Messenger

Goodreads Synopsis:    From PEN Award–winning author Carol Lynch Williams comes an eerie and atmospheric coming-of-age tale about a girl who can talk to the dead—even if she would rather not.

Evie Messenger knows that her family is different from other families. But it isn’t until her fifteenth birthday that the Messenger gift is revealed to her. Evie has the family’s gift—a special power. Soon she realizes she is able to see and talk to the dead—ghosts—often with no idea who the person was. Or as Evie says: “I see Dead People. It’s a Messenger gift.” That doesn’t mean she wants the Messenger gift. So Evie tries to ignore it but soon she finds she cannot. Can Evie find a way to live her life without letting her power take over?And what if the dead person is someone close to Evie’s family?

My Thoughts:

-    This was a lighter book for this author, and I liked it. It isn't my favorite of hers, but it's good. 

-    Carol Lynch Williams has a very distinct writing style and voice. I love it. There is something soothing and eerie about it. 

-    I love how so much can be said and felt in a few words. 

-    I wish the story had a little more substance. I would love to know more about Evie's family and how the "gifts" came to be. I would have liked to see Evie help more ghosts move on.

-    This was a fun little ghost story. 

Never Said

Goodreads Synopsis:    For as long as she can remember, Sarah’s family life has revolved around her twin sister, Annie—the pretty one, the social one, the girl who can do anything. The person everyone seems to wish Sarah—with her crippling shyness—could simply become.

When Annie suddenly chops off her hair, quits beauty pageants, and gains weight, the focus changes—Annie is still the star of the family, but for all the wrong reasons. Sarah knows something has happened, but she too is caught in her own spiral after her boyfriend breaks up with her and starts hanging out with one of Annie’s old friends.

Annie is intent on keeping her painful secret safe. But when she and Sarah start spending time together again for the first time in years, walls start to break on both sides … and words that had been left unsaid could change everything.

My Thoughts:

-    I've read enough of Carol's books to know that when I pick one up, it is going to be rough. This one was no different, but the reason I love these books so much is because they deal with tough things in a very real and tasteful way, and there is always hope at the end. The character can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and they can start to heal. 

-    Annie was crying out for help without actually crying out for help, and the only one that really noticed was her sister. Annie's mom belittled her, her friends ditched her, and her peers mocked her. It was SO sad, but that is life. People are cruel. It was very heartwarming to see Sarah reach out and get to know her sister.

-    I loved the format of the book. Carol is always trying new formats and styles of writing, and I love it! Sarah's perspectives read like a normal book, but Annie's thoughts were short choppy lines. 

-    The ending didn't really take me by surprise, but it I was still surprised. I kinda guessed what was going on with Annie, but it was still a shock to me. 

-    Great story, great writing, great book! I love Carol's books! 

A Mother to Embarrass Me

Goodreads Says:    Now that Laura is 12 years old, she realizes that everything about her mother is totally embarrassing. Like the way she yodels at the top of her lungs while she works (okay, she calls it singing). And plays really oldmusic so loud the neighbors can hear (can’t she listen to normal music?). And walks around in clay-covered pajamas (yes, she is a sculptor, but still . . . ). 

But things are about to get much, much worse. Laura has noticed that her mother is getting a little bit, well, fat. Then one night over dinner (at a restaurant, since she almost burned down the house trying to cook), her mother announces that she’s going to have a baby. Now all the neighbors, including the gorgeous boy Laura has a crush on, will know her parents have been doing it. Maybe even in the house! There must be some way Laura can change her mother before her own life is completely, utterly ruined!

My Thoughts:

-    I think I'm a little old for this book. I probably would have appreciated it more when I was twelve.

-    Laura is really whiny, and she is SO mean to her mother. I can't believe some of things she says and thinks. I just wanted to smack her!

-    I can see why Laura thought a couple things her mom did were embarrassing. The loud music and the dancing in front of her friends would turn my face red too. 

-    The ending was lame. There wasn't really any conclusion. Laura and her mom didn't reconcile anything. There wasn't really a point to the story.

Signed, Skye Harper

Goodreads Synopsis:    In trying to reunite with her mother, Winston discovers the many meanings of family and finds friendship in an unexpected place in this coming-of-age novel from the author of Waiting, which Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, called "exceptional" and Glimpse, which Booklist called "gripping."

