I am so excited, I can't even think of an intro; Ladies and Gentlereaders, I give you... Julie Kagawa!
GC: The Iron Fey series has had a tremendous reception among both readers, bloggers, and all those in between. What has surprised you most?
JK: The tremendous amount of support by the YA bloggers has been staggering. You guys are such an awesome, passionate group and I'm honored and flattered and humbled to be a part of that. :) Thank you.
GC: Have any of the stories been particularly hard to write, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, extremely easy to tell?
JK: There have been parts in all the books that were difficult, and some parts where I just flew through. Every story had snags, as well as spots that were easy to write. So I guess the answer to that question is: yes to both?
GC: When did you first have the idea for Meghan's story? Did you only have the idea for book one, or was the series basically at the tip of your fingers?
JK: I was in a bookstore when I first came up with the idea of a faery girl living in the human world. At first, Meghan was all fey, but then I decided to make her half-fey and unaware of her heritage, and the story sort of evolved from there.
GC: Is there anything you do to pump yourself up for a day of butt-powered writing?
JK: Yes, I drink way too much diet soda. First thing in the morning, lol! And spend way too much time checking email, twitter, facebook, ect., until I remember I only have X months to finish my current project. Then the panic of deadlines set in, and away I go. ^__^
GC: Do you ever crave any particular food while writing?
JK: This is really bad of me, but I usually don't eat when writing. Especially if I'm really in The Zone, I tend to tune everything else out. (Or if I'm being distracted by twitter.) I have to make myself stop and get lunch, though one thing I have to have while writing is soda. I have an army of empty soda cans surrounding my desk, but they're to keep the gremlins away.
GC: What are you most likely to get distracted by while trying to write?
JK: See above. The Internet has become the bane of my writing these days; I have the tendency to check email, tweetdeck, blogs, ect. whenever I get stuck. Sometimes its so bad I have to unplug the modem if I want to get anything done.
GC: What is the quickest way to get back to the Nevernever after such a distraction?
JK: Re-reading the previous page, and maybe listening to music to get back into the mood.
GC: What books should we be on the lookout for concerning the characters of the Iron Fey series, and beyond?
JK: Well, Summer's Crossing, an e-novella told from Puck's point of view, is available for free download at Amazon and eharlequin. Its also available as an audiobook at Audible.com, and you should really check it out, if only to "hear" Puck's voice. Honestly, the guy they got to read Puck is perfect. ^__^
And, of course, The Iron Knight--the fourth book told from Ash's point of view--hits shelves sometime this October.
Thanks so much!
GC: Thank you, Julie, I would tell you my true name in gratitude, if I didn't already owe it to Grimalkin.
Tag Words: The Iron Fey series, Meghan Chase, Ash, true love, Puck, Grimalkin, Adventure, secrets, battles, triumph, Best I’ve Read 2011
The Summary:
My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the Fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, behind me.
But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron Fey that will drag me back kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who has sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful I’m not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.
My Review:
Thank God this is not the end of the series, just the end of Meghan’s story. Still, there was grieving involved when I closed the cover. At the same time I was filled with the most immense pride for Meghan. I am so proud of her and her journey, this book sealed a deal I didn’t know if I was happy making with book one, but now I can say that I am Team Meghan and will always be so.
Beyond being Team Meghan I am Team Ash and that point was driven home with the pledge he makes in this book, seriously, I don’t think I have ever read anything so sexy, so masculine, so romantic, so all-comsumingly amazing. I re-read that page ten times, all the while grinning like the Cheshire cat!
As for the who behind the whole Iron-Rebellion. Meh. I’ll be honest, not crazy about the choice, not sure I believe it, but Meghan’s actions, her words, her choice, it just brought me to jagged, snuffling, wheezing, racking, grinning-through-the-pain tears. I love this book for that, all of Meghan in this book far eclipses the choice of a villan, anyway.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you’re not reading this series you are crazy.
Notes on the Names:
Nothing new, but is it just me or is Ash on a boy sounding better and better? ; )
Thoughts on the Cover: *EPIC MAJOR SPOILER*
I think it’s brilliance. If you’ve read it, look closer. They blended Iron and Summer.
Bonjour, this is Gabrielle Carolina and I am so excited by the prizes of this blog hop, brought back to my fabulous followers from New York City!
I will be sharing my BEA bounty later in the week (Note: if all goes as planned, life is cra-cra right now!) and am beginning by giving away three books (two are ARCs) and a swag pack.
And, of course, an amazing swag pack that includes signed bookmarks, postcards and a signed sampler of Bettina Restrepo's Illegal!
