Book Review: Ocean at the End of the Lane

Ocean at the End of the Lane

This novel follows a little boy who’s home is overtaken by a creature bent on making his life miserable while helping everyone else. He seeks help from the strange farm at the end of the lane with a pond that one of the residents, Lettie Hempstock, calls an ocean.

I was wary of this book initially. I had a bad reading experience with Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods,” so I worried this would be the same. But, I like Gaiman’s writing style enough to overlook my resistance and give it a go. I’m extremely glad I did. It is an amazing book.

Things I love: the descriptions, the imagery, the whole shebang. I like that the real world/fantasy world are so close together, like they can exist at the same time in the same place and our world still moves in the same way. 

His characters are so vivid even with just minor description. I find them more in their habits and their words than the physical details, taking it from a sketch to a fully formed 3-D character walking around the page.

The voice is incredible, as well. I’m always blown away when I read a young character that feels 100% authentic in his thoughts and actions. Even more so because the narrator is retelling a childhood tale, so it’s a story from a young boy filtered through an adult brain (two if you count the author in there).

The ending was incredible, definitely heartbreaking but beautiful. It makes you think about the blank spaces and im/permanence of memories. It also has some great points about the adult/child dichotomy. 

Favorite Quotes:

“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups.” (pg 112)

5 stars

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February 2015 Reads

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This book has been on my radar for years, but I never picked it up until now. Arthur Dent is rescued by his alien friend Ford Prefect shortly before Earth is destroyed, catapulting them in a pretty epic space adventure. This was my quickest read. I think the world building was awesome, the characters were interesting, and the story line compelling. I only docked it a star because it felt a little slow for me. That’s not to say a lot isn’t going on, but I was mainly interested in what Arthur was going through and a majority of the book is about the other characters. 4 out of 5 stars. 

We Were Liars E Lockhart

I was seeing this book all over Tumblr and on some Youtuber shelves, so I decided to give it a go. I really liked it. This story takes place on an Island owned by the Sinclairs. The main character, Cadence, suffers crippling headaches and selective amnesia, coming back to the family island to try and sort out what happened to her and her family. I loved the characters in this book even though the book is more than a little white washed. It does follow a rich family who own their own island, so if you’re not interested in those kinds of story lines, I don’t recommend this one for you. I was drawn to the mystery of it, and I connected to Cadence’s struggle in watching her family self destruct. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Fiona Staples

I loved this just as much as the first. Another beautiful book with a compelling story line. The inlaws have arrived, and our unconventional couple has to navigate that tense relationship while trying to find the ghost girl and not be found by those hunting them. Major cliffy at the end, and I’m still not so patiently waiting for Volume 3. 4 out of 5 stars. 

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I like H.G. Wells generally, but this was not my favorite. Outside of Saga, it was the shortest but took me the longest to finish. It follows a time traveller as he gets stuck in the future and has to find his way home, witnessing some interesting things along the way. I think it was a little too much narration and not a whole lot of action or dialogue. I didn’t connect with the narrator or the creatures he met. I liked Weena a bit, but her ending felt like a convenient out to tie up a potential loose end. 3 out of 5 stars. 

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut

This book made me flip-flop. I didn’t really like it in the beginning. It’s about a wealthy man going against his family’s desires, putting their fortune and reputation in jeopardy. Money centric plots don’t really get my juices going, and I thought maybe satire was just beyond me. But, there were some really funny lines that kept me going, and by the end I really grew to like Mr. Rosewater and thought the ending was amazingly perfect. This was my first Vonnegut read; I’m definitely a fan. 4 out of 5 stars. 

As always, suggestions are accepted and encouraged! 

January 2015 Reads

Kicking of the yearly list with 4 books I read in January. 

First, I finished “Not that Kind of Girl” by Lena Dunam. 

In case you’re living under a rock, this is an episodic/essay type memoir written by the creator and star of HBO’s “Girls.” It’s broken down in parts, describing various topics from love and sex, body, friendship, work and big picture. I wanted to like it. I like “Girls,” I’m a fan of reading about any woman’s success, plus I just wanted to identify with someone who I view as being uber successful and my age. 

There was some controversy about the rape chapter and the ‘little too close for comfort’ relationship with her sister, but those chapters didn’t bother me at all. The sister thing seemed like genuine curiosity that people read too much into. 

It had its moments that I liked. Some of the essays were really funny, and it was an easy read. But, after a while, it became a little bit too self-centered. The chapter dealing with her grandmother’s death is what killed it for me. The death became an event in which to view herself, her relationship with death, and her fears over her death. Not one bit seemed about the grandmother that died, or what her life meant, or really anything outside of the Lena show, and it took a 4 star review down to a 2.

Next, I read the graphic novel “Saga.” “Saga” follows a couple from opposite sides of an alien war as they struggle to find a safe place to raise their child when both sides share a common goal in finding and destroying them. Along the way, they meet a spirit who helps them escape in return for latching on to the baby’s soul. 

“Saga” was a recommendation from a coworker that I fell in love with. It’s a weird book, but the art is amazing and the story pulls you right in. I may have went out and bought the next 3 novels in the series after finishing it. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Then, I read a work recommendation all about entrepreneurship and finding success. It was written by one of the founders of Paypal, Peter Thiel, and it’s called “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.” I feel like I learned some things, definitely an interesting look into what makes an idea/startup successful. 3 out of 5 stars. 

Lastly, I finally finished the book “Up for Grabs” by my author-friend Heather Young-Nichols. “Up for Grabs” is a NA read from the main character Flannery’s point of view as she falls in love with Cain and then has to come up with some interesting means to stay not only with Cain but in college once her scholarship is taken from her. 

I hadn’t read an NA in a really, really long time, and this book made me kind of regret that. It takes place in Michigan-point 1 for the novel-at the University of Michigan-point 2. The premise is this desperate for money college student, driven to selling her virginity to keep the life and future she had been cultivating at University. 

I think the book handles that idea in a way that highlights Flannery taking ownership of her virginity and moving outside the lines of it being something that makes her ‘pure.’ That whole virgin-to-pure equation never really sits well with me. If someone believes the contents of one’s character rests on the state of her hymen, that’s showing more problems with that person than the hymen bearer. Anyways, went on a tangent. 4 out of 5 stars. Buy it, read it, love it. 

Leave any book recommendations in the comments! My TBR list is ever growing. 

Don't Break the Chain

Can’t say 2015 has been a banner year for blog consistency. Sorry about that! I can say that I’ve found a good way to be consistent in the other areas of my life. 

I’m driven by visual motivation. I like seeing my accomplishments, the ends of the means. I love watching my work move from one side of the race track to the finish line, day after day. In my position now, you can see exactly what you do all day. The amount of calls, chats, and emails you answer are logged and charted so you can sit back and say ‘yeah, I did something today.” Sometimes, all I do is deal with crappy customers, but it’s still something. 

Quantifiable things are my bread and butter, so this year I decided to make my goals more visual. Something I can track in the real world rather than an undocumented bar to keep. Mainly, this revolves around these bits of paper: 

Image belongs to creator Karen Kavett. Get DBC prints here

Don’t Break the Chain isn’t a new concept (one Google search’ll prove that) but it’s new to me. I like deadlines; I only hit the bars I need to keep when I see them. So, I may or may not have 4 of these sheets pasted to my wall. 

Super awesome quality photo, huh? 

And I may or may not have written, read, exercised, and not drank pop daily since I’ve been building my chains.

Maybe I need to print out a blogpost Don’t Break the Chain…

Anybody else have any ‘stick to your goals’ tricks? I’d love to hear them! 

My Harry Potter Blood Runs Deep

It’s been three years since the last time I sat in the theaters to watch Harry Potter. It’s been seven since I last sat outside Media Play (who remembers that store??) for the midnight release of Deathly Hallows.

Yet, Harry Potter still finds a way to sneak into my consciousness.

I’m kind of known in my friend group for inappropriate dreams staring various Potter characters.

It started with a random dream many years ago now, where Harry, not Dan Rad, pulled up to me on the streets of New York in a limo asking me if I wanted to see his magic stick … Mhm, my dream brain thinks Potter’s a bit pervy.

No no, Harry. No no.

Honestly, last month, I hadn’t even seen, read, or thought about HP for quite sometime. Imagine my surprise when none other than George Weasley pops into my dreams like we’re old pals, who dream me was also secretly in love with … I was unaware that I harbored any romantic inclinations for the twins.

While it was a much more PG dream than I’m used to when it comes to fictional characters, it awakened my teenage Potter fanatic.

I’ve started rereading the series, the hubs and I watched HP 1-3 on Labor Day, and I even checked out Pottermore to catch up on Rowling’s new writing.

Can I just say how much I miss Harry Potter? The anticipation of the next book/film, midnight premieres, the whole day I’d dedicate to reading the next book. My youth revolved around that world.

And it kind of surprises me that I still find them amazing at 27 years old.

Fan stuff is also amazing

 I don’t think I’ve reached that level of fanatic with any other series. I kind of shy away from large series for that reason, too—I can be quite obsessive when it comes to books I love, so long series take big chunks of my times and funds.

I do know if Rowling ever picks up the pen for another series in that world, I’m going to be all over it. I haven’t read Mythical Beasts, but I am excited about the movie and seeing the wizarding world set in New York.

Anybody else have strange character dreams or all consuming book recommendations? What thing defines your childhood?

Short Story Love

 

My well loved short story collections. 

In honor of the start of Camp NaNoWrimo and my endeavor to write a short story anthology, I thought I’d point you toward some short stories available online that have left a mark on me as a reader/writer.

As an English graduate, short stories were my bread and butter during my academic days. In some ways, I learned to love short stories more than I do novels. All texts, whether 1,000 words or 100,000 words, require a level of bravery and talent to leave any kind of mark on the world, but I think a short story has a lot of work to do in a very limited space that gives them a certain appeal unobtainable by longer novels.

If a short story can elicit some kind of visceral emotion from me within their short pages, I hold them to a different level than I would a novel that did the same. There is no room for background, slow building, or space to grow a strong bond between reader and text in a short story. It’s all action, and if done right, powerful, lasting action.

—That’s not to say I don’t love full-length novels. I’m a reader of all—

I’ve fallen in love with many short tales, but these are my favorites:

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

            If you read any on this list, let it be this one. It has Christian undertones, some might say overtones, like most of Tolkien’s work, but it’s also simply a story about people, about appreciating your neighbor and looking at the world through their eyes. It’s also about an artist, a pastor, death, and a leaf.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursela K. Le Guin

This one had me in a moral quandary. If you’re a lover of Utopian/Distopian stories, give this short one a read and decide what you would do. It’s about a perfect society, what is responsible for that perfection, and what one would do in the face of that thing which makes it perfect. I’m writing in circles, just give it a read.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

            Another moral quandary story. This is about a town that holds a lottery once a year as a ritual to bring prosperity to the town. I won’t tell anymore, but it’s definitely worth a read.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

            This is about a sick woman who is locked away in a house in the country at the advise of her husband to help her get better. Strange things happen in her isolation and the ending is just creepy perfection. Read it.

Honorable Mentions:

Rappaccini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka

What Are You Reading?

The snow seems happy to be melting.

I’ve been reading a lot lately, chronic reading really. Right now, I have three books half read: my morning book, my night book, and the manuscript I’m editing.

It’s making me miss school, where I first learned the art of narrative juggling. I miss talking about books, analyzing books, living in books. I think I need to join a book club or something.

I haven’t read this much since the summer of 2009 where I annihilated fifty novels in three months. I wrote my first novel after that.

Hopefully, I’m gearing up for another one those writing explosions. I’m apparently in the mass consumption phase of the writing process. Release must be close behind.

Either way, it’s been reminding me about what I like and don’t like about story telling. The way that I’m naturally drawn to character driven works, how I can’t connect to anything if I can’t connect to the people, what a good metaphor looks like, what a bad one looks like, dialogue that works, the irksomeness that is dialogue tags before dialogue, or the way words like “just,” “that,” or “literally” make my skin crawl when they cross that thin line between sparingly and every other sentence.

 I forgot how good reading was for teaching. I want to pursue my master’s in Creative Writing, but I don’t think that’s going to teach me how to write, only how to write better. Books are the best writing teachers, especially when you learn to separate the good ones from the bad ones and take in all their flaws and perfections as ammo for your own.

I haven’t kept up with my review series, yet. I still have a review for “Tilt” coming. Now add “The Archived” and “Eleanor and Park” to that list.

Here’s the part where I come to you for recommendations. I need titles people, books you love. I want to love them, too. Or politely hate them. Any genre really. I haven’t fallen in love with any recent mysteries or suspense books lately, so that could be fun. Let me peak in your awesome bookshelves and pilfer what strikes my fancy.

Seriously, Googling books is a drain on valuable reading time. Just point me in the right direction.  

Writing Woes

Happy Friday!

I’d like to say I had an über productive week full of writing, editing, and general goal fulfillment, but that’d be a lie.

I had an average week full of editing other people’s manuscripts, plotting two of my stories for CampNanoWrimo (fellow Campers, leave a comment; let’s be camp buddies, full of tin can and a string conversations with a side of melodramatic crying over low word counts), and reading.

One of my New Year Resolutions was to read a book a week for 2014. Yeah, I haven’t lived up to that goal. But, I’m not being too hard on myself. I endeavored on American Gods as my week two book, and I couldn’t get into it. So, it sits on my shelf, 120 pages unread …

That’s not to say I haven’t been reading. I’ve been reading a lot, but most are unpublished works I get paid to read and, as they’re unpublished, cannot review yet. But, this past weekend, I finished Tilt by Ellen Hopkins, which is a 602-page book of poems that make up a narrative.

Look for the official review next week.

My writing progress has been slow. I’m in a weird writing point where the ideas are flowing, but the follow through is abysmal. I get half way through, and my interest fizzles out.

I’m not going to say it’s writer’s block, because, well, I don’t really believe in writer’s block.

I believe my own fear of writing suckage is preventing me from committing to a story line I worry is going to fail before it gets on the page.

This is a self-inflicted problem and, luckily, surmountable.

My plan of attack is to leash my inner-editor and critic—better yet, wrap that sucker in chains and throw it off this writing ship—and finish something, anything really, by the end of March.

This plan is two-fold. A) I really do need to get something revisable so I can start shipping my work out to the masses (the last time I was published was in 2011…three years ago…ugh), and B) so I can carry that sense of accomplishment into the CampNano cabins where I will try to get my next gold star for a finished novel.

**Advice about writing hang ups is welcomed**