Review: Keeping the Moon

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! This week we revisit my favourite author for one of her earlier books--Keeping the Moon! (Techincally another reread, but it's been so long since I've read this particular novel that I had forgotten 95% of the plot before I sat down to read it again!)

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Colie has always been an outcast. First it was because she was fat. Then, even after her mother skyrocketed to informercial fame with her "FlyKiki" workout videos and helped her shed the extra weight, cruel and untrue rumours began to circulate, ensuring that her life remained as lonely as it's always been. When her mother leaves for her European tour, she sends Colie off to live with her aunt Mira--eccentric, overweight, and the subject of her own rumours that seem to bother Colie more than they bother her.

After an unexpected shift at the Last Chance restaurant, Colie is offered a waitressing job, where she meets Morgan and Isabel. The two are best friends, as close as you can be, and together they team up to teach Colie the art of confidence, standing up for yourself, and most importantly, friendship.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Some of Dessen's earlier books--That Summer, Dreamland, and, of course, Keeping the Moon--are shorter, probably because she was a newer author at the time. These books are half the size of all of her newer stuff, but thankfully, the pacing doesn't suffer because of it. A smaller book for a smaller story--exactly how it should be!

One of the biggest differences I noticed when comparing this to her newer stuff is that many of her newer books involve conflicts between the main character and their parents--something I talked about in my last review. But this time around, the conflict was almost entirely focused on Colie. It was more internal than external, which is something that I love to see. Internal conflicts are always more interesting because they're much more personal; it's not something that we see going on a lot because it's something we most often keep to ourselves. 

The thing that sucked about this, though, was that Colie's mother was hardly present in the book. Their relationship was an interesting one--they seemed rather close, and Colie's admiration of her mother and her mother's bravery was apparent throughout the story, and their relationship is one that I would have liked to see a little more of.

Speaking of relationships, the romantic one between Colie and Norman was a little...disappointing. The romance is one of the biggest reasons I'm such a hardcore Dessen fan, but whereas her other books spread the romance out throughout the story, this one seemed to happen in a more compact fashion towards the end. We had a couple moments here and there, but for the most part it wasn't addressed until the very end, after Colie had just about finished her journey to self confidence. I would have liked to see their relationship develop a little more, just so that it doesn't feel quite as rushed towards the end.

The other relationships, though, were spot on. The friendship Isabel and Morgan shared was compelling and real. Dessen's trend of including a compelling cast of side characters wasn't lost in this book, and I loved seeing these two interact. I only wish Colie had found someone with whom she could be the same way. She always seemed, to me, like an outsider to their friendship. Including someone she could bond with has closely as Isabel and Morgan would have been fantastic to see.

And finally, Mira. Sweet, sweet Mira. Reading about Mira was an interesting experience for me. In the beginning, Colie was embarrassed to be seen with Mira in public--and, since she's fifteen, I could definitely see where she was coming from. I'm sure at that age that I'd be cringing, too. (I probably did, actually, the first time I read this book.)

But now, as a twenty-year-old semi-surviving the Real Adult World, I didn't feel the need to cringe at all. In fact, Mira quickly became my favourite character--her quirky personality was downright adorable, and the fact that she was so confident in herself was absolutely inspiring. She heard the whispers, what the townsfolk said about her, and she straight up didn't care. Not a care was given by that woman, and it was fantastic. She never shied away from who she was, and she never tried to change--not even when Colie's mother sent her all of her workout tapes and equipment.

Both Colie and Mira called Kiki the brave one, and I'm not denying that she is--but Mira was just as brave, if not more so. I'm almost glad that Colie didn't get the chance to stand up agianst her aunt's bullies, because Mira didn't need it in the slightest.

THE STAR-Y BIT

Overall, I did enjoy this book--I mean, c'mon, how can I not enjoy a Sarah Dessen book--but it fell short to where some of her other books have soared. I give it four stars.

How to: Create Regular Content

Do you read any weekly blogs? Do you follow a webcomic that updates with new strips daily, or subscribe to a YouTuber that seems to have an endless supply of ideas up their sleeve, never making you wait too long for something new?

I want you to do something for me, alright? Go to their social media profile. Twitter, Tumblr, I don't care, as long as it has some kind of messaging system. Click on that message button, and write them a letter telling them how fantastic and amazing they are, and how much you love and/or appreicate their work.

