October 2015 | Book Nerds Across America

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Book Summary
Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.

Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.

As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.

Flo's Review
Warning: Full on gushing to commence. I'd certainly heard about this book before. I remember one particular tweet from one of my Twitter followers: "Who hasn't read The Sky Is Everywhere? I just want to know for unfollowing purposes." Next Monday, author Jandy Nelson will be coming to my favorite book store Books and Books in Miami, so I wanted to read this before meeting her. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a beautifully written story. It is very honest, which I love. Lennie is not all pain and she's not all happiness. Her thoughts her hilarious and very realistic. Teenagers are not in one place, and especially one going through everything Lennie has been through as of late.

Joe Fontaine made me smile every single time I read about him. What a happy, lovely boy. I want that happy boy in my life. Even though there was a scene that I knew was coming, it still hurt me right in the feels having to read it. Gram and Big are the best, and I loved reading about those two quirky characters. I listened to this on audiobook, and at the beginning and end of each disc there was clarinet music. Beautiful, perfect clarinet music. And the audio narrator, Julia Whelan, is full of expression and was a perfect Lennie.

I could go on, but it would just be me continuing to gush. I've heard nothing but great things about Jandy Nelson's other book, I'll Give You the Sun, so I may have to dive into that next.

Stacking the Shelves: Week of October 25

I (Flo) decided to jump on the Stacking the Shelves train! As Tynga explains,

"Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

Book Nerd Jacque also shares this over at her blog, so be sure to check that out as well! But here's what I got this week:

Bought:

I've read this one, and I was lucky enough to meet Samantha and Jodi at BookCon this year where they gave out and signed the sequel Off the Page. This was a $5 Book Depository buy that I just couldn't resist. Isn't the cover beautiful?! Now, as Ariel would say, my collection's complete!

What did you get this week?

Monday, October 26, 2015

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Jacque's Review:

The Distance Between Us is about a seventeen year old girl named Caymen Meyers. Her mother became pregnant with her at a young age and her parents essentially disowned her. Her father fled before she was born and his wealthy parents paid her mother to keep quiet. As a result, her mother is the only family she has ever known.

Her mother used the money to open a doll store, which has been their life ever since. They live above the store and Caymen helps out whenever she isn't in school. She has learned from her mother's experience and years of warnings to never trust the rich. This is why she was immediately put off when the charming, attractive, and obviously rich Xander Spence entered her store. As their relationship begins to build, she is constantly doubting his motives.

As the story progresses, Caymen begins to realize her mother has been keeping things from her. She begins to question everything she was taught and finally allows herself to live her own life and make her own decisions.

First of all...how could anyone not love Xander Spence? He started out a bit conceited and sure of himself, but underneath the pretty exterior he is very thoughtful and sweet. Caymen, on the other hand, is sarcastic and snarky. While it was funny at times, I felt like she was masking her own insecurities and shortcomings by lashing out at others. Her misguided stereotypes prevented her from opening up to others and expanding her horizons.

I enjoyed the story, but I felt like the fact that Xander is very wealthy and Caymen is poor was a forced subject in the book. Rather than focusing on the feelings, relationships, and events of the story the reader is constantly reminded of the fact that he is rich....and the rich can't be trusted. Caymen constantly feels like she is playing Cinderella and eventually the coach will turn into a pumpkin and it will all come to an end, even though Xander never gives her a reason to believe that is the case.

This is the first book by Kasie West that I have read. Overall, I enjoyed the story and characters and thought the dialog was well written. As her writing evolves, I hope she will give her readers a little more credit and allow them to interpret things for themselves. Not everything has to be spelled out in black and white and certainly not multiple times.

