Goodbye Blogger

Well, it's been grand being on blogger. And I do like some of the features. But I'm already running a couple of websites on another service that I'm in love with, and I believe it's easier on me to have them all in one place.

Plus, blogger may be great. But I do prefer the other.

I'll be leaving this blog as is, although most of the posts will be duplicated to the new website. This one won't be updated after today. So if you want to keep up with what I'm reading- and especially since I'll be expanding my blog to discuss technology in education in general as well as books- you'll need to follow me as I migrate this blog to Weebly.

The new address is livingseverallives.weebly.com. I'll be purchasing my own domain soon, so in a few weeks it'll be livingseverallives.com.

See you on Weebly.

Review: V is for Virgin series

I HAVE BEGUN THE KELLY ORAM READING SPREE.

This always happens when I find a new writer to love. I get all of the books they've written as soon as possible and just start reading. I had to physically tear myself away to post this review before continuing the marathon.

So, book thoughts.

V is for Virgin tells the story of Val Jensen, who was dumped by her boyfriend because she refused to have sex with him because she's waiting for marriage. Pissed off, he lies about it to the whole school... which leads to a lunchtime tabletop declaration... which someone uploads to youtube.

And which superstar badboy rocker and past student, Kyle Hamilton, gets to see. He's determined to take Virgin Val's abstinence as his own personal challenge.

This book was SO GOOD. Val's reasons for her abstinence were brilliant, and I was literally cheering for her right through all the madness of being pursued by a showboating rockstar. Kyle himself was brilliant, and not quite what I'd expected: which made the book even better right up to the heartbreaking emotional climax.





Which made it SO MUCH BETTER to pick up with them four years later in A is for Abstinence.

Val hasn't seen or heard from Kyle in four years. And then he shows up. Wearing an Abstinence bracelet.

And determined to convince her to give the two of them a second chance.

Hoo boy. Kyle Kyle Kyle. Loved him in V, adored him in A. And cheered- LOUDLY- for him in both.

The development of Val in this book was a bit different, because it was told mainly from Kyle's POV. I was a bit confused by many of her reactions, but it all made sense eventually. I will say, however, that unlike V, A will not be able to stand alone. You NEED to read V to truly enjoy this one: there are too many subtleties and events that are not properly explained in A but you'd get if you've recently read V, as was true in my case.


But once you get to the climax of this one...

Time for the next Kelly Oram! Let's see... now which one should it be...

Book Review: Cinder & Ella

Sometimes there are books you've been hearing about for a while before they're released. You know the ones: other bloggers get all up in arms about Why You Must Read This Book.

I admit, they're often right. I've found some gems like that.

But this time, it didn't happen like that. The author was having a Facebook Ball to launch her book, and someone posted a link to it. Intrigued, I clicked over, but stayed only long enough to get the name of the book- Cinder & Ella- which I promptly bought off of Amazon and sent my cousin a copy because hey, it sounded good, plus it was discounted.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I have spent the last four hours in tears, so angry I wanted to fling my phone across the room (didn't), and in tears because I was so angry. I laughed, and cried because of that happiness. I felt for Ella and connected with her in a way that still surprises me, because she's nothing like me. I'm not scarred. I wasn't raised in a single-parent family. I'm not bullied, nor was I ever.

But in some way I still can't understand, I was her and she was me.

I blame it all on the author, Kelly Oram. She breathed such... life into Ella. Such vivacity. So much pain. And her wicked wit didn't hurt one bit. And it wasn't just Ella. It was her family. Her friends.

It was Cinder.

Do yourself a favor, and get. This. Book.

As for Kelly Oram... well. If even one more of your books is as good as this one was, I suspect you'd hop, skip and jump onto my list of Authors I Will Read With No Questions Asked.

Lunar Chronicles Giveaway Results!

On June 16th, I launced a Lunar chronicles giveaway. It ended a couple of hours ago... and here are our winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I've already emailed both of you- just follow the instructions there to claim your prize.