Life is just fine for fourteen-year-old Winston. She loves her dog, Thelma, and although she never knew her dad, and her mom left ten years ago in search of Hollywood fame, Winston has family with Nanny, who is in her forties, and that doesn't even make her old. But a "just fine" life gets a lot more exciting when a letter arrives from Skye Harper, aka Judith Fletcher, aka Winston’s mother. She needs help, and Nanny says the best way to give it is to take a cross-country road trip—in a "borrowed" motor home—to go find Mama once and for all. Winston’s not so sure about this plan, but with a cute stowaway named Steve along for company and an adventure on the horizon, this is sure to be a summer to remember.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a cute and quick book.

-    I love how Carol plays with writing styles with each of her books. The short chapters are fun and more meaningful. Sometimes a few sentences builds more emotion than a whole chapter. 

-    I LOVE the dog and the rooster. I have no idea why they brought a rooster on a road trip, but it was awesome!

-    I don't know how I feel about Steve. He seems nice now, but I feel like he'll break Winston's heart later on.

-    Grandma is awesome! I loved her stern and quirky personality. 

-    There is a lot of talk about Winston's boobs. It got tiresome. I get it! You have big breasts!

-    I can't believe Winston likes to keep her bra in the freezer. That would be so awful to put on! I don't like wearing bras either, but it is embarrassing to not wear one.

-    I liked the ending. I knew what was coming, but I was surprised by the last letter Skye sent. It wasn't really a happy ending, but it was satisfactory. I felt peace for Winston and her Grandma in the end. 

The Haven

Goodreads Synopsis:    For the teens at The Haven, the outside world, just beyond the towering stone wall that surrounds the premises, is a dangerous unknown. It has always been this way, ever since the hospital was established in the year 2020. But The Haven is more than just a hospital; it is their home. It is all they know. Everything is strictly monitored: education, exercise, food, and rest. The rules must be followed to keep the children healthy, to help control the Disease that has cast them as Terminals, the Disease that claims limbs and lungs—and memories. 

But Shiloh is different; she remembers everything. Gideon is different, too. He dreams of a cure, of rebellion against the status quo. What if everything they’ve been told is a lie? What if The Haven is not the safe place it claims to be? And what will happen if Shiloh starts asking dangerous questions?

My Thoughts:

-    The whole concept of this book is exactly like The Island. I'm a tad disappointed this wasn't an original idea. 

-    The book moved a little slow, but it kept my interest.

-    I liked the characters. It was fun to get inside of Shiloh's head. She experienced so many new feelings.

-    I wish there had been a little more to the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but I would have liked to see what happens to certain characters, and how certain things go down. Hopefully the truth gets out and the company goes down.

-    I wish there had been a little more about some of the instructors in the facility. They played minor roles, but apparently some of them were scheming.

-    Overall, this book was okay, but it doesn't really stand out. 

Carol Lynch Williams Workshop

Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with Carol Lynch Williams. I went with my friends Suey and Jenni.

Suey snapped this shot of us.

I enjoyed the workshop. I learned stuff, and I realized that there isn't just one way to write, revise, and whatever. My way is a lot like Carol's. I have to revise as I go.

We talked about writing like a writer, and here are some questions Carol asked:

Why do you write?

What do you want to happen with your writing?

In your work schedule, where does your writing fall?

What are your daily writing goals?

How badly do you want to be a writer?

What are you willing to give up to be a writer?

How many beginnings of novels do you have?

How many are finished?

Where do you get ideas from?

What is your schedule for writing?

What do you want your schedule to be?

How are you going to make your schedule happen?

If you could change one thing about the way you write, what would it be?

How will you change that one thing?

I liked how she talked about finishing every book you start. You just have to do it! Push through!

If I Forget, You Remember

Goodreads Description:    Twelve-year-old Elyse's plan to write an award-winning novel during the summer is interrupted when her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease, moves in with the family.














My Thoughts:

-    This story wasn't as inspiring and emotional as other books by this author, so I was a little disappointed.

-    It would be hard to have someone in your family have Alzheimer's. I don't know how I would react or treat that person. To be honest, I would probably keep my distance because I was afraid or felt awkward.

-    I loved that this took place in Orem!! I live in Orem, so it was fun when the book mentioned places in my town. The Orem Library and it's beautiful windows made an appearance in the story.

-    Elyse was a fun character, but she was a little snot at times. She was only 12, and she definitely acted like it, so I guess I'm happy about that. I don't like books where the kid seems way older than they are.

-    The relationship between Elyse and her grandmother was a touching one. I never really had grandparents, so I really appreciated what Elyse had and was losing. 

-    I wish there had been more emotion. I love books that make me feel, and this didn't make me feel much. 