Pivot Point is the next book by Kasie West that I plan on reading. I have read some decent reviews and would love to hear your thoughts on that series.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Stacking the Shelves: Week of October 18th

Book Nerd Jacque also shares this over at her blog, so be sure to check that out as well! But here's what I got this week:

Won:

James Dashner's Mortality Doctrine series

Library:

So You Want to Be a Jedi by Adam Gidwitz and Beware the Power of the Dark Side by Tom Angleberger

For review:

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes by Randy Ribay

Book Summary
As their senior year approaches, four diverse friends joined by their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game struggle to figure out real life. Archie's trying to cope with the lingering effects of his parents' divorce, Mari's considering an opportunity to contact her biological mother, Dante's working up the courage to come out to his friends, and Sam's clinging to a failing relationship. The four eventually embark on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to solve--or to avoid--their problems.

Told in the narrative style of Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMAN, AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES is at turns geeky, funny, and lyrical as it tells a story about that time in life when friends need each other to become more than just people that hang out.

Flo's Review
Let's start with the cover love! Isn't it gorg?! It's even prettier IRL.

I read AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES in one sitting. I sat down on my couch Friday night with a nice Riesling, and my butt didn't move until I was at the end. It flew by. The first part of the book goes through the same week four times -- each time from the perspective of a different main character. It was really cool to see everyone's individual thoughts and where their minds were when they were together in the same scenes.

Then the second part of the book takes us on the road. I had expected a road trip story coming in, so I was a little thrown that it took so long for us to get there. But maybe that's okay because the road trip was painful and awkward. Not the writing -- the characters! It was supposed to be painful and awkward. These 4 kids are socially awkward and are all suffering through what they see as major issues. So now you throw them all together in a small space for a long period of time and it's sooo uncomfortable. One or two of the characters even realize throughout the book that they know more about their friends' game identities than they actually do about their friends.

Throughout the road trip the kids met several different characters who came in to impart knowledge, wisdom, food for thought. Then they excited stage right. I liked that. Instead of one Dumbledore type figure, you had all these unlikely wise men and wise women. I'll let you read the book to see why they might appear, at first glance, to be unlikely teachers for the kids. But they all are, and I think that might be my favorite part of the book. Very cool.

Thanks to Merit Press for sending me a copy of this book for my honest review.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

GIVEAWAY: Truly, Madly, Famously by Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle's Truly, Madly, Famously is out this week! I, for one, love me some Jordan and Rainer! Here's the summary:

In this romantic sequel to Famous in Love, new Hollywood "It Girl" Paige must navigate love with her co-stars, both on and off screen and all in the public eye.

Lights, camera, love!

After being plucked from obscurity, Hollywood's newest starlet, Paige Townsen, has a hit film to her name and Rainer Devon on her arm. But being half of the world's most famous couple comes with a price, and soon Paige finds herself dodging photographers; hiding her feelings for her other costar, Jordan Wilder; and navigating tabloid scandals that threaten to tear her and Rainer apart-and end her career as quickly as it began.

Rebecca Serle's sequel to Famous in Love is filled with the kind of celebrity drama and swoon-worthy romance fit for the silver screen.

Wanna win a copy? Enter via the Rafflecopter below. US only.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

I know, I know. We just did a Hop. And now we're Hopping again. But you know what?! Who doesn't like a good Hop?! We certainly do!

For this one, we're giving away a spooktacular book of your choice! You can choose from one of the following two books (click on the title to go to the Goodreads page for more about each one):

Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

Intrigued? Enter via the Rafflecopter. Note, we have to make this one U.S. only.

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Done here? Then keep on Hopping:

Friday, October 9, 2015

Fierce Reads Fall Tour 2015 at Books and Books Week Blitz! Author Spotlight: Josephine Angelini

You've seen me post on here time and time again about many great author events and signings that I (Flo) am fortunate enough to attend. Let me tell you, a large number of these happened at my favorite bookstore in Miami: Books and Books. Next Monday, October 12th they are bringing us the Fierce Reads Fall 2015 tour and we all are super excited! So for this week, a few of the Books and Books South Florida Bloggers are going to spotlighting the authors on our blogs. (Check out some of other others: Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Once Upon a Twilight.)

Today, we have the opportunity to ask Josephine Angelini a few questions about Firewalker. Without sharing spoilers, I have to say this book left me with some massive feels at the end! Here's Josie:

1. What were your biggest challenges in writing Fire Walker?

The beginning! For me, getting the beginning of a book right is so hard. I’m a plotter, so I always know what my major turning points and reversals are going to be, and as a result I always rush the start of the book so I can get to the juicy bits. I always have to go back and fix my beginnings.