How to Enter:
Must be a follower of this blog!
Must leave a comment containing your GFC name & your e-mail.
Extra Entries:
Tweet about the contest, must link the tweet!
Wish me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY because I will be getting a year older come June 22nd.
Please welcome my good friend and amazing author, Beth Revis... she's awesome and she blows things up, what could be better?.
GC: Beth, you are infamous for being the author who wrote and wrote and wrote passionately until finally, one of your books, and an amazing one at that, was published by Penguin in 2011. Can you talk about how your ideas come to you, how you plot your stories and what inspires you?
BR: Infamous! I like that quite a lot :D I do have a bit of notoriety for being the author who has ten trunk novels--one for each year I remained unpublished.
I love each one of those books, too, but I can look at them objectively now and say that they aren't any good. Well, most of them. I still have hopes for one or two of them, but other than that, no, they aren't good. Part of that was that I was still learning how to write and how to tell a good story (two different things).
My writing process now is simple: I just sit down and write. I don't plan. I don't outline. I just start writing. If I get stuck, I will brainstorm with pen and paper--other than that, I just write it all on the computer. First drafting is the fun part--it's discovering the story and laying down the path. After that, I buckle down with revisions. That's the hard part.
GC: What made you never want to give up on your dream of being an author? Was there ever a time you did give up? If so, what put you back on the horse.
BR: The tenth novel I wrote, I wrote specifically for publication. I thought I was writing what the market wanted. I thought, by that point, that would be the only way to sell a book.
And that book didn't sell.
Around that time, I started to feel depressed. I'd been writing for ten years! Ten novels! And none of them were good enough. I sacrificed time with my family, time relaxing and sleeping, money for supplies and conferences, and so much more...and I had nothing to show for it but ten unpublished novels.
Then I started working on ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. I didn't even do it on purpose. I didn't intend to write another novel. But I *enjoy* writing. It's what I do for fun. And this novel that I did for fun because I just love to write became the novel that was published and changed my life.
GC: (If you didn't know, dear reader, Beth and I are pretty good friends. We bonded before her book hit the printers over a similar taste in music, so I feel I must as the following question.) Just past the title page of Across the Universe you list the lyrics of the Lennon & McCartney song of the same name; how did music mold your writing process and can you point to any songs that shaped pivotal chapters?
BR: "Across the Universe" was always my fave Beatles song--it reminds me so much of writing. If I didn't feel like working, I'd put that song on, and it would pump me up to get started.
Another one that influenced me a lot was "Fact/Fiction" by Mads Langer. I like the sound of it, and the words reminded me of Elder.
And it's so cheesy to say, but....I also listen to Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" a lot. I was writing the end of the novel *just* as she got on television and became a viral video and...*sigh* I know it's cheesy.
GC: You mean these?
GC: You and I met face-to-face at the Breathless Reads tour last February in Raleigh, North Carolina and of course I know how much fun I had, but I would love to know, as I'm sure readers do, what kind of affect that tour had on you, getting to sit around and talk about your book with people who are as passionate about AtU as you are? Was there any one moment or experience that defined that time for you?
BR: I was *so* nervous about that tour! First, I was going to be with four other wonderful and uber-talented ladies...and I was sure that they'd be way high on their pedestals, and I'd be on the ground carrying luggage around. And at every event, I was certain that people would buy everyone else's books and no one would bother with mine. But of course neither of those things happened. Ally, Andrea, Kiersten, and Brenna are lovely wonderful people who I now think of as friends (and please, Penguin, send us on tour together again!!), and everyone I met on the tour was so gracious and kind. If anything, I'd say that the tour became a time when I really accepted that this--a writer--is who I am now. I've been writing for years and years, but I always hesitated to label myself as a writer. I was a wife, a student, a teacher--and I sometimes wrote. After the tour, I felt like a writer.
GC: I'm glad you feel like you're a writer, because... you are! What can we expect to see in the upcoming sequel, A Million Suns?
BR: Many things!!!! Most of which I can't tell you about. But I will say this: At least two things you think are true from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE are actually lies...
GC: A true writer to the end, Beth has left us with the most excruciatingly wondrous spoiler possible! *le sigh* Thank you, Beth!
Tag Words: Sci-fi, outer space dystopia, secrets, lies, science, love, trust, fear
My Summary:
Amy was frozen along with her scientist parents and stowed on the Godspeed, the spacecraft set to take a new civilization to a planet 300 light years away.
When Amy is woken up fifty years too early she becomes the anomaly of the citizens aboard her new home. Amy is the red-haired kink in the plans of a web of lies, lies that have been spun longer than anyone would have guessed...
