Reading Without Walls

Have you heard of Gene Luen Yang? You might have read Boxers, Saints, or American Born Chinese, all graphic novel titles that have won tons of awards! They're different takes on what happened and is still happening when Western culture meets, in this case, Chinese heritage. Whether it's about the conflict between religions or just another student struggling to fit in at school, his writing is a valued perspective in a fun format.

Information and learning are power. By loving books or at least being open to them, we bibliophiles take in so much information, even when we're just reading for fun. Why not take that opportunity to read books that will teach you something while still giving you that high point that comes when you want to know what happens next and you're in love with all the characters and you've been caught up in a world and a conflict that's not your won?

Gene Luen Yang is the National Ambassador for Young People's literature, and he's challenged us bookworms (especially the ones who read middle grade and YA lit) to the Reading Without Walls challenge. To celebrate the sheer awesomeness of this challenge, I made mini book lists for each of the three suggestions that are part the challenge.

1. Read a book about someone who doesn't look like you or doesn't live like you. (Race, sexuality, creed, gender, location, class, physical and mental ability, on and on! There are so many ways to experience the world.)
2. Read a book about a topic you don't know about. (Even if you call yourself a humanities person, you'll need to learn about the world to write your novels (or poems, or interpretative dances). Read about science: how to raise bees, the mythology of the planets, optical illusions. Read about history: great queens, the quirky people who were just like us. Not a nonfiction person? Read a book where the main character works stage crew, or does ballet.  What we don't know is huge.)
3. Read a format you don't usually read. (Read some poetry, if you're a prose person. Read a graphic novel, even if you think they're too easy. Listen to an audiobook, if you usually skim the words or if you can't imagine what an accent sounds like.)

Booklist to come! Happy reading (or listening),
~Citali

Dandelions and Dragons: Webcomic Fluff Dump

I've (Citali) been reading more webcomics lately! Here's my list + spiels.

1. Flowerpot: "A story about a boy who grows dandelions from his head because of a mysterious disease, and all the problems that entails. Ten years ago, Ben was the first person to be infected by a strange disease that causes flowers to grow from his body every spring and summer.  In a world where flowers have become frightening, Ben has come to accept that most people will want to keep their distance from his dandelions.  However, when an enthusiastic photographer arrives out of the blue and asks Ben to be a part of his project, Ben begins to discover what being a “flowerpot” really means."

Ben is Patient Zero for fleurine, a recent illness that causes flowers to grow from his hair. Flowers are feared as carriers of the infectious disease, and "flowerpots" like Ben must guard against people's prejudices. A fluffy comic with lots of friendship and flowers, not to mention some succulents, annoying relatives, and cuddly friends.

Some swearing (Eileen can get angry).

Read here: http://flowerpot-comic.tumblr.com/post/136451157935/flowerpot-title-page-extra-fleurine-pamplet

2. Always Human: "This is a story about nanobots, genetic engineering, and two girls falling in love. No matter how technology changes us, we'll always be human."

Sunati's always admired the one girl she always sees at the train station without any "mods," or genetic modifications like the ones she's always used to. Then she finds out the reason Austen isn't modding is because she can't; she has a syndrome that prevents her from living like everyone else does. Also super fluffy with friendship, representation to the nines, real-world problems (stress! failure! feeling like an impostor!). A watercolor art style that's super calming.

Some swearing in Spanish (from Austen).

Read here: http://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/always-human/1-i-guess-thats-why-i-admire-her/viewer?title_no=557&episode_no=1

3. Tea Dragon Society: "The Tea Dragon Society is about a young blacksmith apprentice, Greta, who is learning her craft but isn’t entirely sure what use it has in modern society. When she encounters a tea dragon and becomes closer to those who raise them and grow their tea, she learns about the dying art form and how it enriches the lives of those she meets—and eventually her own. With the experiences and the memories she makes, she begins to wonder if there’s a value in craft all of its own."

A soft lineless fantasy style: tea dragons are a notoriously finicky breed, treasured for their priceless tea. When Greta, a blacksmith's daughter who's more compassionate than plucky, rescues a jasmine green dragon, she learns about the wise elder Hesekiel and his old friend Erik who raise them. The fluffiest thing I've ever read—super calming, cute art, and worldbuilding to the nines!