2. Has Lily changed at all from Trial by Fire to Firewalker?

Enormously. She’s suffering from PTSD, and who wouldn’t be after what she went through? I have a hard time believing books that ignore the messy fall-out of a tortured main character. One of the things that I wanted to do with this series was to test the validity of the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Lillian isn’t stronger after what she went through. Is Lily? Let’s find out.

3. I've got to ask a fun question. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

I used to always say flying because of my first series, Starcrossed, but now I’m thinking it would be mindspeak.

If you live in the South Florida area, I hope to see you at Books and Books next Monday night at 7 p.m. If you don't live here and still want in, you can totally watch the livestream! Here's the link for that: http://livestream.com/uainmedia/fierce-reads. Also, you can call Books and Books to order a signed, personalized copy of any the Fierce Reads books before the event! Call for more info: 305 - 444- 9043 ext 7.

Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jacque's Review:

Because of Anya is a short story that my fifth grade son's teacher read to the class. My son was in and out of school for the better part of a week and ultimately spent four days in the hospital before we got him back on track. He is doing great now, but he was behind on this assignment and needed to catch up, so we read this book together.

The story is told from both Anya and Keely's point of view. The girls are in fourth grade and have been in the same class since kindergarten. They aren't close friends, but they have played together at school for almost five years. One day, Keely's friends notice that Anya is wearing a wig and assume she must have cancer. They are concerned about her, but don't know how to handle the situation.

We discover that Anya actually has a condition known as alopecia areata, which is an allergic reaction to her own hair. We see how Anya and her family cope with the situation and the fears they experience.

I was not aware of this condition prior to reading the book. The story is very informative and a great way to broach the subjects of illness, empathy, and compassion with young readers. My son could easily relate to the story since the characters are close to his age. He understood how something like this could happen to him or one of his friends and the importance of supporting one another.

I was originally concerned that it would be sad and depressing, but it wasn't. I would definitely recommend sharing and discussing this book with middle grade children.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Fierce Reads Fall Tour 2015 at Books and Books Week Blitz! Author Spotlight: Leila Sales

You've seen me post on here time and time again about many great author events and signings that I (Flo) am fortunate enough to attend. Let me tell you, a large number of these happened at my favorite bookstore in Miami: Books and Books. Next Monday, October 12th they are bringing us the Fierce Reads Fall 2015 tour and we all are super excited! So for this week, a few of the Books and Books South Florida Bloggers are going to spotlighting the authors on our blogs. (Check out some of other others: Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Once Upon a Twilight.)

Today, we have the opportunity to ask Leila Sales a few questions about Tonight the Streets Are Ours. Here's Leila:

What are 5 random facts about yourself?

1 – I type using only two fingers.

2 – My middle name is a boy’s name.

3 – I can recite the name of every student in my high school class in alphabetical order.

4 – I own more than 100 original My Little Ponies.

5 – For five years I received so many text messages from strangers that I started a blog about them: theleilatexts.blogspot.com

If you were hosting a literary dinner party, which six authors or characters would you invite?

I’d invite my closes author friends: Rebecca Serle, Lauren Oliver, Jocelyn Davies, Courtney Sheinmel, Lexa Hillyer, and Jess Rothenberg. Whenever we hang out together, we always have a blast and laugh so hard and inspire each other. What more could I want out of a dinner party?

What can you tell us about your new book, Tonight the Streets Are Ours and what do you hope readers take from it?

TONIGHT THE STREETS ARE OURS is about a teen girl who becomes fascinated with a blogger from afar. Based on what he writes about his life, he seems perfect—he seems to get her in a way that nobody who knows her in real life does. So she sets out on a road trip with her best friend to track him down in person. Over the course of one epic night in New York City, she comes to realize that he’s not exactly who she expected him to be based on his online persona. There’s a lot that I’d like readers to take away from this book, but one of the main ideas is that everyone lies by omission online. The way people present themselves online is a curated version of themselves, and you should try to understand that whatever you’re seeing there is only one part of their whole life story.

Books To Movies Giveaway Hop: The Hunger Games

Just today one of my friends made the comment about how Hollywood is running out of ideas because there are so many books to movies these days. What do you think? Do you agree? Are you loving it, or is it a little bit of overload?

At any rate, you may know that the I (Flo) love, love, love The Hunger Games! I read all the books before any of the movies came out, and I loved them as I was reading them. But the movies have also intensified my love for the trilogy. So it's not surprising that I'm doing a Hunger Games giveaway as part of the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop!

The WINNER gets a copy of The World of the Hunger Games and a DVD of the first movie! US only. Enter via the Rafflecopter:
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And now, hop on:

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(Here's the link if the Linky doesn't work: http://www.bookhounds.net/2015/08/books-to-movies-giveaway-hop-october-2nd-to-10th-sign-ups-now-open.html)

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Book Summary
Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to the magical world of the Magisterium in the fall.

It’s not easy for Call . . . and it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.

Call escapes to the Magisterium -- but things only intensify there. The Alkahest -- a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic -- has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends Aaron and Tamara awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes -- and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.

As the mysteries of the Magisterium deepen and widen, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take readers on an extraordinary journey through one boy’s conflict -- and a whole world’s fate.

Flo's Review
I loved, loved, loved The Iron Trial. Jacque and I got the ARC for that one at BEA last year and the Book Nerds decided to make it a read along when it came out. Once again, I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of the second book in the series, The Copper Gauntlet. And once again, we decided to make it a Book Nerd read along. This second book jumped right back in where the first book left off. As I reading this one, I was reminded just how much happened in the first book. I had to stop and at several points and try to recall who and what certain things were, as they were mentioned again in this book after being introduced in the first. This book starts in the summer after Call's first year at the Magisterium. He is struggling with new information that he learned about himself at the end of his Iron Year, the first year at his magical school. The thing Call is struggling with is huge and serious, but Black and Clare made it fun to read about Call's struggle with how he approaches it. The humor in this book is subtle, but I often found myself chuckling.

This book takes us back to the Magisterium for awhile, and then the young heroes go out on an adventure. It was great to see Tamara, Call, Jasper, and Aaron grow into their magic. Yes, Jasper. He ends up being on the journey with them, adding another line to the commentary that this book brings forth about good versus evil. In other words, are the good characters purely good? Are the evil characters completely evil? The main characters had their disagreements, but at the end of the day they had each other's backs in a heartwarming way.

One small point was integrated into this story and then brought up again at the end of the book, so we have a clear lead into book three. Which I totally cannot wait for. I am loving this series so much! The Copper Gauntlet was one of those books where I'm like, "I'm just gonna read for a few minutes while eating..." and then 45 minutes later I'm done with lunch and still with my nose in the book. I hadn't planned on finishing it today, but I literally couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to continue this story in The Cosmos Blade.

Jacque's Review

I enjoyed the Iron Trial, but I felt like there were a lot of similarities with the Harry Potter series. This book, however, took the series into a direction completely its own. Instead of focusing on Callum's second year at the Magisterium, The Copper Gauntlet follows the characters as they set out on a mission to find a stolen magical object. This object could cause significant harm to two of the characters, but they put their own safety aside for the greater good.

As Flo mentioned, good vs. evil is an important theme. Callum discovered the real reason his father didn't want him to attend the Magistarium at the end of the Iron Trial. He has been processing this information, but he is not willing to share this knowledge with even his closest friends. Instead, he keeps an internal log of all of his good and evil thoughts and actions in the hopes that he can prove his father wrong. His internal dialog is absolutely hilarious and helps to lighten up an otherwise serious situation.

I often struggle with finding books my ten-year-old son will enjoy. He likes the Percy Jackson series, but he was a little overwhelmed by the size of the Harry Potter books once he was further along in the series. This series is fast paced, action packed and should easily capture the attention of young girls and boys alike. It will not intimidate young readers and is a great introduction to fantasy worlds. I will definitely recommend it to him. Hopefully we will be able to read the third book together!!

