Rosie Reading Update: My Big Fat Manifesto

Today, while downing a beef and cheddar sandwich with a side of potato cakes at Arby's, I finished My Big Fat Manifesto, by Susan Vaught.

The average person might have reconsidered their fast-food choices after reading that particular book, but most people will tell you, I don't really qualify as average. I sing in the grocery store, while I'm walking around all by myself.

Instead I just ended up resolving to not get ice cream on my way home from work as often, because Susan Vaught does a very good job making the world seem like not such a shiny place from Jamie Carcaterra's perspective.

Jamie, the self-described "Fat Girl" is taking her senior year by storm, writing for the paper, starring in the school musical, and enjoying her time with her football-star boyfriend, Burke. As Jamie starts her new column chronicling her experiences in the world, her plans fall apart.

Burke decides to get gastric bypass surgery, and Jamie starts getting negative attention from her community--people who aren't so happy about her Fat and Proud way of life. Burke's changes aren't just physical, and losing him might mean losing her friends Freddie and No-No too. And if the whole situation wasn't bad enough, her friend Heath might not just be a friend after all...

Somehow, Susan Vaught took the same boring plot (girl has boy, boy loves girl, girl loves boy, girl meets other boy, girl leaves one boy for other because all boys will fall in love with girl since she is so great and fabulous) and made it 1. not annoying and 2. fresh.

That being said, there were some problems with the side characters, the supporting cast, the extras.

Let's talk about dimensions.

There are a few.

Here is one: .

Here is another: _____________

Here is one more:


And another:



When we talk about characters, we usually refer to the last two...two dimensional and three dimensional.

If you are an author, you want more than anything to have your readers think you've created three dimensional characters. It means just what you think it does--the same thing it means in the movies. 3D means the image is going to pop out of the screen, just like that building really did just blow up, or like that guy's house really just picked itself up off its foundations and floated away...

You do not want two dimensional characters. Like...if I say the words "dumb blonde" to you...you can picture the girl exactly. And it will be a girl. You won't see who she is, but what she is, and she will never be more to you than that first image.

It's the author's job to make that dumb blonde more than just a "dumb blonde."

Susan Vaught didn't pull it off.

Jamie is a great character! She's fun, interesting, full of depth! But no other character is even a quarter of the person Jaime is. You could take out the names of the other characters and jumble them around, and it would make little to no difference.

That's bad.

But I loved Jamie. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to see what she'd do next. I wanted those stupid meanie people to leave her alone and just let her be happy.

No matter what, I still read this book like someone was about to rip it out of my hands, hold it above their head, and laugh at me while I jumped up and down trying to get it back.

That's very good.

You guys are going to have to judge for yourself.


The tally stands as follows:

Nominees: 21
Books read: 8
Books remaining: 13
Months left: 6

My Good News!

There is so much good news today, I thought I'd give you a list to peruse.

1. We have candy. On the circulation desks. Need I say more?

2. I'm no longer sick! Wait...maybe this should have been number one...

3. If I hold an apple in my hands today (like the one sitting inches away from me), I look like the cover of Twilight. See, I'm wearing a Halloween costume, without wearing a Halloween costume...get it?

4. Most of you don't have school.

5. I am pages away from finishing not one but two Eliot Rosewater books!

6. The young adult novels nominated for the National Book Award in 2009 are on their way! Click here, here, and here to read more about them.

7. Did I mention the candy?

8. Because there's candy...

9. Right here on the desk!

10. We have a program coming up! November 12 at 6:00 p.m. we will be making paper star lanterns!

I am very excited about the paper star lanterns.

I picked one of these up at a touristy shop in Colorado, hung it up in my room, and there it remained for many years. But, when I started thinking about fun crafts for us all to do, I figured I could probably find a pattern online...

There is no pattern online.

Hey, I bet I could post one!

Because I sat down over a three-day period and created a pattern for these lanterns. Without taking mine apart! That is a big plus.

I'm putting up all kinds of signage all around the library, so make sure to register so I have enough supplies!

Need convincing? Take a look at the pictures I found...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeysplanting/2124813418/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gertrudk/2102271053/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fireant2006_triptych/274433151/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/remedy/339487087/

These stars will liven up your room (or make a great Christmas gift). All you need to make them is my magic template, five pieces of 12"12" scrapbook paper, and a glue stick. If you want, you can embellish, with stamps, paper punches, etc., but you don't need too.
Oh!

And...

11. We just got a new book! Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott.



Our staff already loves it (it's been through two other people before it got to me), and Rachel tells me it's one of her favorite books of the year.

Ellen Hopkins gave a blurb for the cover, "Stark. Gripping. Totally unforgettable."

I'll read it, make sure you tell me what you think.

Read Me!

Hey everybody!

We've had to cancel our Halloween party.

I called everyone who registered. If you didn't and were planning on joining us, all you'll find is me and maybe a piece of candy. If you're nice, I might share...

I'll keep you up to date about all our new plans!

Happy Teen Read Week!

This is a happy week. You see, it is Teen Read Week. This is the week that we all are very happy that you are reading, that we are reading, and that we celebrate how cool reading is, especially when you are reading something by John Green (or someone else, if you want...).

Hooray!

It also gives us the opportunity to make lots of noise about the coolness of reading for teens, and I would make more noise than even this if I didn't make noise every day...which I do.

Looking for a way to celebrate? Here's one!

For those of you that have read Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac--drop by the library tonight at 6:00 p.m. and join in our Young Adult Book Discussion (the way I party, since you can't beat talking books). We will have snacks and craftiness, and we'll talk all about how great it was that Naomi got hit on the head so hard, since she really needed it.

Oh, did she need it.

We will be making fancy CD covers to go with our awesome mixes--which Will taught us to make so well (if you read the book you know what I'm talking about. For the rest of you...read the book!).

In addition to my being so happy that we are all reading like crazy--hopefully not just this week--the Young Adult Library Services Administration has released the Top Ten Books of 2009!

This is another fantastic way to celebrate--read the books that teens like you have rated the best of this year!

Looking for a list? Okay, fine, here it is, with some commentary...

The Top Ten Books of 2009

1. Paper Towns by John Green (Hooray for John Green--Nerdfighters!)

2. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I love this book!)

4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

5. Identical by Ellen Hopkins

6. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Great author, love him.)

7. Wake by Lisa McMann

8. Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart

10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Another fantastic book--read this!)

Celebrate Teen Read Week by checking out a few of these. You can also grab a few bookmarks I've put out with all the winners listed (to help with future reading plans). I'm going to be sure to read the few of these I haven't.

Book discussion first, though.

I'll see some of you tonight! The rest of you should plan on being here next week for our Halloween Costume and Pizza Party--October 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Eliot Rosewater Reading Update: A Long Way Gone

I just finished Ishmael Beah's book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.


Ishmael lost his home and his family during Sierra Leone's civil war. From that point, he and his friends fled from one village to another, struggling against starvation and unable to find safety. Throughout their flight, they searched for their families.

However, instead of sanctuary, Ishmael found the army. He was given weapons and taught to kill. The army urged him to take revenge against those who had stolen his former life. During this time, Ishmael and other boys like him were traumatized beyond belief.

As someone who has grown up with total knowledge and confidence in my own safety, I find it difficult to imagine life without it. One of the few drawbacks of life here in the U.S. is that we can so easily overlook conflicts in other countries. That is why Ishmael Beah's story is so important.

I encourage all of you to read this book.

Now What? In Which Laura Finishes Catching Fire and Promises There Will Be No Spoilers

You all know about my Catching Fire woes. How I just couldn't bring myself to read it, even though I've been looking forward to it for ages. You have also read my list of possible reasons as to why I have not brought myself to read Catching Fire, even though its been a month (well, almost) since its release.

I figured it out, finally. I know why.

Turns out, I hate waiting.

I know what you're thinking. And I agree. Really, how could forcing myself to wait before reading a book make me not have to wait? It doesn't make sense.

Unless you take into consideration the sequel to Catching Fire. Have you figured it out yet?

However, a month of procrastination had brought me no closer to resolving the situation--i.e. I could not use my inability to start the book to force Suzanne Collins to have the third book released the moment I finished the second.

If only the world worked that way. Then I could read all the books in a series back to back. The would should work that way.

But it doesn't.

And Fire by Kristin Cashore (author of Graceling) was released on Monday. It only makes sense that I should have Catching Fire finished before getting Fire in the mail.

That is, after all, why I pre-ordered them both. So I could read them the second they came out, or the second they arrived in the mail.

Monday, I knew that Fire had been shipped. Wednesday I traced the USPS tracking number and discovered my package containing Fire would arrive on Friday (today).

Sigh.

It isn't like I didn't know this was coming. I had to read Catching Fire. I just had to. The Hunger Games was amazing, so good that I was telling all my friends to read it--and all of you! I am so rarely surprised by books. Usually I have this sixth sense that tells me the moment I touch them that I will love them--or not.

But I thought The Hunger Games would be depressing. And it wasn't. I thought I would hate all the characters and wish that their world would just end to save them from their misery. And I didn't! I loved them all! And I wanted them to throw off their evil government and escape, all the while thinking: This could happen! They could win!

Holding Catching Fire in my hands meant the resolution of some conflicts, the creation of more...and the knowledge that I would not have all my questions answered by the end of the novel. I knew that reading it would be the equivalent of reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. At the end the stage would be set, but I would have no idea if Harry--Katniss--came out alive. Or free.

I was walking through Books-A-Million about two weeks ago, and I saw Fire on their bookshelf. This is a super-big no-no.

See, booksellers are shipped boxes from publishing warehouses. Sometimes these boxes are filled with books that have yet to be released. These boxes are clearly marked, and they always have little notes inside them telling whoever opened them that they better seal them back up and wait, because if the date the stock person opened the box isn't the day the publisher told them to...bad things could happen.

So I could have bought Fire then.

But I didn't.

Why?

Catching Fire.

I knew my time was up.

Today, though, I ended my conflict once and for all.

I read Catching Fire today. Cover to cover.



Amazing.

That last chapter...

But I'm not saying anything. Go forth, read The Hunger Games, read Catching Fire, and while you're at it--read Graceling and Fire!

Then come talk to me. Because other than telling you I'm going to start biting my nails to kill the tension caused by not knowing what will happen in Book Three of The Hunger Games...I'm giving you nothing!

New Books, Rainy Day

We have some new books to add a little cheer to our rainy days. I know I need something to brighten my day! Rain brings me down.

Something about what happens to my hair when moisture hits it.

Trust me, it's bad.

For the Rosie Readers among us (myself included) three new titles from the Eliot Rosewater Nominee list have arrived!

If you haven't started reading for the Eliot Rosewater contest we've got going, it's not too late to start. You have until April to read four of the nominated books. Fill out a little entry form for each and shove it in the Legendary Re-purposed Coffee Can on the short hardcover shelf in the YA section, and you are eligible for our drawing!

I'm reading them all, so you guys all reading four books is no big deal, right?

My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught is a nominee!


Jamie Carcaterra is an overworked, overweight high school senior. And she's perfectly happy that way. This book follows her life, from her group of friends to her boyfriend to the starring role in the school play to the moment when all her plans...don't work out.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a nominee!


This book picks up after the Second Civil War, which was fought over reproductive rights. The verdict? Life is protected from the moment of conception to the age of thirteen.

Then guess what?

Parents can choose to have their child "unwound" between the ages of thirteen to eighteen. Meaning, all the kid's organs will be harvested and transferred to people who need them, so their life doesn't technically end...

I know.

Better be nice to your parents! Connor wasn't, now he's scheduled to be unwound, Risa is a ward of the state and not spectacular enough to be kept alive, Lev was born and raised just to be unwound.

Naturally, an escape is necessary. And that's what this book is all about. This is another addition to the plethora of novels all about our future, dystopian society. So those of you who liked Suzanne Collins'The Hunger Games (and Catching Fire!) or Feed by M.T. Anderson might like this.

Hero by Perry Moore is a Rosie nominee!


Thom is a misfit, even as a basketball star. He's got to hide most of his life from his dad, Hal Creed, one of the most respected members of The League (think X-Men)...until the Wilson Towers incident that left him in disgrace.

Thom can't bear to disappoint his father. So he hides his identity, from his sexuality to his power to heal. Thom learns to control his powers, but still attracts The League's attention, eventually joining them. There he meets Scarlett who has the power of fire (from growing up too close to the nuclear power plant) and Typhoid Larry (makes people sick by touching them) who really is just a nice guy and Ruth who can see the future.

Together they figure out someone is plotting to kill them--as well as everybody else with powers like theirs.

This novel promises to be out of the YA ordinary, and I look forward to reading it. Much more than I do the football book. Ouch.

On the Non-Rosie Reading Front we have three more books:

The sequel to Prom Dates From Hell, Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore has arrived. I was waiting for this one! These are part of the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series. I love these books. Did any of you ever watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer? You probably would have had to see the reruns...I'm older than you, but these books have the same paranormal/humor ratio.


This time, Maggie is fake-rushing a sorority so that she can write an expose for the college newspaper. However, she doesn't pick any ordinary sorority. Certain death may lie around the corner.

Something Wicked by Alan Gratz is the sequel to Something Rotten and the second installment of the Horatio Wilkes mysteries has Horatio taking in a Scottish Highland Fair (*coughs* Macbeth) when he finds Duncan MacRae dead in his tent. Everyone thinks Duncan's son is behind it, but Horatio knows better. After all, his friend Mac and Mac's girlfriend Beth (Mac and Beth...get it?) have started acting pretty strange...


And what's up with the goth-punk bagpipers? Do they make goth-punk bagpipers? Where can I meet some?

You might also take note to the really pretty girl spying on everyone and the three guys hurling giant telephone poles around for fun.

Want to hear something funny? From the back of the book (so the publisher): "Kilts, Celts, and killers--this is one weekend Horatio Wilkes will never forget."

Kilts, Celts, and killers?

Alliteration is funny.

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is not actually a how-to guide. It is the story of Harper, whose father and stepmother have just divorced, dividing her family in half and separating her from her stepsister Tess.


Fleeing the pain, Harper signs up for a volunteer program, moves into a hotel with other teens from around the country, and starts building a house for Teddy and his family. Summer romance ensues. But Harper has to let herself trust before she can love. Oh, and there are power tools.