Today’s mini!reviews are of the novels The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour and There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones.

The Disenchantments is a complex novel about a complicated, close friendship, set on the backdrop of a cross-country band-touring road trip. I initially picked it up because I can’t remember the last time I read a YA novel narrated by a male protagonist, written by a female author, and this was something I never knew I wanted until I started reading. The themes of art, music, growing up, and self-discovery make up this book. However, it is the two main characters that drive these themes home, and the reason why I really enjoyed this book.

Girls with platonic relationships with boys are constantly singled out for being “cruel”, for “leading them on”, and for “friendzoning” them. What I liked about this novel was that although Colby was in love with his best friend, Bev and had been for years — to the point where he had dreams that one day she would give him a chance — his hurt doesn’t stem from some ridiculous notions of being “friendzoned”. In fact, it’s hinted that Bev might even return his feelings, but she has so much going on in her life that she doesn’t want to pursue them and ruin probably her closest relationship. But even if she doesn’t, romance is not the point of this book, nor would it be healthy for Colby and Bev to be in a relationship — not with Colby’s misconceived, built-up perception of Bev, or with Bev’s personal insecurities and issues with her family (and herself).

Though I can’t say I agreed with some of Bev’s choices, especially the way she risked Colby’s future by not telling him of her plans or back-up plans throughout their senior year, I understand why it was difficult for her to even bring up the subject. (Beneath the surface, she truly cares about him, and after listening to him talk about this Europe trip for so long, how could she easily tell him that she wanted to go to this college instead, especially when — back then — it was a chance she was taking for herself and she had no idea if she’d even get in?) But Colby’s hurt at not being told, especially since he had rearranged his life around the plan to Europe they were no longer taking, and had not applied to colleges for the fall, is equally justified and real. (Misconceived perceptions or not, wouldn’t you be miffed that someone made a huge life-affecting plan with you, only to cancel it last-minute and leave you unsure of what the next year brings because you never thought to make a back-up plan, thinking you’d never need it?) The humanity in these characters, their fragile feelings and imperfections, truly resonated with me.

I also loved that the band featured in the Disenchantments was a girl band, and the focus was not on improving musical ability or talent or making great manufactured records that hide the fact that no one in the band can actually play their instruments. I’ve never seen this in a book about musicians, even amateur teenage musicians, and I found the idea behind their band’s existence and the reason for their tour compelling. They might be a group of beautiful girls, but their audience, after the initial shock of the not-so-great music, ended up enjoying their shows because they were mesmerized by their energy and passion. These feelings resonated with people, enough for them to be carried away by the band’s vivacity and enjoy the performance anyway. Could such a band sell a CD? Probably not. But on stage, their enthusiasm was electrifying and their audience was enchanted, watching them fall completely for the music.

The Disenchantments is a story about the intricacy of people and relationships. Fans of John Green’s work, especially Paper Towns, will enjoy this.

All I knew about There You’ll Find Me before I started reading was that it took place in Ireland. As a fan of books with foreign settings and a girl who very much wants to travel everywhere I possibly can one day, it was a book I had to pick up. What I was not expecting was a beautiful, poignant novel about grief, endurance, and personal faith.

There You’ll Find Me begins with Finley Sinclair, an eighteen-year-old hotel heiress (I laughed) on her way to Abbeyglen, Ireland to work on her audition piece for the New York Conservatory. She ends up sitting beside teen heart-throb Beckett Rush, an actor in a vampire franchise (I laughed again) who is more than his tabloid headlines, and though she doesn’t know it at the time, the chance encounter (the first of many) is the start of a hilarious, adorable love/hate friendship and a relationship that ends up strongly impacting her life.

What I loved about this novel was how it transcended the clichés and tropes Jenny B. Jones threw in it. Finley struggles with an eating disorder after her older brother Will was killed in a terrorist attack. She comes from a religious family, but because of her grief, she feels as if God has forsaken her. Her brother was a deeply religious person, and he felt God everywhere in Abbeyglen, so she wants to travel there and see the same sights he did, if not to reclaim the faith that had once been the cornerstone of her being, than to feel that connection with Will again, to fall in love with the country that took his breath away and made him feel something within his core. Throw in a cute movie star who is nothing like his public persona (and uses every opportunity to tease or flirt with Finley), an ambitious (and irritating) schoolgirl nemesis, and a seemingly angry, bitter elderly woman dying of cancer (with an enormous load of regrets and a huge secret), and you have an interesting romantic comedy in the making. Despite these commonly used and somewhat-unrealistic plots (how many hotel heiresses and vampire actors are you personally familiar with?), I found the heart of the story — Finley’s story — to be compelling, and it is the reason why reading this novel felt worthwhile. Finley’s search for faith and her failure at coping with loss are two things I felt anyone could relate to. As much as they may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, I can’t imagine losing either of my siblings. Her feelings, the fact that after all this time she was still finding it difficult to deal with the lack of her brother’s presence in her life, really resonated with me, and I found myself meandering Ireland’s gorgeous landscape beside her, in search of the faith I once held strongly but could no longer feel.

