What Makes a Worthy Book

I cross posted this on Medium.  I think this debate is important. 

 There is always this debate that crops up in the book world. What makes a book worthy and valuable.

There is the classic lit vs modern lit, romance vs all books, YA books vs adult books, and so on, and so on.

It seems that the two areas that crapped on the most are YA and romance. People don’t view them as worthy or valuable and don’t think that people should even be reading them. Let me tell you, as someone who reads both YA and adult romance, and YA fantasy, both YA and romance are worth being read by anyone who likes those types of books.

Something I want to remind you of here is this:

• YA books are NOT a genre in and of themselves. They are books that describe the general age range they were written for. YA books can be romance, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and any other genre that exists.

Now, let’s move forward. When people decide to wholly state that they don’t think romance is worthy, or that YA books aren’t worthy, or that any other type of books are not worthy, most of the time they haven’t actually read books in any genre or age range that they are venting about. Yet these people feel qualified to say that X book is not worth reading.

Think about what this says about books and reading and all that entails. When you say X,Y,or Z book is not worthy, and doesn’t fit the standard, you’re are saying that readers of those books are not real readers. They aren’t living up to some arbitrary standard set by snobs, so they must not be real readers.

But when someone picks up The Fault in Our Stars, or The Ex Hex, or Act your Age, Eve Brown, they are picking up a book where they may learn about what cancer does to your body, or what it’s like to help people learn to love who you are as much as you do, or what can happen when one little spell goes awry. That last one is just for fun — but hopefully you’re getting the idea. Books can be for learning things, for growing, or, frankly, just for fun.

We don’t always need to read highbrow lit that’s going to teach us tons of things just to be taken seriously as a reader. We read because we love books, and some books are going to resonate with certain readers more than they do with others. And that’s okay. I love romance books. I love them! I also love fantasy books. And occasionally, if I’m in the right mood, I love a good cozy mystery. (This seems like the perfect time to plug Mia P. Manansala’s books! They’re fantastic.)

If you love classic lit, that’s great. If you absolutely love romance, that’s amazing. If you only read mystery’s, perhaps you can help me solve the mystery of how to fit more books on my shelves. Because at the end of the day, we are all readers, and all books are worthy. Don’t look down on a certain of book just because you wouldn’t read it.

Eyes of the Forest - April Henry

 

Title: Eyes of the Forest
Author: April Henry 
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 2 Stars 

SPOILERS AHEAD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a bestselling fantasy author disappears, only his biggest fan believes he’s in danger and has the courage to uncover the truth in this fast-paced mystery with a chilling psychological twist.

Bridget is RM Haldon's biggest fan. His epic fantasy series, Swords and Shadows, created a lifeline between Bridget and her mom as she lost her battle with cancer. When Bridget met Haldon at his only book signing, she impressed the author with her encyclopedic knowledge of the fantasy world he'd created. Bridget has been working for him ever since as he attempts to write his final book. Now, Haldon is missing, and Bridget is the only person who seems concerned. Can Bridget piece together Haldon’s clues and save him before it’s too late?

Master mystery-writer April Henry weaves another heart-stopping young adult thriller in this story that seamlessly blends suspense with fan culture. For readers of Courtney Summers and Karen McManus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was told there'd be a thriller. There was, in fact, no thriller.  

This is the first April Henry book I've read, so I didn't know what to expect.  The only reason I rated this book two stars was because it was not, in my opinion, a thriller.  It was not this heart pounding, "That person's been kidnapped" story. Rather, it was a book we go into fully knowing that the author has been kidnapped, and who did it.

Bridget, the books MC, is a superfan of a local fantasy author whose books have been popular since before she was born.  She's continued holding them close to her heart because she read them with her mom, who died when Bridget was 12.  In the second chapter we learn that Bob, author of this beloved fantasy series, organized his kidnapping with a local teen - Derrick.  Bob knows Derrick because Derrick's mom is Bob's cleaner/secretary. 

Anyway, during this "kidnapping" Derrick brings Bob things, and forces Bob to write, then sells the writing to people in the dark web.  It's not until halfway through the book that Bridget, who was apparently drafted into helping Bob keep track of his books because she has an encyclopedic knowledge base of said book, realizes that something is wrong and emails Bob. This leads him to email her, and it takes her just as long to realize the email is a code and MY GOD IT WAS SO SLOW AND SO INSIPID. 

So, before I go and spoil anything else (sorry, kind of) let me tell you about the following:

The Characters. They were not well developed at all.  They were all pretty one dimensional with no depth and nothing to make me care about them, not even a little bit.  There was literally not a single character in this book that I genuinely liked and wanted to root for.  

The Writing.  Mediocre at best.  There was just enough there to make me want to finish just so I could see HOW Bob got out, but otherwise, the phrasing of things just fell flat. 

The Story.  BORING.  The last time I was this bored reading a book that was supposed to be thrilling was when I read Lucy Foley's The Guest List.  When you know what's happening from the very beginning, it sort of takes all the fun out of it.