Super family friendly, great for anyone at all who needs more cuddly dragons in their lives.

Read here: http://teadragonsociety.com/comic/chapter-1/

4. Mooncakes: "Long-lost childhood crushes Nova Huang and Tam Lang have reunited for the first time in ten years. They have a lot more to deal with this time than just being the only two Asian kids in school (who also happen to both have magical abilities). The comic focuses on their relationship as they struggle through bills, family, and weird horse demons in ways that only a witch and a werewolf can."

Super cool to find urban fantasy that's not grimdark and edgy! The worldbuilding in this one is great: the witchy bookstore that Nova's grandmothers own, Nova's own stellar fashion sense, the art style in general! It's a classic comics line style. Not to mention how diverse it is! As it's shaping up, it looks like this will be a fun fantasy adventure with a tinge of romance. Super diverse too: hard of hearing, LGBT+, and Asian American (!) characters galore!

A few swear words.

Read here: http://mooncakesomic.tumblr.com/

--

Yes, I read a lot of fluff. That's what comics are to me: they're short, so they're mostly for rereading value. I love the characters and the worlds, and I want everyone to have a happy ending! It's perfect for scrolling through on a bad day.

Happy reading!
~Citali

I'm Willing to Wait For It: Books and Movies To Come This Fall

Fall is my favorite season. Partly because of leaves and hot cocoa and rain, but also because, for some reason, it's when some of the best books come out!

Not all of these come out this fall, of course, but here are the books and movies I'm really waiting for. Let the pre-hype begin!

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. October 18, 2016. This is the second book in a new favorite (favorite used comparatively, similarly to best as in "She's one of my best friends" as opposed to superlatively, as in "She's my best friend") trilogy, once again *sigh* introduced to me by the wonderful one and only Willow, which can only be described as SPACE OPERA AWESOMENESS. Well, not only described as SPACE OPERA AWESOMENESS, but I'd argue that that's pretty accurate as well as relatively comprehensive. Gemina follows a new pair of characters in a new setting in the same 'verse (get it, universe, it's sci-fi... no?) and looks just as amazing as its older twin. I'm really hyped!

Lodestar by Shannon Messenger. November 1, 2016. This is the fifth book in the also favorite (comparative adjective) Keeper of the Lost Cities series, recommended/thrust into by the wonderful one and only Lauchlan. It is fantasy perfect if you love, like, or have never read Harry Potter. By which I mean, of course, that it is amazing and everyone should read it. Telepathy, elves, magic-as-science, and fun characters that can make you laugh in the midst of a kidnapping if they wanted to. Lodestar follows their increasingly intense adventures in this series that just hasn't let up since its first book.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. November 18, 2016. A cinematic return to the Wizarding World following a British wizard, famed Hufflepuff Newt Scamander, in 1926 New York City. American wizards, people! Do I have to count the reasons I'm excited about this? 1. Harry Potter universe. 2. American history. 3. American wizards. 4. Hufflepuff recognition (hey, I'm a Ravenclaw, but we've got to stand with our less-recognized-House buddies)! I want to know what mischief this guy can raise, what amazing new magic we'll see.

Moana. American Thanksgiving (November 24, 2016). This is a Disney princess movie whose MC are a body-positive, girl-powered, absolutely beautiful girl named Moana on a quest to become a master wayfinder, fulfill her ancestors' quest, and save her people. It's based on Polynesian mythology and history and attempts to imagine the answer to the question of the end of the Oceania exploration across the wild Pacific. If that's not enough reason for you to be excited for the newest Disney princess, the music was also worked on by the amazing Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame). From the Hawaiian tunes to the amazing heroine to the Disney, there's little in this movie I'm not looking forward to!

Rogue One. December 16, 2016. Remember the Star Wars original trilogy? **Spoilers** Luke Skywalker's heroic Force-assisted destruction of the Death Star would not have been possible without the plans that Princess Leia risked capture to bring to Ben Kenobi. Rogue One is a return to that time in the Star Wars universe to tell the tale of rebel Jyn Erso and her accomplices. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things, these previously unsung heroes (though fictional, of course) enabled the celebrity deeds of the original trio. Not to mention that it's sounding like this is a female, unconventional, non-Force sensitive heroine who made this all possible.