The one thing that made me hesitant to read There You’ll Find Me was how much religion played in the story. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book was not preachy, and though biblical verses are scattered within the novel, I thought it was realistic the way Finley, someone who had once been very religious, grasped at them for strength (especially a verse she had selected to recite whenever she needed to remind herself that she, who had already endured so much, could conquer anything she faced head-on), and it made sense to me that in this Irish location, so many people would be as faithful as Finley’s family. I never once felt overwhelmed by the story’s spiritual nature, nor did I ever feel like the mentions of Christianity or God were unnecessary. This book is essentially about a girl who is only trying to figure things out in a world where someone close to her is no longer alive, and because religion was a huge part of who she and Will were, it plays a huge role in her quest to rediscover who she is now.

Though I adored the romance (I fell hard for Beckett Rush, and then I discovered his real name was Michael — if you know anything about my Nikita obsession, you’ll realize why I was a goner even before I’d realized — and fell harder) and Beckett and Finley’s banter (which ended up fueling this beautiful love/hate relationship), I felt that There You’ll Find Me was a little too ambitious, trying to cover a great expanse of serious subjects and cute scenes all at once. While at times, Jenny B. Jones was able to balance the heavy elements with the light, at other times, the novel felt a bit congested, and things like Beatrice, the caricature teenage villain who seemed to add nothing to the novel other than present another (kind of unnecessary) obstacle for Finley, and Beckett’s problems with his father and his acting career, get lost in the mix. I was also really confused why Mrs. Sweeney’s side story about her poor relationship with her sister, their complicated history, and the beautiful-but-soap-opera-ish thing she did for her took over story midway, but this ended up immensely influencing Finley’s own journey so strongly that I didn’t mind at all by the time I finished the book (even though it did make the novel seem a little unfocused).

The musical component, every scene in which Finley and Beckett traipse around Ireland enjoying the almost dreamlike scenery (especially for Finley, who has already “viewed” the place through Will’s eyes in his journal), and the way that Finley ultimately attains closure and rediscovers faith truly touched me. I’m a religious person (even if Finley and I don’t share the same religion), so I have no idea how a person who does not actively practice a religion or is agnostic or atheist would react to this book, but I personally thought Finley’s loss (of both her brother and her faith), search for closure and control within herself after that loss was something anyone could relate to, regardless of his or her beliefs. The emotions in There You’ll Find Me truly took my breath away (and made me cry into my Kindle) so much that I didn’t even mind the slightly-rushed resolution. If you’re a fan of emotional journeys in gorgeous locations, you should give this novel a try.

Sarah Dessen novels have been a summer staple of mine since I stumbled upon The Truth About Forever in high school and absolutely fell in love. Her books were some of the first contemporary romance YA novels I ever read, and I adore them so much that I revisit my favorites year after year after year, whenever it’s the season and I need something adorable to read. There is just something about her books and her writing… She is able to capture the mundane in a way that is both interesting and emotionally resonating. To the point where I almost always find myself engrossed in the lives of her characters and their stories, wanting to see them learn and grow.

The problem with being such an avid reader of Sarah Dessen’s is that I’ve read every book she’s ever written. I’ve reread all of the books I really loved. I know her formula as well as I know the back of my hand, but there are quirks in some of her novels, subtle differences in the characters and their circumstances and even in the setting, that are still able to make the story interesting for me. Something that sets it apart from other Sarah Dessen novels, but still pulls at my heartstrings in the same manner. And for the most part, these are the novels that I adore (my favorites are The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, and Just Listen). So whenever a new Sarah Dessen novel has been published, I approach it with excitement and a little reluctance. Because I know I’ll enjoy the story, but I won’t be able to stop comparing it to what I consider the hallmark of Dessen’s work (even if this may seem a little unfair). I need it to be able to stand on its own. But also, I need the feelings — its heart — to be very much the same.

For this reason… I have absolutely no idea what to say about The Moon and More. Like every Dessen novel published after Just Listen, I presented it with the same challenge. Like Lock and Key and Along for the Ride, it nearly succeeded, and then, ultimately I’m not sure if it failed or if it gave me exactly what I asked for.

The Moon and More takes place in the summer, relating the story of a girl (Emaline) during the transitional period between high school and college, her teenage years and adulthood. It started the way several of its predecessors began, detailing the intricacies and complexities of the girl’s familial relationships, re-introducing a familiar setting through the eyes of this new protagonist, and introducing a boy (Theo) who would end up challenging the way the girl thinks, learning from her and helping her learn something new about herself. It was the Dessen formula in a nutshell, and though I felt disappointed that she hadn’t tried something new with this one, I had fallen into Emaline’s life easily, recognizing Dessen’s writing and her scenarios as something familiar, a home of sorts.

And yet, this novel surprised me. While it is true that these elements, key facets of Dessen’s works, are present in the novel, The Moon and More felt different for me in a way I had not expected at all. Mostly because The Moon and More is not actually a love story. It isn’t about an epic summer love; it isn’t about a girl meeting a boy and discovering him to be “the one”. I don’t know if I can call this a summer romance novel like most of Dessen’s other novels because even though there are romantic relationships in the novel, it is not the focus. Instead, any romance in The Moon and More is used directly to illustrate changes in Emaline, character development. This book is Emaline’s alone.

