Top Ten Waiting for Star Trek timewasters

Blog universe announcement! Star Trek Into Darkness opens in exactly one week! While I'm still miffed that they made me wait 4 years, I'm seriously excited.  I don't often get all Star Trek geeky here on my blog, but I find it interesting that my other Star Trek raves is one of my most popular posts with over 8,000 views. Clearly not due to my great prose, but due to Star Trek greatness and thousands of other devoted fans.

Here's my top ten time-wasters while I wait for opening night on May 17...

10. Watch the trailers a million times on You Tube


9. Follow #startrek on Twitter and smirk at tweets only true long-term ST geeks will get at @TNG_S8  

8. Watch Star Trek (2009) again. Just one more time.

7. Dream up Star Trek / Star Wars mashups now that JJ Abrams is in charge of both

6. Order Spock ears and matching wig to wear at opening night (only $12.99)

5. Imagine possible ways Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine characters could be included with the rebooted original characters

4. Discover things like Star Trek onesies on Pinterest and wonder how many people understand why you'd never buy the red one for your baby

3. Get absolutely giddy reading a movie review that says there's "an "Inception"-indebted freefall sequence that sees the crew negotiating gravity-shifting practical sets" 

2. Read other Star Trek top ten lists like  "Top Ten Star Trek technologies that actually came true" at How Stuff Works (where you can feel both geeky-happy and maybe-not-completely-wasting-your-time-because-you-are-actually-learning-stuff)

1. Consider a road trip to a city that is releasing the movie early

Are you eagerly awaiting the new Star Trek movie? Or what movie would you rather wait breathlessly for instead?

Some Quiet Place (review)

Some Quiet Place, by Kelsey Sutton, is a young adult paranormal with a really brilliant premise and beautifully haunting writing. It does contains descriptions of violent abuse and torture, so reader beware.

The first half had me in a constant state of musing wonder. The main character, Elizabeth, lives in our same ordinary world, goes to ordinary high school, does ordinary chores on her family’s farm -- but she can also see into another plane where Emotions appear as people, invisible to everyone except Elizabeth. And she’s unique in that none of the Emotions affect her – she is, in fact, immune to any sort of emotion at all. Which raises tons of questions.

This was very interesting: how do you connect with a main character who has no emotion or feelings? She does have reactions and instincts  and impulses and her body language mirrors emotion, but she doesn’t feel anything. After I got used to her detachment I realized I still connected with her because she does want to feel, and her observation is so keen, and she’s constantly questioning, processing everything and everyone.

As if to make up for Elizabeth’s lack of emotion, the rest of the characters are fraught with emotion, and we’re constantly meeting the Emotions that visit them: Fear (more about him in a moment), his brother Courage, glimpses of Love, Guilt, Worry,  Longing, Joy, Courage, Loneliness, Envy, Resentment, others:

When our eyes meet, Resentment nods in greeting. He’s bald – even though they’re immortal, Emotions resemble humans in appearance – and I’ve always though he looks like Mr. Clean minus the gold hoop earring. He’s one of the few Emotions that enjoy talking to me. Then again, he enjoyed talking to anyone. Resentment has always had a chatty tendency.

In addition to Emotions, other things like seasons and weather are also personified: for instance, when fog rolls in across the fields, Elizabeth sees a person walking in its midst, and knows it’s Fog himself. Stuff like this made me all shivery, wondering what ordinary thing I’ll meet next, in unexpected form.

But of all the Emotions, Fear is the one that we get to spend the most time with, and he’s quite a character. I felt some irony that the story tempts you to “fall in love with Fear.” You kind of forget what he actually is: a haunting Emotion, the result of so much misery and in a way often the cause of unnecessary misery, too. That’s part of the twist of this story that Fear appears attractive and passionate and actually the most dynamic and interesting character – even though he’s also cruel at times and obsessed with Elizabeth for mysterious reasons.

Fear reaches out and touches the curve of the girl’s cheek in one painting. Phantom  fingers brush my real cheek as he does so.