What are you waiting for? What do you stall for? (We won the war, what was it all for?) Admittedly, December's not quite fall. However, this is my wishlist!

Happy reading and watching!
~Arianne

Too? Many Books: June Book Haul (and I suppose July too)

In the end of school, I read more words than I said in actual human non-paper conversation. I'm pretty sure. But now it's summer and time for freedom and working towards more human interaction. I'm pretty sure, anyway.

In an attempt not to make this a dump of books titles, I'm going to try to include a bit of a blurb about each (read) book in addition to the usual information. So now, it's just a completely overdone, crazily long post! *canned applause*

(I've been delving into more... teen... literature recently. These are marked with T's [in the case of them having been read].)

Nota bene: I took too long on this post... so it's been shunted sideways into July. With more books, so hopefully that's okay?

Read

• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Incarceron Duology #1). Incarceron's inhabitants know it's a prison. The Realm, its queen, and the warden who looks over Incarceron think it's a paradise. The Realm is consigned to follow Protocol, a series of rules forcing the Realm to adhere to the practices and appearances of an era their technology has long outpaced. The book follows the warden's daughter, trapped in a marriage arrangement when her teachers know she could do so much more, as well as Finn, a prisoner at the bottom of the dangerous social hierarchy of the prison. Their worlds collide when both find mysterious devices, keys to the prison.

• Sapphique by Catherine Fisher (Incarceron Duology #2). Sequel to Incarceron, Sapphique is named after the "one who got away", the legendary man who escaped the prison. In the midst of near war, characters both inside and outside the prison struggle to find a solution to the problems that've been developing both in Incarceron and the Realm. (terseness due to attempt to avoid spoilers)

• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #2). (T) This sequel to The Raven Boys features everyone's favorite character in the Raven squad, Ronan. If he's not your favorite from the first book (and I don't blame you), you'll love him after this one. (again, terse)

• (I was going to blurb these, but I realized I read/reread THE ENTIRE SERIES SO HERE'S THE BLURB FOR THAT.) (T) Maggie Stiefvater's epic of the Raven squad (seriously squad goals), featuring demons, psychic's daughters, prophecies, the best and most complex/potentially problematic/still endearing characters you will ever find, thus putting all writers to shame, Welsh mythology, private school boys, trashy chic, double romances, mild and thus forgivable love triangles, ravens, sleep patterns, and names like Blue and Gansey. I switch my favorite book series a lot (The Lunar Chronicles, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl) but this is definitely up there with them. Read. Please.

• City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster. This. Book. Has. Some. Of. The. Best. Worldbuilding. I've. Seen. *fangirls* In an empire devastated by loss of its magic, families are limited to only two children. And no family wants girls. So the City of a Thousand Dolls is created, a home away from castes for abandoned and orphan girls of the empire. They're trained as accomplished wives, musicians, bodyguards, dancers, courtesans, and scholars, and fetch prices from those wishing to hire, apprentice, or wed them. But for a girl whose position in the city is dubious, the intrigue and murder in the air are dangerously close.

• Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. (T) The full libretto (written lyrics) of the musical Hamilton: An American Musical. Photographs and footnotes that will make any musical fangirl, history fangirl, or book fangirl love it. 

• The Glass Swallow by Julia Golding (Dragonfly and The Glass Swallow #2). In the realm set up in the prequel of this duology, a girl glassmaker, secretly the genius behind the most prestigious designs, must fight for her life and her way home as she travels to a kingdom rife with chaos and class systems to fulfill her talents as a glassmaker. You'll love the worldbuilding, the realistic diplomacy and politics, and the characters' dramatic irony.

• Inheritance by Lisa Forrest. An interestingly set Australian novel featuring a girl who joins the circus... only to be thrown headfirst into a world of danger, escape, and magical powers stemming from ancient origins from a group called the Cirkulatti, reaching back to ancient Egypt, Macedonia, and Rome.