What I loved about The Moon and More is that essentially, it is about a girl trying to figure out the pieces of her life, her feelings about them, and how they fit in during this time when everything is changing. It’s a common Dessen plot, but instead of the romance fueling the character’s epiphany by the end, Emaline does it on her own, through her own observations. The romance is more or less something that just happens, something she learns from, and something that may or may not be irrelevant aside from the lessons it taught her.

My favorite feature of this book is the realism. Though many contemporary novels (including Sarah Dessen’s former ones) revolve around realistic situations, I think this is the first time I’ve seen a novel feature estranged parental relationships that don’t end well (and probably won’t… ever), great romantic relationships that end badly, and a seemingly great (non-abusive) relationship that isn’t actually great at all (it’s just…meh). The Moon and More‘s main theme is that everything in life cannot be “the best”. Every moment or relationship can’t possibly be epic (because then the ‘epic’ would become ‘the mundane’ and… where do you go from there?), there has to be ups and downs. This meant that while Emaline’s situation with her biological father constantly frustrated me, I understood why Sarah Dessen wrote it the way she did — situations like Emaline’s happen in real life all the time. The other main difference in this book is that it features not one, but two relationships, and the romance is basically up in the air. Emaline begins the summer with her long term boyfriend, Luke, whom she has been dating for four years. Though they’re a great couple (for the most part), they’ve been dating so long that neither of them feel much of a spark anymore, even though they still deeply care for each other. So their relationship is gradually falling apart. Not because they don’t love each other, not because Emaline’s intrigued by the new city boy who just arrived in Colby, but because they are teenagers who have dated since freshman year — they don’t know anything else, they don’t know anyone else, and they are at the point in their lives when new people, new experiences, and inquisitiveness reign.

The new romance that begins in The Moon and More, on the other hand, is such a dud that I had to question if I was “reading the book right” so many times. I could not believe Sarah Dessen, the queen of summer boys who take my breath away (Wes Baker and Dexter Jones) would introduce a character who was ridiculous, pretentious, way out of line, and constantly needed to be punched in the face. Especially when it takes Emaline longer than it took me to realize it. It was frustrating reading a novel I expected to be a romance with a relationship that was all wrong when the summary made it seem like I would like this new boy who was a refreshing change from the boys Emaline knew, this character who, for the most part, seemed to be artsy and quirky and interesting — the type of things I usually fall in love with. But everything about Theo only seemed to make me angry, and he never once respected Emaline as her own person (if she disagreed with him, she was simply wrong or confused or sheltered and did not yet “know better”). Strangely, being with Theo, who provided insight into city life (and the life of the wealthy), did help Emaline discover how much time she spends wishing for something better, taking for granted all the things she loves about her family and her home in Colby. He also taught her to go after the things in life that matter to her, that if there was something better out there, she should try her best to seize it. As a boyfriend, Theo was pretty unmemorable (I would erase him from my memory if I was Emaline, to be honest), but as a person, he was responsible for Emaline’s altered outlook on life. He affected her thoughts and opinions, and he helped her become more comfortable with whom she is (and whom she is not).

The biggest change, and the reason why I am uncertain about the feelings the novel leaves me with, is the fact that because the book is not about a romance, the timeline and the plot focus on Emaline. In the beginning, Emaline has doubts about her life and curiosity about the world. In the middle, she meets and dates Theo, challenging her opinions and feelings and discovering things about herself. By the end, her worldview is altered, she herself as reached some sort of conclusion — as much of a conclusion as a growing, learning individual about to leave for college (and change some more) can. Previous Dessen timelines revolve around the romance, the introduction, the things the boy and girl learn about themselves from the relationship, some kind of epiphany but also relationship-closure (which usually, except in the case of Dreamland, means that the relationship is solid by the end of the novel, or it will be solid when the characters meet again). There is no relationship-closure in The Moon and More. By the end of the novel, Emaline is in a good place with herself. She knows where she stands with her family. However, she has no idea where she stands with Luke. Even while she was dating Theo, it was obvious that she and Luke cared about each other. He was still there for her as a friend when she needed him, he still wanted to know why she was upset and to do whatever he could to make her feel better. I’ll be honest — I was rooting for them from the start. But like real relationships, the fact that they had feelings for each other was not enough, and both Emaline and Luke, who had spent their teenage years together, needed to learn who they are without eachother. It’s a mature decision not to reconcile by the end of the novel (not romantically, anyway), but it’s a decision that is so different from Sarah Dessen’s novels, so unexpected, that I found myself a little disappointed in the end. Emaline’s story is very much finished, but Emaline and Luke are a story that have barely just started. Maybe they’ll realize they found the real thing in high school, somewhere down the line, and find each other again. Or maybe they’ll just be that perfect high school romance they carry with them in memory, something that was a huge part of who they were as teenagers, but nothing more. I don’t know (though I want to believe the former), but this uncertainty, even if Emaline’s personal story was resolved, haunted me after finishing the novel. As realistic as it was, part of me could not help but wish for the usual Sarah Dessen endings. I needed some more closure.

Spoilery Scribbles

I could relate to Emaline in a way that I have not been able to relate to a Sarah Dessen character since Macy from The Truth About Forever. Emaline was intelligent and logical, but sometimes she made poor choices. Work, sibling issues, her complicated relationship between her family and her biological father on top of issues with her boyfriend frustrated her. Sometimes things got to be too much that she’d break down and cry. She was a strong character, but she was not untouchable or immune. I liked her because she was human.

If it isn’t already obvious, I loved Luke. A lot. He and Emaline tie for my second favorite character (my first is Emaline’s half-brother, Benji), even though he spent most of The Moon and More off-screen. Aside from the fact that most of his appearances (from his shirtlessness to his adorable grins) made me swoon, the thing that I liked most about him was that he was complex. At one point in the story, Luke, like Emaline, feels frustrated that their relationship is too comfortable. It is not easy being in a four-year relationship when you are seventeen/eighteen-years-old, and you have never really dated anyone else. Older couples struggle with this all the time, but they have the experience of having known what else is out there, if anything at all, and I could understand both his and Emaline’s feelings on this front. What I cannot condone is cheating, which is exactly where this leads Luke. So I ended up frustrated, wanting to hate this character for this jerky (understatement of the year) thing he’d done, but having the most difficult time holding it against him forever because he’d appear whenever Emaline needed someone, and his presence, their friendship, would be of a great help to her. I still don’t condone cheating, but I like that this novel and this character challenged my own feelings. All cheaters are not total dirtbags, even if they do something a “total dirtbag” would do, and all seemingly perfect, nice boys are not incapable of making mistakes and treating someone badly, even someone they truly care about.

This is not the first time Sarah Dessen has portrayed negligent (or even “bad”) parents, but this is the first time that there was not some kind of change — even a small one — in the relationship between the parent and child. Emaline’s biological father is an elitist jerk, who was unable to understand her feelings even when she shouted them out loud in his face. He comes across as condescending, selfish, and rude, and even when he tries to be helpful, he is thinking about things in relation to himself, not his daughter. In the end, this is a relationship that cannot be fixed, which, sadly, is also very realistic. (Some things you can’t change, even when you want to change them. Even when you make the effort.)

I usually love Dessen’s portrayal of sibling relationships, but because Emaline was working throughout the summer of her senior year, I felt The Moon and More only gave us a glimpse of what her life was like at home. Her step sisters were introduced, but only briefly. I wanted to get to know them more.

As previously mentioned, my favorite character was Emaline’s half-brother, Benji. He was an adorable, energetic little boy, and I loved the time she spent bonding with him and getting to know that side of her family through him. I also love that he was on Team Luke since the very beginning. He made me smile every time he was on the page.

I found it interesting that Sarah Dessen introduced Theo the way she introduces all of her quirky, artistic, intelligent boys. I actually love that despite the fact that he’s first portrayed as an adorkable nerd, he’s not likable at all. Every YA contemporary novel these days seems to be about “quirky nerds”, so it was refreshing to meet one who was still all of those things that make him quirky and nerdy, but was also very unlikable. (Seriously, I wanted someone to punch him in the face.)

In retrospect, I should have known the second Theo met Emaline’s father (not her dad) that I would spend a great portion of this book hating him.

The Moon and More describes the awkwardness in relationships, both new and long-term, so well. It made me cringe to see Theo plan probably the Worst Date Ever (repeatedly), or to witness Emaline feigning that she was enjoying herself when she actually was not. Emaline and Luke’s weirdness with each other after they first started having a sexual relationship also seemed quite real to me. New relationships and new steps in old relationships are both hard, so some awkwardness is bound to happen.

I adored Emaline’s relationship with her best friend Daisy, who complemented her and challenged her and sometimes took her out of her comfort zone. However, my favorite friendship in this novel was Emaline and Morris’. Morris was a character who annoyed me at first, but quickly tied with Benji for the character who stayed with me the most long after I’d finished reading. I like that he tries better for his girlfriend (Daisy), that he’s a great listener, that he’s someone Emaline can depend on as a friend even if he’s not the most reliable when it comes to work. Watching him mature alongside Emaline, especially in the work ethic department, was a pleasure and something I did not expect at all. In the end, Morris was the character I was most proud of.

Sometimes the plot moved too slowly in this book, especially in the middle. Because the book was a little longer than Sarah Dessen’s other books, this slow pacing was really noticeable and made it a little difficult to read at times, especially when those times were about Theo (who, in case you can’t tell yet, made me quite angry).

I hate seafood, but The Moon and More made me want to try a shrimp burger.

Sarah Dessen cited the title throughout the book more than she usually does. Though it was not an enormous amount, by the fourth time I had seen the words “the moon and more”, I was a little frustrated.

I loved Emaline’s relationship with her parents (her mom and dad, not her father). I love that Sarah Dessen pointed out the difference between a dad and a father and portrayed it well.

I know some people are going to think that Emaline moved on way too fast when she started dating Theo right after she and Luke broke up, but I disagree. Emaline was sad, lonely, and angry at the way things ended between them. Her best friends were dating, so she didn’t want to tag along and be the third wheel, and this was the summer right before she left for college. She never said she was in love with Theo, but when he asked her out, I don’t think you can blame her for saying yes and giving that a try anyway.

Unlike most Sarah Dessen novels, this book does not have a huge climax, what I’ve come to call the Dessen protagonist’s “Eureka moment”. I liked that this time, it was subtle. There is a change, and you witness it happen gradually. It does not suddenly hit her, as it does in Along for the Ride and Just Listen; it just sneaks up on her until she realizes she has changed. I liked this better because not everything has to be IMMEDIATE and PROFOUND. Sometimes things influence you over a period of time and you don’t even realize you’ve changed, but you have.

One of the biggest aspects of Emaline’s story was her complicated relationship with her father, only made more complicated by the fact that he encouraged her to apply for an Ivy League school, Columbia University, informing her that he’d be happy to finance her education, only to go back on his word when she actually was accepted. The point of this plot was to illustrate how unreliable her biological father was, but it actually bothered me because Ivy League education at the undergraduate level, had Emaline actually thought to file for financial aid, includes free tuition for anyone under a certain income (which, I believe, would have included Emaline’s family). I know her father made her a promise, but as someone who files for FAFSA every year (even for my siblings), it frustrated me that Emaline, who is usually logical, did not think to have a back-up plan. Even when you don’t think you will qualify, you should always file for financial aid. Just in case. In this situation, she wouldn’t have needed her unreliable father at all. (I know this was not the point of this plot, but it annoyed me every time it was mentioned because she could have gone to the school of her dreams had she only completed the application anyway.)

I adore all of Sarah Dessen’s former covers, so this one really bothered me. (It seemed more generic, primarily because I love the way her old covers use symbols and natural photography without much of a person in it, and this one actually has a whole person and a scene, even if you cannot see her face.) I do, however, like how it directly relates to the story (the beach setting and a girl on a bridge, trying to find her balance).

References to other Sarah Dessen stories in her new novels always make me excited. In The Moon and More, Maggie, Heidi, Auden, and Clyde make an appearance from Along for the Ride, as do Clementines, the Washroom, and Tallyho. There is a mention of Wes and Bert Baker and their neverending game of GOTCHA from The Truth About Forever, and Luke turned out to be Wes’ (and Bert’s) cousin (this explains SO much — Wes is my favorite Dessen boy ever, so I was bound to fall for Luke from the start). SPINNERBAIT from This Lullaby also had a mention (Hate Spinnerbait!).

I was expecting the end of this book to be very similar to the romantic comedy film, What a Girl Wants, with Luke and Emaline rekindling their relationship at the wedding, where they’d dance together and all would be well. Though this isn’t what I received (and it’s better for Emaline’s story that it had not happened this way at all), part of me still can’t help but long for this to have been the real ending.

In my head, Luke and Emaline spent the next few years apart, but around the end of their time in undergrad together, they reconnected. And during their years apart, they remained friends, especially when they both returned to Colby for the summer. I believe in this ship.

The Moon and More is a novel about growing up, chasing after your dreams while still appreciating your roots and everything that has molded you into the person you’ve become. Fans of Sarah Dessen looking for something refreshing will enjoy this novel. However, readers expecting a more romantic story may feel a little disappointed.

The Bout of Books Read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. “Bout of Books” is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all “Bout of Books 7.0” information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

— From the Bout of Books Team

Time Devoted to Reading
I honestly want to read as much as I can every day, but by this, I mean I have to finish at least one book. I’d prefer to get through a book and a manga (since I have to include some of those), but my minimum is definitely one book, no matter how many hours it takes to get to it. I (sort of) have the time to do so right now, so why not, right?

Goals
I’d like to get through at least ten total books, preferably six books and four manga volumes. Any combination is fine by me, as long as I read more books than manga.

Books
I’d like to choose between…

Updates
I’ll be keeping track of how far I’m getting in the Read-a-thon over here on this page daily, noting which books I’ve read for that day, the number of books I’ve read (both YA and manga) for that day, the total number of books I’ve read in the read-a-thon thus far, and anything else of significance. I won’t review the books until after the read-a-thon in the following week(s). In the meantime, you can follow my progress on Goodreads and Twitter.