Friends, if you've read this book, I'm sorry.  And if you haven't read this book, DON'T.  

Drop some recs for awesome YA and adult thrillers and horror in the comments if you've got them!

The Mary Shelley Club - Goldy Moldavsky

 

Title: The Mary Shelley Club 
Author: Goldy Moldavsky 
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 5 Stars 

I've only started reading horror regularly in the past couple years, and so I still feel like I never really know what to expect.  The Mary Shelley Club definitely went above and beyond and was a great foray into everything I'd want in a scary book. 

This book has all the twists that you'd expect in a horror book. It starts with something horrific, and gives the readers enough scare from there to make them wonder why they're continuing his book!  You'll never want to head out into a forest again.

The characters were teenagers, so there was the teen angst and stuff that you'd expect - surely we can give kids a break as they grow and try to navigate the world around them! But I thought all the characters were well written and had personalities that really added to the story as a whole.  I feel like the characters really played well together and off of each other.  Each person had different things that added to the group dynamic of the Mary Shelley Club, and to their school and personal life environment.  The small bits of information we get about certain characters throughout the book really adds to the book as well. 

The fact that this book opened with quite a punch, then just continued to pack in so much twist was fantastic. Throughout the book, there are several things that happen that tie everything together and make the reader realize that Rachel is in more trouble than she realizes. I loved the foreshadowing, as well as the snippets of Rachel's past that we see - it all builds up to add a lot of depth to the story. 

I feel like there was a lot of good development in terms of the fear tests that each person had to do as well.  Each test really tied well into what the overarching plot and theme of the book were.  That added a lot to the story that I really loved. 

The only thing I didn't love was that the ending felt sort of rushed and just a little too neat. It would have been better if there had been more of a punch and a motive at the end for everything that had happened.  Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'd definitely recommend it to all of you! 

If you've already read this book let me know what you thought in the comments. 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry - Joya Goffney

 

Title: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
Author: Joya Goffney 
Format: E-Book 
Rating: 5 Stars 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a book that every teenager should be reading right now!  It's well written, relevant, funny at times, and so full of heart and emotion.

Quinn is teen who loves to keep lists - she uses it as a way to get her emotions out because she hates talking about her feelings out loud.  Enter Carter, a boy at her school who mistakenly grabs her journal, and then reads it and, after a busy moment in class, forgets it in a classroom.  Bullying ensues, but so does a lot of really great stuff that drastically improves Quinn's life. 

Quinn and Carter are teenagers who both face hurdles you'd expect like parental expectations, snotty "friends", all those wonderful teachers at school. They also have to try and navigate life around their white peers and friends, most of whom are completely unaware of their racism and the microaggressions they are committing. 

I honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't like about this book.  I loved the story, the characters the development of every single thing. This is definitely a book that will leave lasting imprints on me for a long long time. 

The characters in this book were all so wonderful and so well written, and the author portrayed their experiences as teens very well.  (Take that opinion for what it is - I am 40 after all, so it's been a while since I was a teenager.) Each character was unique unto themselves, and there was a lot of growth in our two main characters, Quinn and Carter.  They both developed a great sense of who they were, Quinn especially. She grew from someone who was afraid to let things out, and bottled things inside, to someone her grandma knew she could be.

The connection Quinn and Carter had with each other was great.  They started out in this awkward, weird, helping each other space, but the vibe between them was there from the beginning.  They grew into that and developed and learned about and from each other so much. 

I think the author did a great job of showing that these teens are still so young, but that they have the ability to grow and change and make decisions.  Yes, teens are still developing, their brains and bodies are still changing, but they are smarter than people realize, and they have the ability, given the right skill development, to make decisions and solve problems.  The author showed that so well.  

I really loved everything about this book, and it's a book I'd recommend to everyone!  

Lair of Dreams - Libba Bray

Title: Lair Of Dreams

Author: Libba Bray 

Format: Paperback

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

In this heart-stopping sequel to The Diviners, Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray takes readers deeper into the mystical underbelly of New York City.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey reader friends!  Let's talk dreams!  

This book is the second in The Diviners series, and while I liked The Diviners just *slightly* more than Lair of Dreams, I want you to know I did love this whole book through and through.  I rated it 4.5 stars because the beginning was a bit slow, but in my opinion is really picked up and it ended with a bang.  

While I did struggle with Evie through this book, I think that's okay because I feel like she might have a lot in store for her in the last two books of the series.  In this novel, she's basically drinking all the time, blows off her friends, ignores her obvious love interest Jericho and continues to try and pawn him off on someone he's not romantically interested in and ignores her uncle for the entire book. That being said, I do think that she showed some changes in this book. Not good changes, but I think what happened to her had to happen. I think (and I could be wrong) that Evie might have a lot of changes coming for her in the next two books.

