Summer Reading Check-In

As I said in my What's Occurring? post, I've been working my way through the YA Buccaneers Summer Reading Challenge. I've read some wonderful books this summer and will probably do proper reviews for some of these but in the meantime here's a quick update of where I'm at:

Read a non-YA book Landline by Rainbow Rowell 

I really, really, really liked this one. I feel like it could be described as 'what happened to your favourite YA/NA couple fifteen years down the line'? Rainbow Rowell just has a knack for writing really cool women and Georgie is a prime example of this. As soon as she was introduced, I just imagined Elizabeth Banks. Ok, I'm rambling, which means I'll have to write a full review soon. TBC. 

Read a book with a male protagonist Gone by Michael Grant

I've been meaning to read this for years but never got round to it. I started off quite intrigued but by the time the coyotes started doing their thing I just couldn't get on board. I didn't really like that Under the Dome show so it's no surprise I wasn't particularly taken with this book. 

Re-read an old favourite Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling

I forgot how utterly absorbing Harry Potter is to read. I watch the films a lot as there always seems to be one on somewhere but I haven't touched the books for a few years. It really was like meeting up with old friends again - the series was so much a part of growing up for me. I've also re-read Raw Blue (which seemed to resonate even more this time around. Love that book so much) and Jellicoe Road (which I'm using for the Printz winner). 

Read a book by a debut author Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

This was so cute! I loved the Italian setting and the characters were just really sweet - even the troubled ones - and I couldn't help but almost shed a tear at one point. You know how when you read some books you can just imagine you and the author would be good friends - that the style and you are on the same wavelength? I felt like this whilst reading Wish You Were Italian. 

Read a book that's been on your TBR list for a long time Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Well, it hasn't been that long but I've had a copy on my shelf since my birthday in 2012 so long enough. I liked it. It was a little bit predictable but I liked the setting (both time and place) and Cinder was a cool character. Thumbs up for diversity also. 

Read a classic (YA or otherwise) The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

Another timeless masterpiece. Unfortunately, the subject matter is still all to relevant. Gangs and needless loss of young lives is still a huge problem everywhere. I'm actually surprised we never read this at school. 

Read a Printz winner Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Actually, this one hit me hard on re-reading too - perhaps it's an Australian speciality. I've read Jellicoe Road quite a few times now and it never loses its poignancy. Melina Marchetta also writes really cool well rounded young women. Oh and I couldn't help but picture Ben as Sammy from Dance Academy this time *sniff*.

What have you been reading this summer? It's not too late to join the challenge! 

Reading Mutiny Challenge: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Format: Kindle e-book

Rating: 5/5

Goodreads

Cath and Wren have done everything together their whole lives - it sort of comes with the twin territory. However, Wren dropped a bombshell and decided they should room separately at college, leaving Cath with an older roommate and said roommate's ever present supposed fancyman. Cath's only solace is her writing - most notably, her much loved Simon Snow fan fiction. Cath has to choose whether to step outside and embrace college life or stick to the comfort of her online world. 

First of all, let's get this out the way [if you can't see the video click here]:

Ok, Rainbow Rowell is officially on my go to authors list now. Fangirl was seriously laugh out loud funny and when I wasn't laughing, I was smiling to myself - even though I was on a packed train every time I read it because it was my train read for the week. There were so many funny quotes and witty observations, oh and Kanye West! I won't spoil them for you though.

Cath was such a sweet character. She was the perfect vehicle for showing what the first year of college is like for mostly everyone. We all had that moment of wanting to quit, didn't we? Except mine came in the penultimate term of the final year - ha! Better late than never. It was such a joy to see Cath uncoil and - corny as it sounds - blossom. I felt like cheering out loud for her to believe in her writing Matilda to Bruce Bogtrotter style.

We all have a Wren type person in our lives (I love the name Wren by the way). Rainbow Rowell did a great of not turning her into a villain. Even though the story was from Cath's point of view, I still felt sympathetic towards Wren who was desperate to break away and have that full college experience - partly as escapism and partly because that's her personality. She's the fearless one.

Fangirl also dealt with the issue of mental illness without making it an 'issues' kind of book. No teaching or preaching, just poignantly handled. Art was a wonderful character and he had some great lines too.