Because making regular content? It's hard. Like, really hard. Whoever said that deadlines motivate you was wrong. SO, SO WRONG.

Now clearly, I am no expert on making regular updates. (If anything, I'm an expert on breaking promises to complete strangers.) But hey--it's been just over two years and this blog is not only alive and kicking, but with three times as many weekly updates as I started with! Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

So, over the past two years, I have learned a few tips and tricks for making sure that your regular updates--whatever the project may be--stay regular.

TIP #1 - SET A SCHEDULE

First things first: if you want regular updates, you need a day to update on, whether they're weekly or monthly or somewhere in between. Pick a day and label that as your update day--that is the day your content will go live, so make sure it's ready!

TIP #2 - BREAK IT UP

When I first started my blogging experience, I wouldn't even think about my Friday post until Friday afternoon. In fact, that's the entire reason I picked Friday as my update day--I was a student, so blogging on Friday meant I could focus on it entirely, without having to worry about finishing up last minute homework. It seemed like a good idea a tthe time.

I very quickly realized, though, that it wasn't the best system. It involved too much staring at a blank screen, procrastinating the hours away, and stressing over the fear of never having anything to blog about ever again. If you've been here since the beginning, you know that many of my Friday posts were uploaded on Saturday, Sunday, even Monday. They were starting to look less like "regular" updates and more like "whenever" updates.

Don't be like me--break it up into smaller chunks, to be done over the course of several days. Your content quality will be smoother and better overall! For my Friday posts, I try to finish the rough draft on Wednesay, edit and revise on Thursday, with one final readthrough before uploading on Friday! It works (sometimes).

TIP #3 - BRAINSTORM

Trying to come up with a blog topic on the spot is not fun, especially when you feel pressured by a close and fast approaching deadline. Some weeks I'm lucky, and know immediately what I want to write about.

Other weeks, not so much.

If I don't have any immediate ideas, I spend the majority of the week thinking and brainstorming up ideas--evwen if it's only Monday. It also helps to make a list, so you always have something to check when you're super stumped. But that also brings me to...

TIP #4 - DO IT EARLY

If you have a sudden strike of inspiration, get the whole thing down. Right now. I don't care how early it is...do you know how rare these sudden bursts of simultaneous inspiration and motivation are? Take advantage of it! I don't know how many times I hda an idea for what was destined to be the Best Blog Ever, only to completely forget what it was when I finally got around to writing it! Any note I had left myself wasm ost often too vague for me to remember what the idea actually was.

Besides that...getting it done early feels amazing, and you have the rest of the week to play sims work on other projects!

When the inspiration's gone, it's super hard to get it back. Make the most of it when you can!

TIP #5 - MAKE A BUFFER

A "buffer" is, essentially, a supply of pre-written blog posts or pre-drawn comic pages, ready for upload weeks and months before they're scheduled to be finished.

You know what's awesome? Vacation time. You know what's not so awesome? Having to worry about uploading content instead of relaxing, or knowing that your previous streak of uninterrupted updates will be shattered over the course of a weekend.

We all need a break sometimes, even from the things we love. When I was in Disney World, do you think I wanted to spend all of my time thinking about blogging? HELL, NO! I wanted to spend every minute I had soaking up the Disney magic!

Most arty, content-related websites had a scheduling feature, so use it to your advantage! Get all of your content ready before you leave, and schedule it to upload while you're gone. Nobody will notice any different!

(Side note: It's also nice to have a back up buffer, consisting of one or two pieces, just in case you're unable to find time to update because pesky 'ol Life decided to intervene. When you have a chance, spend a day whipping up content in bulk. Leave it on the side as your emergency stash, or schedule it for upload and keep up with your schedule as normal. If you ever get sick or stressed or in any way don't think you'll be able to provide content for the week, you won't feel guilty!)