He also like to play games with Elizabeth, constantly testing her to see if she’s developed any Emotions yet, in particular testing her to see if he can make her afraid of him:

Fear vanishes, and an instant later a huge man jumps from the shadows of the loft with a long knife, making as if to stab me  in the stomach. He’s wearing all black and his face is swathed in a ski mask. When I only stare at him, making no sound of alarm, the attacker disappears just as the blade is about to go in me.  

“Fear?” I call. 

“Just checking,” he chuckles, his voice coming from the night sky.

The book constantly raises questions, like “why does Fear love her?” and I spent half my time reading out of focus as my mind mused over questions like  “Do the Emotions influence people, or are they just responding to summons when a person is filled with that emotion?” and  theories like “She can’t love him back, she’s incapable of feeling” and  “Oh! Maybe Fear loves her because she’s the only one immune to him. Everyone else would run away screaming because his presence evokes terror.”  And my favorite theory: “is she an emotionless Emotion? An Emotion who has been stripped of her emotion, as a punishment maybe?”

So the first half of this book had me coming up with theories like these left and right and enjoying the mystery and trying to piece together the potential hints.  Exciting! The second half went off in a different direction than any of my theories. It kept me on my toes, not knowing what to expect anymore, though at times a little confused, too (I wish some of the characters that showed up in the second half had been developed more). 

But I really like the interesting tension going on with Elizabeth and Fear and Joshua, because it was a unique triangle: one person wasn’t aware the other existed:

“Elizabeth?” Joshua watches me walk by but doesn’t reach out. 

Fear pats his shoulder, mockingly sympathetic. “Let her go, boy. She’s a mess.” 

Joshua doesn’t hear or see him, of course, but he does frown, sensing something off about me and the air around us. 

The book has a very literary feel too it, and again I’m really impressed for a story told from the point of the view of a girl without any emotions, how real and very raw emotion still manages to vibrate in nearly every scene (and not just because of the Emotions flitting here  and there: I’m talking real emotion). The scenes with Elizabeth visiting her friend Maggie, who’s dying of cancer, were agonizing and somehow beautiful at the same time.  They rang true. In fact, I know they’ll stick with me for a long time. They were the highlight of this novel, for me.

Some quotes I liked:

A group of our classmates burst through the front doors, startling Joshua. The crowd is followed by two Emotions: Apprehension and Desperation. It’s so important to these kids to fit in, to belong. 

Very well said:

It’s the way humanity is; give them what they want, and it turns out it’s not what they wanted after all. 

A thought Elizabeth has for Maggie, my favorite character:

It’s a cloudy day out, no rain but no sun either. Unfair that on a day like this there shouldn’t be brilliance for her.

Trapped by an unwelcome turn of events

I recently got trapped in an unwelcome fictional turn of events - at least this time it was in fiction, rather than real life (our family has had two major upsetting events so far this year).

 I got sucked into this great book, Some Quiet Place, a young adult paranormal debut by Kelsey Sutton (not yet released; I got a digital review copy from NetGalley). The combination of a very cool, original premise and beautiful, sensory-rich writing made me a happy reader until I got into the second half, when things turned a little too graphically violent for my taste.

Violence is common in young adult (YA), especially in the science fiction and fantasy genres I lean toward, but the descriptions are short and don't get too detailed. Since I'm prone to nightmares (I still get nightmares from those darned Alien movies, even years and years after the fact!) I really shy away from horror and graphic violence. I just don't need those images stuck in my head! And it's not just movies - the Hunger Games series, especially Mockingjay, left some images in my head I wish I could get rid of, too. I love YA books for many reasons, and one of them is that they don't shy away from troublesome topics, but they don't get graphic about them (well, except for Mockingjay. And now Some Quiet Place).

Since Some Quiet Place doesn't release until June, there's not a whole lot of reviews for it available yet. I'm awfully picky about the books I read: it's a serious investment in time, and sometimes money too if you can't wait for your library's copy, so I always read reviews carefully before I pick a book. The temptation of NetGalley and other similar places is you can get free pre-release copies for review, which is kind of exciting (getting your hands on a book before the general public, and for free) but also a little bit of a risk (few or no reviews yet for you to judge whether the book includes something you prefer to stay away from).