Levi was a ray of sunshine! In the beginning, by the way he was described, I couldn't help but think of him like Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock. This changed a little as he became more involved in the story but still, it was nice to have such a positive character. He was like a mini Lincoln from Attachments! Reagan was also perfect as the worldly, older roommate (did anyone else picture Kat Dennings?) I really enjoyed the Cath-Reagan-Levi dynamic. Oh and I can completely relate to the door-kicking thing as I have been scolded more than once for flinging open a door. Apparently, despite being a wee thing, I have Incredible Hulk like strength.

As for Simon Snow - well that was just the icing on an already pretty delicious cake. I laughed every time I read that they were in Watford. Yes, Watford is the home to the Harry Potter Studio Tour but Watford is the gateway to the North and Londoners often joke that the furthest 'oop north' they've been is Watford Junction. I don't know what the US or Canadian equivalent would be so I can't really explain it... it just tickled me. Anyway, the Simon Snow madness made me nostalgic for Harry Potter mania. I love The Hunger Games but nothing has really come close to the HP hysteria. I started the series when I was about ten and was always smugly gleeful that Harry seemed to be growing up with me. I devoured the fan fiction - and beta'd too!- , went to the midnight launches (I'll never forget the final book release party I attended in Georgia and will always be grateful to my cousins and their friends for indulging my obsession), I queued in sweltering heat and got sunstroke at the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (we didn't even get in that day!)...and the list goes on! In that respect, Fangirl was a wonderful ode to all of us who are a bit - ok a lot - nerdy about something (and we've all got something).

I wish there were more books set in college like Fangirl. It seems as though most of the college stories these days fall into that now dreaded category 'New Adult' and seem to almost always consist of the protagonist 'losing it' or being violated in someway - which I'm glad Sarah at +Clear Eyes, Full Shelves pointed out the other day [here]. It is disturbing. Contemporary YA is all about coming of age. Well, college (or gap year, or anything post school) still counts as coming of age and it is here that the genre is severely lacking. Or perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. What do you think?

Anyway, for now, Fangirl was fantastic and I'm on the Rainbow Rowell train for life!

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Kindle e-book
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Rosie's summer begins with the revelation that her boyfriend, love of her life, 'the one', has cheated on her. With a freshman. A bleached blonde freshman at that. So, Rosie deals with it the way any of us would - she sets her boyfriend's beloved Mustang on fire, bombards him with messages, and earns herself a temporary restraining order and a court date. In order to avoid getting into further trouble, Rosie reluctantly agrees to accompany Matty (her neighbour/brother from another mother), his best friend Spencer, and Spencer's brother, on a road trip to Arizona. However, Rosie's stubborness begins to melt with every mile south and she soon finds herself looking at things in a completely different light. 

This was on my general to be read list but I won't lie, it wasn't near the top. However, I looked up all of the books on this month's Reading Mutiny Challenge list and found that How My Summer Went Up in Flames was a bargain on Kindle. I'm so glad I read this one because I LOVED it! It had the right amount of everything. 

First of all, the characters. Rosie's voice is one of my favourites of this year. Rosie was feisty but wasn't dropping quippy one-liners every two seconds (which can get annoying). Jennifer Salvato Doktorski also did a brilliant job of showing the conflict of the hormone drenched teenage mind. I liked that Rosie's weaknesses were not the backhanded compliment kind (like "people don't take me seriously with my flawless skin and beautiful hair") and she was forced by the guys and her best friend to check her attitude on a regular basis. The supporting cast was solid too. Matty, Spencer and Logan were all given the spotlight at some point, so neither of them felt like filler, and I enjoyed their collective 'geekiness'. I'm glad the romance aspect wasn't drawn out or contrived. It was also great to see strong female friendships with the likes of Lilianna and Avery. 

Secondly, the road trip. I do love a good road trip novel (although I've still never been on a proper one) and this book did not disappoint. I've never been on a fictional road trip through the states mentioned in this story, so I learnt some new things along with Rosie. I felt a bit queasy reading about the Grand Canyon though - I'm not sure I could go there. Well, I could go there but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be looking down at any point. 

Finally, I thought it was well paced and well structured. It finished at just the right point and each leg of the roadtrip was just long enough. It reminded me a little of Audrey, Wait, which I also bought impulsively and ended up loving. 

Overall, this was a surprise hit for me - aren't they the best kind? Oh, and I couldn't resist making a playlist.