My Review:
When Kiersten White blurbed this book she described it as “Claustrophobic.” I cannot think of a more perfect word for Revis’s brilliant debut.
I loved this book, this is my kind of book with characters who are fallible, relatable and a plot filled with twists that feel natural and authentic, even if I didn’t see them coming.
AtU is also about fifty kinds of subtle, part of that lies in the alternating view points of Amy and Elder. I loved that Amy believes in God, while Elder believes in nothing outside of the walls that have contained him all his life... walls that only reach about six miles.
The love story feels original, but you will have to read it to find out exactly what I mean, I don’t want to spoil a thing for you.
Across a Million Suns, the sequel, is a book I am looking forward to with the fire and heat of a million suns!
Notes on the Names:
Originally this book began, “My name is Elder, which is ironic, as I am the youngest passenger aboard the Godspeed.”
Thoughts on the Cover:
I love this cover. If you don’t love this cover there is something wrong with you.
I am very excited by this news and proud, proud of this thing I have created, the friends I have made and the amount of passion and soul I have put into my "baby."
That baby is turning one and I want to celebrate with an epic contest where Eight people will each win Five books... if I reach 1,000 followers by July 26th, 2011!
As of right this minute I need 253 more followers and I need your help to bring people to this blog. As a reward for reaching the milestone I will be choosing eight followers to pick five books each from the following list:
What happens if we don't reach 1,000? Well I will not be choosing eight winners, instead the top three tweeters to tweet the following will get to choose three books each!
The Mod Podge Bookshelf first Blog'o'versary contest ends July 26th! 5 books to 8 lucky followers #1000ModPodgeBooks http://tinyurl.com/3tuy5us RT!
It is very important that you simply copy that tweet and post it, or use the hashtag #1000ModPodgeBooks so I can keep a count on Twitter.
You can tweet once per hour and leave as many comments as you like.
Please Leave a comment every time you spread the word.
Blog Post- 5 Entries Facebook Status with Link- 2 Entries Tweeting- 1 Entry per tweet.
This may go without saying, but you must be a GFC follower to win!
Tag Words: If I Stay, Challenge, New York City, Fame, Music, Love, Facing the truth, moving on, Adam and Mia
My Summary:
It’s been years since the accident that took Mia’s whole family and left Mia behind.
Adam promised her that if she stayed he would let her go and she listened.
Now Adam is in New York City for one night, a famous rockstar about to headline a tour he doesn’t want to be involved in, when he sees Mia again for the first time.
Can Adam find out Where She Went?
My Review:
I never understood the draw to If I Stay. I cry at sappy Hallmark commercials and yet If I Stay didn’t make me shed a single tear. I still can’t pinpoint why I felt so passe about the YA favorite, but in my review I challenged Gayle Forman to show me Where She Went.
Guess what?
I “Got” it.
Adam’s voice was where it was at for me, I connected to him far more than I connected to Mia and I wanted to be inside his head, even if the boy did swear like an angry sailor.
If I Stay was the prelude to this, the story that was always trying to be told. I love it, go read it, go find out Where She Went.
Notes on the Names:
Mia’s family friends are mentioned again and I was struck by what an amazing family-set they were for names:
Henry, Willow, Beatrix and Theo! I love it!
Thoughts on the Cover:
It is so beautiful, I love this cover so much! I also love this cover:
Parental Book Review *spoilers*
Sexual Content:
Heavy.
Two attempted sex scenes are remembered from during Mia’s recovery, both times end in emotional pain.
Adam hooks up with many groupies after Mia lets him go.
Tag Words: Paris, Boarding school, British Boyfriends, true love, nicknames, food, friendship troubles, life crisis, kisses, movies
My Summary:
Anna is being shipped off to French boarding school for a whole year, and while most girls would pack up willingly, most girls aren’t Anna.
Anna had everything going for her in Hotlanta, and as nice as Paris sounds in theory, living in the city all by her lonesome is a whole other ballgame.
Luckily Anna captures the attention of one Etienne St. Clair, the British boy every American girl wants.
Can she capture his heart, as well?
My Review:
This book is like chocolate, except it won’t make your hips bigger.
Can that be all I write? Seriously, there is nothing more perfect than calorie-free chocolate! This book is that perfect.
I got to go to France for the first time in my life while reading Anna and the French Kiss. I am almost worried Paris will not live up to the standards Perkins has set for the city of love. When I closed the cover I felt like my plane had touched down on American soil, luckily my return ticket will be very cheap, and there will be a return trip.