I suppose the title for this post was a little unfair - if you don't like what you read in a book, no one's forcing you to keep reading. But I do feel a little trapped when I'm more than half way into a good book, really enjoying myself, and then - WHAP! - too-graphic violence catches me off-guard. I'm invested in the book, at that point, you know what I mean?

Sometimes I toss around the idea of a "content rating" for books - like the rating system used for movies - but I think that would open a can of the worms with far-reaching issues. In general book reviews give you the information you need to know about whether a book's content is suited for you or not. If you are a bit of a cautious or picky reader like me, maybe preleases or new releases, as tempting as it is to get them for free, aren't the best idea. Especially since in exchange for your free copy, the publishers expect you to review the book on your blog, and I'd prefer to talk about books I can highly recommend on my blog, rather than books I have serious issues with.

So maybe I won't be requesting any more titles from NetGalley. But I have committed to doing several reviews here, and I am trying to be honest about the good qualities of these books in addition to the parts I didn't personally like.  I'll be posting my review of Some Quiet Place here on Thursday.

What do you do when you're invested in a good book, and it suddenly takes a turn that leaves you uncomfortable? It's true that books should stretch us outside our "comfort zones" (see the quote on the image) but what about some readers needing a "safety zone"?

Spring Fling Giveaway: Pivot Point

I'm giving away a copy of Pivot Point, by Kasie West, for the Spring Fling giveaway. Scroll down to the Rafflecopter form to enter. This is part of a giveaway hop hosted by Kathy at the  I Am a Reader, Not A Writer blog. Visit the link for the full list of participants and over a hundred other giveaways open through May 7. My giveaway is to US and Canada addresses only, but many of the other giveaways are international.

Since it's the first Wednesday of May, it's also the day to post for the

Insecure Writer's Support Group

and I had to laugh at the coincidence because Pivot Point is the perfect example of a book that makes me an insecure writer. As in, not only is the idea brilliant (a girl who can see both paths of a choice she makes, before she makes it - which sometimes makes her choices even harder!) but this story is brilliantly plotted and written, too.

I know that comparison is deadly, but sometimes I can't help but think books like this set the bar too high for me and my manuscripts. But there's a few things I remind myself in cases like this: 1) writing is not a race 2) writing isn't a talent show, either  3)  everyone has a slightly different definition of brilliance! and 4) steady writing/revision + dedication to honing craft and studying other stories + teamwork (thank you critiquers!) + never giving up = a personally satisfying masterpiece and maybe a great read for others too.

But enough about me and more about Pivot Point, which is truly a great read and worth entering the giveaway for. Here's the form and below that is my review (not so much a review as me spewing out all the reasons I admired this book).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is sort of a backwards review because I have to start with the ending first. It's a cliffhanger and a sad ending on top of that;  but it has interesting time-travelish sorts of "clauses" that make me extremely eager for the sequel but at the same time grinning over the perfect balance of satisfied fulfillment and curious longing that I came out of the ending with.

I'm not sure if any of that made any sense. But I can't say more without giving away the ending. I LOVED the ending.

Okay, now back to the beginning!

The first thing I fell in love with this book (besides its premise) were the chapter headings. Imaginative chapter headings always add a little extra fun to a story, and by Chapter 2, with a dictionary style heading of "Unjustville:  n. the land ruled by my parents" I was already grinning. As I got through a few more chapters, I started to realize the dictionary-style headings all had another purpose... (more on that in a moment).

The second thing I fell in love with was Addison, the main character, in chapter 2 when she describes her bedroom:

I grabbed a pillow, pulled it against my chest, and lay down. On the ceiling above me, in black scrolling print, was the Aristophanes quote I had painted there: "By words the mind is winged." For some reason it stood out among all the other quotes that loomed above me."

A girl who paints cool quotes all over her room? This my kind of a girl. I started collecting quotes in high school too and I'm still at it. Bonus: the Aristophanes quote isn't one I've seen yet. Very impressed.  Double bonus: it's a beautiful quote for a book lover! Really, it's an awesome quote for anyone.

Another Cool Thing: the range of paranormal powers of kids within the Paranormal compound. They aren't just super-hero sort of ooooh and aaaaah powers: after all this book is science fiction, not fantasy or superhero genre. Here's an example: "he had developed the ability to speed up the connections in his brain, allowing him to run faster." - the author comes up with dozens more abilities, some expected and some quite unexpected. Also, the kids in the Paranormal compound go to their own school, with its own special quirks (not as atmospheric or as well-developed as Hogwarts, but they do have their own special-powers fueled sports, like Para-football.)

I adored Addie's insistence that her life would play out like the plots in the many books she's read. Because maybe I've been tempted to think along those lines too?

"I've been thinking about books where the main character's parents are going through a divorce. A big theme is rebellion. I think I should give it a try." 

She laughs. "Addie and rebellion. Those two words don't fit together." 

At first I'm tempted to be offended by the comment, but she's right. I'm not rebellious. Not even a little bit. But considering the insane amount of tension still present between my mom and me, I'm pretty sure I can channel rebellion right now. "I can totally do it."   

"You do know you're speaking of fiction, right? Your novels aren't supposed to be study guides for human behavior." 

I shrug off her comment. "I have at least a six-month window where my parent will blame themselves instead of me for anything I do wrong. I was thinking of a blue streak in my hair." 

Her eyes light up as though she's suddenly on board. "Really? Because that would be so awesome." 

"Is that enough? I don't want to go over the top, but I don't want to undersell my suffering either." 

Here's another snippet of Addie's dialogue with her best friend Laila (don't worry, I'll get to the love interest here shortly) (Laila is such a fun character. she also has the scary ability to erase other people's memories).

Laila speaking: "So let me get this straight. If I didn't have an ability, you wouldn't like me?" 

I sigh. "Of course I'd like you. But that's because you're out-spoken, bossy, and don't care what anyone else thinks." 

"You just made me sound like a total witch." 

"I know, but let's not get sidetracked. This is my meltdown." 

"Addie, come on, you usually don't are what anyone else thinks either. What's going on?" 

"I don't care when people think I'm an antisocial, controlling bookworm because that's what I am. It's when they interpret me wrong that I have a problem."

Another Neat Thing: the book gets away with a love triangle in a really clever, non-annoying way (really!). Addie uses her ability to look into the future to see the two different ways a choice could play out: stay with her mom in the Paranormal compound and develop a relationship with a Paranormal hot guy, or live in the normal world with her father and develop a relationship with a Normal nice guy.

So remember I said the chapter headings were really cool?  The book takes off into alternating chapters, one showing Addie's life continuing in Paranormal world, with chapter headings all having a para-something word, and the next chapter showing her alternative life in the Normal world, with chapter headings having a norm-something word in them.  Chapter 11 heading: "PARAliation: n. beyond the average humiliation."

This book is a lot more than cute dialogue and funny chapter headings. Here's another side of Addie as she talks about the pages of books she pins on her walls (in addition to the great quotes).

"It has more to do with the story lines... usually the parts where I felt the most tense or the saddest. I'll pin that page on my wall, and every time I read it or look at it, I get that rush of feelings I got reading.  

....When I read, I feel emotions all my own [not emotions influenced by another person, like her mom and dad and how their paranormal abilities affect her]. To me, it almost seems more real, because I know that those characters can't influence me with any power. So I like to remind myself that I can feel without anyone manipulating me..."

And things get really intense as you start to realize how events in the alternative timelines relate to each other, with an escalating danger that Addie can't warn herself about in the different timelines. So in a way, this book is sort of like a time-twist or time travel book.

I promised I'd mention the love interest. There are two of them, of course, but only one really counts, in the way that Mr. Darcy is the only one that counts in Pride and Prejudice, and Wickham is clearly a diversion - if a rather interesting and mysterious diversion. Here's a snippet with Addie and _____  that I loved:

"No." He stops me just as I'm formulating a simple Search. "Don't. Not while I'm here. Just promise me something. If this is a Search and you don't pick me, don't pick this path, for whatever reason, promise me you won't Erase me." [her memory of him]  

That's a very serious promise, one I can't take lightly. Because even though right now, if this was a Search, I can't imagine not picking him, if for some reason something major happens and I can't be with him, remembering him and this would be sheer torture.