TIP #6 - START SMALL

When I get a new idea, I get extremely impatient. No, I don't want to wait until I finish this other thing....I want to do it RIGHT NOW! When this happens, there are two expected outcomes:

1) I give in and work furiously on this project, only to lose interest quickly (normally after the appearance of a new New Idea), my previous passion burning out like the end of a sparkler;

2) I succeed in avoiding the temptation of this New Idea...but in an effort to avoid working on it, I end up playing Sims, instead;

OR SUPER SECRET OUTCOME 3) I try to add the new project to my workload ("I've got some spare time, I can handle it!"), only to get stressed and overwhelmed ("oH MY GOD I CAN'T DO ANY OF THIS"), which eventually leads to the extremely helpful (</sarcasm>) coping method of just shutting down and playing Sims. ("I may be a failure, but my sim is PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD!")

With this blog, I wanted it to be different. I wanted it to last. Sure, I had all of these ideas for challenges and multiple update days and whatnot...but I knew if I started it all right away, this project would end up like all the others--sitting in a lonely little corner of the internet, collecting dust for the rest of time.

So, for the love of God, START SMALL! Pick one project, with one regular update, and focus as much time into it as you can! Eventually, you'll start to recognize what you're capable of doing and how quickly you can get things done, with the added bonus of improving the more you successfully do it! Only then will you be able to tell when you're capable of adding more to your plate.

TIP #7 - DON'T GIVE UP

Obviously I'm not perfect. I miss updates all the time. (This post may or may not have been intended for last Friday.) I've gone months at a time without so much as a peep, for a variety of reasons.

But one missed upload does not equate to failure. Failure is thinking you've failed after one mistake and giving no effort to rectify it. If you miss a day, try not to feel bad or guilty about it! Post something late, or start getting ready for next week!

BONUS: DON'T FORCE IT

If something's not working, there's a reason. Whether you need to revamp it or set it aside completely is something only you can decide. I've started dozens of blog posts, only to realize midway that the idea itself wasn't as good as I imagined it to be.

Sometimes, an entire project isn't working. Figure out why. You aren't giving up if you're making the conscience decision to let it go and move on!


I hope some of these tips will help you with whatever projects you have growing inside those huge minds!

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Saint Anything

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again!

This week, I'll be reviewing Sarah Dessen's newest--Saint Anything. Enjoy!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Sydney has always been the invisible one, living in the shadow of her charming and self-destructing brother Peyton. Even now, after a drunk driving accident lands him in jail and a young boy paralyzed, Sydney feels lost amongst the endless lawyers and court dates. To her parents, she is the least of their concerns.

Then she meets Layla, self proclaimed expert of boys and french fries. With her comes her older sister Rosie, graceful and beautiful beyond compare; her mother Mrs. Chatham, sweet with a heart of gold, never letting anyong fall through the cracks; and brother Mac, quiet and oh-so-observant. They welcome her immediately, and accept her into their world filled with pizza, lollipops, and bluegrass music echoing into the late summer nights.

As Sydney enters this world, struggling to balance it with her old one, she begins to find her place. A place where she feels accepted, loved, and anything but invisible.

THE REWIEW-Y BIT

Have you ever read a book that just gave the feeling of a familiar setting, the whole time? Because to me, Saint Anything felt like a cool summer night, the kind perfect for s'mores and bonfires, with a cool breeze that was just refreshing enough to bring the hot temperature down, but not so much that you needed to dig up some layers. Just...perfect.

It's hard to pinpoint why it felt like that for me.Maybe because the bulk of this book was read in one night, with a window open in my bedroom while the sun set to provide just the breeze I was talking about. Maybe it was because my favourite scene, with the carousel and the talk of Saints and the blue grass festival in the living room, gave off that same vibe.

Either way, I really loved this book.

There's something satisfying with starting a streak of fantastic books, and this book did just that. While I didn't finish this book in five hours (like my last read), it was finished within 36 hours of being bought--something that only ever happens when a highly anticpated book meets and/or exceeds my expectations.

I'm no stranger to Sarah Dessen books. And once again, Dessen's characters shine brightly throughout the book, from french fry connoisseur Layla to slightly condescending, self-proclaimed music expert Eric.

And then there's Sydney.

Before the story even starts, Dessen sets the tone for Sydney's journey with a chord-striking dedication:

"For the invisible girls

and for my readers, for seeing me."

Sydney's desire to be seen for herself, and not for her brother, is so real and relateable for so many people. It's a great quality of all of Dessen's stories that make them so good.