• The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. (T) A dark and legitimately scary classics retelling of H. G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau. I actually wouldn't recommend this. Dark, scary, thought-provoking, terrifying. Good if you're into that; I'm not. However, it is cool that it's classic sci-fi but with noticeably more girls!

• The Siren by Kiera Cass. Chicklit, but great! From the author of the Selection series (one of my guilty pleasures? Maybe? Depends on definition of guilty pleasure) comes the story that she says spurred her on to be a writer, which you should read just for that. Need more? Multicultural mermaids, destruction of stereotypes, quirky romance, interesting mythology twist.

• Thor: The Goddess of Thunder by Jason Aaron. This comic book is an amazing and interestingly new twist on Thor... she's a girl! Enough said, isn't it? Get over your culture shock, it's a great book in itself (even if you, like me, aren't quite into the medium.)

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (The Illuminae Files #1). (T) I can't summarize this well enough, so I'll just quote and link to the coauthor's Goodreads comment here, which is beautiful and should win some kind of Pulitzer: "ILLUMINAE is the classic tale of Girl Meets Boy. Girl Loses Boy. And Parents. And Planet. And Ends Up on a Crippled Spaceship. With a Mad Computer. And a Deadly Virus Outbreak. In the Middle of an Interstellar War. It's without a doubt the coolest book I've ever written. I'm pretty sure you've never read a book like it." (Click the link for gifs that make the comment so much better, too). And read this book! It's all he said and more.

To be read

• Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Soundless by Richelle Mead
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #2)
• Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #3)
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4.5 [indicating a series add-on after book 4])
• For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Thanks for enduring through this streamy-of-consciousness post. Read some of these, though!
Happy reading!
~Citali

Pook Bairings

Or, in other words, book pairings. Citali presents, specifically, nonfiction that complements fiction books in theme or idea. I would completely recommend all of these. The first and second books, respectively, are fiction and nonfiction.

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Both set in the terrible times of World War II, one portrays the struggles of a girl on Germany's home front, a girl for whom Death is ever watching; the other is the real-life, beautiful and sad, diary of a Dutch Jewish girl hiding in a "Secret Annexe."  
2. The Anatomy of Curiosity by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff and Take Joy: A Writer's Guide to Loving the Craft by Jane Yolen. Two books about the essential curiosity of creating and writing novels and short stories, one is a collection of three fiction works by three young adult authors who specialize respectively in characters, worldbuilding, and ideas; one is a short but sweet author's guide to making work original and interesting to write.
3.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and If the Universe Is Teeming With Aliens--Where Is Everybody?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life by Stephen Webb. Both books tackle one of the most interesting concepts of science fiction, aliens: one is a novel addressing the idea of child soldiers in a war with an extraterrestrial civilization, while the other is a scientific analysis of different theories about the notable lack of discovered aliens.
4. The Call of the Wild by Jack London and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This one's a bit more esoteric. The novel is a classic tale of awakening of inner instincts, courage, and the meaning of being--from the perspective of a dog-turned-wild; the other is a more human perspective, a memoir of a family's resolution to eat only local food, as it was meant to be. 
5. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham and Eye of the Albatross by Carl Safina. Also obscure, one is a novelization of the life of a real American mathematician-seaman who revolutionized navigation with a love of mathematics; the other is a love story discussing nature and its essential perfection, how nature must look to animals and how everything is exquisitely designed. Math and nature do go together! 

"If-You-Liked": Even More Book Recommendations

Hiya from Citali!

While Willow and I are doing book recommendations I wanted to spotlight some books you might not know as well by comparing them to books you probably know and love! All of these are amazing books and series and I recommend them all!

1. If you liked the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, try the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger! Both are amazing fantasy worlds beautifully thought out by their author. Both have interesting and diverse female and male characters. Harry Potter is a modern classic, but Keeper deserves to be right up alongside it.

2. If you liked the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, try The Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda! While Riordan's series focuses on Greek mythology (and later, Roman and Norse in other series), The Savage Fortress showcases ancient stories from the other side of the globe: India. Just as interesting as more mainstream mythology remixes and with much more reality, drama, and learning, this book also deserves more recognition.