-    Besides a 12 year old girl dealing with a grandmother with AD, there wasn't a lot that went on. Elyse helped some friends with a neighborhood newspaper, and there was a couple bullies, but not a whole lot happened in the book. There wasn't much of a plot. It was just life!

The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson

From the Dust Jacket:    Twelve-year-old Caity Jackson and her eleven-year-old sister, Cara, have always been close.  They have to be.  By sticking together and staying out of their mother's way, they manage to make it to the school on time most days, get meals prepared, and protect each other from their mother's terrifying verbal and physical attacks.  A few sympathetic friends, like Brandon from next door, also make a big difference in their lives.  But when their mother does something truly unexpected, they have a new crisis to face, one the seems insurmountable to Caity.  Yet, as Caity begins to realize, there are ways they can take control of their future, if only they can find the inner strength to defy their mother.

This sensitively written novel takes a hard look at a family torn apart by a mental illness and celebrates the resourcefulness of two courageous young women.


My Thoughts:

-    This was another lovely book by Carol Lynch Williams.  It was heart breaking, but full of tender moments.

-    This story made me feel like I need to ration my food.  

-    It also made me want to hug my daughter and tell her I love her!

-    There were moments in this book that made me think of my little sister.  There were times where we had to comfort and protect each other.  

-    That Nana is a SAINT!  

-    I feel humbled, and I feel very blessed.  I have a good family, and I have the opportunity to create a good environment for my children.  

-    I felt scared for Caity and Cara every time they went skinny dipping.  I thought something bad was going to happen.

-    I can't even begin to understand how a mother could abuse her children.  When my daughter was born, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of love and will to protect her.

-    Carol Lynch Williams knows how to bring out strong emotions in her books, and this one is filled with them!

The Chosen One

Goodreads Synopsis:    Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

My Thoughts:

-    This is a very solemn book.  It has a lot of sadness and worry in it, but in the end, we get a bit of hope.  

-    It makes me sad and a little sick to my stomach to know that the events in this book take place in the real world.  There were certain parts that just break my heart.  

-    I love the emotion in the story.  Kyra's feelings come across so strongly that I just feel for her so much!  I feel scared, sad, happy, and everything else for this character.  I just want to hug her and tell her that everything will be alright.  It just makes me want to show my daughter 10x more love!  

-    I wish the ending held a bit more, or that there was a sequel.  There are a few questions I want answered.  

-    I want to visit a bookmobile!  Patrick is a hero in my eyes!

-    I love the format of this book.  Carol Lynch Williams knows how to get so much more out of a book by playing with the format and sentence structure.  I love it!!

-    The ending is so riveting!  Oh my gosh!!  It is one of the most heart pounding car chases I've ever read or seen.  

-    This is one of those books that you just have to finish is one sitting!  Once you start, you just can't put it down.  Thank goodness it isn't too long.

-    Carol Lynch Williams is such a pro at telling difficult stories in a beautiful way!  Her writing is like poetry, but not.  I just love her style!

Carol Lynch Williams

Utah Book Month Author Interview

I got the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Carol Lynch Williams for UBM!!  I've been a HUGE fan of this Utah author for a few years now!  Her stories are very touching, emotional, and sometimes hard to swallow.  She is the proud author of over 20 books for YA readers and middle grade readers.  She was one of the first authors to kick start our amazing literature community here in Utah!

Here are some of her amazing stories:

Now without further ado, my interview with Carol Lynch Williams!

or what I like to call...

My Questions - Her Answers

(I know it looks long, but it is worth reading!  Carol has some awesome things to say!)

1.    Your books are usually about sad/dark events.  Does this reflect events in your own life?

I think any writer would tell you bits and pieces of herself is on the page and that is no different for me.  I always write from some truth that's inside me.  Even my historical fiction has something from my life on the page.

Past that, yes I am kind of a sad and depressed person.  I always write about family.  And I always write about death, dying, and that kind of thing because that topic is always on my mind.  When I speak with kids, I tell them my best writing tip is for them to put someone dead or naked (said nekkid) in all their stories.  My novels always have one or the other and sometimes both.

2.    From your dedications and acknowledgements, I gather that your daughters are very special and close to you.  If you could describe each daughter in one word, what would they be?

Elise - tender-hearted
Laura - tough
Kyra - creative
Caitlynne - compassionate
Carolina - athletic

The truth is, my girls are all pretty darn great.  I love them.  It was my daughters who kept me going to school for my MFA from Vermont College.  They wouldn't let me quit.  They have ALWAYS supported me.  And I've lucked out that some are following in my footsteps.  I get to work with Kyra and Laura at Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, Kyra is a writer, Laura and I are working on a book together even as we speak, Elise wants to be a teacher (something else I do), Caitlynne loves to dance - just like me, Carolina loves illustration and I want her to try her hand at some illustration in a book I'm writing - PLUS all the girls love to read.