Fierce Reads Fall Tour 2015 at Books and Books Week Blitz! Author Spotlight: Emma Mills

You've seen me post on here time and time again about many great author events and signings that I (Flo) am fortunate enough to attend. Let me tell you, a large number of these happened at my favorite bookstore in Miami: Books and Books. Next Monday, October 12th they are bringing us the Fierce Reads Fall 2015 tour and we all are super excited! So for this week, a few of the Books and Books South Florida Bloggers are going to spotlighting the authors on our blogs. (Check out some of other others: Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Once Upon a Twilight.)

Today, we have the opportunity to ask Emma Mills a few questions about her new book First and Then. This will be released right around our event on the 12th and it sounds like a great story! Here's Emma:

1. Describe your book in 5 words?

Family, football, romance, and feels! (I’m counting the ‘and’)

2. Without spoilers, were there any scenes you had to cut that you wished you could have kept?

There was a quiet sort of scene between Devon and Ezra in the back half of the book that I really liked-- one in which some things about Ezra were revealed. Most of the content of this scene got threaded in elsewhere, and I think the storytelling is much stronger for it… but it hurt a bit to let go of that one at the time!

3. Do you have any future writing projects in the works?

I do! I’m working on another YA right now that I’m very excited about!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Fierce Reads Fall Tour 2015 at Books and Books Week Blitz! Author Spotlight: Leigh Bardugo

You've seen me post on here time and time again about many great author events and signings that I (Flo) am fortunate enough to attend. Let me tell you, a large number of these happened at my favorite bookstore in Miami: Books and Books. Next Monday, October 12th they are bringing us the Fierce Reads Fall 2015 tour and we all are super excited! So for this week, a few of the Books and Books South Florida Bloggers are going to spotlighting the authors on our blogs. (Check out some of other others: Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Once Upon a Twilight.)

Today, we had the opportunity to ask Leigh Bardugo a few questions about the amazing Six of Crows! I loved this book so, so much! If you haven't had the chance to read it yet, I suggest you remedy that situation ASAP! For now, here's Leigh:

Six of Crow was EPIC! I am however curious about the total of the main characters. Why SIX? Not four nor five?

Thank you! I don't have a great answer to that question except that six served the story. I wrote the "zero draft" of Six of Crows in about a week (it's more like an outline than a real first draft) and the characters arose very naturally. I'd get to the end of a scene and another character would step up and say, "Oh let me take it from here." I will say that Jesper's role got a lot bigger as the story progressed, and each of their voices became more distinct. Now I can't imagine Kaz's crew of criminals any other way.

What inspired you to write Six of Crows?

Truth? I was driving down a street in Los Angeles and saw a billboard for a movie called Monuments Men. I thought, "Wow, I have no interest in seeing that, but I should watch Oceans 11 again." And then I almost drove off the road because all I could think was MAGICAL HEIST. Looking back, I think I was also just a little burned out on "chosen one" stories. They're resonant for a reason, but after the Grisha Trilogy, I was ready to write about people who weren't trying to save the world.

This one is hard one. I loved all the character but Matthias had me drooling all over the book. But who's your favorite? Who was the most challenging one to write?

You know, Matthias was actually the most fun to write. He's so intense. about. everything. I think he has the heart of a knight, but he was just born into the wrong circumstances, so I'm glad you enjoyed him. Kaz was probably the toughest to write because his backstory is so dark. I couldn't work on it for too long a stretch at a time.

I cannot talk enough about how great this book is! If you live in the South Florida area, I hope to see you at Books and Books next Monday night at 7 p.m. If you don't live here and still want in, you can totally watch the livestream! Here's the link for that: http://livestream.com/uainmedia/fierce-reads. Also, you can call Books and Books to order a signed, personalized copy of any the Fierce Reads books before the event! Call for more info: 305 - 444- 9043 ext 7.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Cover love! It's so bright and colorful!

