Tag Archives: ya

Every Day by David Levithan

Posted by melydia on April 23, 2013 None comments

Every Day by David Levithan (unabridged audiobook read by Alex McKenna; 8.5 hrs on 7 discs): I have very mixed feelings about this book. It says some very good things about acceptance, sexuality, and gender identity. It also says some very bad things about how to pursue a love interest. Every morning, A wakes up in the body of a different person, able to access their memories but not their emotions or consciousness. (Note: though A has no gender and inhabits both male and female bodies with equal ease, I will use male pronouns to make typing less cumbersome.) The body is always roughly his same age, and he lives in it only until midnight before moving on. (Though the switch happens at midnight, A always wakes up the next morning, implying that these kids never stay up past midnight or something.) He has no control over these switches, and mostly acts in order to make as little impact on the body’s life as possible – until one day when he inhabits the body of Justin, boyfriend of Rhiannon. A falls in love with Rhiannon, becomes convinced that she loves him too, and turns the lives of his subsequent hosts upside-down in his attempts to win her over, pretty much stalking her until she gives in. A few times I wanted to shout at A, “Just leave her alone already!” It was like A was completely incapable of having a conversation with Rhiannon that didn’t focus on his love for her and how Justin wasn’t good enough for her and blah blah blah. Yes, I know that teenagers are obsessive like that, but it got kind of tiresome. I wish the story had done more with Nathan and the Reverend, exploring the science fiction side of A’s existence as a wandering soul, but its narrow focus on the complicated romance rarely wavered. On the bright side, the writing was superb, and A’s experiences in so many different kinds of lives (from drug addict to immigrant house cleaner to transgendered person) were compelling, believable, and memorable. I also did really appreciate A’s views of gender identity and unconditional love, and Rhiannon’s reactions were quite realistic. Yes, there are people out there who could fall in love with someone who looked completely different every single day, but could you? The ending was dissatisfying, though I suppose it was good that A finally appeared to mature a little bit, even if he still couldn’t seem to muster any respect for his host bodies. I kind of hope there’s a sequel, if only to explore the premise a bit more and lay off the teen romance a tad.

A note on the audio: McKenna’s raspy voice took some getting used to, but ultimately it really worked.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Posted by melydia on April 19, 2013 None comments

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (unabridged audiobook read by the author; 5 hrs on 5 discs): I’ve never encountered a book so emotional. I went from laughing to crying to laughing in mere minutes. This is a “semi-autobiographical” novel, in that much of what happens to Arnold “Junior” Spirit, the protagonist and narrator, also happened to Alexie as a child. The frankness of a 14-year-old boy was often hilarious, while the tragedy of racism and alcoholism was simply heart-breaking. The ending was hopeful and satisfying, though, and I think this is an important book for children to read to introduce them to another lifestyle, or to remind them that they’re not alone. I’ve never lived near a reservation nor known anyone who lived on one, so this was quite an eye-opening account. I am definitely going to have to track down some of Alexie’s other works.

A note on the audio: It took me about twenty minutes to acclimate to Alexie’s somewhat unusual cadence, but after that it became a wonderful addition to the experience. However, I understand there are illustrations and comics in the actual book, so I’ll have to get my hands on a paper copy at some point.

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Posted by melydia on April 9, 2013 None comments

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel (unabridged audiobook read by Katie Schorr; 8 hrs on 7 discs): Blarg. When we last saw them, Ever and Damon were both immortal and Damon’s evil ex was out of the picture for good. Now Damon’s pressuring Ever into sex (he has been waiting four hundred years to bed her, after all) but she’s all caught up in the fact that he has four hundred years of conquests under his belt while she’s still a 16-year-old virgin. A new guy named Roman shows up and everybody except Ever loves him (she’s totally suspicious); Damon starts getting sick for some reason; and the whole thing is just kind of exasperating. I’d worried that the series would move toward omg twu wuv and away from the parts that were actually interesting in the first book, and so it has. It ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, and I found I simply did not care. I won’t be going out of my way to continue the series.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Manual of Aeronautics by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson

Posted by melydia on March 26, 2013 None comments

The Manual of Aeronautics by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson: The alternate-WWI, steampunk world of Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath required a surprising amount of pre-work, describing all the technology and creatures and uniforms so the illustrations of the novels would match Westerfeld’s vision. This book contains a small sampling of those designs, from detailed floor plans of airships to Latin names for fabricated beasties to portraits of some of our favorite characters. It was a very fast read, but I loved the full color drawings. The pictures really helped bring the books to life, and this slim volume only enhances that experience. Recommended for fans of the series, but not until after you’ve finished reading it.