3.    Your latest book, Waiting, has a unique style to it.  It is like poetry but not.  How did you come up with this style of writing, and why did you choose to use this particular style?

My first stylistically different novel, GLIMPSE, was written in a short, choppy line.  My editor wanted another like it, but GLIMPSE is the only book that may ever be written that way.  The main character, Hope, demanded the story be told in that manner - in glimpses.  And when I started WAITING, a book of grief and loss, the line just needed to be shorter, the scenes shorter, the telling different.  I'm starting another book for this publisher (Simon and Schuster - Paula Wiseman Imprint), another dark story of family, and I think the set up will be different yet again.

Amazing writer, Ann Dee Ellis (who shares a blog with me and Kyra) says to play and have fun while you write and I think that's good advice.  Play with the line, the sentence, the structure - enjoy what you can of the writing process.

4.    You are brilliant at getting inside a teenage girl's head.  I've never been in any of your character's situations, but I can relate to a lot of the emotions they go through.  Is it emotional for you to write these stories?  Is it hard to get the perfect emotion from a character on paper?

Thank you for the compliment. :) I have to admit that I am about 12 in my head.

For me, good writing is emotional writing.  Emotion, I think, connects the reader to the main character.  Emotion makes the story feel real.

When I started really writing WAITING, some horrible things had happened.  I lost a lot of friends and family to death, my girls had friends die - and this followed other deep grief.  I was so sad.  In one part of the novel, London wonders if God believes in her.  That was a real part of what I went through, knowing that I believed in God, but wondering had He forgotten about me and mine.

5.    What is your favorite book that you've written and why?

I don't have any favorites.  I move on pretty quickly from one book to the next.  Some people say choosing a favorite book is like picking a favorite kid.  The truth is, I like my kids way better than I like my books.

Now, there are books I have written that have been easier to write than others.  That's a question I can answer!  CAROLINA AUTUMN was a book that almost wrote itself.  So did WAITING.

6.    What is your least favorite book you've written and why?

My novel that comes out from St. Martin's Press THE HAVEN was a killer to get on the page!  In fact, I wrote two novels after I signed a contract for THE HAVEN.  I had the hardest time writing that one. It nearly killed me.  And THE CHOSEN ONE almost broke my heart.  So each book is different, each takes me down a different path.

7.    There are a lot of great authors in Utah.  Do you enjoy being a Utah author?  What are some of the perks and downsides?

I love being a UT author.  I remember before there were so many pubbed authors - way back in the olden days.  It's cool to be named among so many fabulous people.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, and thank you so much for being a fabulous Utah author!!  It was a real pleasure to interview you!  

Waiting

From Goodreads:   Growing up in Africa and Latin America as the children of missionaries, London and Zach were as close as could be. And then Zach dies, and the family is gutted. London’s father is distant. Her mother won’t speak. The days are filled with what-ifs and whispers: Did Zach take his own life? Was it London’s fault?

Alone and adrift, London finds herself torn between her brother’s best friend and the handsome new boy in town as she struggles to find herself—and ultimately redemption—in this authentic and affecting novel from award-winning novelist Carol Lynch Williams.

My Thoughts:

-    The style is very unique and different from all the other Carol Lynch Williams' books I've read.  It was like reading poetry, but not.  

-    It was very much a Williams' book, but it also reminded me of some of Lisa Schroeder's books. 

-    This was a really somber book.  It breaks your heart, but gives you a little bit a hope at the end.  It was...in a word...beautiful.  

-    The cover is very appropriate for this book.  I just felt like I needed a hug after reading it.

-    The love triangle kinda bugged me.  I felt like London was using both those guys.  I know she was going through a rough time, but still.   Did she have to go all kiss crazy?

-    I love that we got to see London grow and develop.  It was wonderful to see her find some sort of happiness and self worth.

-    Lili is a great friend!  Every girl needs a friend like that!

-    The story was very gripping.  I couldn't stop turning pages.  I just devoured the book from start to finish!  I find myself doing that will every Williams' book though. 

My Re-read Thoughts:

-    This wasn't as good as I remember.

-    I didn't like London or any of the other characters.

-    The story was really dry.

-    I still thought the writing was beautiful, but it was the only thing I liked.

-    I hated how London was using those two boys. 

-    I just didn't connect with the story or characters. I was really sad and disappointed.