If you missed out on this giveaway, no worries: there WILL be others. Just follow the blog via Bloglovin' or follow my twitter account (@livingsevlives) to keep up to date.

REVIEW: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet (no spoilers-come on in!)

I'm a big fan of tie-ins, continue-the-story and what-if books. They give you that extra glimpse behind the scenes, fill in the gaps the original material left to your imagination, and sometimes pose issues and points of view that you never considered.

So when I heard that there was a webseries about one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, I jumped right on that train and rode it till it arrived at its destination last year. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was everything I wanted and more, and I still can't get enough.

Which is why I pre-ordered the companion novel when it was first announced: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet.

Lizzie's Diary can be read separate from the web series, but what I found most intriguing was that the Diary's ebook version linked directly to the videos, so that you could get the entire story by switching between book and videos. I didn't do that this time around: I simply read the diary straight through. So I know that it stands on its own very well. But for those new to the series, watching the videos as they read adds so much depth and detail to the story. It's as if Lizzie's Diary is actually in two parts: half online in her videos, and half in this little red book.

Whether or not you're a fan of the series, I'd recommend it. It's a fun read that I honestly couldn't put down until the last page was turned. It fills in so many gaps and provides a perspective and details that the videos did not. These are the things she couldn't talk about to the internet: the things she refused to even let herself think about sometimes. You get more details on Jane and Bing Lee's relationship, a closer look at Lizzie's thoughts at certain points, her dealings with  Lydia, Wickham and Darcy. But I believe my favourite factor is that you get to see her parents: not as the costume theatre caricatures of the Diaries, but as real people with worries, foibles and strengths.

It is also only part one of a two book deal. No news yet on what the second book will involve. We'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I'm going to be reading this book as it was meant to be read: by watching the video series in between chapters.

WARNING: Anger Below (Plus Giveaway reminder)

For the past few weeks, there has been a topic I’ve wanted to address. I’ve refrained until now- frankly because simply thinking about it made me too furious to speak. It still upsets me, but I’ve reached the stage where I need to get it out before it turns foul. Bear with me, readers: this is going to be a long one.

On Wednesday June 4^th, I went to the local cinema. Surrounded by strangers, I sat down and watched The Fault in Our Stars (TFiOS): the movie based on the book of the same title by one John Green. (No I did not get the date wrong: new movies are released on Wednesdays in Trinidad, not Fridays.) I’ve mentioned the book and movie before on this blog, and enough times on my twitter accounts, facebook, tumblr and face to face that most know that I am a huge fan of Green’s books and his work on YouTube with his brother, Hank, as the Vlogbrothers.

But let’s go back to me in that theater, sobbing and laughing and whispering lines along with the characters and reveling in this gem of a tale. I was, by deliberate choice, alone. I wanted my first TFiOS experience to be untainted by others’ whispered opinions and post-movie commentary. I got what I wanted: total immersion. And I adored it.

That Friday, I went to see it again in a group that included a friend to whom I had loaned TFiOS some time before (read: over a year) and who still had not finished it. He refused to talk about it, and in my naiveté, I thought that he was simply waiting to finish before sharing his thoughts. I didn’t understand what was taking him so long though, but boy did I understand when we came out of that theatre. Eyes slightly pink, sniffling with my friends, I asked him his thoughts on the movie.

What followed was an hour-long diatribe on the following topics:

•           The lack of skill of young adult authors in general and John Green as an author in particular,
•           His lack of patience with authors who write into a “void”- with no cultural or social references to frame and enrich the work,
•           His disgust at the author for resorting to “tugging on the heartstrings”. However, he was kind enough to be slightly more forgiving of us as, being female, we would be more likely to fall for that gambit.

Readers, I have not spoken to him much since that night. Forgive me, since I plan on sending this to you once it’s posted: I know I told you that I wouldn’t get upset at your opinion. It’s yours to have and you’re free to have it. But I’m also free to be hurt. Angry. And just a bit disappointed. Because even as you insulted a book I love, an author I respect and a genre that I read voraciously, you insulted me.

