Monday Meme Spotlight: Traveling

Are you a traveler? A wanderer? Maybe you just like to pretend you are. Not all of us can travel, but in books, we can make-believe. Here are a few books in which we find travel to be something beautiful.

Just One Day- Gayle Forman: The writer of If I Stay cannot be held to that one novel. In this one, she writes of a sheltered American who finds love and imagination where you would least expect it. In her travels, she searches for what was lost, and over the course of a year, she comes to find it again. Click here to find the novel, as well as its companion, Just One Year, told from a new perspective.

13 Little Blue Envelopes- Maureen Johnson: When Ginyy receives 13 envelopes from her aunt, each with specific instructions for traveling, finding people and places and things all over the world, she does it. She and a starving artist (envelope assignment 3) travel to many beautiful and exotic places to find what her aunt wanted her to find. Click here to find out what was in envelope 13.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer Smith: She misses her flight. Meets the perfect guy. And then she loses him again. Click here to see if true love really wins.

So if you're traveling, have fun. Take a book or two. And remember:

Monday Meme Spotlight: Music in Books

     I think we've all asked that question at least once in our lives. But even if we can't have automatic background music, we can read books that bring it to mind. There are a lot of books out there about rock stars and mellow kids with iPods and earbuds, but these are a few of my favorites. 

1. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour- Morgan Matson: This is an epic road trip, just like the title implies. Compete with playlists of real music and scrapbook-esque mementos of their journey across the county, this novel is fun, heartwarming, and makes you want an In-and-Out burger so bad you can almost taste it. It isn't all fluff, in case you were worried- Amy's father died in a car accident, and since then she hasn't been behind the wheel, so this is a journey epic in both the physical and mental fortitude she needs- with Roger's help- to overcome her past. 

2. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist- Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Nick needs a five-minute girlfriend. What he gets is a New York adventure fit for the big screen- fittingly, it's been made into a movie. It's two teens, just trying to figure out who they are and where the next great band will be playing. Told in alternating perspectives, this is the story of a love too big and bright for simple words- only music can make it real.

3. Just Listen- Sarah Dessen: Dessen is a master author. Her characters are commanding, funny, and so rounded that they feel like they jump out of the book and talk right to you. In Just Listen, we meet Owen, a guarded guy with a violent past and a love for music- all music, including weird chants and what sounds like water dripping- and Annabel, the girl who had everything, and then lost it. Together they rediscover what it means to have it all and how to live even when the world is crashing down, all while swallowed in the warm embrace of music, the music that keeps you together when everything is pulling you apart.
     Another of her novels, This Lullaby, is also centered around music- a cynical girl who finds herself caught up in the messy happiness of a musician.

4. Where She Went (If I Stay #2)- Gayle Forman: I didn't include If I Stay in this because while it does include music, it doesn't focus on it to the extent that Where She Went does. Where She Went takes place years after its predecessor, and we find Mia, single, in the midst of an uprising cello career and Adam in the throes of stardom. It's their journey back to each other to find the closure that they need for their lives to move on after the accident, set against the backdrop of New York's music scene. It's a heart-wrenching novel that sings true to the picture of love and loss that Forman paints in all her writing.  

     No matter what your taste in books, there's something out there for everyone. And if you don't like books, but you love music, one of these picks, or any that revolve around music, are a great transition into the world of writing.

Librarian Review: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Summary:

Meg planned it all carefully. She sent out timed emails, ordered the poison, tied up the loose ends, and finally she did it. What she didn’t realize was that her best friend Cody wouldn’t be able to let her go. Cody and Meg did everything together, they grew up together and were never without each other until Meg goes off to college and then commits suicide. After finding some encrypted files on Meg’s computer, Cody finds herself on a journey to understand, fill in the gaps, and discover that you never really know someone.

Review:

Gayle Forman’s touch is like gold. Every book she writes is a work of art. I remember crying my eyes out while reading If I Stay, something I don’t normally do. I still can’t bring myself to watch the movie. Still, I was thrilled to see this new offering from this remarkable author.

I Was Here is the story of a journey. Anyone who has been touched by a suicide knows that there are so many questions and recriminations that arise in the lives of the survivors. Cody both blames herself and strives to understand why her best friend would make that choice. She strives to understand why Meg would make that choice and leave her behind.

Cody’s emotions and her journey are incredibly believable. Cody follows Meg’s footsteps to find out what led her to her final choice. This journey is painful for Cody, and incredibly difficult. In this journey she will discover herself, her friend, and that knowing can be more painful that she ever imagined.