MONDAY

Currently Reading: Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Just Finished Reading: Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi
Number of Pages Read Today: 357
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 357
Number of Books Read Today: Just the 1.5 (Which I managed during work somehow, so it’s more than I thought I’d have at this point. ^^; )
Total Books Read (Thus Far): 1.5.
Today #in six words: Should’ve read more… Do better tomorrow! ^^;
Quote of the Day:

“I want to be like Hotaru. I want to be able to give up something to save what’s important to me. That is why I have decided to do this.“

— Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Challenges: I actually wasn’t planning on doing any challenges, but Escape Through the Pages’ Spine Poetry Challenge (which involves creating some sort of poem using the spines (titles) of books you have without adding more extra words than the total number of books you chose to use) looked like fun. My poem’s a bit… on the depressing side, but I had a blast coming up with it (and a whole bunch of really nonsensical outtakes you will never see — one included the line, The Truth About Forever is that Wild Roses are Dead to You. Er…yeah).

TUESDAY

Currently Reading: Abandon, Meg Cabot
Finished Reading:

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 530
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 887
Number of Books Read Today: 2 books (the second half of one book, one whole book, and the first half of another book).
Total Books Read (Thus Far): Nearly 3.5 books. (Kind of on schedule, but I wish I had finished the second half of that book before the end of the day!)
Today #in six words: Left another book unfinished midway. Ugh.
Quote of the Day:

“Goodbyes didn’t seem as important to me as they once had — I’d found that when you’re never going to see someone again, it’s not the goodbye that matters. What matters is that you’re never going to be able to say anything else to them. And you’re left with an eternal unfinished conversation.“

— Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson

WEDNESDAY

Currently Reading: Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill
Finished Reading:

Gakuen Alice, Volume 3, Tachibana Higuchi
Abandon, Meg Cabot
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 360
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 1247
Number of Books Read Today: 1.5 books (a manga and the second half of Abandon).
Total Books Read (Thus Far): 5 books. (I’m wondering if I can ever read more than two a day, or read enough to average beyond 1.5… But it’s only the middle of the week, so it’s okay.)
Today #in six words: A chat, a challenge, few books.
Quote of the Day:

“I might look like a honey-eyed school girl on the outside, in my skirt with its regulation four-inch-above-the-knee hem. But I’ll rip those tassels off your shoes, old man. Just try Googling me.“

— Abandon, Meg Cabot

Challenges: I am awful with Photoshop, but when I heard about I Talk Books‘s Create A Cover Challenge, I had to do it. I love alternate covers, and I always have to see what books look like in different parts of the world, so re-imagining a book’s cover, especially the cover of a book I love, was something I couldn’t resist (Photoshop be damned). Here’s my cover (next to the original, which is on the right) for Robin Wasserman’s The Book of Blood and Shadow. (I wanted to throw some ancient Latin on there to fit in with the entire novel’s theme, but it looked so cluttered that I chose against it. *sigh*)

 

THURSDAY

Currently Reading: Epic Fail, Claire LaZebnik
Finished Reading:

Skip Beat, Volume 1, Yoshiki Nakamura
Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill
Gakuen Alice, Volume 3, Tachibana Higuchi
Abandon, Meg Cabot
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 481
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 1728
Number of Books Read Today: 2 books.
Total Books Read (Thus Far): 7 books (Doing pretty well, but I need to resist reading more manga than books. Still. It’s just so hard because I miss reading manga!)
Today #in six words: Bookish poetry; more than 1.5, yay!
Quote of the Day:

“Why does everyone think a girl who prefers books to people must be in want of a life?“

— Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill

Challenges: I love acrostic poems, so there was no question of my attempting this challenge. Hosted by Harley Bear Book Blog, the object was to create a bookish acrostic poem. My entry was about the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver, which happens to be one of my favorite novels. Hopefully, I managed to convey, in a general sense, what the story is about… (Note: This was difficult because whenever someone asks me to describe Delirium, my gut reaction is to scream, “ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PAIN. TOO MANY FEELS. AHHHHHH.”)

D ystopian society.
E xpelled love from existence with “the cure”.
L ies are spread about the emotion.
I nvalids are either feared or considered myth, but
R esistance against this dystopia is real.
I n the novel, Lena meets Alex and discovers what love truly is (however…)
U ntil the two of them, and other “resistors” can spread the truth,
M ore people will be imprisoned unjustly by the government (or turned into unfeeling zombies).

FRIDAY

Currently Reading: Epic Fail, Claire LaZebnik
Finished Reading:

Skip Beat, Volume 2, Yoshiki Nakamura
Skip Beat, Volume 1, Yoshiki Nakamura
Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill
Gakuen Alice, Volume 3, Tachibana Higuchi
Abandon, Meg Cabot
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 238
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 1966
Number of Books Read Today: 1.3 books. (I should have read more, but after work, all I could make myself read was manga. The season finale of my favorite show was on tonight and I couldn’t concentrate waiting for it! Will have to make up for it tomorrow, especially because the read-a-thon is coming to a close and I can still meet my goals… if I read less manga! And it’s the weekend, so I should have more time, right?)
Total Books Read (Thus Far): 8 books (I’m a third into my 9th).
Today #in six words: Should’ve read more, but NIKITA finale!
Quote of the Day:

“Even if I wanted to give up on these habits, I couldn’t do it. After all, these are habits leftover from a nauseating past… Confidence, a small matter…I will show you my perseverance.“

— Skip Beat, Volume 2, Yoshiki Nakamura

Challenges: I had a lot of trouble with this one because I am so awful with summaries of things, even fake summaries, and I can’t invoke creativity under pressure. But I still wanted to try Queen Ella Bee Reads‘s (self-explanatory) Resummarize a Cover Challenge, so here it is. (It isn’t the best attempt, and I did steal the names of characters from Degrassi, but… Shhh.) The cover I chose to rewrite a summary for is Lauren Morrill’s Meant to Be.