Uglies: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfeld, Devin Grayson, and Steven Cummings

Posted by melydia on March 15, 2013 None comments

Uglies: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfeld, Devin Grayson, and Steven Cummings: This is the graphic novel of Uglies from Shay’s point of view. It’s something you probably don’t want to read until you’ve finished the series, but I suppose it technically doesn’t spoil the other books. The story itself is fine. They don’t dwell too much on the parts you see from Tally’s point of view, so it is mostly fresh material. My issue with it was the art. Everyone looks the same. I get that the Uglies aren’t supposed to actually be ugly, but they look identical to the Pretties, the Specials, the Smokies, everybody. You don’t even get much change pre- and post-surgery for the same characters. I get that it’s difficult to include the sort of subtle details described in the book, but it got to the point where the Ugly nicknames didn’t even make any sense. I like the idea of a graphic adaptation of Westerfeld’s work, but this just didn’t work out very well.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Posted by melydia on March 8, 2013 None comments

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (unabridged audiobook read by Chad Lowe; 6.5 hrs on discs): Roy has just moved to Florida, where he is endlessly bullied by the local thug, Dana. One day he sees some kid running barefooted outside during school hours and it sparks his interest. Young adult literature has a number of archetypes associated with it, and two of them are presented here: the “ordinary main character meets weird new kid and has life transformed” story and the “ordinary main character fights corporate baddies for important cause” story. And there’s a kid who makes fart noises. It’s a cute tale, funny in parts and heartwarming in others, but extraordinarily predictable overall. Still, this is definitely the sort of story I’d encourage kids to read. I may have heard the lessons about being different or standing up for what you believe in many times before, but that doesn’t make them less valid. And who doesn’t love owls?

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Posted by melydia on March 1, 2013 None comments

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld (unabridged audiobook read by Alan Cumming; 10.5 hrs on 9 discs): This final installment of the Leviathan trilogy had me on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire time. If Deryn’s secret wasn’t on the verge of being discovered then Alek was in danger or the engines were smoking or some other calamity. This part of our story takes us from Siberia to Japan to the USA, introducing a number of memorable new characters and visiting old friends along the way. And Bovril the perspicacious loris was endlessly adorable. There were far more historical figures this time around, making Westerfeld’s “what actually happened” epilogue even more interesting. You know, I don’t really care for steampunk or alternate histories or books about war – fictional or otherwise – but I really, really loved this trilogy. I loved the characters, how you’re never quite sure who knows what or whom to trust. I loved the technology, the mix of science and fantasy involved in these genetically engineered critters. I loved the story, the adventures, the romance, the suspense. And the ending was quite satisfying, which is saying a lot considering how many loose ends were flapping about prior to it. Highly recommended.

A note on the audio: Cumming is a master of a wide variety of accents – American, German, Scottish, and numerous forms of English – but Russian, alas, is not one of them. It was a little painful listening to his Russian characters. But that’s a pretty small complaint, considering he remained simply fantastic for the rest of the book. It’s also worth noticing that since I was listening to this in my car, I did attempt to make up excuses to drive places.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Posted by melydia on February 15, 2013 None comments

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (unabridged audiobook read by Alan Cumming; 9.5 hrs on 8 discs): Deryn and Alek are in Istanbul, where they meet anarchists (who aren’t really), a perspicacious loris, and a nosy American reporter. I laughed aloud when Deryn and Alek were discussing Lilit, and there were several times when all I could think was, “How are they going to get out of this one, then?” I am thoroughly enjoying this series, which is interesting since I don’t generally consider myself to be a steampunk fan. I guess it helps that this is more alternate history and science fiction than a mere obsession with gear-and-goggle-based fashion. I can’t wait to see how the story ends.

A note on the audio: Cumming continues to dazzle. I’m almost certain that some American dude showed up, shoved Cumming out of the way just to say the American character’s lines, and then left. To my American ears, it was perhaps the best accent I’ve ever heard by a British narrator.

The Devil and His Boy by Anthony Horowitz

Posted by melydia on February 8, 2013 None comments

Devil and His Boy by Anthony Horowitz: I really wanted this to be fantasy. Devil in the title, wizard in the first chapter – I wasn’t crazy for expecting fantasy, was I? But it’s really not. It’s the story of Tom, a boy in the 16th century who finds himself plucked from his crappy country existence into a only slightly less crappy life on the streets of London, where he befriends Moll Cutpurse and aspires to become an actor. The whole plot was pretty predictable and the writing only so-so. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more were I still part of the intended age group, but I suspect I’d have been searching vainly for fantasy even then.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Posted by melydia on February 1, 2013 None comments

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (unabridged audiobook read by Alan Cumming; 8.5 hrs on 7 discs): What we know as World War I is about to begin, but in this world the two factions are the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Clankers have huge mechanical contraptions, sort of a steampunk AT-AT. The Darwinist’s giant war machines are actually carefully designed animals created through grafting genes. Alek is the son of the recently assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, now on the run from his own allies; Deryn is a Scottish girl pretending to be a boy so she can join the military. It’s a fun story, but unquestionably part of a series – the ending leads into the next stage of the plot, leaving you wishing for just one more chapter. I’m so glad I’m reading it now, after the whole trilogy has been released, so I don’t have to wait. I also appreciated the “this is real and this is made up” afterword. Definitely recommended if you like steampunk or WWI alternate history.

A note on the audio: Alan Cumming is fantastic. No, seriously, amazing. To the point where I want to watch every movie he’s ever used an accent in ever.

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