Audiobook Review:
The audio version of this book is produced by Listening Library and read by Jorjeana Marie. Marie does a fabulous job narrating this heart wrenching novel. Her narration makes Cody’s voice authentic and believable. The audiobook is 7 hours and 42 minutes in length and the production is well done. If you like audiobooks, this is a good way to experience this novel.

Overall:

This is a difficult novel to both review and like. Forman’s writing is remarkable and her ability to dredge forth those tormented emotions is amazing. This novel is a mystery and a journey. Cody wants to understand and find the answers to why Meg did what she did. She finds herself walking and crossing some dangerous boundaries to find the reasons behind Meg’s actions. This book is very emotional, but readers will understand Cody’s frustration and need to know. Forman knows her audience and knows how to draw them in with an emotional and challenging story. Overall this book is incredibly well written and believable, just be prepared for the scars it may leave behind.

Cautions for Sensitive Readers:

Ultimately, this is a book about suicide and understanding the motivations behind a suicide. As such it is painful, and at times graphic. Cody’s journey is not easy and would not be realistic if it were easy.   These are college age teens and you will find references to sex, drugs, alcohol, and some foul language. Recommend this book to older teens who like the works of Forman, Ellen Hopkins, and authors who like to push the reader to the emotional edge. 


Click here to place a hold on the book.

Click here to place a hold on the book on CD.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman Booktrailer and If I Stay Book Review

If you have read Gayle Forman's If I Stay you won't want to miss the stunning sequel Where She Went.  (See our review below for more information about If I Stay.)  Where She Went is now on order at the library so don't forget to place your hold! (Click here to place hold!)

Where She Went takes place three years after the deadly accident that took the lives of Mia's family.  



For those of you that haven't read If I Stay, find out more in our review below.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On a snowy day in Oregon, Mia and her family go on a drive that ends in heartache. She finds herself thrown out of her body as a result of an horrific car accident and left with the choice to live with a loss that will change her life forever or to die.

If I Stay is an emotional roller coaster. One minute you are smiling and laughing, loving the main character, Mia and her family, and the next you are crying because of all she has lost. Mia’s family and friends are touchingly and memorably portrayed. The story smoothly transitions between where Mia is now, and her touching memories of her family and friends. The characters are well rounded and real and love between them and the difficulty of the decisions they make are palpable.

This book made me both laugh and cry. It gave be a better appreciation for a good tearjerker. As I read the book it made me think about my family and what is important to me, and how I would feel if I were in Mia’s position. While I won’t go out of my way to find tearjerkers from now on, I must say I was really impressed with this book.

A must read for those who like tearjerkers!

Cautions for sensitive readers: A situation with sexual references and mild language. There are some graphic depictions of the car accident that may disturb some readers, but once past that part, the book is pretty tame.


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Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For a long time I did everything I could to avoid any book with a sad or even depressing story. As a rule I still turn to books that I know will end happily or at least not leave me in tears. I have never been a Lurlene McDaniel fan and in fact have always wondered at the devotion of her readers—the ones who can’t get enough of her sad romance stories. I’m not really sure why I picked up this book. It really didn’t fall into the categories I usually choose, but for some reason I have wanted to read this book for a long while.

If I Stay is an emotional roller coaster. One minute you are smiling and laughing, loving the main character, Mia and her family, and the next you are crying because of all she has lost. On a snowy day in Oregon, Mia and her family go on a drive that ends in heartache. She finds herself thrown out of her body as a result of an horrific car accident and left with the choice to live with a loss that will change her life forever or to die.

Mia’s family and friends are touchingly and memorably portrayed. The story smoothly transitions between where Mia is now, and her touching memories of her family and friends. The characters are well rounded and real and love between them and the difficulty of the decisions they make are palpable.

This book made me both laugh and cry. It gave be a better appreciation for a good tearjerker. As I read the book it made me think about my family and what is important to me, and how I would feel if I were in Mia’s position. While I won’t go out of my way to find tearjerkers from now on, I must say I was really impressed with this book.

A must read for those who like tearjerkers!

Cautions for sensitive readers: The main character does have a sexual relationship with her boyfriend although one situation has a rather steamy moment, it cuts off before anything explicit happens. There is also some foul language used in the book although it is very rare. There are some graphic depictions of the car accident that may disturb some readers, but once past that part, the book is pretty tame.

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