3. If you liked the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, try Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card! Both Isaac Asimov and Orson Scott Card are pioneer authors in the field of sci-fi. Both books deal with a vigilante-like scientific society--Terminus' Foundation or Earth's Pastwatch--seeking to rebuild a better world. However, Pastwatch is relatively unknown compared to Orson Scott Card's other sci-fi books, namely Ender's Game. Pastwatch delves into time travel, history, family, sacrifice, and thought-provoking ideas and should definitely be read! (for younger readers, be warned that Pastwatch gets teen-y at the end.)

4. If you liked the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, try The Unwanteds series by Lisa McMann! Both are dystopian series about societies that categorize "to stay alive." Both have been compared to The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. But The Unwanteds mixes fantasy and artistry into the dystopian world to create the world of Artimé. Personally, I'd say The Unwanteds more deserves a movie than Divergent!

5. If you liked Smile, Drama, or Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, try Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge! These are both fun coming-of-age graphic novels. Both feature siblings and slight romance as well as art (in Callie's case, theater; in Paige's, sketching). With a newfound group of friends, these strong female characters deal with family and school in inspiring ways. If you want deeply thoughtful themes and beautiful, bordering-on-surreal artwork, try Page by Paige!

Happy holidays! Happy reading,
~Citali

Books for Fantasy Fanatics: More Recommendations

Hello, hello, hello! Yes, it is I, Willow! No, I have not been swallowed by the abyss that is winter break!

Citali posted a list of books for sci-fi lovers already, so it's my turn to write recommendations, this time for the would-be witch or wizard in your life. I'm not that good at writing little descriptions of books, so... yeah.

1. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland. This is a book that fans of Rick Riordan will absolutely love. It's got a similar mix of mythology, pop culture, and humor. The main characters, Zoe and Logan, are three-dimensional and relatable. The authors skillfully create a plot that's fast-paced, original, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. First in a trilogy.
2. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. The world-building in this quartet is absolutely stunning. The universe this is set in could almost be ancient Greece. Turner's books are intricate, dramatic, and funny all at once. If you have read Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance trilogy, these books are for you. I personally love these because they've got so much depth to them. The characters are beautifully layered, and you'll never see the plot twists coming. First in a quartet.
3. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. I don't usually read too many graphic novels, but holy bagumba, you guys, is this a good book! Ridiculous, charming, hilarious, and dramatic all at once, Nimona is probably the best book I've read all year. The first page draws you in, and you can't finish it fast enough. This is definitely a must-read.
4. The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien. No explanation needed... right? Right? ...ugh, fine. If you've been wanting to read Tolkien but are intimidated by the density of LOTR, try reading this. Less lyrical and more down-to-earth, The Hobbit is adventurous, well-written, and surprisingly funny. Three kind-of sequels.
5. The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton. This series is set in the United States of Asgard-- an alternate reality that meshes Norse mythology with the modern world. Now, you may be thinking, "Didn't Rick Riordan just do that?" Don't be fooled by the similar-sounding setting. Gratton's book is, in my opinion, more gripping and perhaps even better written than Riordan's newest release. The style of writing and world-building are unique. First in a trilogy.

That's all for now.

Happy holidays!

~Willow

Books for Sci-Fi Fans: Recommendations Week

Happy holidays from Citali!

Though we've mainly focused on fantasy and fandoms here on The Fangirl Archives, I, for one, consider myself a fan of sci-fi too! So begins my first Recommendations Week post, a list of five great books for sci-fi fans! Some are classics in the genre, some aren't, and they're in no particular order. I know I'm stealing Willow's specialty of booklists a bit, so I'll keep to my own specialty of offering small tidbits of summary or blurb.

1. The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke. I don't think I'd ever heard the name of this book before I plucked it off the library shelf, but I think it should definitely be better known! Nere, the main character, has always felt like an outcast with bad vision and breathing. But then her mother tells her she's part of a group of teens who have been genetically engineered... to be able to survive underwater, to escape.
2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. This is probably one of the best-known cornerstones of the sci-fi world, but it is definitely a good book! It follows a man and his followers, Hari Seldon and the Foundationers, as they use math, science, and maybe a bit of realpolitik to bring their galaxy out of the falling age of the Galactic Empire and into a newer and brighter dawn.
3. Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund. While also not well-known, this takes place after a eugenics war in which the nobility genetically engineered their children and the poor weren't able to. However, after this "genengineering" led to Reduction, a disease, the formerly poor took revenge on the Reduced nobility and set off a chain of events leading to this sci-fi retelling of Baroness Orczy's classic The Scarlet Pimpernel. 
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I've sung this book's praises forever and can't recommend it enough -- come on, it's Citali, you knew this would be on the list. Cinderella retelling meets crazy queen from the moon, New Beijing, cyborg, bioelectricity-manipulating Lunars, and a sweet, real romance.
5. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. When all on Earth came out to watch the beautiful astronomical event of an asteroid impacting with the moon, they didn't know it would lead to dystopian disaster. Nudged closer to the Earth, the moon throws off weather, sunlight, communications, and agriculture, sending the formerly tame, suburban life of Miranda into a struggle to survive through resourcefulness, isolation, and closeness with her family.

Happy holidays as you rocket off to the future!

~Citali

Get Ready to Rock... Yourself Back and Forth While Crying!

Willow here, with (yet another) list. This one (as the title suggests) is about works of fiction that leave fans in tears and bereft of their ability to even. However, for this list, I'm not limiting the content to books. Movies and TV episodes count, too.

Beware: Spoilers.

Let's do this!

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K.Rowling)
• Do I even have to explain this one?
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (J.R.R.Tolkien)
• This is heartbreaking in both the book and the movie because FRODO! NO! Apologies. I suffer from the occasional fangirl attack.
• If you didn't cry at this part, look up the song "Into the West" by Annie Lennox. 
• If you still didn't cry, then either I'm overly emotional or you're an Uruk-hai.
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• 2 words: Order 66. Need I say more?
• Also, Mustafar.
• The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)
• Again, no explanation required.
• BBC Sherlock Series 2 finale, "The Reichenbach Fall"
• John's reaction is more heartbreaking than the actual fall.
• Doctor Who Series 2 finale, "Doomsday"
• ROSE! NO!
• Sorry again.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Pietro! We really didn't see that coming.
• Brisingr (Christopher Paolini)
• Oh, Oromis...
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5 finale, "The Wrong Jedi"
• Oh, for goodness' sake, Snips, stop it.
• Now We Are Six (A.A.Milne)
• There's a chance that you haven't read this or didn't think it very sad. I personally found it heartbreaking.

(Violently sniffs) What? No, no, I'm (sniff) fine. It's not like (sniff) I'm dissolving into a puddle of (sniff) feels right now or (sniff) anything.

Happy (sniff) reading! 

~Willow

Fairy Tale Remixes

Citali here. Willow's the booklist expert, but here's my first one: fairy tale remixes. You might ask, what's a fairy tale remix? I see it as a fairy tale retold, in a different genre, a different world, or simply in different words by a different author with a new twist.

Everyone knows some fairy tales, and there are too many to count! There are the common ones that everyone knows: The Frog Prince; Cinderella; Little Red Riding Hood. There are the more obscure ones, maybe not so well-known: East of the Sun, West of the Moon; The Snow Queen; The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Finally, elements of fairy tales that aren't tied to one particular tale are still very much parts of fairy tales: dragons, unicorns, fairies.

Here's my top five list of remixes (there are way too many to write them all down! I'm trying to stay concise and only list what I've read recently). I added short descriptions/synopses/teasers for each! No particular order, and one could argue what fairy tale is being retold in each: consider them all good books for the genre, and ones you definitely should read!

1. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley. (dragons) This author is one of the best at fairy tale remixes. This book is different from most that she writes, though: it features an earth where dragons are real, and Jake lives in the national park of Smokehill, one of the last dragon sanctuaries in the world. Dragons are going extinct, but it's illegal both to kill (poach) a dragon... or to save its life. 
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. (Cinderella) Willow and I mention this book and its series a lot. Why? It's really good, with a great concept, characters, and plot twist! Quoting one review, it's "Cinderella among the cyborgs." In a futuristic earth, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic, living with her stepmother and two sisters in New Beijing. When she and her android Iko meet handsome Prince Kai... adventures follow!
3. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. (East of the Sun, West of the Moon) Another great fairy tale remix author! This remix is simply a retelling, not a different genre or world. A girl whose brother has been missing is whisked off to a polar bear's ice palace, where a mystery surrounding her family, the bear, and the people of the palace must be solved....
4. Enchanted by Althea Kontis. (The Frog Prince) This book is a mash of many fairy tales, not just one... and amazing! Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and whatever she writes comes true. When she meets, befriends, loves, kisses, and eventually leaves a frog that she meets in the woods, Sunday sets off events that will snowball into a fairy-tale escapade to untangle love, secrets, and royal goings-on...
5. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman. (assorted fairy tales) Not so much a retelling but an idea that involves fairy-tale elements. Elizabeth accepts a job as a page at the New York Circulating Materials Repository, where along with her new friends and fellow pages Anjali, Aaron, and Marc, she learns about magical items in the Repository and how pages are disappearing, items are losing their magic... and someone is behind it. 

Happy reading,

~Citali

Deep and Serious Thoughts on Adaptations (No, Not Really)

'Sup? Willow here. A lot of our favorite books have been adapted into movies, and we've noticed that occasionally the movie-makers mess up. For example, the movie adaptations of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books were... well, if I was being polite, I'd call them less-than-perfect, and if I was being honest, I'd call them abominations. To name a few others, the Eragon movie and The Hobbit trilogy, while enjoyable films, were hardly faithful to the novels they were based upon. I mean, come on, people, how hard is it to make a movie that's 100% identical to the book?!?! Just kidding. :-)

Adaptations aren't always horrible, though. The Harry Potter movies were well done, not straying too far from Rowling's works. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a masterpiece (no, seriously, it won a bunch of Oscars and was a huge hit.) BBC Sherlock, a television show chronicling the exploits of a 21st century Sherlock and Watson, captures all the thrill and drama of the original books while rooting its characters firmly into the modern world. 

Sorry. I got carried away, didn't I?

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is a list. (What? Booklists are my thing.) This time, it's going to be ten books that would make excellent movies-- provided, that is, that the filmmakers did their jobs properly. 

Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (I've mentioned this before, it's a great book.)
2. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (Does anyone else think Robert Downey Jr. would be really good as Halt?)
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (It's a futuristic Cinderella story with a really epic plot twist. If you haven't read it yet, DO SO IMMEDIATELY.)
4. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland (They'd need a lot of CGI to pull this one off, though.)
5. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstien (This book isn't really that well known, but it's good. It's like The Westing Game meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, only with books instead of candy.)
6. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (So sweet! And sad! And heartwarming!)
7. The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Simple and a bit slow at times, but a good read.)
8. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (This was in my last booklist, too. All I have to say about it is: Bucket.)
9. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forrester (It's been called "Little House on the Prairie meets X-Men.")
10. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (Don't be put off by the title. It features a kingdom of evil stone demons.)
11. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Yes, I know I broke the rule, but you would, too, if you'd read the book. I'm not making sense, am I? Bad Willow.)

Just because they haven't been made into movies yet doesn't mean you can't read them! I suggest you get going!

Until next time, happy reading!

~Willow

The First Booklist!

Hey! Willow here. This is my first time writing a booklist, so bear with me, ok? Thanks. You guys are the best.

So here's the deal. Every time we post a booklist, it'll be based on a specific theme or topic. We'll make a list of our top ten books that pertain to that topic. They'll be listed in no particular order. If a book on the list is part of a series, we'll include the name of the series.

Right, so here we go! Today's topic is Mystery and Espionage. Ready, set, list!

1. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (Spy School)
2. Heist Society by Ally Carter (Heist Society)
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society)
4. Codename Zero by Chris Rylander (Codename Conspiracy)
5. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs (FunJungle)
6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Tales of Alcatraz)
7. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
8. Holes by Louis Sachar
9. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl)
10. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (39 Clues)

That's it for now. Happy reading!

~Willow