Thank God for goodreads, or else I would have put this one on my “fluffy books” list and never picked it up. Ironically it was even less fluffy than I was expecting after hearing the first 100 five-star reviews. I really felt like the characters were my best friends and I fell in love with Etienne and Anna chapter by chapter, they are the couple you love to love.
I don’t not like the cover, wow, that was a lot of double negatives. I don’t love the cover, but there is nothing "wrong" with it. Well, maybe a tad more Etienne would have been nice, the angle feels weird when you get it in front of you. #NitPickiness
The models are the best part, Anna, minus stripe, looks like your average Beautiful American and that hand... that is so Etienne’s hand. I think they're perfect! Not digging the backdrop so much, though.
Is it just me, or do these two look like Anna & Etienne?!
Today reknown debut author Ruta Sepetys has so graciously offered me a wonderful interview! Read on!
GC: In Between Shades of Gray Lina, the main protagonist, is a young artist shipped off to Siberia to survive in the harsh grasp of Stalin's military, the NKVD. Did Lina's passion for artistry grow with the story, or was it always a cornerstone for your debut novel? What sparked the interest of using an artist in your novel about the genocide of millions?
RS - While researching for the novel, I learned that many Baltic people expressed their pain through art and music and actually buried their work to hide it from the Soviets. That intrigued me. When I started the book, my agent and I discussed adding extra dimension to Lina somehow. So I chose to make her an artist. Also, my father is an artist and I thought it might be a nice tribute to him.
GC: You have said before that your interest in telling the virtually unknown story of the Lithuanian captives during the Holocaust came from hearing your families stories. Was there any one moment, or one story, that captivated you most?
RS - There wasn't a particular story, just the surprise that this part of history hasn't been studied or discussed more. I realized that there must be so many heroes we've never had a chance to meet.
GC: Did you base any of your characters, either by name, by attitude, or by event, off of your family, or the refugees you met during your time researching in Europe?
RS - All of the characters are fictional, but their experiences are things that were described to me during interviews. In terms of names, Jonas was my grandfather's name and in creating the character of Jonas I did try to imagine what my grandfather would have been like as a small boy and that inspired the way I formed the character.
GC: You grew up with a very unique name- Ruta Sepetys- which is Lithuanian for 'Rue,' meaning the Rue flower and Polish and Hebrew for 'Friend'; did your name culture an early interest in your heritage, or make you feel especially tied to your families history and struggle? Would you, or have you, passed on the tradition an given your children names that reflect their heritage?
RS - Great question! And yes, my name absolutely played a large role in my identity growing up. Whenever people heard my name they'd ask, "What kind of name is that?" and I'd explain that I'm Lithuanian. So I've always felt connected to Lithuania. In fact, today I was boarding a flight from London and the gate attendant who scanned my boarding pass said, "Oh, Ruta Sepetys - you're Lithuanian!" It's an instant identifier. I am named after my father's sister and if I ever had children, yes, I'd love to give them Lithuanian names.
GC: What is next for you as an author? Are you interested in writing any other stories of survivors?
RS - I am currently working on another book for my publisher, also historical fiction but set in New Orleans in the 1950's. Since the release of 'Between Shades of Gray,' however, I've received many emails with requests to continue the story or write about the journey of another character.
Tag Words: World War II, Historical Fiction, The Holocaust, Soviet, Stalin, Hitler, Lithuania, Artists, survival, death, grief, freedom, true love, prayer
My Summary:
Lina is a budding artist in Lithuania, preparing for the coming summer full of life and promise when the Soviet soldiers order her, her mother and her little brother to pack and come with them, or die.
They are being sentenced to 25 years in the prison of Stalin’s choosing, Siberia.
Lina risks it all while unjustly incarcerated to record her new life through the strokes of her artists pencils and she vows, she will live, she will fight, she will live.
My Review:
How do you review a book like this? ‘It’s awesome,’ just doesn’t seem to be enough. This book told a story, just as every book does, but Between Shades of Gray does something more, it tells a story that really happened and has never been told before.
I went through a major phase when I was younger and all I would read was books about the suffering of those who were taken in the Holocaust, I even read a book about a girl who was taken to Siberia- though I can’t remember what it was called and I wish I did! I know a lot about the Holocaust, and Stalin’s involvement in things, but I am still shocked by what I read when I pick up a story of survival, such as Lina’s tale.
Sepetys framed her characters as if in individual portraits, I really felt like I was experiencing the horrors and unjust conditions through the eyes of an artist. That was something entirely unique, as was the love of Andrius and Lina. I would love a sequel to this book where the author wrote about Andrius’s journey to find Lina again when Stalin’s reign of terror finally ended.
This book should be required reading.