I love the way that Dessen portrays the parents of her characters. A common danger in YA lit is to have the parents mysteriously MIA for the majority of the book, or to have them clueless or useless for just as long. Or the parents are immediately turned into the enemy, mean and strict just for the sake of being mean and strict.

But Dessen doesn't write them off, keep them in the dark or antagonize them for no reason. No, her protagonists don't often get along with their parents...but how many kids do? The difference here is that the parents are human--they make mistakes, but they're trying their best to do what's best for their children. Throughout the story, Dessen's protag often has a second parental figure in their life, an impartial third party who sees both sides of the story.

For Sydney, that's Mrs. Chatham.

Mrs. Chatham sympathizes with Sydney; she knows what Sydney's going through. But she also sees and understands where her parents are coming from, the motivations behind their actions. And it's because of this dual understanding that Sydney is able to reconcile with their parents by the conclusion.

The book wasn't without its issues, of course. My biggest problem was that the whole Eric-and-Sydney storyline is kind of lost throughout the climax and resolution. He's hinted at having feelings for her for a good portion of the book, right up to the point where he asks her out, and then...nothing. She avoids giving her answer, and the issue is never brought up again. Not when Sydney and Mac's secretive relationship was revealed, or when Eric and Layla rekindled their pre-plot romance. I even forgot about it, too, until the cover was closed after the happily ever after. Now, I'm left to wonder.

I also thought that the relationship between Sydney and Mrs. Chatham was extremely underdevelloped. They had their moments, of course, but I feel like their bond could have been used even more throughout the story than it was. 

THE STAR-Y BIT

Forgotten and misused plotlines aside, Dessen's newest quickly earned another five stars from me. Saint Anything has already made it onto my reread list!


Until later,

- Justyne

Micro Fiction Monday: An Experience

She didn’t bother to put on shoes before stepping through the doorway, relishing the coolness of the damp pavement beneath her skin. She considered shoes a boundary, one meant to be crossed. Her bare feet carried her down from the front step to the grass below, greener from the constant water pouring from the sky.

To most, rain was something to hide from. To her, it was something to experience.

With no roof to serve as shelter, she was soaked within minutes in the downpour. Her hair clung to her neck and forehead, her dress hung limply around her legs; not an inch of her body was saved from the relentless shower. Yet she welcomed every raindrop that connected with skin, every bolt of lightning to greet her eyes, every thunder strike to shake her core.

Most people scoffed at the idea of dancing in the rain. But she had never been one to turn away from an experience.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Micro Fiction Monday: Keepsake

She allowed herself to step back for a moment. She stepped back, leaving her body as an empty shell so she could fly. So she could sleep on a cloud with the moon as her nightlight. So she could ride the waves of the wind and collect the stars as she went.

When she returned, all was as it should be. Her extraordinary life was no longer extraordinary; mundane, as most lives are. Except, of course, for the stars filling her pockets; a keepsake and a reminder of her journey. She would keep them forever, pressed into the pages of her favourite books.

They shined just as brightly as the stories inside them.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

How to Be a Writer: A 10-Step Guide, By Me (A Writer)

STEP 1: Read a lot. All the time, in fact. Read the classics, read the modern. Read the popular and the unpopular, the good and the terrible. Read what you love, and take note of what you hate and why you hate it. But don't turn reading into a chore--if you don't enjoy reading, you certainly won't enjoy writing.

STEP 2: Dream. Dream big, dream small, dream far and wide. Dream at night, while you sleep and before you drift off. Dream of the impossible and make it so. Create fantasies and goals. Dream your dreams and write them down.

STEP 3: Make a list. Turn your dreams into something tangible. Cross them off. Not next year--today. As soon as you can.

STEP 4: Look for inspiration everywhere. Bookmark quotes you love and pin things on Pinterest. Take pictures of amazing sights. Take mental notes of the people and conversations around you.

STEP 5: Motivate yourself. Nobody will do it for you; even if they try, they won't succeed. The best motivations are internal motivations--yourself.

STEP 6: Avoid distractions. No, you can't work with the TV on. No, checking Twitter won't take two mintues. Lock yourself away. Turn off your phone. Unplug for an hour.

STEP 7: Stop procrastinating. You're doing it. Right now.

Stop.

STEP 8: Don't get it right. Don't get it perfect. Get it down. Break it first, fix it later.

