I'd So Rather Be Reading: October 2015

Book Review: All the Words Are Yours: Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson

Summary:

Every day for the past six years, Tyler Knott Gregson has written a simple haiku about love, and posted it online. These heartfelt poems have attracted a large and loyal following around the world. This highly anticipated follow-up to Chasers of the Light, presents Tyler’s favorites, some previously unpublished, accompanied by his signature photographs, which capture the rich texture of daily life.

This vibrant collection reveals the intimate reflections of one of poetry's most popular new voices -- honest, vulnerable, generous, and truly present in the gift that is each moment.

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Age Group: Adult

Source: Review copy from publisher

Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:

I was excited to read All the Words Are Yours because I enjoyed Tyler's first book, Chasers of the Light so much. I'm pleased to announce that All the Words Are Yours was even more heartfelt and emotional than its predecessor.

I'm not the world's biggest haiku fan, but I loved this book. I sometimes feel a lack of depth in such short poems, but this was not the case here. Tyler's poems are deeply meaningful and beautiful in their brevity. Most of the poems are about love relationships but there are others about life in general. Some of my favorite poems:

"What is bravery//If not the marching forward//though all may be lost?"

"All we have endured//Will make us invincible.//From the fire comes strength."

"I will stand in awe//At everything you've become,//All you've endured."

"Just keep waking up//dragging yourself out of bed.//It will get better."

Aren't those so beautiful? I felt like Tyler was speaking to me personally. Maybe that's why I keep wanting to call him Tyler throughout this review instead of by his last name like I usually do.

Besides the poetry, All the Words Are Yours is a visual treat as well. Tyler is a photographer and took all of the pictures for this book. Many of the pages feature a poem hand-written on a note card by Tyler and photographed in different settings. Those pages were my favorite. I loved seeing his handwriting and the creativity of where and how he placed the cards for each image. Other pages have typeset poems with pictures that Tyler took. Those pages were also beautiful.

This book is one to keep out on your coffee table and page through a little at a time. I sat down and read it all at once, but I can see myself picking it back up and reading a few pages here and there, just appreciating the beauty of the entire book. I highly recommend All the Words Are Yours.

Netflix and Chill...

You may know by now that I pride myself on posting quite regularly (every 2-3 days, at least). Rain or shine, sick or well, I'm posting on my schedule. Last week I went 6 days between posts and I never even noticed.

Why, you ask? Well, my friends, I was lost. Lost in the world of the ABC series Revenge. I started this series on Nat's recommendation---actually, Nat, this is all your fault!---and I fell in love with the plot, characters and suspense.

Image source: www.imdb.com

Combine bronchitis that wouldn't quit, a new cat who loves snuggles, and the allure of an addictive series, and I was hooked. I didn't answer emails, I did the minimum of household chores, I didn't much talk to my family.

All I could think of was the next episode and OMG what would happen next?! I just finished the last episode today and all I can say is that it was totally worth it. I'm not ashamed and I'd do it again. And I most likely will. But first, back to blogging, back to reading and reviewing and answering emails in a timely fashion. I promise!

Second Opinion: The Fire Wish (The Jinni Wars #1) by Amber Lough

Note: Evan previously reviewed The Fire Wish. Read Evan's review here.

Summary:

Najwa is a jinni, training to be a spy in the war against the humans. Zayele is a human on her way to marry a prince of Baghdad—which she’ll do anything to avoid. So she captures Najwa and makes a wish. With a rush of smoke and fire, they fall apart and re-form—as each other. A jinni and a human, trading lives. Both girls must play their parts among enemies who would kill them if the deception were ever discovered—enemies including the young men Najwa and Zayele are just discovering they might love.

Release Date: July 2014

Age Group: YA

Source: Publisher

Reviewed by: Madi B

Review:

This book had a lot of potential. I can count on one hand the amount of YA fantasies set in the Middle East I’ve read. And the summary? Like, doesn’t that sound amazing? Jinni vs human plus some Freaky Friday action??? Awwwwww yeah count me in! Sadly The Fire Wish did not meet my expectations. The setting was gorgeously described by the author. It was really like being transported. The premise? Amazing. But the characters and the plot are what made it a letdown for me.