To those who may be new to this blog, I have been a Library Assistant at secondary schools in my country for the past eight years. Currently, due to staff shortages, I run the school library I’ve been assigned to. We cater to kids from age 12 to 18, as well as their teachers and the school’s office and support staff. So while we do have a small collection of what is commonly termed adult literature, most of what I have been dealing with day in and day out for more than seven years has been Young Adult (YA) literature. Remember: YA is NOT a genre. It’s a target age designation. So when I say that I deal with and voraciously read YA, it means that I still read adventure, comedy, romance, science fiction, mystery. (Not horror never horror please keep horror far away from my eyes). It’s simply that I read about teens because there are great authors writing great books about teens. They write about the students I deal with for eight hours every workday, and they help me keep the reality of them in mind: that they think differently. That they haven’t had as much life experience. That they don’t want to seem inexperienced and insecure, but they are. And as a bonus: most YA writers keep the things I dislike (foul language, violence, gore) to a minimum, if it’s there at all.

I NEED to add this sign to my Library. 

I LIKE reading about my girls. I like reading what some call “their” books. There’s a raw honesty in the battles these characters fight; a comfort in the reminders that even I was once this confused and determined not to show it. I like reading about the adults that surround them, in seeing myself in their parents, their teachers, their coaches: determined to help, but sometimes clueless about how to do so.

You know, this post was going to be me defending the reasons why I read YA. But while I did list some factors, I’m not going to continue. I’m too upset at the fact that this is even an issue. Let me put it as simply as I can: I do not have to defend the reasons why I love something. I do not owe it to the universe to defend my choice of reading material from the derision that has sprung up in the wake of every popular Young Adult book or movie. The books I have read in this demographic have helped me do exactly what a good book is supposed to do: it has helped me live a different life for a few hours, so that when I turn the final page and come back to my own, I can better face the challenges I find there.

I do not care that the lessons I learn and the experiences I’ve had come from the tale of a nineteen, sixteen or even twelve year old’s life.

I do not care that so many consider these books immature, unworthy of my time, or undeserving of theirs.

I refuse to be ashamed of the books I choose to read. They tell a story that someone wanted to have told. And once it’s written well and relatable in some factor- and sometimes even if it’s not- I refuse to look down on it because it’s about a child.

I respect the youths around me too much to look down on the stories, challenges, and fears of their lives.

(Which may be why I'm having this giveaway.)

More YA-reading adults are below:
Why Adults Read YA Literature
In Defense of Teens by Heather Booth

Book News... and a Giveaway!

Chair-dancing is a regular occurrence when you get excited about as many things as I do. So when I heard via Twitter that Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles quartet was going to be having a PREQUEL released before the finale would be published.. well... let's just say this poor chair suffered.

I've been crazy about this series ever since I got my grubby little paws on Cinder a couple of years ago. For those unfamiliar with the series, it begins with Cinder: a teenage cyborg forced into the role of Cinderella by her stepmother after her father's death. In a world where cyborgs (humans with artificial body parts) are considered less than human, she ekes out a living as a mechanic with a too-small foot. Of course, this being a Cinderella story, there's a Handsome Prince. A ball. An Evil Queen. A feisty android. A plot to take over the world. A deadly plague.

.. What do you mean that wasn't in the original Cinderella? Does this mean murderous shape-shifters weren't in Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel wasn't a brilliant computer hacker trapped on a satellite and Snow White wasn't driven insane by her own refusal to use her abilities?

The original tales must have been very boring different.



Today's announcement revealed that we'll get to see the book that Marissa Meyer was working on during last year's NaNoWriMo: the prequel to Cinder. It is called Fairest, and tells the story of the aforementioned Evil Queen, Queen Levana, and how she became the Mistress of Evil with plans to take over Earth that she is. And I. Cannot. WAIT.

After all, villain back stories are one of my favourite things ever.

THE GIVEAWAY

To celebrate, I HAD planned to give away a pre-order of Fairest.. but instead, let's let two winners choose their prizes.

I will be giving away an ebook of any book from this series: you choose which it'll be. I'll also be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card (no you can't win both). Just enter the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway