All the Bright Places has all the feels PLUS author interview PLUS giveaway!!

Theodore finch, the Freak, has climbed to the top of the school bell tower to think about suicide. Ultimately deciding jumping would be far too messy, he’s about to climb down when he notices a pretty girl a few feet away. She’s also on the edge, and appears zoned out. “Come here often? Because this is kind of my spot I and don’t remember seeing you here before.”

Not exactly poetry and flowers, but Finch’s words, and his subsequent actions, talk Violet down from the bell tower ledge. As the two work on a school project and “Wander the State,” Violet goes from resenting Finch’s presence to craving it. He’s the only one who understands, and he pushes her out of her comfort zone, making her feel more alive that she has since her sister died. But the depression that drives Finch to research methods of suicide never quite goes away, and as the days pass he becomes more and more manic and remote. Violet seems to be the only thing tethering him to life…but for how long?

This extraordinarily well written novel was so very real that realistic fiction doesn’t seem an adequate term. In alternate voices both characters tell the story, and as it built toward the foreshadowed turning point I felt like I actually knew both teens. Niven pulled me fully into Violet and Finch’s lives, showing me the complexity of the their thought processes easily and without judgement. All the Bright Places gave me insight into the helpless, hopeless feeling that many teens face when they are fighting depression, mental illness, etc. Sometimes it's easier to connect with fictional characters than it is with those around us, and it's possible that some teens will see themselves or their friends in Violet and Finch. I think this is going to be an important book to those teens, and I encourage everyone, high school through adult, to read it. 

Five Question Interview with author Jennifer Niven!
As the new year rolls in I'm adding some new features to Fun-Size Reads. One of these is slightly kooky interviews with authors. 

I love authors. I go all fangirly when meeting them though, and never manage to actually speak to them. I just grin stupidly while they sign my books. Starting these interviews gives me the opportunity to ask authors questions that, hopefully, no one else has asked. 

Jennifer Niven is the author eight books, including the Velva Jean historical fiction series, her memoir The Aqua Net Diaries, and Ada Blackjack and The Ice Master, two nonfiction titles that make me shiver just looking at the covers. All the Bright Places is her first Teen novel. 

Jennifer took a break in her busy schedule to kindly answer a few odd and random questions for Fun-Size Reads:

What author, novel, or story inspires you to write?  
My mom. She was a prolific, award-winning author, and when I was a little girl, we used to have “writing time.” While Mom sat at her grown-up desk, I sat at my little one, composing stories in crayon.  She not only encouraged my own writing from a very early age, she taught me that I could be or do anything I wanted to be or do. In August 2014, she passed away unexpectedly and suddenly, and I am trying to honor her with every word I write. I feel like that little girl again, sitting at my desk, crayons in hand, doing what I most love to do, knowing that—if not for her—I wouldn’t be doing it at all.

What is your favorite comfort food?  
Popcorn.

Jared & Jen

What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show? If you don’t watch TV, what genre of books do you read for pure enjoyment?  
Supernatural.  I love it so much I went to a Supernatural convention in 2013 just so I could have my picture taken with Jared Padalecki.  Sam Winchester is my fictional boyfriend.

When you were growing up, what was your favorite playground spot?
The swings. I loved going higher and higher until I felt like I was part of the wind.

What is one misconception people have about you and/or your profession? 
That being a writer is easy. I was lucky enough to grow up with a writer mom, so I saw firsthand how difficult and stressful and unpredictable the business was.  I also saw the commitment it took.  I’m grateful for that because I think so many people go into the business of writing with unrealistic expectations—not realizing that it is, in fact, a business, and that you have to be ready and willing to do it in spite of everything else.  I hear from people who ask if I only write when I’m inspired, but the answer is no.  I work harder (and longer!) than most everyone I know.

Giveaway Time!!
Finch and Violet find unexpected bright places in their state. What are your bright places? What locations have you found that make you happy? Tell me about one, and you'll be entered to win a finished cop of All the Bright Places sent to you directly from the publisher!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Niven, Jennifer. All the Bright Places. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are mine alone. 

Looking for a great book? As you wish...

As You Wish is part personal memoir and part film history. Cary Elwes takes his readers from the moment of his casting through his final scene, and his love for the film, cast, and crew is evident in every line.

The Princess Bride was the film that Hollywood thought would never be made. William Goldman’s beloved book, and later screenplay, were too difficult to capture; too hard to pigeonhole. When Rob Reiner finally got the go ahead, the casting had to be spot on. Starting with Elwes, he and his partner Andy Scheinman meticulously gathered the perfect cast and set about making a perfect movie. What is evident in As You Wish is that the camaraderie, the humor, and the sincerity seen on screen are a reflection of what was going on behind the cameras.

If you are expecting a scintillating tell-all book about scandalous goings on during the filming, you will be disappointed. However, if you, like me, have loved this movie for over 25 years, you will enjoy reading about the wonder Elwes experienced making it. From the R.O.U.S (I had no idea people were inside those costumes), to the swordfighting (the result of meticulous training over the course of two months by Patinkin and Elwes),  to the larger than life character who was the real Andre the Giant, Elwes’ revelations made me fall in love with the movie all over again. Reminiscences from other cast members, Rob Reiner, and Andy Scheinman, are scattered throughout, supporting Elwes’ memories of his experience. The book is truly a positive, well-written, and very fluid read, and when I finished it I had a burning desire to see the movie again, this time as an adult, and with Elwes’ viewpoint still firmly in my mind.

Elwes, Cary with Joe Layden. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride. New York: Touchstone, 2014. 5 Stars

Throwback Thursday: March 2009

Here's a review I wrote in 2009 for my work blog. 

16-year-old Zira’s dying Ruan mother brought a badly injured Zira to the temple after the fearsome attack that left Rua in the control of the Sedorne. Zira’s memories of her life before that night are gone, until the night ten years later when a Sedorne force, sent by the king, attacks and destroys the temple. As the temple people shelter in the Shrine of God, Zira’s memories are unlocked. She is not poor Zira, warrior priestess in training. She is Zahira Elfenresh, the last surviving member of the royal family of Rua. It is she who should be on the throne as Reia, not the Sedorne king.

Once her identity is known, Zahira becomes the leader of the temple refugees. She leads them, unwillingly, to a Sedorne lord who becomes their ally, and much more. But her alliance with the Sedorne leads many of her followers to doubt Zahira. They want Rua for the Ruan, with all Sedorne either dead or driven out of the land. But the Ruan are not a strong fighting force on their own, so Zahira must unite the Ruan and Sedorne people in order to put an end to the Sedorene king's bloody rule.

Zira/Zahira is a smart, strong character reminiscent of Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper or Robin McKinley’s Harimad Crewe. The book is well-written and the story carries the reader forward quickly and seamlessly. I will be the first to admit that I picked this book up because of the striking cover art, but from the very first page I was hooked. I highly recommend this title to fans of fantasy and strong heroines!

Marriott, Zoe. Daughter of the Flames. Cambridge, Mass., Candlewick, 2009. 5 Stars.

Originally read in March 2009.

Serial killers and psychics

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes’ mother, a fake psychic, taught Cassie the BPE’s from an early age. Just by noticing someone’s Behavior, Personality, and Environment Cassie can see the details of someone’s life. This talent is so second nature that she can no longer turn it off, making it difficult to make friends and fit in. However, it’s exactly the kind of skill that the FBI wants to cultivate to solve cold cases and serial murders. To that end they recruit Cassie to a special team-in-training: The Naturals. Along with four other teens (each with a particular skill set)s, Cassie spends her days learning how to use her talent to track down serial killers. While the teens are studying old murders, the agents teaching them are working on an active case – a brutal serial killer is leaving bodies in their city. As Cassie gleans info about the case, sherealizes that this murderer is escalating - and has a fascination with red-headed psychics like Cassie…and her mother, who was murdered several years ago by a killer with a similar MO. Could these cases be related? And is Cassie also in danger?

I’ve loved the novels of Jennifer Lynn Barnes for years, ever since I read her first book, Golden, in 2006. This is an author I can always turn to for richly layered plots, authentically voiced characters, and high interest storylines. The Naturals gave me all of this plus a cast of teens and adults that were so well-drawn I became emotionally invested in their lives. I did not want to stop listening to this audiobook and finished it in two days. I think that’s a record, even for me. I can't wait to read the next book in this incredible series.

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. The Naturals. New York: Miramax Books for Kids, 2013

The darkness of magical warfare from a seasoned author...

Rosethorn has always wanted to travel to the eastern lands her companion and fellow Winding Circle mage, Lark, talked about. Briar Moss, ever protective of his teacher and friend, accompanies her on the long journey. With them travels Evumeimei “Evvy” Dingzai, Briar’s pupil. Rosethorn and Briar are plant mages and Evvy is a stone mage in training. Their journey is long, but rewarding. In addition to simply seeing the sights and eating the cuisine of new lands, Rosethorn and Briar take clippings from interesting plants and visit famous gardens as they travel. While they are in the small mountain kingdom of Gyongxe they receive an invitation from the Emperor of Yanjing to visit him at his summer palace. When they accept his invitation they don’t realize that they’ve started a new journey, one that will separate them and expose them to the darkness of battle magic.

This is a story of greed and conquest, death and blood. But it’s also a story about the power of good people who refuse to accept tyranny and evil. Sounds heavy, right? Well, it is. I think this may be the darkest of Pierce’s novels to date. There’s truly no way to explore a theme of war and conquest without going a bit dark, but Pierce handles the subject with sensitivity to her audience. While the wrongness comes through, it isn’t so graphic that incidents overpower the entirety of the novel. 

As with all really good books, the plot of Battle Magic is layered with subplots, making a richer tapestry for the reader. Battle Magic contains not only war and evil, but sections devoted to the growth of Briar and Evvy. Even Rosethorn, who seems much too old for personal growth, has a spiritual quest that must be completed by her and her alone. Additionally there are numerous likable and very disagreeable (and even downright evil) secondary characters that are so well-drawn that I need a new designation - something between primary and secondary - to describe them.

Battle Magic is a different style of book than the first novels Pierce wrote for teens, though she has never shied away from the darkness of life. I always enjoy her novels because I get pulled into her world so thoroughly. Sometimes that means celebrating with characters, other times it means shedding a few tears with them. In Battle Magic I did both. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to lose themselves in a fantasy realm for a few hours.

Pierce, Tamora. Battle Magic. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 2013

A new favorite author (tears my heart out)

In the fall of 1986 I was a freshman in high school. I had braces, acne, insanely humongous glasses, and went to school decked out in horrid fashion choices (though to be fair, we all did. The 80’s are not known for their fab clothing styles). Regardless, I wasn't unhappy. I got good grades, I had a few good friends, and I had fun. Though not popular, I was liked (or at least tolerated). I remember being teased to a small degree, but I had learned by ninth grade to either make a joke of it or let it slide off my back like it didn't bother me, because most bullies bullied most when they got a big reaction. If I gave them nothing and they got bored. Sometimes they even laughed with me instead of at me. By 1986 all that was water under the bridge and I was on friendly terms with most of my class of 201 peers.

Eleanor’s experience at her new high school in 1986 is quite different. Eleanor lives in the Flats, a poor section of town where generations of families have marked their territory with dilapidated houses and rusting cars up on blocks in yards. As a newcomer, Eleanor would have stood out no matter what, but with her large bosom and larger red hair, coming to school dressed in men’s shirts and ties (often wrapped around her ponytail or wrist), Eleanor doesn't look like anyone else in the Flats. She tries to keep her head down, but she’s noticed. And one of the students who notices her is Park.

Park also lives in the Flats. He’s Korean American, which confuses most of the dimwits he goes to school with, who can’t tell the difference between Korean and Chinese. Park reads Sandman and X-Men comics, listens to The Smiths, and wishes the new girl hadn't sat next to him on the bus. But there wasn't anyone else who would give her a seat - not when seating had been set since the first day of the year. Not when she was new, and strange, and so...big. At least she’s quiet and doesn't try to talk to him. That would just be...awkward.

As the days pass, Eleanor continues to sit next to Park to and from school and slowly, ever so slowly, something begins to develop.

Eleanor doesn't want Park to know what goes on behind her front door. She wants to keep him separate from that - she wants Park to be a place she can escape from the rest of her life, even if it’s just for a few minutes or only in a Park-shaped space in her head. Park wants to know all of Eleanor. He wants to protect her from whoever is secretly leaving the raunchy, violently sexual suggestions on the covers of her schoolbooks. The notes that leave Eleanor shaking as she scribbles them out. Eleanor suspects Tina, the ringleader of popular girls who keep bullying her in gym and in the school hallways. Park insists Tina isn't like that. Park doesn't know what people are like when his back is turned. That’s why Eleanor doesn't turn her back on anyone.

I read this incredible novel on audiobook, and the readers truly brought this story to life for me. The novel is both beautiful and frightening. The first sentence put me on tenterhooks, purposefully setting an underlying unsettling tone for the rest of the novel. The development of Eleanor and Park’s relationship is slow and tentative and sweet in the middle of Eleanor’s abusive home life. Rowell has captured both the romance and the fear, evoking the emotions in the reader and making this a wonderful and difficult book to read. I highly recommend this book to adults and older teens. (Mature language; sexual content)

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013. Audiobook read by Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra. Teen fiction.