Becoming a Chameleon

Hi!! I also forgot to blog about this one too. I read this over the summer and I loved it and it was super cute. Sophie Kinsella's Finding Audrey was a beautiful read and super sweet. It was a very cute premise and I'm glad I had picked it up at Costco.

What the book was about:
Audrey used to be in school. She used to have a few close friends. She used to go out and go to the store with her mum and hang out with her friends. But now, she can't even make eye contact with other people. She wears dark sunglasses that cover her eyes and make her feel safe and she lets people see her when she wants them to. She stays at home and sometimes if she has an episode, she has to hide away in  her room. Then one day, her brother brings his friend, Linus, over for a gaming team. And Audrey kind of freaks out. Okay, really freaks out. But that's okay because she can only let him in if she wants to. Linus starts to become something more than just a gaming teammate to Audrey's brother and more of a friend to Audrey. With him, she feels almost... normal.

So I picked this book up at a Costco because I felt like I couldn't possibly leave without purchasing a cheap book. I mean, come on - 40% discount? Yes, please! Anyway, the cover was beautiful, too. (Hey, you can't tell me you haven't judged a book by its cover before, can you? If you say yes, you're lying.)

Is that not the cutest cover design? It's very fitting for it, too! Anyway, I loved the character development of Audrey and of her brother. At first her brother (bless him, I can't remember his name) seems like a typical teenage guy but he eventually develops into a nice young man. Audrey's own tendencies reminded me of how it's hard to open up to new people in our lives, especially after we've been hurt so badly by those we thought we were our friends. From what we as readers get from Kinsella, all we know is that she was bullied so badly by her "friends" that she got social anxiety so bad that she doesn't leave her flat much. At first I was a bit irked that we didn't know exactly what happened, but in the end I realized that not know made the book stronger. It doesn't matter what happened, it matters that it happened and now Audrey has to deal with the consequences of other people's actions. We need to remember that people are fragile and that we need to be kind like Linus and extend our hands to those struggling with things like this.

Okay, I'll get off my soap box. Happy reading!

Sophie

I've never been a binge-reader...until now...

Hey y'all!

So, a few days ago, I contently finished Room by Emma Donoghue. I've been wanting to read it for a while, hearing the news of the upcoming film adaptation of the book starring Brie Larson as Ma. I can't watch the trailer without getting choked up!

So, how was this book? Is it really worth seeing the movie?

The answer is yes. Yes yes yes yes.

A quick synopsis of Room: The story is told by Jack, a five year old boy and his mother, whom we only know as Ma. Jack and Ma are confined to a eleven-by-eleven shed they call "Room". Room is all Jack knows, all because he's never stepped foot outside of it. The story takes a dramatic turn when Ma makes a proposal- and Jack doesn't know how he feels about it.

Oh my sprinkles. This book was impossible to put down. I read it in less than three days. I'm in love with Room beyond words. Donoghue portrays life through a five year old's eyes fabulously. I'm currently writing a novel told from the perspective of a nine year old girl, and even that's hard! She makes it seem as though a little boy sat down at the computer and wrote it. She gives Jack such personality- it's impossible not to fall in love with him.

Donoghue shows the unbreakable bond between Ma and Jack without even saying it. Ma never once tells Jack that she loves him- and it's not necessary. Donoghue vividly shows the immense amount of love Ma has for Jack between the lines. Room is merely centered around the bond the pair holds, and it's tear jerking.

In conclusion, Room is a masterpiece of it's own, flecked with it's own originality and character. Donoghue is a literary saint when it comes to writing a novel in a tricky perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good drama with suspense, and not to mention a book that will hit you right in the feels.

Yours,
Rylie

NaNoWriMo: How To Write a Novel

Hey guys!

I would firstly like to say a massive sorry to Sophie for not being around more. Yes, we're all busy, but that's no excuse.

So, I'm back! With a post about NaNoWriMo, which I'm sure many of you have heard of.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it's an online based November project, for anyone to join.

The overall goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days, or 30,000 words if you're in the YA NaNoWriMo.

Now, writing is not for every person, but it's not for every bookworm either...yes, we all love reading, and I'm sure many of us have written a little something at some point, but it takes a LOT to write 50,000 words in a month, that equals 1.6k every day.

But sometimes, it's a challenge that we need. And in the end, it doesn't matter if you don't finish on time, because YOU have still achieved something massive, something amazing. You have written a 250 page novel. And that is certainly something to boast about.

And if you think your novel is a load of crap? That's fine! There's no one there to read or judge your book, unless you want them to. Plus, if it really IS crap (which I'm sure it isn't) it's all practice. There are many years of NaNoWriMo to come, so if you don't manage to write a full novel this year, it's fine. If you do, you deserve an enormous pat on the back! Congrats!

Before I finish off, I want you all to know, this is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo, so I am a complete greenie. But from what I've gathered, all we need to complete this challenge is coffee (or tea, tea drinkers, we can DO THIS.), comfy clothes, a hell of a lot of stamina and just enough time (doesn't have to be a lot, but having a lot can definitely help).

At the end of this, guys, at the end of this torture. We are going to be authors. Remember that. Let it sink in.

And write.

-Beth