The book switches between Zayele’s and Najwa’s perspectives. They have distinctly different personalities but when they talk (or think) it sounds the exact same. And they look the exact same too. So it is SO DIFFICULT to tell the difference between the two. Throw in a couple more foreign names like Najwa and you’re gonna be backtracking a lot. It’s really hard to develop a bond or whatever with them because you get so confused. Then they switch places and it all goes downhill.

The mystical war plot line is put on the back burner for the romances. Now this sort of thing doesn’t usually bother me (Romance instead of war?!?!? Sign me up!!) unless the romances are crappy. Alas, the romances are crappy. One was a case of insta-love (Not slightly endearing insta-love. Eyeroll insta-love.), and the other was a tad better but still fell in the insta-love category for me. *sigh* I felt like there was some untapped potential at this part in the plot line. Like there is a Jinni spy trained in the highest honor in the castle where no Jinni has been before and all she does is go the library and stalk the prince. Is that all you've got? And then the annoying human is in the Jinni drooling over some guy instead of trying to get the heck out of the Jinni HQ. Like I feel that's a no-brainer…mystical beings you’ve been taught to hate outnumbering you thousands to one? And you just wanna chill?? Not a lot of sense there.

There is conflict at the end but it was confusing. Overall I feel like this could've been great but the characters were bland and the pace was slow. Every plot twist I had already figured out or guessed at. It really is a good book if you're just looking for a simple read with some genies and kissing but don’t look for any more or you may be disappointed.

Guest Post: Top 5 YA Dystopian Adaptations by Spencer Blohm

Top 5 YA Dystopian Adaptations

by Spencer Cole

Young adult dystopian fiction continues to be an incredibly popular genre, both in terms of reading and adaptation. Three YA series are currently coming out with annual films and several standalone novels have found their way onto the big screen. The empowerment fantasy for teens with compelling, yet easily understood characters has made this genre remarkably popular. Here are just five of the top YA dystopian adaptations.

The Hunger Games

Unquestionably the biggest series currently out, The Hunger Games follows Katniss, a young girl chosen to fight for her district in an annual bloodsport, The Hunger Games. She eventually becomes the symbol for a resistance dedicated to fighting the oppressive government that subjugates them all. The movies have been remarkably faithful to the books in most respects, and have managed to be just as compelling, bringing to life the books' world.

Divergent

Perhaps the most well-known of the series to follow the popularity of The Hunger Games, Divergent, currently available on demand through Directstar, tells the story of Tris, a young girl who lives in a world strictly regimented into classes that are focused on particular tasks. Tris is given the opportunity to break out of her caste, joining the warrior faction and then finding out that the government has even more sinister plans for everybody.

The Giver

While just now making it to the big screen, The Giver was first published in 1993. It follows Jonas, a young man chosen to be the recipient of all information about the world before peace was brought by instituting Sameness, a system that eliminates emotion, color, and similar traits from human experience. The novel follows his attempt to reconcile with the new emotions he is experiencing.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

After escaping the titular Maze of the first one, Thomas and the Gladers find themselves safe in a WICKED dormitory. That is until they discover that the evil corporation plans even more experiments on them involving the zombie-like Cranks, and the Gladers are forced to travel out into the desert wasteland of The Scorch in order to survive. The largest omission from the book, any mention of Phase Two or the knowledge that they are infected with The Flare and must complete the trial in order to get the cure, makes this adaptation a slightly color-swapped remake of the first, which is a shame considering how much went into promotion.

Ender's Game

Another example from well before the current popularity of the YA dystopian genre, Ender's Game is actually the only entry in the series that might be considered YA. It is the story of Ender Wiggin, a six year old genius sent to Battle School, a space station academy where he will learn to be a military leader in case an insectoid race called the Buggers returns to attack Earth.

There are likely to be a number of other YA dystopian film adaptations before the trend peters off. It's difficult to tell which will be good and which will be bad, but at least there are plenty to choose from.