Book Summary
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Flo's Review
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And this book is exactly what I needed to be reading right now. I'll explain why more as we get into this review.

The thing I loved most about this book was its honesty. This is not a book for a 20-something, straight out a college. A 20 something needs the pep talk that says, "Work hard and chase your dreams! You can succeed at anything you put your mind to! Follow your passion with everything in you and you will change the world!!" Because in your 20s, you have that time and energy and that vibrant passion.

But this book is for the 30+ crowd, I believe. This book is for the woman or man who has a full-time job, a family, a mortgage. And I'll speak for myself here. Yes, sometimes you might want to quit everything and start over in search of your 100% perfect dream life. But the reality is you have a job that you like or love, you have friends and family and commitments that fill your soul. Your life is already full, and you just don't have the time or the ability to drop everything and decide to write a book for 8 hours a day or travel to Europe to paint the beauty countrysides. Big Magic says, "Yes, live the life you're living, but integrate your creativity into it." If the only time you can write your poetry is at night with a glass of wine after the kids are in bed -- do it. Or the only time you can dance is to wake up early in the morning and attend the early morning session at the gym or studio -- do it. This book is saying that you will have to make sacrifices and squeeze it in when you can: but do it because you love it. Not because it's going to be your life's work.

Jumping off that, there's a big emphasis in the book to doing your creative thing for no other reason than you love doing it. Not because you're trying to make the NY Times bestseller list. Because you may not...and then what? I see this book has gotten a little bit of flack for being pessimistic, and I can see that it is very brutal at times. Gilbert does say that you can work and work and work on being creative for your entire life and never get published or recognized in any kind of way. I see how that is hard for some people to hear, but I like the honesty of it. I like that this book says: go to work, take care of your family, continue going out and having fun with friends -- and within all that, find the space for creativity, too.

There were a couple of things that didn't really mesh with me about this book. For one, this book was kind of like how you're single and your friends in happy, perfect relationships are like, "It'll happen for you, too! I was literally picking my nose when Romeo found me and we now have a perfect life and live happily ever after! Chin up!" It's true....but I also know that it could be a little frustrating to hear that over and over again. "Just wait! It'll happen!" Elizabeth Gilbert was very successful and does make a living with her creative life, so this book sometimes gave me that same feeling. There was also a whole analogy about living life as a trickster that just didn't connect with me...I can see what she was going for there, but it fell a little short, in my opinion. Finally, she went on a really long tangent about "don't go to college for your passion, you'll just get debt and unhappiness." I understand the idea of not straddling yourself with debt because you think if you get this certain degree you're guaranteed the million dollar job -- that's definitely not true, I agree. But I also don't think going to school for your passion should be discouraged. If you can do it -- do it! For me, going to school for my writing gave me connections that I would not have made otherwise. These helped hugely in the "it's all who you know" game. Also, school was one of the few uninterrupted periods of time when I could just focus on my creative gift.

So, back to how this book was exactly what I needed right now. I mentioned before that I'm writing a book and talked briefly about some of my struggles there. The update is that I came to a point in the story where it's not not moving. It's standing still, and I'm trying to figure out how to breathe life into it again. Well, first of all, my wonderful #otspsecretsister actually seems really interested and is encouraging me to talk about it more. Nothing excites an artist more than talking about his or her work! Second, I just started taking a MOOC on fiction writing last month. Third, NaNoWriMo is next month. And then I start reading this book. Basically, from all sides the universe is telling me: Flo, write your story. So I shall. With the help of the MOOC, I am looking more closely at my characters, because I decided on my own a few weeks ago that what I need to do is to bring my life into characters in order to bring more life into this story.

And just like that, I'm back in the game. And I know, like Big Magic says, that I may finish the story and it may be a dud. Or I may finish it and it may be amazing. But either way, it's about the process: I am having fun with it and learning more about myself as a creator. And like a lot of people and their creative endeavors, it's almost become less of a "I want to write because it's fun" and more of a "I have to write because these words have to come out of me, and my soul won't be able to rest until they do." Which, I believe is exactly what Elizabeth Gilbert means by the term "big magic."

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