STEP 9: Yes, your writing sucks. See above. It won't suck forever.

STEP 10: Ignore everything. Just write.


Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Miss Mayhem

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! Quick disclaimer: the following review is actually a sequel. So obviously, if you've read this week's book, you've also read it's predecessor as well. I would also recommend reading my review of said book, which went up last week!

THIS WEEK'S BOOK: Miss Mayhem, by Rachel Hawkins!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

It's been months since the disaster that was Cotillion, and Harper is finally getting used to the current situation. David's visions are well under control--thanks to a little magical help from their new mage, Ryan--their relationship is thriving, and Bee has even returned from her mysterious disappearance.

But then the Ephors show up, with a sudden change of heart--they don't want to kill David, they want to use him. In order to do so, Harper needs to go through her own Paladin trials. If she succeeds, she'll be more powerful than ever.

But if she fails, she won't just lose David or her Paladin status--she'll lose her life.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

I finished this book in five hours. Five. Hours. I started it at approximately eight one morning, and even after factoring in several leisurely breaks, I still finished it around one that afternoon. I liked a lot of things about it. I had a few problems with it. But it's been so long since a book has been so riveting that it made me read it in such a marathon, so either way...Hawkins, you did good!

As mentioned briefly in my Rebel Belle review, this is where those cutesy euphemisms started to get real annoying--especially with Ryan playing a more central part in the story, and thus providing a bit more in the cursing department. And the humour, too, seemed a bit more toned down than it was in the first one. That, thought, could easily be written off to the story having a more serious tone--which it definitely does. So for that, I'll forgive it.

Honestly, though, I probably would have forgiven it, anyway, for the asbolutely ADORABLENESS that was Harper and David's relationship. Right off the bat we're treated to the GLORIOUS, HAPPY, FLUFFY-NESS that was their relationship. MY SHIPPING HEART! IT THRIVES!

(Until shit hit the fan, anyway. I'll take what I can get.)

I felt like some of the conflicts from the first book--Bee's disappearance, for one, and Blythe as an antagonist--were resolved almost too quickly. I understand that they were solved in order to make room for the conflicts that would arise this time around, but I felt like they could have been stretched out a little more. Not to mention that Blythe's character probably could have been used for more than just the one installment. 

But the thing that I loved--actually and completely loved--about this book was the way Hawkins addressed that all of the major characters are kids. Barely seventeen, still stuck in high school, totally at the mercy of their hormones children. This is a fact that I think many YA books overlook or neglect, and I loved how this book addressed it, particularly in Harper's confession scene with her Aunt Jewel. As much as Harper wants the situation to be in control--and, in the meanwhile, probably lying to herself about the true reality of it all--it's not. And it shouldn't be expected to, because the fate of the all-powerful Oracle and probably the world is in the hands of a bunch of love-triangled teenagers.

And it's absolutely fantastic.

That ending...my GOD, that ending! The emotions were portrayed and provoked so well that I found myself emotionally out of commission for at least a few hours.

That being said, I still have a couple big complaints about it; namely, the climax. There was so much going on and I almost felt like some stuff wasn't very well explained. Maybe I was reading it too fast, and all of my problems will be solved once I give it another run-through, but by the time the resolution rolled around I was very lost about the "why's" and the "how's" that made everything happen the way it did.

And of course, we can't end this review without a bit of commentary on the character development! Just like in the first book, Harper's development was slow and steady, expanding on her progress from the first one and still leaving room for the finale. I felt like this story provided something different for her development than the first one. Rebel Belle focused more on the acceptance of her desitny, whereas this one went deeper and focused more on her sedire to keep everything under her own control. The contrast we super interesting and really nice to see!

The ending, as well, proved to be a nice, satisfying conclusion for her development, too--as heartbreaking as it was. Harper's decision to let David go and honour his wish to try and return to a normal life was probably one of the most mature things she done to date. She's not giving up on him--I'm absolutely confident of that--but she recognizes that there's nothing she can do for him right now, and choosing to let him go until she can do something.

All in all, I'm super pumped to see where the finale takes us! NEXT YEAR JUST CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH.

~~

THE STAR-Y BIT

Any book read as quickly as this one deserves an immediate five stars, no questions asked.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne