Read these books NOW!!!

One of the absolute best things about my Young Adults Materials class is that I was 'forced' to read 20+ YA novels, log them in LibraryThing, and then do a booktalk about the subject of my choice. (Thank you, Dr. Feehan!)

I came across some excellent books, and I highly encourage you to read them too. Here are my top three, in no particular order. Enjoy!

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff. In this Science Fiction thriller, protagonist Jane Charlotte claims to be an agent for a secret organization devoted to fighting evil, called Bad Monkeys. This little confession sends Jane to the jail's psychiatric ward, where she tells her story to a doctor. The book is a clever and philosophical riff on American society where the lines between good versus evil constantly blur.

13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. 13 Reasons Why documents the thirteen reasons high student Hannah Baker used to justify her suicide. Before her death, Hannah recorded her reasons on audio tapes, made a list of the thirteen people that affected her decision and mailed it to the first person on her list. After the listener finishes the tapes, they are instructed to mail them to the next person on her list. Clay Jensen, a boy in Hannah's class that had a secret crush on her, is one of the recipients of the tapes. The book is Clay's journey with Hannah as she describes the cause of her unhappiness, and why she ultimately takes her life.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I think this book will be the next big thing. Suzanne Collins has created a chilling future world where TV is the ultimate judge, jury, executioner, and entertainment. Protagonist Katniss Everdeen takes the place of her younger sister for the Hunger Games. Although her name is kind of lame, Katniss proves to be a strong, capable female character that holds her own in this post apocalyptic world. Katniss is a killer with a bow and arrow, and proves to be deadly in the games. I like that she is a no-nonsense survivor, and though she is harsh, she shows compassion, strength, and leadership. The Games themselves are brutal- the one unspoken rule is that you can't eat the dead contestants- and reading it is like playing a gory video game. Teens will enjoy the love triangle between Katniss, and fellow contestants Peeta and Gale. Gale has 'smoldering good looks' and is an excellent hunter. Perhaps he's the new Edward? This is the first in a projected trilogy, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

BONUS:

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman.

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, this is classic Neil Gaiman as he explores the underworld through the eyes of a human boy. I love you, Neil Gaiman.

Twilight has Zero Effect on me

Ah, Twilight, you mystical young adult vampire romance novel. Everyone is under your spell.

Everyone except for me.

That's right people. I'm going to sharpen my snarky claws on this one. I could take it when they were just books, but this Twilight movie thing is over kill and now it's time to get real with you.

I don't like the books. I have never liked the books. I faked liking the books so that I could bribe teens to read something. Anything. Even bad vampire fiction, and I usually like bad vampire fiction (I'm talking to you, Sookie Stackhouse. True Blood indeed).

Why am I not on the Twilight bandwagon? Hmm, well……

1. Bella annoys me. I found her to be needy, insecure, and far too wrapped up in her boyfriend. She ends up rearranging her whole life for this guy, blowing off college, her friends, and her family to fit in to his world. I don't think she's a strong female character, and she's not the type of girl that I would want to hang out with. And what the F is up with her being 'clumsy' and falling everywhere? Why is she so freaking helpless? Give me Hermione Granger any day- there's a smart, take charge kind of girl. Bella seems like she would die without Edward, and I prefer my heroines to be a little more self sufficient. And why are all these guys so hormonal about her? Jacob, Edward, and some random high school boys? And then the killer vamp? Does Bella show off some skin that we don't know about in the book? Because Meyer basically describes her as frumpy and clumsy, so how is that appealing to anyone, vampires or teenage boys? Bella = loser.

2. Edward is too good to be true. Curse you, Stephanie Meyer, why did you create this flawless boy for girls to lust after? Guys like Edward don't exist, and now there will be hoards of teenage girls forever looking for their Edward. It's like that guy from 16 Candles, Jake Ryan, who picks Molly Ringwald over the uber popular girl. That's not realistic, and neither is Edward. Ok, that's a lame reason to not be on board with Twilight. However, I find it kind of funny (and kind of sad) when I hear tween and teen girls swooning over Edward, comparing him to real life boys in their school. He's not real-life girls, that's why he's fiction. And I do find it extremely creepy that he sneaks in to Bella's bedroom to watch her sleep. In the real world, that is worthy of a restraining order.