SATURDAY

Currently Reading: An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
Finished Reading:

Epic Fail, Claire LaZebnik
Skip Beat, Volume 2, Yoshiki Nakamura
Skip Beat, Volume 1, Yoshiki Nakamura
Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill
Gakuen Alice, Volume 3, Tachibana Higuchi
Abandon, Meg Cabot
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 274
Total Pages Read (Thus Far): 2240
Number of Books Read Today: 1 book. (I was going to start An Abundance of Katherines, but I had to go to a dinner party thing, and accidentally forgot my book at home. ^^; Ah well, one more book and one more day to go, so I’d say I’m doing well. I even stopped reading manga, even though I had the time, just because I really did want to read more books than manga, or as many books as manga, which is what I’ll probably end up doing…)
Total Books Read (Thus Far): 9 books.
Today #in six words: Social thing, so read little. *sigh*
Quote of the Day:

“You wouldn’t think the touch of someone’s hand could blow your mind. It’s nothing, right? People don’t write songs and poems about holding hands — they write them about kisses and sex and eternal love. I mean, when you’re a little kid you hold hands with your parents to cross the street. Who’s going to write an ode to that?
We were alone in the dark, even though the enormous theater was filled with probably a thousand people. We were a tiny island in a sea of other people who didn’t matter, who had no meaning, who were so stupid, so oblivious, so stuck in their own boring lives that they didn’t even notice the huge, momentous, life-shattering event that was taking place right there in row L, between seats 102 and 104.
Derek Edwards was holding my hand.“

— Epic Fail, Claire LaZebnik

SUNDAY

Finished Reading:

An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
Epic Fail, Claire LaZebnik
Skip Beat, Volume 2, Yoshiki Nakamura
Skip Beat, Volume 1, Yoshiki Nakamura
Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill
Gakuen Alice, Volume 3, Tachibana Higuchi
Abandon, Meg Cabot
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Morgan Matson
Gakuen Alice, Volume 2, Tachibana Higuchi
Gakuen Alice, Volume 1, Tachibana Higuchi

Number of Pages Read Today: 272
Total Pages Read: 2512
Number of Books Read Today: 1 book (I only had one book left, so I spent the rest of the day commenting on blogs and responding to comments instead.)
Total Books Read: 10 books (5 YA novels, 5 manga).
Today #in six words: Game, set, and match. I’m done!
Quote of the Day: (I cheated today. I have a thing for quotes about books, so I couldn’t leave this one quote out, but then another quote really grabbed me… I couldn’t do what I was doing with other books and actually choose one, so I… er… chose both. ^^; )

“That’s how I remember things, anyway. I remember stories. I connect the dots and then out of that comes a story. And the dots that don’t fit into the story just slide away, maybe. Like when you spot a constellation. You look up and you don’t see all the stars. All the stars just look like the big fugging random mess that they are. But you want to see shapes; you want to see stories, so you pick them out of the sky. Hassan told me once you think like that, too — that you see connections everywhere — so you’re a natural born storyteller, it turns out.“

