Monday 29 September 2014

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

I'm setting a bad precedent by writing two days in a row. But I needed to talk about Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour. I first fell in love with Nina LaCour when I read Hold Still. Hold Still is one of my most favourite books EVER and one of the books on the 'relationship shelf' I have with Brian. (This shelf has all of the books that have been significant to our relationship.) It's just an amazing book. I need to reread it and review it. Because seriously. So good.

But, the point is. We picked up Everything Leads to You because of our love for Nina LaCour.  And, it's so good. I'm going to mainly reference one amazing thing about this book.  And that thing is that it's about a lesbian girl. But it's NOT about her being a lesbian. Mind. Blown. Seriously. When's the last time that you picked up a book that had a lesbian character as the main character, but the book wasn't about her being a lesbian or her being accepted or all of the trials she went through? Was it ever? Cause for me, it hasn't been ever. Maybe I've been reading the wrong books. But I love that this book says to lesbian girls, 'yeah. You can experience life in the same way as a straight girl. Just replace the naughty bits of the love interest with female ones.' Done. How cool is that?
 
Also, aside from that, it's an interesting story. Almost all of the characters work in the film industry, so it's super glamorous. But in a relatable normal person way. Not in a movie star kind of way. It's definitely a lighter read than Hold Still, but still really enjoyable. I think it's a perfect read for a teenager, if only because it makes what some people think 'isn't normal' feel perfectly normal.
 
So. Read it. Enjoy it. So good.
 
<3
Lisa

Sunday 28 September 2014

Conversion - Katherine Howe

I decided I needed to get something actually book related up here. Because a lame introduction is boring. So last week, I finished reading Conversion by Katherine Howe.
My fiancé, Brian, and I were spending his hoard of teacher received book gift cards recently (which was awesome, by the way) and he came across Conversion.
Neither of us had heard of the book or Katherine Howe yet, though after reading it I can't imagine why. But anyways. Not the point. It sounded interesting. So we picked it up. It was the only book we picked up impulsively. Everything else was a previously planned purchase, or something Brian needed for school or something.

I am SO GLAD WE PICKED UP THIS BOOK.

Confession. I was in a bit of a reading slump. I was trying to read a large fantasy book that...I just wasn't feeling. Not that it's not an amazing book. It is. Well, I still haven't read it. But based on the others in the series, it's amazing. It's just steak while I was in the mood for chicken, or something like that.

So, enter Conversion. Conversion is both set in a modern Catholic private girl's school and 18th century Salem, Massachusetts. It dances back and forth between a mystery illness that's taking hold of the girls at St. Joan's Academy, and basically the story of one of the girls that's in The Crucible by Arthur Miller.  It's pretty cool, and it completely messes with you. There's no real way to explain it other than that. The stories both have nothing to do with each other and everything to do with each other. So you find yourself while reading one story wondering what that story is implying about what may or may not happen in the other story. But it has a lot of implications and not a lot of outright telling, so you're forced to use your brain to figure out what's going on.

Now, Brian will tell you that typically when a story leaves me not knowing exactly what happened when and where and how I get a little...well...irritated. But Katherine Howe does it in a way that's more interesting and inviting you to form your own opinions of what really is happening.

So, if you're looking for a book that's both modern and not, has a little mystery, real life, and maybe a touch of fantasy (but does it?) then I highly suggest Conversion. I think if you've read The Crucible, it might be even cooler to read, but I haven't and still highly enjoyed this book. And I think it does a good job of explaining where they tie together. But if someone out there has read both, you should probably let me know if it's a touch cooler to read if you've read The Crucible.

<3
Lisa

(Note: The oft mentioned Brian has forced me to underline all the titles as proper grammar dictates and I HATE IT. And by forced I mean, suggested. Ugh. Grammar.)

The Beginning!

So. My name is Lisa Frazer. It looks like my name is Lisa Wyzlic. But it's not. At least for the next couple weeks. I am here to write about the books I read. I'm a pretty big YA fangirl, so just be warned. It's mostly YA. I plan to write at least one a week. So, I guess I better get reading.

<3
Lisa