I loved watching the development of Ling and Henry's characters, and the development of their friendship. Ling is very....blunt and while she doesn't seem very abrupt, she's abrupt enough that I could see how some people might struggle with her. Henry seems to bring out this side to her that others might not see, though, and I loved that!  I also loved watching what happened to them while dream walking, from Ling being sort of detective like in her discover of who Wei-Mei really was to watching Henry learn what really happened to his love Louis.  

There was so much build up in this book, and some twists that may be only slightly obvious - and I was really surprised by some of the things that happened.  Looking back on a few things, they make sense, but when reading, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The story was well plotted and well developed and once it got started, it was fast paced and there was a lot going on.  The story follows each character and their story so well, and weaves each characters arc into a story that left me needing to finish this story NOW.

Outside of the characters I already mentioned, I also loved seeing the character arcs of Memphis, Theta, and Isaiah. Mabel and some of the other characters were important to the story, but my favorites were those I mentioned above and Memphis, his brother, and Theta.  I liked learning more about Theta and her past, and watching her relationship with Henry change as well.  I loved watching Isaiah grow and learn more about himself and what he can do. He's so young, and still has such a long way to go in his life (assuming nothing happens to him) and I can't wait to see where he does go. Memphis really seems to be in a struggle because he has some stuff going on that he hides, and I love watching him grow with that struggle and the things he hides. I love watching him and Theta develop in their relationship even if they are not sharing much about that relationship with others.  

I think there were a lot of changes for the characters at the end of the Diviners, and that led to many of the characters feeling down, and going through some emotional changes and likely some emotional trauma. And the author delves into all that so well, and is sensitive to where each character is and where they should develop to.

On the last note: Bill, the "darling" gentleman that hangs out on the street, is absolutely going to rip shit open, I can just tell. I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't read this book yet, but holy shit this guy is just causing all sorts of havoc, and I definitely have suspicions about him.  That being said, he is important to the story and moves the story along so, so well.

I am so glad that I finally got to reading this book, and if you have never read it, please please do that. The characters, their development, the changes, the story and plot, the writing - it will all draw you in and create a reading experience you will absolutely enjoy! 

Love, Life, and The List - Kasie West

Title: Love, Life, and The List
Author: Kasie West
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 2 Stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love, Life, and The List was another cheesy, light hearted read for me.  This book was, like the other two Kasie West books I've read, pure fluff.  But it's certainly a nice break to read the fluff sometimes.  

The very, very basic rundown of this book is: Abby wants to be a professional artist, get into an art show at the museum she works at, and get into a prestigious art program.  But she gets told by the museum director that her paintings lack heart and depth, so she goes on a mission to learn how to create this heart and depth and maturity in her paintings and life through accomplishing things on what she calls the Heart List. Abby talks to her best friend Cooper and gets him to agree to do the list with her.  You can imagine that ends so well! 

So, reader friends, here we go:

The characters in this book are about what you would expect to find in a Kasie West book - sweet, a little depth to each of them, and all about that good clean fun.  I mean that in the best way - I think it's important for teens to have books with characters that don't drink all the time or run around having sex with every single person they meet.  I think sex is important to talk about with teens - don't get me wrong, but not every teen wants to have sex. And it's important to have books that show that sex is a valid option for teens who are ready, but it's important for kids to see there are other options as well. 

So, this book is definitely good at showing the good clean fun kids can have - like Abby watching Cooper at his races on the dunes, or their movie nights at the beach.

Their was some growth for Abby as well, since she did do things and learn things she might not have if her boss hadn't been so frank with her.  She did also realize at the end that she had a lot more growing and maturing to do in spite of her list.  She realizes that she is still very young and that is not a bad thing, but it does mean there are things she still has to learn - and it's good that she realizes this.

I appreciate that this book, like West's other books have parents that are actually present to, you know, parent their kids.  Abby's mother has some issues that she needs to sort out through therapy, but it doesn't erase the fact that she is there for Abby in the ways she can be. There has been this trend in YA books lately of the disappearing parent, so it's nice when there are books that show parents actually being there and involved in their kids lives. 

The thing that I did hate about this book was: Abby has been in love with Cooper for a while.  And she tells him that a year prior to where this book starts. So this book stars with Cooper having known for a year that Abby is in love with him. Then, he admits towards the end of the book that he knew all along that Abby wasn't joking when she said she loved him. He knew Abby was serious - he knew she was actually in love with him and not just friend love! And he brushed it off and led her on for a YEAR!  I think that means she was totally justified in not talking to him anymore.  If I were her, I never would have started talking to him again, let alone dating him (sorry spoiler!)  This makes Cooper a class A jerk undeserving to lick Abby's shoes. 

Take this advice please: if someone tells you they love you, and you don't feel the same way, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT LEAD THEM ON!  Just be honest with them and let them go. You are not doing them or yourself any favors if you lead them on.

That last thing was what dropped this book down to 2 stars for me.