— An Abundance of Katherines, John Green

“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.“

— An Abundance of Katherines, John Green

OVERALL

Day with the Most Progress: Thursday and Tuesday, but considering I also did a challenge on Thursday, I’m going to go with that one.
Day with the Least Progress: Saturday and Sunday, but I’m going with Saturday because I at least commented/responded to comments on blogs today, so it felt a bit more productive.
Most Fun Challenge Attempted: I loved the Spine Poetry Challenge! I had seen that around before, but this was my first time attempting it, and it was a lot of fun (though also more difficult than I anticipated).
Most “Challenging” Challenge: The Recreate a Cover or Resummarize a Cover Challenge. I have trouble with even the most basic things on Photoshop, so that one took a lot of time to do (and it took an equally long amount of time to find the perfect images to use or to select a book cover to recreate). But also, I discovered that writing book summaries, even for fictional books that don’t exist, is really difficult.
Greatest Number of Books Read in One Day: 2 books (usually a novel and a manga).
Least Number of Books Read in One Day: 1 book.
Average Number of Books Read/Day: 1.43 books per day.
Greatest Number of Pages Read in One Day: 530.
Average Number of Pages Read/Day: 358.86 pages per day.
Fastest Read: In novels, it was Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik. In manga, it was both Skip Beat volumes by Yoshiki Nakamura.
Slowest Read: Abandon, Meg Cabot (it wasn’t long, but it just took me a really long time to get into it, mostly because the story was a lot slower than I expected).
Genre Most Read: Young Adult Contemporary Romance. Four of my books happened to belong to this genre.
Most Common Trope/Theme/Feature: 3 books and both manga about enemies becoming lovers; 2 books about road trips; 2 modern retellings of things (one of a classical novel and one of a classic myth).
Total Number of Unread Books: 2 books and 2 manga (one manga series).
Unread Book I Most Wanted to Read: Honestly? All of them. There was a reason I chose these books. They had all been on my TBR for a very long time, and I was either curious about them (most of the ones I read fell into this category) or I had heard brilliant things about them (everything that was left fell into this category). Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, who is one of my favorite authors (she has yet to write anything I don’t like), is supposed to be hilarious. I’ve heard that Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama is the one of the best mermaid books out there in YA. Everyone I know who reads manga has nothing but fantastic things to say about Dengeki Daisy by Kyousuke Motomi (and I also adore the art). I hope to read these all some day soon!
Book I Enjoyed More Than I Thought I Would: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. I was prepared to be disappointed by this one because of all the Anna and the French Kiss comparisons (which, actually, it wasn’t similar to at all, in my opinion), but it had its own charm (and Jason reminded me so much of Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars) that I fell into the story anyway. I thought it was cute, and going in with no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised.
Book I Enjoyed Less Than I Thought I Would: Abandon by Meg Cabot. I wanted to love this one because I tend to enjoy Meg Cabot books and I’ve been waiting for her to do a paranormal series again (the Mediator books are my favorites), but I think this kind of story, because it’s a little new to her, just didn’t work for me in her style. I also had a few issues with the story (which didn’t feel like a story until about 75% in, when suddenly EVERYTHING WAS HAPPENING) and I never felt anything for the characters, so I guess this is why it took me a while to read this one. I’m hoping the series grabs my attention as it goes along, since I understand this first book was only meant as an introduction. (I do have a lot of detailed thoughts on this novel though, which I hope to explain in my review in the coming weeks.)
Favorite Book Read: Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. I should have expected it after Second Chance Summer, which I loved a lot, but I think I’m always going to fall in love with her poignant and somewhat heartbreaking contemporary novels. I can’t wait for her next one. (Not counting a manga because Gakuen Alice and Skip Beat were already on my favorites list. And I don’t want to choose between them. Or admit to myself that somehow in the last few months, Skip Beat surpassed Gakuen Alice as my favorite manga series currently.
Favorite Characters: I really loved Roger’s (Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson) musical taste and how completely sweet he was. I could sometimes relate strongly to Julia from Lauren Morrill’s Meant to Be (though sometimes she frustrated me to no end). I fell for Jason from Meant to Be (whenever he wasn’t being too immature), but Derek Edwards from Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik was probably the character I’d want to date in real life (I don’t know if I can count him, since I’ve always been a bit of a Darcy girl, and this is a Pride and Prejudice retelling). So… I don’t know. Just a lot of awesome characters all around. (I can’t add my manga characters because I ALREADY know I love Tsuruga Ren from Skip Beat and Hyuuga Natsume from Gakuen Alice. It would be cheating.)
Least Favorite Characters: Wasn’t a huge fan of John or Pierce from Abandon (sorry guys!). Did not like Chelsea at all from Epic Fail, and Layla from the same novel also drove me mad (she was no LBD!Lydia Bennet at all). I could also do without Meant to Be‘s Mark. I wanted someone to punch him in the face.
Favorite Ship: I shipped them all, honestly. The ship I needed to happen, though (and for a while, I didn’t think it would), was Amy/Roger from Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour. So much chemistry, and they fit so well together. I was dying for them to realize they liked each other!
Favorite Setting: Loved all the settings in the road trip novels, but how can anything compare to London, England (Meant to Be)?
Book That Amused Me the Most: An Abundance of Katherines made me laugh the most, but again, I should have expected that with John Green’s humor and dialogue.
Book With the Most Swoon-worthy Moments: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. It’s difficult not swooning when a guy is singing to a girl, taking her on spontaneous adventures around one of the most historical and romantic cities in the world, and randomly dancing with her.
Darkest Read: None were very dark, though I guess Abandon (Meg Cabot) fits this the most.
Story I Most Wanted to Live in Real Life: Meant to Be or Epic Fail. I’d love to go on an awesome trip to London (and her hotel room sounded pretty awesome too), or have the son of a movie star (or a movie star) fall in love with me. That would be nice. I also wouldn’t mind being inside Skip Beat because I’d love to meet a Ren. He is my absolute favorite, if you couldn’t tell. ^^;
Most Quotable: In case it wasn’t obvious, John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines.
Favorite Overall Quote: Of the ones I noted, the quotes that most stay with me are…

“I might look like a honey-eyed school girl on the outside, in my skirt with its regulation four-inch-above-the-knee hem. But I’ll rip those tassels off your shoes, old man. Just try Googling me.“

— Abandon, Meg Cabot

(because it makes me laugh every time)

“Why does everyone think a girl who prefers books to people must be in want of a life?“

— Meant to Be, Lauren Morrill

(because I can relate to this so well).
Will You Participate in Another ‘Bout of Books’ Readathon? Definitely. See you guys in August!