3. Stephanie Meyer struggles with her plot… and her writing….and her characters. Twilight the series is badly written. There, I said it. Badly written. Is the premise bad? No, the idea is really good. The delivery, however, sucks as much as Edward does during meal times. Meyer's delivery of dialogue and plot falls flat. The characters are always standing around, waiting for the action to happen, but it never does. I found this to be true in the most current novel, Breaking Dawn. The book was building up to this big action sequence....and nothing. Repetitive, formulaic, and predictable. That's Twilight.

Now, that being said…

If I were a teen I would have jumped on board the Twilight train and made myself president of the Edward fan club. Oh yeah. But as an adult, I see plenty of holes in the story. And bad writing. Sorry, Stephanie Meyer. That also goes for your silly 'adult' book titled The Host. That female protagonist was just an alien version of Bella. And we know how I feel about Bella.

But, there are a few things that I like about Twilight. In fact, here are some of my favorite things about the series:

1. Jacob and his werewolf buddies are awesome.

2. Sparkling vampires are cool.

3. I would totally hang out with Alice and let her dress me.

And yes, I will shameless hustle this series to reluctant readers, and fake it like I love it, because I don't have to like the swill that the kids are reading, I am just so relieved that they are reading something.

Even if I want to smack Bella.

I feel much better.

This is a fun toy!

So, other than my most recent post of a few minutes ago, I haven't blogged in....well, forever. But don't worry! Here is a Lazy Bloggers Post Generator. And it's hilarious! Try it, it will change your blogging life.

Flash Fiction- The Genre that Transcends Incarceration

You have 500 words. No more, no less. Now, write about a party that you went to, and what adventures you had. Write about what it feels like to be the last man (or woman) on Earth. Write about a personal experience, but you only have 500 words. Ready? Go.

That, dear readers, is the genre of Flash Fiction. It has several names, Short Short Stories, Sudden Fiction, Micro Stories, or Post Card Stories. Call it what you like, but these stories are short, they are sweet, and they are like a snap shot of words.

The inmates at Jail North have really taken to the concept of Flash Fiction. Yes, it’s a challenge for them to write something so brief, but they like the idea and boundaries of the assignments. How do you facilitate it? Well, here is my Flash Fiction guide:

1. Get a volume or two of Flash Fiction stories and introduce your participants to the genre. Flash Fiction Forward is an excellent collection. Stories like Jumper Down, The Voices in My Head, and Toasters are excellent character studies. They also give participants an idea of how to create a character within one or two paragraphs. It’s not easy.
2. I’ve been using Stephen King’s On Writing to give students an idea of how to improve their writing skills. Specifically, I’ve been using the Toolbox chapter, where Stephen King talks about building a better story through proper grammar, vocabulary, and writing style. I also used King’s The Stand, which has a brief interlude to the story in Chapter 38 and is actually a collection of Flash Fiction stories. This is where I got the idea for the Last Man on Earth assignment. Thank you, Stephen King.
3. Brainstorm with your participants. I had a big white board and I wrote the assignment in the middle (The Last Man on Earth). Then I had the guys give me ideas about potential stories. I explained that anything goes, this is just the planning period. We talked about perspective; would they write it from their perspective as the last person on Earth, or someone else’s? The guys wrote everything down as used it as a guide for their own story.
4. Read stories out loud! Giving feedback is crucial, especially to participants who might have never gotten any type of feedback on their writing before this class. I always took notes when a participant read his story, and I encouraged the guys to take notes while critiquing other stories too. I set up the feedback portion of the class as a way to provide helpful critique, not hurtful, and of course, to respect the person who is reading. I have not had a problem with the critiques; the inmates were very constructive and supportive of each other’s work.
5. Edit, and then edit again. The idea of editing might be second nature to some of us, but for others editing is the most difficult process. The participants in my Flash Fiction class had a hard time ‘cutting down’ their stories because they really liked them. However, I pointed out that many of their descriptions could be edited down to a few sentences, not a few paragraphs. Because the inmates had to hand-write their stories, I tell them that 500 words is roughly one page of written material, front and back.

The class has gone well and I have been very impressed with the quality of work the participants have written. There are several in my class of nine who say that they are not writers, but they love to hear the stories. I let these guys stay in the class because they were very active in the discussions and critique, and provided good insight into several stories. Next week is the last class, and while I am sorry to see it end I am so glad that I was able to introduce these guys to this exciting genre.
Feel free to take this program and use it wt your library (or school). It works well both in jail and out.