Notes on the Names:
Carrying on with the theme of framing the characters I noticed that many of them were not given names, but titles:
The Repeater
The Bald Man
The Man Who Winds His Watch
The Grouchy Woman
Thoughts on the Cover:
This cover makes me smile, look at that hope!
Parental Book Review *spoilers*
Sexual Content:
Moderate.
The sexual content is more like violence.
Soviet Soldiers leering at Lina and the women.
A Soviet Soldier touching Lina’s breast when she is naked.
Attempted rape that does not happen to one of the MCs therefor you never really “see” it.
Andrius and Lina kiss a few times, but it is very pure and sweet, a beautiful contrast to the horrors around them.
Language:
Mild
D- 3
H- 1
Bast**d- 1
Violence:
Heavy.
I am not going to be very graphic here, because I think no matter what a book such as this is important. The violent atrocities that happened to millions of people should not be ignored in any way and that includes reading what really happened to them, not shying away because it is uncomfortable. That being said I would recommend any teen, from thirteen onward to read this one because I think Sepetys
handled the violence with taste and class and purpose.
I would like to pre-cursor my interview with Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There, by saying how sorry I am, both to the author, and my readers. This interview was intended to post in April, National Poetry Month, but my life got in the way and I take the blame entirely. I am so honored that Carolee still agreed to this, but I want all of you to forgive me, enjoy and read the interview under the context in which it was intended in the first place. G.C.
GC: So what came first, the boy who couldn't read, but had poetry in his heart, and in his head, or the idea for a book centered around poetry? How did your first idea flush out from there? CD: My stories typically start with a character I feel strongly about, and then the plot grows from there. I work as a speech-language pathologist with high school students who have a variety of learning disabilities. I have been inspired by their struggles. Over the years I have also had students with parents in prison and I’ve seen the effect this has had on their search for identity.
In addition, I was also influenced by a world renowned poet here in Albuquerque named Jimmy Santiago Baca who taught himself to read and write in prison. I can’t imagine struggling so hard to learn something and then loving it so much that you want to center your life around it. Similarly, I once heard Stephen J. Cannell, author and TV producer, speak at a dyslexia conference about his struggles with spelling. He said he used to pick college classes based strictly on whether or not the professor counted off for spelling. I’m fascinated by people who struggle with the writing process and then go on to make it their profession. The love of language and words is very different from the ability to decode and spell. Many of us have brilliant stories and poems inside of us that we don’t know how to express.
GC: Have you always loved poetry? When did you begin writing poetry?
CD: It seems as if I’ve always written poetry. It’s been a great way to get a handle on my thoughts and feelings, especially in times of trouble. When I was a teenager, I played the guitar and wrote songs. My first major in college was music composition, but I really wasn’t much of a musician. I did much better with the words than the music. I did compose the music for my book trailer, but then I gave the score to a very talented college student and told him to just “go with it” and change it however he wanted. He stayed pretty close to the original version, but he made some nice additions.
GC: Did you include your favorite poems in your book, Take Me There, or are Dylan's favorites completely his own?
CD: The poems I chose were all written by William Butler Yeats. They seemed to speak to the particular struggles Dylan was experiencing in the story. I later found out that many people believe Yeats was dyslexic. I didn’t know that until I’d finished writing the story, but it’s fitting.
GC: Why do you feel poetry is so important, and whose poems would you suggest for someone who has never read poetry, but always intended to try?
CD: Poetry takes language and tips it on its head. It scrambles images to squeeze meaning and life out of every word and uses punctuation more as director’s cues than as hard and fast rules. Because it is so short, you have to cut out all the nonsense and get to the heart of the matter.
For someone new to the poetry experience, I recommend starting with poetry collections that incorporate the best of the best and include works by several different poets. When you find a poet you love, then check out a book of poems by that person, but don’t start there. A collection of poems by one author is a bit like a CD of one recording artist. I usually find one song I really love and the rest don’t do much for me. Poetry is the same. By reading the best poems of several authors, you get a broader experience.
GC: What is next for you as an author?
CD: I just got the edits for my new verse novel, NO WAY OUT. I’m working on it all this month and I’ll be sending the rewrites back to my editor at Simon Pulse in May. The book will be coming out the fall of 2012. Most of it is written in verse, but some sections are written like a stage play. There are about 200 poems all written by me. Hmm. So maybe you should forget that bit of advice about not reading the collections of one poet.
GC: Thank you, Carolee, for stopping by, and for sharing your love of poetry with us in honor of National Poetry month.
CD: Thanks for having me and thank you for supporting National Poetry Month! Don’t forget to check out my book trailer.
